.:: BattlARTS B-Blood 2000 ::.
Review by Ben, 2nd August 2002

I don't get all my tapes from Niall. I trade tapes as well. A very good mate (a bud if you want to call him that), Tom Delves sent me my first piece of BattlARTS footage. Now I've heard many things about BattlARTS and it built up my expectation of the product. Would I be let down, or would my mind be blown with the unusual mix of Puroresu and MMA? Tom provided me with two shows, and after struggling hard (I'd gotten a vast number of tapes that week), I finally set a time to watch it its entirety BattlARTS B-Blood 2000.


Takeshi Ono/Ikuto Hidaka vs. Minoru Fujita/Ryuji Hijikata

Takeshi Ono is (or was?) part of Massao Orihara's MOBIUS group. He is also a member of a group of roaming wrestlers, led by Orihara again, who mock well-known wrestlers. No idea what the name of the stable is, but Ono portrays Masked Tiger (ripping onto Tiger Mask.... funny how no one has ripped into Lyger yet offensively). Hidaka is one of the men I was told much about - he's now ploughing his trade in Michinoku Pro as part of Dick Togo's latest heel group. Minoru Fujita has lately been skulking around New Japan as well as the KAIENTAI Dojo, and Hijikata I believe is in All Japan. For an opening match one would expect a nice gentle, easy wading in period so that the bigger names can dominate. Can I just say we're not on conventional ground here. This was an AWESOME match. Fujita and Hidaka normally are tag team partners, but as you can see are on opposite sides this time. Like I said, awesome match - the get go saw more high flying moves than you'd see in a WWE Televised main event. Ono's no stranger to playing heel, and he's also a very stiff athlete. You feel sorry for Hijikata. No sign of the Misty Flip, or the Shawn Capture in this match (I don't recollect anyway - it looked as if it were clipped towards the end). Ono scored a submission victory after wrapping Hijikata up in an Octopus Hold. A very tight one at that. Aftermath saw Hidaka try and shake his tag team partner's hand, but Fujita simply isn't buying Hidaka's sincerity


Massao Orihara vs. Katsumi Usuda

Massao is big on the indy scene. Today Mr. Orihara is sporting the Marylin Manson look, circa "The Fight Song" video. Except Manson had better hair... and was more scrawny. I hate to say this, but this match kinda bored me in a way. It had its good moments, but it wasn't at all Usuda's best work. I  liked his match with Men's Teoih at the Super J Cup 2000, but his style was a bit of a clash with that of Orihara's. Match ended with Katsumi making a quick comeback and making Orihara submit to a cross knee scissor hold. Amazing how many an opponent has been beaten with a Spider German Suplex before and Usuda manages not to. That's because he's legit - ain't no crazy suplex gonna keep that foo' down!


Yuki Ishikawa & Mohammed Yone vs. Alexander Otsuka & Carl Malenko

Oh man, what a wicked match. I've seen Otsuka and Yone before on the Stan Hansen retirement show. That was actually my first look at BattlARTS to be honest. I've lied above. I loved the match on AJPW territory - me and my friend Richard Goy marking out for Yone's afro and head bumps. Rich especially for the hanging German’s Otsuka would wheel out. Igor Vovchanchyn came out firstly to talk to the crowd - he would be Otsuka's opponent at the PRIDE Gran Prix 2000. I was NOT disappointed by this match at it came close to being my match of the tape. It's not that this match provided little entertainment, it's just the match I chose pipped it by being a little more suspenseful. Can I say now Yuki is a god among men - only he can truly pull off the black tights and towel. Inoki - try again later. I've now become a Carl Contini (Malenko) fan after watching this match. Malenko was slick, and as a gaijin had the crowd actually wanting him not to have his leg broken. Otsuka BRUTALLY sold a clothesline on the outside, and I don't know why but Yone's enzuilaritos into the corners are just a thing of beauty. Yuki was really enjoyable to watch and in the end deserved to be the man who provided IY Gun the win by stretching Malenko in a grounded cobra twist.

We're treated to highlights of Otsuka in PRIDE. Sorry Tom - but he did get whooped. That's not a bad thing as he was up against a man who's a true veteran of MMA and one hell of a tough "cookie" (little joke there if you know about it).


Independent World Junior Heavyweight Title: Naoki Sano vs. Minoru Tanaka

OH MY GOD! I was not a fan of Sano - but I had to eat my words after watching this match. This was without a doubt - INCREDIBLE. One of the best matches I've seen in my life and it's in my top ten list. I agree with Tom in a previous review of Tanaka in BattlARTS - he's not as good in New Japan as he is here. The story behind the match is basically grumpy old man (Sano) against popular youngster (Tanaka) who is going to beat a lesson into him and basically put the title up just to add insult to injury. If ever the words "back fire" were to be used in a match, it would be here. We are treated to a lengthy match of hard strikes, crippling submission holds and pounding throws and holds. Tanaka is kicked and punched by a relentless Sano, but always continues to keep on going and pushing Sano by throwing strikes and submissions back at him. They're selling is superb; a good example is early on in the match Sano had Tanaka in a heel hook, and Tanaka was trying in vain to hastily get to the ropes. He managed to, but instead of standing back up in the ring, he actually went to the outside, took a breather and grabbed his heel to check it. This guys is a face as well, and you don't see many face's go out and do that. It's usually reserved for heel tactics. The climax of the match was exciting: Both men kick each other harder and harder. Tanaka somehow manages to put Sano in a wakigatame (fujiwara armbar). Sano is trying to get out and goes down the whole roll=reversal route, but is then trapped in a cross arm breaker with Tanaka pulls and pulls and pulls on until Sano has got to give up before he snaps his arm. The crowd roar with approval as Tanaka slowly gets to his feet. Sano is gracious in defeat and raises Tanaka's arm, and after a little spiel on the microphone poses with his prizes.


Daisuke Ikeda vs. Mitsuya Nagai

Nagai is ultra stiff. Ikeda is ultra stiff. What you get is two men who just want to kick each other. Nagai's recently famed for putting Iizuka of New Japan out of action for a good few months after his stinging kick attacks on him during the AJPW/NJPW feud. Ikeda... well he's been plugged by Tom quite a bit. This match wasn't too short, and didn't push it. I felt sixteen minutes was an appropriate time as it let these two go through immense physical punishment (the strikes are VERY hard) but didn't leave the viewer to wonder when the hell the match would end (which was the trouble with a couple of New Japan matches which tried to pull this off - as they could be really tedious). Ikeda shone through and knocked out Nagai. Ikeda's definitely a wrestler I'd like to see more of - that would mean I'd have to watch the next tape though.


CONCLUSION:

I was upset that there was no Kaz Murakami. All he did was second Otsuka for his match. I want to see the nut in the ring beating up guys, like when he just stomped Yasuda in the 2001 G1 Climax. But this tape is a MUST. Go order it now - don't read the rest of the damn review as I'm only going to give it high marks. You’re not missing out on much!!! :)

Seriously - you'll be spending the best 19 minutes of wrestling of your life watching just one match on this. If you like your wrestlers doing anything to kill each other without the aid of a scythe or lightbulb then this is for you. Mark out for Yone's afro as well - which was accurately ported over into the Game Boy Advance game Fire Pro Wrestling.

ENTERTAINMENT - 9 - A very good set up, seeing as they are a small promotion, and also having a few big names coming out with Otsuka helps the company (Great Sasuke, Vovchanchyn, Murakami). Watching the wrestling alone is entertaining.... and did I mention Mo's Afro? MY GOD THAT IS WORTH EIGHT POINTS ON IT'S OWN! *Cough*.... you get the idea.

WORK RATE - 9 - In it's heyday it rivals any New Japan PPV match and a lot of Toryumon. Imagine the work rate of Toryumon with the elements of MMA and you get an unholy hybrid which is exciting to watch and is always worth re-watching time and time again. You’re a fan of MMA, but like Puroresu production and storylines? Then this is for you. 

.:: FINAL RECOMMENDATION - And on the ninth day after he created me on the eighth, god blessed the world with the BattlARTS B-Blood 2000, and all rejoiced ::.