Sendai Girls’ first Korakuen Hall of the year came after the news that they will now be appearing on WrestleUniverse. So far, we’ve only had one show (this one went out on PPV, and I’m not sure if it will be going up later), but making Sendai easier to watch can only be a good thing. In the here and now, Korakuen saw Iwata finally defend her title, Unagi taking a trip to DASH’s world, and Yurika Oka trying to take down the Sun God. Let’s see what went down.
Yura Suzuki defeated YUNA
Yura Suzuki always impresses me. She’s somehow still a teenager, but watching her wrestle, you would never know. There’s an assurance to her that few people have at 17. It’s in the way she confidently took YUNA down into an ankle lock, in the smirk when they traded strikes and in how she choked her out at the end. She’s several years younger than YUNA (although she is a more experienced wrestler) but treated her like a kid.
As for YUNA, with this match going under five minutes, she didn’t have much time to impress. While everything she did looked decent enough, it was all fairly standard rookie fare, and the only thing that stood out was the crazy eyes she had going on when she locked Yura in a crab. If that’s a hint at what’s going on in her brain, I’m excited to see what madness we get from her going forward.
That lack of time would define the match, as it almost verged on being a Suzuki squash. With so few minutes to play with, they didn’t have the space to move beyond a basic formula, and while they executed it well, it was hard to get excited about.
Verdict: Rookie Stuff
Sakura Hirota defeated Miyuki Takase
Seeing the newly divorced Hirota receiving a warm response from the crowd was sweet. Imagine being the guy who let Sakura Hirota slip through his fingers? You’ve fucked it, mate. I hope the twins are doing alright, though. Those of us who have been watching for a while have seen those kids grow up from afar, so it’s hard not to be at least a little attached.
In the ring, this match followed the opener in only being five minutes, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone aware of the Hirota vs Takase pairing to learn that it used that time brilliantly. They are quietly one of the great nonsense match-ups, and they got right into it, Hirota trying to get the jump on Takase with a dive out of the ring during her entrance, only to collide with the ropes and bounce back. I don’t particularly want to spoil all the silliness that follows, as it’s never as funny after it’s been badly explained to you, but what followed was five minutes of pure antics, during which I had a delightful time.
And I think what makes this pairing work is their willingness to commit to the bit. It’s not the first time I’ve moaned about the term, but I don’t think there was even a hint of so-called ‘irony wrestling’ here. They both approached this wearing their serious faces and never lost sight of the fact that they were trying to win. Christ, Takase used Hirota’s divorce to try and lure her into a roll-up, and it felt like more of a contest than any Will Ospreay match. It was just one in which their weapons of choice were nonsense. As Terry Pratchett once said, ‘the opposite of funny is not serious’, and I think Hirota and Takase understand that better than most.
Verdict: I Had A Lovely Time
Ryo Mizunami, Saori Anou & Minami defeated Nanae Takahashi, ZONES & ChiChi
It’s a damn shame Nanae signed up with Marigold and presumably won’t be working as many dates with companies like Sendai because having her in the mentor role for ChiChi and ZONES was a blast. She had the passion turned up to eleven, inspiring the two of them to get all their energy out. There was a touch of the proper football man ‘run around a lot and get stuck in’ to it, but Nanae is much more likeable than Neil Warnock, so she pulls it off.
Not that Takahashi was purely in a managerial role. While she could have happily spent most of this match perched on the apron, she had her working boots on. At the start, she and Aniki were out there having fun, taking turns with those machine gun chops in the corner, but slowly, the grins vanished, and things got serious. There was a sense that these two old warriors couldn’t help themselves, as they were dragged into a fight regardless of their intentions. It wasn’t all about her old pal, though, as she also had some fun interactions with Minami. Perhaps it was her two young partners, but this was a fired-up Takahashi, seemingly enjoying being challenged by those around her.
It meant Nanae played the anchor in what was a fun match. With ten minutes on the clock, they never had to slow things down, and everyone got a chance to do their thing (I would have liked a bit more of Anou, but we can’t have everything). While there were flaws (ChiChi can still be a touch hesitant at times), they moved on from them so quickly that they never became an issue. As short midcard tags go, you could do a hell of a lot worse.
Verdict: Fun
Sareee defeated Yurika Oka
Oka prepared for this match by attempting to eat 30 bananas. I’m not saying Mio is rubbing off on her, but, well, Mio is definitely rubbing off on her. Sadly, she failed in her task, and as she faced those famous Sareee elbows, you have to wonder if she was questioning her approach to it all. Maybe fashioning some armour would have been a better use of her time.
The banana eating might not have worked, but this match was proof that Oka continuing to embrace Momonoism can only be a good thing. She’s always had a touch of the pest to her, but spending time with Mio has sharpened that aspect of her wrestling. Right from the start, she was buzzing around Sareee, dragging the fight to the mat and using any opening she got to throw some forearms of her own. When that didn’t work, she began picking up the pace, darting around the ring, flying into dropkicks and trying to catch Sareee in a roll-up. At times, she had the Sun God on the ropes, and the fans made it clear who they were behind. It was reminiscent of one of those early Momono performances where, despite not being the big name, she was able to force the match into being about her by pure force of will.
Perhaps the biggest compliment of the whole thing was that Sareee didn’t dare play with her food. After a couple of long two counts almost caught her out, she realised she needed to shut this down, dumping Oka on her head at the first opportunity. I wouldn’t go as far as saying she was rattled, Sareee rarely is, but she’d been given a match, and that’s more than most youngsters can claim when they end up in the ring with her. If Oka can keep building on this foundation, taking influence from the best and honing her talents, I have faith that one day she will be able to eat thirty bananas. When she’s done that, she can get to work on beating Sareee.
Verdict: Oka’s Growing!
Team 200KG (Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu) fought Kuroshio TOKYO Japan & Seigo Tachibana to a time-limit draw
Why has no one stumped up to bring Team 200kg over for a tour? Yuu is a regular in the UK and America, and the natural next step is surely to bring Big Hash along, too. I can’t think of an easier win than having two charismatic hosses turn up and throw some of the locals about. The second they entered Korakuen, mimicking Kuroshio’s long entrance, the mood perked up, and that’s not unique to that famous old venue.
They were almost too charismatic, as this match suffered whenever the men took control. Having played the power difference for laughs early on, Kuroshio and Tachibana realised they would have to heel it up to even the odds, but their heat section never really caught fire. It seems childish to complain that it wasn’t a match entirely built around Yuu and Hash being badasses, but, well, I wanted that match. It was so much more fun when they were launching the lads about, especially as Kuroshio and Tachibana both committed to bumping their asses off, showing no qualms about putting over the power of Team 200kg. There is something to be said for delayed gratification, but there are also times when you want to be served dessert first.
The other big complaint coming out of this is that Hash and Yuu didn’t win. They were shown to be the dominant team and seemed to be on the verge of getting the three when they ran out of time, so why not go the whole way? It almost sums up the general approach to intergender wrestling in Japan. They’re happy to have the women be the better workers and even control the action, but when it comes time to hand over the victory, folk get itchy feet. With the men stooging their way through this, playing for chuckles as they got thrown around, what difference would it have made if they lost?
Still, even with those complaints, this was a good laugh. It felt more like an exhibition than something of importance, but Hash and Yuu are brilliant, so they made it work, and while there were flaws, they didn’t stop me from having a nice time.
Verdict: Good Fun
DASH Chisako defeated Unagi Sayaka in a hardcore match
I admire the approach Unagi Sayaka has taken to her freelance career. She’s attacked every opportunity, embraced all kinds of wrestling and, rightly, made herself one of the more popular wrestlers in Japan. However, just because you’re willing to try something out doesn’t mean you’re necessarily good at it. I’m not sure I’ve ever said this about a DASH match before, but this was a drag.
While it’s probably harsh to put all of that on Unagi’s shoulders, it’s hard to get past her not suiting this style of match. The Eel is many things, but she’s not a mean wrestler, and if you’re going to go out and brawl with Chisako, you need to show a bit of edge. Instead, with its twenty-minute runtime, this all felt somewhat pedestrian. There was a lot of the two of them wandering around Korakuen, setting up spots and not doing a whole lot with them as they tried to pass the time. If you can’t be mean, you can at least be inventive or crazy, but once again, they were unable to live up to that. It was all stuff we’d seen before without the aggression to make it matter.
It wasn’t a total shitshow, as some of those spots will work no matter what’s around them. DASH leaping from a ladder set up in the ring to crash through a table on the floor is exciting, even if we’ve seen it before. It’s also true that the fans were behind Unagi, willing her on even as the action stuttered. If it had been ten minutes of DASH wailing on Unagi with an occasional hope spot, it could have worked. As it is, this was the rare Chisako match that did nothing for me.
Verdict: It Dragged
Mika Iwata defeated Veny to retain the Sendai Girls World Title
Nearly seven months after winning the big belt, Mika Iwata finally got an opportunity to defend it. It’s enough to make you want to complain about absent champions, but Iwata has been on every show. Sendai just decided the best way to start their new champion’s reign was to have her lose a series of non-title matches. As I always say, moaning about booking is the least interesting way to approach wrestling, but sometimes it’s impossible to ignore. Also, if they’re having her beat Veny now, why did we have to slot that transitional reign from Millie McKenzie in there? Could she not have taken the belt from Veny in the first place?
Sadly, this match did nothing to improve my mood. It was fine. I could see what they were going for, as Veny played the bullying heel to get the fans behind Iwata, and it did work in the room. However, a lot of that bullying served to drain the pace from the action. After a hot start in which Veny leapt off the turnbuckle with a dropkick during the introductions, the match almost shuddered to a halt, with a couple of long countout teases feeling like a slog. It seemed like they were building to an epic, and maybe it would have worked if so, but the whole thing only went thirteen minutes, and Iwata’s victory fell flat when it finally came. They’re both such explosive wrestlers, but we never really got to see it.
To focus on some positives, the crowd did rally behind Iwata, and when she started throwing those kicks, the action picked up. I also don’t want it to sound like I’m suggesting Veny was lazy or taking it easy. It was a very deliberate move from the two of them to have her dominate the champ, and everything she did looked good, but with the abrupt ending, it felt like we’d been denied the two of them thrashing things out. Veny is a brilliant physical presence, so having her and Iwata throw bombs at each other in the centre of the ring feels like an easy win, but it never quite hit that level.
Still, to take the big positive from this, at least Iwata won. There was a world in which this was the end of it all, and if that had been the case, her first run with the title would have been underwhelming at best. She held onto it, though, and with Sendai Girls now making their way onto Wrestle Universe, let’s hope we get a bit more focus on our champ moving forward.
Verdict: Fine
Overall Show
The last two matches on this show undercut how much I enjoyed the rest of it. I don’t think I can suggest anyone doesn’t watch Veny vs Iwata, and I’m sure some will like it more than me, but having that follow DASH vs Unagi was an underwhelming way to end Sendai’s first Korakuen of 2024. Still, Oka can come out of this show feeling good about herself, and the matches before that closing couplet were all a lot of fun.
You can follow Sendai Girls on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/sendaigirls
They have also started uploading shows to Wrestle Universe: https://www.wrestle-universe.com/
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