[2017-04-21-AAA] Taya vs Ayako Hamada

[jushin muta liger]

After coming off a so-so match at Rey De Reyes, this match between these two was much better. This was an old fashioned street fight that hid Taya’s faults in the ring and let her shine as a brawler and a character. Early on, she gets busted open and the visual of her blood mixed with her blonde hair was a throwback to something you would see in 80’s southern wrestling. Even the commentators remarked “Ric Flair” as her crimson mask replicated some of the Nature Boy’s iconic bloody photos from Apter mags past.

The match almost met the entire checklist of a great street fight.

1. Both wrestlers actually wore street clothes to a street fight.
2. There was blood.
3. One of the competitors attacked the cut after the other wrestler is busted open.
4. Both wrestlers wore white to accentuate the blood even more.
5. They used weapons in meaningful ways.
6. The brawling itself was good.

However, this match didn’t have the great heat that it needed for this to be a great street fight instead of a good match. Part of it was that this show was in Tijuana and it was a pro-Taya crowd (even though she came out to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” while wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey). Taya was clearly supposed to be the heel in this but cheered towards the end of the match. Ayako Hamada was a madwoman here as she took some ridiculous bumps through ladders and tables but the most dangerous one was a missed moonsault to the concrete floor where it looked like she messed up her ankle.

The finish of the match was pretty good as it kept Hamada strong but put Taya back as the Queen of the division. Vampiro coming out afterwards putting the match over to the crowd as one of the best performances by the women in AAA was a little bit forced but if they want to present the luchadoras in better way in AAA instead of putting them in random trios matches, then it needed to be done. (***1/2)