2/3 Falls: Takumi Iroha & Rin Kadokura vs Mio Momono & Leo Isaka, Marvelous 4/29/2017
Intrigueing match up on paper, that ended up probably being even better than I expected. Momono and Kadokura are still in their rookie stage, tagged with two evenly matched higher ranked wrestlers. So whenever it was either of them vs Iroha or Isaka, there was immediate peril, and when it was them against each other they were fiercely competitive. Isaka and Iroha do a good job here, Isaka looks really polished with his cool kicks and big dropkicks, and Iroha is not quite the badass she is now but she’s already really good as the higher ranked kicker thrust kicking peoples head off. Thought this built to a bunch of really really good exchanges and the ranking difference was handled nearly perfectly. Kadokura is a lot of fun here building up to a basic body slam, and Momono was already busting out some slicker offense including lots of cool armbars. Lots of great ‘higher ranked partner helps out lower ranked partner’ spots which are always a favourite of mine. Because it’s two out of three falls pretty much everything is a plausible finish, which increases the tension when Kadokura and Momono are in because even something like a bodyslam or crossbody is a finish then. This had a bunch of great forearm smash contests that really felt closer to something like Mantell v. Lawler, fighting down to the knees and back up, way better than your typical 2017 era elbow exchanges. All 3 falls were super hard fought and I thought they did an amazing job keeping the pace of the match without getting repetitive or getting into overkill. Really impressive achievement and something of a hidden gem if you ask me.
Takumi Iroha vs Mio Momono, Marvelous 11/3/2019
Momono has ascended past swimsuited rookie status and is on the rise, but she can still hardly put a dent into Iroha. Personally, I prefer the Shinya Hashimoto-type demeanour ala ‘I’m gonna wipe you off the face of the earth’ over Irohas ‘smiling and laughing because my opponent is that pathetically weak’ bit here, but Iroha certainly is convincing when it’s time to chop and kick the hell out of Momono. It builds to a few increasingly great comebacks from Momono, up to the last couple minutes which are really good with Momono throwing absolute haymakers trying to knock Iroha out and Iroha putting more violence than usual into her strikes. Sick ending that harkened back to the likes of Devil Masami flattening some GAEA rookie. Quality underdog story with some really slick wrestling and some sick as hell strikes, thought Momono looked great here.
Takumi Iroha vs Chigusa Nagayo, Marvelous 12/8/2019
Yes 55 year old Chigusa takes on the tank that is Iroha! Really intrigueing match that ends up being compelling. Chigusa comes out with a ridiculous amount of sponsor logos on her attire (gotta get the most out of this packed Korakuen Hall crowd) and looks like someones grandma. But god damn Chigusa is pro wrestling incarnate and she knows how to make anything compelling. Lots of great staredowns. They do pad some time by doing a lot of chops on the floor, but once they are back in the ring it’s great stuff. Chigusa still throws vicious strikes, her forearms still look better than most guys forearms, and she can still kick Iroha in the face. It looks like there’s a glimmer of hope (or should I say, ego?) that Nagayo could put Iroha in trouble, but Irohas youth advantage soon becomes apparent and she starts demolishing Nagayo and not holding back. Some great, Hashimoto like selling from Nagayo here, really getting the most out of this. It goes a bit too long, but the crucifixion-like ending makes it all worthwhile. Really unique match, the kind that only a handful of personalities in wrestling history could craft.
No comments:
Post a Comment