2025 Wrestling Week 8

 Senka Akatsuki vs Ai Houzan, Marvelous 1/12

This was really unique and cool. Basically picture a basic joshi match, but make it insanely uncooperative. This was full of struggle and had some of the most intense pinfall attempts I've ever seen. Apparently this had the 'shoot pin' rule which means the wrestlers would (mostly) cooperate on standing stuff but once somebody was with their back to the mat the match would turn into a shoot while a pin was attempted. Leave it to Chigusa Nagayo to run that kind of insanity in 2025. Watching the rookie, Akatsuki put the more seasoned Ai Houzan in trouble for real was quite something to watch. Not a great match but really interesting and unique to see, maybe we should just turn pro wrestling into a shoot again.

Jaguar Yokota & Honori Hana vs Yumiko Hotta & Misa Kagura, SAREEE-ism 1/23

This is one of those matches that you have to love pro wrestling for. Yokota is 63, Hotta 58. They both can't move very well anymore, but they are still insanely charismatic, tough and know exactly what to do, so that made them really fascinating to watch here. Of course Yokota has to take most of the bumps in this match, she also busts out a dive to the outside and her insanely cool flipping axe kick. Wish their little exchange had gone longer because it was fascinating to watch. For some reason this match had some insane headbutts, Hana hits one on Hotta that left a dent in Hottas skull, and later Yokota tries to crack Kaguras head. The two young wrestlers didn't leave a huge impression, for some reason they just did a ton of shoulder blocks, but they kept it moving while you waited for Hotta or Yokota to tag in again. Fascinating match.

Takahiro Tababa vs GAJO, Big Bear Produce 2/22

Awesome brutal massacre, just two big monsters charging foreward and trying to tear each other apart. This felt like a fight to the death, 5 minutes in both guys are bleeding from elbows and headbutts. GAJO getting taken down, bloodied, rolling out, going back in trying to break Tababas jaw with a shooting headbutt was one of those 'pro wrestling exemplified' moments. Couldn't be happier that GAJO has come back to wrestling. I can't write many words here other than they brutalized each other and it felt like a fight to the death. Just the right mix of shootstyle and barfight. Felt like one of the greatest under 10 minutes ever on first watch.

Hechicero vs Valiente, CMLL 1/24

Really enjoyed this when it was just two masters putting holds on each other. Those first 90 seconds were some fine fine pro wrestling. Admittedly I thought they ended up doing a little too much, especially with the constant chopping, but it's also undeniable that they kept the cool stuff coming. I also liked how they made this match feel a lot bigger and more personal by going for their masks. I'm not sure why an under 10 minute match needs to have an apron bump but the apron bump here was pretty great, so was Valientes big dive. I also loved Hechiceros stomp in the ropes, he is really good at those little things. I thought this could have been better if they had kept it a bit more focussed and done slightly less, but you can't fault them for flexing their skills. Strong little match.

 

2025 Wrestling Roundup

A very GAJO new year!

  GAJO vs. Takahiro Tababa, 2018/7/8

Simplistic, insanely violent, gory match, which resembled a mix of early 2000s NJPW, FUTEN, CAPTURE, EXIT and an especially brutal sparring session. If that description isn't enough to sway you into watching this, both these guys are thickly built and pissed off. GAJO violently shoving Tababa into the corner to start was a nice basic opening. Tababa then dodged him and went to town beating the soul out of him with gross kicks, a big double stomps and punches to the skull. Gajo is busted open but comes back taking down Tababa and busts him open with some sick elbows to the head. Wonder why you don't see those more often. The spear spots in this match were brutal and made me think I was watching the worlds most violent Goldberg match. Just as Gajo was trying to decapitate Tababa with lariats I was wondering how the match could get more violent, and then a crazy bump into the chains/wall happened. This was just barbaric but well executed, didn't get boring, had credible transitions and an arc, never did I think I was watching two backyarders engage in a senseless gross out spectacle, while it retained that sense of chaotic brutality. Genuinely great match, thank to Ohtanis Jacket and his wife for helping to provide this.

GAJO vs. Takahiro Tababa, IMPACT 11/1/2020

This was not quite as crazy from the get go as the previous match, but it was still about 10 minutes of two thickly built lunatics beating each other to a bloody pulp. Another primitive shootstyle brawl where the fun really started when Tababa connected some nasty headbutts in the corner and GAJO came back opening him with those elbows. Another really violent standoff ensued. There was another sick bump into the wall, and Tababa trying to kill GAJO with gnarly kicks. There was a subtle build to GAJOs spear to add some semblance of psychology to the carnage.

Exploring the YouTube Channel of ISAMI Part 2

 

GAJO & TB vs. ISAMI & Akira Tei(?), ?? 10/28/2018

I am pretty sure TB is Takahiro Tababa, but he is even announced as “TB”. ISAMI was rocking a karate gi and MMA gloves look. This may have been the best ISAMI has looked, as he was punching and kicking people hard. Entertaining match where everyone beats on each other hard, especially liked all the exchanges between ISAMI and TB. Akira Something is an ultra scummy looking dude who doesn’t do martial arts stuff but is able to work a no nonsense match working over GAJOs leg. I thought it was gonna build to another hot tag but instead Akira went to town with a chair and got a surprise tap via kneebar leading to a post match pull apart with a bunch of ISAMIs karate gi wearing seconds jumping into the fray. That kind of stuff is among my favourite things about Japanese wrestling and it’s good to see that at least one low level indy somewhere is still doing pull aparts with gi wearing dudes jumping on eachother.

ISAMI & Tatsuhiko Nakagawa vs. MAX Yoshida & Mitsuyoshi Nakai, ??, ?/?/??

Lord help me, there’s not even a date for this. It’s probably the best match of these so far, though. This was two guys in karate gis vs two guys in kickpads and MMA gloves, kicking and punching each other hard. Clearly Nakai and Yoshida didn’t think much of their opponents early and were taunting them. This lead to Nakagawa blowing a gasked, clocking Yoshida with a chair, bloodying him and then trying to hang him with his karate belt in a crazy ending. Really liked MAX Yoshida here, just a dickish looking dude swinging punches, he felt like he would make a decent Goro Tsurumi level Kazunari Murakami stand in. Just give me more stiff brawls with crazy endings like these.

Yuki Ishikawa & Zeronosu vs. ISAMI & Tatsuhiko Nakagawa, ?? 9/23/2018

It’s Yuki Ishikawa teaming up with a tubby masked guy against two karatekas in a small Japanese community theater hall, what a legend. This was alll about Ishikawas grappling with ISAMI and Nakagawa occasionally teeing off on him with kicks. Zeronosu wasn’t in the match much but did decent when he was in. Great moment where Ishikawa put a gi choke on ISAMI and he sold it like he was really getting strangled to death. Cool finish where Ishikawa was getting pulverized 2 on 1 by karate kicks only for him to catch another blow and lock in the Octopus Hold for the tap.

ISAMI vs. Katsuhiko Ogasawara, ?, ?/?/??

Katsuhiko Ogasawara, baby. He was pretty old in Zero1, so for him to be still going 15 years later is pretty legendary. He still has good form on all his high kicks and hits hard. This was just a short exhibition of two guys tagging eachother with punches and kicks but I liked it. Dug all the karate punch combos to the upper body especially Ogaswaras nasty sternum punch that left ISAMI gasping.

Assorted Japanese Indy Wrestling starring ISAMI

 No, we are not talking about the K-Dojo trainee/Big Japan deathmatch guy Isami Kodaka in this post. This ISAMI is a karateka who seems to be in his 40s or 50s and works scummy underbelly Japan indies. There must have been a hundred guys like that - businessmen with black belts who randomly decided to get into the ring for a few one of matches, as long as they stick to what they know I am going to enjoy them doing their thing. This ISAMI isn't exactly Masashi Aoyagi, but he has uploaded some matches against interesting opponents to his YouTube channel, which is prime fodder for this blog.

ISAMI vs. Gajo, ?? 8/19/2020(?)

This takes place in a ring with chains instead of ropes. That is the signature of Fugo Fugo Yumeji's Underground Wrestling EXIT, but I'm not sure this is that promotion. Gajo is a massive bald dude who works a bit like a sleazy Kaz Fujita and doesn't make tape nearly enough. This was rounds and just two dudes beating on each other, no grappling or throws, just Gajo wailing on this with big open palm strikes and ISAMI firing back with karate offense. The whole thing is over in about 7 minutes and it has a real CAPTURE vibe. For such a minimalist fight there were a few neat things, such as Gajo getting caught when he tried rushing the karateka early, and the big Ikedaesque lariat to the side of the head that downed ISAMI. It's always refreshing to see a stiff Japanese match with no elbow smashes or shoulder blocks.

ISAMI vs. Rikiya Fudo, 3/17/2019

Rikiya Fudo is YUSAKU (Shimoda) who used to work DDT undercards and CAPTURE. So he has experience doing these kind of minimalist crowbarfests, and he looked good crowbarring the fuck out of ISAMI here. Just pummeling the guy with vader hammers and elbow drops. Fudo is a bit more pro-wrestling like than Gajo, but he really does all his pro wrestling things in a crowbar fashion, hitting a really hard legdrop and a big splash that ISAMI sold like he was gonna puke on the mat. Love this kind of abject violent squash.

ISAMI vs. Yuki Ishikawa, 12/25/2018

For some reason, I don't recall many Ishikawa matches where he faces a pure striker like this. Of course, Ishikawa rules, and this ended up being another near squash. ISAMI really beat on Ishikawa nowhere near as hard as you need to beat on Ishikawa. This had the most grappling of any matches so far and is really the Ishikawa show, which I enjoy. Another neat finish.