Akira Maeda vs. Dick Vrij (RINGS, 5/11/91)
Dick Leon-Vrij has one of the best villainous appearances in shoot-style, looking like he was pulled straight from the cast of Cyborg. Not only does he look like he a heel, he acts the part too, which is interesting for a shoot-style promotion to have such an obvious heel. He’s an absolute dick to Akira Maeda (heh) with his shitty face slaps, blatant chokes, and snarling provocations. He tries to intimidate Maeda with his big action movie roundhouses but he’s also nippy with his kicks and his reaction time is on par with the legendary Jack Burton. He’s able to snatch a foot mid-kick and get a quick takedown. On the mat, however, Maeda’s more skilled and he supplements his groundwork with a couple suplex throws, including what looks like a capture buster. In the end, he catches one of Dick’s kicks, taking him down with a calf hold before transitioning into a single leg crab for the submission victory.
Akira Maeda vs. Dick Vrij (RINGS, 8/1/91)
Whereas Akira Maeda was the elder statesman of their first encounter, Dick Leon-Vrij turned on his cybernetic eye and zeroed in on Maeda with some heavy strikes, in a display of total aggression and dominance. He’s relentless with his kicks and knees, even against the ropes, almost knocking Maeda out of the ring at one point. He continues to be a shithead here with his slaps and he really pops Maeda’s legs with those kicks. I thought Maeda’s selling was pretty great as he gets cut down and limps back to his feet. He doesn’t get much off on Dick in terms of offense, aside from a half hatch suplex into an armbar. But Dick escapes and promptly destroys him to even the series.
Willie Peeters vs. Bert Kops Jr. (RINGS, 9/14/91)
Going in, I had no idea who Bert Kops Jr. was but I liked the name (I like all juniors) and I liked what he brought to the match. Awesome full-rotation takedowns, deadlift suplexes and some heavy kicks compared to Willie’s more light-footed approach. Peeters is such a lovable dweeb. Between his fake out punches, his anxious defense, and his shitty little strikes to the face, you can’t not love him. He incorporates a lot of fancy movements, which are more pretty than effective, but he does land some hard strikes, including a big knee to Bert's face that wins him the match. A fun, fast-paced match worth checking out from an otherwise disappointing show.
Grom Zaza vs. Koichiro Kimura (RINGS, 12/7/91)
Grom Zaza. Ghostbusters villain? A David Bowie alter-ego? Badass Georgian freestyle wrestler? Check. This was long and by the end of it, they’re both exhausted and flailing around with slaps, but there were some neat moments on the mat, as neither is particular good at striking, and Grom utilizies some cool takedowns and slams, including a cradle-style backdrop. Kimura does have some snappy kicks and palm thrusts but his mat game is his strong suit, and he’s able to send Grom to the ropes a few times by targeting the leg. Grom, on the otherhand, utilizies more innovative submissions, like his double leg half crab or his shoot STF. In the end, Grom is able to cinch in the choke to submit Kimura.
Dick Vrij vs. Willie Peeters (RINGS, 12/7/91)
This was good cop/bad cop. Willie Peeters is the good cop (not really, because he’s kind of a dick himself…just not a Dick Vrij). He has this nervous energy about him when he’s trying to defend against Vrij’s strikes and he misses about 70% of everything he throws but that doesn’t stop him from trying with 100% effort. He keeps unloading on Dick with knees and his flamboyant kicks but lands few of them, and scores even fewer knockdowns. On the other side, you have bad cop Dick Vrij, who isn’t quite as dick-ish as he was in those Maeda matches, but he’s still as imposing and aggressive. One thing that I enjoy about Vrij is how responsive he is to Peeter’s offense, grabbing a foot off a kick or a hold off a takedown. At one point, he has Willie in a jujigatame and when Willie tries to shimmy out of it, Dick holds on with the reverse armbar. And, of course, he kicks really hard, lifting Willie off the mat at points. Sloppy and chaotic but F-U-N.
Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 12/7/91)
You already see the greatness that is to come from Volk Han in his first (presumably) worked match. Sure, awkward moments pop up from being unsure how to hold back or dropping the illusion of defense. Conditioning, or lack thereof, also plays a big factor, which allows Maeda to take his head off with a big spinning heel kick near the end. He’s never been a big striker, although he’ll throw a couple face slaps here and there, or the occasional chest headbutt, but his meat-and-potatoes are his takedowns and submission attempts. He’ll manage a cool rolling armbar or kneebar takedown, and at one point, he seemingly DDTs Maeda. The last couple of minutes are a lot of fun, with Maeda pissing off Han and eating a uranage before snagging Han’s leg to pick up the submission win.
Grom Zaza. Ghostbusters villain? A David Bowie alter-ego? Badass Georgian freestyle wrestler? Check. This was long and by the end of it, they’re both exhausted and flailing around with slaps, but there were some neat moments on the mat, as neither is particular good at striking, and Grom utilizies some cool takedowns and slams, including a cradle-style backdrop. Kimura does have some snappy kicks and palm thrusts but his mat game is his strong suit, and he’s able to send Grom to the ropes a few times by targeting the leg. Grom, on the otherhand, utilizies more innovative submissions, like his double leg half crab or his shoot STF. In the end, Grom is able to cinch in the choke to submit Kimura.
Dick Vrij vs. Willie Peeters (RINGS, 12/7/91)
This was good cop/bad cop. Willie Peeters is the good cop (not really, because he’s kind of a dick himself…just not a Dick Vrij). He has this nervous energy about him when he’s trying to defend against Vrij’s strikes and he misses about 70% of everything he throws but that doesn’t stop him from trying with 100% effort. He keeps unloading on Dick with knees and his flamboyant kicks but lands few of them, and scores even fewer knockdowns. On the other side, you have bad cop Dick Vrij, who isn’t quite as dick-ish as he was in those Maeda matches, but he’s still as imposing and aggressive. One thing that I enjoy about Vrij is how responsive he is to Peeter’s offense, grabbing a foot off a kick or a hold off a takedown. At one point, he has Willie in a jujigatame and when Willie tries to shimmy out of it, Dick holds on with the reverse armbar. And, of course, he kicks really hard, lifting Willie off the mat at points. Sloppy and chaotic but F-U-N.
Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 12/7/91)
You already see the greatness that is to come from Volk Han in his first (presumably) worked match. Sure, awkward moments pop up from being unsure how to hold back or dropping the illusion of defense. Conditioning, or lack thereof, also plays a big factor, which allows Maeda to take his head off with a big spinning heel kick near the end. He’s never been a big striker, although he’ll throw a couple face slaps here and there, or the occasional chest headbutt, but his meat-and-potatoes are his takedowns and submission attempts. He’ll manage a cool rolling armbar or kneebar takedown, and at one point, he seemingly DDTs Maeda. The last couple of minutes are a lot of fun, with Maeda pissing off Han and eating a uranage before snagging Han’s leg to pick up the submission win.
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