[1997-07-21-GAEA] Toshiyo Yamada vs Kaoru

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[FLIK]

Just want to note this was never billed as a "UFC Rules" match it was billed as "GAEA Kai rules" which basicly = similar rules to what the other shoot style feds were doing at the time like RINGS. Toned down matches you can only win via knock out or submission, everyone having to wear basic black gear, limited to mostly matwork with a few basic strikes & suplexes mixed in and only a certain # of rope breaks allowed.

[Loss]

Pretty cool match and a nice experiment for a pro-style promotion. FLIK, how far did they run with this? How many more matches did they have under GAEA Kai rules? I'd like to watch them all at some point just to get a complete picture.

 

This is a poor man's version of Lioness Asuka vs Yumiko Hotta from Queendom, but I don't mean that as a dig at all. The laughing on commentary (This aired on a Champ Forum) sort of detracts from the atmosphere, and seeing this and Vader/Shamrock really gives me a greater appreciation of the atmosphere in promotions like RINGS and UWFI.

 

There's a little less brutality and selling than in other matches I've seen in this style, but that could just be a result of low audio. There's also a little pro-style flair in this one that isn't typically in matches worked like this.

[FLIK]

There's only about 7 or 8 available on tape but they ran them pretty often for the latter half of 97. They tapered off by years end but were still doing the ocasional one into the first few months of 98

[soup23]

Fine match that may be worse in retrospect to the other shoot style stuff going on in the year. This was just starting to really crank up and then it ended. Good match but not much more than that.

[PeteF3]

This was half as long as Hotta vs. Asuka and therefore twice as good. The appeal of joshi shootstyle remains utterly lost on me, however. This did get my attention with a nasty kick to the face by Yamada that served as the turning point in the match.