[2023-08-07-Marvelous] Mio Momono vs Mayumi Ozaki

[corwo]

What happens when one of the most evil wrestlers of her generation takes on arguably the best babyface in the world? Magic.

Nothing Ozaki does in this match is defensible. She’s a deplorable veteran who nails Momono with the title immediately setting the tone. Trainees and ringside attendants run in fear as she carelessly throws Momono several rows deep into a pile of chairs. Ozaki stomps Momono’s hand and throws a chain at it. Ozaki knows her body can’t go like it used to, but her mind’s as sharp as a whip as she sticks with the weapon shots that have gotten her so far.

Momono matches Ozaki’s brutality, delivering rapid-fire headbutts in the near double digits. She dodges a chain shot and snaps Ozaki’s arm across the ropes in a brief moment of respite. Ozaki quickly gets back to her dirty tricks, and she’s just as mean and dismissive as can be. She paint-brushes Momono, kneeing her in the head as blood pours from Mio’s head. Ozaki chokes her with a chain and hangs her over the ropes. The drama here is incredibly well-done, not only with the referee having to prevent Takumi Iroha from interfering, but with the rest of the Marvelous gang cheering on Momono from ringside.

Momono is a fantastic bleeder, for her part. She really lets the plasma flow. Momono hits Ozaki with a piece of the broken chair and goes for her signature JK Bomb. The groundswell of support from her peers and the crowd is palpable, but Ozaki kicks out. Ozaki manages to nail a powerbomb, but it’s only good for a one count. Recognizing that Momono was gaining her second wind, a frustrated Ozaki returns to her trusty chain. The final pinfall is heartbreaking in all the right ways. Ozaki hits a half-and-half suplex, and referee Tommy reluctantly counts Momono down for three. As soon as the bell rings, Iroha rushes into the ring to check on Momono. The whole Marvelous crew, even the ring announcer, looked utterly defeated by the situation.

Ozaki rips the certificate that comes with her title, standing over Momono’s lifeless body. She threw the belt down and stomped on it, causing Chigusa Nagayo to remove her headset and enter the ring, the trainees physically having to restrain her from going after Ozaki. She’d then challenge Ozaki to a death match on October 22: Team Marvelous of Nagayo, Momono & Tomoko Watanabe vs. Ozaki and two partners of her choosing.

Bell to bell, Ozaki vs. Momono was phenomenal, but the post-match elevates this to another level.