[1991-12-08-AJW] Akira Hokuto & Bull Nakano vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[FLIK]

- (Tag Leauge The Best 91 Semi Final) Bull Nakano & Akira Hokuta vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura

Aja comes out super late, taped up, surely & pissed off tossin furniture around. Bull & Aja staredown while Hokuto offers a handshake but JJ are out for revenge after the cage match 3 weeks ago and ain't havin none of that shit so they attack to start. Hokuto gets mauled for a bit but it doesn't last too long and she punches Bison right in the jaw for her troubles. They go back & forth for a while with a lot of brawling & more stiff strikes on everyones part before Hokuto again finds herself in trouble. To regain controll this time Bull & her after Jungle Jack's big weaknesses, Bison's injured knee & later on Aja's still injured stomach. They especially go hard on Aja with various with various weapons which sends Bison running in franticly to break things up before the ref can even count 1. By the end things break down into a near street fight and the finish finally comes with Jungle Jack making 1 last come back after a missed Megadeath leg drop from Bull folowed by a uraken to knock her out allows them to crush Hokuto for the win. Great match but it's not over yet as we immediatly go to

[Loss]

This was a great match in continuing to spotlight the Aja/Bull rivalry. Hokuto and Bison also match up really well. I really liked the work on Bison's taped up knee and wish we could have had a little more of it. Bull's "Fuck You" dive to the floor followed by Hokuto's "Impassioned Selling" dive to the floor is a funny contrast. Jungle Jack take the win as we segue to the next match.

[PeteF3]

This is the type of heated, intense brawling I hoped to see earlier in the year. No big stupid weapons like hockey sticks (I guess Bison's nightstick is a little incongruous), just stiff shots with the "conventional" trademark weapons on hand. There was even some focus on Bison's back and Aja's legs. Jungle Jack look completely doomed after Hokuto and Bull hit some great dives to the floor, but Bull takes one risk too many and whiffs on a guillotine legdrop, allowing Aja to get one-on-one with Hokuto and that doesn't end well for Akira.

[Zenjo]

This is from Dec 8th. Good match here with the 1st half being particularly strong. A mix of brawling and wrestling where all four women impressed. Going 22m was a mistake as Jungle Jack had to go a long time whilst holding something back. Despite appearances they both had excellent stamina but a bit tighter pacing would've been ideal.

[soup23]

I liked but didnt love this and was a little let down given the combatants. First off, my god it took Aja forever to come out to the ring. The match had a lot of good sequences but didn't really have an overarching theme that drew me in. Hokuta almost died on her moonsault as well. Jungle Jack advance to the final match later on in the evening.

[garretta]

This one was a lot more of a wrestling match than I thought it would be, considering who was involved. There was one sequence in the middle where everyone went crazy with weapons (I think the fans expected it and would have been disappointed if they hadn't gotten it), but otherwise this was worked stiff but straight. Bull and Aja took a lot more than they have in their singles bouts with each other, and although it shouldn't have surprised me that they were just as good without weapons as they were with them, it did. In the end, the most vulnerable person in the ring lost the fall, as Akira took a backdrop from the top to go with the moonsault she'd wiped herself out on a few moments before.

 

I'll be interested in seeing what Jungle Jack has left for the tournament final both physically and emotionally, especially since they're not going back to the dressing room between bouts while the other team is relatively fresh, not having spent the last twenty-five minutes being beaten to a pulp by Bull Nakano. My guess is that it can't be much, but Aja and Bison aren't the type to back down from a challenge either. Batten down the hatches, folks!

[Jetlag]

Bull and Aja were queen sized here. Hokuto has some nice bits, but from her team this is mostly the Bull Nakano show. Bull and Aja just tear into eachother. Bull throws awesome lariats, and I got a kick out of her refusing to budge for Kimura's stupid Baba Chop. That dive was killer too, as she flies at her opponents like a graceful couch. The only thing I didn't like about Bull is her annnoying habit to go for the nunchuks. Aja was working more generic here than later on, but clearly she was something special and already had the Uraken and puts it to use. Also, Aja did a lot of hard head spots, which I'm cool with given this is pretty much a monster battle. This was a fast, brutal, and fun 22 minutes that just flew by.

[dawho5]

Bison is still ridiculously pissed off at Hokuto and just massacres her at the bell. Aja messes up a package piledriver and almost kills Hokuto in the process. And that in no way takes away from the match. Aja gets to look as good as she has yet against Bull. Bull switching up tactics and going to the stomach on Aja with the nunchucks was a nice touch. The main theme not related to the two big names was Hokuto getting destroyed over and over again, which plays into the finish.