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[1990-01-16-UWF-with '90] Kazuo Yamazaki vs Yoji Anjoh


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Yamazaki was in my top OJ 80’s ballot match, and some of my least favorite matches on the set. This may be the period he started to get good, as this wasn’t just Fujiwara dragging by the neck into something watchable. It is also possible that this was when Anjoh started getting really good and Yamazaki was yet again along for the ride, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt.

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is one of those matches that I can't possibly give a fair shake the first time around, without being more familiar with the UWF style. I felt a little disconnected from it, but context always helps. I do like the match at times, but I don't really know if this is above or below the normal standards in the UWF. I'll revisit when going back through the decade. As it stands, it feels like the first 10 minutes of a New Japan juniors match, just with that being the entire match.

 

That's being a little unfair, as there is more drama than that, and the match doesn't feel chopped off, but that's generally the working style here. I'm sure at some point a UWF match will give me something I can't find in the first half of really good Liger vs Otani.

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Good stuff that did not strike me as New Japan juniorish. Loss, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Liger-Otani match in which the opening matwork was this competitive or submission-focused (not knocking those matches; they have other virtues). They also threw in some nasty strikes, highlighted by Anjoh's knee in the corner and Yamazaki's flurry of headbutts. UWF in 1990 was hit and miss, but this was a hit and one of my favorite matches on Disc 1.

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As far as "styles I'm not used to watching" go, I enjoyed this more than the joshi tag. Some of the submissions looked nasty. Worked evenly until Yamazaki took over at the end and choked Anjoh out. Didn't think I'd care much for UWF style but I liked this and will keep an open mind towards the other UWF matches on this set as a result.

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is not something I can understand or get into. Is this what you call "shoot style"?

 

I liked some bits. The knees into a DDT from Anjo, for example, had good intensity. And the matwork IS better than your average matwork. But Jesus this goes on FOREVER.

 

I'm into wrestling for suplexes, piledrivers, strikes, and men in silly hats talking shit to each other, this is about as far away from this as you can get.

 

If WWF represents a good cheeseburger, and NWA/WCW a good portion of BBQ pulled pork, this is like your wrestling equivalent of a bowl of lightly salted lentils. You know that lentils are "good for you", but do you actually just want to eat a bowl of lentils?

 

Some context may have helped here, this is my very first UWF match and there was a certain amount of culture shock going on.

 

I'll try to be positive, but I've got a feeling that I'm not going to like the other UWF stuff on the yearbook much.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

This was unremarkable. Shoot style isn’t really my thing. I remember Kazuo Yamazaki from his New Japan years. I’m not sure what to think of him as a worker though. Some of the action in this match was okay, but the match simply felt unmemorable when it was over. I guess it’s just really not my thing.

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I dug this match. I don't consider myself a fan of shoot-style, but I will watch it on occasion. Enjoyable stuff here with some nice looking strikes and matwork. Good way to finish the first disc with something different. I can't wait to watch the rest of 1990 as I am loving this so far.

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  • 3 months later...

Really good match. You can sort of see how Anjoh was the best shooter of the group as he looks like the more learned martial artist since he threw in stuff like the Thai clinch as opposed to just worked catch wrestling plus kicks and palm blows.

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  • 8 months later...

I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm not a big shoot style fan. Its usually really hit or miss for me. High highs and low lows. Very exciting or really tedious. The 1992 yearbook was my first real exposure to the style, and while I haven't watched all of it, Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Kazuo Yamazaki from 10/23 has been my favorite shoot-style match of 1992 so far. On to 1990. I really liked the first disc. I thought everything on it was pretty good and there were a few matches that I thought were awesome, like Flair vs Eaton & the AJPW tag with Tsuruta & Tenryu, but this was the best match for me. I loved it. I was on the edge of my seat when Anjoh refused to obey the rope break rules as things got heated and Yamazaki went off on him with headbutt after headbutt in retaliation. Great, great match. I'm going to keep an eye out for Yamazaki, but it looks like he has only one other appearance on the set.

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  • 8 months later...

Count me in with those who don't care much for shoot-style. I can appreciate the effort and intensity, but the rules and object of the matches are just too radically different. I'm with Parv; I like the men in silly hats talking shit to each other. Nevertheless, I understand why these matches are here, and will get the most I can from each.

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  • 9 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Coincidentally I've been going through some old UFC and PRIDE cards and have been re-watching some of Anjoh's mma matches. I was familiar with him as a child as I was really into the early mma stuff. Yamazaki was my least favorite guy of the UWF vs NJPW feud from '86, just seemed to be a step below the rest of the guys. But anyway, the shoot style is difficult because on the one hand, there's a definite sense of it just being two guys pretending to fight, without the spectacle or drama that makes pro wrestling what it is. Kind of all of the bad without the good, and one of the main reasons I'm not a fan of the current Evolve style grapplers. On the other hand, I really have a soft spot for this style as the UWF vs NJPW feud is something I absolutely love and between that and it's connection to Japanese MMA I find it a really interesting promotion specifically to follow. Something else, I love a stiff strike all the time, no matter what. From an artistic perspective, the idea of willingly allowing another person to hurt you for the sake of believability is something that will always appreciate in any context and the very concept of it really touches on some deep philosophical issues, suffering or the sake of your art, the lengths people will go to entertain, etc. It's something that really connects with me and I'm able to identify with in certain respects.

 

Yamazaki throws some good head butts here, and it's pretty intense throughout. Decent, enjoyable match.

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  • 1 year later...

I liked one exchange with Yamazaki stopping himself from going after Anjoh so he got the "down", then Anjoh getting pissed and not doing anything of the sort. So once Yamazaki gets back in charge he does the same, beating down Anjoh with headbutts. Anjoh seemd to have learned from this and settles down to get is own " down" on Yamazaki moments later. Good stuff. I don't mind shootstyle and these guys did a good job of structuring things.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1990-01-16-UWF-with '90] Kazuo Yamazaki vs Yoji Anjoh

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