Akio Ryuu defeated Ryōma
A mainstay of the Japanese wrestling scene in Ryuu takes on one of its rising stars in Ryōma. Ryuu entered the match with a visible and exploitable handicap in his heavily taped ribs due to a prior injury at the hands of GFS and a competitor with the sheer size and ferocity of Ryōma was well suited to leverage it.
The match would begin with a lock-up indicative of the shared respect for Japanese wrestling culture both of these men possessed. Ryōma would take an initial advantage in the exchange sinking in a standing arm-wrench having it reversed into a high key lock by Ryuu but not to be outclassed Ryōma swiftly and skillfully transitioned into a headlock before being forced to break the hold after being pushed into the ropes. A rebounding Ryōma would prove himself extremely dangerous, simply running through a vertically planted Ryuu with ease. Following this up with a teardrop suplex before attempting a pin which only awarded him a two count.
The middle portion of the match was a hard-hitting affair punctuated by impressive shows of strength by Ryōma and an equally impressive display of resilience by Ryuu. Ryuu guided the action to the outside, however, this would prove itself a mistake as it would allow for Ryōma to make use of his environment to further inflict damage on the taped midsection of Ryuu. Taking the action back into the ring Ryōma would employ rest holds and suplexes to break down Ryuu all while staving any offense he encountered.
The finish of the match saw Ryuu reverse a back grapple following a big running knee in the corner by Ryōma. Countering with a kick to the back of the knee and catching a disoriented Ryōma with a crucifix pin attempt to steal a victory, in what could be considered a pretty massive upset considering the condition of Ryuu and the momentum that was built up by Ryōma in Japan the past few months.
This match was rated **¾ (2.75 Stars) by the reviews here at TIC, it was a decent match plagued by some very visible mistake which I mostly account to Ryōma’s inexperience. It’s positioning on the card also did it very few favors as naturally, it was a slower paced affair than what was to come later in the night and just didn’t have much to grab our attention like other matches on the card, it would have been much better suited for a middle of the night after the crowd had been adequately hyped up by the much more fast-paced Jr. Heavyweight action. A handful of choppy edits also detracted from our rating of the match, nonetheless, the match told a consistent and easily comprehensible story, has some pretty good action, most importantly Ryōma didn’t look weak in defeat and Ryuu looked as shocked as he should in victory, especially in the fashion in which he won. I would like to see how their story progresses from this point and how Ryōma recovers from this loss.
Yoki Hiro Hashimi defeated Nori Takahashi
Hashimi throughout this match leverage all of his advantages over Takahashi to dictate the pace and outcome of this match. Making keen use of his superior physical ability, the slight size advantage, and his experience advantage to outclass the Young Lion who just could not overcome these overwhelming odds.
A lock-up would get the action underway as Hashimi immediately gained the advantage, taking the back of Takahashi and slamming him onto the mat. Although he was outclassed in almost every metric Takahashi was not defenseless, his training served him well allowing his to escape and lock his a waist lock of his own than following with a slam displaying that he was much better suited to contend in a technical mat based affair due to his amateur wrestling background. Hashimi would still manage to escape but Takahashi would continue to push his assault with a snapmare followed by a kick to the back of Hashimi.
The middle of the match was a lesson to both men as to weight in which they should take their opponent. It was far more competitive than Hashimi would have liked because he didn’t take the Young Lion seriously, taking comfort in the fact that he outclassed him across the board Hashimi grew lazy and hoped to finish the match with the least amount of effort and opposition possible but what he met in Takahashi was a hungry lion looking to prove his worth. The trading of offensive sequences did wonders for both men as Hashimi showcased his skill and innate ability while Takahashi wore his heart as his armor never giving in or crumbling under the pressure.
The finish of the match would see Hashimi plant Takahashi with a DDT before ascending to the top rope to hit a diving front dropkick. Following this a visibly hurt Takahashi would be tended to by the referee but not one to forfeit an advantage Hashimi would capitalize hitting superkick from the corner for the win.
This match was rated ***½ (3.50 Stars) by the reviewers here at TIC, it was a fast-paced, extremely enjoyable contest. It went from strength to strength, relying on a good story built purely on the nature of the characters themselves and it was competitive making both guys look good. There were a few distractions for some ill-timed maneuvers, keenly missed Irish whips, missed grapples and missed strikes. All things considered, this match was a pure joy to watch and would have in hindsight been better suited to open the show. As is the case with most competitors in True-1 both men are extremely talented and possess great potential and we are extremely excited to see what they do beyond this match.
Max Harlton defeated Diamante Negro
A friendly rivalry that gave birth one of the most consistently good pair of matches in True-1. Their differing individual styles blended well producing a fast-paced which had all the makings and execution of a wrestling clinic.
Their familiarity with one another afforded them the option to skip the traditional lock-up exchange, instead going for a strike exchange, trading punches and chops, resulting in Negro dodging a hip attack, leapfrogging a few times then responding with a European uppercut. He followed that up with a hurricanrana forcing Harlton to roll to the outside then staying on his offensive with a Tope Con Hilo over the top rope to a prone Harlton on the outside. Making their way back into the ring Negro would catch Harlton with a roll up but that would only gain him a two count.
This match was defined by the concept of one-upmanship, these two friendly rivals facing off without malice or hatred just looking to prove who is the better man. Harlton attempting to get back his win and Negro fighting his best to maintain his advantage in their miniseries. The offense was fast, Negro embodying the core elements of the Luchadore style, remaining in constant motions, keeping up the pace, and outmaneuvering his opponent. While Harlton who himself wrestles a fast-paced style just attempted to match his offensive and retaliate with some flurries of his own. This is not to say the action was one dimensional, they both employed submissions, strikes, grapples and all forms of available offense to take an advantage.
The finish of the match saw Harlton reverse the lariat and rolling elbow attempts by Negro but miss with his heel kick attempt, after being whipped off the rope Harlton would catch a rebounding Negro with a sling blade. This would allow him the opportunity to climb to the top rope and hit his corkscrew moonsault for the win.
This match was rated ****¼ (4.25 Stars) by the reviewers here at TIC, it was a brilliantly paced and executed match as stated before but more than anything else the story was told through action. Both men managed to showcase their vast movesets and the depth of their styles while building a story throughout. A story of the underdog trying to prove himself, coming in with a recent loss in his mind and working his hardest to avenge it. A clean, clear finish to cap off a story and rivalry like this one, proving that Harlton could overcome the odds and claim victory was absolutely the right booking decision. Now Harlton has more stock than he ever has before in True-1 and Negro has proven on two occasions that he can’t just hang with the best, he can beat the best.
Garry F. Simpson defeated O’Ryan James to win the T1GP I.C. Championship
GFS proved that he can hit with the best of them and now has a new title to show for it, taking on and overcoming such an experienced and talented opponent in James showed without a doubt that he was deserving of the spot he is in.
The match began with a tradition collar and elbow tie-up which James got the better of pushing GFS into the corner before breaking the tie-up. They locked-up once again, and still, James took the immediate advantage leveraging his quickness to work his way behind GFS, who refused to be outwrestled and reverse James’s into a headlock. Both competitors would continue to trade holds while locked in this exchange until GFS would resort to his strikes, keenly two European Uppercuts stagger his James. James would reverse a running strike from the corner, blunting the charge with his knees before moving straight into a roll up.
This match at multiple points more resembled a street fight than a wrestling match, GFS just launching vicious strikes into James who seemed to be unable to match them, relying on his other assets and forms of offense to take advantages where he could. GFS aware of this ingenuity targeted the should of James weakening his offensive capability and crippling his ability to put up any defense against his onslaught. Every time James would be to muster up his offense GFS would just stunt it with overwhelming offense of his own. This being said James, was not unimpressive in this bout, he still attempted to pull off his usual exciting offense but with varying levels of effectiveness against GFS.
The finish of the match would see GFS swat away James’s springboard forearm and respond with his patented electric chair rolling elbow to the back of the head, but James in a sheer display of uncanny resilience would manage to kick out. However, this would only serve to further anger GFS who retaliated to this defiance with another two elbows to the back of James’s head for the win.
This match was rated ****½ (4.50 Stars) by the reviewers here at TIC, unlike the match before which was an elaborate clinic, this match was a slugging fest that was peppered with elements of a wrestling match and with the two men involved this formula worked. James attempting to bring his highflying offense and resilience to bear against GFS who just settled for a brutal and systematic path of destruction. The story of the match was told brilliantly, and the finish was simultaneously heartbreaking yet completely logical, built to well by both men throughout the match. Their understandings of their characters their motivations added layers to the action and depth to the story. It was simply a fantastic match which I just come to expect from men on the level of these two when given the right circumstance. We congratulate GFS on his championship win and are extremely excited to see where he elevates the belt while it is in his grasp.
Written By: Philip Nelson and Ashley Goldman
Twitter: @TodayInCAW, @PhilipNelsonTIC, and @RealAshleyGold
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