Kyoko Inoue, Mariko Yoshida & Takako Inoue vs. Las Cachorras Orientales (Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda) & Cynthia Moreno
Admirable effort by all. The LCO and Moreno side showed great teamwork. That chemistry made them the clear dominant force which suited the face side who all worked well on the defensive. Kyoko Inoue was the stand out on her team with her exciting highspots. Who doesn’t love a Giant Swing? And her big time offence was the key in gaining the victory over the tag team superiority of her opponents. Yoshida stood out as well early in the match with her babyface spirit. Exciting match. ***1/2
Fuji TV Tag Team Tournament Final Match: Akira Hokuto & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Aja Kong & Bull Nakano
I always forget that Toshiyo Yamada wrestled a match before the Toyota match. Neat. More Yamada is good for me. Akira Hokuto, however, isn't too fond of her partner which causes in-fighting during the match and the interview segment prior to the match. In contrast to Hokuto and Yamada, Aja Kong and Bull Nakano put their rivalry aside, essentially fixing the hate between the two during the match through their teamwork, and picked Hokuto and Yamada apart. The storytelling was truly fantastic and it sort of reminds me of a precursor to Aja Kong/Bull Nakano and Akira Hokuto/Shinobu Kandori. Only rather than coming together, Hokuto and Yamada fight over the little things, including how they were going to wrestle. And hence, Bull and Kong won with conviction. The match did an excellent job in making sure the wrestling isn't just a backdrop for Yamada and Hokuto shouting at each other. It was always on par with the story aspects that derailed the match in the perfect way, being able to bring it back on track with ease. Aja Kong and Bull Nakano running and hugging each other after they won was a brilliant moment and a great way to bookend the heated part of the rivalry and start working towards the passing of the torch stage. And to continue the contrasting tones of the match, while this was happening, Hokuto and Yamada were brawling with each other in the aisle-way. ****1/2
IWA World Title Hair Vs. Hair Match: Manami Toyota (c) vs. Toshiyo Yamada
Goddmamit, I wrote a huge paragraph about the Go-Go-Go pacing of their other matches that was totally reliant on the extreme competitive spirit between the two and then they go and have a different type of match entirely. Typical. I think the post match hair cutting is the more important aspect of the match rather than the match itself, which was great by the way. The culmination of the competitive rivalry that's been going on lightly for years. Toyota after finally losing, lost her temper and put up stakes that she definitely regretted when it came time to putting them to the test when Yamada is forced to sit down and have her head shaved while she is forced to witness in tears. Now the match. Considering Yamada wrestled two of the most physically exhausting wrestlers of her generation earlier in the day, she looked great and up for it, not dogging it or taking it easy. Toyota tried to end things fast before Yamada quickly put that attempt to the floor and slowed the match down, adapting to her body. But Toyota was too hard to deny for too long and eventually the match quickened back into a total counter-fest where they fought for every edge until they could lock on their respective finishers. Manami Toyota succeeded with the JOCS, but it's hard to say that she actually won because of what it cost. ****1/4
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