I can’t remember the last match to leave me as unsure of my feelings as this one.
On a basic level, I hated it. I hated it because it wasn’t supposed to end like this. Over eight months after Mio Momono lost the AAAW Title to Mayumi Ozaki, she walked into enemy territory, carrying Oz’s belt on her shoulder, aiming to bring it home. I woke up early on Sunday morning with butterflies fluttering in my stomach, excited to watch it live because that was what I wanted to see. My hero, the wrestler I will argue till I’m blue in the face is the best in the world, was going to right the wrong of that night and reclaim what was rightfully hers.
So, when the ref counted the three, I was crushed. That’s a lie. I wasn’t simply crushed. I was angry. Angry and sad and disappointed that the thing I wanted to happen hadn’t. That bitch Ozaki had done it again, and despite all my better instincts, I almost turned into one of those people who have convinced themselves that she is the devil. As far as I was concerned, she’d stormed into Chigusa Nagayo’s office and put a gun to her head, demanding she send her fresh blood to be sacrificed. Does it matter that the idea of anyone being able to tell Chig what to do is, frankly, ridiculous? Of course not. She’d screwed over Mio, and because of that, I hated her and her stupid company.
And in the moment, I don’t know if that was a good thing. Is that the kind of heat that makes me excited to watch the next person try to take it off her? It’s hard to say, although I’m still here writing about it, and assuming they are heading towards Takumi Iroha challenging (which seemed to be the case), I can almost guarantee I’ll be watching. Will I care as much about that one? My heart says no, but maybe when the moment comes, when Iroha’s booting Ozaki in the head and fighting off Seiki-gun, it won’t matter as much. But I’m not sure the butterflies will be fluttering. The part of me that hates this match views it as a missed opportunity, a chance to create something magical that might never come around again.
However, there’s also the other part, the part of me which watched the twenty-odd minutes before the finish and then went back to watch it again a couple of days later. That part, begrudgingly, has to admit that it kinda rules. Not as much as that August showdown, for reasons I’ll get into, but enough that it’s undeniable.
Because even with the result going against her, Mio walking into an Oz Korakuen, carrying that belt on her shoulder as she faced down Seiki-gun, was a hell of a thing. The way she glared at Ozaki through the introductions, barely seeming to blink, still gives me goosebumps. The first time around, the Marvelous roster was caught off-guard by the Oz onslaught, unable to react quickly enough to stop it, but this time, they were ready. When the antics started, they fought back, Magenta, Ai Houzan and Takumi all invading the ring to try and even the odds. It gave us some genuinely wonderful moments, the best of which was wee Ai clambering to the top rope to come flying off with a dropkick to Ozaki, Marvelous’s feral wrestling child leaping to the aid of her senior. It was thrilling, drawing to mind Lulu Pencil charging the mat in Ichigaya to throw forearms at Minoru Suzuki in defence of Baliyan Akki, well aware she was out of her depth but unable to stop herself from coming to the aid of her friend.
And there were moments of catharsis, from Mio throwing the first blow to the sweet, sweet satisfaction of watching her boot that cunt POLICE in the balls. It barely needs to be said, but Momono was outstanding here. She was pure babyface fire, throwing herself into the cauldron and refusing to die without giving every bit of herself to the fight. There was never any doubt about what was coming but she didn’t blink, trusting in her friends and her talent to drag her through. When she won that Oz Title from AKINO, she also won the crowd over, but Ozaki is a different beast. They gave her nothing, booing her comebacks and cheering their evil hero on. A lesser wrestler might have crumbled in that atmosphere, but Mio is so sure of who she is that there wasn’t a doubt. It would be the easiest thing in the world for her to grab a chair and go to town, leaning into the jeers, but that’s not her, and the only way she was going to win that belt back was by staying true to what she believes in.
And after all that, all the ups and downs and madness of a match that went past in a bloodied mess of limbs and violence, does who wins matter? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to stop being grumpy about it, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s kind of hard to care. I have my issues with it, even beyond the result. The Marvelous roster isn’t as good at the brawling stuff as Seiki-gun, and there were moments when they were caught standing around, raising the question of why they weren’t coming to Mio’s aid. I also think the finish needed a touch more brutality, as even on the second watch (without the crushing disappointment), it fell a bit flat. However, that’s nitpicking, and it’s hard to deny that this worked. As I’ve said a million times, moaning about booking is the most tedious way to talk about wrestling, and while I think everyone reserves the right to be a hypocrite now and then, I also think I should shut the fuck up. Mio will be fine, Marvelous will be fine, and one day, she will bounce on Ozaki’s head with glorious abandon, and everything will be right in the world. I can wait. It will only make it all the sweeter when it comes.
Marvelous have a Nico channel where you can watch older shows and a YouTube Membership where they upload videos. You can also buy access to live streams here.
You can fuck off if you think I’m giving those bastards in Oz Academy any publicity. Find it yourself.
Ramblings About Wrestling 