Fighting Network RINGS (1995)

Masayuki Naruse vs. Sotir Gotchev (RINGS, 1/25/95)

Sotir Gotchev looks like a wise ass 1980's Brooklyn TV cop but he's pretty dope in the ring and he and Naruse got plenty of time to do their thang (which may be too much time, I don't know). One of Gotchev's best spots is when he's got someone in a bear hug and they're trying to palm strike their way out of it and Gotchev belly-to-belly suplexes them. Good struggle on the mat, with Naruse able to show off a bit more on the ground with his control and transitions. Gotchev keeps suplexing, Naruse keeps on taking him down, and then things get a little more feisty toward the end with the open hands and kicks. Naruse knocks Gotchev down with a big slap but when he tries for the spinning heel kick, Gotchev avoids it and taps him with his version of the STF. 

Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 1/25/95)

This match rules, are you kidding me? Maeda made his "return" to greatness in 1994 against Yoshihisa Yamamoto and he's still got it. They go at it to open, chasing each other with strikes, and then Han takes Maeda to the ground and gets him in a dope inverted STF...I don't even know with Han and his crazy holds. Maeda's nose gets busted less than a minute into the match and he's just trying to survive Han's submissions and strike him down. Awesome moment where Han has him in a standing leglock and kicks Maeda's arm away in order to get the single leg crab. Good back-and-forth on the mat with tons of reversals. Maeda's able to get a few kicks in on Han but Han knows Maeda's leg is injured and like a shark to blood, Han is all about getting that leg. In the end, he traps it and then Maeda's arm, and Maeda finally taps to give Han the Mega Battle Tournament! 

Mitsuya Nagai vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 3/18/95)

Yamamoto is blessed in white, the pre-Tamura savior of RINGS, and Nagai is still scrappy as hell. He isn't as strong on the mat as Yamamoto but he can outstrike him and that's what he tries to do, connecting with a nice high kick before Yamamoto takes him down. When they both let loose with the strikes, the match really heats up and Nagai has tons of quick hands, kicks, and knees, really swinging for the fences at times, but Yamamoto's still able to knock him down with his own shots. At one point, Nagai falls on his ass but it's okay because he then proceeds to go apeshit on Yamamoto in the corner. They're wailing away on each other but Yamamoto wins out, as Nagai hangs on the ropes and is barely able to make it back to his feet. Yamamoto tries to finish him off with the choke but Nagai is able to grab an arm and cinch in the submission for the big win. Great match. 

Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 3/18/95)

Zouev is maybe my second favorite Russian? Maybe Kopylov - maybe they can share that honor because Volk Han is god-like. Whereas Koyplov is a little more rough and tumble, Zouev is finesse and he will always try to outmaneuver Han, which of course, leads to a great war on the mat...but also on their feet, as they both throw hard open hands.  The back-and-forth between these two is top notch, and Zouev ends up taking Han to the ropes more often than he's used to. Han also sends Zouev scrambling but also is super aggressive with his strikes and lands some really nasty shots. They fight for control on the ground up until the very end, when Han finally grabs the armbar for the submission. Real good stuff. 

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Wataru Sakata (RINGS, 4/28/95)

Baby Kohsaka and baby Sakata, the latter of which, isn't very good at this point in his career, much to the disappointment of Maeda, go at it. This was pretty fun - good heated smack exchanges but TK is the man on the mat, mostly keeping Sakata in CHECK. Grabbing necklocks and kneebars when Sakata fails to do much of anything on the mat. They slap each other silly for a bit and then TK lands a big knee strike, pummels Sakata with open hands and taps him with the armbar. 

Mitsuya Nagai vs. Willie Peeters (RINGS, 4/28/95)

Easily the best Willie Peeters match since 1991. It helps that both guys are feisty little shitheads and as expected, they throw a lot of hard kicks and knees. Peeters hits an awesome rotating belly-to-belly and stays aggressive throughout, but still does shitty things like hanging onto the ropes. And it wouldn't be a Willie Peeters match if he didn't fall on his ass on a big spin kick attempt. Nagai isn't always the strongest on the mat but he's better than Peeters and had some neat counters. In the end, Peeters creams Nagai with a high kick to the head but it's not enough and Nagai traps him int he front necklock for the submission.

Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS, 4/28/95)

Is this the best Masayuki Naruse match ever? Certainly in RINGS up to this point but it's also against Volk Han, which means the bar is already set high. love that Han is now busting out these rolling armbar suplexes - like he goes for his standing armbar and then suplexes Naruse. He drags him back to the middle and tries for his standing leglock but Naruse counters with a kneebar like "nuh-uh-uh". I like that Naruse establishes that the kneebar is THE counter for Volk Han throughout the match. He also puts Han in a nasty facelock hold. But when he tries for a high kick, Han catches it and takes him down with the leglock. Han is the master at this - at one point, he's got Naruse in a hammerlock, Naruse tries to counter with a leg trip but Han holds on to the arm and takes him to the ropes. Good dynamic, good struggle on the mat, with Naruse looking his best yet. He pops Han with some big slaps and kicks but the veteran perseveres, keeps using the hammerlock>double wristlock combo to control Naruse. Naruse's able to take him down with the Fujiwara armbar but Han traps him with the headscissors and snags the leg for the awesome submission. Great match!

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Sotir Gotchev (RINGS, 5/20/95)

TK's best match since debuting and a real showcase match for Gotchev, who works a very aggressive approach here with his kicks, hands, and knees. Early on, he blasts TK with a high kick to the face. TK tries to answer with knee strikes but when he can't get the knockdown, he takes Gotchev down in a slick rolling leglock. Of course, Gotchev hits his signature bearhug belly-to-belly suplex in all its glory. Loved him playing to the crowd like a putz when he downs TK with a knee. They struggle a bit at the end, both clearly tired, but Gotchev wins after he uses a full nelson with the knees into a judo throw to set up his shoot STF. Cool match. 

Mitsuya Nagai vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 5/20/95)

Mitsuya Nagai in 1995 is $100 dollar bills (but he was also good in 1994 and in general) and as proven in the past, Andrei Kopylov is no slouch - although, he does look like the dad on your favorite 90's Russian sitcom. Kopylov's dominant throughout the match. He immediately suplexes the hell out of Nagai and he does such a good job of making his holds look painful, whether it's grabbing arms or legs. Other memorable moments include Nagai getting kneed in the nuts, Kopylov teasing throwing him out of the ring TWICE, Nagai catching Kopylov's koppou kick attempt and dropping down with the leglock, and a dope headlock suplex. Kopylov is a tough fucker, taking a head kick but still holding onto Nagai, and I loved his headlock takedown into the front mount. He keeps taking Nagai to the ropes and the fans WANT Nagai to fire back and he does and the fans love it - big kicks and big knees down Kopylov in the corner and he can't make it back up to his feet.

Akira Maeda vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 5/20/95)

A pretty good Maeda-dominant match with Zouev trying to take him out on the ground and Maeda winning out. Some nice takedowns, strike exchanges, and matwork. The way Maeda kicks out Zouev's leg with the solebutt was gnarly and I love his headscissors hold. Zouev is able to survive the world famous Maeda leglock but ends up tapping to a sleeper hold.

Wataru Sakata vs. Yuri Bekichev (RINGS, 6/17/95)

This is the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match of RINGS thus far, in the sense that they're both trying to do big impressive things, synchronized kicks and shit, completely whiffin g a bunch, and it's so silly, it's actually fun. Not a very good match though. It was nice seing Sakata with a little more confidence and aggression, laying in with a bunch of open hands to the head and knee strikes. Yuri loves the big kicks and he hits a pretty sweet shoot enziguri, a spinning heel wkick, a high kick to the head. There's a bunch of tomfoolery with them trying these ridiculo us kicks and throwing themselves at each other without anything really happening, which leads to the Yuri's knees vs. Wataru's slaps and Yuri's knees win out. Dumb fun.

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Sergei Sousserov (RINGS, 6/17/95)

Pretty good Sousserov showcase match with a bunch of cool throws and kicks, and TK trying to survive, grabbing submissions off of suplexes when he can. He's able to down Sergei with a good knee to the midsection but Sergei pops him silly with a big ass kick and submits him with the armbar. 

Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 6/17/95)

Yoshihisa Yamamoto has become very good at this point, and he knows how to play to the crowd, milk every submission, and give the top dogs a run for their money. As good as Han is here, and in general, Yamamoto has a lot of answers. The whole opening stretch, with Yamamoto flipping out of the standing armbar, reversing the cross heel hook, slipping out of Han's fingers into a sleeper hold - he ain't no punkass kid with acne anymore. As expected, tons of rolling around, trading holds and counters, but Yamamoto sending Han to the ropes a bunch. He's dominant on top with his strikes. I love that the ref gets onto Yamamoto for tyring to hammer his way out of Han's heel hook. He tries to get fancy with a cool sliding leg sweep but gets caught in Han's kneebar. Also the incorporation of the hammerlock suplex into Han's arsenal -- perfecto. When Yamamoto pops Han with a palm strike, Han falls like a tree. The fans lose it when he's got Han in the front necklock, somehow managing to allude the armbar but once Volk gets out, he traps Yamamoto and snags the arm for the submission finish. Awesome match.

Masayuki Naruse vs. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS, 7/18/95)

This does not end pretty for TK. Naruse is the aggressor and TK is once again trying to survive and grab a submission. Naruse downs him with a nice flurry of palms and knees, then wrenches him with a FACELOCK. That's how you apply it. TK, on the otherhand, is able to grab a pretty dope kneebar on Naruse and the fans think he may have it in the bag but no, he doesn't. They dance around holds but TK can't get the leglock and that's about his last opportunity because Naruse knees the shit out of him, destroying his eyebrow. TK's up, he wants to fight, but the ref knows better and calls the match. Fun!

Dick Vrij vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 7/18/95)

Yamamoto takes an absolute thrashing from Dick Fly but so he's damn persistent with those double leg takedowns and Vrij, of course, is always within a foot of the ropes so Yamamoto has 7% chance of actually submitting him. But boy oh boy, Vrij destroys Yamamoto with the knees and palm strikes. When Yamamoto's down, Vrij kills him with a knee to the head and the ref admonishes Vrij while Hans Nijman is up on the apron, trying to get the ref to call Yamamoto down. Vrij keeps attacking Yamamoto until Yamamoto stuns him with a shotei and then peppers him in the corner with open hands. But that only pisses Vrij off, who comes at him twice as hard, and again, Yamamoto pummels Vrij in the corner with open hands. Vrij is actually bleeding now and he's used up all his rope escapes - Yamamoto can do it! Once again, Vrij big ass knees Yamamoto when he's down on the ground and the fans aren't happy about it but Yamamoto forces Vrij to the ropes and wins by TKO...so the fans leave happy. Brutal match. 

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Dimitri Petkov (RINGS, 8/27/95)

Big Baby Petkov is back in a red singlet this time (not the neon green) and even though his matches feel the most 'worked', they're plenty fun and this was no exception. For as big as he is, Petkov can make some of these roll up submissions look great. TK gets him early on with the rolling necklock before Petkov belly-to-belly suplexes him in response. Tk gets in a lot of cool submission attempts and tries to take Petkov down with a barrage of strikes but Dimitri is able to grab him and...they kind of just fall down. Perfect opportunity for a Petkov suplex BLOWN. Petkov finally slams him down into the reverse necklock and TK taps. Didn't look very painful but whatever, TK experienced Dimitri Petkov. 

Akira Maeda vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 8/27/95)

Save for the finish, this was a solid Akira Maeda exhibition match. Kopilov (back in the purple Nike shorts, thanfully) doesn't get a whole lot off on Maeda. They're usually too close to the ropes so there's not a lot of drama behind the holds. And anytime Kopylov tries to retaliate with strikes, Maeda ducks down into turtle defense mode, forcing Kopylov to try something on the mat. But Maeda looked good here. He gets a sick double arm takedown, spiking Kopylov on his head, and lays into him a bunch with kicks and knees and slaps. As witnessed before, these two like to entangle. Kopyylov whiffs on his spinning heel kick (the worst shoot-style move because it has a 6% chance of connecting [see Masahito Kakihara] and can't catch a break on the ground because of the damn ropes. But when Maeda takes him down with the half hatch, Kopylov is able to roll him into a kneebar for the UPSET TAPOUT! 

Volk Han vs. Bitsadze Tariel (RINGS, 8/27/95)

Tariel's best match in RINGS up to this point? Probably but I also think that applies to a lot of guys who wrestled Han. The dynamic between these two, similar to Han's matches against Vrij, is great. Tariel is the big Georgian karateka wall and Han is trying to exploit the crack with tons of dope submission holds. Early on, he gets a beautiful leg trip into the trapped heel hook, and then he drags Tariel back to the middle of the ring. Han establishes that he's the man on the ground, attacking Tariel's leg with hooks and holds, but then Tariel whaps the shit out of Volk's leg with a kick and floors him. Striker established. He then proceeds to pummel Han with blows, knocking him down again and again, and poor Han tries to retaliate with the spinning backhand but Tariel gutshots him. Being that the gutshot is Han's kryptonite, he cannot make it to his feet and Tariel wins. A night of upsets in RINGS. 

Wataru Sakata vs. Sotir Gotchev (RINGS, 9/22/95)

Sotir Gotchev is already near and dear to my heart but he immediately gets flattened with a spinning backhand. But that doesn't stop him from hitting his bearhug suplex and locking in his shoot TF. When Gotchev tries for the very rare RINGS German suplex, Sakata's able to roll him up with a leglock, into a heel hook, into his own shoot STF. Pretty cool SAKATA. Gotchev's kicks are big and bold, and as Sakata comes for him, he shows that his knee is just as big and bold. Sakata's spinning heel kick just graves Gotchev's cheekbone and he tries to take Sotir down with bodyshots and knees but Gotchev takes him down and finally submits him with his wacky STF. Fun opener

Dick Vrij vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 9/22/95)

Although the rematch sees Yamamoto wrangle more with Dick Fly on the mat, it lacked the drama and intensity of their first match. That being said, it was still a lot of fun, and Yamamoto, in savior white, promptly takes it the fuck to Vrij in the corner. Vrij's strikes aren't quite as brutal here, and at one point, after Yamamoto slaps him in the face, Vrij asks for more...and more he receives. He does knock Yamamoto out of the ring with a series of kicks and knees but in the end, taps out to a rear naked choke, giving Yamamoto another victory. Uh oh, Dick. 

Akira Maeda vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 9/22/95)

Not as good as their match earlier in the year but it's Maeda vs. Han so it's lowest threshold is still pretty high. It's a little sloppy in parts, which isn't something you see often in Han's performance. He starts off with the double wristlock and Maeda is struggling...well, kind of...as Han keeps him away from the ropes but Maeda obviously isn't tapping so Han tries to switch it up, whcih gives Maeda an opening to escape. Again, Maeda shows off some sweet suplex takedowns and he manages a few good strikes. At one point, Han knees Maeda in the face twice and Maeda's like "fuck it" and gets right back up to his feet. Of course. When Han tries for a roll up kneebar, Maeda traps the leg in a scissors hold and Han taps out!  

Nikolai Zouev vs. Mikhail Ilioukhine (RINGS, 10/21/95)

Not a great show on a whole but this was a pretty fun match and definitely Mikhail's best singles match thus far in RINGS. As to be expected with Zouev, there is a lot of ground entanglements, blocks, reversals, and fancy maneuvering. There's a cool roll through heel hook by Mikhail but Zouev is able to snag the arm. Zouev also has a neat grounded single leg and Mikhail does a croos heel hold, which looks like a double single leg hold. Much of the focus is on the arm and the struggle for control but in the end, Mikhail performs a roll through into the neck crank for the submission. Cool finish to a pretty neat match-up.

Andrei Kopilov vs. Grom Zaza (RINGS, 10/21/95)

Grom Zaza is feisty in this match and it rules. I loved his fakeout slaps, his body blows, the knees. I mean, he's swinging for the fences with some of those open hands and at one point, Andrei's like "what the heck? come on, ref". There's also a funny moment where Kopilov's spinning heel kick completely misses and Zaza's like "what do I do?". Kopilov connects with a spinning backhand and he tries to get feisty with Zaza and then Zaza gets hassled by the ref for the excessive knee strikes. Kopilov isn't able to do much on the mat because Zaza won't let up. He manages a nice roll through with the arm but Zaza's right in the ropes. Grom gets kicked in the nuts and now he's pissed, smacking Kopilov down and putting him in the rear naked choke. By the end, they're both tired,  mostly Grom though, as he unloads on Kopilov in the corner with more big strikes but is about to collapse. So Kopilov quickly taps him with a fancy cradle hold? I don't know. Cool match though and probably the best on an otherwise weak show.

Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs. Mitsuya Nagai (RINGS, 11/16/95)

These two work well together, with Nagai being the more strike-heavy of the two and Yamamoto trying for the takedown>submission. Yamamoto opens with a lot of fire, stunning Nagai with palm strikes and sending him to the ropes with a kneebar. Nagai, of course, loves the kicks and the knees. He's able to turn Yamamoto's necklock attempt into a dope legtrap straight armbar, and when Yamamoto tries to roll out, Nagai keeps him in check with the wakigatame. Loved Yamamoto's selling when Nagai has got him up against the ropes with strikes. Nagai's able to get Yamamoto in an interesting predicament, snatching the arm, but Yamamoto is able to move to the ropes and in the end, taps Nagai with the leglock to advance. Great little match. 

Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 11/16/95)

Tons of matwork, as one might expect, with tons of counters and maneuvering and Kopylov really trying to catch Han in something inescapable. The opening few minutes are really good, with Han using the armbar takedown right off the bat, Kopylov turning it into an ankle hold/calf hold, Han countering with the leglock and then using an awesome reverse armbar counter with the opposite arm trapped. When Andrei gets Han in the armbar, there's a great little moment where Han is just short of his foot on the ropes and the crowd is buzzing (Kopylov responds with the Russian equivalent of "fuck!" when Han does get it). Once again, Han utilizes his legs better than anyone else and when he's on his feet, he isn't afraid to fire off knees and shoteis and spinning backhands. By the end, they're both just grabbing limbs,  hoping for a submission, and when Kopylov gets the armbar takedown, Han bites with the heel hook and Kopylov taps. Good stuff. 

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Grom Zaza (RINGS, 12/19/95)

The most exciting match on the show, in my opinion, with terrific pacing and both guys giving 100%. Grom has gone from mild-mannered Georgian with a pleasant smile to an uber-aggre ssive slappy Georgian with the same pleasant smile. He opens with a hard slaps, a beautiful wristlock takedown and some big knees to the head to down TK. TK's able to retaliate with a nice armwhip of his own into the neck crank and a few knees to Grom's dome. When Zaza grabs the ankle, TK tries and misses with an enziguri attempt and so Zaza puts him in a seated single leg crab hold. There's a bunch of takedowns>holds toward the end, more stiff strikes from Zaza, and a dope finish, which consists of a beautiful armwhip by Grom into the reverse armbar for the submission victory. The post-match kip up by Grom is the cherry on the cake.

Mitsuya Nagai vs. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS, 12/19/95)

It's Nikolai Zouev, which means a lot of rolling around, trapping arms and legs with arms and legs. That's, of course, not a bad thing and Nagai is fun in that he's trying to counter and do his own thing, and while he's not the strongest on the mat, he looks pretty good here. Zouev usually has answers to Nagai's kick attempts but not always, and he nearly gets knocked out of the ring by a series of kicks and knees in the corner. There's an awesome moment in the match where Nagai tries for a big kick, Zouev slides underneath to sweep the leg and transitions seemlessly into the rear choke. Zouev has some great holds, sometimes pretzeling Nagai in various ways, but Nagai will also find ways to put Zouev in predicaments. He fights for an armbar, which Zouev tries to bridge his way out of before finding an escape and reversal with an armbar of his own. They kind of slap it out at the end and Nagai snags a front necklock, holding on when Zouev takes him down to force the tap out. Good stuff. 

Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS, 12/19/95)

A solid rematch with Yamamoto really trying to get the advantage and Han being patient and slick as usual. Yamamoto almost seems desperate/reckless at times, which gives this match kind of a sloppy sheen, but it's still Volk Han and he gets some of his offense in while still allowing Yamamoto to get the spotlight...kind of. At one point, Yamamoto comes at Han with open hands and Han just tosses him like a sack of flour. Yamamoto is able to get him in a triangle but once again, Han coolly steps on the leg and puts him in the straight leglock. Han knocks him down with a flurry of slaps, they flip-flop single leg crab holds, and then Yamamoto snags the armbar. When Han tries to get out, turning over onto his belly, Yamamoto holds on and taps him with the reverse armbar. Big win for Yamamoto. although nowhere near his best showing, and a good Han performance as always.