August 24, 1996 in Tokyo, Japan
Ariake Coliseum drawing 9,000
AS WE BEGIN I AM EXTREMELY WORRIED FOR YOSHIHISA YAMAMOTO who is scheduled to face the living stone golem Ricardo Morais (melee weapon attack: slam, +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target; hit: 19 [3d8 + 6] bludgeoning damage) under what the commentators are clearly calling "vale tudo rules" which probably means "for realz" and so is an almost impossibly horrifying proposition and it doesn't matter even slightly that Yamamoto lasted nearly twenty minutes against Rickson Gracie (so weird); this is a much darker proposition. If you are an even remotely competent græppler--and while Yamamoto turned out to be a really poor fighter overall, he is not an incompetent græppler, that wouldn't be fair to say--there is really nothing to fear, exactly, against even an enormously vastly superior græppler (unless they are a huge thrower of particular kind, but that is not relevant in this instance, please forgive me this digression), in that they are probably just going to strangle you a little or grab onto a limb and you can be like well this was a learning experience I guess taptaptap and your day is done and you are no worse for wear and you can just go have a nice meal with your buddies and laugh about how terrible you are. Unless you have done something extremely rude like say a dojo storm, it is very unlikely that this vastly superior græppler is going to just get on top of you and subject you to terrible hitting. There will of course be exceptions that prove (in the old sense of "test") this rule, like for example the time Kazushi Sakuraba took a New Year's Eve fight in RIZIN against collegiate-judo-player-turned-BJJist-turned-compelling-mixed-fight-asshole Shinya Aoki and we all figured well okay Sakuraba probably shouldn't be fighting but if he is, this is as safe as it could possibly be, in that he will probably just get choked, but no, he was actually pummeled horribly. But yeah unless you are in against like a huge Georgian who is going to murder you with ura-nage or Khabareli or something (there is no tapping from throws, you can't get half-way up there and be like haha I think this one is yours bro good match great job), no real worries, right? But that is not what is going to happen here, do not be fooled by how Ricardo Morais hangs out with Renzo Gracie: this is all about hitting, dark dark hitting.
The RINGS Official Rankings are here but they can't seriously expect us to be able to consider them properly right now: 10. Vrij 9. Ilioukhine 8. Kohsaka 7. Nagai 6. Kopilov. 5. Tariel 4. Zouev 3. Han 2. Yamamoto 1. Nijman. The key thing here, of course, as we discussed last time, is that after Nijman's (really very good!) shoot-style win over Yamamoto, he slides into the top spot, and Yamamoto out of it in advance of his sure defeat and probable ongoing incapacitation. It is easy to forget, I think, that although this is the sixth year of RINGS, they still do not operate under the model of having a champion and then challengers to that champion; instead their approach is to have Akira Maeda, and then challengers to that Maeda, except when he is hurt, and then you do other things. There have been tournament champions each year, certainly, but that's different, I think we would all agree. ANYWAY what I mean to say is that insofar as is possible in this non-champion-having situation, in which the RINGS Official Rankings Number One spot is as close as they come to that (outside of the annual tournament), Maeda has taken the title off of Yamamoto in a work to protect the title should Yamamoto be crushed by Morais in a shoot (this will happen).
I find no fault with the opening contest between Wataru Sakata and Willie Peeters other than that Willie Peeters has abandoned his Cobra Kai look just as I had finally begun to truly dig it; he is now singleted, which is a fine look, and don't worry, he is still throwing knees to downed opponents and stuff like that. If I am not mistaken, some time is cut out of this match for this WOWOW broadcast (the only means through which we shall ever know it). There was a "wipe" that I think indicated as such, accompanied by some text that I am sure explained but I am illiterate. The time of 18:31 we are given for Peeters' win by the form of hadaka-jime (naked strangle) we often call the north/south choke is definitely longer than the show has been on so far so that is also a "tell." A one-sided affair, in which Sakata was down to I guess his second last rope escape before the end, whilst Peeters' slate was clean.
Egan Inoue is here! I had no idea this ever happened! You will perhaps recall Egan Inoue as Tsuyoshi Kohsaka's final and best foe in the Lumax Cup: The Tournament of J '95, which we discussed at length not long ago! It was a truly great martial arts show and I cannot recommend it to you highly enough! Here he is now, Egan, with his brother Enson still looking big as hell in his corner, to face Masayuki Naruse (TK in his corner!). Naruse continues to grow his hair out, and it looks great:
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| tkcorneringguys.blogspot.ca |
Kiyoshi Tamura and Maurice Smith is next, and this match is listed at the venerable Pro Wrestling History as a "vale tudo match" and is included in the mixed martial arts records of both men but again so is TK/Tamura/6/27/98 so what can we say other than that we are here to explore things like this aren't we.
Smith as you can see wears boxing gloves and so one assumes he is super vulnerable to juji-gatame with those big meaty paws but we will see. Wait they don't say anything on-air about VALE TUDO before they get going so I whether this is or is not a shoot I think it is one being contested under RINGS rules either way, just so we are clear on that point (I think?). Alright so they are to the mat in short order but it is Maurice Smith who takes Tamura's back and comes reasonably close early with hadaka-jime and it must be noted that chokes looks super funny with big boxing gloves on. Once Smith stalls out between Tamura's legs they are stood up and I can't see how this is real (maybe it is?) but I also can't see how this is unsikk which is to say I think it is in fact quite sikk. Smith sprawls out of and away from Tamura's low morote-gari two-hand reap of a double-leg takedown attempt and spins to Tamura's back again before standing up and electing to strike. Not that there is a tonne of striking! Everything has a measured feel so far. And I like it! Smith expends his first rope-escape to avoid being dragged to the centre of the ring as Tamura began to think the thoughts of ashi-kansetsu (leg-bone-locking). Tarmura finally gets some time on the ground but it all happens so near the ropes that he is very probably expending his energies for little gain here as Smith can just grab the ropes if there is real danger ah haaaa Smith has swept Tamura over and now resides in his niju-garami double entanglement. Then nothing happens and they stand up. But now down again, and not that close to the ropes! AND JUJI-GATAME that's it, Tamura takes it at 10:58, I don't know if that was real or not (I really very strongly think not but have been a fool before and will be one again very soon and perhaps even now) but only that it brought me pleasure to behold:
Dick Vrij and Mitsuya Nagai have a nice little match next where Vrij knocks Nagai down a few times but in the end was taken down and leg-locked at 6:16; this was totally like a 1991/1992 RINGS match and I obviously I do not say that to diminish or deride it because I like those a lot. A win over Dick Vrij remains a big deal, and Nagai receives it as such, in tears in the locker room as Akira Maeda looks on approvingly.
Walter Schnaubelt and Vladimir Klementiev are going to have a Kyokushin Karate match! Yes please do! Blast each other with straight punches to the chest for as long as it takes! They do so and also kick! Schnaubelt takes the decision after five rounds of it!
VOLK HAN VS. TSUYOSHI KOHSAKA in an immediate rematch of their excellent bout that ended with a gnar cut above TK's eye! One wonders if they will use whatever finish they had thought up for their first match but did not get a chance to use, or if they have spent the month since scheming on something of even truer waza? Volk Han spins Kohsaka to the mat with a wrist lock, but TK grabs a leg-lock, but Volk Han grabs his leg-lock, and we are well and truly underway! A symphony of odd-looking ashi-kansetsu takes shape quickly and persists. The striking is all fine but it is of course pleasing when they return to the ground and the crowd shrieks at Volk Han's juji-gatame attempt that Kohsaka rolls out of after much visible suffering. You might be surprised at just how pleasing I find it when Kohsaka holds a double wrist grip as he sweeps, comes up top, and circles around Volk Han's head to apply his own juji-gatame, or I suppose maybe you wouldn't because of how much we have shared to this point. LOTS OF GOOD STUFF SO FAR. I don't know how many credible juji-gatame attempts there have been so far, like eight? And this is not, of course, the only kansetsu (bone-locking) that they pursue in their time together, but merely one of many. The crowd is so with them that it's not just the submission attempts of catches that elicit their enthusiasm and concern but instead positional work: it's like a nice little sweep and then HWAAAIIII clapclapclapclap; it's ideal. Eleven minutes in, for all the waza laid before us, there have only been two ropes breaks each, as they are largely getting out of things in other ways. Koshaka looks to maybe have it won with the naked strangle of hadaka-jime but Han does seek the ropes this time; Han looks to have injured everyone forever with a whipping step-over juji-gatame that leads to a gyaku-ude-garami double-wrist-lock with both of TK's legs trapped, but he frees one and makes the ropes himself. Han falls behind on breaks again as he needs out of a sankaku-jime (we have all been there). OH MY GOODNESS the finish comes off Kohsaka's kouchi-makikomi (minor inner winding) sutemi-waza (sacrifice technique) into the hiza-hishigi knee-crush/calf-slicer, his incredibly sikk go-to move in his last several (non-shoot) matches, only for Volk Han to find an arm in there he could juji:
That was amazing to me! It happened at 13:52!
OK so before we get the ritual slaughter of Yoshihisa Yamamoto under vale tudo rules, we get Adilson Lima (seconded by Renzo Gracie, my clear favourite Gracie until the advent of Roger Gracie, which muddied the waters slightly) and Mikhail Ilioukhine (seconded by Volk Han) under those same strictures, and they do clearly announce "vale tudo ruuuuules" so yeah they definitely didn't say that before Tamura/Smith. That is neither here nor there however as we are now underway in an enormously plodding shoot. After much clinching, Iliokhine spends an awful lot of time pinned in Lima's tate-shiho-gatame (縦四方固) (vertical four quarter hold) not getting much of anything done; when he finally manages to posture up and strike, Ilioukhine gives up his back to avoid the hitting, Lima attempts hadaka-jime, but Ilioukhine slips out of the choke and gets back to his feet to the pretty serious cheers of the Tokyo crowd! Ilioukhine is not nuts about going back down the ground, it would seems so he grabs both the ropes and also Yuji Shimada a little which costs him a yellow card. This is handled poorly, as the fighters are asked to break and stand as the penalty is announced, but that's no good because it rewards Ilioukhine, right? Like, he gets to stand just like he likes? The referee's call should be sono-mama, don't move, then the penalty is charged, then hajime, keep going from that same position. But this sport is young and has much to learn. When next they go to the ground it is Ilioukhine on top for kind of a while until he drops back into an ashi-kansetsu that he cranks on pretty well as the bell sounds to end the single twenty-minute round as a draw. OR IS IT as Lima and Renzo are not pleased about this turn of events and have launched a vociferous pleading? Maybe they are are like look there was a yellow card! But maybe Akira Maeda, trying to calm them down as Ilioukhine leaves, is like yeah there was a yellow card but Ilioukhine had an ok ashi-kansetsu at the end so let's call it a draw? There is no way for me to know these things but what I can tell you is that Yuji Shimada gets on the microphone for a moment and then Ilioukhine comes back out and they are restarting the match! The fighters are brought to the centre to shake hands and Lima proves himself a villain and a cheat by trying to jump into things right off the handshake Yuji Shimada has requested of them both and Lima is resoundingly and rightly booed for this shitty behaviour. Lima grabs the ropes to prevent a takedown but is assessed no foul, perhaps because it didn't work? Ilioukhine head-butts Lima to the face, which does not seem to bother Shimada but which has Renzo hopping mad: "HEAD BUHHHT HEAD BUHHHHHHHHT" is his cry. Lima swings through for juji-gatame; Ilioukhine taps; Lima loses himself in joy; Ilioukhine looks at Shimada and shakes his head like he didn't tap; what a shit show!
OH NO it is the time for the main event nooooooooo. Yoshihisa Yamamoto, what have you gotten yourself into?
Yeah so he is clobbered to the mat seconds in, and Mitsuya Nagai probably thinks he is being a good friend by telling his pal Yoshihisa Yamamoto to get back up but in truth right now he is actually being a super bad friend (I am sure he is only trying to help but this is not helpful).
That took forty-six seconds.
This was a weird and great show! And I would submit (haha) that it has been easily the most 1996 RINGS of all 1996 RINGS shows we have enjoyed together so far.
WHAT DID DAVE MELTZER SAY? IN FACT AWESOME THINGS; LET'S JUMP AROUND A BIT WITH DATES SO I CAN GET THE BEST STUFF NEARER THE TOP:
September 2, 1996:
"New Japan will make the announcement this week regarding its October date at the Tokyo Dome.
The show, which is believed will take place on 10/9 (it may be 10/6, although apparently there is a baseball game on hold for the Dome that day), is believed to have four different themes.
The main theme would be to take advantage of the interest in "anything goes" or Ultimate fighting, apparently to build an angle of New Japan wrestlers vs. Brazilian Vale Tudo fighters. This is a similar angle to past New Japan box offices successes for the first Tokyo Dome show in 1989 working with Russian amateur wrestling champions, and last year doing the promotion vs. promotion angle with UWFI shootfighters. This theme will actually debut on the 9/23 Yokohama Arena show where Brazilian luta livre fighter Pedro Otarvio (who is known in Japan for having beaten Koji Kitao earlier this year) faces Keiji Muto. What will be interesting is to see how Brazilian Vale Tudo fighters with no pro wrestling background but who have a real fighting background will react to things like selling, working and putting people over. Theoretically that should be no different than the Russians in the same situation, but every culture is different, as was evidenced by the goings-on at a RINGS show on 8/24. Obviously these aren't gong to be classic worked matches. Dan Severn will probably be involved somewhere in this scenario."
THE GOINGS-ON AT A RINGS SHOW ON 8/24 YOU SAY:
"The thin line that seems to exist in some situations between shooting and working got that much thinner this past week in the evolution of RINGS.
Ricardo Morais, a 6-foot-9, 265 pound Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter who earlier this year won the second Russian Absolute (similar to UFC) tournament, made his debut within the guise of pro wrestling in the main event on 8/24 at Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum beating RINGS's current top star, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, in 46 seconds by knocking him out with a series of punches in a match under Vale Tudo (as opposed to RINGS) rules.
The match followed an even more controversial Vale Tudo rules match involving Russian Illoukhine Mikhail (winner of the first Russian Absolute, 2nd to Morais in the second but has done jobs in worked matches in RINGS and also lost shoot matches in Vale Tudo in Japan) against debuting Denilson Maia of Brazil. In that match, the two fighters battled to the 20:00 time limit and the match was ruled a draw. The Brazilian contingent, similar to what appeared in Denver after the Marco Ruas-Oleg Taktarov match at the Ultimate Ultimate, protested the decision claiming that Maia should have been awarded the decision because Mikhail had been given a yellow card (rule breaking caution similar to soccer) during the match. The post-match heat backstage got so bad that the Brazilians refused to allow Morais to go out for his main event match unless they first awarded Maia the victory. Finally, in order to quell potential fans problems for destroying credibility by awarding a decision for reasons that would be technically against the rules, and the long-term and short-term problems if the advertised main event didn't take place, worked out a compromise with the Brazilians and put Maia and Mikhail back in for an immediate rematch, all agreed while they were setting up the main event. In the rematch, Maia beat Mikhail with an armlock in 4:53, quelling all the problems for the moment.
Apparently both fights were shoots according to our live reports, which would mean RINGS is in the midst of changing in that it had been a promotion with mainly worked matches on top with an occasional undercard shoot. However, with its founder and President, Akira Maeda, set to return after his latest knee injury on the 10/25 show, the main events can't continue to go in that direction or it would expose the Maeda myth, particularly now at the age of 36 after all the injuries and with the higher quality of foreign fighters. Whether the matches were truly shoots or not will be apparent in the months to come, as if Maeda or Yamamoto are able to beat Morais in rematches, it would most likely have been that the most recent main event was simply to create a monster foreign top star to breathe new life into RINGS. Whatever it is should be obvious on tape, since even though one could work a 46 second believable fake shoot, there is no way two non-workers such as Maia and Mikhail could do so for 25 minutes. It wouldn't be unheard of for RINGS to not predetermine the finish of a main event match, as the Yamamoto's win via a close decision after going 30:00 with Maurice Smith earlier this year appeared to be an uneventful shoot.
With Maeda out of action, Yamamoto has been pushed as the group's top star, with a reputation largely gained from losing in a legit Vale Tudo tournament match to Rickson Gracie in 1994 that lasted about 20 minutes, by far Gracie's longest and toughest match in Japan. Up until that time, he had been a young protege of Maeda's being groomed for future stardom, but with something less than a .500 win-loss percentage. Yamamoto had been ranked No. 1 in RINGS up until losing on 7/16 to Hans Nyman, a job that appeared to be done to make sure that the No. 1 ranked fighter in the group wouldn't lose to an outsider since doing a shoot is a risky proposition. At least that's all theoretical. Time with tell the answer, because if Yamamoto gets a rematch later this year and comes back to beat Morais, it may simply be the age old promotion of creating a monster heel, putting him over huge as unbeatable at the beginning, so when the top babyface finally downs him, the babyface is over bigger than ever and it's all part of the process of building Yamamoto for a long-run on top.
But with Maeda out of the main events, and with the debut of Kiyoshi Tamura, a former UWFI wrestler, on the 6/29 show, RINGS had taken on a fresh new look and seemed to be rebuilding interest based on the sellout of 6,700 on 6/29 at NK Hall and the crowd of 9,000 at the 8/24 Ariake Coliseum show (although the 7/16 show in Osaka drew an unimpressive crowd of 4,080). Even though Maeda's name value is much stronger than the younger wrestlers, for the current style and trend with interest rebounding to continue, Maeda really needs to stay out of the ring. He's better off as the figurehead leader and retired superstar running the show and handling promoting the shows rather than being in the main events and getting in the way of the top stars that are building the company for life after Maeda. Anyway, his return puts the company in what really isn't much different from the same dilemma that numerous wrestling companies in the world have and continue to face.
8/24 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum (RINGS - 9,000): Willie Peeters b Wataru Sakata, Masayoshi Naruse b Eagen Inoue-DQ, Kiyoshi Tamura b Maurice Smith, Mitsuya Nagai b Dick Vrij, Kyokushin karate rules: Walter Schnabelt b Vladimir Kuramenchev, Volk Han b Tsuyoshi Kousaka, Vale Tudo rules: Denilson Maia d Illoukhine Mikhail 20:00, Vale Tudo rules re-start: Maia b Mikhail, Vale Tudo rules: Ricardo Morais b Yoshihisa Yamamoto"
September 9, 1996:
"The Brazilian leader of the crew that we talked about going to stop Ricardo Morais from fighting at the 8/24 Rings show was Renzo Gracie. Gracie also had words in mid-ring (not-worked) with Akira Maeda over the controversial Denilson Maia vs. Illoukhine Mikhail match."
. . . and:
"Kurt Angle, who won the gold medal at 220 pounds in the Olympics, received an offer from Linda McMahon. Angle has also recieved offers from at least two Japanese promotions, at least one of which was either RINGS or UWFI."
August 19, 1996:
This seems to be the issue where Dave stars the WON Hall of Fame? Totally worth a look if you are at all so inclined; here is what he said about Akira Maeda (who is in):
"AKIRA MAEDA - The person most associated with the changing of the in-ring style and booking patterns in Japan to more of an emphasis on submissions and clean finishes where even the biggest stars submit at the end.
Top star of UWF in its 1988-90 heyday and formed RINGS.
A huge drawing card in his prime and when it comes to changing the entire face of wrestling in a country, has been as influential as any wrestler of his era."
Aaaaand:
"After its 8/24 card in Tokyo's Ariake Coliseum with Ricardo Morais (Russian UFC second winner) vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto on top, plus Denilson Maia (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) vs. Illoukhine Mikhail (Russian UFC first winner), Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Maurice Smith, Masayoshi Naruse vs. Eagen Inoue (Sayama shooting); Rings returns on 9/25 in Sapporo with Volk Han vs. Tamura, Yamamoto vs. Andrei Kopilov and Hans Nyman vs. Bitzsade Tariel. I just saw tapes of the past two Rings shows and enjoyed almost every match. The matches are worked but worked in a manner where they look totally believable (except they are usually too dramatic to be shoots). Actually because they do more striking on their feet and the matches are more exciting since they are doing spots, this would have more appeal in the U.S. than Pancrase although it's still something too new that audiences really aren't quite ready for."
More letters from Joe Silva and Tadashi Tanaka:
"PANCRASE
As much as I respect your opinion, I can't believe you are falling for this Pancrase crap. Trust me, I really want it to be real. Because of the Observer, I have considered that maybe I'm wrong but when I play the tapes, there are just too many obvious signs. To say that it must be legit because so many of the fights are now going the time limit is like saying pro wrestling must be real because of how many matches end with a disqualification. It is just a way for someone to lose without hurting their reputations too much since they didn't submit. As you have pointed out, most fans in Japan believe that RINGS is legit but just because a lot of people believe something doesn't make it true.
I also disagree vehemently with your statements that less submissions are occurring in fights because the fighters are now smarter and better trained. This gets proven to be untrue every time a Gracie steps in the ring. Most fights don't have a clue how to apply submissions correctly. Learning a move itself is the easy part. I could teach you most of the truly effective submission moves in a couple of hours. What takes years to perfect is how to get them on an unwilling opponent. You could learn all of the effective punches in boxing pretty quickly, but it would take years and some talent to be able to use them effectively.
The Gracies don't have any magic secrets. What they have is years of experience in submission fighting. What holds them back is their lack of size. Put Royce Gracie in the ring with someone who is within 15 pounds of his weight, and even if they are smart or well trained, my money is that Royce will make them submit. There were submissions against fighters that were supposed to be good at Sayama's Vale Tudo show. The fighters they have currently competing in the UFC's are simply not well trained and experienced in submissions.
Joe Silva
Richmond, Virginia
--------------------------
The 6/25 Pancrase card was a very memorable and significant show on many levels. While UFC stars are all short-lived, Masakatsu Funaki has continued as the main drawing card since the beginning of Pancrase and even from his Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi days. He always delivers an entertaining match and should be praised for that.
The reason why SEG's Pancrase PPV shows look inferior to the television shows in Japan is the lack of effort in getting each fighters' distinctive character over. At Pancrase, post-match interviews, either in the ring or in the dressing room play an important part to the fans, which is one of the things that differentiates this from Olympic wrestling. The legitimate sport is a professional fight but the athletes are trained how to talk because they are in the pro wrestling environment. Funaki's interview challenging Bas Rutten in September was a well-done interview to build attendance for the next show.
Ken Shamrock was at the show but couldn't fight due to his injury. Because Pancrase is a shoot, fighters' careers are going to be short. Shamrock's imminent retirement was announced at the show. Funaki, his close friend, realized that he remaining time on top will also be limited and that this is his chance to step forward.
The 7/16 Rings card was an excellent show except for the disappointing main event, but the attendance was poor. Rings are mostly Korean-Japanese fights including Akira Maeda and a strong fan base is in Osaka, where the biggest Korean community lives, so the attendance was a bad sign. Unlike Pancrase, the Rings top ten ratings are a joke among smart fans. The regular RINGS format contains one or two matches per show without predetermined endings, however it is still different from a Pancrase shoot. Wataru Sakata had a shoot match against a Dutch kick boxer but it wasn't that impressive. Kiyoshi Tamura again looked very sharp. As with his debut on the 6/29 show, he is the highlight.
Despite the fact it's not a shoot, many consider RINGS the richest source of real fighters and martial artists due to the strong Russian connection. Volk Han is Mr. Ultimate and respected by everyone, so that when the submission illusionist/sambo master met Tsuyoshi Kousaka, the match turned into one of the best worked shoot matches ever. It was an exciting and interesting human chess match until the unfortunate Han knee strike cutting Kousaka deep and the match having to be stopped. The line between shooting and working became very thin with this match.
Yoshihisa Yamamoto totally dominated Hans Nyman since he did the job at the end. But because it followed the Han vs. Kousaka match, which was so impressive, and the sudden finish, the main event didn't get over. The chance of it being a legit shooting match between Yamamoto and Ricardo Morais on 8/24 is fairly good. Under the Japanese sports logic, the No. 1 ranked fighter in a promotion can't lose to an outsider, so Yamamoto first had to lose to Nyman before going into a shoot match.
Tadashi Tanaka
New York, New York"
AREN'T YOU GLAD THAT WE ARE HAVING A RINGS BLOG TOGETHER? I know I am very pleased by it. See you next time! Thank you once again!
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