Marvelous 8th Anniversary (3/5/24) Review

Apologies to the one person who might have been waiting for a review of the Takumi anniversary show. Marvelous had some issues with the VOD, and it’s still not up (I’ve contacted them, and they said they’d look into it). However, there is no time to grumble as we move from one birthday celebration to the next. Marvelous entered their ninth year by marking the eight that came before at Korakuen Hall. What went down? Let’s find out. 

ChiChi wins the Marvelous Rumble

Just days after Mio Momono was robbed of the AAAW Title by Mayumi Ozaki, Marvelous somehow topped it with an even more unforgivable booking decision. The winner of this match earned the opportunity to challenge anyone they wanted on a future show. To my utter delight, Unagi Sayaka had declared on Twitter that she would call out Team Eccentric, the nonsense combination of Chigusa Nagayo and Sakura Hirota, and perhaps my favourite tag time ever. How dare they entice me with that possibility only to rip it away! Marvelous better be ready to receive a very strongly worded letter. 

Jokes aside (I’m not joking), this was a fun start to the show. There were a lot of typical rumble tropes, and it’s always hard for people to stand out in these things, but a few of them managed it. Funnily enough, ZONES did it by being eliminated quickly, as everyone pinpointed her as a threat and promptly piled on. It’s not often that losing within a few minutes makes you look good, but the fact they all realised she needed to be dealt with got over the idea of her being someone to be feared. Plus, while I didn’t love the future it stole from us, I did enjoy the return of Unagi and Takase insisting on doing an elaborate pose on the ropes in a match where going over the top spells the end. They survived the initial shaking a bit longer than the elimination tag they initially made that mistake in, but the ending was the same. That’s long-term storytelling.

The best stuff was in the final act, though, when ChiChi, of all people, discovered a deep well of hatred towards Tomoko and expressed it by repeatedly slapping her across the face. Poor Watanabe looked baffled by the whole thing, allowing her to pull out her best hangdog expression as she tried to figure out why this pink Barbie had taken against her. Of course, it was all done to set up one of Chigusa Nagayo’s favourite things in the world – having Tomoko Watanabe be pinned by a rookie. We didn’t hear the laughter, but I imagine it was there. 

Then again, Chig might not have been laughing for long. She claims to have retired earlier this year, but ChiChi had other plans, using her prize to call out the legend. From what I understood, they eventually settled on having a Barbie Showdown, which could mean anything. But whatever it is, I want to see it, and it goes some way towards making up for the lack of Team Eccentric.

Verdict: Fun match!

Titus Alexander & Starboy Charlie defeated El Cucuy & Jiah Jewell

The only person here I was previously aware of was Titus Alexander, and that’s entirely down to his tours with Marvelous. Jiah Jewell and Starboy Charlie are both West Coast Pro guys, with Charlie being a nine-year-veteran who is only 21, which is a very joshi career. As for El Cucuy, I’ve no idea where they found him (he doesn’t have a Cagematch), but he’s a big lad dressed in a demon outfit, complete with a horned mask. If you’re looking for an easy but not particularly accurate comparison, it’s a touch Jushin Liger-ish. 

And most of my favourite stuff in this match involved Cucuy throwing Charlie Boy about. It was nice of Marvelous to provide the big demon with a small lad in dungarees to chuck around, and he took full advantage of it. Sure, he was also a solid base for Charlie’s high-flying, but I was less interested in that. It was all very US indie, i.e. stuff I stopped finding impressive years ago. He’s young and a decent athlete, so there is the potential to become a good wrestler there, but he needs a few level-headed people around to keep him away from the bad instincts he’s already developing. Most of what he did felt designed to make himself look good rather than improve the match, so let’s hope spending some time with the Marvelous lot can wean him off that. Until then, he makes a good rag doll.

As for Jewell, I don’t want to sound too harsh, but writing this the day after, I can barely remember anything he did. That might be my problem, and hopefully, he’ll be around long enough to show me what he can do, but he struggled to standout next to his much more interesting partner. Finally, despite not mentioning him, I do like Titus. Alongside Cucuy, he provided most of the best moments, and I wouldn’t mind seeing those two thrown at each other to see what they can come up with. 

Verdict: Fine

DASH Chisako defeated Ai Houzan

There was a moment before this match started when a few people in the crowd were chanting Ai’s name, and she looked delighted. It was hard not to feel warm and fuzzy inside as you saw her joyously bouncing from that slither of support. Perhaps it was some family or friends that she was glad to see at the show, or maybe it was just what she needed at that moment, but seeing her face light up was a heart-warming wee moment you could easily have missed. 

A few minutes later, she would have been glad of any reason to smile because DASH was a dick here. Look, we all know the structure of this match. Chisako gave Ai very little, sneering down at her as she stomped on her head and treated her rough. Houzan was restricted to those plucky comebacks, firing away with dropkicks, toe stamps and headbutts. It’s a genre that everyone has seen before, countless times, as the youngster throws themselves at a challenge they have no hope of overcoming. Christ, I’ve personally praised plenty of examples of it and will probably go on to do so a hundred more times. It’s a great structure for a match. 

I just feel like Ai is ready for more than that. She made the most of her moments, showing that scrappiness as she stomped away before spinning through the air to come down face-first on the apron when DASH yanked her off it. However, there is a reason this is a structure primarily used for rookies. It’s designed to let them do a lot with a little, and while I think Ai is great at that, I want to see what she can do with a bit more. I want to see what an Ai Houzan, who isn’t restricted, at least to this degree, can show us. She’s over three years into her career now, and she’s done a lot of stuff I love, but it’s time for those next steps.

None of which is a criticism of what these two did. If I had been watching Marvelous and Ai for the first time, I suspect I would have raved about it, as DASH and her both played their roles brilliantly. It’s not their fault that I’m itching to see Ai get the chance to play the lead for once, but I hope it’s something Marvelous have planned sooner rather than later.  

Verdict: Good Match That I Brought Some Issues To

HAYATA defeated Leo Isaka

Before we get into the action, Marvelous advertised this as Leo vs X, releasing several match graphics, each with a different shadow to represent said X. It was a tiny touch, but one I appreciated a lot. Milk that anticipation for everything you can. 

Sadly, the match didn’t quite live up to that. HAYATA is someone I must have seen wrestle at least a dozen times over the years, but if you asked me to tell you anything about him, I’d struggle. That’s not necessarily a judgment. I watch a lot of wrestling, and not everything can stick, but it did make me wonder if he was anything to get excited about. This match left me still questioning that. 

To give it credit, they did a few things right. First of which was choosing to work over Leo’s weaker arm. I’ve complained before about Isaka’s limb selling, as he loves to grab it and look uncomfortable before doing something incredible with the same limb. Going after his non-dominant arm took a lot of those issues away, as it allowed him to throw strikes without having to worry about showing the damage done. On top of that, there was a moment where HAYATA entered over the top rope, landed on the second and seemingly slipped. So far, so normal. It’s the kind of thing that could happen to anyone. However, Leo’s reaction was instant, leaping up to kick him and put him in position for a superplex. It’s hardly a huge deal, but it struck me that Isaka must have either improvised without hesitation or they’d planned to have HAYATA slip, both of which are impressive. 

Sadly, outside of that, this was a match lacking in personality. You could have swapped HAYATA for any number of opponents, and I doubt you’d have noticed a difference. Christ, you might have got away with swapping Leo out, too. I didn’t dislike it, and it certainly didn’t make me angry, but is it any better that it made me feel nothing? Probably not. 

Verdict: It Was Lacking

Team Marvelous (Takumi Iroha & Mio Momono) fought Seiki-gun (Mayumi Ozaki & Maya Yukihi) to a time-limit draw

Let’s get the scary stuff out of the way. Mio Momono got spiked on her head off a Mayumi Ozaki powerbomb about halfway through this match, and it looked horrible. It seemed to be a communication breakdown, as Mio appeared to go for the hurricanrana counter while Ozaki was completing the move. It turned it into an unintentional Ganso Bomb, causing Mio to come down on her head. Thankfully, she seemed to be okay, as she announced on Twitter later that she went to the hospital after the show and learnt nothing was broken, but it, understandably, took the wind out of the match’s sail for a while.

Outside of that scariness, this ruled. I had my issues with Mio vs Ozaki last weekend, but one thing you can’t deny is that Marvelous vs Oz Academy is a hot feud. It was Ozaki and Yukihi’s turn to walk into enemy territory, and while the Marvelous faithful aren’t quite as vicious as the Oz fans, they still made sure they were heard. Anyone worrying about Mio’s position can relax, as they chanted her name throughout, the slightly higher pitch of the voices as she battled back against two weapon-wielding foes reminding you that perhaps Chigusa Nagayo knows what she’s doing with this stuff. I’m not aware of another feud right now that is getting anything close to these reactions (certainly not in joshi), and with the crowd in Korakuen looking healthy, it’s obviously working. 

And there was a real sense of this match being a big opportunity for Marvelous. The rest of Ozaki’s goons stayed home this time, and with the Ace and the number two going up against her, it was a chance to bloody her nose. Takumi, who has mainly stood back from this main event feud so far, finally unleashed those kicks, and her interactions with Yukihi were particularly brilliant. Not to start fantasy booking, but that would be an outstanding match to set the scene for her planned showdown with Ozaki. Of course, the Oz lot still brought their chains and chairs, but for the first time, it felt like an even contest, at least up until Mio was injured and left with her arms and legs taped together on the stage (that seemed to be pre-planned, which was a bit of luck, but if it was improvised, fair play to them for thinking quick and letting her be checked over). Even then, Iroha managed to grit it out to the draw, suggesting on a level-playing field, they could do this. 

I doubt it will be fair, but Iroha will get her shot at that belt. After the match, she laid down her expected challenge to Ozaki, stepping up to try and take that belt home. I’d still rather it was Mio, but we need someone to do it, so I’m willing to put my support behind the Ace. Meanwhile, scary injury aside, this ruled. 

Verdict: One Scary Moment Aside, It Was Great

Magenta (Maria & Riko Kawahata) defeated H2D (Ryo Mizunami & Sonoko Kato) to retain the AAAW Tag Team Titles

There were a lot of similarities between this match and Magenta’s title win. Once again, they were coming up against an experienced pairing who had the potential to bully them. Back then, they held their ground against Takumi and Chikayo, biding their time and taking advantage of the smallest mistakes. However, with those belts now around their waist, Magenta were entering Korakuen with a touch more confidence. Riko’s first action was to stand and trade kicks with Kato, and it set the theme for what was to come. For better or worse, Magenta were going to try and match H2D. 

And for a while, it looked like they’d made a mistake. It started well. Aniki and Kato had more brute force firepower, but Maria and Riko are an outstanding team, and when they picked up the pace, the veterans struggled to keep up. With Riko’s kicks and Maria’s submissions, they were chipping away at H2D, consistently managing to get their offence in. However, you’ve got to be brave to rely on making small advances when you’re going up against an Aniki German or a Sonoko kick. H2D might not have been completely in control, but when they did strike, it hurt, and it was beginning to show. As the match went on, Magenta were forced to rely more and more on trying to sneak out with that win, finding the perfect counter at the perfect moment to bundle someone up and get the three.

Thankfully, Riko found it. She took a beating from Kato, eating move after move but refusing to stay down. It was a desperate attempt to survive, and it paid off, as she twisted around out of Kato’s grasp and brought her down into a DDT before instantly shifting over into a tight package. It was the definition of stealing out with the three, but it doesn’t matter how you do it. You still get to keep those belts. The match had felt like it was heading towards a predictable conclusion, with another set of titles set to leave the Marvelous rosters’ grasp. However, a touch of magical improvisation meant Magenta were keeping their gold. 

It also feels like a big step for them as a pairing. Sure, they weren’t able to duke it out with H2D for the whole match, but they went at this head-on and lasted the distance, surviving long enough to come away with the win. For the second title match in a row, they’d proved themselves against a team with a lot more experience and power than them, and at some point, you’ve got to accept that they’re not relying on luck to do so. Magenta are the champs, and may they continue to be so for a long time. 

Verdict: Great Stuff

Overall Show

Even with the scary injury in the semi-main and neither men’s match landing with me, I had a great time with that show. The rumble was fun, Ai vs DASH was a good showing even with my complaints, and the two closing tags delivered big. I might have felt differently about the semi-main if I’d been watching it live and worrying about Mio, but thankfully, I came in knowing that she was okay, so I could somewhat relax. Plus, with a hot, decent-sized crowd, Marvelous are looking to be in a good place, which will always make me happy. 

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.

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