Marvelous (14/5/24) Review

Marvelous’s first show post-Korakuen saw some last-minute card scrambling force them to put the intended main event on first. If I’ve got my translations right, someone’s mum had fallen ill, so Chigusa Nagayo swapped things around so they could get away as soon as possible. It’s always nice when a company you like proves they’ve got their hearts in the right place, and I hope everything turns out alright for the person (and their mum) in question. Anyway, on with the show. 

Mio Momono, Miyuki Takase & Riko Kawahata fought Chikayo Nagashima, Itsuki Aoki & Unagi Sayaka to a time-limit draw

How deep into the niche do you have to be to get excited for Mio Momono doing ‘Love Riddle’? That feels pretty deep. Not quite as far as you can go – there are indie depths still to be explored – but it’s further out than most will paddle. Whether you have reached that level or not, Mio coaxed Riko and Takase into making it their entrance (and repeating it a few more times, including one mid-match dance break), delivering a performance fuelled more by enthusiasm than talent. Thankfully, that only served to make it all the more delightful. 

It also felt like it was setting me up to focus this review around Mio grabbing the opportunity to have a few laughs after her wars with Ozaki. The opening suggested that was the case, as she tormented her opponents by picking her nose and chasing them. Never assume anything when it comes to Mio. She may have started with a glint of mischief in her eye, but by the end, she was being booted out of the air by Aoki before exchanging Germans. Mio is incapable of taking it easy, even if she is focused on hijacking a match to do a dance. 

She wasn’t alone, either. This was our original main event, and while it was moved to the other end of the card, they still treated it as such. These six could easily descend into nonsense, but they also excel at riling each other up, which is how this ultimately panned out. You had Takase and Aoki exchanging hard chops while Mio and Chikayo picked up the speed, but Kawahata and Unagi snapped hardest. The last act was handed to them, an increasingly aggressive back and forth that saw both come agonisingly close to getting the win. With the time ticking away, it felt like it could go either way, but neither could hit the killer blow. Not that the bell ringing stopped the fight as Unagi grabbed the opportunity to get another cheap shot in, leading to a mass brawl that Mio broke up by calling for ‘Love Riddle’ again, bursting into dance with Takase in the hope that it would calm proceedings. It didn’t work, but bless her for trying. 

It made for a match that feels like an ideal introduction to Marvelous. It was fast-paced, well-worked and had a streak of silliness running through the centre. In Mio Momono, you have the living embodiment of that, and she has an innate ability to be both the fearless badass who takes a beating and keeps coming while also being a wee weirdo who tries to stop a fight by launching into a dance she’s not very good at. There is no conflict between those halves. They’re both Mio, so when you get them together, it makes sense. It’s what makes her and Marvelous special, and I wouldn’t change them for the world. I had a lot of fun with this

Verdict: I Had A Lovely Time

Tomoko Watanabe & El Cucuy defeated Hibiscus Mii & Leo Isaka

El Cucuy, a big lad in a demonic mask, comes out to ‘Loco’ by Coal Chamber. Need I say anything else?

Marvelous knew what they were doing when they booked this match. The second I saw it, I was excited to see Mii get in the ring with the monster. Sure, there was some other fun sprinkled throughout. She and Leo have a past, allowing her to pull some strings with what I assume was her kawaii voice. Tomoko also chose violence at the end, dumping Mii in a way that had her get annoyed at Isaka for breaking up the pin, as she’d apparently decided she had enough. Cucuy and Leo getting in the ring was also mildly interesting, and while it didn’t pay off in the way I was hoping (I wanted to see the demon teach him to fly), it did deliver a couple of interesting moments. None of this, however, was as exciting as seeing Mii wrestle something big and scary. That’s a match made in heaven as a master of nonsense gets a chance to face, well, whatever El Cucuy is. 

And they delivered on that promise. There was only one way it could go, so the comedy wasn’t surprising or up with Mii’s more inventive work, but it didn’t have to be. As Chig’s roars of laughter will tell you, the joy here came from them delivering what you expected. Hibiscus Mii bouncing off someone three times her size and trying to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do is a predictable (but reliable) route to a good time. I’m not entirely sure Cucuy had the comedic chops to add much to it, but Mii was good enough to make up for that, and for all I know, he was gurning away under that mask. Whether he was or not, this was one of those occasions where I got what I was asking for, and I can’t complain about that. 

Verdict: It Delivered What You’d Hope For

Maria defeated Brooke Havok

I am sad to report that after looking into Brooke Havok’s emo credentials, I can confirm her taste lies more towards shitty, slightly sad pop-punk than the real thing. Gatekeeping has failed us once again. 

Jokes aside, this was a big opportunity for Havok. She got a chance to show what she could do in the middle of the card against a good wrestler. Unfortunately, I think it all fell a bit flat. Not disaster levels flat, but not great either. I’m not sure Brooke knew what she was trying to achieve here. There were moments when it appeared like she was leaning towards heeling it up, striking an arrogant pose as she controlled the action, but she never followed through. There was no meanness to her offence. She has some cool moves, including a twist on the old Dustin Rhodes drop-down and punch (she did a kick instead) that I enjoyed. However, for every cool sprinkle, there was something needlessly complex and clunky, like the decision to weirdly backwards roll into a tornado DDT to a kneeling Maria. Throw in some weak-looking strikes, and it was all a tad uninspiring.

If anything, it was Maria who stood out. The meanness that Havok was lacking was on display in her submissions and double stomps. Even in a match where she seemed to be focused on helping Brooke show off, you couldn’t help paying attention to her, revelling in her twisting opponents up and showing just the right amount of cockiness. She never went too far with it, always going back to bumping around and making Havok look good, but it was hard not to come out of this feeling like Maria was the far better wrestler. Sadly, she wasn’t quite good enough to drag her opponent to that level. 

And I don’t want to sound like I’m shitting on Brooke. Cagematch claims she’s had 90 matches, so if that is the case, she’s a solid talent for that experience level. If she can get those minutes under her belt, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her start to put it together and figure out how to take that solid base and find a way to make it interesting. At the moment, though, she’s just fine, and this match was much the same.

Verdict: Maria Looked Decent

Takumi Iroha defeated Ai Houzan

I think Mio doing ‘Love Riddle’ fired Chigusa Nagayo up. She wasn’t just on Team Ai but was actively rooting against her Ace, booing Takumi when she dared to take control. It added something different to this match, as Marvelous’s owner was getting rowdy at ringside in support of the underdog. 

And having complained about Ai vs DASH at Korakuen delivering more of the same, I feel a bit hypocritical coming out in support of this one. It again saw Houzan delivering a scrappy underdog performance against an opponent she had no hope of beating. Yet, this felt different. Here, she was not just going up against a senior but the Ace, the highest bar in the company and the one that (you assume) she has dreams of one-day hurdling. DASH is brilliant, but Takumi Iroha has a symbolic status in Marvelous that she doesn’t. Ai throwing herself at that challenge will always feel like a bigger deal. 

Iroha knows it, too. I jokingly mentioned Chig booing her, but the truth is, she deserved it. Takumi was a dick. From stuffing Houzan’s attempts at a cheap shot to showing off by shoving her into the air with her feet before bringing her down into an armbar, this was an Iroha looking to make a point. Her pride in her position as Marvelous’s Ace was evident as she booted Ai around the ring, laying down just how far the rookie was from being on her level. If you’re going to claim to represent her company, you have to step up, and she’s not afraid to beat that information into you. There wasn’t a second of clemency for poor Houzan. 

Not that she asked for it. Ai took a beating, but she never stopped fighting. Takumi forced her to work for every opening, cutting her off before she could build momentum, but Houzan never wavered. Her response to adversity is to try and headbutt her way through it, and that’s why I love her. Whether it works is irrelevant. Then, when she dared to throw a few kicks of her own (something she’s been working on), Takumi decided enough was enough and put her away. She survived the Liger Bomb, but when Iroha flicks that switch, not many can stand against her. 

I still think Ai needs more to work with, but with Takumi and her exchanging words after the match, there is every chance this was the start. Fingers crossed, anyway. Until then, if she’s going to continue wrestling this kind of match, make it against the Ace. It gives it more heft than anything else ever could. 

Verdict: The Ace Makes Things Better

Starboy Charlie defeated Titus Alexander and Jiah Jewell in a three-way

If I hadn’t been reviewing this show, I imagine I would have skipped the main event. No offence to these guys, but they’re not why I spend my money on Marvelous, even if I think Titus Alexander has done a solid job with his opportunities. 

However, I’m glad I took the time to watch it. Not because it was amazing (it wasn’t), but because it turns out Jiah Jewell is funny. Jewell didn’t stand out in the tag match at Korakuen, but he made up for that here. He grabbed the opportunity to play the class clown, amping everything up a notch or two, and it went down well. Not only did he have Chigusa Nagayo chuckling away on commentary, but also (judging by the tone of the laughs) all her middle-aged fans. There was a sense that everyone found this weird man a bit delightful, and while I can’t claim to be an expert on what it takes to get booked on Marvelous shows, making Chig laugh has never done the likes of Unagi and Mii any harm. 

Away from Jewell’s antics, this was fine. I was expecting a bit of a fireworks show, but it came off more disjointed than anything. There were a few moments where it felt like they were all waiting for someone else to move first. Titus did start throwing some around towards the end, but it wasn’t enough to make up for some of wrestling’s most annoying tropes. Seriously, can we throw people finishing a contrived sequence with a simultaneous set of dropkicks in the sea? It’s so fucking tedious. They also gave the win to the least interesting wrestler, as Starboy Charlie has done very little for me. I know he’s young, and much like with Havok, I don’t want to be too harsh, but he did nothing to get me excited here. If anything, he faded into the background, Titus and Jewell’s personalities leaving him feeling like a third wheel. 

Still, Jiah Jewell did enough that it wasn’t a completely forgettable main event, as he won me over after an underwhelming first impression. I’m always happy to see a new face embrace some of the Marvelous nonsense, and I hope we get to see him do it again. 

Verdict: It Turns Out Jewell’s Funny

Overall Show

The card being mixed up did make this feel a bit topsy-turvy, with the opener being the most exciting part and the main event sending everything home on a somewhat dud note. However, this was a good show. Ai and Takumi put on a strong veteran vs rookie match, Hibiscus Mii met a demon, and Mio did Love Riddle. If nothing else, that made lots of people in my wrestling bubble very happy. Can you ask for anything more? I’m not sure you can.

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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