[2000-03-20-JWP] Ran Yu Yu vs Misae Genki

[Loss]

Well, this was quite the revelation. Outstanding match, one of the best of 2000 in fact. This was worked as a classic world title match all the way, with an extended collar and elbow at the beginning like I haven't seen in years. Genki is the dominant one, which makes sense considering the size difference, and I like the unique approach she takes in her matwork. Instead of using a side headlock in the early stages, for example, she uses a freakin' Argentine backbreaker! I also like how she chops when they break in the corner. Everything about the pacing of this suggests that this match is a big deal. I was a little discouraged when they did 15 minutes of such great build and then ended up outside, thinking they were about to throw it all away, but they quickly got back in the ring, so my fear was for naught. Ran Yu Yu has Ric Flair-like timing in terms of kicking out at the last millisecond -- at this point, I'd argue her as maybe the best in wrestling at that. Total nailbiters. There was a moment near the end of this where they both struggled to get to their feet and socked each other right in the face at the exact same time in a tremendous visual and a great dramatic moment. I also loved all the variety around the pin attempts, along with the frequency, since it's a title match. Ran Yu Yu channels the unrelenting power of Misawa's elbow to get the win at the end but wow did she deserve it. Thus far, she has been my favorite new discovery in Joshi this year. ****1/2

[El-P]

Big hype back then for this match, I remember. We were all over Genki who was a Neo girl I think. (Ran, Amano & Hyuga were already established as excellent workers and Tamura was like a big favourite too)

[Jetlag]

****1/2

 

That's a crazy rating.

 

I thought this match wasn't even good. It was above average in parts, but mostly it was just a deathly bland affair that didn't even have much crowd heat and was pretty sloppy in parts, that atrocious blown rollup sticking out the most. After some okay-ish time killing they just moved into the usual big move and 2.999999 trading without much creativity. No transitions or even nice reversals or exchanges, just pop and do the next move. Lousy match.

[Loss]

I'm astonished you would think this wasn't even good. I don't know what's bland about really unique matwork that no one else is really doing, and I always appreciate any attempt to put an opening lockup over as something dramatic. They didn't even start any nearfalls until over 15 minutes into the 22 minute match, and even then, the pops were driven by the timing of Ran Yu Yu's kickouts happening at the perfect millisecond more than they were going the cheap route and using big moves for an easy nearfall. I agree it didn't have much crowd heat until they got to that, but part of that is how they built to get to that point. I will probably watch this again at some point toward the end of the year to make sure I'm not crazy, but I'm reasonably sure I'm not.

[El-P]

Some dudes threw the same kind of rating 17 years ago, so you're most probably not.

[Jetlag]

I didn't really think the matwork was outstanding or unique from what I've seen in joshi. They did the usual stretching holds and then moved on. They also teased (or should say "pretended") Genki working the back and Ran going for chokes but it didn't lead anywhere at all. The body of the match just struck me as average and not really building very well.

[Matt D]

Gentlemen, if you'd permit me to submit a third reading of the match.

 

First and foremost, my interest was stoked because of your severe difference in opinion. You are two of my favorite voices in reviewing, analyzing and comparing this fine art that we all appreciate. I'd like to admit a few caveats before I begin. The first is that I come in completely ignorant of these two wrestlers and of JWP in this time period, and frankly, do not have the strongest background in joshi in general. The second is that I have a tendency to read far too much into matches to the point of having a reputation as such, but in this match felt the need, due to my ignorance and the fact that I did come in wanting to like it, to go even further. I assure you that I did not fabricate any dots, merely connecting what I saw, but I worry that I drifted past my own overly robust internal logic deep into the realm known as Johnny logic.

 

Now then, let me lay out the narrative as I see it. Misae Genki is a bully. She is bigger and stronger than Ran Yu Yu. She is also far, far less skilled. Ran Yu Yu is much more of a technician and while not nearly as strong, has a deep and intense fighting spirit, a never say die attitude, and is a warrior who will stand up for the little guy. From the get go, Genki tries to bully her way through the match, immediately staging an ambush where she slaps and kicks Ran Yu Yu in the most humiliaiting way possible. Ran Yu Yu, as she will do throughout, fights back and then enraged forces the lockup that Loss was so keen on. I can understand how one moment such as this, so rare and so primal can color an entire match for a viewer and even Jetlag admitted to there being above average moments.

 

The story stays consistent. The lock up ends with another underhanded attempt by Genki. Ran Yu Yu fires back. She then calls for a test of strength but Genki uses her power to turn it into a double knucklelock instead. She then starts employing full on bully tactics, stomping and ragdolling Ran around. There's an extra element of "shoving her into a locker" with every slam and throw. She ultimately settles in to work on the back, but grows complacent and bored with playing with her prey (who refuses to give up) and tosses her against the ropes for something more enjoyable and dynamic. This is a mistake that she'll repeat through the match and it allows Ran to fire back with aerial offense (more on the transitions later). This is a huge blemish on the match, of course. Ran has a tendency to really throw herself into her offense. It's one thing to drop the selling after a transition. It's another to land so hard on her own worked-over back after her moves and not sell it in the least. I can't forgive that.

 

Now, though, Ran is in control and she keeps that control by getting a few revenge holds. It's interesting to watch this as it fits into the broader story of this part of the match. Genki is stronger and meaner but her execution is lacking. She doesn't have the skill to get the most out of her strength. Ran is quicker and far more technically sound, but she's not strong enough to really lock in her holds and hit her moves as effectively as she needs to. When you factor in Ran's never-say-die attitude and Genki's strength and toughness, it means that neither can put the other away. In this, I fully admit that I may be turning obvious failings in the match's execution (Genki being sloppy and Ran just not being strong enough to make her stuff look good) into features.

 

This plays into the transitions as well. Ran's firmly in charge when she's hitting moves or locking in holds, but when she tries to whip Genki into the corner, she's almost always reversed. When Genki does get offense back, it's hugely bully like. She hits a massive atomic drop. She tosses Ran into all of the railings on the outside. She utilizes a long airplane spin. All of this is hugely enhanced by Ran's truly singular ability to throw herself into her bumps. Then, as before, she gets complacent as a bully is want to do, allowing for Genki to recover and get her share of revenge back on the floor, including a revenge airplane spin which might be my favorite single moment of the match.

 

From here on in we go towards an extended finishing stretch. I would not say there is "Your turn, my turn" so much as smaller transitions based around Ran trying whips or Genki allowing for distance to be created. The action is generally consistent. Neither can put the other away. Ran hits a lot of moves but they're lacking in impact. She's just barely hitting them. She can just barely lock her holds (like the dragon sleeper in). She's not big enough to hold Genki down. Genki hits a lot of moves but the technique is lacking. She's clumsy and Ran just has too much fire within her. Ran does her best when she's leaning on finesse, but even then, she can't quite hook what she wants. This builds towards the forearm exchanges and the finish, and here, I buy how many it takes because Ran just doesn't have the mass here. The match, the playing to the crowd, the reactions of the wrestlers present Ran's forearm as a killer but when she finally loads it up and hits it how she wants, Genki just laughs it off as a bully would. What does Ran do then? She takes the ridicule, goes back to the well and fires once more. Maybe it's a kill shot. Maybe it's a lucky shot. Maybe it's David throwing the sling. Whatever it is, it works.

 

So there's my reading. The selling was suspect throughout the match. I thought the transitions were mostly believable, but if they were logical, they were my logic. I know nothing about these two. Maybe I'm completely wrong on the fact that there was supposed to be a size difference. I do think Genki definitely wrestled like a bully and that Ran was presented as more savvy and technical. The extent of the difference between the two, though? That was me reading into what I saw. That they presented me something I could see so much in made this a very fun match for me. Can you do this with any match? No. The points need to be there. Can you stretch potential (probably, I admit) flaws into features? Only if they're this consistent, which I imagine is rare. I never want to see either of these two again because to do so would almost certainly break the illusion I created here. It was a fun trick, but it's one I can only manage once.

[soup23]

Quite the varying match for me to dive back into. I will be the neutral voice and say that I enjoyed a lot about this match while it struck me as never being great at any one moment. I did really like the beginning with the opening of the back work by Misae. Maybe it is a byproduct of the time period but so many matches in 2000 have started with this brawl around the arena that it was good to see the escalation happen in the traditional way here with focused control work. The finishing stretch was a kick out affair but I did feel the stakes raise and got a good outsider vibe from Misae on the JWP turf. I don't know if Ran will be viewed as an elite worker in my eyes at any point but she is certainly a hall of very good contender for 2000 so far. ***3/4

[ohtani's jacket]

A bit of debate on PWO2K! That's something that's been missing thus far. Naturally, I think both parties are wrong. There's nothing unique about Joshi matwork where one of the workers uses a single leg Boston crab. On the other hand, the bout isn't lousy. There are a ton of transitions. In fact, there are more transitions than you can wave a stick at. You can't complain about a Joshi match where they're able to transition with strike exchanges. The trouble is that Genki is supposed to be the dominant alpha female but it's Ran Yu Yu who consistently looks like the better worker. She outclassed Genki about a half a dozen times probably due to inexperience. It wasn't much of a surprise to me that Ran Yu Yu won because he looked so much more classier than Genki but I don't think that was the narrative they aimed for so I don't think they completely gelled here. Aja vs. KAORU is still my Joshi MOTY.

[Jetlag]

I've been on a Ran Yu Yu kick lately so I decided to rewatch this match. It was a bit better than I remembered but still not very good. There were a few nice bits, such as the opening open hand strikes and Ran Yu Yu is indeed awesome, but there was still a lot of meandering work especially the stuff on the floor and too many moments where one of them just absorbed moves and then hit one move to go back on offense. I think OJ is right that Yu Yu outclassed her opponent. She's awesome and her elbows were spectacular. Genki has some good power offense but she lacks intensity and who cares really when Ran kicked out of like 3 emerald frosions in this?