[2000-11-26-JWP] Command Bolshoi vs Azumi Hyuga

[ohtani's jacket]

This was exactly what you'd hope for from these two workers at the tail end of the year and at this stage of Hyuga's development. They worked the match-up perfectly -- Hyuga was bigger, more athletic, more dynamic while Bolshoi relied on her wits and ring smarts. There was the usual array of hybrid lucha-shoot style spots from Bolshoi and she utilized the shotei to great effect throughout the bout. Watching this I felt she was neck and neck with Super Delfin as far as juniors go and watching her use the shotei reminded me of what a poor year Liger has had in comparison. The match was tightly worked -- not an epic but competitive and a great vehicle to push Hyuga further ahead. And it was a compelling watch from beginning to end with very little in the way of fat or excess. If you like your Joshi to be a bit smarter then this was one of the better examples from 2000. 

[soup23]

A long and weird vignette starts off with Bolshoi going into girls bedrooms and hanging out and signing stuff for them. Some of those rooms looked depressingly small. I really enjoyed this match a ton and especially the escalation and reliance on big moves to lead to the transitions. Bolshoi has such a good base of technical wrestling but she can ramp it up when needed and Hyuga is gaining confidence as not just an athletic worker. Together, they put together a sixteen minute match that felt like the perfect length and even though the JWP fandom is sparse, it was a great match for those fans that did show up. **** (7.8)