For the uninitiated, at the end of 2024, I started a Grom Zaza career retrospective. Like most things I do, it was a runaway success. The people were clamoring for more.

One of my New Year’s resolutions, on Violent People Radio #31, was to meet deadlines. If I promise something is going to come out on a podcast or in the discord I wanted to fulfill that promise. Immediately after I made this resolution I promised a second edition of The Untitled Grom Zaza Project.

Then my computer took a shit on me. Then a series of increasingly unlikely events kept me from getting my computer back in working order. The universe clearly wanted me to fail and for you loyal readers to be deprived of Grom Zaza content. It had been far too long since my byline appeared on Violent People. I wanted my return to writing for the site to be with The Untitled Grom Zaza Project. Unfortunately, Bill Mercer passed away, so instead I wrote up the best obituary I could for a man who led an amazing, full life. This angered Sam. I’m not really sure why. Maybe he hated Bill. Maybe he hates all dead people. It’s difficult to say.

Anyway I promised another Zaza piece on the last Violent People Radio and here we are!

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October 29, 1992 – Grom Zaza vs Chris Dolman

Rings Mega Battle Tournament 1992

Rainbow Hall – Nagoya, Japan

Mega Battle Tournament 1992 was Grom’s first of four appearances in the tournament. As the resident Violent People tournament experts, Sam and I have, of course, already covered the 1993 version of the Mega Battle Tournament on an episode of Talking Tourneys. 

Grom Zaza is taking on the eventual tournament winner, Chris Dolman. 

Here’s the thing about Chris Dolman, at this point in Rings’ history he’s only lost to Akira Maeda. He’s a heavily pushed wrestler. He’s also terrible. He’s just an incredibly boring wrestler. 

He looks 1,000 years old here, despite still being around today and active in the MMA training world. Nowadays he’s sporting a kickass Sambo tattoo actually and has a cooler look than he does in this match. 

Now having slandered the man as much as possible, he is legit. He was the first non-Russian to win a Sambo World title and he had a hand in training basically every Dutch fighter ever. From the usual RINGS suspects like Hans Nijman and Dick Vrij, to pioneers like Bas Rutten, all the way to more modern guys like Alistair Overeem and Gerard Mousasi.

Again though. He’s just so boring, a complete charisma void. He no sells every single strike Zaza throws in this short match. Brings absolutely nothing to the ground fight except rolling to the ropes for breaks.

Zaza tried his best, but there’s not much here. Eventually Chris eats a bunch of Zaza’s best strikes, holds him in a front headlock for what feels like an eternity, gets thrown to the ground by Zaza and wins with the most uninspired kimura. Despite doing fuck all, Chris is GASSED.

I know there are some RINGS purists who swear by Chris Dolman, but I absolutely do not see it. The only real highlight of this is Grom’s scream and sell of the finish. 

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April 24, 1993 – Grom Zaza vs Ramazi Buzariashvili

Rings Battle Dimension 1993 – Tokyo Bay Area Circuit #1

Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium – Yokohama, Japan

Ramazi Buzariashvili has too many vowels in his name not to be a badass. This is the most Georgian match this side of Jason Cross vs Jimmy Rave vs. AJ Styles in Cornelia. I can’t find much information about Ramazi Buzariashvili, outside of that fact he’s a Georgian wrestler and he will not accept my friend request on Facebook.. He only has five total pro matches ever, all of which take place in RINGS.

After a short feeling out process on the feet Zaza scoops up Ramazi and hits a big fireman’s carry and then just attacks the arm. He switches from a wrist lock attempt to an armlock and Ramazi can only escape with a rope break. Zaza doesn’t give any ground after the standup, he slams a hard knee into Buzariashvili’s midsection. When he tries for a second though, Buzariashvili is ready and grabs Zaza into a capture suplex. Though he may regret it because he’s no match on the ground for Grom Zaza.

After some trading of submissions they get back to their feet and exchange kicks and slaps. Buzariashvil hits a double leg and they’re back to the mat! Finally getting the better of the submission game Buzariashvili forces Zaza to burn a rope break.

Zaza is using teeps and axe kicks to control the distance. Eventually Ramazi barrels forward anyway and unloads a bunch of knees on Zaza until he collapses to the ground. Ramazi jumps on his back, but once again Zaza finds an escape. He seems to always have Ramazi’s number on the ground, but the heavy strikes are definitely slowing our gray-haired hero, Grom Zaza, down.

Just like that Ramazi scores a knockdown with a killer knee to Zaza’s stomach. Zaza AGAIN is able to escape from the mat after. Zaza attempts to take Buzariashvili down and score a submission, only for Ramazi to slip behind him and secure a choke for the win.

This match was worked as close to fifty-fifty as possible and may have even sounded repetitive in my write up, but it was a super fun watch. I’ll be searching out the other four Ramazi Buzariashvili bouts.

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August 21, 1993 – Grom Zaza vs Nikolai Zouev

Rings Battle Dimension 1993 – Tokyo Bay Area Circuit #3

Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium – Yokohama, Japan

Nikolai Zouev is a Russian sambo fighter, one of the founders of RINGS Russia, and future Russian Top Team member. Zouev also led the aforementioned Chris Dolman to his best match ever. He would have a short, but brilliant career in RINGS, not unlike our boy Grom Zaza. He would go on to be a MMA trainer. His most notable trainee was Sergei Kharitonov, who I met at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC (he was not overly enthused, but did shake my hand and sign a Strikeforce program for me.)

The match starts out and Zaza DROPS Nikolai with a spinning back fist(back hand?) However you want to describe it, Zaza just chopped him hard directly in the face with the back of his hand and Nikolai goes to the ground fast. Nikolai was clearly not a fan of that strike. It ruled.

Grom can’t really capitalize on this early advantage though, because when the match resets and he attempts to take Zouev down he is instantly reversed. They trade holds back and forth with Zouev almost always getting the last laugh. 

They’re both so smooth. Every time they return to their feet they find a new takedown, trip, or slam to get to the ground. There’s so many neat counters and throws in this that feel entirely fresh and new. It’s criminal that there aren’t more (any?) wrestlers stealing this shit. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe some of the stuff they’re doing, but I love it. It’s like I don’t speak the language, but I understand it and it’s the most new language I’ve ever heard.

Zaza takes advantage with his patented brutal knees to Nikolai’s stomach. He follows the knee attack with a lightning quick fireman’s carry. 

Much of this match is the two men trading submissions and Zouev gets the better of much of the exchanges, but never with brute strength or luck. It’s always a matter of finesse, he rolls through just enough to end up in the dominant position. This is probably a poor comparison, but it’s the RINGS version of Solar and Negro Navarro trading llaves.

When Zouev finally gets the victory, it’s with a crucifix neck crank submission I’ve never seen before or since. 

Watch this. I feel like my write up may make this feel like I’m starting The Untitled Nikolai Zouev Project, but Grom Zaza was just as impressive here. Without a doubt the best his striking has looked so far. 

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God, I fucking love wrestling when it’s good. I’m restarting my New Year’s resolution of keeping deadlines and promises. You’re getting at least one more of these in April!