Takada/Yamazaki and the UWF Circa 1985

I just finished watching a match from the long dissolved Union of Wrestling Force (UWF) between Nobohiko Takada and Kazou Yamazaki. For those not familiar with the UWF, this organization was company that was founded when some of the more "legit" wrestlers of New Japan bolted the company and formed a more realistic (yet still pre-determined) professional wrestling organization that would avoid anything that would not work in a real match. (Granted, those knowledgeable about submission wrestling will peg the matches as obvious works)

In 1985, the Wrestling Observer newsletter gave this match 5 stars and, honestly, I can not see why. The match is a solid and decent match and by 1985 standards must have been something unique to watch. However, it pales in comparison to the legit matches of the modern era. Regardless, this is still a unique match to watch as a time capsule in submission wrestling pre-history.