Comprehensive CMA Gym #2

                 (Written by jom)

Kei Tsukada vs. Takeshi Miyamoto (Union Pro 10/16/1994)

    We're back with another CMA Gym article, and of course we're gonna start with one of their straight singles matches to get back into the zone.

    This was pretty similar to the other 1994 singles match reviewed previously, with the main story of the match being Miyamoto using his stiff kicks and grappling ability to fight back against Tsukada's boxing glove onslaught. There were some pretty stiff brawling in the first round, with both guys taking pot shots as much as they could, and the crowd was all there for it which was a really great addition.

    Of the two of them, Miyamoto definitely was more impressive, busting out his sick kicks but also hitting a few wrestling moves which I was not expecting. He let loose a couple really nasty combos, like one that led into a skull-cracking reverse roundhouse kick, and another (shown below) where he tried to scramble Tsukada's brains with some head kicks before spiking him on the top of his head with a DDT.

    Overall, I think this was pretty good, but a step down from the match they would have in Union again two months later. Still, when it comes to these two, you'll always be getting quality.

Rating: B

Kei Tsukada & Ryo Miyake vs. Takeshi Miyamoto & Masahiko Takasugi (Go Gundan 12/21/1994)

    This, on paper, is a very similar match to one reviewed in the previous post (except this time the partners are swapped and Miyake is subbing in for Teranishi). As such, I was expecting this to be just kinda fun but nothing more.

    I was wrong! This was pretty crazy. Miyake and Takasugi had a few moments to shine in the match, with Miyake at one point throwing Tsukada like a missile and Takasugi hitting a stiff lariat and hip attack, but the majority of what was shown was Miyamoto/Tsukada, and my god I don't know what was in the water but some of the stuff they did was insane. Miyamoto threw some of the hardest kicks I've ever seen him throw, with multiple having an audible thud upon contact with Tsukada. This included one head kick that was particularly loud, and actually made me pause the match for a minute to get my bearings back. Probably the most brutal besides that one was this kick directly to Tsukada's neck, which, once again, made a horrifying sound:

    Tsukada wasn't here just to eat shots from Miyamoto though, as he totally dished out some in kind. He threw tons of punch combos, let Miyake throw him like a lawn dart out of the ring onto Miyamoto, and he even was able to hit the diving punch, which looked beast as always. Probably the hardest combo he threw all match can be seen below, where he nearly knocked Miyamoto's whole head off the rest of his body.

    I thought going into this that there was no way this match would be able to reach the level of the last one. In the end though, I think this one actually edged the last one out just a bit. Miyamoto and Tsukada brought even more violence to the table, and Miyake and Takasugi not only held up their own ends of the match, but their contributions ended up elevating the match even more. Overall, another beautiful chapter in the CMA Gym wars.

Rating: B+

Takeshi Miyamoto vs. Ho Des Minh (Samurai Project 04/17/1996)

    Our first ever review as part of this project that doesn't include both gym leaders! Here Miyamoto is taking on Ho Des Minh (aka Poison Sawada and a bunch of other names) for Minh's CMA Certified Heavyweight Championship. As far as I can tell this is the only recorded match for this title, but I'd love to find more considering they'd all probably include either Miyamoto or Tsukada.

    This ended up being pretty solid, albeit a little disappointing. Minh was pretty solid here, working over Miyamoto's leg at different points, such as when he caught a kick and hit a dragon screw, before transitioning into a figure four leglock. He also got to do some of the cool moves in his arsenal, particularly the killer butterfly DDT he does.

    Miyamoto, meanwhile, was solid too, but it was pretty clear his intensity was kinda gone, and there were some clear missteps that reflect a guy who up to that point had spent a lot of his career working different style fights against one person. Even with all that, his kicks landed with a solid amount of thud still, and he did get to bust out a few cool moves like a solid german suplex.

    Overall, this was a solid enough match, but you could really tell Miyamoto was more suited for the weird borderline shoots he had against Tsukada. Minh absolutely did a good job in his role has the pro wrestling bad guy, it was just a case of stylistic difference not being able to entirely mix.

Rating: B-