Marvelous’s latest trip to Shinkiba had the potential for much excitement. Not only were they celebrating Mio’s 8th anniversary, but it was time to kick off the AAAW Tag League and find out who Ai’s mysterious partner would be. Did they deliver on that promise? Let’s find out.
Magenta (Maria & Riko Kawahata) & ZONES defeated Miyuki Takase, Unagi Sayaka & Promise Braxton
Between ZONES being coerced into dancing with Magenta (Chig spent their entire entrance yelling at her to do so), Unagi using Takase to translate some Japanese culture to Promise (I don’t think she understood any of it), and Promise using said culture to try and knick the Ironman title off the Eel, I was on board with this match before it started. An opener that doesn’t take itself too seriously will always be up my street, especially when it is brimming with talent.
It meant this was still a blast even when they pulled away from the silliness. Takase, in typical fashion, slotted into the workhorse role, chopping it out with ZONES, pulling out bizarre double-teams with Unagi and having intriguing interactions with both members of Magenta. However, she wasn’t alone in impressing. Every ZONES tag saw her hit the ring with the power of a tank, barrelling through people in a joyous way. Meanwhile, Braxton finished her tour with a strong showing, pulling out an impressive final stretch with Kawahata. It wasn’t a match that ever quite ticked over into greatness, but it felt like everyone was enjoying themselves, setting the mood for the show to come.
And I know I regularly go on about this stuff, but that’s what you want from an opener. Sure, there are times when everyone should be trying to steal the show, but on a Tuesday night in Shinkiba, these six were there to warm up the crowd, and they did exactly that. If that’s not a good night’s work, what is?
Verdict: A Strong Start
Maya Yukihi defeated Gigi Rey
Marvelous seem to have pinpointed Yukihi as a freelancer they can trust to pair up with foreign talent. Presumably, part of that is because she speaks good English, but you’ve got to assume her ability to put on matches like this also helps. It was somewhat similar to her showdown with Promise Braxton from a few shows back, as she went out there and kept Gigi in check, testing to see how she handled someone slowing the action down.
It meant this was what I would call a professional showing, which can sound like a bit of a backhanded compliment but isn’t intended as such. Yukihi’s control sections were solid, as you can always trust on her to throw out a few good kicks and make everyone look good. They also meant that when Rey did speed it up, firing off a headscissors or an enziguri, it felt more impactful. She had to work to find her way out from the thumb of the veteran, making each success all the sweeter. It was good, solid wrestling.
Which, as much as I said describing it as professional wasn’t a backhanded compliment, can also be hard to get excited about. I liked this. It was enjoyable enough, but I’m not about to tell anyone to go out of their way to see it. At seven minutes long, there just wasn’t enough here to get your teeth into, even if it was an easy watch while it was on.
Verdict: Fine
Jun Masaoka defeated Leo Isaka
Jun Masaoka did everything right here. As I’ve previously noted, if you want to get the Marvelous crowd invested in a Leo match, you bully him. Whether it’s the motherly instincts of middle-aged Chig devotees or something else entirely, they usually get all riled up when someone is mean to their boy. So, when Masaoka started whacking him with wet floor signs and stamping on his head, I thought we were onto a winner. Instead, they sat on their hands.
And I don’t have a reason for why that was the case, but it took the wind out of this match’s sails. On paper, it all looked great, as clean-cut Leo fought back against the more edgy Masaoka. Isaka’s at his best when battling from underneath, stubbornly refusing to give an inch. Jun, meanwhile, was a niggly little bastard, finding every opening to get a dig in. It was solid work, but the lack of reaction ripped the heat out, turning what should have been a decent match into something lifeless.
I think it’s one of those things you have to shrug your shoulders at and accept. They did wake up a bit towards the end, but it wasn’t enough to bring this to life, as, for whatever reason, the fans weren’t into it today. If they did this same match in the same room on a different day, there is every chance a hot crowd would make it work ten times better. Sadly, that wasn’t the case here, but the wrestling was still solid.
Verdict: It Wasn’t Their Day
Sonoko Kato & Ryo Mizunami (1-0) defeated ChikaTak (Chikayo Nagashima & Sonoko Kato) (0-1) in the AAAW Tag League
If you need to wake up a quiet crowd, you can do a lot worse than sending Sonoko and Aniki out after the intermission. Although, I do wonder how they feel about this whole tag league thing. They challenged Magenta, only to discover a few weeks later that their title shot had somehow morphed into them competing with four other teams to earn the right. What happened to the good old-fashioned system of whoever turns up first gets dibs? Not that they looked overly bothered about it, as their usual enthusiasm was on display.
They didn’t have much to complain about here, to be fair. ChikaTak may have lost the belts, but Chikayo and Takumi are still the top team in Marvelous. Magenta played that switch perfectly, but if they wrestled each other ten times, you’d bet on the former champs winning more than they lost. If they are in that ring, they’re usually in control, kicking people about the place and using those years of experience to their advantage. Well, not so much here. I’m not about to claim this was dominant, but Kato and Aniki always seemed to be in the driving seat. They brought a physicality to this match that Iroha and Nagashima struggled to deal with, summed up by Aniki responding to Chikayo kicking her in the head by firing up. For perhaps the first time, the former champs found themselves chasing the action, trying to find a way to push through these two powerful opponents.
And they never quite managed it. Towards the end, Takumi built up some momentum, going for the Running Three, but there was never a moment where I thought they had it won. The finish came via a Kato rollup, but it didn’t feel like she’d stolen it. They’d had 90% possession, and while the result was kept at 1-0, on a different day, it could have been five or six. It also blows this whole Tag League wide open, as one of the favourites takes an early fall in a format where they don’t have a lot of time to catch up, especially now one of the other likely winners has a win over them.
As a final aside, it’s worth noting that Chikayo Nagashima and Sonoko Kato both appeared on the first GAEA show. In fact, it was Kato’s debut, while Nagashima only had a smattering of matches beforehand. That all this time later, they’re still appearing on Chigusa Nagayo booked events, wrestling at a high level, is remarkable. If you watched this match knowing nothing about them, you would never guess that they had all those miles under their feet, and I think that should be celebrated – well done, them!
Verdict: Kato & Aniki Establish Themselves As Contenders
Sadie Gibbs & Ai Houzan (1-0) defeated Mio Momono & Tomoko Watanabe (0-1) in the AAAW Tag League
Having been turned down by everyone she asked, Ai Houzan finally turned to Chigusa Nagayo to help her find a partner for this tournament. After Chig finished laughing, she revealed she had someone who could fill the gap. In a bit of a shock (although if I followed her on Twitter, it would have been less surprising since she had tweeted pictures of herself in the Marvelous Dojo), that someone turned out to be Sadie Gibbs, who coincidently returned to Japan just as the shit bird cunt left. Of course, none of that is as exciting as Mio and Tomoko debuting new tag music and a dance routine. It doesn’t get better than that!
Jokes aside, the focus here was on Gibbs and how she’d handle returning to the ring after three years away (although the dance was great). The answer? It was a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, she is an incredible athlete. Gibbs delivered multiple big wow moments in this match, including a Sasuke Special and the 450 that got the win. She’s bigger, stronger and more of a natural athlete than anyone on the Marvelous roster. However, she’s also erratic. There were some dodgy moments here, a couple of which had me worried for poor Mio, who was often the one on the receiving end. It also seemed like they were limiting her time in the ring, helping her build up that fitness again, as Ai worked the bulk of the action before Sadie came in and set off the fireworks. That’s less of an issue – scrappy Ai trying to find a way past Tomoko and Mio is always a blast – but it does suggest she’s got some work to do to get back to 100%.
However, if I could choose somewhere for a wrestler like Gibbs to learn how to put it together, I’d go for Marvelous. Combine her raw talent with the tutelage of Nagayo, Takumi and Mio, and you could create something incredible. They must see big things in her as they built the main event of Mio’s anniversary show around her debut, including having her pin Momono at the end. I know people love to whine about Mio’s booking, but that’s not an accident. It seems Chig has some plans, and considering this is Chigusa Nagayo we’re talking about, I think that’s worth getting excited about.
Verdict: Welcome To Marvelous, Sadie Gibbs!
We got a bit of a love-in in the aftermath as Chig thanked Sadie, Promise and Gigi. Later, Promise and Gigi got in the ring to say their goodbyes as their tour was over. The most love, however, came from Mio, who, to mark her 8th anniversary, read out her column about why she loves Marvelous. I could only understand bits and pieces of it, but it made Chig cry, so the lass did good. Eight years down, another 75 to go.
Overall Show
That was an eventful show! The first three matches were fairly routine, although the trio’s match was fun. It was the second half, however, where things stepped up. We got the former champs kicking off their tournament with a loss, plus the arrival of Sadie Gibbs and another upset in the main event. On top of that, even with Sadie’s rustiness, both of the Tag League matches were good and I have no idea who is going to win this thing. Isn’t that exciting?
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