Loss Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I really thought the pacing and layout of this was pretty close to perfect. I understand why it's not pimped, in the sense that it doesn't really resemble the typical Toyota matches that get love. But I thought this was outstanding. Toyota is a terrific underdog. There are booking things I don't like about the WWWA belt in 1995 that are out of their control, but just focusing on the work in the ring, this is great. The way they work this, Kansai is mostly dominant while Toyota has spells of offense from underneath that get over strong. Kansai's nearfalls on Toyota get way more heat than Toyota's on Kansai for the bulk of this, which tells me the fans weren't expecting a title change. I like the dynamic of Toyota trying some of her moves that require some complex setup, and Kansai casually countering with a kick to the face. Kansai trying to settle for a KO victory is also a great moment. There are a few times that Toyota tries to counter a Kansai move and can't quite do it, but she does lessen the impact of the move she is about to take by getting out of position, which is a nice touch. Great finish too! As much as I've liked Toyota in 1995 compared to every other year, I look forward to going through her 1996 matches again at some point and seeing if maybe I was too tough on her the first time around. I usually don't see this match talked about as one of the best AJW matches of the year -- this was on here because of the title change. But it's definitely near the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 As much as I've liked Toyota in 1995 compared to every other year, I look forward to going through her 1996 matches again at some point and seeing if maybe I was too tough on her the first time around. I usually don't see this match talked about as one of the best AJW matches of the year -- this was on here because of the title change. But it's definitely near the top. 1995 is clearly the peak of Toyota to me. By 1996, she was beginning to slip a bit I think (although I'm not sure to what extent, I'm not familiar with AJW in 96), and by 1997 it was obvious she had passed her prime. Maybe this match has been forgotten, but it was pimped as a great match back when I first got into joshi in 1998, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLIK Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Also worth noting that this is pretty much the symbolic ending of the interpromotional era which AJW had been moving towards for a while anyways for a # of reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Evans Posted September 2, 2012 Report Share Posted September 2, 2012 Good match. One of the better Dynamite matches I've seen since I'm not a huge fan of hers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 This was underwhelming, and I say that as a fan of both women. If it had been on one of those 1993 inter-promotional shows it might have been okay, but as a title match it was both unremarkable and unworthy. The finishing stretch couldn't have been any more predictable if they'd tried,and Toyota winning wasn't realistic given the limited damage Kansai had taken. Nowhere near special enough for what should have been a major match, and poorly booked all round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted December 5, 2014 Report Share Posted December 5, 2014 I liked this more than OJ but maybe not quite as much as Loss. Mostly low-key with Kansai doing a good job of methodically grinding Toyota down and Toyota having to pick and choose when she can get her offensive flurries in. And no tables! The ending worked for me--Toyota had already hit Kansai with the JOCS, her best shot, and failed to keep her down. Further, Kansai had hit the Splash Mountain and couldn't keep Toyota down. So it was going to take either a flash pin from Toyota or a Die Hard Kansai for either to win this, and we got the flash pin, coming off a big move in its own right. At points this got a little *too* low-key and meandering, and I agree that the 3WA belt was poorly booked thorughout the year. But this is a much nicer moment than Toyota's first title win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenjo Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 There was a big match atmosphere for this main event in the Ryogogu. Positive opening as they fought for control. Toyota upped the stiffness to make her look credible against the kicker. It was Dyno who gained the upper hand however. They worked it very much the way I expected. Kansai couldn't go go go at all times, throwing kicks instead of moves to conserve energy. Toyota slowed down and sold more to play to the strengths of her opponent. It had a strong base and seemed set for a higher rating. The stretch was a long and winding road. Kicking out of finishers was a bad sign of things to come. In the end Toyota was able to reverse the rope splash mountain for the duke (could've been executed better). Overall it was a bout worthy of the occasion and sent the fans home happy. 1995 was the peak year of Manami Toyota's career. So it's only fitting that she should end it as champion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted April 2, 2019 Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 I've mostly come around on Manami Toyota. I agree with a lot of the criticisms of her work, but I've come to appreciate what she brings to the table. I think it helps to view her as the Energizer Bunny. She just keeps coming at you, so you can't keep her down for too long unless you kill her dead. At the same time, she doesn't have the firepower to put down larger opponents, so she relies on big counters to gain the advantage. This match is a prime example. She gets cut off fairly quickly whenever she tries to mount some offense in the early going. Her first run of sustained offense comes when she boots Kansai off the turnbuckle and onto the floor. And the hurricanrana counter to the Die Hard Kansai wasn't nearly as smooth as when Eddy and Rey did it, but it was a suitably big match ender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.