Shinjuku Same vs. Thanomsak Toba: A Tale of Boxing Gloves

                 (Written by jom)

    Mirror matches are usually pretty fun stuff. At their worst, they have the potential to be boring slogs where two guys just do the same moves to each other over and over again without many interesting developments, but at their best, they can highlights the minute differences between two wrestlers, helping to increase appreciation for both and their respective styles. They can also be really good if the two guys do the same moves but very stiff, because wrestling is just simple like that. Case in point, these three matches between Rocky-inspired boxer Shinjuku Same and Thai kickboxer Thanomsak Toba. While I'm excited to see if they play on the differences in offense between these two glove-wearing menaces, I also know that they'll punch each other in the face a lot during these matches, and that's all it takes to greatly entertain my dumb gorilla brain.

Shinjuku Same vs. Thanomsak Toba (WEW 05/03/2003)

    Right when the match starts, that "minute difference" thing I mentioned is established as a focal point. Toba comes in with some belter leg kicks, kicks so hard that Same is forced outside the ring and spends about 40 seconds just walking around, reconsidering the life choices that led to this match. Eventually Toba opens the ropes up to let him back in, and Same takes that opportunity to stomp on Toba's foot and set his sites on the leg. Immediately, the match is set with Toba utilizing his non-punch arsenal to get control, and Same relying on asshole heel tactics and pro-wrestling style leg targeting to counteract Toba's wider range of striking.

    Well, at least that's what seems to happen at first, with that story I described playing out for about the first two minutes. Toba uses some great stiff knees and kicks while Same attacks the leg and even pulled off a cool capture suplex. After Same counters a Toba middle knee with a punch though, this abruptly turns into the boxing glove bombfest you'd expect from these two. I'm not gonna complain about that too much though, because the bombs thrown were fucking immense. Toba is great here as a much faster fighter, throwing tons of peppering punches and kicks that add up in damage. Same meanwhile throws punches at a much slower rate, but each one has such a high level of power that it ends up leveling out.

    The ending stretch featured some especially big bombs thrown, as both guys were nearly drained of all their energy and were just willing themselves forward to throw the hardest punches they could. I do think that the early portion of the match being completely abandoned kinda sucked, but the violence behind those punches in the latter half of the match cannot be denied. A very solid start to these two's match series.

Rating: B

Shinjuku Same vs. Thanomsak Toba (Apache Pro 12/30/2007)

    Four years removed from their last match, Same and Toba once again meet in the ring. This is a boxer vs. boxer match right from the get-go, with both guys only needing to do a little feeling out until Same is able to catch Toba with a left jab that nearly sends him tumbling out of the ring. In a moment that could've been a smart callback or just a case of lucky coincidence, Toba leaves the ring after that punch and walks around a little to get his bearings, a near-perfect mirror of what Same did in their match from 2003.

    After that point, this ascends into a pure and violent fight. Toba and Same throw some crazy punches, and Toba lays into Same with some extremely stiff kicks. Toba is especially great this time around, letting loose with some insane combinations like the one pictured below. There's tons of great knockdown moments, like when Same is able to pull off the same counter punches he did in 2003 and gets a knockdown on Toba, or when Toba is able to do the same on Same. Eventually, both guys just start taking turns teeing off on each other with punches straight to the face, which is maybe the easiest way to earn a place in my heart. The finishing stretch was absolutely phenomenal too, and really needs to be seen because there's no way I could do it justice.

    While looking for any potential pictures taken featuring both men, I stumbled across a thread made on a Japanese forum, made the same day as this show's broadcast and solely focused on this match. One of the commenters on that forum said "It was a barroom brawl" and I have to agree. This was like if two pro fighters got into an argument at a bar, found some gloves, and just started throwing live rounds while a little tipsy. Rough, scrappy, violent, and a damn good viewing experience.

Rating: B+

Shinjuku Same vs. Thanomsak Toba (XWF 08/06/2008)

    In a nice moment that pays off the last two matches they've had, neither man leaves the ring in the early portion. Both Same and Toba take some at least one stiff shot, but are able to just eat it without needing to get their bearings like before. They know each other entirely now, and are able to go to war without hesitation.

    And go to war they do! Both guys throw some stiff shots as usual in this one, but this time Toba is the one with a clear-cut game plan. He starts throwing his usual belter leg kicks with even more force than before, and very quickly Same is grabbing the leg and actually taking downs from the leg kicks. Toba is a like a shark to blood (very ironic), and the noises of those leg kicks are truly horrifying stuff. In a good moment that once again is probably just a coincidence but still wraps up the overarching story nicely, Same takes one particularly gross leg kick and nearly ends up falling out of the ring, but he makes sure to stop himself and continues on without break. Eventually though, Same is forced to leave, not because he was overwhelmed though. For the first time in this series, Toba breaks the down count by throwing a hard kick at Same while he still wasn't up yet.

    What follows next is the most dramatic fight they've had, as Same and Toba both seem to enter a new level of hate because of that violation of an honor-based rule. Same goes wild with his punches and even pulls out some big pro-wrestling type stuff like fucking dragon screws, meanwhile Toba throws punches, kicks, and knees with truly nuclear force. The final stretch of the match is the most face-punching ending they've done and my god is it phenomenal. 

    Overall, I truly believe this is their best match together, and it's honestly not even much of a contest. While the other two were chock-full with stiffness and cool moments, this match had all of that at some of the highest level, and a clearly cohesive and well-told story. One of the best martial artist matches of the 21st century.

Rating: A-

SHARK WEEK! #3: Shinjuku Same

                (Written by jom)

    Today is the saddest of days, as it is finally time to close the first chapter of Dragon Screw Shark Week. I'm sure many of you will be joining me and praying for a bountiful Shark Week in 2023. However, it isn't over yet, so let's go out with a bang: enter Shinjuku Same. I'm sure many people are confused, currently asking their computer or phone screens "but jom, what about this "Shinjuku Same" has anything to do with SHARK week?". To that, I say "shut the hell up you idiot, you moron, you absolute buffoon" (except in much kinder and respectful words) because Shinjuku Same, when translated, actually means "Shinjuku Shark". Therefore, I have not only the right but the responsibility to spread the good word of Shinjuku Same, and my lord there are many good words to be said. One of the pioneering boxer wrestlers, Same is somewhat of a prototype of guys like Thanomsak Toba, throwing absolutely destructive punches with a quickness and violence not seen by many others. While Katsuji Ueda did the boxing gimmick first, Same is the one to really have cemented it as absolutely beast, and in our final Shark Week post of the year, I hope to share with you the power of the 12 oz gloves.

Shinjuku Same vs. Onryo (FMW 10/22/2001)

    I don't care what anyone says, Fuyukiism is one of the greatest things of all time. Only through the insane mind of Kodo Fuyuki could FMW have booked a boxer to take on a literal ghost. Onryo absolutely rocks, with his whole undead spirit gimmick being one of the best in Japanese indy history. The powder in his hair, the spot where he catches the ref's hand during a pinfall count, and the entire storyline between him and GOEMON really cement him as an absolute legend. His actual wrestling ability is worth tons of praise too, with some truly spectacular juniors work and the always beautiful Onryo clutch.

    Onryo was awesome as always here. It did take him a bit to start actually doing his usual cool stuff but once he did he was running through the classics left and right. He did the teleportation spot (thrown outside the ring on one side, appear from the other to sneak attack his opponent), the hand catch spot, and even busted out a really nice Onryo clutch. He also just generally did some really nice wrestling, such as an awesome release German suplex and this beautiful counter into a backslide:

    Same was busting out some awesome stuff too here, even more so than Onryo. He threw some really cool punches (especially an uppercut onto a rope-hung Onryo), but probably the best one he did was the one gif'd below, where he countered an apron dive by jumping off a chair and just smashing Onryo in the face. He didn't just do cool punches though, as he also got to hit some really cool moves like a running dropkick on the apron à la Roman Reigns, as well as doing an absolute beauty of a moonsault.

    I think that overall this was pretty fun, albeit it took a bit to get there. The beginning third of the match was pretty middling and it wasn't helped by a crowd that could be described as "apathetic" at best. Seriously, this crowd was nearly dead silent for the majority of the match, at least until the last section. However, that last section did have a lot of fun stuff (enough to actually wake the crowd up for the most part), so if you're a fan of either guy I'd recommend checking this out.

Rating: B

Shinjuku Same vs. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (Apache Pro 04/28/2011)

    No, you're not reading this wrong. This is the Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, All Japan and NOAH legend and one part of the truly all-time great Kobashi/Kikuchi vs. Can-Am Express match. However, by 2011, he had left NOAH and was applying his craft all over the independent scene, especially in Union Pro as part of Sanshiro Takagi's TKG48 group (side note: if you haven't seen his match against Tenryu from Union Pro in 2011, I highly recommend checking that out, as it's just two old guys way past their prime fighting their hearts out and there really isn't much better in wrestling than that).

    Kikuchi was uh... Kikuchi was different than you'd normally think here. The best way to describe him would be rabid, as he was running around like a wild dog, constantly yelling, and had a more fucked grimace on his face the entire match than any Murakami grimace ever. It was really a ton of fun though, with him constantly yelling at Same and the ref about whatever he could be yelling about. There were also like two older dudes in the crowd that were very clearly Kikuchi fans, with Kikuchi having conversations with both of them at different points during the match. Eventually, after getting "weapons" (aka a plastic bag and rope) involved in the match, Kikuchi and Same had this great moment that shows while Kikuchi may have aged greatly, his hard ass head never did.

    Same meanwhile was same ole Same, throwing cool punches and just generally being pretty sweet. He was fully there for the comedy stuff, at one point setting up a chair in the ring, making Kikuchi sit on it, and then running off the ropes and punching Kikuchi so hard it sent him (and the chair) tumbling over. He also got into an argument with one of the old Kikuchi dudes which was just amazing. Probably the greatest thing he did in the whole match was this combo into an apron suplex (show below), leading to Kikuchi making one of the most insane faces of the entire match:

    I kinda loved this match. It was so dumb, full of dumb spots and Kikuchi making dumb faces, and it really reminded me that some of the best wrestling involves zero braincells. It wasn't anything spectacular or phenomenal or any bullshit terms like that (terms which I will inevitably continue to use even while acknowledging them as bullshit), it was just absolutely fun and a great way to spend 9 minutes.

Rating: A-

Shinjuku Same & Rocky Kawamura vs. Hikaru Sato & Takuya Kai (Tokyo Gurentai 04/04/2017)

    As of this post, this is Same's final professional wrestling match. In an interview Same did less than a year ago, he roughly said "I don't wrestle at all. I'm not enough of a wrestler to say I've 'retired' so instead I'm just kind of fading out.", so unless he gets some stroke of inspiration to get back in the ring one more time, this is the end of the shark from Shinjuku. He's here teaming with Rocky Kawamura (who at this point is wrestling kinda like he's a younger, balder Shinjuku Same), and it's certainly a sight to see with two guys deeply inspired by Rocky Balboa teaming up to wear American flag gear and punch people in the face. They're taking on Sato (previously seen in the Tiger Shark article that kicked off this whole series) and Takuya Kai, someone I've genuinely never seen before.

    I'm not even going to talk about the other team because Sato was fine but did very little of note and Kai just wasn't very good and not in an interesting way. This was the Rocky tribute match for Kawamura and Same. They spent the whole thing throwing punches at the gut, head, face, and anywhere else they could, and it was awesome. At one point Same even broke up a pinfall by chucking his gloves at Sato. The best moment of the whole match came when Kawamura and Same had the perfect opportunity and busted out this awesome combo:

    Overall, this wasn't a match really worth talking about, but it did have some cool moments courtesy of the two boxers in it. Honestly, I don't know if there could've been a better way for Same's career to end than tagging with another Rocky tribute wrestler and throwing as many punches as possible.

Rating: B-