Early JWP (Pre-Split/Interpromotional Era)

[Jetlag]

It's been a while gentlemen. But old JWP STILL rules!

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JWP '91 First Half Best Match Collection Tag Match Volume

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Miss A & Harley Saito vs. Rumi Kazama & Mayumi Ozaki (JWP 4/23/1991)

Fun, fun showcase tag between the kickpadded JWP asskickers and the catsuited Ozaki/Kazama pair. This was structured and paced like a BattlARTS match into a joshi match. You would get thudding kicks and big suplexes interspersed with brief matwork and then a big 2,99999 run full of exciting twists and turns. There were little antics with the exception of Ozaki & Kazama running in to kick someone in the head once or twice to break up a submission, which is what I guess their idea of a title match was. I'm really curious to know what joshi purists think of this stuff. It's not typical joshi sprint work, but it's far from US/japanese mens style tag wrestling aswell. The body of the match was back and forth exchanges until the nearfalls got closer and the moves bigger and the action a little more frantic. Some might call it mindless but I thought the action delivered and the finishing run had some cutoffs and tricks that were right on the money proving they were using their brains. There was also one sequence between Kazama and Harley that was cooler than anything you think Kazama can pull off. Saito looked great as usual brutalizing her opponents with kicks, knees and elbows and Kansai is of course a juggernaut. Even Ozaki was laying it in, hitting possibly the most gritty dropkick ever aswell as taking a hideous lariat. At this point maybe I actually prefer this more subtle version of Ozaki.

Pink Cadillac & Mayumi Ozaki & Yukari Osawa vs. Cuty Suzuki & Miki Handa & Utako Hozumi (JWP 6/20/1991)

Ooof. There's no reason to work hard in a Pink Cadillac match and the only thing you need to know about this match is that they understood this too. I guess some of the 3 on 1 spots would be sort of amusing for some.

Mami Kitamura & Rumi Kazama & Devil Masami vs. Miki Handa & Miss A & Harley Saito (JWP 6/21/1991)

This was an evenly matched 6 man tag sprint, so naturally it was good. Each team had a kickpadded vixen (Saito/Kazama), a somewhat nondescript young talent (Handa/Kitamura) and a heavyweight monster (Devil/Kansai). Altough they switched the pairings up constantly. The matchups weren't quite stretched out and there wasn't a big conclusion so it's below your higher tier of JWP tags, altough you had your usual goodness, stiff kicks and occasional clever spots. The highlight was easily the Masami/Kansai pairing. Devil had one of her better days and went the full mile here. She has the kind of commanding presence a 3 vs 3 tag needs and her performance here made me think she would kill it in Arena Mexico. Engaging the crowd through her mannerisms, bumping big and dishing out the big blows when it counts. There were also some brief Saito/Kazama exchanges and while Saito looked good it felt like a rehash from their previous matches and very brief. This was the kind of solid cruise control tag they could have in their sleep worth watching for Devil Masami giving the kind of performance that proves she still had some left in the tank by 1991.

Devil Masami & Hikari Fukuoka vs. Itsuki Yamazaki & Cuty Suzuki (JWP 5/25/1991)

Borderline excellent character driven tag. This matchup really tells the story by itself, but I give them credit for going the extra mile and really emphasizing the dynamic constantly. You had Fukuoka, the non descript little mouse teaming with the juggernaut that is Devil Masami. So Yamazaki & Cuty are basically pushing Fukuoka, but when Masami comes in she dominates. Yamazaki & Cuty trying to outwrestle Devil and bouncing off of her is all kinds of fun (including Yamazaki hitting maybe the most logical sunset flip in history on Devil) and because Fukuoka is dependant on her partner to survive you get that constant intensity and nifty help spots. Yamazaki really shines in JWP because not only can she wrestle she adds a ton of character without being overly theatric. I've talked about Cuty resembling Arn Anderson and I was getting some dismissive Anderson Bros vibes from her team in how they threated Fukuoka, there was also some really nice armwringer work from Cuty altough she didn't go full bore like in her Scorpion matches. At one point Yamazaki just kicks Fukuoka in the mouth. When Fukuoka puts her in the Boston Crab it feels like a big moment and I love a match that makes me care about a Boston Crab. There was also an ultra gnarly piledriver which is sold like a fucking piledriver so that ruled too. Match didn't have a grand finishing run but there was absolutely no reason for this to go all epic. We do get the absolutely devastating Gorilla Press from Masami aswell as some fat powerbombs and another nasty dropkick finish. Cool character work and cool wrestling, this is what makes old JWP so worthwhile.

Cuty Suzuki & Plum Mariko vs. Yukari Osawa & Sachiko Koganei (JWP 6/30/1991)

A chance to see the lesser featured Osawa & Koganei stretch out and do stuff. Match wasn't bad at all and had it's moments but was more than a hair below the upper tier of JWP tags. Osawa wears the kickpads but aside from a hard kick or two looked noticably less polished than her peers. Koganei was fun and spunky. Osawa & Koganei did some heel tactics – biting, cut play etc but they didn't run it into the ground. Match was worked like your usual JWP tag – constant back and forth with the moves getting bigger and the occasional half crab. Nothing super compelling especially with all 4 being limited on offense (lots of flying clotheslines and crossbodies) and the match needed someone to really push it. I did really like the flying legbars from Plum. I imagine this kind of match would've gotten more play back then. The opening exchange was quite flippy and you had your usual barrage of great looking suplexes and the occasional cool double team.

 

There you go, 4 good matches on this tape. Now I wonder where is the Best Match Collection for the SECOND half of 1991??

 

[Jetlag]

Mie Dohiki vs. Sumiko Saito (JWP 4/26/1991)

Fun rookie match which was slightly more flashy than your average young lions opener. Some nifty technical moves. I'm a sucker for a good armdrag takeover or leg trip. I didn't get much from Saito, who looked tall and awkward running the roopes, but Dohiki was quite feisty. She wasn't afraid to kick Saito hard in the spine and her fast dropkicks looked great. Of course, true to form, Dohiki doesn't show up again after 1991.

Eagle Sawai & Mayumi Ozaki vs. Shinobu Kandori & Harley Saito (JWP 4/26/1991)

Was shaping up to be a pretty great match before it ended in baffling manner. Match was built around Sawai & Ozaki trying everything to compete against the badass duo that is Kandori & Harley. There is some ultra sharp, violent work on Harley consisting mostly of brutal looking stomps to the head and elbows to the neck aswell as some nifty evasion spots and Kandori & Saito teeing off on Sawai & Ozaki with slaps and kicks. Then a weird transition happens when Ozaki hits a nice dive to the outside before a brawl erupts. Kandori brings in a table and they teased a double countout, but Ozaki goes back in and is in peril now. Saito & Kandori are just destroying Ozaki now hitting every move they have on that tiny woman. Ozaki wants to tag out, but Sawai isn't there. This is great drama, but then Sawai comes in and some awkward fumbling around with weapons ensues. They brawl outside again and a guardrail is brought in. I admit Kandori and Sawai using the guardrail is quite the epic visual, but I thought all the drama they had with Ozaki in peril just fizzled away when they went to the garbage stuff. I could see some people really digging this.

Devil Masami & Rumi Kazama vs. Miss A & Itsuki Yamazaki (JWP 4/26/1991)

This was just a tremendous match; great, intelligent, character driven pro wrestling and some brutal spots. This was probably Masamis finest JWP performance outside the Kandori match. It's also another great one for Yamazaki. Lord, is there any other veteran wrestler who has an unseen run as great as Yamazakis in JWP on tape? Her retiring before the interpromotional era is certainly a waste. This starts out fiery hot with some massive lariats and kicks thrown before a slowdown and then sprint again which involve Masami doing some pretty fun wrestling and Yamazaki looking super impressive. Masami ends up caught in a Figure 4 which sets up some really nice legwork and Masami finally doing a really good job selling vulnerability. They keep the nifty moments coming and Kansai & Kazama look impressive aswell mostly kicking the hell out of whoever is in the ring but also bringing some well timed spots of their own. Really well executed economic pro wrestling, the kinda match that was missing from joshi in the later 90s.

 

[Jetlag]

Cuty Suzuki & Miki Handa & Mikiko Futagami vs. Sachiko Koganei & Yuka Nakajima & Ayumi ? (1/13/1991)

Pretty average action. Lots of half crabs. Yuka Nakajima and the mysterious Ayumi had a Dump Matsumoto-esque punk look and were working a standard heel style, staying in the ring. Nobody except Cuty and Koganei looked above average. Not a terrible match but it didn't have the hard hitting, sharp technical work or psychology that makes JWP what it is.

Mie Dohiki vs. ? (1/6/1991)

Mie Dohiki faces another mysterious short haired rookie. Not as good as the previous Dohiki match because it ended weirdly, as Dohiki controlled her opponent for a while before a comeback was supposed to happen, but mystery girl blows it and is easily defeated. Dohikis stomps, kneedrops and holds looked great again. The opening work reminded me a bit of the more technical 80s AJW matches. Wonder if I can unearth a listworthy match of hers?

Devil Masami & The Scorpion vs. Eagle Sawai & Sachiko Koganei (1/6/1991)

Good match, with a similiar dynamic to the Masami/Fukuoka tag where it's her working as a juggernaut protecting her smaller partner. Scorpion is nowhere near as helpless as a young Hikari Fukuoka of course and there were some neat spots involving her. Sawai & Koganei are perfectly solid in their roles. They didn't work towards any epic stretch or grande climax, just a fun character driven undercard tag and I don't mind watching matches like this at all.

Mayumi Ozaki & Rumi Kazama vs. Shinobu Kandori & Harley Saito (1/6/1991)

Much more compact, better version of the previously reviewed match. Kandori was so fun as a dominant force here, and you got the sense Ozaki & Kazama were pushing hard to contain her. The Kazama/Kandori interactions were foreshadowing the future Kandori/Hotta matches. Kazama is no Yumiko Hotta, Daisuke Ikeda, Koki Kitahara level ass stomper, but when it was time to be a woman she stepped up and kicked Kandori in the face. Kandori was using a half crab as a finisher at this point, which sounds lame but the way she cranks in that half crab you buy it forcing a tap. Ozaki looked good doing some slick wrestling and while Saito was subdued but she is more than solid in her „run in and kick the hell out of whoever is in the ring“ role. Some nifty spots and a funny finish.

[Jetlag]

Just a heads up - this channel has uploaded quite a bit of this presplit JWP stuff, including many matches that I've added to the recommended list. Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxJ353H3dEId-YbpDYi60Zg/videos

So let's start with this match which is also on the channel:

Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Miss A & Harley Saito (8/12/1990)

Especially interesting matchup because it's one of the longer JWP matches I've seen at 30 minutes. Most of these matches don't go over 15, and I was a little surprised how well they handled themselves. You'd think a 30 minute match would start slow, but they start pushing the pace pretty quickly and never really let things drag. Even when they were working holds there was something interesting going on (usually a partner running in to deliver a crushing blow or step on someones face). So on one hand this was a really well executed match with plenty of neat spots and good control segments. On the other hand none of that stuff built to anything grand and the match ended up feeling a little average on the ending. I mean, you are going for a 30 minute epic! I love economic pro wrestling more than most, but if there is ever a reason to go bonkers wth 2.99999s and exciting counters, it's a match like this, and instead they kept it so conservative. I feel like a hypocrite over this. It didn't help that the most exciting moment of the match - an absolutely murderous lariat out of nowhere that turned the receiving person into a stiff - happened in the first 90s seconds of the match. Harley looked good mostly selling and occasionally teeing off on someone with her kicks, while Yamazaki wasn't in the match a ton, but always looked good: she had some really unique, sharp legwork aswell as hitting some nasty elbows to the neck. Devil had her working boots on nuking everyone with powerbombs and gorilla slams and doing some neat wrestling of her own. Miss A was still pretty limited at this point and had some awkward moments. I think this the match one might love as an example of well executed pro wrestling with character work, fun dynamics and neat moments or be completely indifferent to, wondering what's the point. I'm more on the positive side but I'll leave it for the community to decide.

[Jetlag]

 

Itsuki Yamazaki & Rumi Kazama vs. Miss A & Mami Kitamura (7/19/1990)

 

Previously unavailable match from the mysterious japanese YouTube page. This was a fun sprint. The highlight was unironically Kazama running in to kick the hell out of whoever was in the ring, something she did pretty well during this time period. Yamazaki was cool as usual. Kansai felt a little subdued considering both opponents were pushing her. Kitamura looked solid doing basic stuff like working a legbar, but also looked crummy hitting a lousy dropkick etc. Not every match can be an epic and stuff like this is part of the reason why JWP is so enjoyable.

 

Devil Masami vs. Eagle Sawai (7/19/1990)

 

Funny match which was centered around Sawai using her heel tactics and Devil soon fighting fire with fire. Funny because Sawai was using eye rakes and chokes much like Masami would do a decade earlier. Not saying Masami didn't have her working boots on, but it got quite silly especially when a minion of Sawai ran in with a chair and Masami went Steve Austin on everyone.

 

Miki Handa vs. Jiang Lee Jun (?) (7/19/1990)

 

Here's an oddity: in 1990, JWP was also doing wrestler vs. Martial artist matches BECAUSE THAT WAS THE STYLE AT THE TIME. I assume the martial artist is always the same in these matches – a girl in a gi with brutal kicks. Most of them are fun because the JWP girls aren't afraid to get kicked in the face. This was probably the funnest of the bunch, weirdly involving rookie Miki Handa. Handa hits some cool judo throws (I'm surprised you didn't see more judo in matches involving one wrestler wearing a Gi) and Jiang Lee absolutely kicks the living hell out of here. Totally up there with any beating you see in other wrestler vs. Martial artist matches. The finish is great too with the martial artist landing a serious of devasting kicks, jumping around and celebrating in a cocky manner only for Handa to clock her with a big punch and sink in a choke.

[Jetlag]

Mami Kitamura & Hikari Fukuoka vs. Midori Saito & Yuka Nakajima (JWP 4/22/1990)

 

Rookie match. Highspots: dropkicks and a Bulldog. All 4 worked with some nice snugness, thudding back elbows and tight small packages. It reminded me a bit of those stumpy legged IWE juniors. Perfectly enjoyable match, altough they basically just worked to a finish with no real structure or story in mind. Great looking basic moves and a nice finish. Another type of match that is hard to find these days.

 

Plum Mariko vs. Yukari Osawa (JWP 3/21/1990)

 

Undercard match with some fun moments. Pretty much all there is to it. Osawa did some low end heel stuff (chokes and claw holds) but they didn't set out for anything more than some fast food action. Plum is more at home in workrate matches, but she did suplex tall awkward Osawa around nicely, so what do I know.

 

Rumi Kazama vs. Miyuki Takayama (JWP 1/7/1990)

 

Wrestler vs. Kickboxer time. This was short but felt like a fight. Takayama was laying in the punches and kicks. Things got pretty intense for a second when Kazama started kicking the kickboxer when she was down. Kazama dominated most of this taking Takayama down repeatedly and finally forcing a tap with a half crab in under 4 minutes, proving pro wrestling is superior. Not a super impressive performance from Kazama as the kickboxer looked way smaller and lighter, but I enjoyed it.

 

The Scorpion vs. Hiromi Miyagawa (JWP 1/7/1990)

 

Found a masked japanese girl wrestler vs. Female kickboxer match. Life is complete. This went longer than Kazama/Takayama and I imagine would have been pretty good with someone less reluctant than Miyagawa. Scorpion looked good, she has more impressive takedowns and ground game than Kazama, and she also slapped the kickboxer in the face. I also liked how she would complain about an illegal(?) knee from Miyagawa, sell her stomach and give her comeuppance by basically making minced meat out of the kickboxer.

 

Cuty Suzuki vs. Sachiko Koganei (JWP 1/7/1990)

 

Another brief midcard encounter. Cuty Suzuki could work, no lying. Her basic moves - kneedrops, drop toe holds etc look more impressive than a lot of male indy workers. Koganei looks talented but was mostly indulging in heel tactics which was pretty passe by 1990. She also looked sloppy at times. I give her props for being so delightfully evil, though.

 

Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Harley Saito & Miss A (1990 or 1991)

 

JIP. Was going good like the matchup promises with some hard kicks being thrown, but then a bullshit double countout happens. They do a restart only to do another brawl into an easy rollup finish. I guess you can file this under „a night off“, altough I love savage Yamazaki can be in these matches. You don't expect her to run in and punch Kansai in the face, but she does.

 

Miki Handa vs. Utako Hozumi (JWP 3/21/1990)

 

Technical undercard match. Loved the flying headscissors and there was some cool back work. Handa wins with a cool rarely seen pin combo.

 

Mayumi Ozaki & Eagle Sawai vs. Cutie Suzuki & Rumi Kazama (JWP 3/21/1990)

 

Another fine match. Ozaki & Sawai start out by bashing Suzuki & Kazama with their flowers and proceed to work the heel stuff well. It just works better in a tag where you can have a faster pace while still building some heat. Kazama looked solid hitting some good kicks and a nice Fujiwara armbar, while Cutie was pretty much working as a technico to Ozakis and Sawais rudoism, doing mostly flash pins and submissions. Seemed a little subdued and you soon found out why when the silly buggers began and they ended the match in a no contest due to chairs getting involved.

[Jetlag]

JWP TV taped 11/2/91 Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Mayumi Ozaki vs. Hikari Fukuoka

Fukuokas Toyota worship was already becoming apparent here. What makes this more than your average rookie squash is Ozaki kicking the living hell out of her and doing some gritty armwork. Ozaki working like Regal rules. She rocks a mean Fujiwara armbar and will pull your fingers apart. Her kicks and stomps were also pretty manly. Eat your heart out, britwres shitters.

Eagle Sawai & Reiko Hoshino vs. Itsuki Yamazaki & Mami Kitamura

Hoshino is the newly unmasked Scorpion. This was an undercard tag that felt like they made it up as they went a long. The match still had a story with Sawai really roughing up young Kitamura and her going against the vets with Yamazaki helping her along being the plot of the match. Nothing out of the extraordinary here but the match had it's moments and some nice smacks.

Cuty Suzuki vs. Plum Mariko

I like both these workers, but there wasn't much to this. Just your usual perfunctory holds → filler legwork → couple nearfalls affair. Felt like a touring match, but they were in Korakuen Hall.

Shinobu Kandori & Miki Handa vs. Devil Masami & Utako Hozumi

The Kandori/Devil matchup is interesting in theory, but they didn't deliver a whole lot. It was a short match to begin with and they wasted a good chunk of time with Boston Crabs and mild outside brawling. Not exactly a working boots performance from Devil and Kandori wasn't exactly fired up either. Match had it's moments such as a few stiff lariats and a big press slam into a splash.

UWA International Title: Harley Saito vs. Dynamite Kansai

Great ultra stiff fight between two of the stiffest workers not just in womens wrestling. These two had been battling it out fierce for over a year and this was probably their most brutal outing. Just two asskickers cracking eachother with shots. The opening minute are fire, and we get some really good battle for control stuff with Harley making use of the kneebar and both of them really punishing the other. One thing that stands out about JWP is that there was no „I hit you, you hit me“, it's a constant battle for the advantage until one gets control and just tees off on the other. To be honest Kansai doesn't have much character or selling ability compared to Kandori so this wasn't as good and they went for the usual 50/50 exchanges in the last third. However the finish gave the whole thing a touch of epic as it was quite unique for japanese wrestling which has conditioned us to expect a different outcome from that kind of move. I'd say Harley did well here carrying this selling and giving Kansai as good as she had making this the 1991 MOTY as it's more compact than their earlier match.

[Jetlag]

Harley Saito & Devil Masami vs. Dynamite Kansai & Madusa (JWP 12/7/1991)

Oooh baby. The highlight in this was of course Kansai and Saito pulverizing each other with thudding kicks. BattlARTSian rhythm at times. I was also shocked how well Madusa did here. I mean, I've liked her WWF stuff against Bull and so on, but she fit really well here, hitting her kicks on point, engaging in good exchanges, and nailing the submissions and suplexes. She looked better doing that hybrid shooter stuff and kicking Devil Masami in the chin than a lot of girls today with a much bigger fanbase. Speaking of Masami, she was energetic and played her usual role of the explosive powerhouse that will turn the match around by blasting someone with fat powerbombs and lariats if given the chance. This had more structure than the usual JWP tag, we get some hot opening exchanges, before some backwork on Saito is teased, then Masami helps her out and we get Kansai in peril instead. Masamis intrusiveness ends up backfiring later. The finish was a little cute but nothing offensive. Not quite the stone cold classic that the first couple minutes were hinting at but a far above average match nonetheless.

 

10/23/91: Cuty Suzuki & Devil Masami vs. Reggie Bennett & Terri Power

Reggie Bennett Sighting!!! While there was no ARSION matwork in this match, it was a really fun houseshow tag. The US gals added significant big/little psychology to the match. This was also a nice nuanced Devil performance, as she put over the massive physical advantage of the foreigners while retaining her own monster status by doing cool things such as selling her own arm and shoulder after landing a big lariat or breathing heavily after hitting a bodyslam. Bennett & Power looked good on offense aswell, hitting nice elbow drops, big powerslams etc. Match includes a sumo standoff and buildup to a vertical suple ex. Also thought the structure was good with Cuty being severely disadvantaged and Masami saving her repeatedly leading to a cool unique finish.

12/1/91 Osaka: Reggie Bennett & Terri Power vs. Eagle Sawai & Dynamite Kansai

 

The previous match was a fun little match due to character dynamics and big/little psychology. This was Reggie & Terri stepping up for a stiff heavyweight clash. And they did pretty well too. Nothing as nuanced here as Devils selling in the previous match but they had no problem stepping up to trade big blows with Kansai. There were some hints at Kansai and Sawai having to use double teams to cut Reggie down but the match had no real depth. I was also surprised how easily Kansai beat Reggie. I mean, you have a big gaijin lady who can work, surely you might want to set her up as a bigger threat?

 

12/7/91: Eagle Sawaii & Dynamite Kansai & Reiko Hoshino vs. Itsuki Yamazaki & Harley Saito & Hikari Fukuoka

Joshi sprint no better or worse than any other you've seen. Tag in, do a couple moves, tag out. I actually like these JWP sprints a little more than the AJW equivalents because everyone has really solid offense and they only go 13 minutes. Fukuoka was fully embracing Toyotaism here and took some bad abuse from Kansai and Sawai. Hoshinos dive was easily the highlight. Saito and Kansai interactions could've made this something noteworthy but they only interacted briefly.

[Jetlag]

No JWP reviews in almost 2 years? Damn.

 

JWP 9/26/1990 (JWP Monthly Version)

Sachiko Koganei vs. Utako Hozumi

Koganei is retiring. Too bad. She was a fun heel character. This was a 5 minute exhibition with Hozumi hitting some slick moves and Koganei getting a last hurray. After the match she is attacked by two wrestlers in street pants and shiny jackets, and she pins one of them for some reason.

Eagle Sawai vs. Itsuki Yamazaki

Yamazaki is great in the veteran technician role. Sawai added nothing to this match. Of course, she picks up the win. How one can have a match this bad with Yamazaki is beyond me. Sawai sold nothing and all her shit looked off. Bleargh.

Shinobu Kandori & Miki Handa vs. Mami Kitamura & Harley Saito

I was hoping for some Kandori/Saito exchanges from this. Instead we mostly get young Mami trying to not get crushed and Harley was in the match for about 30 seconds. It was a fun underdog story though. There was a long heat segment on Mami where she was prevented from making the tag over and over again. Anytime Kandori does a basic move it becomes a near finish, and her judo throw which sounded like it snapped Kitamuras shoulder was insane. Handa also looked pretty good here, dropping some pretty vicious looking offense for a tiny girl, especially her Robinson Backbreaker.

Devil Masami vs. Dynamite Kansai

This was great when they were mauling eachother. However, most of the match time was spent with Masami trying to ground Kansai and somewhat blowing off her offensive attempts. It was solid and made sense, but not really what I want out of this match up, especially since the match wasn't that long anyways. Also, Devil Masami taking Kansai for a walk int he audience was pretty bad. The finish felt unspectacular for something that was supposed to be a showdown between two killers. Kansai looked good her, hitting a big dives and just blasting Masami with kicks. She also broke out a nasty Cavernaria.

[Alex]

I love how super low budget early JWP was.  You have these commercial tapes that are just handcam videos with awful camera work.  

I'm watching one of their commercial tapes from 1990 where they did a show in front of the US Air Force at Yokota (I assume Yokota, not sure).  The horndogs *ahem* I mean military really love Cuty Suzuki.  The ring card girl had a tough job, she can't even do a lap around the auditorium without dudes jumping out trying to get pictures with her.  Devil Masami has such great stage presence and she's so impressive, even the crowd of foreigners learn quickly that she's a super badass.  The last match on the tape has Kazama/Saito vs Ozaki/Ozawa.  None of the matches on the show are amazing, they're literally just touring matches, it's just neat seeing joshi in front of a different audience than normal.

[Alex]

Just got this hand-held from Lorefice, Kandori vs Sato 1987.  Man, these girls just do not like each other.

 

[WingedEagle]

Just now, Alex said:

Just got this hand-held from Lorefice, Kandori vs Sato 1987.  Man, these girls just do not like each other.

 

Thanks for the link!  Can't wait to check that out when I get back home today.

[Jetlag]

That match was a pretty infamous shoot incident and Kandori basically ended Satos career right there.

[G. Badger]

I reviewed 90-91 JWP on my blog earlier this year. Thought I had posted my reviews here a few months ago but guess not. Thought it be good to have some of my bigger projects here in the Microscope section as well since there are some pre-existing topics that match up.  Plus the forums tend to get more looks than the blog section.

 

04/22/90: Plum Mariko vs The Scorpion
Not sure what to make of Scorpion beforehand but I like her and the masked gimmick. She displayed a lot of spectacular lucha type moves. Plum was just sort of there to make those moves look smooth. But hey, she did an awesome job in doing that. This was a fun match. A very nice start!

05/25/90: Cuty Suzuki & Oscar Tomo vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Yukari Osawa
Really glad that I checked this one out. It was a good tag match. Ozaki and Osawa are heels with Cuty and Oscar as baby faces. What's great is that the heels don't really get into brawling and using weapons as you'd see in AJW around this time. They take shortcuts in the ring but when the action picks up down the stretch they have the wrestling skills to rely upon. Ozaki is already on her way to being awesome. She has a ton of personality and her moves are immediately identifiable as her own.

05/25/90: Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Plum Mariko
I really dig Yamazaki from the Jumping Bomb Angels so its cool to see that she went to JWP. Really good match that's veteran vs up and comer. Everything looks really good and builds very nicely. They wanted to put on a really well wrestled match that makes sense and gets the fans pumped to see Plum get an upset victory. Much more competitive than the above match.

06/14/90:Eagle Sawai vs. Maiko Tsurugi
Only have seen Eagle a couple times and Maiko is new to me. Anyhow, the moves and action is a little simpler than the match above but the story is much stronger. Maiko is getting the advantage on Eagle. But Maiko gets hurt due to outside interference. Eagle then goes to work on that injury. Can Maiko survive? Very good stuff.

06/14/90: Plum Mariko & Cuty Suzuki vs. Miki Handa & Utako Hozumi
A good fast paced match that got more interesting with a restart and a hot finish. Plum and Cuty are a pretty fun team to watch. I wouldn't mind seeing more Handa & Hozumi as they develop. 

06/14/90: Mayumi Ozaki vs. The Scorpion
Another very good match! Closing in on a great one actually. I think in part it just had those big moves towards the end or something. I mean Scorpion does a moonsault  and Ozaki does a springboard cross body block for instance. That said there is a good portion of quality matwork as well.  Scorpion seemed at Ozaki's level.

07/19/90: Shinobu Kandori vs. Harley Saito
This is stylistically UWF meets 80's Inoki Strong Style. Nothing has been like this at all so far in JWP. Later 80's Crush Gals would do the shoot kicks but nowhere as stiff as this and not this type of grappling. It is tremendously intense and nasty at times. I think if the filming was more than fixed camera, this would be even nastier. Harley is just soccer kicking Kandori in the head for instance. It very rarely feels cooperative. One thing I've noticed is the frequent use of pinning moves in JWP at this time. That is the case here as well and I appreciate it as its going for the win by any means. I also appreciate the refs who actually count the shoulders on the mat. That plays a part here. I don't know if I could call it a classic match but it's certainly memorable, influential and highly recommended stuff. A great match without a doubt. Post match stuff is sick too!

08/12/90: Mayumi Ozaki & Rumi Yasuda & Yukari Osawa vs. Cuty Suzuki & Plum Mariko & Miki Handa
Haven't heard great stuff about this but I wanted to see a 6 woman tag in JWP. One of the others I was looking for cannot be found. Plus I know all of the wrestlers at this point and it has potential. And yeah this lived up to the potential. Fast paced stuff with Plum & Ozaki  being the most impressive. Plum gives Ozaki a dangerous looking backdrop also. Really fun stuff, good match. I really like the pacing and competitive nature of these JWP matches. 

08/12/90: Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Miss A & Harley Saito
Pretty darn good match. Devil and Itsuki did all kinds of cool stuff here. This is a longer match but I think they filled the time very well. Miss A and Harley weren't necessarily putting the other team in constant danger however Devil and Itsuki couldn't put them away either. That would give the younger wrestlers and opportunity to find an opening with their kicks. I think a faster paced match would have been more exciting but they wanted to go longer. They even snipped a few minutes from the footage. I'm not sure it needed that because it didn't drag at all.  The veteran team knew how to control the excitement even when the pace slowed down.

09/30/90: Rumi Kazama & Shinobu Kandori vs. Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki
Oh this was a great tag match! Shinobu & Rumi are not necessarily heels in deed but the fans are against them. Devil & Itsuki might be heels but the fans like them especially against Rumi and Shinobu. Or that's my point of view. Nonetheless, this is a match that pits the shooter style against the entertainment style of Joshi more than above. And Devil and Itsuki are old guard entertainment style and I imagine the tension is real in ring. It's great because everyone is professional about it and it makes for a really exciting & intense back and forth match. Seeing Devil toss around Rumi is pretty enjoyable. Some might find the finish corny but it works!

10/10/90: Plum Mariko & Cuty Suzuki vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Rumi Yasuda 
A clear face vs heel match which is a lot of fun. Hair pulling, biting, running the face along the ropes etc. Everything was well executed and honestly Cuty Suzuki actually wrestled well here. I'm not a big fan as we go further into the decade but perhaps the simplicity of the matches is in her favor? I wouldn't say this is a need to see bout but its fun. Also online this is listed as from 12/12/90 but double checking Quebrada as well as the finish of the Miss A/Saito vs Kandori/Kazama match, this is 10/10. Same with the below. 12/12 must just be either the tape or TV episode date. I've listed it accordingly.

10/10/90: Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Eagle Sawai & Moon Ayako
So yeah, Devil and Itsuki are the best tag team in the promotion. I shouldn't be surprised but this was almost a squash in that no way were Eagle and Moon going to win but this was really fun stuff. That enjoyment was pretty much all from Devil and Itsuki. They just have so much charisma and great ideas on how to work little matches. 5 minutes was cut from the footage but no matter. It was a blast!

 

10/10/90: Miss A & Harley Saito vs. Shinobu Kandori & Rumi Kazama
I watched this the following day after the great 07/19 match. I look to this as the follow-up to that battle. I definitely think is the case or the way to watch it. This was great and perhaps a near classic with the story of that singles match (and aftermath) giving this some depth. This is more like a traditional tag match despite both teams being shoot wrestling but the intensity and stiffness is still there. Miss A/Dynamite is really laying in her kicks. Like Shinya Hashimoto, they thud. I just thought everyone was great here. There were a few callbacks to the 07/19 bout that really made this something special. I'm a tag wrestling fan and I think I liked this better but certainly the singles match needs to be seen to fully appreciate this. 

11/11/90: Miss A vs. Devil Masami
Whoa! This was a great match! Stiff intense battle from two of the larger wrestlers. There were less pin attempts and more power moves as a result. Therefore it felt like a big-time match with the established star Devil fighting the up and coming Miss A. Miss A/Dynamite Kansai already looks like a star in '90. There's no underdog story here. Its Miss A challenging Devil head on. The middle portion might put some folks off as they settle into some mat work but its purposeful and aggressive enough to keep things going. Again this is more like a heavyweight men's match than a hyper Joshi fight with reversals, roll ups etc. And this is only 15 minutes long, so even if you're not feeling it, the mat work transitions to the exciting conclusion rather quickly. That said, this section didn't bother me in the slightest. I'm just responding to criticism that I have read. I thought it was a good way to bring the match pace & energy down a little bit in order to have the end ramp up into something truly exciting. Works for me! Its on the JWP Best Match - Single matches compilation for a reason.

12/7/90: Plum Mariko & Cuty Suzuki vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Rumi Kazama
Had trouble finding this but its on the JWP Best Of Tag Matches 1990 tape and you should be able to watch it searching for that tape title. Anyhow, this was a great match on its way to being a near classic. They never got into top gear but everything looked great. Constant action, always going for an reversal or an escape of some sort. I don't get hung up on joshi mat work as any more than a way to slow things down while putting a hurt on your opponent. Same thing goes here. Plum's different leg lock moves were awesome so I'm not going to complain that they didn't end the match. For a 13 minute match this was a blast! 

12/24/90: Rumi Kazama vs. Mayumi Ozaki 
Great match that I haven't seen any praise for. Ozaki is already a bad ass and Rumi is definitely more than just Kandori's lackey. I just thought that JWP is like an alternative to AJW. It doesn't seem as polished as AJW but makes up for it in grit and hate. That's what makes JWP great in 1990 really. It all feels like a honest athletic competition. This match is a great example of that but also goes into high gear with great action and moves in the end. Really glad I went out of my way to watch this.

 

[G. Badger]

Here's 1991

01/06/91: Miss A vs. Itsuki Yamazaki
A great bout pitting veteran technician vs the young powerhouse. I think they told that story wonderfully. Yamazaki's leg work on A/Dynamite was masterful. A eventually found the opening she needed to mount a meaningful offense. It wasn't as precise and thoughtful as Yamazaki's though. It was good nonetheless and Yamazaki continued to target As knee when she could as well as go for quick pinning maneuvers. The finish wasn't as strong as I would have liked but it's part of a tournament so its OK. It doesn't hurt the match which was pretty great.

01/07/91: Eagle Sawai vs. Shinobu Kandori
Simple but effective match with Eagle's power vs Kandori's technique... until shit breaks down and Kandori is throwing chairs in the ring. Really spirited good stuff

01/08/91: Harley Saito vs. Devil Masami
Wonderful little match as Devil mauls Harley for the majority of the match (to the delight of the few Americans in the audience chanting and cheering the whole time). Harley will not quit and as a result you really start to get behind her (every though its fun watching Devil on offense).

01/13/91: Miss A vs. Eagle Sawai
Greatest whip into the steel barricades ever. Eagle kinda forgets wrestling physics and full speed runs/whips Miss A into the railing and it flies! It never recovers and each subsequent whip knocks it further apart. This was a great WAR-style battle. I loved it! The 3 count is suspect but that happens in JWP as they kind of just keep going which is reasonable. This was a 2 count but screw it, this wasn't about the finish it was about the violence!

02/11/91 Miss A vs. Harley Saito
I should say this is UWA final and the preceding singles matches were tournament matches. This was good. Miss A showed moments of brutality with her strikes. Harley showed moments of technical prowess but there was not enough of either to make this a great final. I would have liked more parity to be frank. It felt like many other JWP matches where sometimes the actual match is negated by a quick count or perhaps a great pinning maneuver at the end. If Harley's character is that a technicians and perhaps an underdog, I understand this match. But I don't know how much of an underdog she is as shown in her great match with Shinobu Kandori in 1990 where she takes the #2 of the company to the limit. But that underdog story is what we got and it's just not that compelling. But what hurt this for me were the "submission" attempts by Miss A. The Scorpion deathlock was good but the sleeper segment and the figure 4 were boring to me. I'm so tired of seeing meaningless figure 4's. I think I liked every match before this. This was good but not great and the final should either be a great work rate match, a great story match or both. I like them as teammates more than opponents.

Miss A/Harley vs Rumi/Ozaki 04/23/91 
Very good tag match. Oddly A & Harley were sorta the heels here by dominating most of the match. Harley was especially stiff to the point where I really did feel bad for Ozaki & Rumi. This really picked up in the final third as they were doing all kinds of neat suplexes, double teams and saves. I don't recall anyone touting this but so glad I checked it out.

04/26: Eagle Sawai & Mayumi Ozaki vs. Shinobu Kandori & Harley Saito
What an awesome intense battle! Everyone was in top form and there was so much hate from bell to bell. If the UWA finals helped push Harley and Miss A then this bout helped Ozaki. Near classic Joshi tag match, rough around the edges in the best ways and highly recommended for sure. 

Devil/Rumi vs Miss A/Yamazaki 04/26/91
Oh man tough act to follow but this was also pretty damn great! It had an awesome start but dip in the middle with some legwork but then picked back up for a great final segment. I shouldn't poo-poo the legwork part as it was acceptable and a means to control Devil and they never just laid there. Rumi did a very good job breaking stuff up as best she could. Yamazaki was excellent as usual and hope I get to see more of her in part #2. Yeah go see this one as well. Both 04/26 tags are worth your time if you're into old school Joshi.

Harley Saito vs. Rumi Kazama (05/12): Wow! I was impressed with what they were able to do in an under 10 minute match! Lots of stiff looking kicks, good bits of mat wrestling sprinkled in and a nice finishing segment. The early portion looked like Rumi stiffed Harley and Harley was looking for pay back. Good to very good match.

Eagle Sawai & Mayumi Ozaki vs. Devil Masami & Miss A (5/12/91)
Oh man you can't go wrong with these teams in '91. Much of what makes this great is Ozaki vs Devil. She is so much smaller than the veteran Masami but has tons of fight (and hate). Eagle is the big sister bailing Oz out and Kansai/Miss A is the serious partner looking to play a good teammate. Lots of great moves throughout some are even teases but that's what makes JWP so organic and great at this time. I rarely get a feel that spots are planned and the victories feel genuine. That's pretty special in my book.

Mayumi Ozaki vs. Devil Masami (06/16/1991)
A really good match with Devil having some fun with the smaller Ozaki. Oz is quick and takes short cuts so Devil would only go so far until she really punished her opponent. Its a simple match but two joshi greats in the same ring always produce something worthwhile. I viewed this before the above match and it actually makes more sense to do so.

Itsuki Yamazaki & Rumi Kazama vs. Miss A & Harley Saito (06/30/91)
Intense fucking battle. Miss A/Dynamite Kansai is actually the least stiff of all the wrestlers. Unfortunately the version I saw has a section missing (perhaps this is the official version) but what's shown is pretty sweet. Itsuki Yamazaki is awesome in this. If shown in full this would be great.

Dynamite Kansai & The Scorpion vs. Shinobu Kandori & Harley Saito (08/04/91)
First "Dynamite Kansai" match that I've seen. Her gear is different and she's somehow even more of a badass. This is a very good match and you want to watch it for Dynamite just blasting Harley. It seems very clear that she has pulled ahead since their meeting 02/11/91 meeting and as tag partners. This Dynamite Kansai is even handing Kandori her ass.

Harley Saito & Itsuki Yamazaki vs Dynamite Kansai & Scorpion (08/08/91)
I may have spoke too soon about Harley. She wasn't scared of Kansai. Itsuki Yamazaki seems to get better as we go. Scorpion upped her game too. This was a ferocious match. The Yamazaki & Harley team was one I wish I could see more of but we're almost to the end. This was a great match...seek this one out!

Devil Masami vs. Itsuki Yamazaki (08/30/91)
This starts out with Yamazaki jumping Devil kinda like Hayabusa would do to Liger Super J Cup. Then it settles down into the normal flow of the match which is pretty solid as Devil injures Yamazaki's arm. The former Jumping Bomb Angel gets an opening and hurts Devil's leg or ankle specifically. I don't know if this is legitimate as Devil sold it very well then too much if you know what I mean. Yamazaki didn't really have a great plan of attack other than a figure 4 and some weak stomps and kicks. It really seemed like she took a bad bump from the apron or to the floor on earlier the comeback spot. She may have twisted it and the remainder of the match was on the fly. I've rolled or bruised my ankle tons of times skateboarding. It's not a serious injury once you can get off your feet and ice but at the time walking normally isn't happening. Standing isn't too bad though. I think once Devil was able to get standing she was able to power bomb again and things picked up for the final few minutes. Good match but it's really something that could/should have been much better as these two are consistently the best workers.

I can't end things like this though so one more...

Harley Saito & Itsuki Yamazaki & Hikari Fukuoka vs. Dynamite Kansai & Eagle Sawai & Reiko Hoshino (12/07/91)
I think this a very good to great six woman tag in Korakuen hall. Lots of energy and action with the styles and sizes of the wrestlers meshing well. I think it's also a fitting end as this is pretty much the end of the original JWP promotion. Saito & Sawai leave with Kandori to form LLPW. Reiko Hoshino who (as The Scorpion) lost a well received wager match vs Cuty Suzuki is gone after this (and perhaps wrestling in general?), Yamazaki retires and Kansai & Fukuoka go on in the restarted JWP that 90's Joshi fans know. All that aside, this is a fun match and the ending I was looking for