Mariko Yoshida

[Loss]

I'm about to start watching a comp of recommended Yoshida matches and I wanted to keep them separate so she can be discussed in-depth in this thread if the opportunity comes up. So this is the thread for it.

 

First up:

 

Mariko Yoshida v Candy Okutsu - 12/18/98

Hmmm. I think Yoshida's performance was better than the match itself in this case. I did like that there was a very competitive feel, but I didn't like that Okutsu wrestled like she was trying to upstage her opponent the entire time. Candy -- at least in this match -- comes across as someone who thinks that wrestling is just moves. Without Yoshida to ground things, I don't know how much purpose or direction this would have. Anyway, specifics:

 

* Yoshida's "I dare you" pose right in her opponent's face before the match starts is very cool

 

* In terms of the style and the fluidity on the mat, Yoshida greatly resembles Destroyer. The difference is that I'd compare her character work more to Chris Benoit at his peak (which is a high compliment) in terms of being very serious and no-nonsense.

 

* This match had really awesome, fast-paced matwork but what put it over the top for me wasn't the movement, but the way that it was put over, and Yoshida's great facial expressions.

 

* I like that Yoshida is determined to have "her match" here ... one of my favorite moments in the match sees Candy miss ... something ... she was trying off the top rope, only for Yoshida to casually drag her where she wants her before locking her in holds again

 

* Yoshida's headscissors has ZERO daylight. Usually, there's at least some, but if the sun was shining on the other side of Yoshida's legs and Candy's head, I wouldn't have known

 

* Nice match in terms of hierarchy. Yoshida staying in control is sort of the de facto direction of the match, while Candy's openings are much harder fought. Her big problem is that she can't seem to capitalize, even when she does do something right. She's probably a better high-flyer and if the match was wrestled a little more vertically, things may have been a little different, but what's cool about this is that Yoshida isn't going to let her find out how she might fare in that situation. The point is only reinforced when Candy misses her *second* dive off the top, and this time, she's caught in a submission

 

* What I like about Yoshida is not just her tendency to roll out athletic spots she seems capable of, but also to understand their place in the big picture. Whenever the match leaves the mat, it's done to make a point, specifically when she takes Okutsu's German suplex and a few minutes later raises the stakes by executing the same move with even more force -- she's so confident in what she's doing that she's almost wrestling the match like she's doing a favor for her opponent by keeping things on the mat, but for Candy, that's like asking the best way to die

 

* Continuing on that point, Yoshida does many combo moves on the mat, like she's thinking three or four steps ahead, preventing any opportunity her opponent might have to fight out of the predicament instead of arrogantly thinking her signature spots are enough to do the job

 

* Okutsu is annoying here at times, but she also has her moments. Her desperation to sneak in a win after the vertical suplex is both amusing because we know it isn't going to be enough, and telling because she's so frustrated when it doesn't work. Where she's annoying -- as a worker -- is that there are times when Yoshida sets up nice spots for her and she doesn't take the opportunity to follow up in logical fashion. Yoshida blocking the corner splash by raising a foot could have turned the tide to something better, but instead, Candy went all Sabu and repeated the spot. I'd think she'd be above wrestling like RVD where she "has to get in all her shit". She also shows how raw she is by successfully executing move after move without attempting a pinfall. How much does a moonsault mean if it takes three of them before you even think it's worthy of a cover? It means even less when Yoshida kicks out of it anyway.

 

Overall, I'd go ***1/2 on the first match, but this is a nice sampling of Yoshida's talent. After seeing this, my hopes were to see her in the ring with a true peer instead of someone not at her level. I'm hoping that comes later on this set.

[Loss]

*updated*

 

I'm hoping wolverine sees this.

[Guest Dovi]

Hmmm. I think Yoshida's performance was better than the match itself in this case.

You'll probably find that this will be true for a lot of Yoshida's Arsion matches.

 

Candy -- at least in this match -- comes across as someone who thinks that wrestling is just moves. Without Yoshida to ground things, I don't know how much purpose or direction this would have.

Yep. Candy had really turned into a spot worker when she went to Arsion. When she was in JWP she could have a good, smart match at any time. Usually with young opponents who only had a year or two of experience.

 

After seeing this, my hopes were to see her in the ring with a true peer instead of someone not at her level.

The only one who really comes close to being her peer at this point was Hiromi Yagi. I'll have to rewatch some of these to make some better comments, but it'll be interesting to read your views, especially with you watching Memphis and '80s NWA at the same time.

 

Oh, did you get Yoshida's Arsion debut vs. Rie Tamada and her 1st match with Aja Kong from '98? I know I recommended those to wolverine but I'm not sure if he picked them up or not.

[goodhelmet]

This is the comp he is watching...

 

Yoshida Comp

 

Yoshida vs. Okutsu 12-18-98

Yoshida vs. Akino 1-17-99

Yoshida vs. Hiromi Yagi 2-18-99

Yoshida vs. Mikiko Futagami 3-99

Yoshida vs. Fukawa 5-4-99

Yoshida vs. Kong 8-6-99

Kong vs. Satamura 9-15-99

[Loss]

Tried to watch Yoshida/Akino from 01/17/99, but couldn't get into it at all. I'll give it another try later.

[silverwidow]

Tried to watch Yoshida/Akino from 01/17/99, but couldn't get into it at all. I'll give it another try later.

That's a bit surprising, Loss. The Akino match has always struck me as such a great technical clinic, even if it's somewhat stoic emotionally. I'd be interested in hearing more detailed thoughts at some point.

[Loss]

Eh, I blame myself in this instance. I should know better than to watch wrestling when I'm distracted. I'll give it another try later tonight.

[Loss]

Rewatched Yoshida/Akino.

 

It's amazing (but not really) how much difference there is in watching wrestling when you're in the mood to watch something versus not being in the mood but trying to get into the mood to watch something. I wrote this off because of the heat initially, but considering the direction of the company, in some ways, it's appropriate because getting over the style in ARSION was the top priority, even if it sacrificed the short-term pop. So, in that case, I like that the workers were thinking five matches ahead instead of just working a different style match in the hopes that something would draw the crowd in. It's a patience lacking in practically every wrestling promotion ever, but it's not lacking here, and taking that into consideration when watching this makes a major difference.

 

There are also things I picked up on that I'm not sure I picked up on yesterday at all. Akino is a much better opponent for Yoshida than Okutsu was, although both were the perfect opponents at that stage of the company. Yoshida is not just trying to get herself over, which is the usual task a wrestler has, or even her match, but rather an entire company's style. She makes the right decisions and drives the right points home. Highspots like the somersault pescado outside from Akino and the top-rope superplex aren't going to be enough to get the job done; and in fact, they only briefly take the wind out of Yoshida's sails. The first time I watched this, I saw that as really bad selling, but rewatching, and taking the above into consideration, it comes across much better.

 

Yoshida is great at torturing Akino, to a point where Akino starts becoming sympathetic. I said, regarding the Okutsu match, that what it made me want more than anything was to see Yoshida matched with a true peer, which is exactly the feeling I suspect they were going for, so the match was a success. Akino is just as ovaries-out as Okutsu, but she's smarter and presents a tougher challenge because she knows herself well enough to know when to reign in her attack and when to strike big. As a result, she gets closer to victory than Okutsu did because she has the wherewithal to attempt pinfalls every time she performs a big move, a sixth sense Okutsu didn't have. Those pinfall attempts are in some ways my favorite part of the match because they create so much doubt over the outcome. It seems natural that Yoshida would win, but Yoshida is the master here of getting the most out of a close fall, writhing and clawing to kick out and finally coming through at the very last second. I prefer that style much more than laying unconscious only to randomly throw a shoulder up at the last second, which is what we usually see in big US matches.

 

All of this doesn't even really go into the torturous matwork Yoshida employs and the vicious combo moves she does. It's one thing to grab a headscissors, and it's another to arch it at an angle so Akino's poor neck has to be bent backwards. It's yet another thing to perform the same move again, this time locking the arm in as well. What I like at this point about Yoshida is that she doesn't just lock in a hold, she grabs the rest of her opponent's body that might be used to counter the move.

 

I haven't really scratched the surface here on examples of that type of work within the match, but needless to say, this is worth going out of your way to see.

 

****1/4