Let’s jump back to some AJW, but not to classic AJW but rather ‘towards the end of its life’ AJW. By 2004, AJW wasn’t doing well. The heyday of arenas full of tens of thousands of people was long gone, as AJW lost its regular TV slot in 2002 and had struggled to keep their head above water with the lost revenue. The promotion still had quality wrestlers for sure, but none that really captured the hearts of fans like The Crush Gals, Manami Toyota, Jaguar Yokota, and all the stars that at one time made AJW one of the most successful promotions in the world. I picked this show intentionally as it had a big title match plus three matches with young wrestlers versus veterans which tend to be pretty entertaining. Plus we have two Tag League the Best Tournament matches and baby Kana! Here is the full card:

• Rising Generation 1: Takako Inoue vs. Haruka Matsuo
• Tag League the Best First Round: Yumiko Hotta and Kana vs. Tomoko Watanabe and Emi Tojo
• Tag League the Best First Round: The Bloody and Fang Suzuki vs. Dump Matsumoto and Sasori
• Rising Generation 2: Momoe Nakanishi vs. Saki Maemura
• Rising Generation 3: Lioness Asuka vs. Hikaru
• Kumiko Maekawa vs. Amazing Kong
• WWWA World Championship: Ayako Hamada vs. Nanae Takahashi

I am sure some of this event will be clipped, but we’ll see which matches are as we get into it.

Takako Inoue vs. Haruka Matsuo

They jockey to start, Haruka avoids Takako’s boot and she hits a springboard armdrag off the ropes. Stomps by Haruka and she applies a seated armbar, but Takako gets into the ropes. Dropkicks by Haruka but Takako shrugs them off and plants the youngster with a DDT. Double underhook suplex by Takako and she applies a leg submission, but Haruka makes it into the ropes. Haruka goes for a crossbody by Takako catches her on the first attempt and ducks the second one before leveling Haruka with a high kick. Avalanche chokeslam of sorts by Takako, but Haruka barely kicks out of the cover. Haruka avoids Takako’s dive off the top turnbuckle and hits a hurricanrana, dropkick by Haruka and she hits a missile dropkick. She hits another missile dropkick, cover by Haruka but it gets two as does the Northern Lights Suplex. High kick by Takako, she picks up Haruka and hits a snap backdrop suplex hold for a two count. Spinning backfist by Takako, but again Haruka gets a shoulder up. Haruka slaps Takako and applies a wing clutch hold for a two count, she goes up top and delivers a diving body press before hitting a German suplex hold for two. Takako’s Night Night by Takako, she goes up top and hits the Takako Panic for the three count! Your winner is Takako Inoue!

One of the benefits of this series being young wrestlers but not rookies is that we get real match. Takako looked great here as she was on point with all her offense but still gave Haruka enough that both came out looking fine. Not a very long match and it might have been clipped a bit, but a fun way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Yumiko Hotta and Kana vs. Tomoko Watanabe and Emi Tojo

Kana and Watanabe start the match as Kana quickly hits a trio of dropkicks, but Watanabe dropkicks her back and hits a scoop slam. Rebound elbow drop by Watanabe, Tojo runs in and hits a body press before Watanabe covers her for two. Watanabe works over Kana on the mat, and we clip ahead to Kana kicking Watanabe in the corner. That doesn’t last long as Watanabe fights back, Tojo comes in and Kana is double teamed in the corner. Watanabe suplexes Tojo onto Kana, Tojo stays in and applies a headlock to Kana but Kana fires off some elbows and hits a dropkick. The young pair jockey for position on the mat until Tojo hits a quick suplex. Tojo tags in Watanabe, sunset flip by Kana but Watanabe grabs the ropes. Hotta comes in and hits a heel kick on Watanabe, Watanabe hits a back bodydrop but Kana dropkicks Watanabe. Watanabe knocks them both back with a springboard double elbow but Hotta grabs her and hits a Tiger Driver for a two count. Hotta tags Kana by slapping her, missile dropkick by Kana but Watanabe kicks her in the chest. Dropkick by Kana but Watanabe fires back with a lariat for a two count. Watanabe tags Tojo, knees by Tojo in the corner and she hits a dropkick. Scoop slam by Tojo but Kana dropkicks her, back bodydrop by Tojo but Kana dropkicks her again and covers her for two. Tojo and Kana trade elbows, Kana goes off the ropes and she hits three hip attacks for a two count. Tojo and Kana trade slaps, roll-up by Kana but Watanabe comes in and Kana is double teamed. Tojo gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Kana makes the tag to Hotta. Dropkicks by Tojo to Hotta but Hotta hits a double face crusher, Tojo blocks the Tiger Driver and Watanabe comes in to kick Hotta in the chest. Tojo goes for a sunset flip by Hotta sits on her chest to block it, Hotta picks up Tojo but Watanabe knocks her over. Shining Wizard by Tojo to Hotta, but it only gets a two count. Tojo goes off the ropes but Watanabe hits a palm thrust, Hotta knocks Watanabe to the mat and then hits a Tiger driver on Tojo for the three count! Hotta and Kana win the match and move on in the tournament.

Good, but not great. It was fun to see Kana in her first year, still a bit rough around the edges and not at all like what she is today, but with some glimpses of skill and fire like you want to see in wrestlers early in their career. The match was just a bit too random and had no flow whatsoever, most of it was just them taking turns hitting moves on each other without a sense that either team had a strategy. The clipping may be slightly to blame but the match was probably like that in full as well. The action was generally solid so no complaints there, it just lacked something special to make it a memorable match or to feel like an important tournament match.

The Bloody and Fang Suzuki vs. Dump Matsumoto and Sasori

Matsumoto attacks Bloody before the match starts and the action immediately spills outside of the ring, with Matsumoto’s friends helping as well. Matsumoto and Bloody finally get in the ring with Matsumoto’s masked friend doing a bulk of the work, Suzuki comes in but Matsumoto quickly knocks her back out. Sasori comes in and trades elbows with Bloody, Matsumoto hits Bloody with kendo stick but Suzuki hits Sasori with a chair. Bloody tags Suzuki and Suzuki hits Sasori with a chair, but the masked friend returns and takes it from her. She then hits Suzuki with the chair as Suzuki is triple teamed in the corner. Sasori bites Bloody in the head and hits a hard elbow, cover by Sasori but it gets two. Matsumoto comes in and hits Bloody with the kendo stick, Bloody sneaks in a sunset flip but it only gets two. Sasori suplexes Bloody, the masked woman comes in and she hits a suplex to Suzuki. Matsumoto hits everyone with a paint can, including the referee (well especially the referee), but Suzuki comes in with a chair and hits Sasori in the head. Bloody gets Sasori in the corner and chokes her, snap backdrop suplex by Suzuki and Bloody hits a diving senton off the rope. Bloody is pulled outside the ring and attacked, at some point in all this the referee wakes and DQs Matsumoto and Sasori. Bloody and Suzuki move on in the tournament.

So this was an experience. I knew that it would be a brawl but it was one of those types where Matsumoto never even left the ring and just interfered whenever she felt like it. At least they did get DQed, unlike the old days, but it still wasn’t really a match in the traditional sense of the word. None of these four by 2004 were great wrestlers in the traditional sense of the word but the brawl just wasn’t heated enough to make up for it. Interesting perhaps, but still not something I could really recommended.

Momoe Nakanishi vs. Saki Maemura

Momoe and Saki get right into it with no wasted time, quick dropkick by Momoe and the pair trade elbows back and forth until Saki throws down Momoe by her hair. She does it again and hits a few snapmares before applying a sleeper, bodyscissors by Saki but Momoe gets out of it and delivers with a dropkick. Momoe goes up top and hits a missile dropkick but Saki hits a rebound crossbody out of the corner for two. Saki goes up top but Momoe hits her and joins her. Saki slides off and dropkicks Momoe, release German by Saki and she hits a missile dropkick. Saki dropkicks Momoe out of the ring, she then goes up top and hits a diving crossbody down to the floor. Saki slides Momoe back in but Momoe hits a dropkick, Saki falls out of the ring and Momoe goes for a moonsault, but Saki moves out of the way. Dropkick by Saki from the apron, she slides Momoe back in and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Fisherman suplex by Saki, but Momoe gets a shoulder up again. Saki goes up top but Momoe gets her feet up on the diving body press attempt, quick roll-up by Saki gets a two. She tries another one with the same result, double underhook suplex by Momoe but it gets a two. Momoe goes up top and hits a missile dropkick but Saki comes back with a German suplex hold. German suplex hold by Momoe but Saki blocks the dragon suplex attempt and the two trade pick pins. Saki goes off the ropes but Momoe catches her with a Momo☆OK, a second Momo☆OK by Momoe and she picks up the three count!  Momoe Nakanishi is the winner.

A very high speed match and a hell of a sprint, both hit a million dropkicks and were flying around everywhere. It still had some big moves, with a dive by Saki and a dropkick off the apron, but most of it was focused between the ropes. There wasn’t a lot in terms of things like long term selling as they were going too fast to worry about such things, but for a shorter match it worked fine. A good display by both and overall enjoyable.  Mildly Recommended

Lioness Asuka vs. Hikaru

Asuka shows immediately that she has not mellowed with age, as she attacks Hikaru during the handshake and then sprays green mist in her face. Snapmares and kicks by Asuka, she gets her table and catapults it into Hikaru’s face. Asuka’s posse helps (as if she needed it) as Hikaru falls outside of the ring to be tended to by her corners. Asuka goes out to get her and rams her head into the table, Asuka charges Hikaru and lariats her against the table before rolling her back into the ring. Hikaru is then attacked with chairs as Hikaru is now bleeding, Blue Thunder Driver by Asuka but the referee won’t count it due to all the cheating. Asuka doesn’t care and starts choking Hikaru, knee drops by Asuka but Hikaru finally fights back with elbows. She bounces off the ropes but is tripped from ringside, Asuka grabs Hikaru and puts her in the Tree of Woe. Sliding dropkicks to Hikaru and Asuka puts her in a modified Camel Clutch. Hikaru manages to hit a big spear, knees by Asuka and she kicks Hikaru in the head. The table is propped up in the corner but Hikaru knocks Asuka back and hits a missile dropkick. Hikaru charges Asuka but Asuka moves so Hikaru runs into the table. Asuka puts the table onto Hikaru, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving footstomp onto the table. Liger Bomb by Asuka, but Hikaru gets a shoulder up. Asuka gets Hikaru on her shoulders but she slides away and goes up top. Asuka joins her but Hikaru knocks her back down and and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Asuka elbows Hikaru but Hikaru hits a spear, Hikaru picks up Asuka and she hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Spinebuster by Hikaru, she picks up Asuka as Asuka’s friend comes in, but the friend hits Asuka with the chair by accident. Fisherman Driver by Hikaru, but Asuka gets a toe on the ropes. Hikaru goes to pick up Asuka but Asuka throws a fireball at her face, Hikaru rolls out of the ring and Asuka throws her into the stands. Asuka goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp through the table (and obviously Hikaru), she slides Hikaru back in and she nails the Towerhacker Bomb, but Hikaru gets a shoulder up. Asuka goes for the LSD II, but Hikaru blocks it and rolls up Asuka for two. Heel kick by Asuka and she hits a second one, but Hikaru kicks out. Hikaru slaps Asuka but Asuka slaps her back and hits the LSD III for the three count! Lioness Asuka wins!

I love Asuka, here she was just a few months from retiring due neck injuries but she was holding nothing back to put on a good show. Diving footstomps through tables, fireballs, it was fun to watch. Asuka has a reputation as being a selfish worker, mostly deserved, but she wasn’t here as Hikaru kicked out of some of her bigger moves and had several close nearfalls against the Joshi legend. It was constant action with no wasted time, from the first misting to the final LSD something was always happening. A really solid match and to me just further cements Asuka’s place as one of the top Joshi wrestlers of all time.  Recommended

Kumiko Maekawa vs. Amazing Kong

Maekawa and Kong lock knuckles, chops by Kong and she lariats Maekawa to the mat. Maekawa gets back up and puts Kong in a seated armbar, but Kong gets a foot onto the ropes to break the hold. Kicks by Maekawa but she lets up Kong while smiling, Kong avoids the next kick however and she tosses Maekawa out of the ring. She goes out after her but Maekawa rolls in real quick, Maekawa kicks Kong as she gets on the apron and exits the ring to throw Kong into the guard rail. Maekawa battles Kong around the ring but Kong regains the advantage and throws Maekawa into the railing. Vertical suplex by Kong on the floor and she goes for a powerbomb, but Maekawa slides away and drop toeholds Kong onto some chairs. Maekawa slides Kong back in and hits a heel drop in the corner, Calf Branding by Maekawa and she covers Kong for two.

Kong fires back with a lariat and hits a double underhook facebuster, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving bodypress for a two count. Kong goes for a powerbomb but Maekawa gets out of it and hits a leg sweep. She goes off the ropes but Kong hits a lariat, Maekawa kips up however and delivers a heel kick for two. Kong finally hits the powerbomb, but the cover only gets a two count. Heel Drop by Maekawa, but Kong barely kicks out. Maekawa picks up Kong but she blocks the next Heel Drop attempt, quick roll-up by Maekawa but Kong kicks out. Kong returns the favor with her own roll-up for two, she picks up Maekawa but Maekawa blocks the spinning backfist. Kong finally hits one but Maekawa comes back with a high kick as they trade strikes back and forth. Back kick by Maekawa and she hits a rolling heel kick, she goes for a boot in the corner but Kong avoids it and applies a backslide for two. Sit-down Powerbomb by Kong, she picks up Maekawa and clubs her in the face. Kong goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving legdrop, she gets on the second turnbuckle again but Maekawa avoids the diving bodypress. Kicks to the head by Maekawa but Kong sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Heel Drop by Maekawa, but Kong kicks out of the pin. Another Heel Drop by Maekawa, and this time she gets the three count! Maekawa is the winner.

Definitely an interesting match. It was odd seeing the monster Kong being the one going for sneaky pins while Maekawa was content in kicking the hell out of her. I love Maekawa’s Heel Drops, she gets so much elevation on her kick, I’ve never seen anything like it. Only issue it that she was so dominating that I never really brought into Kong winning as even though she hit her powerbomb you knew it would take more than that. Lots of hard strikes and solid action, it just had too much meandering brawling and not enough emotion.

(c) Ayako Hamada vs. Nanae Takahashi

They shake hands but Hamada grabs Takahashi and hits a quick powerbomb. Superkick by Hamada and a heel kick, and she delivers the AP Cross for a two count. Back up Hamada hits another heel kick, but Takahashi ducks the next one and hits a backdrop suplex. Another backdrop suplex by Takahashi and she hits a lariat before delivering a Nana☆Racka for two. Dropkick by Takahashi but Hamada returns fire. Hamada and Takahashi trade elbows as they return to their feet, Hamada charges Takahashi but Takahashi dumps her out of the ring. Plancha suicida by Takahashi, she rolls Hamada back in the ring but Hamada avoids the reverse splash. Hamada goes for a moonsault but Takahashi gets her feet up and hits a release German suplex. Takahashi goes up top but Hamada smacks her and joins her, hitting an Avalanche Frankensteiner down to the floor. Both wrestlers are hurt but Hamada is up first and slides Takahashi back in the ring, missile dropkick by Hamada and she hits a sit-down powerbomb for two. Takahashi rolls out of the ring, still in a good amount of pain, but Hamada goes out after her and hits her with a set of chairs. Vertical suplex by Hamada and she climbs up onto the stage, and she hits a moonsault down onto Takahashi. They battle up onto the balcony, Hamada tries to throw her off but Takahashi blocks it and slides her over the edge.

Hamada hangs for a moment before falling down to the floor, Takahashi then climbs to the other side of the railing and jumps down onto Hamada. So far this match is just a series of big spots but I love it. Takahashi tosses Hamada around the ring before they get up on the apron, Hamada gets a chair but tosses it at Takahashi and pretends like Takahashi hit her. The referee fusses at her, giving Hamada time to roll the ring, she then dropkicks Takahashi off the apron and goes for a moonsault, but Takahashi side steps it and puts Hamada on the apron. Takahashi then grabs Hamada and hits a vertical suplex off the apron down to the floor, she puts her back in the ring and hits a backdrop suplex for two. Big lariat by Takahashi, footstomp by Takahashi and she hits a Nana☆Racka for two. Hamada goes for a kick but Takahashi catches it and suplexes her to the mat. Lariat by Takahashi but Hamada sneaks in an inside cradle for a two count. Another lariat by Takahashi but Hamada springs back up just to eat another one. La Magistral by Hamada, but Takahashi gets a shoulder up. Enzuigiri by Hamada but Takahashi slides away from the powerbomb attempt. Dropkick by Hamada, she picks up Takahashi and hits the Pyramid Driver for a two count. AP Cross by Hamada, but Takahashi barely gets a shoulder up. Hamada kicks Takahashi in the head and she puts Takahashi in a backslide for two. Running slap by Hamada and she hits two heel kicks, AP Cross by Hamada but Takahashi kicks out. Lariat by Takahashi and she hits a Nana☆Racka, but it only gets a one. Takahashi charges Hamada but Hamada catches her and hits a AP Cross Diamond for two. Takahashi comes back with a jumping knee, Takahashi goes up top but Hamada joins her, she goes for a cutter but Takahashi blocks it and slides off. Hamada kicks Takahashi back but Takahashi punches her back and gets her in the Muscle Buster position. Nana Racka II by Takahashi, and she picks up the three count! Takahashi is the new champion!

Well that was one hell of a spotfest, just twenty minutes of them doing big moves until finally someone did a move strong enough to keep the other down. Which in a way is the problem with a match like this, the Nana Racka II is a great move but after everything that had been done it seemed almost anti-climatic. But they did two very similar bumps to the Kobashi/Akiyama match, which I doubt was a coincidence as that was the ‘big match’ of the year that had happened six months prior. It was certainly exciting as they kept ramping up the violence and there was never a dull moment, definitely worth tracking down for the “oh shit” moments if nothing else, and Hamada was on another level back in 2004.  Recommended

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This event, titled “Summer Night Fire” includes the last day of the NEO Japan Cup. The winner of the points-based tournament would go on to face Kyoko Inoue for the NEO Singles and NWA Pacific Championship. Going into today, Genki led the Red Zone with four points while in the Blue Zone Takahashi held a two point lead over her opponent Tamura. Both Taiyo and Tamura could tie their Blocks with a win, however if they lost or the match was a draw, then Genki and Takahashi would move onto the finals. Only five of the matches on the event were shown but all were shown in full, here is the line-up:

• Kana vs. Aya Yuki
• Kyoko Inoue vs. Tomoko Nakagawa
• NEO Japan Cup – Red Zone: Kyoko Kimura vs. Haruka Matsuo
• NEO Japan Cup – Red Zone: Misae Genki vs. Natsuki*Taiyo
• NEO Japan Cup – Blue Zone: Yoshiko Tamura vs. Nanae Takahashi

Let’s get to it!

Kana vs. Aya Yuki

After trading holds, Kana gets right to it with a stiff kick to the back before dropkicking her in the corner. Yuki comes back with an atomic drop and applies a crab hold. Kana gets to the ropes and hits Yuki with a pair of hip attacks before applying a crab hold of her own, but Yuki also gets to the ropes. Kicks by Kana and they trade elbows, scoop slam by Kana and she applies the cross armbreaker. Yuki gets out of it and they trade mounted elbows, Kana gets in better position and hits Yuki with a series of stiff slaps. Back up Yuki regains control and gives Kana some slaps of her own, but Kana scores with a kick and hits a face crusher.

Yuki hits a series of shoulderblocks for a two count, she slams Kana to the mat but her cover gets another two. Kicks to the legs and ribs by Kana and she applies an ankle hold, but Yuki gets out of it. Kana does one too many kicks as Yuki catches one and applies a STF, but Kana gets to the ropes. Yuki slaps at Kana and applies a sleeper, but again Kana forces the break. Kana blocks a suplex and hits a hip attack, vertical suplex by Yuki but Kana snaps off a neckbreaker. Kana goes for a piledriver but Yuki blocks it and hits a fireman’s carry roll for a two count. Yuki goes for a suplex but Kana rolls through it and applies an ankle hold. High Kick by Kana, she picks up Yuki and hits a German suplex hold for two. Kana picks up Yuki and drills her with a piledriver, picking up the three count! Kana wins the match.

The main issue here is that Yuki isn’t very good, some of her offense was awkward looking, plus the transitions were non-existent. On the positive side, this was grumpy stiff Kana at her best as she was really laying in the kicks and slaps to poor Yuki. The piledriver finisher is one I haven’t really seen before (it started Gotch-Style, then she switched it to regular once she had Yuki up), and the match stayed exciting. Come for the badass Kana but don’t expect a lot of structure from this one.  Mildly Recommended

Kyoko Inoue vs. Tomoko Nakagawa

Nakagawa starts as underdogs do, hitting a series of dropkicks, but the suplex attempt was ill-advised and didn’t work. Scissors kick by Nakagawa and she applies a rolling necklock, but Inoue gets out if it. Headscissors by Nakagawa and she slaps Inoue, and she finally hits the fisherman suplex hold for two count. She hits another one for two but Inoue has finally had enough and hits a lariat. Back up Nakagawa sneaks in a schoolboy which doesn’t work, Irish whip by Nakagawa but Inoue hits another lariat. Powerbomb by Inoue, and she picks up the three count! Inoue is your winner.

Nakagawa got in a bit more offense than I expected but otherwise it followed the script. Inoue basically put away Nakagawa with two moves, so even though she took some offense she surely wasn’t going to make her own offensive look weak against a lesser opponent. I have no issue with matches like this, sometimes the champion needs to beat someone easily, not only be in competitive matches. A good match for the undercard but nothing I could recommend by itself.

Kyoko Kimura vs. Haruka Matsuo

Matsuo dropkicks Kimura but Kimura dumps her out of the ring and throws her into the crowd. Kimura beats Matsuo on the floor some more before they return to the ring, and Kimura tosses Matsuo by her hair. Kimura tortures Matsuo on the mat and in the ropes, shoulderblock by Kimura but Matsuo attacks her from behind. Kimura locks on the sleeper but Matsuo gets in the ropes to force a break, knees by Kimura in the corner and she hits a backbreaker. Another backbreaker by Kimura and she puts Matsuo in a crab hold, but again she gets into the ropes. Kimura stays focused on Matsuo’s back, she throws Matsuo back out of the ring and rams her back-first into the ring post. Kimura charges Matsuo on the floor but Matsuo whips off a hurricanrana before hitting a suplex. Back in, missile dropkick by Matsuo and she delivers a diving body press for two. German suplex hold by Matsuo but that gets a two as well, she goes for the dragon suplex but Kimura elbows out of it. Spinning backbreaker by Kimura and she keeps the pressure on before covering Matsuo for two. Texas Cloverleaf by Kimura but Matsuo gets out of it, she goes off the ropes and hits a satellite roll-up for two. She goes off the ropes again but Kimura levels her with a big boot. Headbutt by Kimura, Matsuo goes for a hurricanrana but Kimura reverses it into a modified STF and picks up the three count!

A solid match, hurt more by the hard camera setup than anything else. It was hard to tell the full impact of the strikes, and the action of the floor was difficult to see, which is always a shame. But the match was structured well, with Kimura staying focused on Matsuo’s back and Matsuo relying on sneaky things to try to pick up the victory. Kimura already had everything sorted out by 2008, there were no mistakes and everything flowed well. A good midcard match. Mildly Recommended

Misae Genki vs. Natsuki*Taiyo

They start slow with Taiyo just trying to stay away from Genki, Genki tries charging Taiyo but Taiyo dumps her over the top rope. Taiyo goes to do a dive but Genki gets on the apron and stops her before she jumps. Taiyo knocks Genki back to the floor, but Genki moves when Taiyo jumps off the top turnbuckle and Taiyo crashes to the floor. Genki beats Taiyo around the ring before they go back in, and Genki hits a series of knees. Scoop slam by Genki and she hits a second turnbuckle elbow drop followed by a backdrop suplex for two. Taiyo blocks the chokeslam and goes for a schoolboy, but Genki sits down on her. Taiyo uses her speed to avoid Genki’s attacks but Genki levels her with a big boot. Backdrop suplex by Genki and she delivers the chokeslam, but Taiyo barely kicks out of the cover. Kimura headbutts Genki a few times, Taiyo goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Taiyo goes for the Taiyo☆Chan Bomb but Genki blocks it and hits a hard lariat. Roaring Lariat by Genki and she picks up the three count! Genki wins the match and reaches the Finals of the NEO Japan Cup!

I liked this for what it was, Taiyo is a natural underdog because she is so small (5 feet even) and Genki played her role well. I wouldn’t have minded if it was a bit longer, with the time spent outside the ring there wasn’t a lot to sink your teeth into, but for the story they were telling it worked fine. A good match for what it was, I would imagine wrestling someone like Taiyo would be a dream for any power wrestler, she just takes all offense so well. Mildly Recommended

Yoshiko Tamura vs. Nanae Takahashi

Takahashi attacks Tamura right away, hitting a quick German suplex for a two count. They keep the pace up as Tamura hits knees in the corner but reach a stalemate and the match resets. After some mat work, Tamura gets Takahashi against the ropes and kicks her out of the ring. Tamura knees Takahashi as she gets back in the ring and kicks her in the corner, but Takahashi hits a quick Stunner. Figure four by Takahashi but Tamura gets to the ropes, kicks by Tamura and she starts focusing on Takahashi’s leg. Takahashi regains her footing and they trade elbows back up, Irish whip by Tamura but Takahashi hits a hard shoulderblock. Takahashi applies a sleeper before hitting a missile dropkick, she goes up top and she hits another missile dropkick for a two count. Reverse Splash attempt but Takahashi but Tamura gets her knees up and hits a bridging suplex for two. Tamura charges Takahashi but Takahashi dumps her out of the ring, she goes off the ropes and she sails out onto Tamura with an elbow suicida. They get on the apron, head kick by Tamura and she hits a cutter off the apron down to the floor!

Both wrestlers are naturally hurt but Tamura is up first, and she throws Takahashi into the chairs at ringside. Back in the ring, double arm DDT by Tamura and she hits two more, getting a two count cover. Reverse STO by Tamura, Takahashi tries to fight back but Tamura hits a second one.  A third reverse STO by Tamura and she hits the Alabama Slam for two. Takahashi ducks a strike and hits a quick lariat, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Tamura blocks it. High kick by Takahashi, and she delivers a suplex for a two count. Sliding kick by Takahashi and she nails a Blue Thunder Driver for a nearfall. Takahashi pick up Tamura and hits a suplex, facelock by Takahashi but Tamura gets out of it and hits a neckbreaker. Backdrop suplex hold by Tamura but it gets two, as do the quick pins. Takahashi quickly hits the Original Shining Wizard (!!!) but Tamura gets a foot on the ropes on the cover. Takahashi puts Tamura on the top turnbuckle and slams her to the mat, she goes off the ropes but Tamura hits an elbow. Tamura hits stiff elbows in the corner and a high kick, cobra clutch suplex by Tamura but the bell rings as she goes for the cover as time has expired! The match is a Draw, Takahashi goes on to the Finals of the NEO Japan Cup.

Tamura and Takahashi did a great job making this match feel important, they wrestled the same match in front of 150 people in an auditorium as they would have fought in front of 10,000 people at Sumo Hall. Just a hard hitting and cohesive match, I don’t mind draws when it is during a points-based tournament and they didn’t go the flash-pin route which can be a bit boring. Both of these wrestlers have killer offense, I love the cutter off the apron and the cobra clutch suplex, and everything clicked. A great match and a fitting main event for the show.  Highly Recommended

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