Forever Forward Fridays

Kanako Motoya VS Jaguar Yokota - JWP 10/11/1998

CJD: I wanted to see Motoya with a bit more seasoning, but I didn't expect this amount of a level up in a little over a year. God damn! It's a shame her career was cut short, because she was blasting the fuck off in JWP in the late '90s. Taking a legend to the limit here, and veteran Jaguar Yokota isn't going to take kindly to that. I have only seen a handful of Jaguar after she came back from early retirement (as so many of her generation of joshi stars were forced to do), so I was excited when this match popped up immediately when I searched. It didn't disappoint in the slightest. Slam dunk pick from a beautiful no-look layup from my main man JJZ. I love when our Fridays get lost in a labyrinth on a joshi journey, and dare I say we are spelunking into some interesting territory my friend.

JJZ: Holy VHS tape Batman! Is it terrible that I loved all the tracking issues? Old school tapes will always hold a special place in my heart. It's sad to think that the last time we watched a VHS tape we didn't realize it would probably be the last time ever. Chris, this is a banger! The hot start from the young lion, the veteran taking control and slowing the pace down with violent attacks. Those suplexes were executed so well man. The frantic pin falls really make you think the match could end at any moment. But the finish. Fuck. That sell job. Damn.

Burn With Love! Dragon Soldier B

KENTA/Naomichi Marufuji (c) VS Takashi Sugiura/Kendo Kashin - NOAH GHC Jr Tag Team Championship 7/14/2004

CJD: I guarantee you one of us owns this match on VHS or DVD since it's the same show as Kobashi/Akiyama. And I guarantee you if it was me I skipped this match because of my hatred for Kashin at the time. So I was glad to have a reason to sit down to a big time match from prime MaruKen that I'd never seen before. Hopefully you feel the same way. As a standalone match there's a lot to like, and honestly plenty I wasnt crazy about. Kashin reminded me why I couldn't stand him at the time, as his comedy missed for me as much as it hit. I was dying to see KENTA punt him into next week and unfortunately they never really delivered on that to the level I hoped for. But here is what I will say. Sugiura looks better than he ever had here, in so many different roles and situations, he's simply great in this. The oddball matchup does create an interesting footnote in a historic era of pro wrestling that we love. And let's be honest, it's emerald green mat KENTAfuji doing KENTAfuji things. I don't think JJZ would ever say no to that!

JJZ: Oh man, the chances of me see this are high but I remember nothing about it. You definitely own the DVD since you played Kobashi vs Akiyama for me at one of those nights that we'd stay up all night and watch wrestling. A wrestling night if you will. Kashin is a nice addition with these three guys during this era of NOAH. He really brings sometime different to the table. This match is wild CJD. The shit with Kashin and Sugi is so entertaining and weird at the same time. But even with all that it's such an, oh shit move set. So many big bumps. Super stiff. Anytime you get Sugi and Kenta in the ring together you know you got some taters coming. This was a fantastic pick baby cakes!

Forever Forward Fridays

Tomoko Miyaguchi VS  Kanako Motoya - JWP 7/11/1997

JJZ: So we've watched a lot of wild ass Joshi matches. This ain't one of them. Before selecting this one to play forward I watched a few tag team bouts that would have been PIF worthy. But I thought I would like to go down a different road for this. Knowing little to nothing about Tomoko and Kanako, I very much got an established wrestler versus a young lion feel. With the exception of the screaming this was a thoughtful technical match. Mostly holds and striking. Very little bumping. But the energy still came through my screen. I really enjoyed that about this match. Now I got some major Daniel Bryan feels with those submission holds in the beginning but didn't think much about it until the finish. I wonder if DB was a big fan of these ladies. Enjoy baby.

CJD: If I have the date right, at the time of this match both of these women had only been wrestling for a handful of years. Although like you said, Miyaguchi (or Ran YuYu if you prefer) is definitely a bit more seasoned and playing the more veteran role. Still, the polish on this match from two wrestlers so inexperienced is remarkable. This was so fundamentally sound. I'm really glad you went in this direction too, I was in the mood for something that just played with the building blocks of pro wrestling without a ton of sizzle. Not that there wasn't a ton of fire and struggle here. I don't know the first thing about Kanako Motoya (or Kana Mizaki if you prefer!) but I'm very curious to see what she looked like a few years further into her career, considering she was this good this early!

Forever Forward Fridays

Tanny Mouse/Tomoko Miyaguchi VS Azumi Hyuga/Yoshiko Tamura - JWP 10/10/1997

CJD: Baby Mouse! Baby Azumi (when she was Tomoko Kuzumi)! Two wrestlers who I may or may not have seen before! A dead crowd, wrestlers screaming their heads off, a hot finishing steak, a million brutal dropkicks, neck bridging kick outs! JOSHI!! I didn't have a ton of Tanny options available to me but I did really like watching her as a greenhorn and seeing her evolution to her big title match from our last post to this one. Her team has that same plucky, light hearted, babyface vibe that she brought last time, this time against a no nonsense team bringing big time aggression. I was also feeling the straight up tag team action this week. Not a bad find at all with limited options.

JJZ: This was a fucking banger CJD! Holy hell, the screaming in this match was insane. Thiz was such an wild car crash of a bout that you couldn't blink. The German suplexes were so stiff. The neck droppies just kept on coming and making me gringe a little bit. Sorry that Tammy didn't bare that much fruit but I think you played forward a gem baby cakes. I know you mentioned that the crowd was dead but the energy and vocals of the wrestlers fully over came the dead ass fans. We've watched so many matches Chris, that I think you might agree sometimes while watching it's more like checking off boxes to determine if this is a good match, instead of just enjoying what's going on I front of you. These ladies totally took me out of that box checking mindset and I just enjoyed the ride.

What It Takes, Who I Am, Where I've Been

Rob Van Dam VS Kendo Kashin VS Necro Butcher - IGF 8/15/2008

JJZ: I'm not even sure if this match is good. I just can't believe it ever happened. I was definitely entertained by it. I had zero clue how Necro, Kendo and Van Dam would work together, but they pulled off a very fun, physical and ECW style match. I wish it was a THREE WAY DANCE to put it over the top for an ECW clone but I'll take what I can get. On paper I assumed Kashin would be a little left behind during the match but he brought it. Can't wait to hear your honest opinion on this one baybay.

CJD: What in the actual fuck. Only in Inoki Genome Federation. Fujiwara and Hansen at ringside watching this debacle?? Let's fucking GO!! I loved your comment on the phone to me that at first you expected this to be an upload of a video game match. Certainly felt like it. In my honest opinion, this was wayyyyyy better than it had any right being or needed to be. RVD and Necro were there to play and I'm much more receptive to Kashin's antics than I was when we attended Best Of The American Super Juniors live (a little PIF trivia for everyone there). The first 7 or so minutes things were clunky and they were finding the rhythm. When they locked into that groove though they rode it straight to the finish. RVD really played the hits in this one. Necro channeled Brody, Abby, and Kamala simultaneously. The perplexed crowd even came alive by the end. Also you said you wish it was a 3 way dance. But it was! Do you want me to edit that?

JJZ: There were two pin falls?

CJD: Yes!

JJZ: Holy fuck, I watched this on my phone while cooking my daughter dinner. I assumed with all the blood that Necro just got taken out of the match. Goddammit. I don't know how I missed that. You can include all of this in the review if you want.

CJD: I will, and it gave me a chance to jog my memory about one more amazing part of this match. That Dollar Store Hatebreed RVD entrance song! What a choice! I bet he's used it a bunch and I'm just out of the loop, but that was something else.