Jetlag

Mima Shimoda/Etsuko Mita vs. Lioness Asuka/noki-A (Tag League, 12/8/01 Tokyo) This match was pretty long and pointless. Previously, LCO were booked to look really strong, but they got dominated almost the whole match here. LCO added almost nothing to the match, sticking to their lazy chops and no-selling. I kind of like the Asuka/Akino Team and it was cool to see Akino showcasing her stuff. Still, need better opponents than LCO. Mikiko Futagami/Rie Tamada vs. Michiko Ohmukai/Ai Fujita (Tag League Final, 12/8/01 Tokyo) This was a sprint with a lot of no-selling and choreographed sequences, not all of which went well. Not a smart match, but atleast it wasn't dull like the previous LCO match. Ai Fujita is starting to become a pretty fun worker, being the next to do a Takeshi Ono tribute and combine punch combos with her fast junior wrestling. Michiko Ohmukai/Mariko Yoshida/Ai Fujita vs. Lioness Asuka/noki-A/Rena Takase (Trios Tournament Final 12/23/01) Finals of a trios tournament. ARSION sure is tournamentville. This was a match where everyone just runs in to do their stuff together, not really good, not bad, sort of nebulous, and your mind starts to wonder how you'd much rather watch a singles match between Akino, Yoshida or Fujita than these these girls doing hasty 40 second exchanges, but again, that's kind of the point. The highlight of the match was rooTkie akase stringing a serious of fun nearfalls together before getting caught by the big bad spider lady.

It's a lucha de apuestas! The first match was like a high end formula match, while this was more intensely fought. They start strong with a big slap and it's action from the start. I really liked the blocked moves they did here early on, including Cutie blocking a move as basic as a half crab, as this added so much to the build. Cutie has really good basic stomps, knees and elbows and takes the fight to Scorpion who beat her so badly last time. I liked her ankle pick counter too. They settle into the EPIC stretch when, mirroring the last match, Scorpion hits two dives in a row, but this time Cuty scores the suplex on the floor. The end run was what you expect from this sort of match, huge suplexes from Cutie, some spectacular moves from Scorpion (her Cavernaria/Chickenwing combo was totally awesome and steal-worthy) and they worked in some breathtaking counters for nearfalls. I guess it comes down to taste whether you prefer this or the first match which had less grandeur, but I thought they did a great job her and this was easily a better joshi apuestas match than Toyota/Yamada the following year. Not as stiff or big, but way more substance.

Ha, forget about joshi, lucha or shootstyle. This is like one of the finest US style matches of the year. Scorpion had all the spectacular moves, and Cutie was grinding her down with holds and stomps. It might aswell be an Ole Anderson vs. Lightning Kid match, with Ole played by an 80 pound idol girl. Scorpion looks cool as hell mixing up the junior and shootstyle. When Scorpion keeps overwhelming Cutie she switches to working the arm. It's fairly basic stuff and doesn't have any consequence so it feels like high end time killing, but the match was well worked enough. Scorpion totally owns Cutie with her last comeback – normally these JWP matches are pretty 50/50 in the end run, but her Cutie is reduced to two last ditch counter moves, which makes a lot of sense in the context of the match and was probably why she got on the mic afterwards looking upset. Other that, really well worked match with fun stylistic experimentation.

Double dose of Cutie/Scorpion! The Scorpion vs Cutie Suzuki (JWP 08/30/91)Ha, forget about joshi, lucha or shootstyle. This is like one of the finest US style matches of the year. Scorpion had all the spectacular moves, and Cutie was grinding her down with holds and stomps. It might aswell be an Ole Anderson vs. Lightning Kid match, with Ole played by an 80 pound idol girl. Scorpion looks cool as hell mixing up the junior and shootstyle. When Scorpion keeps overwhelming Cutie she switches to working the arm. It's fairly basic stuff and doesn't have any consequence so it feels like high end time killing, but the match was well worked enough. Scorpion totally owns Cutie with her last comeback – normally these JWP matches are pretty 50/50 in the end run, but her Cutie is reduced to two last ditch counter moves, which makes a lot of sense in the context of the match and was probably why she got on the mic afterwards looking upset. Other that, really well worked match with fun stylistic experimentation. The Scorpion vs Cutie Suzuki (JWP 10/10/91) (Mask vs. Hair)It's a lucha de apuestas! The first match was like a high end formula match, while this was more intensely fought. They start strong with a big slap and it's action from the start. I really liked the blocked moves they did here early on, including Cutie blocking a move as basic as a half crab, as this added so much to the build. Cutie has really good basic stomps, knees and elbows and takes the fight to Scorpion who beat her so badly last time. I liked her ankle pick counter too. They settle into the EPIC stretch when, mirroring the last match, Scorpion hits two dives in a row, but this time Cuty scores the suplex on the floor. The end run was what you expect from this sort of match, huge suplexes from Cutie, some spectacular moves from Scorpion (her Cavernaria/Chickenwing combo was totally awesome and steal-worthy) and they worked in some breathtaking counters for nearfalls. I guess it comes down to taste whether you prefer this or the first match which had less grandeur, but I thought they did a great job her and this was easily a better joshi apuestas match than Toyota/Yamada the following year. Not as stiff or big, but way more substance.

Throw in Man Mountain Rock aswell and you'll be good

Next pick - Emilio Charles Jr. (1989) dkookyPunk SirEdgar Joeg SmartMark15 Lee Casebolt Elliot Low Blow El Boricua Gordi -Dan Kroffat 1992 Blehschmidt Superkix

Next pick - Lightning Kid (1992) El Boricua Superkix Gordi Blehschmidt Joeg Superkix Lee Casebolt Jetlag El Boricua SmartMark15 Grimmas

Kawada has that dream match against Sasaki in the dome and an MOTDC against Tenryu. Also an excellent underrated match against good old Fuchi and that yuuge interpromotional tag against Nagata and Iizuka in December. Not the best year for the black and yellow destroyer but I'll take it over Kobashi and Akiyama trying to figure out how to work in a green ring.

My next picks: Mile Zrno (1990) and Franz Schumann (1992).

That was fast. My next pick: Steven Regal (1992) El Boricua now.

Agreed. Tremendous match. And it's not even the best match I watched for this project so far... 12/24/90 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Mayumi Ozaki vs. Rumi Kazama This was another strong match, YMMW on how good exactly. The story was Ozaki's rough style vs. Kazamas brutal kicks. I liked the opening a lot with Ozaki immediately taking control roughhousing Kazama in a way similiar to what a guy like Mick McManus would do, yanking her head violently, putting her toe in her eye etc. After some failed attempts, Kazama makes her comeback by locking in an armbar and after that it's mostly back and forth action. They do a nice job of working a long match with a strong pace, but it was a bit lacking in terms of drama, if you know what I mean. One thing I've noticed is that the wrestlers would do a nearfall with a big move, then follow with a basic move to make the basic move look like a potential match ender too; it's such a simple psychological trick but it's the kind of stuff that's sorely lacking elsewhere. Should point out that Ozaki had really good suplexes and Kazama was kicking really hard. The fans wanted both girls to win, and they delivered another heated finish. I thought the match was lacking in high notes, intensity or epic story, but was a perfectly good quality main event otherwise and absolutely worth watching. 6/14/1990 Eagle Sawai vs. Maiko Tsurugi Maiko Tsurugi was a nimble worker in a funny pink outfit with shoulder armor and liked to kick hard. In a different reality she probably would've been a really good partner for Kansai in those interpromotional wars. This was back and forth action early on, with Tsurugi mostly coming out on top, dropping Sawai with a Superplex in the first minute of the bout, and then another one a few minutes later. However that changes when Mayumi Ozaki (who else) forearms Tsurugi in the kidney as she goes for a dive. Tsurugi injures her back, and this sets up the dramatic 2nd half where Sawai tries to get the submission with a bunch of holds to torture her back. Sawai bumping big is really fun and Tsurugi made a quite good sympathetic face. This would've been really good with a little more build, but as it stands it was still a quality 10 minute bout.

My first pick is, of course, Masayoshi Motegi (1992)

I must have gone insane, because Kyushu Pro is the last wrestling company in the world that still interests me. ASOSAN has the goofiest mask in the world, but holy shit this dude can work! This was really fun, plenty violent indy wrestling. I really liked the simple opening, with Aso working a basic headlock and really trying to pop little Sasaki's neck, then following up with elbows to the back of the head and neck. Then Aso goes on to just crush Sasaki with nice looking punches, awesome judo throws and lung-squishing sentons and sumo palm strikes. Sasaki, for a guy who wasn't very memorable previously, looked shockingly good selling here, and I really liked his constant leg kicks. He was suffering a bit from 2017isms here or there, thigh slapping and whiffing on a Shining Wizard (he realized that sucked too and just kicked Aso in the head), I also really liked his big slap combo. Aso's jab to the throat was such a simple, violent comeback spot too. This was mighty fine 15+ minute match that works because they kept it simple, always building to a powerbomb or piledriver, and had the selling in place to make the asskicking important.

I'll pick Hamburg, Germany.

I forgot this match existed and now that I know who Harley Saito is, I remembered. This such a gritty little war: Saito popping Hokuto with thudding kicks, and Hokuto just torturing her by working the stomach. Hokuto is totally at home in a nasty asskicking battle like this, and Harley was getting the maximum out of her underdog role. Then Hokuto blows her knee, and suddenly it looks like Harley isn't so chanceless anymore. I liked how despite the fact this was a fast paced match with a lot of action, every move had a ton of gravity, and these two are so good at timing momentum swings and cutoffs it's ridiculous. Really good example of how to do a near epic match between a megastar and someone a whole league below.

I'd prefer 88-94.

This is the Bathhouse Deathmatch. They put a wrestling mat into a bathhouse and tag partners have to stay in hot tubs until tagged in. The concepts sounds flat, but they actually manage to keep this entertaining the whole way through a combination of wrestling and surreality. Goto and Yamada start out with a bunch of fast mat exchanges, with Goto busting out Fujiwara armbars and Magistral Cradles and whatnot. In order to win you have to pin the opponent and then drown him in a nearby tub for 5 seconds. Lots of running around the bathhouse ensues, in the process of which lots of naked japanese women and men are scattering about the place looking for cover. I wonder if they put some of these tit and ass shots on the commercial tape cover. Goto also bashes the fuck out of Yamada with plastic buckets and then throws wooden baskets at him, while Yamada bumps like a madman for all that. Gannosuke and Nakamaki eventually get tagged in and immediately take the brawl to the streets. Another amazing thing here is the video editing, as there are constant cuts (including a dual screen while Gannosuke and Nakamaki are outside), they also constantly cut to a female host (who is holding a giant walkie talkie and a microphone in front of her face) and a bathhouse worker that keeps adding wood to the fire. I assume the bathhouse worker also explains some of the intricacies of hot tub heating in the process. Also, bluesy riffs play in the background here and there, and an announcer that is occasionally dubbed in shouts the names of some wrestling moves. Then this match also has it's tag psychology in place. Wrestlers keep leaving the hot tubs to break up submissions or pour cool water on themselves and get yellow carded for it. Yamada is the babyface in peril, gets bowled across the slippery floor and soaped up in a pretty creepy scene by Goto, he also does another slide across the floor to get the literal hot tag. Then it finally dawns on you that this is a partially inverted southern tag where the heat is on the guy who is tagged out, as Gannosuke and Yamazaki are selling the hot tubs like motherfuckers. In the end the video editing and inverted heat section come together for this amazing shot: There's also one woman who tries her darndest to not let her day at the bathhouse be disturbed by wrestlers drowning eachother nearby and stays in the tub. Eventually Goto beats Yamada and then shoves his face into her butt to make the invasion of privacy scenario complete. Truely a crowning achievement of our civilization, best japanese arthouse movie of 1995. What would YOU do if you saw a literally boiling Tarzan Goto coming your way at the bathhouse?

Harley Saito had one of the best women's matches I've ever seen in 1990, so let's see what she could do in the later much bigger era. This was one of the most sensibly worked Hotta matches I've ever seen, as it was worked as a David vs. Goliath bout. Of course Hotta brutally kicks Saito to a pulp, and even though the „outsider as sympathetic face“ story is weird it's executed extremely well here. Saito does some good work controlling Hotta while staying out of her kicking range, but eventually takes a brutal beating. The second half of this match was outstanding because it wasn't just bomb throwing but Harley really milking her moments, always being seemingly so close to turning the tide and swinging the match in her favour but missing. I assume this was the setup for Hotta vs. Kandori, but in itself it's a really good match for the „one contestant is hopelessly overmatched“ type.

Count me in.

Neither AJ/Finn nor the best PWG match on any weekend would be the 3rd best on a random 1993 W*ING houseshow.

They follow a silly spectacle with a badass heavyweight war. Good one. These are the two biggest meanie asskickers JWP ever produced; can they deliver a goodie even in their baby form? Yes they can. Kandori was full on Kandori, completely different from the worker she was the year before, while Kansai was learning the ways of working stiff and exciting. This had a pretty great opening – as they go right at it with the fast submissions, slapping the taste out of eachother's mouth, throwing lariats, Kansai making a comeback by punching Kandori in the face repeatedly etc. The second half was a little more generic and more like a wrestling match, but still interesting enough with some very well timed spots and nearfalls. Whenever Kandori looks in a submission there's automatic drama, so that's really nice. Strong bout, proof these two could go from very early on.

More 1989: 7/13/89 Tokyo Korakuen Hall Devil Masami & Maiko Tsurugi vs. Dementia & Heidi Lee Morgan 10:32 The first time seeing gaijins in JWP! And it's... uh. Dementia is working a „psycho killer“ gimmick. She has doll(?) thingy and hockey mask. Heidi Lee Morgan's outfit was ridiculous. There's gotta be a limit for much ass you can have hanging out, even if you're a lady wrestler. The most accurate way I can describe this is „A very polished GLOW match“. It wasn't even extra trainwrecky or anything fun like that. Shinobu Kandori vs. Miss A They follow a silly spectacle with a badass heavyweight war. Good one. These are the two biggest meanie asskickers JWP ever produced; can they deliver a goodie even in their baby form? Yes they can. Kandori was full on Kandori, completely different from the worker she was the year before, while Kansai was learning the ways of working stiff and exciting. This had a pretty great opening – as they go right at it with the fast submissions, slapping the taste out of eachother's mouth, throwing lariats, Kansai making a comeback by punching Kandori in the face repeatedly etc. The second half was a little more generic and more like a wrestling match, but still interesting enough with some very well timed spots and nearfalls. Whenever Kandori looks in a submission there's automatic drama, so that's really nice. Strong bout, proof these two could go from very early on.

Murahama with two big matches in two days. This was a good BattlARTSariffic match; maybe I'm oversaturated, but I didn't like this as much as the Yakushuji match from the day before. They start with some 5$ shootstyle matwork and essentially continue in the style of having a nearfall ladden indy match with shootstyle moves. Some brutal kicks, obligatory suplexes and no selling. I liked it and Hoshikawa's enzuigiri is one of the most disgusting spots I've ever seen but I probably won't remember much about it soon.

It's Yakushuji in his Bruce Lee gear vs. a rainbow pants wearing shooter. Pro wrestling is great. This was a cool indy match with some shootstyle moves interwoven. Murahama almost KO's Yakushuji in the opening and from then on it's mostly Murahama dominating and pushing Yakushuji closer to the upset. I really liked Yakushuji's super fast and out of nowhere spin kicks that he uses as game changers here, but I thought he may have oversold a little (doing a KO sell for a Murahama kick to the shoulder) and due to Murahama's greenness there was some noticable stumbling around/hesitation/wondering what to do at times. I also thought the match was lacking in vicious retaliation to be GREAT. Still liked this a lot, Yakushuji looked super cool in his role.