Takeda is soaking it all up and it's a blast to watch. He outwrestles Gresham in the opening exchange, headbutts the floor, and picks a fight with Gresham, whom I haven't seen much of, but clicked well with Takeda, who can do everything when it comes to professional wrestling. The last few minutes encapsulate the pro-wrestling love -- crazy slaps and flying armbars out of nowhere, pounding away at bloody eyeballs and a KO finish that looked like a KO finish. Can't think of a better sprint in 2019.
Hideki Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher
A very good match, with Hideki's control and/or fighting for control being the best part of it, as Thatcher works sell well underneath. Slow build but a hot finish. Suzuki's shitty boots, face kicks and elbows alway look so insane, and Thatcher can cut loose when he wants to - that Hideki sell off the European uppercut was especially great. Super strong finish for Hideki, who comes into U.S. looking like a master.
Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Barnett
The early tradeoffs on the mat were very good, and the cool little Suzuki nuances added to them - I really liked his punch to set-up the leglock. And Barnett's good at throwing his weight into the exchanges - him tossing Suzuki like a sack of potatoes to get out of that snug side headlock was great. When Suzuki is forced to wrestle, he's still top-notch. His transition into the crucifix kneebar was slick. But the match stumbles a bit following the piledriver tease and doesn't have nearly the same chaos factor at Takeda/Gresham until they're wildly slapping each other to a draw. The highs are high enough and it's probably Suzuki's best singles performance of the year.
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