JJZ: Well. I'm going to put this out there right away. I loved this match. it isn't perfect but aside from a few timing issues this really blew me away. You know Joshi is a weak point in my wrestling knowledge so this was all new to me. You and our friends have shared matches with Azumi in them to me before but I'm still very green with her. To start I'm used to Joshi matches starting with a shotgun blast so when Azumi tried to take the match to that level and Hikari kept grounding her I was smitten right away. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen from that first headlock takeover. Within 15 minutes they told a complete story that lead to some fucking sick high spots. One of which I yelled out holy fucking shit and my wife came running into the room because she thought one of our kids got hurt. I was biting so hard on those falsies I think I chipped a tooth. Loved the finish. Now I think this was a title match but I'm not even sure who the champ was going in because they didn't show either wrestler with the title. I really hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
CJD: Well you've thrown me a curveball with this one but one I'm excited to size up. So after doing some research Hikari Fukuoka has been wrestling 5 years longer than Hyuga who has been wrestling for 4 years as of this match, still under her real name. Hikari is the JWP Openweight Champion coming into this non-title match and this is actually the last years of her career. It's not surprising that even though she was a high flyer in her younger years (innovator of the moonsault double stomp!) that she's trying to ground the ball of energy that is a young Azumi Hyuga in this match. If I had to use one word to describe this match it would be endearing. We both listen to the ThROH The Years podcast a bit and something they talk about from time to time is when a match has such a strong work ethic that it basically wills itself to greatness even when things aren't going its way. That's what I was thinking of here. There's quite a bit that wasn't perfect, some of it I think worked with the cat and mouse psychology, some of it not so much. But damn the work these ladies put in and the smart approach to the match overall made this into something great no matter how rough some of the edges were. I agree completely that I just enjoyed the hell out of this match. Maybe how little joshi we've featured comes into play but I think you found a legitimate great one here. And man do I love Hyuga more and more with each match of hers I watch.
CJD: This match covers a lot of ground that I'm trying to learn about modern joshi. Azumi Hyuga (in the bluish purple... royal blue?) is one of the best of her generation but I've seen nowhere near enough of her work. Arisa Nakajima is considered by many to be the best women's wrestler in Japan today but I've never seen a single match of hers I don't believe. She's only been wrestling for a year here but it at least gives me a starting point. Tyrannosaurus I have no idea, but she was an awesome young lion in this. Very classic mentor/mentee team dynamics here with Satomura feeling like one of the best wrestlers ever once again. There's a lot of talent in this match is what I'm saying. And other than one slip up they recover from with some real brutality, this was packed with good wrestling. The type of match that looks daunting if you don't know the names but watching it you won't need any backstory whatsoever. We've been making a lot of comparisons to buying DVDs when that was more of a thing. Well this is a show you throw in at the very end of an IVP order to add something different on a whim and end up with an absolute slam dunk main event.
JJZ: Fuck that intro music made me sit up in my seat!!! Thought Chris Hero was coming out for a minute baby, love that song. So I'm only familiar with Meiko in this match but I did recall Azumi when you mentioned that you've shared a match of her's before at our all night hang outs. These four ladies hit all the check boxes that I love about Joshi. High energy, stiff strikes, lots of intensity, and my favorite thing about Joshi, speed speed speed. I'm all about the rapid pace of this match. I think everyone looked great. I didn't realize until I read your comments Chris that there was a vet/rookie dynamic going on. I really couldn't tell which I think says alot about the quality performance these women put out there. Mix in a few rewindable high spots and you got match I'd love to share with a room full our friends at one of those hang outside. What hell let's call in one of the gang, our resident joshi enthusiast Phil Bryer!
PB: There's an emotional and kinetic element to Joshi that is unlike anything else in professional wrestling. The pacing and aggression make for a much more visceral experience, which speaks to my inner 15 year-old the same way Minor Threat did in my adolescence (and still does). Not only does this match meet the archetypal standard for the genre, but the "experience vs youth" relationship of each team added an interesting additional layer of story. The finish caught me by surprise, which speaks to the unpredictability that I love from this style.
