Another month is over and done with, as 2024 seems to be roaring past at an alarming speed. May saw the introduction of a new Rossy Ogawa venture into the wrestling scene alongside all the usual shenanigans, so it’s a fun time to be following along. However, if you can’t watch everything, why not let Ramblings About point you towards the exciting stuff? You’ll probably not regret it.
The latest chapter in the ongoing war between Marvelous and Oz Academy was overshadowed by the moment when Ozaki accidentally spiked Mio Momono on her head. Thankfully, Mio was okay, and it can be chalked up to a scary misunderstanding, but it took the air out of the room and the momentum out of the action. No one wants to see Mio injured again.
However, now we know she’s okay, we can appreciate how great everything around that was. People have (rightly) been raving about the crowd at Marigold’s first show, but the Oz vs Marvelous feud is the home of the hottest reactions in joshi right now. It takes that title because not only are they loud, but they’re antagonistic (a role joshi crowds rarely embrace). When Mio walked into Oz to try to bring the AAAW Title home, she was doing so in front of fans rooting her to fail. This time, the shoe was on the other foot, and with Ozaki down to just one minion, it was a chance to finally bloody her nose. It was a Seiki-gun match, so it was never going to be a clean fight, but at least that prick POLICE didn’t turn up.
And while I don’t want to drop Mio on her head to further a narrative, it did work for this story. For the first time, the Marvelous pairing were pushing Ozaki, not controlling the match but at least finding a way to fight as equals. However, when Mio got hurt, they had to remove her from the action. In what was either already a planned spot (in which case, they got lucky) or a fantastic piece of improvisation, Yukihi taped her arms and legs together in the stand, both giving everyone a chance to check on her and forcing Momono to stay still for a few minutes (she was determined to continue whether she was injured or not). It also left Takumi at a disadvantage. What had felt like an even fight was now a two-on-one, which meant getting out with the time-limit draw felt like a positive result rather than a missed opportunity.
It’s also part of what’s made this feud so great. I know I moaned about Mio not winning the belt (and will continue to do so), but Marvelous are better cast as the ones doing the chasing. Oz Academy walked in, bloodied them up, and have been laughing at them ever since. Even here, where things finally looked like they were twitching back towards Mio and Takumi’s favour, Ozaki found a way to avoid defeat. The day the Marvelous roster wipes that smile off her face will be wonderful, and I can’t wait to revel in her downfall.
Baliyan Akki vs Tokiko Kirihara, ChocoPro #370 (4/5/24), Gatoh Move
In a recent Gatoh Move review, I mentioned my belief that Akki’s best work comes against people who ground him. It seems strange to talk about Otoki as one of those figures, what with her propensity for nonsense with Honda, but when she leaves the props at home, she is more than capable of wrestling seriously. Historically, matches with Akki see her background in MMA rise to the surface, and this was the latest in a long line of good showdowns between them.
And what I enjoy about this pairing is that while we all know Akki will win, Otoki has his number in places. She’s just as capable when rolling around on the mat and throwing kicks. If anything, Akki was the one who moved away from that, pushing the match into other spheres to get ahead. In the Gatoh Move hierarchy, he stands several rungs higher than Kirihara, but she knows how to chip away at him. It might not yet have paid off in a win, but these matches are structured so that the idea doesn’t seem implausible. There’s a sense that while Otoki might not be better at Akki at everything, she’s good enough to pull the upset at least once.
It’s what has quietly made them one of Gatoh Move’s great pairings. They’re unlikely to ever headline a big show, but if they need a reliable match to impress in Ichigaya, they can always do worse than turn to Akki vs Otoki. This was their eighth singles encounter, and while I’d have to go back and watch the others before confidently declaring it their best, I feel pretty comfortable putting it up there. They never let you down, and I can’t see them suddenly doing so any time soon.
The Great Crazy Zako vs Takeda Ryunosuke vs Binyurin Hikaru, Backyard Brawl 5 (4/5/24), XGF
It’s hard for me to sit here and tell you this is a great match. In fact, I imagine a significant number of the people reading this will fucking hate it. If you’re someone who doesn’t like deathmatches, it will confirm every nasty stereotype you have of them. It’s three sloppy wrestlers stumbling around a disused Japanese building site, hitting each other with shit in front of a clown who appears to have wandered out of a Rob Zombie film. There is very little you could point to here as an example of great wrestling, although it is hilarious that one of them is wearing a pair of split jean shorts, having had them rip open earlier in the tournament that this was the final of.
And yet, I kind of love it. If anything, I love it because of all those flaws. I can’t imagine these guys were paid well, and they’re certainly not earning the adoration of hordes of screaming fans. Yet, they turn up anyway. They’re there to cut each other up and throw each other into things, not because of the promises of a great reward but because they love it. It’s become common now to sneer at wrestlers who take risks on small shows, banging up their bodies for a tenner and a hot dog, but that’s bullshit. Those people don’t deserve hate. They deserve respect. We’re all here because we love this shit, and they love it enough to keep chasing that dream, throwing themselves into the grinder to get a taste of that world. Is it sensible? No, of course not. But who the fuck cares? They’re doing it for the love of the game, and I love them for it.
Besides, you can’t deny the entertainment value in some of this. The big spot here is a flaming, well, not table. It’s more of a plank of wood suspended between two bricks. Either way, it’s Takeda who goes through it, who also happens to be the man with a huge hole in his jeans. Guess which part of him catches fire? You know it. Don’t worry, he’s okay, but it’s perfect for this show. A man scrambling around in the mud, trying to put out his flaming arse because, for whatever reason, he’s chosen to spend his time doing this stupid shit. That’s passion, and whether you want to watch it or not, don’t you dare look down on him for it.
GENTARO vs Masa Takanashi, ChocoPro #372 (6/5/24), Gatoh Move
For my sins, this match was only the second time I’ve seen GENTARO wrestle. The first was live in Korakuen Hall, but it was part of a six-person Tokyo Desert Homeless Human Death Match and featured Kuishinbo Kamen, Kikutaro and Brahman Shu. It’s probably fair to say that wasn’t the best way to appreciate his talents. However, several people whose opinions I trust hold him up as one of the best currently doing it, so I’ve been meaning to dive into his work. Luckily, he made starting that off easier by showing up at one of my favourite places in the world – Ichigaya Chocolate Square.
There’s an obsession in football right now with the idea of marginal gains. Your typical top-class player has got to such a high level of fitness and technique that working on those things is more about reinforcement than improvement. Instead, a club like Manchester City or Liverpool focus on these marginal gains. The tiny little parts of the game that might push them an inch closer to victory. That can be bringing in coaches to focus on throw-ins or having players wear daylight glasses to boost their focus and recovery. If these ideas make you 1% better, and you can replicate them across various areas of the pitch, it might just be the difference between victory and success.
So why have I rambled on about this in a review of Masa vs GENTARO? That same philosophy ran through this match. It was a battle where a shift in leverage or an offered limb could be the difference between being in control or being squeezed. A missed GENTARO standing moonsault aside, they kept it close to the mat, inching their way through holds and trying to lure each other into traps. However, importantly (at least for my taste), it never once felt like a technical exhibition. Because the other way they found those tiny advantages was with a touch of nastiness. It was in GENTARO grabbing a fistful of hair or Masa grinding an elbow into his leg. You never lost sight of this being a fight where both men were scrambling for the opening that might give them control.
It also showed how perfect Ichigaya is for this kind of match. Both the camera and the fans are on top of the action, able to appreciate every shift in momentum or inventive escape. It was something different from your standard ChocoPro fare, but it was refreshing and left me wanting to see more. Let’s see what happens when you throw an Otoki into this environment or even a Mei. How do they cope when presented with a wrestler like GENTARO? Whether we’ll find out or not, this was a wee gem and a match that might quietly go down as one of ChocoPro’s best of the year.
Miu Watanabe vs Shoko Nakajima, Yes! Wonderland (6/5/24), TJPW
The first question when you climb to the top of the mountain is always, inevitably, what next? Miu Watanabe was the first of TJPW’s new generation to finally break through, defeating Miyu Yamashita for the big belt and cementing her place at the top of the card. Now, she has to stay there, and first to try and send her crashing back to earth was another member of the old guard. Shoko Nakajima.
Shoko was, in many ways, the perfect opponent for Miu’s first defence. Not only does she continue that story of the old vs the new, but a wrestler like Nakajima always brings a question mark with her. You would expect Miu to win this match, but it wouldn’t be the first time Shoko went up against someone everyone expected to win and shocked us all. Just ask Miyu Yamashita. She’s made a hobby out of doing it to her. Nakajima is arguably the best pure wrestler in TJPW, and when combined with those years of experience, she represented a banana skin that it would be so easy for Miu to slip on. All she had to do was make one mistake, and Nakajima would be there to capitalise on it.
That was if she could even get into the match in the first place. For the bulk of the action, Shoko danced a step ahead of Miu, out-wrestling her on the mat and doing everything in her power to circumvent that power. She did nearly everything right , from shifting her weight to crumple Miu’s leg under her during a waistlock to going big with the senton on the apron. If the result had gone the other way, I’d be raving about her perfect veteran performance that had unpicked the problem of Watanabe’s combination of youthful enthusiasm and massive muscles.
Except, this time, being smarter and better wasn’t enough. Miu Watanabe has never been one to question herself, but having broken through the unbreakable ceiling that is Miyu Yamashita, she’s flying right now. The Big Kaiju didn’t make it easy, but Miu kept coming, and when she got her opportunity, she barged through it, slapping Shoko down to earth and putting her away before she could react. Yes, one Miu mistake could have been the end, but the same was true for Nakajima. It was just that instead of being bundled up, she was hoisted into the air and dropped on her face. Watanabe added a second veteran’s scalp to her collection, and while I don’t think she should collect them all on her first attempt, I do think she should try.
Look, I could talk about this match. It was a decent six-person tag that, in classic Marvelous fashion, went to a time-limit draw. They mixed some solid wrestling through it, be it Itsuki vs Takase, Mio’s general excellence or even the closing stretch of Riko Kawahata vs Unagi Sayaka. However, we all know that’s not why it’s here. It’s here because this was the day Mio Momono decided to rope Takase and Kawahata into doing ‘Love Riddle’ with her. In a year where there will be plenty of great wrestling to talk about, I can’t imagine any moment will be as joyous as that one.
What makes it truly special is that Mio isn’t good at it. You can tell she’s practised, and she’s got the general idea of it down, but while Kawahata and Takase click straight back into the rhythm, Momono is always a beat off or throwing a limb in the wrong direction. What makes up for that, however, is her pure enthusiasm. I don’t know how much time Mio is devoting to AWG, but she has clearly been waiting for this moment for years. She approaches doing ‘Love Riddle’ like I would approach getting to do the Goodnight Express. It’s everything she wants and more. I am incapable of watching someone get that much joy out of something and not fall in love with it. She is having the best time, and subsequently, so am I.
And the opening ‘Love Riddle’ isn’t even the peak. Nor is it the one she calls for mid-match or even the last blast at the end of the show. No, the best one happens after the match when everyone has fallen into bickering and brawling when an anxious Mio, acting for all the world like a small child trying to distract her parents from arguing, calls for it again, leaping into dance in the hope that it will stop the fighting. It was perfect. Every time I think I’ve seen every side of Mio Momono, she finds another way to utterly delight me, and I hope she never stops.
In their second encounter this year, the wonderfully named Bobubobu Momo Banana and Team 200KG confirmed they are a perfect match. Who doesn’t want to see two pint-sized menaces unwilling to admit defeat against a couple of powerhouses who couild throw them through a wall? It just doesn’t get better than that.
Not that this was a rerun of their January match. With the titles no longer on the line and the comfort of knowing they’d beaten Mio and Oka before, you got the impression that Hash and Yuu were taking it a little bit easy. There was a relaxed air to the way they opened this match. Unfortunately for them, their opponents don’t do relaxed. They forced the former champs into taking them seriously, swarming the ring at every opportunity and going after Big Hash’s arm. They’re starting to flourish as a team, Mio sneaking in to stomp on Hash’s stomach to let Oka lock in an armbar, and slowly but surely, they forced 200KG to get their working boots on.
And when that happened, magic followed. Is there anything better than Mio throwing herself at someone twice her size? Watch her strike exchange with Yuu, where she flops back after every blow, crashing into the ropes or down to the mat. More often than not, these trades are flat and dull, but Mio’s dynamism brings them to life. It also means when she finally manages to crack through, forcing Yuu into selling her blows, it feels like a victory. She’s shown how powerful Yuu is, so even if it’s just a scratch, it’s worth something.
We’re also getting to revel in Oka learning from Mio. She’s picking up that relentless energy, constantly moving as she peppers Hash with dropkicks. She’s not yet on Mio’s level, but she’s got the foundations, and having Momono encourage her to unleash her weirdness is doing her a world of good. When she gets caught by Hash and Yuu, they tend to squish her, but the more she learns, the less often she’ll get caught. Let’s hope she gets another 100 attempts to try because this is a pairing I will never tire of seeing, and both Sendai and Marvelous should be milking it for all its worth.
Back in 2016, Mayu Iwatani and Io Shirai showed up on an Ice Ribbon show to challenge Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto. Unfortunately for them, Ice fans weren’t impressed. They rejected the incursion from the bigger and more powerful company, presumably leading to that idea being scrapped. Now, in 2024, Tsukasa Fujimoto got to return the favour, walking out in the aftermath of Mayu Iwatani’s match with Sareee to challenge her to wrestle Best Friends. Sadly, this time, it wouldn’t be Thunder Rock who took up the challenge, but Eye Contact, the pairing of Iwatani and Hanan.
It’s a change that provided this match’s fatal flaw. Hanan is a talented young wrestler, but she isn’t Io Shirai (very few people are), and she was noticeably a few rungs below everyone else involved. I understand Stardom’s desire to have her be involved, and she gave Tsukka and Arisa someone to bully (a role they excel in), but you never bought her as being on the level of the rest. She was battling uphill, feeling less like a threat and more like a minor roadblock to be bulldozed over before we got to the good stuff. Swap her out for Hazuki, and I’ve no doubt this would be improved.
That’s not to suggest this was bad, though. I mean, come on. You’ve got Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto mixing it up with Mayu Iwatani. There are very few worlds in which that isn’t good. Mayu big-timed them during the press conference beforehand, gifting them tickets to see her film, but in the ring, Arisa and Tsukka were dominant. There is a real dismissive quality to a lot of their violence, be it Arisa’s love for a wee dig or the ease with which Fujimoto does, well, everything. That let Mayu bump around for them, getting folded up by their biggest hits, but it also brought the nasty side out of her. She delivered a kick to the back of Tsukka’s head, which was as mean as anything in this match. Never forget that Mayu has that ability, too.
Unfortunately, I think this joins Mayu vs Sareee as an impressive match that wasn’t everything it could be. They went route one with it, keeping it relatively simple and delivering the hits when I wanted to see more grit. I came out the other side feeling like Arisa, Tsukka and Mayu all had several more levels they could have gone to. Thankfully, we will hopefully see at least a few of those, as Fujimoto challenged Iwatani for the IWGP Women’s Title in the aftermath. That has the potential to be incredible, and while this didn’t reach that level, it was good enough to keep me happy, and I’m mainly just glad it happened.
Marigold Fields Forever (20/5/24), Marigold
Marigold’s first show didn’t contain any matches I will return to. Some people have gone wild for the main event, but it had a bit too much Giuliaism for my taste, and while the rest of the card was good, it felt like an introduction to the people involved. While greatness will come (they have enough talented wrestlers to make it almost inevitable), the first show didn’t quite reach that level.
So why does it make the list?
Well, the vibes were spot on. Regular readers will know I soured on Stardom a fair while back, and a big part of that is that it just doesn’t feel like the company I fell in love with. So many of their shows come from big, echoey arenas in front of quiet fans who appear to doze through the shows. Some of my favourite wrestlers have made their home there, but I find every show I try to watch a sterile slog that I can’t force my way through. Stardom got too big for my tastes, and while I can’t really hold it against them, it has been sad to lose my connection to something I once loved.
And this first Marigold show felt like the return of that. Crammed into a packed Korakuen in front of a rowdy crowd, they might not have delivered wrestling perfection, but everything felt good. From the grin on the face of wrestlers like CHIAKI to Giulia getting lost as she made her way to the ring for the pre-show ceremony. There was a looseness and freedom to this show that I haven’t felt when tuning into Stardom for a long time. I still have my issues with Rossy, and I don’t love that their first big move was to snatch away most of AWG’s main event scene (although, as always, I don’t hold a thing against the wrestlers themselves), but the show felt like something I’ve missed.
Marigold may well end up not being what I want it to be. The whispers of relationships with WWE and a desire to grow beyond their current status don’t give me hope for it hitting that Stardom sweet spot that I will always have such fond nostalgia for. However, that’s for the future. Right now, this was a strong start, and I can dare to dream they can scratch that itch.
I don’t like reviewing these shows. No one needs to hear my opinion on Utami vs Giulia or the latest madcap Kyoko Kimura battle royal. They’re not about that. It’s about people coming together to celebrate Hana, and while there is inevitably some great wrestling, that comes second to Kyoko filling that room with fans, friends and family who want to remember and love her. What I think about it all is, and should be, irrelevant.
However, it was hard not to look at this card and get excited about this match. Kyoko had seemingly gone with the booking tactic of cramming as much talent into one ring as possible, and while ten minutes of action was nowhere near enough to scratch the surface of what they could do together, it was still a blast. They delivered a fast-paced whirlwind of action made up of old rivalries and pairings that we don’t get to see. You had nine disparate performers, all of whom have their own things going on, being thrown at each other to find out what happens.
And I’m not sure it would be possible anywhere else. Getting this many high-profile names in the same ring requires a lot of politics and wrangling, but this show seems to cut through all that. People still want to do things for Hana because, well, she was Hana, and even as a simple fan who lived thousands of miles away, her power was obvious. We’ve seen shows like Assemble and All-Together fail to become the all-encompassing celebration of wrestling they want to be, but where they stumble, the name of Hana Kimura succeeds. That feels right. If anyone can pull it off, it’s her, and I’m glad that as the years pass, she retains the power she always had.
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