[1992-10-17-AJW] Bat Yoshinaga & Tomoko Watanabe vs Erika Tsuchiya & Yoshika Maedomari

[PeteF3]

Talk about it here.

 

 

[garretta]

YouTube this, please!

[Zenjo]

Doesn't look at all promising on paper. Maedomari was generally terrible. Tsuchiya was the subject of much vitriol from Joshi fans back in the day. Watanabe was nowhere near her prime. Yoshinaga was limited. I was wondering why on earth they chose this matchup for the first FMW appearance on an AJW show?

 

Yet this is the most shockingly good match of the year and a testament to the magic of the interpromotional era. Bat Yoshinaga gave an extraordinary performance. She had only been wrestling a few years but played the role of a proud veteran defending her company against outsiders. It reminded me of Kikuchi in the 2002 NOAH vs NJ feud in some regards. Yoshinaga was so full of intensity and anger that Shark barely knew what hit her. Their two partners were in the 'B' role. I really liked the dynamic of Bat having to protect her weaker partner who got bloodied and beaten. I only wish it had gone on a little longer. Normally a compact length would be smart, but nobody could have known this would get so hot. A little preview of the mayhem to come.