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 the first 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 and are currently up to #141, so this will be a long journey.

AJW Retro Hour Classics #1 is special in that all the matches came from the same event. Most Classics are a compilation of matches from the same time period, but not usually from the same day. This was a massive show however at the Kawasaki City Gymnasium with thousands in attendance, featuring a mask vs. hair title match in the main event. The following matches are featured:

5/7/83 – All Japan Women Jr. Championship: Noriyo Tateno vs. Hiromi Komatsubara
5/7/83 – Mimi Hagiwara vs. Monster Ripper
5/7/83 – Devil Masami and Tarantula vs. Dynamite Girls (Jumbo Hori and Yukari Omori)
5/7/83 – WWWA World Championship, Mask vs. Hair: Jaguar Yokota vs. La Galactica

 
(c) Noriyo Tateno vs. Hiromi Komatsubara

Normally I would complain about a title match being so short and basic, but this belt was designed for wrestlers still training so I will cut them some slack. They did get into it very quickly as they bounced each other off the ropes, and the mysterious Komatsubara controlled the early portion of the match. Tateno goes for a tackle that epicly fails as Komatsubara catches her arm, and she focuses on that arm for the next several minutes. Komatsubara doesn’t let up and she elbows Tateno in the corner, but Tateno finally kicks her back. A few shoulderblocks by Komatsubara sends Tateno back down, but Tateno rolls her to the mat and delivers a dropkick. That is a high spot for them by the way. Headlock by Tateno which Komatsubara rolls out of, Tateno back bodydrops Komatsubara and bodyslams her for a three count! Tateno wins the match and retains the title.

Tateno held onto the championship until losing it back to Chigusa Nagayo on January 8th, 1984. The AJW Jr. Championship was a belt that never had much prestige, many future stars of AJW held the title but it was early in their careers and before they had fully blossomed. Both of these wrestlers looked solid, there were no awkward moments, however the strikes were weak and the match ended with little fanfare. It is fun to watch Tateno so early in her career knowing she became a success in the WWF, but this was more like an opener match than a title match.

 
Mimi Hagiwara vs. Monster Ripper

Ripper sets the tone early with brawling while Hagiwara is tossed around like a rag doll. Ripper has the classic monster offense, filled with punches and body bumps with an occasional slam for extra emphasis. Ripper throws Hagiwara out of the ring and into the crowd, and back in the ring she continues her assault. Hagiwara finally gets some help from ringside and drops a knee onto Ripper’s head before jumping down on her back and applying a chinlock. Ripper effortlessly gets out of that and suplexes Hagiwara, kneedrops by Ripper and she tosses Hagiwara to the mat. She tries to do it again but Hagiwara hits a hurricanrana for a two count! She goes off the ropes but Ripper hits a bodyblock, slam by Ripper and she military presses Hagiwara. Ripper is pulled out of the ring and double teamed on the floor, they get back in and Ripper is dropped with a double back bodydrop and a double vertical suplex. Double backdrop suplex to Ripper, Hagiwara goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Ripper slides out of it and hits a lariat. Military press drop into a backbreaker by Ripper, she hits another military press drop and covers Hagiwara for the three count! Monster Ripper wins!

I am sure that Ripper deserved it but it is unusual to see the monster heel being cheated against and not the other way around. It did help put her over a bit more that she in essence defeated two wrestlers, and her strength was impressive. I think this one accomplished its goal, Hagiwara didn’t go down easy but was no match for the Monster Ripper, decent for what it was.  Mildly Recommended

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

The Dynamite Girls attack first as Masami is isolated, and the Dynamite Girls start working on Masami’s arm. The arm work is good but not overly diverse, Hori kicks Masami but they are really light strikes that are probably barely making contact. Masami tags in Tarantula, she immediately brings Hori out of the ring with her and tosses her around the floor. Back in, Masami has returned but Hori pulls her out of the ring and they take turns throwing each other into the crowd. Masami suplexes Hori back into the ring and tags in Tarantula, but Hori throws her to the ground and hits a powerbomb. Omori comes in and they drop Tarantula with a double suplex, Masami comes in and throws Hori out of the ring while Tarantula attacks Omori with the bell hammer. Back in, Hori is double teamed but the Dynamite Girls regain the advantage. Tarantula runs into the corner and does a crossbody onto Masami, Masami catches her and throws Tarantula over her head onto Hori, and Tarantula picks up the three count pinfall! The series is now even 1-1.

This was a bit structure-less, if I saw this match in a vacuum I would have idea which was the heel team since neither were really playing fair. Not long enough to get excited about but the action kept up and it was fun to watch. With a bit more meaning (i.e. not the second match in the series) this may have been better but the match was fast paced and both teams did a good job showing the match was important.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Jaguar Yokota vs. La Galactica

After some introductory limb and mat work, business picks up as Galactica gets in control and drags Yokota out of the ring. Galactica throws Yokota into the ring post and the crowd before choking her on the apron and throwing her into the post again. Ripper takes over at that point, throwing Yokota into the stands, and back in the ring Ripper continues to help her friend while Yokota applies a leglock. Figure Four Leglock by Yokota, Ripper runs in but the referee gets her back out before she can do much damage. Hip attacks by Yokota and she hits a double underhook bridging suplex, which brings Ripper back into the ring. Tombstone Piledriver by Yokota, but Galactica is into the ropes. Galactica rolls out of the ring but returns after a moment and Yokota begins to stretch her, backdrop suplex hold by Yokota but Ripper breaks it up. Ripper slams Yokota and pulls her out of the ring, and she begins cutting her hair. Yokota gets away and takes the scissors as she begins to cut at Galactica’s mask, they get back in the ring and Yokota hits a bridging suplex for two. Yokota gets a steel chair and starts hitting anyone with it that walks within range, jumping forearm and a dropkick by Yokota but when she goes for the plancha suicida she completely misses. Ripper gets back in the ring as Galactica gets on the top turnbuckle, Ripper slams Yokota in the ring and Galactica hits a diving senton. Diving body press by Ripper, Galactica covers Yokota and she gets the three count! La Galactica wins the title and Yokota loses her hair!

The next five minutes are intense, as Yokota is incredibly not happy about losing her hair. After fighting Galactica and Ripper she finally sits down and allows her hair to be cut, while glaring at anyone that walks by. This was a big deal at the time, as Yokota very rarely lost and she was one Japan’s most popular female wrestlers. So seeing her hair being cut while she struggled really was a powerful image, leading to a few fans throwing things into the ring. The main issue with this match is that La Galactica is simply not anywhere close to Yokota’s level, so when Yokota was on offense it was great but all Galactica brought to the table with Ripper. It worked in this case for the most part, it kept the atmosphere electric and when Yokota snapped it really put over how out of control the match was. More of a spectacle than a wrestling match, but it was a hell of a spectacle and Yokota was perfect both during the match and in the post-match activities.  Recommended

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