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Post by jetlag on Apr 15, 2018 11:19:31 GMT -5
tl;dr probably the best pro wrestling approximation of a savage, out of control MMA fight, ever
Just a savage, savage fight. Hotta is certifiably insane, but her desperation selling for Kandori's submissions was on point. Of course Kandori also brings some great mugging and superstar charisma to the match. She was basically the world's best modernized Fujiwara here. Some of these kicks looked like legendary KOs in MMA fighting. I don't wanna tout all that violence too much, because this was a really well put together match. Agree about the greatness of Kandori's guard work and the build to the finish was excellent. Just an awesome slice of high end japanese pro wrestling, viscerally brutal and intelligent.
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Post by KB8 on Apr 16, 2018 7:33:34 GMT -5
Seconded
This is about as close to a joshi Ikeda/Ishikawa as you'll get, with the added wrinkle of only being winnable via submission or knockout. It had Hotta playing crowbar Ikeda and Kandori playing tough as shoe leather Ishikawa; not quite pure sriker v pure grappler, but you knew what each woman's bread and butter was. They put across the uncooperative grittiness straight away with the rough scramble that lands them on the floor, then Hotta ratchets the violence all the way up by punting Kandori clean in the face. Many outrageous kicks to the face were thrown in this match and Hotta was responsible for basically every one of them. She also tried to break Kandori's guard by headbutting her a bunch of times and this led to her own forehead being split open. Kandori's selling was really tremendous at times, particularly when she was trying to beat the ten count after one of Hotta's kicks to the head or face or ear. She'd also yank Hotta into chokes and armbars, then reach that point where she got fed up being cracked in the face so she'd start throwing headbutts and palm thrusts in return. My favourite moment of the match might've been when she was repeatedly headbutting Hotta and her bleach blond hair wound up covered in Hotta's blood, which left her looking like Flair after he's had his face ground into a cage. Finish was pretty great as well. Hotta hits a mean high angle powerbomb, and maybe she's disoriented from the blood loss or whatever, but he tries to transition straight into a pin. Ref' tells her no, after a few seconds she comprehends, but Kandori snatches her and locks in a triangle for the stoppage. A supremely violent twelve minutes and a great find.
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Post by philschneider on Apr 21, 2018 23:24:03 GMT -5
Thirded
This is our reigning 1998 MOTY
This was a KO or submission match for the WWWA title, and merciful fuck was this a war. Kandori opens up by tackling Hotta to the floor, after they get back into the ring, they scramble and it ends up with Hotta field goal kicking Kandori right in the head. Hell of a way to open a match and it really lets you know you are watching something special. This match has the greatest guard work I have ever seen in a pro-wrestling match, Kandori is basically a distaff worked Demien Maia. There is this great section early in the match where Kandori is in rubber guard and Hotta, frustrated with her inability to pass, just rains down headbutts splitting her own head open. For the rest of the match Hotta has blood streaming down her head which totally adds to the crazed aura. Of course with these two quasi unprofessional ladies everything is thrown with reckless abandon. Hotta is just unloading KO shots with every kick, Kandori is trying to crack jaws with every slap. Finish was great, Hotta lands two big bombs, a double underhook piledriver, and a nasty liger bomb, but clearly weak from blood loss, she forgets the rules and goes for a pin. This allows Kandori to catch her from the bottom with a great tight triangle choke for the tap out. It was basically a worked version of the Chael Sonnen v. Anderson Silva finish 12 years before that fight. Such a masterful piece of violence and a Segunda Caida match through and through
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Post by elliott on Jul 17, 2018 0:11:57 GMT -5
Is this online somewhere? I can't find it.
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Post by microstatistics on Jul 17, 2018 2:27:52 GMT -5
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Post by Cap on Jul 17, 2018 7:34:34 GMT -5
I am not sure why I hadn't seen this before. I remember looking for it a couple years back and not being able to find it for whatever reason (maybe my own ineptness). Watched it a few weeks back finally and must echo everything said here. Fucking hell, this is a violent one. I love the dynamic between grappling and striking and how somehow both Kandori and Hotta still feel like they are murdering each other. This is one I am going to have to try to make some room for as it wasn't on my original draft. It feels like a match that probably belongs or at least will be very seriously considered.
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Post by elliott on Jul 17, 2018 20:34:59 GMT -5
Just watched this for the first time and holy hell this is amazing. KB8 described this as "about as close to a joshi Ikeda/Ishikawa as you'll get" which is a great way to describe it, only I'd add that is is also better than literally every Ikeda/Ishikawa match. Maybe it is the crowd heat, but this was way more dramatic and felt like it had much higher stakes.
My immediate thoughts were: I want a classic goodhelmet style Kandori Comp with every match she's ever had. Everyone who said Aja vs Hotta 1/94 was the stiffest match ever either forgot about this or hasn't watched it yet. Kandori is one of the great sellers of 90's wrestling. Kandori is Brock Lesnar's potential realized. Hotta should be jailed for some of those kicks. I'm going to watch this like 100 times in the next 10 years.
Loved this shit. I'll give it a few more matches before adding it to my list of locks, but yeah. This is probably making my list. FUck this was great.
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Post by elliott on Sept 8, 2018 23:44:43 GMT -5
Watched this again and holy fucking shit it rocks. Everyone needs to watch this.
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Post by Cap on Apr 21, 2019 17:14:24 GMT -5
So, this didn't make the cut this year, but I think it will next year. I just watched it over again. I had some confusion about dates and I am not entirely sure I had seen this before honestly. I think the match I had watched the 93 match maybe. Ohh well, some things are bound to get lost in all this wrestling.
Regardless, This... this is probably a lock on the list. This feels like the shoot version of Kandori/Hokuto (maybe cut just a touch short, but you get it). Absolutely brutal from the jump, leads with a pretty knarly moment that sets the tone and then eventually finds its way into a pretty big near fall exchange.
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Post by tetsujin on Dec 4, 2020 7:30:57 GMT -5
Rewatched this again at the GME Drive, because the Ditch version was cut. And idk why you want to cut that first tackle by Kandori, it was maybe the best tackle in pro wrestling I've seen and it created one of the best starts to a match ever.
I'm sorry for Kohsaka/Tamura, but this has to be my 1998 MOTY. It just has to. If not for the two "oh, I thought pinfalls were valid here!" moments, this would've been a perfect match for me, but near-perfection is nothign to be ashamed of. As brutal as you can imagine, building up to the key moments of the match with the crowd on fire, some of the most savage kicks ever by Hotta, Kandori looks like the most dangerous fighter in the world, and don't make me talk about the headbutts... But this match isn't only a stiff, MMAesque match, the big match feel is there at any moment. The facial expressions were superb: you can feel how important for Hotta this match is, just by looking at her reactions; and also, Kandori looking cocky, furious, agonizing, desperate looking for an escape/reversal, etc.
Yeah, near-perfect match that will obviously make my list next year, and right now it sits at my top 25 with no problem. To create such a masterpiece in just 12 minutes is fascinating, there's no other way to look at it, sorry.
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Post by Cap on Dec 4, 2020 9:43:21 GMT -5
This ranked well for me last time. It may be moving up. I watched just part of it the other day before uploading it and was hooked quick. I need to give it a full rewatch.
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Post by gramsci on Nov 18, 2021 17:56:40 GMT -5
If it weren't for the two pin attempts I would rank it as my #1. It doesn't bother me that much, but you know, at this level we have to nitpick a little bit. It's a beautiful and terrifying match, in one hand it may be the most violent match I've ever seen but at the same time, watching Kandori work is a joy for our eyes, from her guards in defensive position to her offense, she makes all those techniques look so fluid, simple and painful. But like I was saying, it's scary, I've had to take my eyes off the screen more than once with those kicks from Hotta and those disgusting headbutts that made her bleed.
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Post by mvz on Dec 14, 2021 5:39:02 GMT -5
I loved the start of this match, a memorable moment that sets the tone of struggle and violence. Some of Hotta’s kicks were sick looking, my god. Kandori taking these shots and then hanging in there to win feels impressive, she is relentless.
Kandori’s presentation at the this time is amazing, the look, gear, entrance are all top notch.
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Post by silverwidow on Mar 3, 2022 17:35:42 GMT -5
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Post by lemming on Feb 20, 2023 6:32:30 GMT -5
Rewatched this one and and it still stood out in a major way even when watching a bunch of GME contenders in succession. Intense, violent, dramatic, heated; amazing spectacle with great work underlying it. Hope it makes the top 100 list next time around, feels pretty undeniable as a classic.
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