On Brand Segunda Caida: 2020 Kassius Ohno

Kassius Ohno vs. El Ligero NXT UK 11/16 (Aired 1/2/20)

ER: This was a completely different match than their match 7 months prior, and I love when guys do that. That match was really great, but based around Ohno kicking Ligero a bunch in the face and head and kind of gleefully laying in a beating. Here he gets fooled a ton by Ligero's wiles, and works a lot of the match one step behind (while in their previous match he was mostly one step ahead). He gets flustered a lot, and works a fun bit where he eats an early elbow and complains that he's trying to wrestle, not fight. Ohno misses a flipping senton and gets trapped into a headscissors, powders to the floor, and catches Ligero with a chin breaker on the way back in. It's so great that Ohno must have thrown at least 12 kicks at Ligero's head in their April match, and he goes through this one without even lifting his leg up for a kick. There isn't even many callbacks to that earlier, far more violent match, until Ohno attempts to untie Ligero's mask. The last match ended when Ohno loosened Ligero's mask, turned it, then leveled him with an blindside elbow. Ligero stopped it this time, but it didn't really matter, as Ohno's sick arm trap cravat would have popped his head off his shoulders. Not quite the level of their prior match, felt a little more like a fun house show version. But hey, I love fun house show matches.

Kassius Ohno vs. Jack Starz NXT UK 1/18 (Aired 2/27/20)

ER: Jack Starz? I'm confident that's not a name I've heard before. Ohno going into NXT UK and fighting literally any guy that might happen to be on the roster at the moment is probably my favorite thing in current WWE. This is only a 5 minute match but is just about the most complete match you can get in 5 minutes. Ohno is so great at Ric Flairing himself through Yorkshire and making it seem like anyone can beat him, while also demolishing those same people. He is so good at finding plausible ways to be pinned by 170 lb. Brits, and then punishing those Brits for almost beating him. I liked the way Starz fought in close with Ohno, tripping Ohno up during his multiple kip ups, foiling him with a wristlock, getting a snug crucifix nearfall, and countering a rolling elbow with a tabletop trip to take Ohno out at the knees. He also wasn't afraid to sneak in uppercuts when he could (I couldn't tell if Starz had nice uppercuts, but due to the height difference they looked nice as he had a perfect shot under Ohno's chin). But as many of these NXT UK appearances have gone, you knew this was going to be about Ohno wrecking some guy. And I like how Ohno almost acted offended by getting occasionally outsmarted by Starz, so kept his punishment swift. Starz goes for a handstand in the corner, Ohno considers the situation, then just kicks at Starz' hand, keeping his boot there to grind his fingers. Ohno rips at Starz' arm and bends him around by the wrist and fingers, still leaving some openings for Starz to come back, but working quick toward the finish. I loved how he sinks the Kassius Clutch and just bsically wins the match by sheer size. He doesn't make it pretty, he just taps Starz because he can.

Kassius Ohno vs. Kenny Williams NXT UK 3/6 (Aired 3/19/20)

ER: I wish I had one match per week that is merely Kassius Ohno as territory champ Ric Flair making every local 160 pounder look like they have a shot at beating him. Not only does Ohno break out a new trick every single NXT UK match, but he brings such confidence and logic to these 7 minute matches. He has a real honest approach to a match - very much a Finlay in WCW - where he sells and bumps appropriately for the offense actually being performed. If a move doesn't hit flush, he doesn't sell the move as if it landed the way it was supposed to land. It forces his opponent to work honest knowing that Ohno will be giving no quarter, and it can't be an accident that Ohno was the guy in the ring when several NXT UK guys had their tightest match. Williams is a guy who doesn't land hard, so another Ohno opponent that has to rely on quickness and staying one step ahead. The early wrist control was fun, with Williams flipping and rolling any way he could to try and baffle Ohno, getting away with a nice rolling prawn and a headscissors. 

Ohno is so smart about giving plausible openings to his opponents, like when he catches a springboard crossbody, tosses Williams up into a fireman's carry, and then nearly loses the match when Williams rolls through a tight crucifix pin. Ohno breaks out a neat trick to block a second Williams springboard, as instead of trying to knock Williams off the apron he just waits until Williams grabs the ropes to spring, and places his boot squarely on Williams' hand, holding him in place. I mentioned appropriate-to-the-move-being-done selling, and that's on full display as Williams hits a dive, a nice tope en reversa from the middle buckle, and a missile dropkick back in the ring. Ohno goes down for the reverse tope as even a smaller guy crashing backwards into you from the middle buckle to the floor will knock you down, but doesn't go down for the missile dropkick. I love that Finlay mindset of "If you knock me down with a dropkick, then I'll get knocked down by a dropkick", and it makes the shotgun dropkick that *does* knock him down mean so much more. Ohno, however, breaks out another trick, catching a headscissors and kicking out Williams' plant arm, then just levels him with a roaring elbow. Ohno clearly could have won after that elbow, but opts to lock in the Kassius Clutch, probably to punish insolence.