[1991-10-10-JWP] The Scorpion vs Cutie Suzuki (Mask vs Hair)

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I liked the other match more, but I still thought this one was excellent, especially in the bomb-throwing stretch at the end. I will say that Suzuki seems more green here, like she has some good ideas and good moves, but isn't really good at stringing them together coherently. But they overcome that, to a point where it doesn't seem to matter much, because what they do right they really do right. Scorpion looks excellent. I still appreciate this as something different, and I really like how they laid this out. Nice psychology and build, general selling of fatigue and good emotion too. Scorpion unmasks as someone who I feel like I should recognize and I don't. Neither comes across as a particularly great worker, but they look like they are capable of getting there soon enough.

[Zenjo]

Almost as much fun as their last match. That was probably technically better with more specific strategies and focus. This had more of a natural flow and rhythm with varied work. Cuty has such charisma and personality that Scorpion was kind of in a supporting role. Plus she looked really slutty. Randy Japanese business men must have been emptying their wallets!

 

This had a nice atmosphere and felt important with them going full out. After the loss the Scorpion was forced to unmask. Afaik she left wrestling after the original JWP folded a few months later.

[PeteF3]

For a mask vs. hair I thought the first few minutes lacked a little in the way of urgency, which is enough for me to say the first match was better, but this sucker picked up big-time at the end. I don't know what the experience level of these two ladies was at the time but I give them a lot of credit for working a different match than the first, with Suzuki targeting the leg instead of the arm and Scorpion throwing some pretty great stiff shots in addition to her other jack-of-all trades offense. A few good near-falls leads to Suzuki pulling out a neat power bomb counter for the finish and the mask. This is clearly the Lynn/Kid series of 1991.

[soup23]

I didn't dig this one too much and felt the lack of urgency throughout prevailed in that opinion. Nothing felt overly important with the stakes being a mask vs. title match. They even made the unmasking anticlimatic and went right on to advertising the next match coming up. Very disappointed overall.

[garretta]

I'm not sure what you guys mean by "lack of urgency"; I though that both of these ladies showed a ton of desperation right from the opening bell. Scorpion tried to annihilate Suzuki with brute force, while Suzuki tried her best to send Scorpion home one-legged. The near-fall sequence at the end was a bit hotter than the last one because there was so much more on the line. A brilliant counter of a victory roll by Scorpion into a powerbomb gets the win, the mask, and the belts for Cutie, and Scorpion unmasks respectfully if not cheerfully.

 

It's kind of a shame that JWP won't be around a whole lot longer; with workers like these and the style being booked, they could have been a sold alternative to AJW, although Aja and Bull were simply too unique not to be the biggest stars of women's wrestling in Japan and JWP had no one to match or eventually surpass them. The Scorpion might have come the closest, but losing her mask sort of takes away from her mystique a bit. I'm glad to see that JWP returns in a slightly different form later in the decade.

[ohtani's jacket]

I'm glad to see that JWP returns in a slightly different form later in the decade.

 

There was a split in JWP during this very month (October '91) that led to the promotion folding in January of '92. Rumi Kazama was fired and Shinobu Kandori led a group of girls to break away and form a new promotion called LLPW. Dynamite Kansai, Mayumi Ozaki, Devil Masami, and Cutie Suzuki, etc. remained loyal to Masatoshi Yamamoto, who bankrolled a relaunched version of JWP dubbed JWP Project. JWP Project had its first card in April of '92 and LLPW followed suit in August, so it was relatively seamless. JWP essentially existed as a promotion for the entire decade. They were able to strike a TV deal with WOWOW, but struggled at the box office, and though beloved by fans like myself, were never really able to present a viable alternative to AJW's dominance. The original JWP started with a hiss and a roar in '86 and they had big plans to be what All Japan was to New Japan, but it never took off. They uncovered a bunch of talented workers and provided a place for AJW retirees to keep working, and also made a valuable contribution to the interpromotional era, but the promotion was a failure if we're being brutally honest. It still exists, though, as a small indy so it has longevity going for it.

[donsem43]

Additional fun fact, JWP also shut down twice in the 00's. First at the end of 2000, only to restart in April 2001. Then again at the end of 2002, only to restart in 2004. They actually started drawing half decent towards the end of the decade. I know the two Arisa Nakajima/Kana title matches drew close to 1,500 at Korakuen with no TV deal, which is pretty good for a non-retirement show.

[Jetlag]

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.

[dawho5]

I enjoyed the early part of the match with Cutie hitting the powerbomb and that put her in the driver's seat. Scorpion tried to counter out of stuff, but didn't have the oomph behind it after that powerbomb. Once Scorpion hits the missile dropkick it turns around and Suzuki is the one who can't make things stick. I like Suzuki's bump to the floor off of the suplex to the ropes. The moonsault off the top to the outside by Scorpion was nutty as Hell with the way Suzuki was laying. I'd argue that this middle section of the match was where things felt a little scatterbrained. Then they pulled it together for a good finishing run. I did like that they took some time to slow things down, but not a ton. Pretty good match even if it lacked in parts.