(Written by Jom)
Taro Yamada is a name that most people probably don't know. He rarely appears in a notable role in the larger puro landscape (unless you count show opening battle royales in AJPW as notable), while spending most his time in home promotion 666 and MUMEIJUKU with sparse appearances for Ice Ribbon and Gatoh Move. However, this lack of recognition says nothing about his abilities in the ring, as he constantly proves himself to be one of the most technically sound and brutally stiff pro wrestlers on the scene. He also does a wicked curb stomp, which probably tells you why I'm such a big fan of his. In the first of a (most likely sporadic) series, I will be providing three matches to showcase one of the most underappreciated workers on the puro indy scene. The best part? They're all less than 15 minutes and free to watch on youtube.
This match only goes 6 minutes, so out of all the matches I'll talk about, this one is the best if you're crunched for time. Even though it goes such a short length, Yamada and Shinobu put it all out there in this one, not holding back in the slightest for their strikes. The match is filled with a lot of the usual pro wrestling moments that occur in longer matches, only done at a nearly 2x pace. Shinobu of course is great as always, but Yamada really does a great job not only with his grappling and striking, but also with his selling. At one point he takes a missile dropkick and goes nearly straight onto his neck for it, a moment I had to replay a couple times just because it was that good. Again, this isn't a technical war (we'll get there), but it is a perfectly succinct battle between two of 666's best workers.
In this match, Yamada takes on a recently debuted Yu Iizuka, and although Iizuka was not yet "Young Volk" in both nickname and technical proficiency, the signs of this eventual progression were definitely there. This whole match has a strong concentration on solid grappling and stiff strikes, which benefits both men greatly. At one point early, Yamada has Iizuka in a very snug stepover toehold, and Iizuka is close enough to the ropes to start reaching. Yamada notices this and is able to grab the first arm, but misses the other, showing genuine frustration at not being able to stop Iizuka from getting the ropes. This was such a small moment and ultimately probably didn't mean anything, but seeing wrestlers show real emotion at their maneuvers succeeding/failing always makes me pop hard. Also, if all this praise on the technical side of the match isn't getting you excited, this match also includes one of the most disgusting shoot headbutts I've ever seen done by Yamada. If that can't get you interested, I think you've found the wrong blog.
We've gone from a basic match with only slight technical battling, to a pretty technical match, to this technical war I alluded to previously. This is an exhibition match between Yamada and Sato, two men who had a longer match previously and would have a longer match in the future. However, even though this is almost purely chain grappling, the 10 minute length does nothing to take away from the encounter. Yasushi Sato will almost definitely get one of these primers in the future, reverseviperhold (another blogger who you should definitely check out if you haven't) once called him the "King of the Russian Legsweep" and I'm inclined to agree. Both men are extremely adept at chain grappling, and this match is just peak scientific wrestling by two of the best at the style.
If you want to check out more of Yamada's work, I'd highly recommend his other matches with Yasushi Sato in MUMEIJUKU, along with the other three match series he had with Keita Yano/Keita IN The HOUSE at the ringless WALLABEE promotion.
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