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Post by microstatistics on Jan 6, 2018 23:41:53 GMT -5
Incredible matwork, great incorporation of classic pro wrestling throws, Anjoh heeling it up and Sano underdog work are perfect and the build to the finish and the finish itself are terrific. Top 30 contender.
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Post by jetlag on Jan 7, 2018 9:07:28 GMT -5
2nd. Would not go as high as Top 30, but it's great stuff. Excellent build and pace with some truely spectacular wrestling and counters. Sano working shootstyle was a thing of beauty.
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Post by microstatistics on Sept 7, 2018 1:45:05 GMT -5
Another match I wanted to bump. Should be rated alongside the other all time classic shoot style matches, IMO. Great character work.
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Post by superstarsleeze on Sept 11, 2018 12:08:08 GMT -5
I'll third this. I could see this match being enhanced if I was more familiar with both. I actually preferred their 95 match on first watch. If I have time I'll try to rewatch both matches.
Naoki Sano vs Yoji Anjoh - UWFi 8/13/93
I loved their '95 bout and finally found their '93 bout and this did not disappoint whats so ever. I think I would have an even richer appreciation for these matches if I watched more Sano and Anjoh matches individually. These are two great matworkers that come up with some really nifty ways to organically apply conventional pro wrestling submissions. Both Anjoh and Sano apply the STF in like the coolest way ever from catching a kick. I think however because they are so evenly matched that it becomes a story of eveness and symmetry. I dont really understand what causes the momentum shifts. However, this is where the point system became super useful as it was a guide to tracking who was "winning". It no longer felt super even. So I may not have understood the "why" I could at least understand the "what". Again, this is with little understanding, but it seemed like Sano had to prove himself to Anjoh early on. Sano is the more famous of the two in my view due to the Liger series. Anjoh was every aggressive early on and Sano kept bucking him off or countering. Anjoh clapped after the second time. Maybe it was just Anjoh being a dick. Sano dominated the early portion of the match first with counters and then with big time submissions like chokes, Boston Crab and an STF. Sano hit a great Fisherman suplex. Really wrapped him up. Anjoh's big break was catching Sano with a kick which earned him a three point knockdown. After that they traded submissions but Anjoh seemed more in a rhythm and was controlling the match. I thought the finish was spectacular and explosive. Sano looking like he was about to bested gets a home run with a Release German that counts as a knockdown evens up the match in both score and in momentum. With the momentum on his side, Sano picks up the win from a beautiful, tight, painful Crossface Chickenwing, which I immediately said thats gotta be the finish and it was. Like I said I liked the '95 match better from recollection, but a lot of people call this the greatest UWFi match of all time. I feel like I might be missing the boat due to ignorance. To me there was nothing super unique about the characters that drove the match in a different direction or unique about the narrative. It was explosive, entertaining catch wrestling, but to me a true classic has a hook either from the narrative or characters that makes it transcend time. Amazing match, highly recommended to watch. ****1/4
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Post by Cap on Aug 23, 2019 7:28:49 GMT -5
I think this is up there with the best shoot matches ever. This has almost as much of that vaguely uncomfortable malice as Yamamoto vs Tamura. I really like the slick transitions they use here. They make flowing from hold to hold with some complicated holds without hurting each other look really easy and it isn't. It also isn't overly smooth or contrived. The strikes sprinkled throughout are really strong too. This is very likely showing up on my 2020 list.
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Post by Cap on Oct 28, 2019 20:21:50 GMT -5
From my watching project
Naoki Sano vs Yoji Anjoh (8/13/1993) Current Rank: 55 Trending: Down The third Sano match that found its way onto my list since I submitted round one, I was starting to think I was overreacting. Then I watched them all again and they are all about as good as it fucking gets in wrestling. Whereas the first two’s stocks are rising as of right now, this one’s stock is probably falling just a bit. As much as I love this and I love the hatred/malice that Anjoh brings to the match (and oh boy I do), the action in this is just half a step behind the Shamrock and Suzuki matches. It isn’t quite as tight or as vicious, but that really isn’t an insult. It is still pretty top notch in both regards, I think. What it lacks in that Anjoh helps make up for with a different dynamic. He comes in with an energy, swagger, and ill will that puts Sano on his heels. That – and Anjoh’s excellent zebra print tights – maintains the match to its end. The other thing that sets this apart is that it feels like it has a little more pro wrestling in its pacing and its slams. It wasn’t quite a hybrid match or didn’t blend the two worlds quite as much as – say – Takada v Backlund (more coming), but it distinguishes the match a bit when watched up along side some of Sano’s other best matches. This match also has a really great finish, one that punctuates the action really well. The long and short of it is that this match is fucking awesome. It has got great character work and all the technique and violence you come to expect from top-shelf UWFi stuff. It will slip down my list just a touch, but not far. Full Post: gweproject.freeforums.net/thread/657/caps-watching-project-reports?page=2#ixzz63hZbBq8u |
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Post by club on Apr 1, 2023 16:37:36 GMT -5
Yeah this will probably make my list. It's slick without looking cooperative. I love how they work more traditional moves like dragon sleepers and chickenwings into the match and they don't look out of place. Probably my favourite shoot style match not involving Tamura or Fujiwara.
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Post by elliott on Sept 11, 2023 23:28:01 GMT -5
Awesome match. These two have great chemistry.
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