[1995-10-31-JWP] Bolshoi Kid vs Rieko Amano

[Ma Stump Puller]

The first and least interesting of the Amano/Bolshoi matches....probably due to the fact that Amano is insanely green here, like we're talking sub-10 actual matches here overall. Bolshoi isn't exactly Terry Funk by comparison, but she's obviously very competent and does a good job working mostly from top with some typical bully antics to get this a bit more interest than it would otherwise despite the size difference, working the arm and grinding the match down into lots of holds. This is a pretty much a bog-standard rookie match yet it does stand as a testament of how Carlos Amano would get as solid as she did; she was already sorta good in the first place? Like she's still pretty iffy on the execution of certain moves and generally has a issue of looking awkward when moving around, don't get me wrong she's just as wonky as a typical rookie of the time is, she by this point had already a solid grounding on intensity and knowing how to drag certain moves out for the max amount of effect despite the limitations in actually doing them. Her selling is pretty sturdy and she helps get over Bolshoi's nasty lucha-lite stretching and general lack of care, throwing out lots of tricky arm work alongside just booting Amano in the face at points lol. She does do a pretty fancy rope work arm drag though and does throw in a couple of neat bits to remind you that she's still good at doing those. It's not exactly very complex for a formula but regardless does show the two starting to get a chemistry that will get better and better through the years from here. 

You kinda see that from the last third where they have more even back and forth exchanges; the Achilles Tendon bit where Amano first tries to escape with raw technique before having to relent to stomps and even going for Bolshoi's goofy clown nose on her mask for leverage. Even all of that rule bending barely inconveniences Bolshoi and just causes her to crank in the hold more, forcing Amano to barely get to the ropes. Really well paced and was rather logical for a hierarchy-based match like this. Amano tries to spam out moves to keep momentum with running back elbows and clotheslines over and over, however the high pace can only carry her so far as Bolshoi is just way too slippery and lands some significantly beefy bombs to finish up, ending with a arching German suplex. So yeah this is more or less a generic joshi puroresu rookie squash of the time, but it's still pretty enjoyable despite the roughness given how creative these two were even at this point. Bolshoi's hybrid shoot/lucha style still remains to this day as one of the coolest examples of that in practise, rather crazy that she was already this well-rounded from such a young age.