Daisuke Ikeda vs Takeshi Ono-FUTEN 26.9.2010.

Third time I've watched this match and it only gets better. Ono taking it to Ikeda with brutal punches rules, but there are a couple of other things I've picked up as well. Ikeda firing back with shoot headbutts ruled and there was a moment where Ikeda was just starring at Ono and Ono was desperately punching away at Ikeda trying to knock him down and in those few seconds in which they battled over whether Ikeda was going to headbutt Ono or not I realised I truly do enjoy life and professional wrestling. Ikeda did Headbutt Ono, symbolically showing there is no escaping some things in life. Like the god damn Ankle Lock counter to the kick I've seen a million times in Battlarts matches. But Ono bravely fought back and only got Ankle Locked later in the match with a different set-up. And holy shit that knee to the back of the head. There's a reason PRIDE didn't allow those things. Then you have Ikeda doing a flip senton and an elbow drop for no reason, this just might be the most FUTEN-ish match of them all, and it rules so much. ****

Daisuke Ikeda vs Mitsuya Nagai-Battlarts 30.1.2000.

You'd think I'd be the biggest supporter of a Battlarts match but I was slightly disappointed by this, I like Nagai as I do pretty much every RINGS alumni but he is more of a guy Volk Han had a great match with than a great Volk Han opponent and him dominating Ikeda so much was not exactly the ideal way to lay this out. I didn't really buy into his submissions (neither did the crowd), his knee strikes looked weak and he seemed lost at times (like when clearly evaded an Ikeda high kick but sold it like it hit clear and when he awkwardly pushed Ikeda around the ring and hit him with a weak throw). His kicks were fine but he lacked the presence to really make the most out of the structure, he hit some nice spots like the Powerbomb>Leglock combo and chanelling Maeda and Sayama but nothing that would really make me think more of him as a worker or a potential star. Maybe the "Nagai was ahead on points" narrative would have connected to me if Battlarts actualy had a point system . It's a little harder to react that way when I've seen Ikeda come back from some downright insane beatings, this was not one of them. ***1/4