Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Kazuki Hashimoto (BJW, 2/7/14)

This was a fun spitfire underdog match with tons of heavy striking for all your heavy striking needs. You've got Surfer Sato destroying K.Hash with big bad elbows, Ishikawa manhandling D.Hash with a stretch muffler. Twin Towers do a good job of bullying K.Hash, inflicting a little punishment and making the quick tags. Effective. Little D.Hash gets in a bunch of snappy kicks and an especially head-droppy back suplex on Sato. I really liked Ishikawa's arm-trap headbutts into the arm-trap suplex. After K.Hash finally topples Sato, he and Daichi trade kicks before Kazuki lands a nasty PK. The ankle hold didn't make much sense for this kind of match as there was no real sense of danger. The failed submission attempt leads to a final onslaught by Sato, including his piledriver and a German suplex hold for three. Good 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!