The first Marvelous show of the year had them making the short jaunt to Yokohama. However, it’s already been a somewhat busy year for the roster, with the big news being that Mio Momono finally struck a blow against Oz Academy, defeating AKINO to win their big belt. The feud won’t be over until the AAAW title comes home, but it’s a start, and when you win a shiny new accessory in your first match of the year, you can probably leap into the rest of it feeling pretty confident. In less happy news, Takumi Iroha missed this show due to illness, so the card had to be tweaked. Hopefully, she’ll be back on her feet sooner rather than later.
Maya Yukihi defeated Promise Braxton
Promise Braxton’s Marvelous run has seen her confined to busy matches full of other wrestlers, so getting to go out and show what she can do against someone with the talent of Maya Yukihi was a significant opportunity for her. She’s been solid in her appearances so far, but this was a chance to prove she could be more than that.
It was a one she grabbed greedily. Our opener wasn’t a masterpiece or something everyone should be rushing out to see, but it was a well-worked, decent match where Braxton showed a bit of edge. Right from the early chain wrestling, there was a sense that she wanted to take the fight to Yukihi, and by the time she was laying down hard chops, there was no doubt about it. It wasn’t a full-blown heel performance (the only real cheating was a cheap shot off a handshake), but she was all business, ready to make a name off Maya’s back.
Yukihi’s general brilliance also played a role, as she not only put the pain of those Braxton strikes over but felt like the person keeping the pace steady, never letting anyone her opponent get carried away and letting the small stuff to do the work. It was a match built on the basics, but Promise still had to fill in those gaps, and she seemed up to the task. I’m not sure how long Braxton has left in Japan, but I’d like to see her get a few more opportunities like this. She proved up to this challenge, so let’s find out what else she can do.
Verdict: A Strong Start To The Show
Miyuki Takase & Itsuki Aoki defeated Ai Houzan & Azusa Inaba
Poor Ai. Everyone she has wrestled recently seems to have been tasked with putting her through the wringer, and as Takase fired away with stiff chops, you couldn’t help but feel like she was getting a bit of a raw deal. They’re trying to beat her into the next stage of her career, and while she managed to fire up and throw a headbutt of her own, it was still a rough night to be Marvelous’s feral wrestling child.
It must be even more galling when your opponents are enjoying it all so much. Before the match, the more experienced team were openly pissing about, dancing around together and taking mock offence at Inaba’s refusal to shake their hands. Takase seems to have slipped onto the list of Marvelous regulars, and as she and Aoki made each other laugh, you could see why. If anything, it’s weird that she hasn’t been one for years, as she’s that perfect combination of great and a goof. It’s what Marvelous specialises in, and if she keeps popping up, I suspect she’ll fit right in. They were also both capable of eating up ten of Ai’s shots for every one of their own, so it was only ever going to end badly for the rookie.
That’s not to suggest Ai was useless. While she didn’t have the hitting power of Azusa, who continues to look good every time she appears, Houzan is capable of being a sneaky wee menace, so there were a couple of moments towards the end where she nearly stole away with something. That’s what she always excelled at, and I trust that Marvelous know that, so it should eventually be what pushes her over the edge. She doesn’t need to be able to trade shots with Takase. She needs to be able to kick her in the shin and bundle her up.
All of this is to say that it was a fun match that didn’t move anything forward but was enjoyable enough while it was on. I’ve only given Inaba a passing mention, but she is a special talent, and I hope she stays out of Stardom’s grasp for long enough to flourish outside that system. She felt like the veteran on her team, slipping in so she could even the odds with those vicious kicks. As Houzan battles to make the next step, she could do worse than keep an eye on people like her, who have found what they’re good at and honed it. Be the pest you were born to be, Ai!
Verdict: Ai Will Get There
Alpha Zo & Vinnie Massaro defeated Titus Alexander & Leo Isaka
I appreciate how much fun these three lads appear to have had on this tour. It’s still wild that Vinnie Massaro, of all people, is wrestling for Marvelous, and I’m not quite sure how we got here, but I like seeing people take my favourite company to their hearts. That enjoyment came out at the start of this match as they bantered with the wrestlers at ringside, Tommy and even the fans. Everyone was having a lovely old time.
Unfortunately, the actual action failed to live up to that fun. The problem with Marvelous bringing over three male wrestlers is that there is only so much they can do with them. We’ve seen these lads paired up in various combinations multiple times over the last month or so, and to be blunt, I’m getting a bit bored of it. They’re all decent to good wrestlers (and while I’ve enjoyed taking the piss out of Vinnie, even he’s won me over to a degree), but there are only so many times we can see them together. While the highlight was Leo bumping his ass off for Zo towards the end, most of it barely made a dent on me.
It all leaves this as a decent but forgettable watch. If you want to enjoy a match involving most of these lads, the delightful six-person tag from the December 28th show is waiting for you. This one was very much just there.
Verdict: We’ve Seen It All Before
Veny defeated Gigi Rey
Did you read the introduction I wrote for the Promise Braxton match? Go back and check that out again, but replace her name with Gigi Rey. If anything, she’s had even fewer chances to shine solo, as Braxton had a singles match in Sendai (which hasn’t aired anywhere), whereas Rey has only appeared in Marvelous. Again, I don’t know how long this tour is, but a semi-main event against Veny is always going to be an opportunity to show what you can do.
The actual match, however, was very different from the opener. Maya faced Promise as an equal, slowing things down and letting her shine through the basics. Veny lorded it over Rey, heeling it up and even getting Yukihi to lend a helping hand, drawing on their new status as partners in SEAd. It felt like she was daring the Canadian to try and match her, and, to Gigi’s credit, she did an alright job of doing so. By the end, Veny was going big, and when she decides to put on a fireworks display, even a relatively constrained one, there are few better. However, Rey wasn’t left in the dust, as she kept herself in the match, looking good when she got the chance to make her comeback and going for a few big moments in her own right. Much like Braxton, she proved herself up to the challenge.
Ultimately, Veny would make relatively short work of her, and I never really bought into the idea that Rey could win, but that’s not always the most important thing. There was a sense that Braxton and she were being tested, thrown up against two of the best around and challenged not to sink. While neither came out an instant star, they both held their own, showing they have something to give.
Verdict: Not A Classic, But A Strong Showing
Aoki was the latest person to try and steal away the Ironman title from Unagi after she made her entrance for the main event (Titus Alexander had a go before the show), assisted by Chig throwing things at the Eel. Sadly, it wasn’t successful, but Nagayo kept throwing things at her anyway, seemingly just for the fun of it.
Mio Momono & Tomoko Watanabe defeated Magenta (Riko Kawahata & Maria) and Chikayo Nagashima & Unagi Sayaka in a three-way elimination tag
Takumi was supposed to be in this match, so Unagi stepped in for her. Chikayo, her partner, then tried to roll her up in the opening seconds, as she had one eye on that Ironman title, which perhaps set the tone for how the Eel’s day would go. When you get shoved into a match with people who you’ve spent months annoying, you know you’re unlikely to have an easy one.
With elimination rules in play, this main event was always likely to trend towards the silly. The ability to take people out by throwing them over the top rope gives a sense of freedom to bouts like this, as you know anyone can go at any moment, regardless of their positioning on the card. It wasn’t just Chikayo trying to pin her partner, but Mio getting help from her big pals (Titus Alexander and Alpha Zo), eliminated people making themselves known (Tomoko spent a decent chunk of the match whipping people into the ropes so Momono could trip them) and even Chig getting involved (she saw how much fun Mio was having and wanted a go). It might have been the year opener, but everyone was still in a bit of a holiday mood.
Even with all that silliness, I was a tad disappointed to see Magenta lose, as Riko fell to Watanabe after a hard lariat. The final run between the two of them was the best straight wrestling on this show, and I genuinely thought Kawahata had her a couple of times. Sadly, the veteran pulled through, which is an underwhelming way for your new champions to start the year. It presumably will set up Mio and Watanabe to challenge at some point, and I have no issue with that, but I’d have liked to wait a bit longer for one of the champs to be pinned. Still, they did have the protection of it coming down to just the two of them, so it’s not the end of the world.
Either way, they’ll have to wait to make that challenge as Aniki and Sonoko Kato gatecrashed the after-match chat to throw down one of their own. Kato was half of the first-ever AAAW Tag champions (with Meiko Satomura), so it’s a nice legacy pick, although I wouldn’t be shocked to see them win. Recent Marvelous booking certainly makes it a possibility. Whatever happens, it could be a hell of a match. Oh, and even with my quibbles about the result, this main event was great. They delivered a delicious combination of silliness and good wrestling, which, as I already, is a Marvelous speciality. Welcome to 2024!
Verdict: Great Match, Iffy Result, But I’ll Forgive Them
Overall Show
Most of this show was a tad uneventful. It felt like a house show, which, to be fair, it kinda was. The focus was mainly on the foreign talent, with a touch of Ai taking a beating in there, so it’s probably primarily for completionists. However, you should watch the main event. It was silly and a bit all over the place, but it was also a lot of fun, and the final stretch between Tomoko and Kawahata was great. All in all, it made for a solid start to the year, if not a spectacular one.
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