Kazuhiro Tamura vs. Hiroshi Watanabe (HEAT-UP, 5/14/16)

Hey. I really enjoyed this. Although at times, it felt like I was watching technically-proficient wrestling in slow motion, and the emotion factor didn’t peek in until the end, this match felt genuine. Small things like the way Tamura maneuvered himself over for a rope break. The strikes were hard and heavy, especially from Tamura, and Watanabe had some great throws. After Watanabe tweaks his knee following a top rope knee drop and blows the German suplex bridge, Tamura goes after the leg, which becomes the focus of the final act. Great finishing stretch and selling from Watanabe as Tamura blasts his leg with kick after kick, taking him down for the ten count only for Watanabe to spirit back to his feet. He tries to retaliate with some weak-looking headbutts only to have his leg cut out from him again, and when that doesn’t work, Tamura submits him with a leglock. Even the 20 people in attendance lit up in the end. Solid, focused wrestling. 

Yuji Okabayashi vs. Ryuichi Kawakami (BJW, 6/5/13)

I love these under 20 minute “modern strong style” match-ups. It feels compact and vicious, without dragging out into overkill territory. This was big boss golem Okabayashi doing a damn fine job of trying to keep the feisty Kawakami down, clubbing, chopping and lariating him silly. Whenever Kawakami gets a whiff of retaliation, Okabayashi cuts him off. The finishing stretch to this thing is outright nasty, with Okabayashi paintbrushing Kawakami with slaps and Kawakami firing back with rapid-fire elbows and a big rolling elbow. He hits a couple of Germans and a brutal half nelson suplex but Okabayashi will not die. So Kawakami unleashes the Scarlet Flowsion~! to put the nail in the coffin and earn his shot at the title. Fun stuff!

Kengo Mashimo vs. Hiro Tonai (K-DOJO, 9/14/14)

I’m catching up on matches from 2013-2014, since I wasn’t watching much of anything. But this…this is my kind of match. Tons of meaningful submission work, great counters and reversals, and a satisfying finish. After some touch-and-go to open, Tonai tries to get the flash pin with a cradle and follows it up with a Shining Wizard for a two count. I like that Mashimo alternates between working the arm and the leg, and Tonai does a good job of selling, especially the leg. It’s a sound strategy that actually plays into the finish. There’s a great little back-and-forth sequence around the leglock and cross armbreaker, with some fun, innovative arm work by Tonai. In the end, Mashimo has Tonai in the scissored armbar and as Tonai works his way over to the ropes, Mashimo traps the leg, preventing the escape and ensuring the submission victory. Excellent stuff all around!