[2000-12-17-GAEA] Akira Hokuto & Mayumi Ozaki vs Chikayo Nagashima & Suger Sato

[ohtani's jacket]

This was really good. Hokuto and Ozaki brought the attitude you'd expect from a pair of bitchy veteran heels and Nagashima and Sato wouldn't back down an inch, especially Sato who looked like she was ready to take on an entire army. It's a tag title match so it's high stakes the entire way. Most of the action centers around Nagashima vs. Ozaki, one of my favorite pairings in Joshi. We've seen mentor/student relationships a thousand times in Japanese wrestling -- it's a popular archetype with deep connections to Japanese society -- but rarely have we seen a mentor and student so desperate to beat one another. Nagashima has that extra bit of fire when she wrestles Ozaki and grows with each encounter. No matter how many times they square off, you always see a new counter or a new move, and Ozaki benefits from working with a smaller woman and being able to execute her offense properly. Hokuto was kayfabe injured early on in the match but came back to deliver a strong offensive performance. It was definitely one of her better performances in GAEA. Sato was rock solid in her role as big girl power worker. She was very much the Nanae to Nagashima's Momoe and added muscle to her smaller partner's flying. There's an interesting comparison to be made between those teams. Nagashima and Sato probably shade Momoe and Nanae as workers at this point but it's close. What's great to see is young girls making their mark across the board in 2000 Joshi. it feels like there are lots of promising young stars in spite of the rot. Ozaki and Hokuto had a bit too much guile on this particular night and the Showa faction celebrate afterward with a magnum of wine. Then Asuka and Chigusa show up and do some annoying GAEA cosplay. Hokuto and Ozaki don't give a fuck afterward because they've got the money and the tag belts and are heading into the new year as champs. It's good to be a Showa girl. 

[soup23]

What a great match this was. The pace never let up and all of the storylines were easy to follow with the hate feeling legitmate. Front and center was Nagashima and Ozaki and they didn’t disappoint. I agree with what OJ says about this having a mentor vs student vibe but with a lot of edge as they pushed each other and were desperate to come out on top. Nagashima had numerous moments where it felt like that would be the case but ultimately she falls short like she should. A weird fucking angle ends the clip as Devil, Mayumi and Akira drink wine when the lights darken and zombie Chigusa and Lioness come down to ringside. ****1/4 (8.3)