Various No-Ring Matches

 Koji Sudo vs Seiya Nishiyama, NEXUS PROJECT 8/8/2021

 They ran this show in what looks like a cafe, or a souvenir shop, with a wrestling mat thrown in it and some ladders set up. The audience looks to be about 7 people, mostly elderly ladies. Sudo is 51 here, apparently he’s another Kurisu trainee. He has dyed hair and a small stature looking like he would make a sick tag team partner for Yasushi Sato. This is an entirely serious match where they go really hard, almost as if to prove that you can do it all even in this tiny cramped space. The match had everything – some cool mat wrestling, some snug strikes, a lot of cool offense, and a well told story with Sudo the older guy trying to outsmart and beat his younger opponent. Oddly enough most of the cool offense came from Sudo, the guy was wrestling almost like a joshi wrestler, hitting some hair throws, a great wrist clutch german suplex on that tin mat, some sick double stomps, a really choice roll up. It’s palpable that Nishiyama, being younger, better looking and fitter would quickly beat Sudo so Sudo tried to counter and outsmart him constantly while throwing everything he had at him. This kind of stuff is just the pure expression of love for pro wrestling, just go out there and being way too proud to not bring it even when you’re wrestling in the tiniest venue.

Super Guapo MEX vs Kaito Sero, AVANZAR 2018/2/24

This is Mascara vs Mascara. I do not know what went down in the history of AVANZAR for these two fine men to put their masks on the line, but I can see that the result was a nice hate filled scrap. Right from the go MEX was just punishing his opponent by torturing his arm in various ways. He had about the most painful version of the ‘push opponents arm back and stomp on his elbow’ spot I’ve ever seen. Often that spot can look a little time but here it genuinely looked like Super Guapo MEX wanted to kick Seros elbow out of his arm. MEX would also do mean things like kicking away at Sero with his ankle while having him trapped in a llave, just total dickhead stuff. When Sero comes back he is throwing every shot as hard as he can. There are some scrappy no-ring flying headscissors with one of them throwing MEX into a gentleman in the first row, who spends much of the match then keeling over in pain. That’s what these no ring matches are all about, the sheer danger of it. They have a ladder for a turnbuckle pad, and at one point MEX throws Sero face first into the ladder, with Sero taking it so fast and reckless like he didn’t really expect he would be about to be swept face first into a ladder. Sero pushing his own arm to get out of MEX’ cobra clutch is also good pro wrestling. Same goes for MEX collapsing when Sero tried to set up his finisher. The last llave has Sero struggling with all his might, desperately trying to his hand hooked on his own pants only for MEX to force it and lean all the way back almost snapping the guy in half. It was genuinely good wrestling, wrapped in a sleazy hate filled underground mask vs mask match with no ring. It’s a bit slow here and there but you have to love this stuff. The wrestling gods smiled on them that day for sure.

Koji Sudo & ZEAL vs Hiroshi Ando & Sanada Ten Braves, Kishu Bundara 4/13/2025

Not sure what Kishu Bundara is. Apparently Tsubasa Shiratori is the owner. Regardless, this match is a banger. They put a mat on some cobblestone pavement and wrestle hard, punishment style. Ando has MMA gloves and does honest to god shootstyle with Ando dishing out some really mean kicks and knees. Then Sudo tags in and we get some great wrestler vs shooter exchanges. Sanada Ten Braves is this tough looking lady, and she is not afraid to engage in some absolutely harrowing exchanges. ZEAL has the vibe of a tough old man with a shot body and a big balding patch who can’t move very well anymore but still do some neat things. There were sick headbutts, closed fist punches, people smacking the absolute dog shit out of each other, and Sudo here and here doing improbable cool things like hitting a springboard crossbody off of a flimsy looking ladder. Towards the end it starts raining and yeah it feels like an epic match. At just a bit over 10 minutes they cut a relentless pace too. Match had story, shootstyle, cool wrestling, plenty of sick punishment, and a surreal vibe that you don’t get twice. Yeah this ruled.