Mr. Gannosuke vs. Isami Kodaka (Mr. Gannosuke Produce, 3/7/17)

Hey, this match was really good and maybe 16 people will see it but that's okay because I'm telling you it was a really good match -- that is, if you like watching a 48-year old sake-guzzling dad with gross hair schooling a part-time bartender in professional rasslin'. Gannosuke's ring knowledge is refreshing, in that the little things he does come off as obvious but they're tricks that not a lot of guys employ. For example, trying to pin Isami while keeping a grounded headscissors applied. Or countering a sickle hold with a choke, a figure-four leglock attempt with a small package. When Isami is in non-deathmatch mode, he's pretty good. His kicks don't always land but neither do his dives. Gannosuke outveterans Isami early on, going back to his headscissors until Isami is able to counter out successfully with a bow and arrow hold. He continues working the leg, using a figure-four leglock, a spinning toehold, and an ankle hold. Gannosuke's limb of choice is the arm and he wrings and wrenches it, hits a couple of running armbreakers. When Isami struggles against a hold, Gannosuke is quick to either try a pin him or trap the flailing limb. The back-end of this match sees Gannosuke throwing some bombs, including a Falcon Arrow and a powerbomb, but also using Isami's injured arm as a way to shift the tide. The wily Isami is able to avoid the Fire Thunder Driver, dropping Gannosuke with a brainbuster and back-to-back diving knees. Gannosuke gets one last gasp with a Gannosuke Clutch but after a shitty superkick, Isami defeats Gannosuke with the Isami-ashi-zan. Mr. Gannosuke still rules.

Mr. Gannosuke vs. GENTARO (GUTS World, 6/17/16)

Yet another random match that somehow alluded me last year, this time from the magical GUTS World. Mr. Gannosuke, the 48-year old champion, defends against jack-of-all-trades, GENTARO. This isn't a match for everyone -- it's like a game of chess between two old friends. Slow, methodical, deliberate. The matwork is old-school in execution, not quite the prettiest but effective, and GENTARO works as the "by any means necessary" skeazy heel, whose overconfidence spells disaster. They go hold-for-hold to open the match, each targeting a different limb and then trading at points. GENTARO works over the arm on the ground, with a hard-edged chair, and a running armbreaker. When he tries for the bow-and-arrow hold, Gannosuke grabs an ankle and somehow reverses it into an Indian deathlock. The counterwork is really great throughout, with Gentaro poking the eyes or tugging on Gannosuke's shitty little beard to escape a hold. There was some unnecessary outside stuff that felt like a speedbump in the momentum before Gannosuke's back to working the leg inside the ring. After GENTARO tosses Gannosuke from the top rope, he hits a running bulldog, calling for a second but taking a backdrop from Gannosuke. Tons of counters in the home stretch, cradles and pin attempts, with Gannosuke hanging onto his title after a backslide. Not the most exciting match by today's #standards but I enjoyed it! 

Daisuke vs. Mr. Gannosuke (GUTS World, 5/8/16)

Another top notch performance from Mr. Gannosuke in what may be my favorite GUTS World match of the year so far. Great energy and hustle from Gannosuke, awesome old man armwork, and a hot finish. Can't ask for much more. Daisuke was good here, too, with decent selling throughout and a fun callback to his earlier work in the match. But the narrative here was Gannosuke showing off some of that hard-earned wrestling wisdom and experience. Once he took control of Daisuke's arm after banging it around the ringpost, the match really fell into place. He swanks it up with a fireman's carry into the armbar. He wrecks it old school with some grinding elbows and stiff, ole-fashioned wrenching.I could watch this all day long. The way he manipulates Daisuke's fingers while he has him in the armbar. Pulling Daisuke's elbow pad off, tossing it into the crowd and kicking the arm. I loved the running armbreakers. Just relentless work from the veteran. 

Daisuke fires back with some elbows using his good arm and gets in some offense, including a cool slingshot corkscrew splash, but Gannosuke turns the lights off on the party, attacking the bad arm to escape a top rope move and superplexing Daisuke. He hits a gutwrench suplex and a tribute Falcon Arrow but Daisuke avoids the Fire Thunder and goes back to the leg he worked in the beginning, hitting a dragon screw legwhip and locking in the figure-four. When he tries for a sliding elbow, Gannosuke counters and hits another pair of running armbreakers before forcing him down with the wakigatame, really putting his weight into it. Daisuke gets a little frog splash crazy there in the end, hitting two back-to-back and trying for a third, clearly exhausted. Gannosuke blocks it, release germans are exchanged, before the vet clobbers Daisuke with a hard lariat. The champ survives a powerbomb and a Fire Thunder Driver but Gannosuke hits him with a second one and it's lights out. A very well-earned victory for Mr. Gannosuke. 

Tatsuhiko Yoshino vs. Mr. Gannosuke (GUTS World, 3/22/16)

Continuing on my journey through GUTS World, I really enjoyed this match-up for the most part, especially the performance from Mr. Gannosuke and the Hayabusa tribute spots. Yoshino takes control early on after a big somersault plancha to the outside, staying on Gannosuke’s neck with neckbreakers and holds. Good selling from Gannosuke throughout, going back to remind us of Yoshino’s previous work. Gannosuke does a tremendous job of working over Yoshino’s back and dictating the flow of the match, smartly taking breathers and forcing Yoshino back into his game. Really neat transition from the surfboard stretch into the single leg crab. Yoshino’s failed comebacks were well-sold but some of his selling down the stretch left something to be desired, particularly on those back-to-back German suplex spots. I loved Gannosuke’s use of the full nelson slam into the Nirvana Strangle as a wear down mechanism for the dragon suplex. Yoshino gets off one last gasp with a Michinoku Driver after escaping the Fire Thunder Driver but when he misses the Firebird Splash, Gannosuke delivers vicious lariats to the back of the neck and front, setting up the kneeling powerbomb for two. When that doesn’t do the trick, he relies on the trusted Fire Thunder Driver to get the job done. Really fun match!