2021 Ongoing MOTY List: White Moriyama vs. Izuchi

White Moriyama vs. Tetsuya Izuchi HEAT-UP 2/28

SR: Man, White Moriyama's return to pro wrestling completely flew under my radar. He was never the 5th best guy in FUTEN or U-Style, but by 2021 standards he's basically Tamura. This was a really fun, unpredictable 10 minute match with a surprising amount of hate. Izuchi is a kick padded kid who acts all cocky towards veteran Moriyama. Moriyama puts him in his place with some slick, fast grappling, so Izuchi retaliates with an awesome stomp to Moriyama's face. Izuchi kicks hard and his spinning choke is a fun false finish, so I am completely fine. Finishing run was really cool with Moriyama giving Izuchi the business with his kicks, including throwing these cool Tamura style leaping kicks, and some slick U-Style grappling. You can tell Moriyama's grappling is a class above what most guys can do these days the way he would move in and out of submissions, dug all of his slick leg locks.

PAS: This was pretty good stuff, it would definitely be the 3rd or 4th best match on a FUTEN show but that gets you pretty far in 2021. Izuchi is too pretty for me to really like him much. I like my shootstyle guys grizzled, not all handsome like Takada. But he did throw a pretty nasty stomp, and his gator roll head and arm choke was nasty shit. Moriyama is clearly a class grappler, and I loved how he would kick and stomp the arm and knee as a set up for the armbar and leglock, and how he kept switching positions on the ground to lock it in tighter. 

ER: I think the pretty boy cheapshotting punk is a great character in wrestling, especially in shootstyle. Of course grizzled shootstyle guys are cooler, but a pretty boy pissing off a grizzled vet to his own detriment is one of the most fun things in shootstyle. Izuchi has boy band hair and glittery kickpads, fast hands, and you know it's just a matter of time before Moriyama schools him. Moriyama approaches him with veteran resignation, allows him to rifle off a couple of slaps that he ignores, before schooling him on the mat. Izuchi figures might not be able to beat Moriyama, so instead moves to annoy him, and this is the best decision for all of us. Izuchi stomps Moriyama right in the face and Moriyama sells it like someone who is angry that his face got stomped on. But the best moment comes a little later, when Izuchi stomps on Moriyama's face again, in the exact same way, and this time instead of holding his face, Moriyama shoots to his feet seeing red. All poise is now out the window, and he laces into Izuchi with leaping kicks, targeting his arm and body, not really seeking to take a limb rather than seeking to punish. The 10 minute time limit draw is pretty stupid, just let Moriyama punish an ankle for like 35 seconds. Matches that just end in a draw without building any kind of momentum toward that draw is a real dry hump. All heat-up, no release. 

2021 MOTY MASTER LIST