[1993-12-06-AJW] Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I don't know what the right word is to describe this match. Cinematic? The nature of the comebacks in some ways feels more like really good fight scene material than really good pro wrestling, which is a big compliment. It's obviously not at the same level as a match, but in its own way, this match has just as much charm as Dreamslam. It's a shift in dynamics. Kandori could put Hokuto out when she's ready, but she spends a great deal of the match toying with Hokuto, while Hokuto wrestles this a lot less from underneath than she did Dreamslam. It feels like a fitting end to a chapter to see Hokuto go down in flames like this. No promotion in wrestling history does tragedy better than AJW. The emotion reminds me of Chigusa/Dump in that all of Hokuto's peers see what is happening and are pretty bummed about it, but they're really powerless to stop it. From an action standpoint, this is pretty great. I love the intensity behind the slapfest early on, love Kandori casually putting a stop to Hokuto's arrogance by going after her arm again. The super bomb (I don't know what else to call it) looks like it could have killed her. Has the feel of a boxing match at times with all the slugging. Great match, but more than that, this is really a classic moment in wrestling history.

[FLIK]

It feels like a fitting end to a chapter to see Hokuto go down in flames like this. No promotion in wrestling history does tragedy better than AJW.

You should really track down Aja/Hokuto from earlier in the year. No it's not the best match but it adds so much to Hokuto's story from this year.

 

The emotion reminds me of Chigusa/Dump in that everyone Hokuto's peers see what is happening and are pretty bummed about it, but they're really powerless to stop it.

LCO especially but Suzuka & Aja too watching on from the outside and losing their shit as this is going on is a classic moment for sure, made even better now that I know more about how much history they all had with Hokuto then I did at the time I first watched it years ago. Hokuto only wrestled 3 shows in 94 and they allready knew by this point that she was falling apart and on borrowed time for a while.

[Childs]

I was curious about the emotion from the other wrestlers on the outside. Was it simply a reaction to Hokuto pushing her body like that when she didn't have much left? It was certainly dramatic but seemed to come a bit out of nowhere the way they incorporated it in the broadcast. Anyway, this was an easy match to appreciate, even for a Joshi skeptic. The opening punch exchange was so direct and brutal. And I loved Kandori teasing the attack on Hokuto's arm, as if to say, "Hey, I always have this nuclear bomb in my pocket." Hokuto was great as usual, conveying just how much she was giving to pull off this spectacle.

[slabinski611]

I am glad that I watched this after the dreamslam match and even more that I watched dreamslam first. This is definately not on the same level as the first match but it still comes off as epic and is a great match on its own. Makes me wonder why I never wanted to check out joshi before.

[PeteF3]

This picks up right where Dreamslam left off, with Kandori and Hokuto teasing a double-KO with punches and Hokuto juicing hardway. Hokuto was able to gut out a victory then, but this time for most of the match Kandori simply has an answer for just about everything she tries. Hokuto even throws a hail mary pass by Northern Lights bombing her on the floor, but it doesn't seem to get her anywhere. Then she makes the mistake of getting into a boxing match, and Ms. AJW does the job in the main event of her own promotion's show.

[Zenjo]

And there was me thinking that Kong vs Kudo was an unusual match. This was so strange that the only real point of reference was to go back to part 1, which they frequently did. I love Loss' description of it as being more like a fight scene from a movie than pro wrestling.

 

Beforehand they showed footage of an uncomfortable press conference where you could cut the tension with a knife. That was the time for talking and psyching your opponent out. Here they walked straight across the ring and began punching each other, leaving Akira with a bloody mouth. Almost all the moves utilised thereafter had the intention of conveying hatred and adding to the rivalry. It was an outlandish cocktail of high end offence, punches, body part attacks and insults. It was poles apart from regular Joshi as every move had significance.

 

Kandori could've gone for the knees if she'd been seeking just a win. She utilised her submissions less than usual, wanting a decisive KO. She was meant to be the ultimate badass and Hokuto had been tougher than her. Revenge was very much the order of the day. After the win she found there was no joy in victory, only vengeance.

 

As a viewing spectacle this was quite an experience. As a match it was way out there at times. It needed the epic conclusion to bring things together and make some sense of it all. LCO marking out at ringside was ridiculously awesome. I do have to point out a 10 count spot where Akira starting to crawl at 9 apparently constituted getting up. Overall it was an amazing conclusion to a great card at the Ryogoku Kokugikan.

[Jetlag]

This was kind of a weird match. It feels closer to something like Kikuch/Aoyagi, however weird that comparison may seem. The first match was a real "broad" spectacle going all over the arena while this is worked really "compact". It's almost all in the ring. When Hokuto is selling, she is in kind of a slouched over position, and when Kandori goes for pins she attempts to roll Hokuto into a ball. When the match goes to the outside, it is immediately followed with a big move. When Kandori re-enters the ring Hokuto runs up and absolutely blasts her with a spin kick to the face. It has the feel and intensity as if they were fighting in a telephone cell, or like an amateur wrestling match. They establish Kandori is tougher while Hokuto is slowly falling apart but will not quit. There's a lot of huge bombs in a tight timeframe which aren't no sold but rather sold as in "I am unwilling to stay down for YOUR bullshit offense". Hokuto tries to kill Kandori throwing bombs, Kandori toys around until forced to use her submissions. Eventually they go back to the beginning of the match eskimo boxing. Hokuto has no real chance but Kandori looks like she is giving it all to stay on your feet and remain superior. Hell of a battle.

[...TG]

The level of violence in this match was frightening. Loss was right when he described it like a movie fight scene than a match. There were holds and moves like a normal match, but something felt different. I need to rewatch their first match.

[DR Ackermann]

Its weird that no one is acknowledging how much Kandori whiffed on that strike at the peak of the match. Apparently we missed the most awkward part as they messed up the sequence so bad the cameras had to cut away. This is only the 3rd joshi match I've watched all the way through and while I liked parts, the match was structured weird. Strange overall but certainly cinematic at times.

[garretta]

This was a lot like the tag league final for me, in that the indelible image that I'll carry away from this isn't a wrestling move, but that long, lurching walk Akira took back to the locker room after Shinobu finished pounding the marbles out of her. She had no idea what planet she was on, and really hadn't since she took that shot at the start of the match that bloodied her mouth. This wasn't exactly a squash, and Akira managed to do some damage to Shinobu's neck and knock her for a loop of her own at one point. But she just didn't have enough left in her to deal with the younger, stronger invader.

 

I loved the shot of some of the younger AJW wrestlers wanting to storm the ring and get at Shinobu, only for Aja to hold them back. Being the ringwise veteran that she is, Aja knew that a couple of young pups had no chance against Shinobu on this night, and probably not on too many others either.

 

This didn't feel much like a wrestling match, if you want the truth. This was a knockdown dragout dirty rotten fight, with a few holds mixed in for variety. It's the second joshi match in a row I've watched that was a welcome departure from the usual go-go-go style, and I'm liking the change for however long it lasts.

 

I hope we see more of Shinobu in the '94 Yearbook; she isn't as big or physically imposing as Aja or Bull, but she's every bit as dangerous, as The Dangerous Queen herself found out here.

 

These last two matches have gone a long way toward restoring my respect for joshi as a style. I hope this trend continues into next year, and I'm also looking forward to comparing and contrasting joshi with American female wrestling once the WWF brings their women's title back.

[SmartMark15]

This was really great. Loved the beating that Hokuto took to end the match and really her selling from the point Kandori drops her on her head to the finish really make the match. All the little references to the past matches were great and gave a sense of weight to what they were going for here. Kandori teasing that arm bar that ended the tag match between them was pretty great and everything just built up nicely to the finish.

 

****1/2

[soup23]

This show doesn't let up. I would put the last three matches here above the current years Wrestle Kingdom final 3 output and I would imagine the undercard was better here too. This was excellent with Kandori being a prick throughout the match and always teasing the arm work when need be. Hokuto's performance is beautiful and sad all at the same time and is amplified by the wrestlers on the aisle looking on at her with huge emotion. 1993 was a year of the great match visual and this is one of the best examples of that. ****1/2

[Alex]

Hokuto and Kandori were destined for each other, they are magic together in the ring.  I almost liked this almost as much as their April match.

[Makai Club #1]

This had everything. Incredible emotional drama with LCO, Aja Kong and Suzuka Minami helplessly watching as Kandori picks apart and destroys Hokuto, who isn't giving up the futile fight, insane violence that had purpose and hate behind it and great skill and selling. I think the match story can be summed up in some way by the opening bits. Kandori busted Hokuto’s mouth with her second punch of the match, planting Hokuto on the mat, during the opening exchanges. This reignites the hateful flair that made their first match so special as well as putting Hokuto immediately on the backfoot of which she isn't able to recover from. Kandori carries herself like a machine who toys with Hokuto initially, baiting Hokuto into a Fujiwara only to let it go because it was too easy but as the match carries on with Hokuto, 1, refusing to go down repeatedly, and two, had some pivotal moments such as hitting a Northern Lights suplex on the outside, which could've been the catalyst for a potential comeback. This meant Kandori got more malicious and violent towards the end in order to get her win back. Kandori is an absolute beast and had clear superiority over Hokuto but she also sold vulnerability perfectly when it was called on her to do so, making her performance complete. *****

[Jabroniville]

I loved that it devolved into a slugfest again at the end- echoes of their last bout! Hokuto's dead on her feet but still fightin- and then we see Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda- her trainees and fellow LCO members, BEGGING AND CRYING in the aisle! With Aja, Minami and others behind them! Minami is stoic, but Aja has a wonderful look of dreaded concern for a respected rival. Camera catches a major whiff of an uppercut that's sold, and Mita has to be PHYSICALLY RESTRAINED from getting into the ring. And finally Kandori uppercuts Akira's soul out of her body to score the three. Perfect ending.

The story here was perfect- Kandori wasn't out to have a MATCH- this was revenge, pure and simple. Letting go of holds early, taking her time with each strike- she was trying to physically destroy her opponent. And that desire for revenge started to cost her, as she turned away a handful of chances of victory to do more damage, until it was too late, and Hokuto's reversals has done their damage. There was a bit too much slowness and lying around in submissions, as much as they served the story, and there wasn't that great visual of two bloodied warriors, as this was way more one-sided, but I still loved it. The shot of LCO having to be prevented from entering the ring was an amazing hook (yet it's the look of agonized sorrow on Aja's face that has stuck with me for weeks- that woman belongs on Mount Rushmore), and Kandori finally getting her pound of flesh by killing Hokuto with strikes was perfect.

I still have to go ****3/4, though. And a full five if you count "overall story/booking" into things.

[TheDuke]

On 7/2/2011 at 11:12 PM, Loss said:

I don't know what the right word is to describe this match. Cinematic? The nature of the comebacks in some ways feels more like really good fight scene material than really good pro wrestling, which is a big compliment. 

I just wanted to point out that 10 years ago Loss described a match as "cinematic " and this was 5 years before The Final Deletion with Broken Matt Hardy.