[1997-01-22-RINGS-Mega Battle Tournament] Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This just blew the door off of all the matches I've ever seen in this style. Sublime match that's a brilliant display of mat wrestling and yes, showmanship. Some of Han's holds, especially the ankle bending, are mind blowing. Fujiwara's mental chess game against Takada in October 1990 is the only thing I've seen that's in the same league as this. That match is probably a better psychological display, and this one is a more phenomenal athletic performance, so it's a toss-up between the two. This is a high-octane adrenaline rush of matwork that I can't say enough good things about. I think there was a lot to learn from RINGS, and other groups should have tried to incorporate some of this matwork into their own style so it would still feel fresh but also be sustainable over the long haul.

[Childs]

This was almost reminiscent of a great lucha match in the sense they were doing such complicated stuff at great speed. It really was a pinnacle match for shootstyle -- full of cool stuff that you couldn't quite do in a shoot but pretty far from anything you'd see in traditional pro wrestling. It's very cool that this and the Misawa/Kobashi match happened within 48 hours -- so totally different, yet almost equally great. Hurray wrestling!

[soup23]

This was a great display of shoot wrestling. I don't want to say this was an exhibition because that gives the wrong impression but this did exhibit most of the best attributes that can make a shoot style match work including multiple moves that me wringing out my own limbs. The match is also fairly short and at 12 minutes or so may be my favorite sub 15 minute match of all time. Awesome stuff and just a hair beside Misawa vs. Kobashi.

[Kevin Ridge]

Tamura does a kip up! Them putting a move on only for the other guy to reverse was great. Generally I prefer striking in these type of matches but these guys were more enjoyable when they got down on the mat. The overhead camera was super with showing these guys putting on these holds. Great crowd too.

[stomperspc]

This is a fantastic match. I think I saw this at least once years ago, but I really loved it this go-around. One of of my favorites matches ever in this style.

 

These guys make a difficult style look natural. You see a match like this and wonder why more wrestlers and promotions are not attempting to sell a similar style but its way easier said than done.

[Zenjo]

I'll start at the end. Han's finisher resulted from such a beautiful application of leverage it was perfection itself. The technique on display throughout was outstanding, and executed at Sci-Fi speed. You never knew where the next move was coming from or what it might be. At under 13m it was super tight and had me from the outset. The quality was certainly top notch, though I wouldn't tag it as a classic. Too short as I was left wanting more. A few more seconds of peril on certain holds would've been ideal. When you really believe it's over are the peak moments in shoot style. The drama escalates over time.

[PeteF3]

Terrific match--a true RINGS For People Who Hate RINGS special. Han dominates a lot of this but Tamura is terrific as well, especially in the early going as he's frantically trying to escape Han's grasp, with the speed and flair of a high-flying US or lucha babyface. He gets in one big hope spot at the end (a shot to Han's ribs, shock of shocks) but Han is simply too much for him at this point. Your #2 MOTY, for now at least.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Wait people hate RINGS?!?! But why?

 

Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura - RINGS 1/22/97

 

This match starts off the same way as their first encounter when Han gets an awesome double wristlock rip (did you see the wrist control!) and then ankle crossing. The difference here is Tamura acquits himself much better on the mat. He is not as easily suckered into a cross armbreaker and holds his own. The second spot in the first match is Han getting heel control here Tamura throws a wild spinning mule kick. Han tries to close the gap, but Tamura goes for a rolling legbar, but Han picks his foot out and Tamura does a kip up. WOW! Loved it! I am sorry how did anyone buy this as a shoot though? Tamura gets a takedown. Tamura is doing a lot better here. The jockeying around the heel hook is great with each looking to be in command. There is a great moment where Han has switched to a double wristlock, but releases as Tamura almost gets the ropes to prevent the rope break. Tamura gets a cross armbreaker and forces the first escape. Tamura 1-0. Interesting. Tamura is just as aggressive but is definitely wrestling within himself. Tamura is way more aggressive in his stand up now. I think this is a winning strategy for Tamura. The kicks to the legs look like they are making in roads and Han does not look as comfortabke standin up. I love Han is constantly trying to close the gap and Tamura is pushing him away so he can get full extension on his kicks. Tamura's mistake is going for a bodyscissors takedown and not completing it. This leaves him open for Han's second favorite hold the ankle cross and Tamura has to go for the ropes. On stand up, Tamura goes back to work, but Han closes the gap and takes him down with a double wristlock. Great selling from Tamura once he gets out. On the mat, Tamura gets a flash cross armbreaker that freaks Han out and Han retaliates with a choke, but keeps his ankles to the side so they cant be crossed. Very cool! Hot sequence. Tamura goes high with a kick and it is blocked. Han is vulnerable to the STRAIGHT FRONT KICK! Tamura up 4-2 and is looking much better going into the home stretch. Until Han just takes him down and immediately crosses his ankles for the rope break. Han absorbs some kicks finally feels the rhythm and catches one and THEN HE KICKS OUT THE PLANT LEG! WOW! Heel hook and immobilizes the free leg and Tamura has no choice to tap.

 

Great callbacks to the first match. Awesome progression from Tamura. I feel like there was a lot of nervous energy in the first match (in a good way) here he is much more in the zone. He acquits himself well with the Mat Wizard from Soviet Russia but starts to make in roads in the stand up game. However, Han can still take him down at will and Tamura really does not have a defense against the double wristlock or ankle cross. The kicking out the plant leg and just watching Tamura's knee buckle was crazy. The progression from Tamura and the awesome finish make this another stone cold RINGS classic. *****

[KB8]

Still an absolute whirlwind of a bout. Some of the best, most intricate blink-and-you'll-miss-it matwork ever and really the perfect example of my favourite kind of wrestling at this point in my life as a pro-wrestling nerd. I'm up through 1993 with all of the RINGS footage and Han was basically a phenom straight out the gate, but there were times in his first couple years where he'd take just a few seconds longer to set up one of his awesome throws or takedowns. He always loved those wild hapkido wrist throws, but there was an amusing carny aspect to them where you knew they'd be nigh on impossible to pull off in an actual fight (I mean, it's all fake anyway, but in shoot style it's obviously trying to portray everything as being LEGIT legit). He does one of them right at the start of this and by golly that did not look set up in the slightest. I didn't see him reaching for an arm, didn't see Tamura complying; Han just did something and then he had Tamura's wrist in his hand and Tamura was getting thrown around whether he wanted to be or not. Another thing you notice about Han if you watch some of the lesser bouts is that he's a bit of an underrated striker. He's not nearly as polished as Tamura, but he loves that spinning back fist and he was often happy to trade blows as soon as he came into the promotion. This wasn't striker v grappler as such, but even with Han being a solid striker he can't hang on the feet with Tamura, so the difference in ability there adds a cool - if certainly not uncommon for shoot style - dynamic. Tamura makes a point of going after the legs with kicks and a few times he almost buckles Han. That of course opens the door for other shots and we get the signature Han knockdown after he's been smashed in the gut. In plenty of early Han bouts he'd get up after that and try for the spinning back fist almost immediately. It usually worked too. This time he waits a bit longer, but he tries it anyhow. That Tamura effortlessly sidestepped it was another cool little highlight of the difference in striking. It's hard to describe the matwork because it's all so tricked out and fast and reading about it never does it justice anyway, but it's worth reiterating that Han is the absolute GOAT at occupying limbs and tying you up in preposterous predicaments. He'll grab a leg and you'll reach for the ropes, then he'll grab that arm and you'll have to reach with something else, but then before long he's got you tied up completely and you're fucked. One of the best sub-15 minute matches ever, and if this isn't the best match-up ever it's probably the best trilogy of matches. The wild thing is this might be their weakest/least transcendentally incredible bout (I'd probably say it's #2 behind their 9/97 match but I could see all three of them having a case for being the best). 
 

[superkix]

I mean, what else can be said? This was an incredible display of skill, struggle and lightning quick reflexes by both Han and Tamura, with Han a looking a little more in control. But Tamura's all over him and continues to evade the submissions with his slick as catshit maneuvering. The opening wristlock takedown by Han was beautiful but Tamura is immediately back on his feet, only to get hammerlock suplexed down but again, Tamura roll with the throw and he's back on the legs, trying to grab a hold. Loved Han slipping his leg out of Tamura's rolling kneebar attempt, and then, of course, being aware of Tamura's positioning at all times, especially when he's got him centered with the calf slicer. Tamura's leg kicks pester Han and he swats at him with a wild spinning backhand but Tamura remains very cool throughout and continues to escape the arm holds, although it's taking a toll. Loved him shimmying around Han for the cross armbar, just using his speed to confuse his opponent. He manages a few more strikes, blasting Han with the straight kick to the cut, but in the end, Han secures the single calf slicer and taps him. Awesome match. 

[cactus]

I really want to like this and a lot of the other higher end RINGS stuff more than I do, but it never clicks with me and wows me like other highly rated matches do. This is two of the best technical wrestlers trading holds at a break-neck pace. Not only are they technically sound, but their body language is top notch. Objectively, this is obviously a great match, but I don't think this is for me. 

★★★¼

[Makai Club #1]

Submission wrestling at its absolute finest. It’s an art that many can make so engrossing and entertaining. Both Tamura and Han are masters of their crafts. Han’s on the fly submission holds totally blow me away. He’d wrap Tamura’s legs together and torque them in the most uncomfortable way and then he lock on an ankle pick for good measure. Tamura could only try and wriggle out of them anyway he should. His submissions were more traditional but they worked as well. Tamura would use wicked fast body movements to take the arm or the knee. There was one moment where he feigned going one way only to snag the other arm in super quick fashion. It was a joy to watch. What’s great about these two is that not only do you get impeccable technique, Tamura brings tons of personality through his micro facial expressions after the rope breaks. Or in one case, it’s very overt showboating via his kip-up after a failed rolling knee bar attempt. That kicked ass. The strikes came in very limited action but Tamura got a ton of big kicks to the ribs of Han getting a down but eventually Han’s submission prowess won out with a calf slicer. ****3/4

[cactus]

On 7/22/2020 at 10:31 AM, cactus said:

I really want to like this and a lot of the other higher end RINGS stuff more than I do, but it never clicks with me and wows me like other highly rated matches do. This is two of the best technical wrestlers trading holds at a break-neck pace. Not only are they technically sound, but their body language is top notch. Objectively, this is obviously a great match, but I don't think this is for me. 

★★★¼

Fuck this guy. He doesn't know shit!

This was incredible. Tamura's slightly more polished since the last time they've met, but he still falls victim to Han's devastating wristlock throw minutes into this encounter, even if he is able to recover from it quicker and more efficiently than he did during the '96 match. Volk Han's a master seller. He's able to convey emotions without it making the hyper-realistic grappling look like a total work. He gets caught in an armbar early and he uses the first rope break of the match to escape and he has an ashamed look on his face as if he was a puppy who just shat on the rug. I don't need to tell how brilliant the matwork was or how every submission looked like it could have ended the match as I'm sure you already know that if you're aware of either Han or Tamura.  ★★★★★

[Kadaveri]

I kinda lean towards Cactus' 2020 incarnation in that the RINGS style doesn't fully click with me; so even though I really did enjoy this match and consider it 12 minutes very well spent, I doubt I'll ever consider one of the greatest matches of all time or anything. Tamura kipping up was an awesome moment, and probably the least shoot style thing in the match heh. I also really liked Volk Han's very understated selling. There's a great little moment where one of Tamura's kicks lands on his leg, and Han flinches and pulls his leg back just slightly awkwardly enough for the audience to tell that that hurt him though he's trying not to show it, but of course we saw that, so Tamura should too, and indeed Tamura wildly goes on the attack at the leg immediately afterwards and now we know Han is in trouble. The ending is tragic. Most of the match it really felt like this could go either way, and it's just one brief lapse in concentration or something that allows Han to quickly lock him in the calf slicer in the middle of the ring, and Tamura couldn't come back from that. Pity.