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. ****

Yuki Ishikawa vs Takeshi Ono-Battlarts 18.6.2000.

Ono was just unreal here. He's wearing gloves, but MMA type ones and not the boxing ones I'm used to seeing him wear, but he throws all the boxing combinations you loved his 2010 run for as well as all the junior flash submissions you could think of. It was like watching a combination of 2010 Ono and the world's greatest Ikuto Hidaka, a really remarkable performance. Of course Ishikawa is no slouch either, his stiffness and high level matwork added to the match as much as you'd expect but this was more of an Ono showcase. There was no wasted motion, the match pretty much started with a nearfall in Ishikawa catching an Ono takedown attempt into a Guillotine, and from there on it was just non stop smashmouth action. Ono hit a quick head kick combo to pay him back and then dramatically threw himself on the floor to recuperate which was a great spot, melodrama isn't exactly the first thing associated with Battlarts but in a small dose it can work great. ****1/4