Magomedkhan Amanulayevich Gamzatkhanov was a Russian pro wrestler and MMA fighter of Avar descent. He is better known by his ring name Volk Han. Volk means wolf and Han stands for Khan, which is the short version of his first name. He was born April 15, 1961 in Dagestan, which was at the time a republic of the Soviet Union and would later become a part of Russia. Han started freestyle amateur wrestling when he was in college, capturing the USSR junior championship in back to back years. While serving in the USSR military, he began learning the Soviet combat sport known as sambo, which he would soon master, finishing runner up in the USSR sambo championship in 1984 then winning 3 of the next 4 years. In 1991, he was spotted by legendary Japanese puroresu star Akira Maeda and recruited for Maeda’s Fighting Network RINGS promotion to be the leader of the Russian Fighting Network, with Han helping train future notables such as Mikhail Ilyukhin, Andrei Kopylov, and even Fedor Emelianenko. This is when he was given his ring name Volk Han. RINGS was a pro wrestling promotion that featured worked shoot style puroresu matches and also some shoot matches as the years went on (by the end of the decade, after Maeda retired, RINGS had started focusing completely on shoot matches and worked matches had become a rarity on their shows).

There is only one Volk Han. While there have been several pro wrestlers in pro wrestling history that were good from the start (Jumbo Tsuruta comes to mind, for example), Han stands out as one of the most impressive rookies ever. While he would improve even more as the 1990s progressed, he was already very good from the beginning and he knew what he was doing well beyond the level of someone, maybe anyone, coming out of wrestling school. This is even more impressive because being good at shoot style matches isn’t is much more difficult given shoot workers are in many ways more “limited” within the confines of the style than workers who are doing regular puroresu, who don’t have to worry as much about whether their actions are realistic (even though puroresu, in general, is more realistic by nature compared to American or Mexican pro wrestling). Han, a main eventer, was pretty much the top gaijin in RINGS for most of both his career and RINGS existence. Han was one of the very rare performers who literally worked every match of his career for the same promotion. When RINGS fully moved to shoot matches only, Han also proved that he was able to hold his own (even though it was clear that he was better at worked matches) despite being almost 40 and having not competed in any serious competition for almost a decade. In other words, Han was the real deal.

One of the most noteworthy things about Han’s career is that he seemingly never really worked a bad match. The majority of his matches were good or better. Some of his matches were “only” average or maybe decent, but in those cases it was because of poor working opponents, which RINGS had more than their share of, and Han would still try to make the best of the match while giving a strong effort himself. I’d say 1996 and 1997 were Volk Han’s best years because that’s when he got to work with workers like Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Tsuyoshi Kosaka and especially Kiyoshi Tamura, who were able to work on Han’s level (unlike most of Han’s opponents in previous years, who tried but lacked the skill and/or athleticism to reach Han’s level of understanding of shoot style).

Somehow, even though Volk Han was both an outstanding worker and the top drawing foreigner in a promotion that was successful for a decade, Han has not been inducted into a major Hall of Fame and his name seems to be left off of ballots while hordes of less deserving performers get their name thrown in for seemingly no good reason. That’s why Volk Han is a perfect inductee for the Hall of Talent, because he had the talent and ability to be regarded as one of the all-time greats and a unique performer who was one of the very best at what he did. As we’ve now entered an era where MMA is very popular, 1990s worked shoot style puroresu has become more of a niche subject than ever before. I don’t think Han is necessarily underrated per se, because he is very highly regarded by those who have had shoot style wrestling on their radar, are aware of his career and who have taken the steps to watch his matches. However, since RINGS has somewhat of a niche fanbase, I think he’s sometimes overlooked by the majority of those who call themselves pro wrestling experts. On average, Han had matches about once a month during his nearly 10-year career. Regardless of all of that, Han should not be forgotten. This is why I’d like to have a look at a selection of Han’s matches and pay tribute to his unique career.

RINGS 12/7/91 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Akira Maeda 12:16. This was the pro wrestling debut match of 30-year old Volk Han. It was an impressive debut, and probably the best debut performance I’ve ever seen. Obviously Han had experience in freestyle wrestling and sambo, but this was his first puroresu match, taking on the top star and draw in the worked shoot world. Han made a quick impression, causing Maeda to need a rope escape pretty quickly. Han displayed strong technical skills here, but he would become even better in later years. Maeda seemed to work this match cautiously, which kinda makes sense since Han is an unknown opponent. Maeda went for a big spinning kick, but Han avoided it. Han’s strikes looked cool, and the crowd seemed to think so as well. Han slowed down a bit during the final minutes of the match, perhaps selling fatigue or simply still getting used to a full-length shoot style puroresu match (sambo matches are only 5 minutes). Maeda hit a big spin kick and this time he hit Han, who went down. Han went for a submission hold, but Maeda managed to put enough pressure on Han’s leg to make Han tap out. Maeda got the submission victory, but Han proved that he was someone to keep an eye on. It was not an easy match for Maeda. Perhaps next time, the result of the match will be different. ***¼ 

RINGS 3/5/92 Amagasaki-shi Kinen Koen Sogo Taiikukan: Volk Han vs. Gennady Gigant 12:37. Volk Han was taken to the mat several times by Ukrainian judoka Gennady “Gigant” Yaremenko, and Gigant was able to keep Han on the mat for a bit. However, Han remained calm and trusted in his own ability. Gigant used his weight advantage well and tried his best, but Han’s quickness and skill level proved to be too much for Gigant. Han understood that the debuting Gigant was relatively limited as a shoot style pro wrestler, as Han smartly worked around that. Gigant was able to follow Han’s lead, but Gigant wasn’t really able to make more advanced contributions. In the end, Han was able to use his superior and more diverse skill set to beat Gigant relatively easily. Han was only in his second pro wrestling match here, but he was already able to carry Gigant to a good match, which proves how much of a natural talent Han was. ***¼ 

RINGS 4/3/92 Hiroshima Sun Plaza: Volk Han vs. Akira Maeda 17:28. In Volk Han’s second match, which was a match that took place on 3/5/92, Han had defeated judoka Gennady Yaremenko. Han’s third pro wrestling match is this match from 4/3/92, a re-match of Volk Han’s 12/7/91 debut match against Akira Maeda. Han wanted to show his improvement since his debut and, most importantly, that he could beat Maeda. This match was a bit more heated and dramatic than their previous match. Maeda worked this match less cautiously and was a bit more aggressive. Han scored the big victory here over Maeda, even though it was only Han’s third match. This result was extremely significant because Maeda's record was outstanding in the shoot style era, having lost just 1 match in 1988, 0 matches in 1989, 2 matches in 1990, & 1 in 1991, thus the victory certified Han as a legitimate option for the main events. ***½ 

RINGS 5/16/92 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Grom Zaza 12:06. This was Volk Han’s fourth pro wrestling match. Zaza “Grom” Tkeshelashvili is a freestyle wrestler from the former Soviet republic of Georgia who would go on to participate in the 1996 Summer Olympics, which would take place in the American state of Georgia. Zaza finished 13th place at 100kg in those Olympics, which were won by Kurt Angle, though they didn’t end up wrestling each other there because Zaza lost too early. Han had to lead this match, even though he was relatively inexperienced himself. Zaza appeared to be a bit lost during some parts, but that only made it more realistic since he probably wasn’t quite sure what he was doing in this shoot style pro wrestling setting. Zaza showed enthusiasm, and he was an interesting opponent for Han, because it wasn’t all Han, and Han had to stay very focused. Han was calm, cool and collected though, and he seemed to enjoy the challenge. There was some energetic standup striking, and there was some interesting counter wrestling on the mat. At some point, Han was down, but got back up before the 10 count. Zaza went down a couple of times, but also got back up. Zaza hit a suplex and tried to get a leg submission on Han, but Han countered it. Zaza knew he was in trouble and quickly escaped when he saw the opening. During the second half of the match, Zaza seemed to lose energy, and Han was able to finally make him tap. It was a very good match that was arguably the best RINGS match of 1992. ***¾

RINGS 6/25/92 Sendai Miyagi-ken Sports Center: Volk Han vs. Herman Renting 9:18. Herman Renting had been taught sambo by fellow Dutchman Chris Dolman, who was a former sambo world champion. Volk Han dominated most of this match, because once he took Renting down to the mat, Renting was helpless against the more skilled Han, and had to resort to a rope break. Renting would be able to hit a strike, but Han would be able to come close or hold on to the leg and then take Renting down. On occasion, Renting was able to grab a hold on the mat, but Han would always turn it around quickly and be so dangerous that Renting had to grab the ropes again. Han’s speed and technique were amazing, and obviously his ability to do a shoot style pro wrestling match of this quality against an opponent who seemingly wasn’t fully sure what he was doing speaks volumes of Han’s greatness. The finish was awkward, as Renting adjusted his boot laces and then was taken down by Han, which led to Renting tapping out almost at the same time that he was grabbing the ropes. Regardless of the puzzling finish, this was a good match, thanks to Han. ***¼  

RINGS 7/16/92 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov 17:05. Just like Han, Andrei Kopylov was a Russian fighter with a sambo background, having got into the sport because his girlfriend's father was a master, and eventually made it all the way to the finals of the USSR championship in 1986. The match started off with some kicks. Han then picked up Kopylov and applied a leg submission, which had Kopylov screaming. Eventually, Kopylov was able to counter this into a submission hold of his own. As Han was trying to escape, Kopylov transitioned into a different submission position. Han somewhat surprisingly went for his first rope escape pretty early in the match. This showed that Han was careful and not underestimating his opponent, who clearly showed a lot of potential. There were a lot of counters in this match, which helped show the technical skills of these two. These two had trained together, but this was Kopylov’s first actual pro wrestling match, and he certainly deserves credit for his pretty good performance here. Han continued to show his skills, and the matwork in this match was intriguing. It was a relatively long match, but the crowd was really into this match and appeared to enjoy what they were seeing. At some point, Han had Kopylov in a lot of trouble when he had Kopylov’s arm in an arm lock and also had a front choke applied at the same time. This caused Kopylov to go for his first rope escape. Soon after that, Han once again had Kopylov in a lot of trouble and Kopylov went for his second rope escape. Han took Kopylov down after several strikes, but Kopylov got back up. The match was pretty even for a while. Han went for a big kick, but Kopylov managed to hit a kick first, which took Han down. Kopylov went for submission attempts and then seemingly out of nowhere, managed to get a submission victory after he twisted Han’s ankle enough for Han to tap out. This was another example of good RINGS booking, with Maeda making Han the new star by putting him over, which then allowed Han to then make Kopylov a fighter to watch by doing the same. ***½

RINGS 8/21/92 Yokohama Arena: Volk Han vs. Dick Vrij 10:35. Dick Vrij was a Dutch kickboxer. In his pre-match interview, Vrij said: “I can’t beat him with an arm lock or a leg lock because that’s his specialty. So I’m doing it with kicks, and I hope I’ll take him out with low kicks.” The match was quite heated. Volk Han was particularly fired up in this match. Han tried to beat Vrij early with a leg submission, but Vrij used his first escape to reach the ropes. Han’s performance in this match was superb. Han made Vrij look like a really strong opponent. Vrij’s kicks actually did look really good, but in every other aspect of the match, Vrij looked kinda lost. Both these guys had been pushed quite well in RINGS at the time, being the only two foreigners who had beaten Maeda, so this was quite a big match on paper with the top gaijin spot theoretically at stake. Han really did a good job of making this match dramatic. It’s pretty impressive that Han knew how to work this well in his rookie year and even carry others to pretty good matches, with this match being well above the level noted pro wrestlers such as Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Yoji Anjo had been able to get out of Vrij. Han was in a lot of trouble in this match, and it looked like he was going to lose until he caught one of Vrij’s kicks and made Vrij submit. **¾ 

RINGS 12/19/92 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Sotir Gotchev 14:25. Sotir Gotchev is from Bulgaria. He appeared to have the energy and enthusiasm, but he didn’t quite have the skills to back it up. I’m not sure what Gotchev’s sports background is, but I’m guessing he has some kind of amateur wrestling background as his strikes looked rather weak, but at some point during the match, he did throw a good suplex. However, soon after that brief glimpse of hope for Gotchev, Han made him tap out. It was a decent fight, mostly thanks to Han. It’s not a match I would necessarily recommend watching though, especially considering there are better matches involving Han that could be watched instead. Still, it was somewhat interesting. **½ 

RINGS 3/5/93 Amagasaki-shi Kinen Koen Sogo Taiikukan: Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov 8:30. If their 7/16/92 was any indication, this match should be worth watching. Kopylov seemed to have a good amount of enthusiasm when the match started. Han had the superior technique though and this ended up being a relatively easy match for Han, featuring a strong performance on his part. This was a much shorter bout then their 7/16/92 match, almost twice as short. Han came up with some creative submission transitions. Kopylov didn’t seem to have improved much compared to a year prior (judging from the two matches I’ve watched of his career so far), while Han was more creative and more intense than a year prior. The match ended after Han had basically outwrestled Kopylov and made Kopylov tap to avenge his loss. It was a pretty good match, but not as competitive as their 7/16/92 match. *** 

RINGS 4/24/93 Yokohama Bunka Gym: Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai 16:05. Volk Han displayed his tremendous technical skills once again. His ability to transition from one submission hold to another in a logical manner was amazing. While Han was clearly the more skilled fighter in this match, Nagai showed determination and fighting spirit. Nagai was good enough to contribute to this match quite a bit. Han understood so much about how to make a shoot style pro wrestling match look somewhat realistic and yet exciting at the same time. Han also showed that his mat wrestling skills were probably second to none at the time. This was so much fun to watch. It was a really good match, but what kept this from being great is that it wasn’t competitive enough, as Maeda had yet to give the upstart natives wins over anyone of any note, and it was too much Han carrying things. However, what makes up for it is seeing how well Han was able to have a really good match while at the same time outclassing his opponent. During the second half of the match, Nagai showed he had so much determination that it actually became relatively hard to beat him. Han began getting almost to the point of winning, but Nagai wouldn't go away. However, in the end Han got the expected submission victory. The crowd was really into this match and Han showed how great he is at carrying opponents who have potential. ****  

RINGS 7/13/93 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Dick Vrij 9:09.
DC: This was an exciting match all the way through. During the stand-up striking, the Dutch fighter Dick Vrij was quite dangerous, but Volk Han wasn’t afraid to try to beat Vrij at his own game.This made the stand-up striking portions of the match very intense and quite interesting to watch. Of course, whenever Han took Vrij to the mat, Han was significantly more dangerous than Vrij. Han once again proved that he was a master at guiding an opponent to a match that was better than they were normally presumed to be capable of having. Han, who gave a really strong performance here, was really good at working a logical match while carrying an opponent. Of course, it helps that Vrij gave a considerably better performance than a year prior. This match was significantly better than their decent match from 8/21/92, and this match was exciting and entertaining while it lasted. This was one of the best matches of Han’s career up until that point in time. Very good match. ***¾ 

RINGS 8/21/93 Yokohama Arena: Volk Han vs. Chris Dolman 6:21. Dutch judoka Chris Dolman has an impressive judo background, but he was 48 years old here and didn’t do much of note. Volk Han did the best he could here. That’s pretty much all there is to say about this match. **

RINGS 10/23/93 Fukuoka Kokusai Center: Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse 8:08. Masayuki Naruse was the fired up underdog here. Volk Han carried him to a fun squash match. The match started with some strikes. Han executed a great-looking takedown and tried to go for an armbar, but Naruse knew it was coming and blocked it. Han tried a leg submission, but Naruse used a rope escape. Naruse tried his best to avoid Han’s holds, blocking, escaping, and sometimes even counter them. Han was down for a few seconds after a strike by Naruse. Whenever Naruse was in control on the mat, he never seemed much of a threat for Han, while Han was a threat basically through every move he executed. The match ended when Han applied an armbar in the middle of the ring with no chance for Naruse to do anything other than tap out. Even though Naruse showed enthusiasm and generally reacted well to situations, Naruse was outworked too much by Han for this to be considered a competitive match. *** 

RINGS 11/18/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev 11:31. Nikolai Zouev was a Russian with a background in sambo and freestyle wrestling. I believe this was only his fourth pro wrestling match. His lack of experience showed, and he seemed to have a rough time here, but at least he was trying. Volk Han tried to carry Zouev as well as he could. Han worked so cleverly. At some point, Han attempted a few arm holds on Zouev, then transitioned into other arm submission attempts by rolling over, which gave Zouev a chance to reach the ropes, yet still look dramatic and realistic. Han had Zouev in a lot of trouble with some amazing looking leg submission holds. Han applied an armbar, but Zouev was near the ropes. Zouev’s reactions to the openings Han gave him were okay, but in general Zouev seemed lost. Zouev was not a good worker and as the match progressed, it became clear that he shouldn’t be beating Han. Yet, in the end, Han did the job to Zouev. As always and to his credit, Han tried to make the most out of any match he’s involved in. **½ 

RINGS 1/21/94 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 10:52. This was a very good match. Yoshihiro Yamamoto showed a lot of fight and determination. However, when they were on the mat, Volk Han was obviously more dominant and more skilled. The counters and submission holds Han executed really made the match, although Yamamoto also deserves credit for being a strong opponent here. Yamamoto was outclassed, but he was energetic and fired up enough to make this an exciting match. However, as the match progressed, it was clear this wasn’t going to be as competitive as it seemed initially. Han got a decisive submission victory here. ***½  

RINGS 5/17/94 Miyagi-ken Sports Center: Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai 9:03. Mitsuya Nagai is easily one of my favorite Volk Han opponents. Whenever these two meet, it turns into something that’s fun to watch. With that being said, this wasn’t their best match though, but it’s still a good match that’s worth watching. They only got nine minutes this time. Nagai threw a good kick early on. However, they ended up on the mat and that’s where Han was obviously the master. As the match went on, the action was still good, but they never seemed to go all out. And then at the 9:03 mark of the match, Han simply made Nagai submit. Just another victory for Han. ***¼  

RINGS 10/22/94 Fukuoka Kokusai Center: Volk Han vs. Andrei Kopylov 10:05. These two were certainly no strangers to each other. Even though Kopylov didn’t appear to truly live up to the potential he displayed in his first match with Han from 7/16/92 (Kopylov never truly became a refined worker), Kopylov gave a strong effort once again and it was a good match. Kopylov didn’t have the technical ability Han had, but Kopylov just kept going and he had the determination of a winner. Han got more aggressive near the end and appeared to sell frustration. Kopylov got the upset victory here when he made Han tap. ***¼  

RINGS 12/16/94 Nagoya Aichi-ken Taiikukan: Volk Han vs. Hans Nijman 6:29. This was pretty good, thanks to Volk Han. Hans Nijman was a Dutch fighter with a karate and kickboxing background. Nijman knew he had to rely on his strikes because he obviously wouldn’t stand a chance on the mat against Han. Nijman had to keep using the ropes to escape whenever he was taken down on the mat. The finish came when Nijman wasn’t able to make it to the ropes and had to tap out. **¾ 

RINGS 12/24/94 Niigata-shi Taiikukan: Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai 15:15. I really liked their previous matches, and they managed to have a match that was arguably their best match against each other. Even though Han was still clearly the superior fighter, Nagai had shown progression and he ended up giving Han more trouble than he had done previously. Nagai showed a lot of determination and gave a strong performance. Han was great and his technical skills were amazing, of course Han’s timing and the way he reacts to situations really helped make this match stand out. I also really liked how the crowd was so much into the counters, transitions and the match in general. This probably would have been a great match if Nagai was as great technically as Yoshihisa Yamamoto and Kiyoshi Tamura were in their battles with Han in the second half of the 1990s. **** 

RING 1/25/95 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Volk Han vs. Akira Maeda 14:19. This was a big match. It was the final of the 1994 tournament, and it was heated. Even though Maeda was further removed from his prime, the big match atmosphere certainly added a lot to this match (because whenever Maeda wrestles a top star, it pretty much automatically generates a big match atmosphere). It was a good match, but the middle portion the match kinda dragged on a bit. The final minutes were dramatic though. ***¼  

RINGS 3/18/95 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev 13:37. Nikolai Zouev gave a much better performance than he did in the 11/18/93 match. It seems he has learned more, but his work still came off a bit as rough around the edges for the most part. Han worked smartly, as always. There were some pretty cool counter sequences. Han’s ability to counter and transition into the next move was great to watch. ***

RINGS 4/28/95 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse 12:11. This was fun to watch, but it was also pretty clear that Naruse only appeared to be as good as Han allowed him to be. Naruse had some good strikes, but Han was obviously superior on the mat. Han won the match in typical Han fashion by countering on the mat and eventually transitioning into a position that left Naruse with no choice but to tap out. ***

RINGS 6/17/95 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 15:15. This was billed as a “ranking match,” which sounds important and it was also the main event of this show in front of a heated crowd. Yoshihisa Yamamoto was still on his way to reaching his peak, but he was clearly talented. Still, this was mostly fun because of Volk Han’s greatness. Han’s selling, timing and ability to carry the match was great. It was a really good match, but, it was a bit too much Volk Han carrying things and I don’t think Yamamoto brought enough to the table to call this an excellent match. ***¾  

RINGS 7/18/95 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Tony Halme 6:36. Finnish boxer Tony Halme (a.k.a. Ludvig Borga) wore boxing gloves during this match. Halme was mostly “boxing” and he threw a couple of decent suplexes. This match was interesting because it shows Volk Han having to adapt to an unusual opponent. It turned out to be a relatively easy victory for Han when he made Halme submit after only 6 minutes. **¼ 

RINGS 12/19/95 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan, Mega-Battle Tournament Semi-Final Match: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 10:17. 1995 was definitely a big year for Yoshihisa Yamamoto, not only because of really good worked matches in RINGS, but also because earlier that year, he had a really good showing in a shoot match against Rickson Gracie, one of the biggest names in MMA, at Vale Tudo Japan 1995. Here in this RINGS Mega Battle Tournament Semi-Final Match, Yamamoto and Volk Han were both able to avoid each other’s attempts to slap on a threatening submission hold early in the match. However, two minutes into the match, it looked like Han had Yamamoto beat. But, Yamamoto somehow was able to survive and reach the ropes. The matwork in this match looked really good and very advanced. Both workers reacted well to each other’s holds. One of the reasons that kept this from being great is that to me it felt Han lost too easily after being the better worker in this match. It almost felt like Han wasn’t in enough trouble to lose yet, while Yamamoto could have easily lost this match in the second minute of the match. Although, I guess that’s somewhat irrelevant since they’re trying to have a realistic match, and a fight can end at any time in reality. Either way, this was an excellent match overall and both men showed a lot of skill. This was probably Yamamoto’s best worked performance so far and Han was great, as usual. Yamamoto won the match by making Han tap. This match probably came off better in 1995 when it was in the running for the best RINGS match ever than it does now, as Han had even more amazing matches in 1996 and 1997. ****  

RINGS 4/26/96 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Nikolai Zouev 13:06. Nikolai Zouev seemed a bit more aggressive here compared to his previous matches with Volk Han. I liked the intensity of this match. The matwork sequences were performed at quite a fast pace. Eventually, they slowed down a bit and Zouev was several points behind. However, in somewhat of an upset, Zouev made Han tap. ***½  

RINGS 6/29/96 Tokyo Bay NK Hall: Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai 11:47. I was looking forward to this match because Han’s matches with Nagai have all been entertaining so far. One thing I’ve noticed is that in 1996, the matwork seems to have gotten even more urgent than in previous RINGS years. Nagai showed some aggressive looking strikes, but Han took him to the mat and grounded him. But, even on the mat, Nagai proved to have strong skills as Han had to resort to grabbing the ropes for an escape. Nagai continued to push forward. Even though Han was having a rough time occasionally, he still remained relatively cool, calm and calculated in his approach. After all, it’s Volk Han we’re talking about here. Han went down after a kick, but he made it back to his feet on time. Han applied the jujigatame, but Nagai was close to the ropes. After a while, both workers became more careful in their approach and the action slowed down a bit. They still remained to keep the match intriguing all the way until the finish. Han eventually was able to get the submission victory. This wasn’t their best match against each other, but it was a very good match. ***¾ 

RINGS 7/16/96 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 11:23. Tsuyoshi Kosaka was really impressive and displayed great ability. This match was on its way to being an excellent match, but after a series of open hand strikes, a knee strike and more open hand strikes by Han, Kosaka went down and the match ended in what appeared to be a legit KO finish. Even Akira Maeda came out of his seat for a minute. ***¾ 

RINGS 8/24/96 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 13:52. This match featured great mat wrestling and dramatic moments. The crowd was really into the submission attempts and the escapes. The match was also interesting whenever they weren’t on the mat, with Kosaka throwing some good kicks in addition to the threat he was on the mat. Volk Han had to be on top of his game from start to finish against this very skilled opponent. At some point, Han applied a sleeper hold, but Kosaka managed to counter successfully, to the point that Han was the one who had to grab the ropes for an escape. Kosaka had Han in trouble at times, but Han always knew to grab a hold from any angle, so he remained dangerous, even though Kosaka gave such a strong performance. This was reflected in the awesome finish. It was a fascinating match overall. ****½  

RINGS 9/25/96 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 10:32. Tamura excluded himself from UWF-I's embarrassments with New Japan starting in late 1995, and switched to RINGS in mid 1996, opening up the possibility of this dream match that hardcore fans had been dying to see for half a decade. They showed tremendous chemistry in this match. The matwork was on an extremely high level technically and it was worked in an urgent manner. They were both very focused and the match was intriguing from start to finish. If you want to watch just one Volk Han match, this would be an excellent choice (it would be an excellent Han match to start with and this will probably make you want to watch more than just one match). ****¾  

RINGS 10/25/96 Nagoya Aichi-ken Taiikukan: Volk Han vs. Masayuki Naruse 10:24. Han did a really good job of carrying Masayuki Naruse. Han gave Naruse plenty of opportunities to make the most out of his performance here. Thanks to Han’s great ability to make his opponent look good, this came across as a competitive match, more than it perhaps should have been. It was a good match overall, but pretty much all thanks to Han. It almost looked like Han was going to lose, but then Han used his superior skills to grab a hold out of nowhere and managed to get the win. ***¼ 

RINGS 11/22/96 Osaka Jo Hall: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 10:27. I really liked the previous matches between these two, so I was happy to see these two have a match against each other once again. It was a really good match technically, but the work wasn’t as urgent as in their previous battles. The way they worked the match made it seem like they were going to go longer than they eventually ended up doing. ***½  

RINGS 1/22/97 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, MEGA BATTLE TOURNAMENT ‘96 FINAL: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 12:36. This annual tournament was called the MEGA BATTLE TOURNAMENT ‘96 because it started in late 1996, but the final (this match) took place in early 1997. Before the match, they played the national anthems of Russia and Japan respectively. The match started off with extremely urgent and technically skilled matwork. The crowd was really into this match and it really felt like a big match. This match featured a really strong performance by both workers, especially Volk Han. This was even better than their excellent 9/26/96 match. After a good early portion on the mat, there were some strikes. Tamura tried a spectacular spin kick of sorts, which missed, luckily for Han. But, Tamura did a nice kickup and the fans appreciated Tamura’s spectacular approach here. Tamura seemed confident and perhaps overconfident when he took the mat master Han to the mat. It didn’t take long for Han to show Tamura he was indeed the submission specialist as Tamura clearly had to be on top of his game to survive. Lots of interesting matwork followed. Once they were going for standup strikes, Tamura appeared more dangerous, but Han cleverly would always take Tamura to the mat again in order to keep control of the match. Han went down after a big Tamura kick, but Han made it back up in time. Han almost won the match when he had Tamura in a leg submission. Tamura reached the ropes. Han simply grabbed another leg submission and this time it was in the middle of the ring. Tamura had no choice but to tap out. ****½ 

RINGS 8/13/97 Kagoshima Arena, Ranking Bout: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 11:30. The matwork was amazing, and both men showed they were superb technicians. The best parts about the match was how well they reacted to each other’s actions. The match looked realistic, and it was an excellent shoot style match for sure. I liked this match even better than their match from 12/19/95, as Yamamoto brought even more to the table this time around. It was an even match, and neither worker could really get any real advantage over the other. The match was excellent from start to finish. The final minutes were especially exciting. At some point, Yamamoto hit a hard kick and Han went down. Han made it back up just in time. Yamamoto managed to score another down against Han. Things were looking good for Yamamoto until Han slapped on a leg submission hold out of nowhere, which caused Yamamoto to go for an escape. But, Yamamoto knew he had a big chance to win if he was quick and then he hit a big kick to the head, which caused Han to go down for a third time and that was the end of the match. ****½ 

RINGS 9/26/97 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 12:48. Highly recommended! This was a great match that's arguably the best shoot style match I’ve ever watched. The matwork was amazing! Tamura seemed to have stepped up his game for this fight, compared to their previous meeting. This 9/26/97 match was even better than their 1/22/97 match. It was a dramatic and heated match. I’d say it’s easily the best gaijin vs. native shoot style puroresu match ever. There was so much struggle going on early on already. Both these workers were obviously quite familiar with each other now, and that would make this match even more interesting as they kinda know each other’s capabilities. Tamura’s kicks were thunderous and Han knew he had to take this match to the mat. Han went for an armlock, but Tamura quickly escaped (and briefly sold the arm attack). A bit later on in the match, Han once again tried to make Tamura tap through an arm submission, but Tamura quickly used a rope escape. There was a really cool spot where Tamura went for a leg submission and Han almost went for a rope escape, but he realized that he was able to get out of this predicament without a rope escape. However, Tamura quickly grabbed another leg submission on Han and this time Han decided it was a wiser decision to go for a rope escape (and this all matters because in RINGS, rope escapes are counted). Tamura went for a series of kicks and Han eventually went down, but got back up. Tamura once again kicked Han and Han went down again. Tamura really had the momentum and even grabbed a submission hold on Han, which caused Han to desperately reach the ropes with his legs. But, then Han decided it was enough and grabbed Tamura’s arm and went for jujigatame, but Tamura quickly found the ropes for a rope escape. Han managed to grab another arm submission hold, but Tamura countered it nicely with an arm submission of his own and almost got it fully applied. The crowd was really into this great display of technical wrestling because the RINGS promotion had taught them so well what spots were important (and/or they were just really smart fans). Han hit a few big open handed strikes that took Tamura down, but Tamura got back up. Tamura took Han down to the mat and applied the jujigatame and Han was in the middle of the ring and tapped out! A big victory for Tamura. The crowd chanted his name after the match. *****

RINGS 12/23/97 Fukuoka Kokusai Center, MEGA-BATTLE Semi-Final Match: Volk Han vs. Mikhail Ilyukhin 9:36. Just like Volk Han, Mikhail Ilyukhin is a Russian fighter with a background in sambo. Volk Han started the match off very strong and had Ilyukhin in trouble to the point that Ilyukhin had to go for a rope escape within the first minute of the match. Han then tried to go for an armbar, but Ilyukhin blocked it and even tried to go for an armbar of his own. Ilyukhin succeeded in applying the armbar, but Han reacted fast and was able to survive and eventually escape. The match was exciting with both men constantly trying to apply submission holds, but the other constantly trying to block it and/or escaping. Han took Ilyukhin down with a few strikes about halfway through the match. Ilyukhin got back up. Han was more dominant in the match, but Ilyukhin certainly wasn’t an easy opponent. Han was struggling to apply holds and stay in control because of Ilyukhin’s ability to react. The match was fascinating while it lasted, but the match ended prematurely when Han hurt his right knee legitimately and Ilyukhin was declared the winner. ***½ 

RINGS 5/29/98 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 10:10. This match had plenty of exciting moments and is definitely recommended viewing for fans of either of these two workers or shoot style puroresu in general, but the finish was kinda awkward and it helped enhance the feeling that Han wasn’t quite on top of his game that night/that year (at least, for Han standards). This was the last time Han was involved in an excellent match. **** 

RINGS 1/23/99 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Volk Han vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara This was a bit different from most of the Volk Han matches. Not only because he was wearing shorts instead of tights, but also because, with RINGS having shifted toward shoots, the intention here was to make his match look even more realistic so it could still fit in and be viable. This resulted in the match stylistically being different from his usual matches. It wasn't Han's best, but it showed his strong ability to adjust and adapt to what he had to work with. ***½ 

1992: Excellent

1993: Great

1994: Great

1995: Great

1996: Great

1997: Great

1998: Excellent

1999: Excellent

In the early 2000s, Volk Han fought a few shoot matches in RINGS because RINGS wanted to focus on shoots. For example, he fought American MMA fighter Bobby Hoffman on 12/22/00 in Osaka. On one hand, even though shoot matches are certainly not Han’s best matches by any means, it was impressive to see 39-year old Han doing relatively well in these real matches after several years doing works. On the other hand, it really was a shame the era of Han’s great worked matches was a thing of the past. Either way, RINGS was moving in a different direction, the way people viewed shoot style pro wrestling and MMA was changing. Also, Volk Han’s career was winding down. The Hoffman fight certainly wasn’t a memorable one. Han had a more memorable shoot fight on 2/24/01 against future MMA Hall of Famer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan. It was a pretty good fight, but Han lost by unanimous decision. There was no shame in losing this fight though because Nogueira was already a very tough fighter, who went on to win the tournament then switched to PRIDE, where he promptly defeated MMA Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, who had captured PRIDE's tournament the previous year and was undefeated in the promotion in legitimate MMA matches (he did a job for Nobuhiko Takada).

On 2/15/02, on the final RINGS show, Volk Han had his final match (he returned a decade later for an official retirement match against Masakatsu Funaki). It was a worked exhibition type match against his former rival Andrei Kopylov. It was a decent 6-minute match, but the magic was gone. This was kind of fitting since the RINGS era was now gone. This match was not as good as their matches from 1992 and 1993, but it was a good piece of nostalgia, a reminder of the path Volk Han and RINGS have taken. The match was worked under the old worked RINGS rules.

In closing, Volk Han had an impressive career and he was a unique performer. He’s one of the best technical wrestlers in pro wrestling history, with an amazing ability to manipulate joints, particularly the wrist. He should be remembered as one of the 50 greatest male pro wrestlers in history, especially when you consider his great work during his best years (1993-1997, in which he was, at worst, one of the 20 best male workers in the world for each of those strong five years in pro wrestling history). I think Volk Han is likely to be overlooked by most because he was the master of shoot style puroresu, which means he was the master of what is now pretty much an extinct style. However, I hope that after you’ve read this entire article, you’ll remember the name Volk Han and realize what a unique career this unique performer had.

RINGS 4/24/93 Yokohama Bunka Gym: Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai 16:05 **** 

RINGS 12/24/94 Niigata-shi Taiikukan: Volk Han vs. Mitsuya Nagai 15:15 ****

RINGS 12/19/95 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan, Mega-Battle Tournament Semi-Final Match: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 10:17 ****

RINGS 7/16/96 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 11:23 ***¾ 

RINGS 8/24/96 Tokyo Ariake Coliseum: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 13:52 ****½  

RINGS 9/25/96 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 10:32 ****¾ 

RINGS 1/22/97 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, MEGA BATTLE TOURNAMENT ‘96 FINAL: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 12:36 ****½ 

RINGS 8/13/97 Kagoshima Arena, Ranking Bout: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 11:30 ****½ 

RINGS 9/26/97 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 12:48 *****

RINGS 5/29/98 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 10:10 ****

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