[2006-03-19-IBUKI] Mariko Yoshida & Shuu Shibutani vs Megumi Fujii & Natsuki Head

[Ma Stump Puller]

The Shibu/Natsuki bits were just generic low-risk rookie joshi puroresu sequences, lots of dropkick exchanges, bad forearms to the chest, hair-pulling, all the usual beats. The Yoshida/Fujii spots are EASILY the best parts of the match, these two were basically built for each other. Of course we still have to had Yoshida bumping to the lamest cross-chops you've ever seen, but they actually built a nice little narrative around Natsuki being a shit and trying to grab Yoshida's body in side mount and hook a half-Nelson to try to get a cheap-ass pinfall which Yoshida then does to her to basically mock her attempts back, which then results in Yoshida eating a uber close near fall when she gets complacent while bullying her around. This sets Yoshida off for a rear-naked choke into extended rolling Spider Twist which gets the first fall fairly early into things. Yoshida is on a power trip as she tries for a immediate Air Raid as soon as the bell sounds and gets predictively punished by a Nat sleeper to counter out of the attempt. Yoshida tries this again on Fujii a minute later and it's the same result, only instead we get a really awesome submission exchange between the two where they go from hold to hold with ease. It's not done for the sake of flashy transitions: Yoshida really makes a marked attempt to showcase Fujii as this amateur demon who just dominates with speed and aggression, forcing Yoshida to snap on some pro wrestling stuff to survive as it's not her forte. Because Fujii is so light as well she can fling herself around for bumps; either to grab the back, or to go flying after a bow and arrow is stuck on her and Yoshida lets go. Small stuff like that just adds to her overall aura as someone who's always in motion, either trying to snap a submission or getting thrown around herself, because she's not much of a actual "wrestler" in that sense, wrestling moves are basically her Kryptonite. 

The stuff between her and Shibu is cool as well, she tries for some lucha stuff but that just turns into her trying for roll-ups before Fujii does a super sick roll into instant kneebar for the second fall. This keeps the tension well as the two teams get on some submissions that you are never quite sure will be the conclusive finish or not. Fujii even works her own Spider Twist on Yoshida to rub it in and it leads well to her being in danger of being choked out from a follow-up Guillotine and Nats sleeper, crowd buy it because it's been built up well from early on as a potential upset. Yoshida counters a running takedown into probably the sickest Sugar Foot transition ever before that gets hooked into a pin attempt instead. We get more Yoshida in Danger spots as she gets hit with a accidental dropkick and some additional sick flash pins for near falls. After this the match does somewhat turn into the usual ho-hum rookie exchanges with the occasional decent bit, it did lose that intensity that it had built up for the first half with the weaker quality of wrestling. Nats doing Honda-lite headbutts is great, that isn't enough to make this interesting for her though. The finish is Shibu doing this weird wonky arm-trap side German suplex as well that sucked, boo. First half is a amazing blend of shoot/high-flying work before it settles into a decent but lacking stretch focused around rookies who didn't seem to be up to scratch. Needed more Fujii and Yoshida doing cool grappling ngl.