This review was commissioned by Eric T. over on my Ko-fi account.
The only blemish in Kiyoshi Tamura’s debut year for RINGS came when he tapped out to Volk Han on September 25th. In the months after that famous first match, both men carved a path through the annual Mega Battle Tournament to eventually end up in the finals against each other. For Volk it’s a chance to solidify his spot as the man to beat after failing to even make the finals in 95, while Tamura has the chance here to wipe out the only blemish on his record. It’s about as simple a pro wrestling concept that you can get, all wrapped up in the stunning shoot style aesthetic.
I’ve heard this match be described as the most “pro wrestling” entry in the Tamura/Han series, and it’s easy to see why. There are some superficial elements that call that to mind such as the beautiful way Han dodges an attempted leg bar early in the match that Tamura follows up with the coolest kip up in pro wrestling history.
That’s the flair that only pro wrestling can bring, speaking to a creativity these two brought to their matches that feels unmatched even in today’s landscape of pro wrestling. It’s greatest accomplishment is in looking completely uncooperative and yet being so damn smooth and seamless all at once. It really does come across as an honest to God reflex instead of something meticulously crafted together backstage. Tamura’s kip up too just feels like this defiant statement that he refuses to be intimidated by Volk’s finesse.
That’s the story running through the match as a whole. In September, Tamura demonstrated his promise by surviving some of Volk’s best shots and strategies while spending most of the match on the back foot with RINGS’ points system. Here in this tournament final, Tamura has further bridged the gap between himself and Volk in two very key ways. The first is that Tamura’s just a lot slipperier than he was in September. When Volk goes for that initial wristlock and takedown to open the match, Tamura rolls through and slips out of it with such speed and flair that it’s such a shock that Volk is able to take him down with it eventually at all. Meanwhile later on, things that Tamura merely survived in the first match, he dodges entirely in this one. Notably, when Volk goes for one of his sudden armbar counters out of a leg submission, instead of getting in the cross armbreaker, Tamura keeps his arm free and forces Volk to take a new direction by going for the legs instead.
The second thing that Tamura has going for him this go around is strategy. Volk is famously weak to big blows to the body, as Tamura himself found in the first match. That narrative has only been reinforced throughout the tournament, with Volk being brought to the verge of defeat by Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in the second round after a series of shots to the body. Tamura invokes this idea for himself here by constantly using the standing game to open up Volk. He picks at Volk’s leg with kicks, aims a little higher, and keeps looking for that big shot that could take the Russian down. When he finally does get a gut kick, in a callback to their first bout, it’s no longer as this tide-shifting strike. This time, it’s Tamura applying it while in control himself, pressing an advantage instead of creating one.
It’s subtle stuff that really only hits when one’s locked in on how the series progresses. But even if those finer details get lost, the match is smart enough to use the obvious (but not cheap) methods of conveying this idea as well. Where Volk stayed comfortably ahead on points for most of the first match, Tamura actually enjoys a slim but early lead here by forcing two escapes to Volk’s one. Up to the match’s finish, there’s no grand discrepancy in the points and damage that both men are sustaining.
The greatest part of the narrative too is that Tamura’s new strategies, and the progression he’s made, forces Volk into new territory as well. Where Volk perhaps wanted to focus on an arm submission, Tamura’s insistence on fighting on their feet opens up an entirely new possibility for Volk. He’s constantly trying to grab at Tamura’s legs, searching for a way to parlay that into success on the mat. It’s Tamura being too committed to this strategy, and basically allowing Volk to learn more and more as the match progresses, that finally allows Volk to get the submission at the end of the bout.
From a narrative perspective, there’s truly astonishing work on display here. Beyond just the silky smooth athletic display, these two continue to build on the foundation of the first match to naturally move their rivalry forward while still leaving questions on the table. The big one, of course, remains to be whether Tamura can put all the pieces together and finally come out on top.
All that said, I don’t think it’s a perfect thing. It feels strange to make this criticism about a match that’s only 12 minutes long, but there feels like there’s more dead air here than in the first bout. It peaks higher with those great displays of athleticism from Tamura, and the narrative callbacks to the first match, but at its lowest points there’s a hesitation here that I don’t feel adds much to the proceedings. It’s here where RINGS’ brand of shoot style struggles for how it separates itself from pro wrestling. Given that, for the most part, holds come in a flash and don’t get milked for quite as long as they may in a traditional pro wrestling match, this forces a constant need for improvisation and struggle from the wrestlers. Tamura and Volk do a great job of keeping that in control–unless they don’t. In the middle portion of the match especially, there’s points where the two are on the mat, perhaps considering the next move forward, and it stands out so much against how well they fill the time elsewhere. It leads to this second bout feeling bloated in a way the first did. Again, it’s odd to say that about a 12 minute match, but in an environment like RINGS where anything above 20 minutes can be considered a rarity, every single second counts in a way it might not for wrestling elsewhere.
That’s a nitpick, and a valuable one only in discussing the match’s place against the truly top tier selections of the pro wrestling canon. As a viewing experience, it doesn’t take away too much at all.
Still only their second best match so far (and if I’m feeling spicy, only the second best match of the tournament).
IS IT BETTER THAN 6/3/94? In spite of some additional flaws, yes, for all the same reasons as the first.
Rating: ****1/2
