[1996-03-03-JWP] Mayumi Ozaki vs Hiromi Yagi

[PeteF3]

lengthy television match between Ozaki and one of the most promising workers of the 90s Hiromi Yagi. Quite long so probably has more flaws than I remember, but this along with the Amano pledging angle before and afterwards give more light to what Ozaki was doing in 1996. Personally, I think she was one of the more interesting workers that year. There's a bunch of ***-*** 1/2 star OZ Academy matches split between JWP and GAEA but I can't remember which one stands out enough to encapsulate them all.

[PeteF3]

Here's something you don't see every day: a joshi match that's worked entirely on the mat. Oh, there are two instances of brawling outside the ring, but other than that this is 20:40 of pure matwork. Oz comes in selling a rib injury, which gives Yagi an opening and a focus for just about everything she does. She's otherwise overmatched, but every time she hits or puts a hold on the ribs, Oz crumples. The matwork is really, really damned good, with all the holds being well-worked and a good variety while still maintaining a psychological focus. And with the deliberate pace and all the camera close-ups this really feels like a 1983 Florida studio match in a JWP setting. And they build up to a satisfying climax with almost no near-falls. Overall this is too "slight" of a match to really be a Yearbook entry, particularly in a loaded year, but it's well worth watching for its uniqueness.

[Zenjo]

I was surprised by how evenly they worked this given the status disparity. Ozaki was smaller than most of the 80's girls and Hiromi was advanced beyond her years. It was mainly technical with some nice submission work from both. A couple of forays to the floor were out of place and disruptive. I liked the pure wrestling just fine. Yagi pushed her hard before Oz came through after 20m. Her generosity was rewarded because she had an opponent deserving of it.

[Jetlag]

20 minutes of matwork? I didn't think so.There were holds, yes, but when I think matwork I think of something more than that. Plus there were a ton of impact moves, flying and rope running. Pretty much just a regular match with a slight emphasis on holds in my book. That aside this was a really nice match as it was just them picking eachother apart over the duration. Plenty of bomb throwing, and Yagi gets to look excellent, surviving some harsh powerbombs and landing some great moves of her own. I tend to belief joshi matches are better when it's (talented) rookie vs. veteran and this was a very good showcase for lucha judoist Yagi in the 2nd year of her career, aswell as Ozaki's competence at putting a match together.