[2006-07-09-Sendai Girls] Aja Kong vs Meiko Satomura

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Graham Crackers]

So, I'm thinking this is their best match against each other. it still has the spectacular offense of their 2000 and 2001 encounters but it's so much more structurally sound. There are a few momentum shifts throughout this match but they are spaced nicely. It keeps these two even but allows plenty of time for Satomura to gain sympathy. And the Scorpio Rising is the coolest "Shining" move in wrestling.

[Childs]

I think I'll rank at least this and the Dec. 2001 match. This one was maybe a little less violent but with more focus, as Crackers noted. And Satomura beating Aja no longer felt like an upset, which suggests how their long series evolved, even though the matches all contained similar elements. Definitely one of my favorite Joshi rivalries, right up there with Kong-Kansai and a few others.

[ohtani's jacket]

It's been an age since I've watched an Aja/Satomura match. I was wondering if it would be a case of diminishing returns, but not having watched a match of theirs in such a long time meant that it felt fresh. I'll leave it to others to point out the callbacks and psychology behind the match. I'm not sure whether it was Aja shedding weight, Satomura gaining a few pounds, or a combination of both, but there was no longer a sense that Satomura was outmatched and overwhelmed by Aja, which was fitting given it was the debut show for Satomura's promotion. I don't think it was as epic as the GAEA matches, but it was fitting that Satomura went over.