2018 Ongoing MOTY List: Suzuki vs. Nomura

15. Hideki Suzuki vs. Takuya Nomura BJW 6/20

PAS: This is pure uncut shootstyle, no baby laxative here. No rope running, just hard BattlArts style asskicking. Suzuki is really great and grounding a guy with strong amateur wrestling, while Nomura has more of a martial arts base. There was also a cool hierarchy thing going on, with Nomura trying to take down the more experienced grappler. This was really technically solid, but had plenty of flash. The spot where Nomura goes to the eyes so he can put on a crossarmbreaker was some Yoji Anjo/ Takeshi Ono shootstyle dick god stuff. I also really dug Suzuki on top, as he was loosening Nomura up with slaps, and then threw one huge illegal punch that looked like it might have smashed Nomura's eye socket.  Loved the finish too, with Suzuki basically trying to Jason Elam Nomura's head, I loved how on the second kick, the ref didn't even stop the fight, everyone just ran in.

ER: I really liked their 2016 series, which was very early in Nomura's career, and the early matches were basically a big bully steamrolling a young boy in entertaining fashion. Now the young boy has a couple years under his belt, he's filled out a bit, and has some nice confidence. It was exciting seeing Nomura overwhelm Suzuki a couple times and really make him back up and cower. Nomura was really pitbull intense on the mat, but even when his arm is getting bent at terrible angles he still looks disturbingly calm. At one point Nomura gets a full extension armbar, and Suzuki panics a bit and tries to unwrap Nomura's legs, can't, so starts shifting and rolling and winds up in a pretty nasty crossface with his arm still extended, but eventually gets out. Suzuki is a huge beefy guy and it's impressive to see Nomura hold his own, trying to finesse while Suzuki tries to just power his way through. I loved Nomura getting a tight keylock and Suzuki just starting slight maneuvering without use of his left arm; he's resigned to the fact that that arm ain't useful at the moment, so he is just shifting weight and working to escape. Nomura is tenacious and we all knew this was building to him getting popped, and boy does he. Nomura lands a great German suplex and has Suzuki on the ropes, but eventually Suzuki lands in top position and hits a gross punch right to the hinge of the jaw, a total dead eyed dick move. Suzuki opts for the finish of Kurisu/Jado, hitting a high kick and then letting tension mount as Nomura is on all fours, essentially waiting to be decapitated. Suzuki lands two nasty punts, no more match is needed.


2018 MOTY MASTER LIST