Dick Togo v. Billy Ken Kid (Osaka Pro, 2/11/10)

Hey, did you know I like Dick Togo a lot? Well, I do, and he was pretty dang great as the dick rudo in his match against Billy Ken Kid. I mean, he attacks Kid in the midst of his streamers, beating him up on the outside and hitting a senton from the ramp to the floor. He badmouths fans, he poses in the corner, he teases the removal of Kid's mask and then just starts ripping it apart. Straight rudo activity. Kid finally gets a little reprieve by taking out Togo and crew with a beautiful tope con hilo, then busts Togo open with a corner dropkick. He can't build enough momentum to put Togo away and when he tries for another dive, he flies straight into a steel chair, which allows Togo to rip the mask completely off, proudly displaying it for the crowd. Kid's trying to stay covered with a towel but when he's finally thrown a new mask, he enters superhero mode. The match lulls for a bit here until Togo hits an RKO out of nowhere! He busts out all the signatures, including the Pedigree>diving senton combo but Kid survives, busting out all of HIS signatures before putting Togo away for good with the Firebird Splash. Dick Togo rules but Kid's a fun babyface in peril.

Antonio Honda vs. Dick Togo (DDT, 1/30/2011)

This match wraps everything I love about pro-wrestling into the perfect little DDT package. Fantastic and brutal psychology, focused limbwork, tremendous selling, great comebacks, and one of the best slugfests this side of the Mexican border.  The comedy shtick was coat checked at the door and these two went to battle. Watching Antonio Honda in control of the arm makes me nostalgic for this Honda.  Dick Togo tries to arm drag Honda off but Honda holds on and even when Dick is able to toss him off, Honda’s right back on the arm like a puppy on a chew toy. When Togo’s got him in the body scissors, Honda takes advantage of the injured arm in order to escape. Togo’s selling of the left arm, his vocal expressions, the failed Pedigree attempts, the arm giving out on the crossface hold, all add something genuine to the narrative that is often absent from most modern wrestling matches. When Honda injures himself on the dive, Togo seizes on the opportunity, focusing his attack on Honda’s busted forehead. There’s such an awesome visual of Honda swinging wild with blood in his eyes, desperate to fight off Togo, who continues to bully him around the ring, banging his head into the corner. When Honda finally snaps, it’s a thing of beauty as he unloads on Togo with hellfire punches and dragon suplexes him! When neither man can’t seal the deal with their offense and missed finishes, they collide in a fury of punches and beat the shit out of each other until Honda can’t take it anymore and Togo is able to defeat him with that well-built Pedigree and diving senton. My favorite DDT match and one of the all-time greats.

Dick Togo vs. Takuya Nomura (BJW, 2/18/18)

Welp, I forgot to talk about a match that most definitely will be among my favorites of 2018: slick Dick Togo versus Takuya Nomura in Big Japan. I love Togo, all the little things he does, and of course, my love for Nomura is never in doubt. He understands pro-wrestling better than guys with twice his experience. Savvy matwork to start from both guys, with Togo's experience getting the edge over the younger Nomura. After Nomura kicks the ringpost outside like a dope, Togo supelxes him onto the floor, hits a running senton off the apron to the floor, and continues working the leg inside the ring, putting Nomura in the figure-four. I love how he keeps Nomura's hand away from the leg and ducks the slap attempts. Really good selling of the leg from Nomura, even when he's laying in the kicks. He's able to pull out a flash armbar off a punch attempt and then peppers Togo with some snug open hands. Really liked Togo's first crossface lock off the roll up, and then the finish, catching the PK attempt, sweeping the leg and floating up into the crossface, rolling back when Nomura reaches for the ropes to submit him. Simple formula, good psychology, an invested crowd, and under 15 minutes. This ruled.

Osaka Pro "Osaka Pro Legend Story" (1/4/00)

Naohiro Hoshikawa vs. Takehiro Murahama

What a trip seeing everybody’s favorite DDT referee Yukinori Matsui in there officiating. As far as debut matches go, I can’t think of one much better than Takehiro Murahama’s debut against Naohiro Hoshikawa, boxing gloves and all. The progression of heated strikes from round to round was incorporated really well into the structure, and while there were a couple of muddled exchanges, Murahama looks like a naturall. In the first round, they land some good hard kicks and Murahama connects with a flurry of punches but they really unload in the second round, with Murahama taking out Hoshikawa with a right hook. He dumps him with a backdrop suplex but Hoshikawa immediately retaliates with a pop-up German suplex throw. In the third round, Hoshikawa lands some stiff kicks and knees while Murahama’s still lobbing jabs. After a belly-to-belly suplex, Hoshikawa maneuvers into an armbar, forcing Murahama to the ropes...but that just sets Murahama off, as he promptly pummels Hoshikawa’s face in, taking him back down with another barrage to end the match. Really good stuff.

Super Delfin vs. Dick Togo

Super Delfin has always had some of the crispiest takedowns in pro-wrestling, and Dick Togo’s no slouch himself. I liked the tempestuous back-and-forth open, with Delfin pulling out perdy little tilt-a-whirl headscissors in and out of the ring. Of course, the match can only stay untainted for so long with Togo’s crew lurking on the outside, and after some shenanigans, Togo gets a hold of a chair and injures Delfin’s leg after a diving double stomp from the apron. Togo’s legwork is grunty and somewhat effective but in the end, felt like filler as Delfin doesn't really sell it and it’s quietly forgotten in the back half. At one point, Delfin tries countering with a rana but Togo turns it into a crab hold > STF, and when he starts to heat up, someone throws a chair at him while he’s on the top turnbuckle. The leg stuff goes away as Delfin fights back for a diving body press to the outside. Back inside, he calls for the tornado DDT but Togo’s able to roll through the attempt and Liger Bomb him for two. Togo builds momentum, delivering the Pedigree into the diving senton, which should've been the finish, but when he tries to double dip on the sentons, he misses, which allows Delfin to drop him with a brainbuster and a shitty tornado DDT. He follows up with back-to-back shoteis, missing the third but correcting himself with a stunner to set-up the third and final shotei for the win. A pretty good match with some cool moments but it was all over the place and the finish sucked.

Jushin Liger vs. Dick Togo (NJPW, 6/17/96)

This was Jushin Liger really bringing the thunder to full head of hair Dick Togo with tons of high-impact offense. Togo gets the advantage early on after a little touch-and-go, taking out Liger on the outside with a tope suicida and a DDT to the exposed concrete. Back inside the ring, he hits a big diving double stomp but whoops, that only unleashes the "god beast" in Liger. He launches Togo with a release German suplex and splats him on the canvas with a powerbomb. Liger's just a dick here, between his pissy armwork, his charismatic swagger, chopping the shit out of Togo and Togo's in the moment selling is terrific.

When Dick looks like he could possibly be heating up, Liger coldcocks off the top rope and hits a big ole top rope plancha to the outside. After a brainbuster inside, Liger's back on the arm, forcing Togo to the ropes. Again, Togo heats up with a beautiful slingshot senton from the inside to the floor but when he tries for a diving headscissors from the apron, Liger kills him with a powerbomb on the floor and delivers a second one for good measure. Togo has to resort to a low blow and after a powerbomb, he hits back-to-back diving sentons but he can't complete the trio and Liger dropkicks the arm and he's back on it with a jujigatame. Togo's just flat out-Ligered here and after two fisherman busters, including a SUPER version, Liger hits the shotei for the win. Aggressively action-packed junior work from Liger with Togo taking quite the beating. This is how you do a spotfest.

Dick Togo vs. Yuko Miyamoto (GUTS World, 5/5/17)

This match exemplified two things: 1) Yuko Miyamoto > Isami Kodaka and 2) Dick Togo still rules. What a terrific opener full of swank matwork and transitions from Miyamoto and Togo selling his ass off. Togo was such a dick here, suckering Miyamoto in for a handshake and immediately Pedigreeing him, flying through the middle ropes with his somersault plancha, laying into Miyamoto with his Kentucky Fried punches. Once Miyamoto is able to get ahold of Togo's leg, Togo's on the rocks, fighting for an escape. I like that he actually tries to fight back during submission holds instead of just laying there, taking the punishment. He collapses on a suplex slipout and injures himself on a Pedigree, which delays the follow-up senton and allows Miyamoto to take advantage. He catches him with a beautiful handspring into a leglock and delivers one of the nastiest Fire Thunder Drivers I've seen in awhile for a two count. Togo's able to block the moonsault with his knees but again, it costs him, and allows Miyamoto to stay in control, dropping Togo with the fireman's carry gutbuster. But in the end, the wiliest motherfucker in Togo scoops the victory with the desperation Gedo Clutch. Go watch this match. 

Dick Togo vs. Daisuke Sasaki (DDT/DAMNATION Produce, 4/14/17)

A 30-minute Ultimate Submission match featuring Dick Togo. That's really all you need to know. Togo puts on one of his best performances since returning to wrestling, at least from what I've seen of his work, with Sasaki's weasel heel shtick kept to a minimum (minus the obligatory referee interference). Both men sold well but Togo really shined as he largely fought from underneath, working in some hot comebacks and taking the champ to the limit. Good back-and-forth groundwork to open as each man tries to assert control over the limb of their choice while also teasing the crossface hold. Togo hones in on Sasaki's left arm, using a swank neckscissors with an armbar and tenderizing it for the first submission fall via a chickenwing. Really good selling from Sasaki here as Togo continues the attack, snagging him in a bodyscissors and applying the sleeper to score another submission. 

After some thumping chops from Togo in the corner, Sasaki's able to stop Togo's momentum with a thrust kick to the face and a DDT. He works over Togo's leg and there's a fantastic visual of Togo crawling around on the mat, trying to avoid Sasaki. Loved Sasaki's top rope elbow drop to the back of the knee and the follow-up figure-four leglock, with Togo trying to resist, grabbing the hair out of desperation and looking for a reversal only to succumb to the pressure and give up. Sasaki stays on him, countering out of a Pedigree attempt and catching him in a reverse figure-four to even the score. When Togo's finally able to hit the Pedigree after failing to lock in the crossface hold, his slow ascent to the top is well-sold and allows Sasaki to utilize the referee as a foreign object. The action spills to the floor and back inside, Togo misses a crucial enziguri and Sasaki snags an ankle. Smart counter by Togo but Sasaki gets him in the crossface hold, rolling back to the middle of the ring and trapping the arm to quickly submit him, taking the lead. 

They trade slaps and punches and Togo destroys him with a lariat before hitting the Pedigree > Senton combo and submitting him with the crossface hold to bring it back to 3-3. Togo hits an awesome somersault plancha through the ropes as the clock winds down. They try a few failed crossface efforts and in the end, Togo's able to snag the champ with a cross armbreaker but time expires before he can score the winning submission and the match ends on a draw. Time limit draws can go either way but this one thankfully goes the right way, thanks to the performances of both men, especially Togo. Between this and the first Sekimoto/Suzuki match, time limit draws are ruling in 2017.