Daisuke Ikeda Will Stop at Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!

Daisuke Ikeda/Katsumi Usuda v. Yuki Ishikawa/Shoichi Funaki PWFG 5/19/95 -GREAT

PAS: We have now moved from the mat based style of PWFG into the violence fest that is BattlArts. Usuda and Funaki are fine here, but this is Ikeda v. Ishikawa and is everything that match up promises. PWFG is stiff wrestling compared to all other wrestling, but when those two match up it is like you are watching something completely different. Kicks to the face, punches to the ribs and face, just great. The finish was super as Ikeda gets Ishikawa's back and yanks on his nose and eyes so he lifts his chin for the choke.

TKG: Ikeda is an absolute monster in this. Just a beast. you start this off with a two juniors matching up section, and the Funaki v. Usuda stuff is fun polished stuff at this point. You then get the heavyweight v. junior section with Ishikawa v. Usuda and this is somewhat disappointing considering what we expect from the two matched up. Mostly Ishikawa twisting Usuda up. then we get the Ikeda vs. Fuanki section where Ikeda just completely abuses and manhandles Funaki. Just beats the piss out of him. All building to the heavyweights finally matching up and fuck Ikeda is a beast. The way Ikeda fishhooks Ishikawa and lifts him up by the fishhook to get him into position for choke is just bad ass.

ER: I think I thought more of this than anybody. I really liked all the match-ups, and really liked the Funaki performance. He took an awful beating from Usuda, then an even worse one from Ikeda. I have a soft spot for old men or wimpy little guys who clearly have only a tiny chance to win against most people. Those are usually the only comebacks that guarantee get me into a match. Funaki just looks overmatched and helpless while Usuda and Ikeda are kicking him about and I love how it built to Funaki hitting a big running dropkick to Ikeda's knee. Funaki's dropkicks were great here, with him also hitting a fast and loud one in the corner. It's always neat seeing old Ishikawa too, as he used to be a real asskicker before later settling into his role of punching bag who can still catch you sleeping. Him punting Ikeda in the stomach got a loud exclamation out of me. Things kind of ended when things were getting super fired up, but that's the kind of thing that adds to the drama of Batt/shootstyle matches for me. Every little knee bar seems more dangerous as it could end the match.