[2000-09-17-AJW] Nanae Takahashi vs Miho Wakizawa

[soup23]

Pretty big day for joshi all around. This is a good example of a classic joshi match that is a good choice to show someone that wants a showcase for the style. It doesn't display the best the style has to offer but also doesn't display the worst even though tendencies like too many back drops and the screaming are there were the viewing can gauge if they want to explore further or not. I liked Nanae's approach in the early going as she systematically took Miho down a notch. Miho sold like she was in agonizing pain and projected an underdog character in the first portion of the match. Things open up in the back half and we get our share of rope running, outside action and suplexes producing near falls. I thought it was fairly obvious that the match was building to a Miho win. The pin appears to be botched as Nanae kicks out on a 2.9 count but the bell rings and they quickly scramble for Miho to hit another ddt to win the title. The victory feels like a big deal for Miho so that was nice to see. ***1/2 (6.9)

[ohtani's jacket]

This was all right. They tried to make it special and the crowd were into it but I don't think Nanae had the tools to carry a match like this. Miho worked mostly from the bottom which meant that Nanae had to carry most of the offense. She ran the same few spots over and over again until she'd run them into the ground. The body checks were the worst. A girl like her should be doing stiff arm lariats, not soft body checks. Miho is kind of an awkward worker too which didn't help things. Arguably, the best spot of the match was the botched Frankensteiner because of the great cover job the commentator did by putting over Nanae's strength. But there's no denying that they worked hard and tried to live up to a title match billing. To that end they should be praised for their efforts.