Akira Maeda vs Kiyoshi Tamura-UWF 25.10.1989.

This just might be the peak of wrestling bruality. As neat as punhes, chops, kicks, headbutts and so on can look, none of them really convey the sense of horror Maeda hitting Tamura with full force muy thai knees does. Tamura's desperate flurries ruled, but the best thing he did in the entire match was probably the down where he wasn't hit, but simply couldn't get up after getting a rope break. It is kind of insane to do this type of match, where a former yakuza beats up a young boy so bad he's out for a year, but it makes for an unmatchable spectacle of violence. ****

Antonio Inoki vs Shota Chochishvili-NJPW 24.4.1989.

What better way to kill time than to watch Inoki fight a Georgian Judo olympic champion? The match mostly consisted of Chochishvili slamming Inoki-and you'll be shocked to find an olympic judo champion has good looking slams. Inoki's comebacks looked goofy as Chochishvili didn't really know how to react to strikes and kicks, but he's charismatic enough that it almost doesn't matter, at least in terms of getting the match over. A one handed Inoki firing up was quite the visual, tailor made for a magazine cover. **3/4