Tape Review: Best of Ryuji Ito Vol. 1 DVD (Big Japan)

Got this DVD for $8 shipped over on the crazy max boards,

Little Background: I used to be big into Big Japan starting in late 98 and going until CZW pulled out in Dec. 2001, “Ante up” was the last Big Japan I saw up until this tape. Anyway, I’d heard very good things about BJW’s new King of the death matches champion Ryuji Ito, but my first thought when I figured out who that was, was… that skinny guy that always wrestled in the first or second match… Ito was always a very good technical wrestler, but aside from a table spot or two never incorporated hardcore into his matches. So I said okay fuck it, $8 isn’t much and bought the DVD to see what my former favorite promotion was up to in the year 2004.

Well let me say right now I was wrong to doubt Ito, he is the FUTURE of death matches and BJW. Okay onto the review…

The Matches:

1. Ryuji Ito vs. Kintaro Kanemura (champion) (Cage Match / Big Japan Death Match Title 8/24/03)

This match is from Harder than Hardcore V. The cage is just standard chain link and there are several tables in it. This match starts out fast, Ito with a dropkick, Kanemura with a rana!!! Wow a rana from Kanemura in 2003… any way, Ito with a high running knee. Kanemura catches Ito charging with a boot and sends him into the ropes with a forearm. Kanemura charges and Ito backdrops him into the cage, then grinds Kanemura’s face into the cage. Kanemura’s busted open and Ito gives him a running drop kick. Ito works him over some more smashing him face first into the steel. Kanemura takes over and works Ito over, rubbing his face into the cage. Kanemura grabs a table and lays it in the center of the ring. He picks Ito up and slams him on the table… except the table is upside down and Ito hits the metal bars… ouch. Kanemura picks Ito up and slams him again on the table. Kanemura scales the cage and Ito follows, they battle up top, trading stiff forearms. They both make there way down to the top rope and Ito lands some kicks to Kanemura’s face, Ito springs up for a rana, but Kanemura jumps down and Ito hits the cage, Kanemura turns around grabs Ito and power bombs him off the top onto the table. Kanemura sets another table in the corner and leans Ito against it, and then leans another table against Ito. Kanemura charges and rams the table into Ito. Ito collapses in the corner as Kanemura rams another table into his nuts. Then pounds it in with a chair. Kanemura picks Ito up then gives him a modified Death Valley driver onto another table on the mat. It gets 2. Kanemura picks up a chair and bashes Ito in the head with it. It gets 2. Kanemura sets a table on Ito then heads to the top for a front flip senton, but Ito moves and Kanemura eats the table. Ito heads to the top and hits a beautiful missile drop kick. He grabs a table then rams it into Kanemura’s crotch, then kicks it to pound it in. he kicks so hard the table actually splinters. Ito climbs to the top of the cage and hits a picture perfect cross body… Kanemura kicks out at 2.9 Ito grabs Kanemura and nails a German suplex hold for… one… two… only 2. Ito gives Kanemura a stiff kick to the face, and goes for the pin, but the ref is distracted by Hido on the outside. Ito grabs the ref… but Kanemura comes flying in and takes the ref out. Ito gives Kanemura a high knee and slams him. He heads to the top and NAILS a perfect 450 splash. He goes for the cover but… no ref. Ito revives the ref, then gives Kanemura with a German suplex for… one… two… 2.9 Ito grabs Kanemura for a dragon suplex, but Kanemura slips out and rolls him up for 2. Kanemura javelin’s Ito into the cage, and then starts to set up some tables in the corner. He sets one up, and then drapes one over the second rope and onto the table creating a small bridge. Kanemura sets Ito on the tables and heads up, Ito meets him and they struggle for control, Kanemura gives Ito a power bomb onto the table structure but misses the tables and Ito lands NECK FIRST on the mat. It gets 2. Kanemura calls for a chair and PASTES Ito with it twice breaking it over his head. Kanemura calls for a splash and sets Ito on a table then heads up, Ito rolls off the table and throws it at Kanemura, then runs up and hits an enzigiri. He then superplexes Kanemura off the top rope and in between the ropes and the cage, Kanemura lands rough. Ito sets up a table in the middle of the ring, and then lays Kanemura on it; he heads to the top of the cage and hits a FROG SPLASH through the table!!! He goes for the pin… one… two… 2.9999999. Kanemura gets a shoulder up. Ito clutches his ribs in pain. Ito hits a running knee, but Kanemura catches him and nails a sick over head belly to belly. Kanemura picks Ito up and hits a fire thunder power bomb for one! Ito kicks out all fired up. Kanemura grabs him and tries another power bomb, but Ito slides out, they exchange forearms, Ito misses one and eats a german suplex right on his head. Kanemura picks him up and hits another brutal FT power bomb, one… two… 2.9999999, Ito kicks out just barley. They trade fore arm smashes and Kanemura charges Ito catches him with a dragon suplex for 2. Ito hits a stiff running enzigiri for the three count at 14:55, to become the new BJW KOTDM champion.

-An awesome cage match. Good wrestling, good spots, some nice flying from Ito. This match almost felt just a little out of place though, as this has to be the tamest BJW title match of all time. Just some tables, no tubes, sheets of glass or tacks. It was nice to see wrestling in Big Japan again though, not just walking around hitting tube shots. A very good match, although I got the feeling the fans weren’t buying Ito as a possible winner until he won. This match had more of a Zero-One feel to it then a BJW match, but was good none the less. The best I’ve seen Kanemura in a LONG time. Definitely worth seeing.


2. Ryuji Ito © vs. Abdullah Kobayashi (100 Light tubes, Cactus, Barbwire Boards, Caribbean Barbwire Ropes, and Plates of Glass Death Match / Big Japan Death Match Title 12/24/03)

Now this sounds like a BJW title match. This is from “harder than hardcore 6” and believe aired on one of the Japanese hardcore PPV’s. The ropes are lined with 100 tubes; the corners contain barbwire boards or sheets of glass and a cactus. The match starts with dueling light tubes, they swing and misses ach other a few times, until their tubes connect and explode. Abdullah backs off and they circle each other. They lock up and Abdullah pushes Ito toward the barbwire board. Ito gives him a hard forearm and they break. They trade chops. Ito hits a drop kick that sends Abdullah out through the light tube ropes, and then follows with a plancha. Ito grabs a light tube and smashes it over Abdullah’s head, then grinds in the broken glass, Abdullah is busted open. Ito throws him back in the ring. Ito kicks Abdullah in the head a few times, and then grabs some tubes from the ropes; he lays them in the center of the ring and slams Abdullah into them. Ito picks Abdullah up and tries to whip him into the corner, it’s reversed and Ito flies back first into a cactus barbwire board. Abdullah garbs a tube and head butts it into Ito. Ito falls to the outside and Abdullah follows. Abdullah whips Ito into some chairs and Ito takes an insane bump flying through six rows of chairs. Abdullah brings Ito back into the ring. And pushes him into the barbwire wrapped ropes. Abdullah grabs a light tube and BITES it in half, shit that’s INSANE. He grinds the rest into Ito’s face and the white light tube powder can be seen going into Ito’s mouth, yuck. Abdullah garbs some more tubes and kicks them into Ito’s crotch. Abdullah slams Ito on the ground and drops the cactus on him, and then he steps on it. SICK. Ito looks to be in a lot of pain. Abdullah picks Ito up and Samoan drops him into more tubes, it gets two. Abdullah whips Ito into the corner and charges in, Ito catches him in a tarantula, in the barbwire ropes, Ito then pushes off moves across the corner and locks in a tarantula on the light tube ropes, tubes explode against Abdullah’s back. Awesome spot. Ito heads to the top and hits a missile drop kick. Then a spinning heel kick that sends Abdullah into a barbwire board in the corner. Ito lays some tubes on the mat then northern light suplexes Abdullah through them for 2. Ito goes out and gets some chairs from under the ring. He sets them up and lays tubes across them. He breaks another tube over Abdullah, who slumps down against the ropes. Ito picks up a sheet of glass and hits Abdullah with it a couple of times, Abdullah tries punch the glass but fucks up his hand instead. Ito tries throwing it at him again but Abdullah hits the pain of glass with a chair, and it doesn’t break. Ito sets the pain of glass up between two chairs and tires to suplex Abdullah through it, but it’s reversed and Abdullah snap suplexes Ito through the glass. It gets two. Abdullah drops an elbow with some tubes, it gets 2. Abdullah picks Ito up and hits a reverse vertabreaker through the tubes that are set up between two chairs. Abdullah heads to the top and drops another elbow with tubes. It gets 2. The ring is just an absolute pit of broken glass at this point. Both guys are bloody messes. Abdullah whips Ito into the corner, then put on a crazy light tube necklace that has about 15 tubes in it, he charges Ito in the corner only for Ito to KICK THE TUBES INTO HIS CHEST AND NECK, that’s just SICK. Ito holds some tubes against Abdullah’s back and gives him another stiff kick smashing the tubes into him. It gets 2. Ito sets a bundle of about 10 light tubes on Abdullah and heads to the top rope, and connects with a frog splash, the tubes just EXPLODING. Abdullah roles through and goes for the cover, one… two… 2.9 Ito kicks out, glass just stuck everywhere in his chest. They trade chops and kicks before Ito takes a sick release German suplex onto his head, right in the pile of glass that’s built up in the center of the ring. Ito hits a running enzigiri, and then heads out. He fishes around under then ring then takes out a stack of tubes with a cord on the end; he plugs them in and has a FUCKING LIGHT TUBE LIGHT SABER, god that’s just awesome. Ito heads back into the ring. Ito swings and misses with the lit tubes, until Abdullah ducks and Ito smashes them down over his head. Abdullah sells it like death falling to the mat. Ito lays a barbwire board down on the mat, and then slams Abdullah on it, he then sets the cactus, some light tubes, and glass shards on V, then he seta up chairs on either sides of him and sets a SHEET OF GLASS over Abdullah, then he heads to the top and hits the FROG SPLASH THROUGH THE GLASS AND THE TUBES AND THE CACTUS ONTO Abdullah. AMAZING visual, just an insane spot. That gets the three at 16:39 Ito retains.

[IMG]http://img19.exs.cx/img19/6465/ito4.gif[/IMG]

The frog splash.

-Holy shit, GET THIS MATCH. Wow if Ito’s match with Kanemura was tame, then this one was off the charts with violence and insanity. One of the best death matches, I have ever seen, easily the best I have seen this year, better than Eddy/Arsenal at TOD 3, and even better than Necro/Klein at KOTDM 2004. They actually wrestled a match and the weapons meant something, this wasn’t an I hit you with tubes you hit me match; they could have taken away the weapons and still had a good match. This match had so many cool innovative spots with the tubes, and glass. It was just a sick bloody, almost perfect death match. This match would have fit in well during the glory days of Big Japan in 1999 and that says a lot. This might end up becoming my favorite DM ever after I watch it a few more times. To sum it up again, GET THIS MATCH. DM of the year by FAR. Absolutely AMAZING.

3. Ryuji Ito vs. BADBOY Hido (Barbwire Bat, Plate Glass, Light bulbs, and Thumbtacks, Light tube carpet, Death Match / Big Japan Death Match Title 4/29/04)

Hido has wrestled in the US fro IWA-MS before, so he’s probably one of the more familiar BJW guys. Of course I heard recently Ito worked for IWA-MS to, wonder if it was any good… anyway onto the match.

This match takes place at Korakuen hall and for the first time in what seems like a long time the place is PACKED for a BJW show. Back in late 2001 the crowds there were really bad. Hido and Ito lock up and trade punches, Ito whips Hido into the corner toward a plate of glass, Hido puts on the breaks. Ito dropkicks Hido out and follows with a huge springboard plancha. Ito whips Hido into some chairs and they brawl through the crowd. Ito smashes Hido into the west wall sign and Hido bleeds. They brawl some more and Hido smashes Ito into the east wall sign. They head back in. Hido garbs a barbwire bat and smashes Ito right in the chest and back with it. Hido DDT’s Ito on the bat, and then grinds it into Ito’s face. Ito is a bloody mess. Hido smashes Ito hard in the crotch with the bat, and then pile drives Ito on it. Ouch. They head out again and Hido pile drives Ito through a table. Back to the ring where Hido sets up a sheet of glass between two chairs, and they battle for a suplex through it then Hido suplexes Ito onto the top rope and follows with a superplex through the sheet of glass!!! It gets 2. Hido picks Ito up and slams him in the glass. It gets 2. Glass is stuck into Ito’s back everywhere. Hido gets a broken piece of table but gets it kicked back in his face. Ito with a high knee and a northern lights suplex in the glass. It gets 2. Ito with the running enzigiri. It gets 2. Ito slams Hido and grabs some chairs. He sets up the chairs over Hido and sets a sheet of glass between them. Big “Ito” chant from the crowd. Ito heads to the top for the frog splash, and the sheet of glass EXPLODES. It gets two. They trade punches, till Hido gets a lariat in the glass. Hido gets a BIG bag of thumbtacks and dumps them out on Ito. He heads to the top and hits a summersault senton onto Ito and the tacks. It gets 2. Holy shit, Ito is covered in tacks, in his neck, stomach, chest, even nipple, ouch…Hido hits a front face buster type move into the tacks for 2.Hido grabs the bat but Ito kicks him and sets the bat down Hido’s shirt then kicks it into his face. It gets 2. Ito goes to the corner and grabs the light tube carpet (about 30 light tubes connect horizontally that can be rolled up.) he sets it down on the mat and slams Hido on it, then wraps him up in it and heads to the top… FROG SPLASH through the light tubes, glass explodes EVERYWHERE, one… two… 2.5 Hido kicks out. Hido is just COVERED in glass. They trade forearms and head butts and both go down. The ref starts to count and they’re both up at 8. Hido grabs Ito and hits a sick release german into the broken glass. Ito gets up and leg drops the barbwire bat into the back of Hido‘s head. He then kicks it into Hido’s chest for 2. Ito picks Hido up and slams him then goes to the top and hits a picture perfect 450 splash fro the win at 16:17. Hido’s down and looks to be in pretty bad shape.

-Another awesome death match, not as good as the one with Abdullah, but still a very sick, very cool death match. Less wrestling this time, but many sick spots, and the crowd was real hot and into the match. Outdoes just about anything this year in the US. But not quite on the level of the previous match, still highly recommended for DM fans.

4. Ryuji Ito vs. Madman Pondo (Light bulbs and Light bulb Log Cabin Death Match / Big Japan Death Match Title 5/13/04)

Here we’ll see how good Ito really is, if he can carry Pondo to a good DM. I’ve always liked Pondo because he takes pretty good bumps and does some sick spots, but a good worker he is not. Anyway onto the match…

Pondo heads out to harass the fans to start and Ito meets him out there and they brawl. Ito throws Pondo back in the ring and gets whipped into the corner by Pondo. Pondo charges again but Ito catches him in a tarantula. Pondo goes to the corner garbs a big fucking KNIFE and charges Ito but Ito catches him in an arm bar and takes the knife. Pondo suckers Ito in and gets a kick, and then he takes Ito to the ropes and opens him up with the knife. He whips Ito into the ropes and goes to hit him with the stop sign but misses and Ito hits a spinning heel kick to knock Pondo outside. Ito follows with a plancha. Ito’s face and chest are just covered in blood by now. Ito whips Pondo into some chairs. Pondo comes back and suplexes a table onto Ito, the places the ring bell on his face and hits it with the hammer and chokes Ito with a fans umbrella. Back in the ring Pondo goes to hit Ito with the stop sign but Ito tries a sunset flip, Pondo smashes Ito in the face with the stop sign. Pondo gets some chairs and sets them over Ito, and then he places a light tube log cabin onto of the chairs and heads to the top rope. Pondo hits a summersault senton onto Ito through the light tube cabin, it gets 2. Sick spot. Pondo gets a lariat. Then throws Ito out onto the ramp. Pondo snap mares Ito onto the floor and places 5 or 6 chairs on him. Pondo goes up onto the ramp gets a running start and dives off with a SUMMERAULT PLANCHA onto Ito on the floor. Damn that’s pretty athletic for Pondo. Pondo and Ito brawl some more outside and Ito posts Pondo. Pondo’s face is a bloody mess, close to 1.0 on the Muta scale. Ito sets Pondo on a table then climbs the wall up to a balcony, a good 10 to 12 feet. He dives off with a FROG SPLASH putting Pondo through the table. Then beats Pondo up with the broken table pieces. Back in the ring, Ito sets some tubes down and gives Pondo a northern lights suplex into the tubes for 2. Pondo’s just a bloody mess now. Pondo pulls some glass out of his arm. Ito hits a running enzigiri for 2. Ito slams Pondo, then pulls out a HUGE STACK of tubes, maybe 20 tubes altogether, places it on Pondo and heads to the top rope. FROG SPLASH from the top onto the tubes, GLASS EXPLODES EVERYWHERE. One... Two… 2.5, Pondo kicks out, but just barley. Ito heads out, looks under the ring and gets out the LIGHT TUBE LIGHT SABER, he plugs it in and head back into the ring. Ito shoves some tubes down Pondo’s shirt next to his face, and then kicks them into his FACE with some STIFF KICKS, that’s just nasty. He holds the lit up tubes against Pondo’s face and kicks them in HARD for the three count at 14:39.

Post match Pondo gets on the mike and praises Ito and BJW.

-This was a good DM. One of if not the best Pondo match I’ve ever seen. Not much wrestling, but enough sick spots, to make up for it. Lots of blood and light tubes, and Pondo seemed to be giving it his all. A good little DM. Worth seeing.

5. Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Gosaku, and Naoki Numazawa vs. BADBOY Hido, Shadow WX, Ryuji Yamakawa, and Kintaro Kanemura (Barbwire Board, Barbwire Bat, and Spider net Barbwire Death Match 6/27/04)

Too much happened in this one to recap, but it’s a decent brawl, not as good as the other matches on the tape. A couple table spots, lots of brawling with chairs, some good barbwire bat shots. Yamakawa’s team looses when he’s wrapped in the barbwire spider net and rolled up fro the pin at 15:01. Decent but don’t go out of your way to see it.

Also on the DVD are two bonus matches:

1. Bonus: Daisuke Sekimoto / Naoki Numazawa vs. Men's Teoh / Zach Gowen (4.29.04)
2. Bonus: Men's Teoh vs. Zach Gowen (5.13.04)
Both matches are decent. Teoh vs. Gowen is Gowen’s best match ever as Teoh literally carries a one legged wrestler to the match of his career.

Overall: Awesome tape that spot lights Ryuji Ito, the future of BJW. Gets this DVD if you see it anywhere and for the $8 I paid for it, it’ more than worth it. Just an all around fun DM tape with lots of blood, good wrestling, and awesome spots. I heard there is also a vol. 2 on the way and I will be picking that up. Get this tape for Ito vs. Abdullah and the Hido, Kanemura, and Pondo matches also very from great to good DM’s.

Any feedback on this review would be great, thanks for reading if you do; I know it’s really long.

-Keith