#144: Ilja Dragunov vs. Shingo Takagi, PWG Battle of Los Angeles, Day 2 (9/15/2018).
This is a First Round Match in the 2018 Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, and is the one and only singles match between The Dragon and Unbesiegbar.
Both men are ready to get things going. They lock up, and Shingo forces Ilja into the turnbuckle. He pushes Shingo backwards, and they lock up again, with neither man getting an advantage. They exchange hard chops, and Ilja takes the side headlock. A shoulder tackle knocks neither man down, and they do the same spot again. Shingo kicks low, and avoids a dropkick. Ilja avoids a senton, and hits one of his own, followed by a dropkick. With Shingo to the floor, Ilja hits a Tope to him.
Shingo sends Ilja to the apron, and strikes him hard on the ear. He goes to the apron and drops him with the Death Valley Driver straight down! Shingo heads to the outside, and sends Ilja spine first into the apron, then throws him back into the ring. Shingo dives inside with a stomp to the midsection. Both men exchange chops, and Shingo gets the upper hand with Tenryu style strikes, followed by a driving knee strike. Shingo with a knee to the ribs in the ropes, followed by a hard shoulder tackle for a 2 count.
Shingo with a rough waist lock, followed by a body scissors with the legs. He transitions to a headlock. Ilja tries to fight back with forearms, but Shingo just levels him with a chop. He follows with two elbows to the chest, and a senton for 2. Shingo boots Ilja in the corner, and Ilja is out on his feet. Shingo connects with a lariat in the corner, and then he places Ilja on the top rope. Ilja counters a suplex into a sunset flip powerbomb!
Ilja with a lariat to Shingo in the corner, and again, and again! He goes for a discus attack, but Shingo counters with a closed fist. Ilja with a crucifix pin for a nearfall. Ilja and Shingo exchange waist lock control, until Shingo hits a back elbow, a jab, and a huge lariat that takes Ilja off his feet. Shingo hits a low brainbuster for a 2 count. Shingo looks for Made in Japan, but Ilja fights it off, and now both men exchange hard forearms to the head. Now they chop each other hard, and they go back to forearms. Step up enziguri by Ilja, and that gets a 2 count.
Ilja attempts a back suplex, but Shingo is making it hard for him. Ilja won’t be denied, and he hits it. Ilja goes to the top rope, and Shingo wisely rolls away. Ilja comes off the top anyway with a dropkick from corner to corner, and follows with a pump handle power bomb for a 2 count. Ilja lays in some right hands, and follows with a standing senton that lands on Shingo’s left arm. Ilja goes back to the top, and Shingo is quick to stop him with a chop and a headbutt.
Both men headbutt each other while on the top rope, with Shingo getting the advantage long enough to hit a super plex straight down to the mat. Quick slap exchange, followed by fierce elbows by Shingo. He repeatedly kicks Ilja in the head, and goes for the Pumping Bomber, but Ilja takes it. He hits his own, and Shingo is still standing. Shingo with a lariat to the skull, and Ilja hits a Saito Suplex. Shingo is right back up with an Exploder Suplex. Ilja blocks a lariat with a back fist, and Shingo finally hits the Pumping Bomber. Ilja comes right back with Greetings from Constantine, and that gets a close nearfall.
Ilja goes to the top, and he hits the senton for another nearfall. Crowd is getting fired up, as Ilja goes for Torpedo Moscow, but Shingo counters into the Death Valley Driver. Shingo fires himself up, and he hits a lariat in the corner, followed by a German Suplex for a 2 count. Shingo looks for Made in Japan, but Ilja escapes and hits rapid fire slaps to the face, followed by a DDT and a dropkick to the face. Ilja comes off the ropes, but Shingo catches him in Made in Japan, and Ilja kicks out despite landing very nasty.
Shingo explodes off the ropes with the Pumping Bomber, and hits Made in Japan one more time to finally put this away.
I'll be honest with you: I was thoroughly disappointed in this match, until the ending sequence started. For about 90 percent of this, this just felt like an indie match I'd seen a thousand times. Not bad, right? It's just not that fresh to the eyes. They worked well together, but considering the names involved, I expected more I guess?
But once the final sequence began, the match got hot, and it made me yearn for that kind of intensity during the rest of the match. Because if this match lacked something, it was surprisingly intensity. Still, for a one time match between two guys who are fucking awesome in 2024, it could be a lot worse.