Welcome to another review of All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling Classics! AJW Classics is a television program that airs on SAMURAI TV in Japan. There are several different series within the AJW Classics name, I will be reviewing the series starting with the “Retro Hour” AJW Classics that first aired on August 7th, 2007.  They are still airing to this day.

AJW Retro Hour Classics #7 features Chigusa Nagayo and Lioness Asuka both going for singles gold! I know it has been awhile, so feel free to go back and read Classics #6 to catch-up. Much of the shows I have reviewed thus far have focused on the Crush Gals as a team, however here we will see them in singles action as they both aspire for their own championships as well. Don’t worry, we still have Gokuaku Domei matches also, as Bull Nakano and Dump Matsumoto team up. All four of these matches took place on August 22nd, 1985 at Tokyo Nippon Budokan. Here is the full listing:

• Monster Ripper vs. Yukari Omori
• Dump Matsumoto and Bull Nakano vs. Itsuki Yamazaki and Noriyo Tateno
• All Pacific Championship: Devil Masami vs. Chigusa Nagayo
• WWWA World Singles Championship: Jaguar Yokota vs. Lioness Asuka

There is a ton of potential here so I hope the bigger matches aren’t too clipped. Let’s see how it goes.

 
Monster Ripper vs. Yukari Omori

Omori attacks Monster Ripper off the start but Monster Ripper immediately regains the advantage and throws down Omori by her hair. Omori gets Monster Ripper to the mat but Monster Ripper hits her in the throat and hits a scoop slam for a two count. Omori trips Monster Ripper and applies a crab hold, but Monster Ripper gets to the ropes to force a break. Monster Ripper takes down Omori and hits her in the throat again, lariat by Monster Ripper and she hits a second one, she goes for a third but Omori ducks it and hits a crossbody. Bodyscissors by Omori but Monster Ripper slams out of it and hits a jumping senton, body press by Ripper and she holds down Omori for the three count! Monster Ripper wins.

This was pretty basic, Monster Ripper was still young in her career and adapting to the style, and Omori alone isn’t skilled enough to carry a match by herself. I imagine it was probably clipped also but that wouldn’t have really mattered since it would have been more of the same. For ranking purposes this helped put over Monster Ripper as a dominate force, but not a very good match.

Dump Matsumoto and Bull Nakano vs. Itsuki Yamazaki and Noriyo Tateno

If you thought this would be a calm and slow paced match, you must not watch much Gokuaku Domei much as they immediately took the action to the floor as they hit the Jumping Bomb Angels with anything they could find. Back in the ring, Matsomoto throws Tateno around by her chair. Yamazaki then gets her turn as Matsumoto chokes her with a chain, Matsumoto then throws down Yamazaki with the chain just so she can keep choking her. As if she needed it, Matsumoto gets help from other Gokuaku Domei members before they go back to the floor again so Matsumoto can find new things to choke Yamazaki with. A table is brought into the ring, but the Jumping Bomb Angels kick the table into Matsumoto and Nakano. They roll out of the ring and briefly Yamazaki and Tateno get the advantage, but again Matsumoto and Nakano take back over. They get back in the ring and Matsumoto lariats Yamazaki, she slams her in front of the corner but Yamazaki avoids Nakano’s diving leg drop. Crossbody by Yamazaki to Nakano, but it only gets a two. Matsumoto gets back in the ring with her paint can and hits Yamazaki in the head with it, body block by Matsumoto and she hits a body press. Matsumoto hits a Samoan Drop on Yamazaki and she then hits a backdrop suplex, but Yamazaki bridges out of the pin. Nakano gets on the top rope to help Matsumoto hit a spike piledriver, and finally Yamazaki stays down for the three count. Gokuaku Domei win!

It seems odd looking back, seeing The Jumping Bomb Angels basically squashed here (at least what they decided to air). At the time though, Gokuaku Domei was just running through everyone so no disrespect was intended, Yamazaki and Tateno just weren’t on their level. I liked the carnage but it was too clipped to get too excited about, even though young Nakano is always a sight to see.

(c) Devil Masami vs. Chigusa Nagayo

The crowd is so amped for this match, even during the initial lock-up they are cheering loudly for Nagayo. Nagayo hits the first big move of the match with a quick German suplex, she picks up Masami and she hits a dragon suplex hold for a two count. Irish whip by Nagayo and she hits a heel kick, Scorpion Deathlock by Nagayo but Masami crawls to the ropes and gets the break. Masami rolls out of the ring but Nagayo sizes up the situation and sails out onto Masami with a tope suicida. Masami returns to the ring after a moment but brings a metal pole with her, she drops it before using it however, hard punch by Masami and Nagayo crumbles in the ropes. Jumping back kick by Nagayo and she hits a tombstone piledriver, but Masami bridges out of the pin. Masami recovers and gets Nagayo on her shoulders before hitting an electric chair slam, rolling senton by Masami and she covers Nagayo for two. Nagayo avoids Masami’s next charge and hits a high kick, single arm suplex with a bridge by Nagayo but Masami kicks out. Hard punches by Masami, she just brutally punches Nagayo right in the face repeatedly, Nagayo then connects with three high kicks which sends Masami to the mat. Exhausted, Nagayo collapses as well and tries to use the ropes to get back on her feet, but neither wrestler can make the referee’s 10 Count. The match is a Draw and Masami retains the championship.

I have to give a disclaimer – this match went over 30 minutes and the full match is available, but this Classics series only showed the match in clipped form. So they suddenly went from trading shots to being really exhausted, which is what happens when 25 minutes of a match is cut out. Anyway, even in condensed form this was so much fun. The crowd is just beyond electric for Nagayo, I know the “Japanese fans are quiet” myth has been well debunked but the cheers for Nagayo went beyond what even I expected. Masami is so vicious here, her punches are extremely snug (to put it lightly) and nothing was held back. As it was shown it is still worth watching, but I do need to track down the full match as it may have been one of the best of the year.  Mildly Recommended (strictly due to the clipping)

(c) Jaguar Yokota vs. Lioness Asuka

They get right into it with a fast sequence with snapmares and bridges until Asuka plants Yokota with a back kick. Asuka rolls up Yokota with no luck and after both try to get an advantage they square off face to face again. They go to the mat with Yokota working over Asuka’s leg, but Asuka gets out of the hold and hits a hurricanrana. Chop by Asuka and she hits a high kick before slamming Yokota to the mat. Yokota gets back and control and returns to targeting Asuka’s leg, Asuka gets into the ropes to temporarily get a break but Yokota puts her in a kneelock. Hip attack by Yokota and she puts Asuka in an Octopus Hold, but Asuka gets out of it. Yokota puts Asuka in the figure four leglock, but Asuka reverses it and puts the pressure onto Yokota’s leg. They end up in the ropes, Asuka stomps on Yokota’s leg and drops a few knees on it as Yokota writhes in pain. High kick by Asuka and she puts Yokota in a kneelock until Yokota inches to the ropes to force a break.

Asuka picks up Yokota and hits a delayed vertical suplex, but Yokota eventually has enough and gives Asuka a hard dropkick. Double underhook piledriver by Yokota, but Asuka bridges out of the pin. She goes for a tombstone but Asuka reverses it into a sit-down tombstone piledriver of her own. Kicks by Asuka, she gets Yokota on her shoulders and hits the airplane spin before tossing Yokota to the mat. Giant Swing by Asuka, she picks up Yokota in a suplex position but then dumps her over the top rope to the floor. Asuka goes for a tope suicida, but Yokota sidesteps her and Asuka crashes to the mat. Asuka still recovers first and hits a slingshot suplex, she picks up Yokota and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Yokota ducks Asuka’s chop and hits a cross-arm suplex hold, picking up her own two. Yokota puts Asuka on the top turnbuckle, she picks her up in a suplex position and flings her to the mat. Asuka then dives off but Yokota moves, leg trap backdrop suplex hold by Yokota and she gets the three count! Yokota retains the WWWA World Singles Championship!

I am really glad they showed us this in full as it gave a much better picture than if they had just skipped to the high spots. Some would argue the leg work meant nothing but as I watched it, it more felt like it just wasn’t effective. Just as Yokota was getting good in Asuka’s leg, Asuka reversed the tide and worked on Yokota’s leg, so neither really worked on the leg long enough for it to be a major factor. Some of the the moves were just brutal, Asuka threw Yokota out of the ring with no semblance of concern for her health, and she tried to kill Yokota with a running K-Driller. Still though, the Ace of AJW found a way to win by capitalizing on one of Asuka’s few mistakes. Just a great match that would be exciting if it was held today, which is something you can’t say about a lot of wrestling from the mid-1980s. A must see.  Highly Recommended

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Welcome to another review of All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling Classics! AJW Classics is a television program that airs on SAMURAI TV in Japan. There are several different series within the AJW Classics name, I will be reviewing the series starting with the “Retro Hour” AJW Classics that first aired on August 7th, 2007.  They are still airing to this day.

AJW Retro Hour Classics #6 features Crush Gals vs. Gokuaku Domei and our first trip to Mexico! We briefly go back to April to an important tag match that set the stage for the next several years in AJW before going to UWA for two title matches.  Then we finish with a big match between Crush Gals vs. Gokuaku Domei as they bookend the airing. Here is the full listing:

• 4/2/85 – WWWA World Tag Team Championship: Dump Matsumoto and Crane Yu vs. Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo
• 5/12/85 – Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo vs. Lola Gonzales and Rosa Maria
• 5/12/85 – WWWA World Championship: Jaguar Yokota vs. Pantera Sureña
• 5/16/85 – WWWA World Tag Team Championship: Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo vs. Dump Matsumoto and Bull Nakano

It will be fun to see a different crowd that I am assuming will be rooting against the normally fan-favorite Japanese wrestlers.

(c) Gokuaku Domei (Dump Matsumoto and Crane Yu) vs. Crush Gals (Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo)

They naturally brawl to start the match but order is restored pretty quickly with Yu and Nagayo in the ring, with the Crush Gals taking early control. This doesn’t last long as Matsumoto comes in the ring to help Yu, Yu picks up Asuka and slams her in front of the corner so that Matsumoto can jump off and land on her. Lariat by Matsumoto on Asuka and she covers her for the three count! Gokuaku Domei is up 1-0. Nagayo comes in and trades shots with Matsumoto, Asuka comes in and they knock Yu and Matsumoto out of the ring. Asuka then sails out of the ring onto both of her opponents, with Nagayo flying out with a plancha not long after her. They isolate Yu in the ring, superplex by Asuka and she covers Yu for the three count! We are now tied 1-1. Matsumoto comes in with her kendo stick and hits Asuka repeatedly with it, Nagayo comes in but she gets the stick as well. Nagayo gets the stick away from her and hits Matsumoto in the leg as the brawling continues, both sides’ posse come in the ring and at some point in this mayhem the match is called off. The eventual call made was due to all the issues both with the tag teams and with the referee Abe, the titles were held up with new champions crowned at a later date.

This was too clipped up (or really short) to get going as less than eight minutes was shown. This was more to set up the events later in the month, with first Yu getting kicked out of Gokuaku Domei and then Crane Yu being the referee when Gokuaku Domei and the Crush Gals fight for the title next month. Which I will be reviewing in about 30 minutes. Not a bad little brawl but in a vacuum nothing particularly special or memorable either even if it was important for the storyline.

Crush Gals (Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo) vs. Lola Gonzales and Rosa Maria

Surprisingly the crowd is mostly in favor of Crush Gals (or just quiet), which I wasn’t expecting as in wrestling these days the home team is usually cheered regardless if they are heels or faces. The Luchadoras attack before the match starts, it should be noted there are two referees in the ring, I am assuming one is a tecnico and one a rudo. Nagayo is isolated first, seated senton by Gonzalez and Maria stomps on Nagayo. The double teaming continues until Nagayo flips both to the mat, heel kick to Gonzales and Asuka finally comes in to help. Nagayo and Gonzales trade chops, but kick by Nagayo and she tags Asuka. Maria runs in but Asuka puts her in the Giant Swing, diving crossbody by Nagayo to Gonzales and she covers her for the three count! Crush Gals are up 1-0.

The action starts again as Nagayo is left alone in the ring, senton by Maria and Gonzales covers her for the three! The teams are now tied 1-1. Asuka comes in but is stretched by Gonzales and the action goes to ringside as the Crush Gals are attacked around the ring. Maria and Nagayo get back in the ring and Nagayo gets Maria in a Scorpion Deathlock, but it is quickly broken up. The go out to the floor again with this time Nagayo and Asuka on the offense, Nagayo comes back in and puts Gonzales in an Octopus Hold before rolling her up for two. We jump ahead to Gonzales and Asuka in the ring, Gonzales goes up top but Asuka avoids the somersault senton. Maria and Nagayo come back in too, Gonzales goes up top but when she dives off she hits Maria by accident. Spike Piledriver by the Crush Gals, Nagayo hits a heel kick on Maria and delivers the German suplex hold for the three count! The Crush Gals win the match.

This match was just too disjointed to get a grip on. Between the clipping and the non-existent tag rules, there was never really a semblance of structure whatsoever, it was just random offense with no transitions. It was interesting to see the Crush Gals in a different environment but it simply wasn’t an entertaining match the way it was presented. Even though the Crush Gals were still awesome of course at what they do.

Jaguar Yokota vs. Pantera Sureña

They start with wristlock exchanges, they go off the ropes and Sureña catches Yokota with a double chop to the chest. Hurricanrana by Sureña and she picks up the three count! I am guessing things were clipped there, Sureña is up 1-0.  Yokota hits a jumping elbow as the next fall begins but Sureña gets her to the mat and starts working over the leg. Back up, Yokota gets Sureña to the mat and puts her in the figure four, leading to Sureña submitting! The match is now tied 1-1. After a pause the match resumes, Yokota gets Sureña on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Irish whip by Sureña and she goes for a tilt-a-whirl, but Yokota lands on her feet. Yokota goes for a tombstone but Sureña reverses it into one of her own, cover by Sureña but Yokota bridges out of it. They both go for backdrop suplexes but they are reversed, package German suplex by Yokota but Sureña kicks out. Electric Chair Drop by Sureña, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving lariat. Double underhook piledriver by Yokota, and she gets the three count! Yokota retains the championship.

As is a theme on this television airing, this match was too clipped to get excited about. The last few minutes of the match were good and exciting, and were the only parts to really show off what Yokota can do, but the rest was just too rushed. I am assuming that in the full match the first two falls weren’t so uneventful, as Sureña as it was shown submitted after having no leg work done on her at all.  There was a very brief glimpse of goodness here but as it was shown a skippable match.

Gokuaku Domei (Dump Matsumoto and Bull Nakano) vs. Crush Gals (Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo)

They brawl before the bell rings, which is to be expected, as Gokuaku Domei gets the early advantage as they double team Nagayo. Asuka runs in but Nakano kicks them both in the legs while Yu tries to keep Abe from getting involved. Asuka and Nagayo come back and knock both their opponents out of the ring, tope suicida by Asuka to Nakano and she quickly rolls her in the ring. Japanese Leg Roll Clutch by Nagayo to Nakano, and she gets the quick three count! Crush Gals are up 1-0. Yu and Abe continue to argue as Nagayo and Nakano stay in as legal, Nakano gets her nun-chucks and show off a bit but Nagayo gets a chair and hits Nakano with it. Leg lariat by Nagayo and she tags Asuka, who hits a diving lariat. Backdrop suplex by Asuka, but Matsumoto breaks up the pin and drags Asuka out of the ring. Yu tries to calm things down but gets thrown into the stands for her trouble, Asuka and Matsumoto return to the ring and Matsumoto promptly throws Yu to the mat. Yu manages to get Matsumoto on the apron, Asuka wrestles with Nakano while  Abe and Matsumoto distract Nagayo. Matsumoto chokes Asuka with a kendo stick, Yu tries to stop Matsumoto from choking Nagayo too and finally Matsumoto throws the kendo stick out of the ring.

Matsumoto holds Nagayo so that Nakano can hit a diving leg drop, Nakano jumps off the top turnbuckle with a pail shot and Matsumoto covers Nagayo for the three count! The teams are tied 1-1. Asuka argues with Yu for not maintaining control better before tending to Nagayo, but Matsumoto brings a chain into the ring as well as a metal pipe. While she ties up and beats on Nagayo, Abe is taken care of by some friends of the Crush Gals but he returns and holds down Yu in the corner. Nagayo meanwhile is being attacked by various Gokuaku Domei members until she is freed, she returns to the ring with Nakano but Matsumoto hits Yu with a kendo stick as she goes to make a count. Asuka comes in and dropkicks Nakano, she puts her in a Scorpion Deathlock but Matsumoto breaks it up. Nagayo runs in and puts Matsumoto in a Scorpion Deathlock but Yu is pulled out of the ring. Abe breaks up the submission holds, then Matsumoto takes Yu out of the ring. In the ring, missile dropkick by Nagayo to Nakano and then Asuka hits one also. Yu gets back to ringside while Asuka puts Nakano in a Giant Swing. Cover by Asuka, Yu from ringside gets one arm into the ring while Matsumoto hangs onto her and she counts the three count! The Crush Gals are your new champions!

The final pin is one of my favorite referee three counts in my 25 years of watching wrestling. The match was utter chaos, not only did you have two referees and four legal wrestlers, but there was lots of outside interference and weapons and just general carnage. Which worked within the story of the match, I’d have cried if they had worked a traditional tag match. I am sure it was clipped but enough was shown that it didn’t feel shortened, and the crowd was on fire. Great atmosphere and a really entertaining brawl, a fitting way to end this part of the ongoing Gokuaku Domei vs. Crush Gals feud.  Highly Recommended

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Welcome to another review of All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling Classics! AJW Classics is a television program that airs on SAMURAI TV in Japan. There are several different series within the AJW Classics name, I will be reviewing the series starting with the “Retro Hour” AJW Classics that first aired on August 7th, 2007.  They are still airing to this day.

AJW Retro Hour Classics #5 features friends (and soon to be former friends) clashing! In a departure from the last few episodes, with the Fuji TV Cup Japan Grand Prix taking place, tag teams are now facing against each other as Gokuaku Domei, Crush Gals, and Dynamite Girls all battle in singles action. Here is the full listing:

• 4/2/85 – Fuji TV Cup Japan Grand Prix ’85 League: Jumbo Hori vs. Yukari Omori
• 4/26/85 – Fuji TV Cup Japan Grand Prix ’85 League: Dump Matsumoto vs. Crane Yu
• 4/6/85 – Fuji TV Cup Japan Grand Prix ’85 League: Lioness Asuka vs. Chigusa Nagayo

This is an interesting event, let’s see how it shapes up.

Jumbo Hori vs. Yukari Omori

Omori dropkicks Hori as soon as the bell rings but Hori comes back with a bodyslam. Omori yanks on Hori’s arm and puts Hori in a backbreaker, and Hori rolls to the apron to get her back worked on. Back in, Hori and Omori trade chops but Omori tosses Hori to the mat and drops Hori with a gutbuster. Hori rolls out of the ring to re-group but returns after a moment and stomps on Omori, working on her leg. Omori gets Hori up and slams her stomach-first, but Omori tosses Hori off the top turnbuckle. Back bodydrop by Hori and she covers Omori for a two count. Back up, Hori throws Omori into the corner but she jumps up on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving lariat. Hori then goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, piledriver by Hori but Omori bridges out of the pin. Backdrop suplex hold by Omori, she picks up Hori and she hits another one for the three count! Jumbo Hori wins the match!

The most exciting thing about this is Hori trying to kill Omori at the end with the piledriver and backdrop suplexes, as up to that point not a whole lot of interest was happening. They had oddly little chemistry for two wrestlers that team together, as there were a few missteps in a match that not much was shown of. The last few minutes were great for sure and there were some big hits in this, but as an overall match it just felt too segmented.

Dump Matsumoto vs. Crane Yu

They shake hands to start but they are pleasant for about six seconds before Matsumoto drags Yu out of the ring and slams her repeatedly into the table. After choking and whipping her around the ring, they back into it and Matsumoto chokes her some more. Matsumoto stabs Yu repeatedly in the head until she starts bleeding all over the place, then Matsumoto stabs her in the head some more. Even Abe finds the violence excessive but Matsumoto swats him away and keeps up the attack. Yu manages to get a chain and chokes Matsumoto with it, she then gets a chair and hits Nakano with it but Nakano hits her back. Matsumoto lariats Yu and hits Abe with a pail, she covers Yu but Yu bridges out. Irish whip by Matsumoto but the two collide, Matsumoto takes Yu to the corner and bites her in the head. Yu is continuing to bleed everywhere as Nakano comes in, as if Matsumoto needs help, and they lariat Yu. Yu is beaten around the ring and slammed into the ring post, the referee finally has enough and calls for the bell, so it is either a Double Countout or Matsumoto was DQed, who knows.

I couldn’t find an exact record, but this was either Crane Yu’s last match before retiring (for the first time) or really close to it, so this was a ‘passing of the torch’ type match more than anything else. Not that Matsumoto needed the torch passed, but more to Nakano, as Nakano was very visible in the match and at the end it was her and Matsumoto standing tall in the ring while Yu was bleeding everywhere. Yu took her beating like a champion, there was no point during this match that it felt she was going to win, it was just a bloodbath brawl. Even Abe, the heel referee, couldn’t get Matsumoto to stop. I thought it did a great job at accomplishing what it was trying to do and it really set the stage for what was coming next. Which we will get to in the next few weeks. A fun brawl but perhaps not for the faint of heart.  Mildly Recommended

Lioness Asuka vs. Chigusa Nagayo

They start on the mat as they feel each other out, but neither gets a real clear advantage. This was definitely starts slow as they struggle for the upper hand, Nagayo gets the first real advantage as she goes for the Scorpion Deathlock and she finally gets it locked in. Asuka gets out of it but Nagayo picks her up and drops her with a piledriver. Nagayo goes for Asuka’s arm but Asuka lifts out of it and throws Nagayo to the mat. Now it is Asuka that gets the Scorpion Deathlock applied, she picks up Nagayo and hits a piledriver of her own for a two count. Dropkick by Nagayo but Asuka comes back with a back kick followed by a vertical suplex. Diving body press by Asuka, she gets Nagayo’s waist but Nagayo reverses positions with her and hits a German suplex for a two count. Nagayo applies a stretch hold to Asuka but Asuka gets into the ropes, kicks by Nagayo but Asuka puts her on the turnbuckle and hits an avalanche backdrop suplex. Double underhook by Nagayo and she hits a suplex, Irish whip by Nagayo and she delivers the heel kick for a two count. German suplex hold by Asuka, but Nagayo gets a shoulder up. Giant Swing by Asuka but Nagayo hits a quick backdrop suplex, Asuka grabs Nagayo and drops her with a piledriver. Asuka goes up top and hits a jumping kick to the chest, she picks up Nagayo but Nagayo kicks her in the chest and hits a leg drop. Asuka chops Nagayo in the chest and kicks her in the head, and they trade kicks back and forth. As they count down to the end of the match, each wrestler goes for quick pins but neither can get the three count. The bell rings, and the match is a Draw.

This was a bit more low key than I was expecting. Not the crowd, they were going crazy the entire match, but of the three matches this one felt the most like a tussle between friends than two wrestlers dying to get those points in the Grand Prix. It took awhile to get going, it was about ten minutes in before anything of note happened, and after that it was mostly just them trading moves without much rhyme or reason. The transitions were non-existent, or it was poorly clipped, as they weren’t really selling anything before going back on offense. It was helped a lot by the hot crowd, and the crisp action, but it wasn’t the greatness I was hoping for as it felt like they were just going for the Draw.  Mildly Recommended

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Welcome to another review of All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling Classics! AJW Classics is a television program that airs on SAMURAI TV in Japan. There are several different series within the AJW Classics name, I will be reviewing the series starting with the “Retro Hour” AJW Classics that first aired on August 7th, 2007.  They are still airing to this day.

AJW Retro Hour Classics #4 features more Crush Gals, Bull Nakano going for the All Japan Women Championship, and more! All three matches come from the same date, on February 25th, 1985. Here is the full listing:

• All Japan Women’s Championship: Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Bull Nakano
• Jaguar Yokota and Devil Masami vs. Dynamite Girls (Jumbo Hori and Yukari Omori)
• WWWA World Tag Team Championship: Crush Gals (Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo) vs. Dump Matsumoto and Crane Yu

Only three matches on this one, so I hope they can deliver!

(c) Itsuki Yamazaki vs. Bull Nakano

They get right into it with the champion dropkicking and slamming the challenger before armdragging Nakano around the ring. Nakano takes over and they roll out of the ring, with Nakano throwing Yamazaki into chairs at ringside. Back in, Nakano bounces Yamazaki around the ring as her friend Matsumoto and Yu come in to help. Which she didn’t need, since Nakano was winning at the time anyway. Nakano bites Yamazaki and she is triple teamed in the corner, Yamazaki goes up top and dropkicks Nakano but she dropkicks the referee too on accident. Chaos briefly ensues but is restored rather quickly, Irish whip by Nakano and she knees Yamazaki in the leg. Yamazaki is thrown out of the ring and assaulted by Matsumoto, she gets back in as Nakano goes for a big slash, but Yamazaki rolls out of the way. Nakano knocks Yamazaki back out of the ring where more cheating commences, and Nakano hits a body block. Vertical suplex by Nakano and she covers Yamazaki for two.  Yamazaki fires back with a crossbody, but soon Gokuaku Domei runs in the ring and stomps on Yamazaki. The heel referee Shiro Abe actually has enough and he calls for the bell much to my surprise. Yamazaki is your winner by DQ.

This wasn’t as good as it could have been. It was nice of the referee to actually DQ someone for a change while normally he just watches, but the match finally felt like it was getting going when it was suddenly over. Nakano was pretty green here but was only 17, it would take her a few years to really get the evil brawling technique down pat. Yamazaki ended up forfeiting the title after the match, so why Nakano couldn’t go ahead and win it I am not sure as DQ endings in title matches is never ideal (even if it was better than the referee continuing to allow the group attack). Some good parts here and there and it is interesting to see a young Nakano, but it just never fully clicked.

Jaguar Yokota and Devil Masami vs. Dynamite Girls (Jumbo Hori and Yukari Omori)

Yokota goes after Hori to start the match and hits a jumping elbow followed by a dropkick. Masami comes in with Omori and they struggle for position on the mat, Masami elbows Omori but she tags in Hori. Masami gets Hori to the mat and tags in Yokota, dropkicks by Yokota but Hori gets to her corner and tags in Omori. Omori tosses Yokota to the mat and she hits a gutbuster for a two count. Yokota gets back in control and hip attacks Omori before hitting a Jackhammer. I guess it is true that all moves originated in AJW. She tags in Masami, the action spills out of the ring as Yokota and Masami stay in control. Omori and Masami get back in the ring and Omori hits a tilt-a-whirl slam, she gets Masami on her shoulders and Hori dives off the top turnbuckle with a diving crossbody. Alabama Slam by Hori to Masami but Masami comes back with a backdrop suplex. She tags in Yokota and Yokota puts Hori in an Octopus Hold. Hori gets out of it and slams Yokota in front of the corner, reverse splash by Omori and she covers Yokota for two. Dropkicks by Yokota, Masami goes up top and she hits a diving lariat. Omori lands close enough to her corner to tag Hori, but Masami levels her with a lariat. Hori picks up Masami and drops her with a powerbomb, but Masami gets a foot on the ropes. Masami gets Hori on her shoulders and hits an Electric Chair, they both pick up their respective opponents and hit tombstone piledrivers. Yokota gets on Masami’s shoulders and drops down onto Hori, picking up the three count pinfall! Yokota and Masami win the match!

I knew going in that Yokota and Masami were of a higher stature, but I wasn’t expecting them to handle the Dynamite Girls like this. Of course it was clipped so I do not know what was clipped out, but Yokota and Masami controlled the action for sure. The action was very smooth though, I wasn’t expecting Yokota to bust out a Jackhammer (it was a move she did from time to time but I hadn’t seen it yet) but everything here clicked. And it was nice to have a match that was clean and didn’t have crazy interference every five seconds. A solid tag match, only really hurt due to the clipping as I would have liked to have seen more. Mildly Recommended

(c) Crush Gals (Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo) vs. Dump Matsumoto and Crane Yu

Nagayo is bleeding before the match even started, which is never a good sign. A few minutes of the recording was black so I do not know if they aired what happened to her, but I assume there was a pre-match brawl considering the participants. The first few minutes of this match were carnage, as you’d expect, but Nagayo manages to lock the Scorpion Deathlock on Matsumoto. It gets broken up, Asuka comes in but she is double teamed in the corner. Nagayo is tagged back in and she kicks Yu against the ropes, she applies a submission but Matsumoto breaks it up and drags Nagayo out of the ring. Matsumoto chokes Nagayo on the apron before dragging her back into the ring but Nagayo hits a sunset flip and tags Asuka. Heel kick by Asuka to Matsumoto, but all of Gokuaku Domei jump in the ring to help. Yu stays in the ring and Asuka slams her to the mat, Asuka applies a front headlock, but Yu gets out of it and Matsumoto hits a Banzai Drop. Matsumoto throws Asuka down by her hair, but she gets close enough to the corner to tag Nagayo. Nagayo kicks Matsumoto to the mat and applies a sleeper, but Matsumoto punches her way out of it. Matsumoto bites Nagayo’s already bloody head and stabs her repeatedly with a pair of scissors. Yu gets in the ring with Nagayo slowly following and Yu bites her head before hitting a body block. Another body block by Yu and she tags in Matsumoto. Nagayo avoids Yu’s diving leg drop, but Asuka accidentally lariats Nagayo.

They end up out of the ring again as Nagayo is thrown into the ring post and attacked more with scissors. Yu gets in the ring as Nagayo is counted out, and Gokuaku Domei wins the first fall. It is now 1-0 for Matsumoto and Yu. A even more bloody Nagayo gets back in the ring and she hits a quick German suplex on Yu, a equally bloody Asuka gets up top and hits a missile dropkick. Double kicks by Asuka and Nagayo, and they drop Yu with a spike piledriver for the three count cover! The match is now tied at 1-1. After a moment to re-group, Nagayo kicks Yu in the leg and applies the Scorpion Deathlock with Asuka keeping watch, but Matsumoto comes in with a trash can and hits everyone with it. Asuka knocks her down and puts her in a Scorpion Deathlock, but Bull Nakano and company run in the ring help Matsumoto take back over. Piledriver by Matsumoto to Nagayo, but Nagayo gets a shoulder up. Spike piledriver to Nagayo, but Nagayo bridges out of it. Next she is hit with an assisted leg drop and a Samoan Drop, but Nagayo fires back with a heel kick to Yu. Asuka comes in and hits an avalanche backdrop suplex, but Matsumoto breaks up the cover and the rest of Gokuaku Domei comes in again. Matsumoto gets some scissors and starts cutting Nagayo’s hair (the crowd is going ballistic during this), and Matsumoto lariats Nagayo repeatedly to the mat as referee Shiro Abe gets in the ring (not the original referee but the heel referee). Another lariat by Matsumoto, she covers Nagayo and picks up the three count! Matsumoto and Yu are the new champions!

First the good – I love a good heated bloody brawl and this was certainly that. The crowd was at a fever pitch for much of the match as it just never slowed down, every time it looked like the match was going to turn down a few notches suddenly someone would be stabbed with scissors or dragged out of the ring. Nagayo is beyond amazing, she is such a sympathetic wrestler and has tons of charisma that draws you into everything she does. As for the bad, Shiro Abe was basically Gokuaku Domei’s referee, and I don’t like big title matches ending with these kind of shenanigans. It is just a cop-out to have a different referee come down and count, its not an uncommon one but it is just a tactic that I grew tied of after it was over-used in the 90s. I realize this match came well before that but it still makes the ending feel a bit cheap. Still, that is my only real complaint as it was certainly an exciting and emotional match, definitely worth a watch.  Recommended

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Welcome to another review of All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling Classics! AJW Classics is a television program that airs on SAMURAI TV in Japan. There are several different series within the AJW Classics name, I will be reviewing the series starting with the “Retro Hour” AJW Classics that first aired on August 7th, 2007.  They are still airing to this day.

AJW Retro Hour Classics #3 features lots of Crush Gals goodness and two matches for the WWWA Tag Team Championship. Here is the full listing:

10/6/84 – WWWA World Tag Team Championship: Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (Crush Gals) vs La Galactica and Lola Gonzalez
10/6/84 – All Japan Women’s Championship: Itsuki Yamazaki vs Yumi Ogura
1/5/85 – Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (Crush Gals) vs Dump Matsumoto and Rosy Moreno
1/6/85 – WWWA World Tag Team Championship: Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (Crush Gals) vs. Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki (Jumping Bomb Angels)

Let’s get rocking.

Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (Crush Gals) vs La Galactica and Lola Gonzalez

The Luchadoras attack as soon as the bell rings, and Gonzalez stays in the ring with Nagayo. This clipped ahead a bit as Nagayo is already getting beaten around the ring by both Galactica and Gonzalez, diving leg drop by Galactica and she applies a headscissors until Nagayo gets into the ropes. Dump and Yu are at ringside and help attack the Crush Gals, as the match breaks down to a significant degree. Asuka helps turn the tide, they return to the ring and Galactica is double teamed. Asuka suplexes Galactica, Nagayo is tagged in and after fighting through Gonzalez she suplexes Galactica, covering her for a three count! The Crush Gals lead the match 1-0. Nagayo goes right back at Galactica but Galactica claws her in the eyes before bringing her to the ropes so that Yu and Dump can help again. Dump ends up coming in the ring to beat Nagayo with a metal rod as the referee has lost control in typical fashion, but Nagayo gets Gonzalez up and hits a tombstone piledriver for a two count. Nagayo tags in Asuka and Asuka hits a diving elbow drop. Scorpion Deathlock by Asuka while Nagayo puts Galactica in a crab hold, but Dump and Yu run in the ring to cause carnage.

Nagayo is dumped out of the ring, Galactica picks up Asuka but Asuka fights off everyone while Nagayo recovers. Asuka goes for a diving lariat but hits Nagayo by accident, the Luchadoras slam Nagayo to the mat and hit a double vertical suplex. Avalanche belly to back slam, cover by Galactica and she gets the three count! The match is tied 1-1. Nagayo and Galactica stay in, but Nagayo gets away and tags Asuka. Piledriver by Asuka, Nagayo goes up top and hits a diving headbutt. Asuka is attacked by both her opponents and the ringside wrestlers while Nagayo is isolated in the ring, the Luchadoras put Nagayo in a submission hold but Nagayo doesn’t submit, so they go and get Asuka. Asuka is bleeding everywhere after being hit with scissors repeatedly, objects are being thrown in the ring as the match further breaks down. Other AJW wrestlers try to help and the ring somehow clears, Asuka tags in Nagayo and they take Gonzalez out of the ring so they can throw her into the ring post. They return to the ring with Gonzalez, punches by Nagayo and she applies the Scorpion Deathlock. Gonzalez gets out of it and goes for a move off the top, but Nagayo rolls out of the way and hits the heel kick. Another heel kick by Nagayo and Asuka runs in to give Gonzalez the giant swing. Full rotation backdrop suplex by Asuka, she covers Gonzalez and she gets the three count! The Crush Gals are still your champions.

My feelings like matches like these, watching them 30 years after they happened, are probably different from how they were viewed at the time. After watching years of nWo, whatever stable HHH is running, etc. I tend to not like matches as much that have constant outside interference. Within the context of this match it worked, the Crush Gals were fan favorites of an epic proportion and the cheating just made the crowd hate the gaijins even more, if that was possible. Then they won in the end so everyone went home happy. I enjoyed it, but just looking back at it from the current day I would have enjoyed it more with less blatant outside interference and constant interruptions in the action.  Mildly Recommended

 
(c) Itsuki Yamazaki vs Yumi Ogura

Yamazaki is not the hand shaking type and they get right to the point, Ogura goes for a roll-up but Yamazaki catches her arm and applies an armbar. Back up, hard elbows by Yamazaki and she applies a bodyscissors, but Ogura gets out of it and throws her to the mat. Jumping Knee by Yamazaki and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Armdrags by Yamazaki but Ogura knees her in the midsection and hits a scoop slam. Ogura takes Yamazaki out of the ring and throws her into the chairs before returning to the ring. Yamazaki joins her and hits a dropkick followed by a scoop slam. Yamazaki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, double arm overhead suplex by Yamazaki and she gets the three count! Yamazaki is still the champion.

This match was basic, I mean really basic. Even Ogura taking Yamazaki outside of the ring felt forced and only lasted about 20 seconds before the match went back to dropkicks and scoop slams. Really not much to it, Yamazaki as a champion (and a three year pro) should have been capable of doing a bit more to make the match seem more like an important title match. Limited redeemable traits, besides that Yamazaki is extremely adorable.

 
Lioness Asuka and Chigusa Nagayo (Crush Gals) vs Dump Matsumoto and Rosy Moreno

As predicted just moments ago, this match is a brawl from the start as Matsumoto gets a kendo stick and starts whacking both Asuka and Nagayo with it. Asuka gets a strap and fights back with it, but the referee takes it away and Moreno knocks Asuka to the mat. Matsumoto comes in with the kendo stick and hits both Crush Gals with it, Crane Yu comes in the ring and helps Matsumoto with Nagayo. Nagayo hits a heel kick and covers Matsumoto, but the referee doesn’t count it and Nagayo is pulled out of the ring. This process continues as I am sitting here not amused. Nagayo does occasionally get in some moves as the crowd roars, but before long she is cut off by Matsumoto or another random wrestler from ringside.

Things suddenly turn normal for about a minute as Asuka hits Moreno with a diving elbow drop, diving headbutt by Nagayo and the referee counts to three! The Crush Gals are up 1-0. Matsumoto comes in with Nagayo, headbutts by Matsumoto and she hits a lariat followed by a piledriver. Another lariat by Matsumoto and she covers Nagayo for the three count! The score is now tied 1-1. Things get odd as they have a long discussion about something I am not aware of, but soon Matsumoto takes Asuka out of the ring with her and beats her on the floor. Back in the ring, Asuka drops Moreno with a giant swing and covers her for two. Nagayo comes in and dives out of the ring onto Matsumoto, where they grapple into the stands. Asuka goes out with Moreno too, the referee starts the count and counts out both teams, even though Asuka insists she made it back in time. I am guessing the match is a Double Countout.

So I didn’t like this. I don’t like heel referees, I don’t like lots of outside interference in matches, and I don’t like bullshit endings. I like the wrestlers, and the maybe two or three minutes of normal action was all fine as there was a lot of talent in the ring, but the constant stops and restarts just took me out of it. There would be many good Crush Gals vs. Gokuaku Domei matches, this wasn’t one of them.

(c) Asuka and Nagayo (Crush Gals) vs. Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki (Jumping Bomb Angels)

The crowd is hot for this match and appear to like both teams, although obviously they prefer the Crush Gals. Yamazaki and Nagayo start fast but don’t accomplish much before they both  tag out. We clip ahead to Asuka throwing Yamazaki around the ring before Nagayo hits a kneedrop off the top turnbuckle. Yamazaki fires back with a crossbody but Asuka hits a lariat off the top turnbuckle before slamming her in front of the corner. Yamazaki avoids the diving headbutt by Nagayo however, she kicks Nagayo out of the ring before sailing out onto her with a springboard plancha. Back in, Tateno catapults Yamazaki onto Nagayo, suplex by Yamazaki and she plants Nagayo with a piledriver for the three count! The Jumping Bomb Angels are up 1-0. We re-start with Nagayo and Yamazaki still in the ring, but Nagayo tags in Asuka who promptly suplexes Yamazaki. Tateno is tagged in and she hits a diving kneedrop, but Asuka drops her with a backdrop suplex as well. Club to the chest by Asuka and with Nagayo they hit an assisted diving elbow out of the corner. Heel kick by Nagayo on Tateno, she picks her up and nails a piledriver but Yamazaki breaks up the cover.

Missile dropkick by Asuka and she gives Tateno the giant swing for another two count. Asuka puts Tateno on the top turnbuckle and hits an avalanche backdrop suplex, and she picks up the three count! The score is tied 1-1. Time for the final fall, with both Crush Gals hitting suplexes on their opponents. The action spills to the floor, but the Crush Gals return to the ring and wait for their opponents. The Jumping Bomb Angels sneak in double sunset flips for a two count before throwing the Crush Gals into each other. Missile dropkick by Yamazaki to Asuka, but Asuka bridges out of the pin. Tateno goes up top but the missile dropkick misses, Asuka picks up Yamazaki and with Nagayo they hit a spike piledriver for a two count. Asuka tags Nagayo but Yamazaki throws her to the mat before hitting a suplex. Nagayo hits a quick enzuigiri, package German suplex by Nagayo to Yamazaki and she gets the three count! The Crush Gals retain the championship.

This unfortunately was not as good as I was hoping. The Jumping Bomb Angels had not completely gelled at this point as there were a few issues on that side of the ring, and the clipping didn’t do this match any favors as it made the already shady transitions seem even worse. When the Crush Gals were on offense the match was on point, as they were two of the better wrestlers in AJW at this point, but as a whole it was a step down from most of their ‘normal’ tag matches I have seen. Some good stuff sprinkled throughout, but too lacking in key areas to be a memorable encounter.  Mildly Recommended

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