That Gatoh Move trip to Korakuen Hall is drawing ever closer, meaning this show served a double purpose. The first is the same as every Gatoh Move event this year, as they pave the road to that big day. As for the second? Well, the Apple Goblin has been wrestling for six glorious years, and it’s time to give her some dues. Not that she was blessed with an easy anniversary showdown, as Best Bros took on Hyakkin Thunders in the main event. Still, if you want to reach the top, you’ve got to deal with the best, and Emi and Masa are certainly that. Let’s see what went down.
Mochi Natsumi & Nonoka Seto defeated Erii Kanae & Hiyori Yawata
After surviving a series of exhibitions, Hiyori has picked up a last name and made her debut surrounded by fellow Darejyo graduates and Mochi Natsumi (whose own Sakura-led training was back in Ice Ribbon). She’s looked solid in those little snippets at the start of Ichigaya shows, but she’d stepped up a level before the match began. Her gear looks fantastic. It even has a hat! Looking like the real deal doesn’t make you a talented wrestler, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
As for her first impression between the ropes, it wasn’t quite as instant, but it was impressive. You can tell she’s trained a lot with Nonoka and Erii, as they’re already figuring out their signature exchanges. It almost got to the point where Mochii felt like an outsider. She was the one with all the experience, but there was a sense that the other three already had a shorthand, every interaction sparking from how comfortable they were together. Not everything Yawata did looked great, as her strikes needed a bit of tightening, and there was still some awkwardness under her rookie enthusiasm, but that connection helped a lot. Plus, she passed my standardised debut review checklist (no crying, hiding under the ring or dropping anyone on their head), so she can go home content with a job well done.
For all that Mochi wasn’t a part of the gang, it was the right move to have her in there. She’s already taken up a mentor role for Miya, so it makes sense that she’d take a similar position with her sister, and she revelled in her opportunity to bully their rookie opponents. She was the one who kept this flowing, stepping in to remind everyone this wasn’t as light-hearted as a Darejyo session. I’m all for letting the kids figure things out themselves, but you do need a bit of meanness to keep them in check, and as Mochi spun Erii around in a headlock, it’s safe to say she was providing it.
It all made for a solid debut for the latest Darejyo rookie, keeping their hot streak going. The combination of Emi and Mei can seem to do no wrong right now, and long may it continue. I want to get as many of these rookies out there as possible, keeping that Gatoh Move tradition going, and Hiyori seems like a fine addition to the team.
Verdict: Welcome To The Family, Hiyori!
Popcorn Carnival (Chie Koishikawa & Sayaka Obihiro) defeated Hiragi Kurumi & Sawasdee Kamen
I can’t pretend I’ve watched a lot of Hiragi Kurumi since her return from injury, but from the matches I have seen, I get the impression she’s happiest in Gatoh Move. Maybe it’s getting to hang out with Obi after all these years, but there’s a real sense that she feels at home there. Of course, I could be completely inventing that, as my inkling could be complete bollocks, but I hope she is enjoying it as much as it seems. She certainly enjoyed squishing Chie, taking great pleasure out of stomping on her at every opportunity.
Beyond that, truthfully, there wasn’t a whole to this. With only eight minutes to play, it was about what you’d expect for a match at this point in the card. We got some fun Chienanigans (I just came up with that, and while I’m sure someone has said it before, I’m very proud of it) as she stomped on toes to set up running around in circles, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. It’s hardly a revelation, but Chie makes me happy. From her unending energy to her ridiculous noises through her inability to hide even the smallest emotion, she’s one of my absolute favourites, so even eight minutes of inconsequential wrestling is going to go down well.
It also made me think that Chie and Obi would be a good first defence for the winners of the main event. I can’t imagine they’d take the belts, but Popcorn Carnival are a solid team, and they deserve a crack at the big time. In the here and now, this was fine, but nothing you need to go out of your way to see.
Verdict: Give Me All The Chienanigans
Team Baka Gaijin (Chris Brookes, Antonio Honda, Sayaka & Mecha Mummy) defeated Team New Beijng Pro-Wrestling (Chon Shiryu, Shinki, Tockie Chan & In Bound)
Team New Beijing Pro-Wrestling are an odd bunch. I know I’m talking about a match where Mecha Mummy was on the other side of the ring, but I’m used to that weirdness. While he’s not quite part of the furniture, Baka Gaijin viewers see him regularly. In Bound, who is presumably related to MAO in some way and came to the ring carrying what appeared to be a recently purchased boxed Roomba, is a whole new kettle of fish. It was a joke that went over my head and had the whiff of a Japanese racial stereotype towards the Chinese. Then again, as Otoki (sorry, Tokie Chan) came out with some nunchucks, I think we’ve already crossed that bridge.
The match was about as chaotic as you’d expect. Whatever the background to MAO’s shenanigans, it got over, and the crowd delighted in him and Brookes wrestling around his Roomba box. Meanwhile, Sayaka and Shinki (Makoto) were a fun pairing, as they’re two wrestlers with a tendency to get surprisingly violent. With Makoto’s Chinese persona just being her in a Chinese-style dress, they were free to hammer on each other for a bit, which was always going to be entertaining.
Of course, MAO wasn’t the only one leaning into the nonsense as we had Mecha Mummy antics, Honda randomly deciding to drop a People’s Elbow and Chekov’s Roomba coming into play. However, the standout came when things got serious in the final flurry between Brookes and Chon, as they let loose. They haven’t had a straight match since 2020, and this left me wanting to see it, as Shiryu had me convinced he had Chris on the ropes on more than one occasion. Considering how rarely Brookes is pinned in Gatoh Move (I think Lulu pinning him in their Iron Man match might be the only time, but don’t quote me on that), that’s an impressive feat, and while it didn’t come to pass, I’d like to see him get another crack at the whip.
Plus, I like a bit of chaos. It wasn’t always clean or perfectly executed, but sometimes throwing a load of stuff at the wall is what you need. A lot was going on here, and not all of it worked for me, but enough did that the rest didn’t matter.
Verdict: Mostly Good Chaos
VENY defeated Miya Yotsuba
VENY is in a weird place right now. I don’t think it’s harsh when I say she rarely gives 100%. It could be a problem, but she’s so good that she can get away with it, floating through matches, delivering what’s required and heading home. Plus, she has that aura. I see VENY wrestle all the time, but watching her walk out in Gatoh Move still felt like a big deal. She’s a star, and how many people can we say that of in the joshi scene? There’s a handful at best, and even that might be generous.
Plus, that slightly detached nature works in a match like this. It morphed into arrogance – like she was looking down at Miya as someone beneath her. When she no sold strikes or kipped straight back up when Miya finally got her off her feet, it was like she was making it felt dismissive, almost rude. Yotsuba had to do ten times the work VENY did just to hurt her, and the exhaustion of it started to weigh her down. Then, when she got her opening, locking on a Cloverleaf, she didn’t have the conviction to push through with it. Her confidence in her move faltered, and she broke the hold, even as VENY panicked for the first time, grabbing onto her hair to try and escape. She doesn’t yet have that killer instinct.
Despite that, it was another standout performance from Miya. She shows no fear when throwing herself at these figures, and while there was always a sense she was fighting an uphill battle, she never faltered in her attempts. There is a huge gap between her and VENY, and she showed Yotsuba up at every opportunity, but the fact the youngster kept plugging away, trying to find her opening, made it feel like she’d earned something from her efforts. It was very different from her encounter with Mizuki, as she was never in control of this match, but she wasn’t swatted aside either, and that matters. It will be a long time before Miya Yotsuba can claim to be on VENY’s level (if she ever can), but the bar was set for her here, and it’s up to her now to try and clear it.
Verdict: Miya Impresses Again
Hyakkin Thunders (Emi Sakura & Masa Takanashi) defeated Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) to win the Asia Dream Tag Titles
Best Bros are in a good place in life. They’re young, talented and seemingly on the path to success. Wherever they go, people come away singing their praises, and while they haven’t burst through that ceiling yet, it’s hard to imagine it not happening eventually. The world awaits them, and with all of that happening, it’s perhaps not surprising that they’ve started to get a bit cocky. Not awfully so. They’re still a likeable pairing, but how can they not fall for a bit of their own hype? They’re clambering to the top, and seemingly nothing can stop them.
Enter Hyakkin Thunders.
Emi and Masa aren’t stronger, faster or younger than Best Bros. However, they have years of experience. The kind of experience that allowed them to capitalise on every mistake Mei and Akki made. Time after time in this match, Best Bros would get a bit full of themselves, start showing off, and get caught. They were punished for their invention, as they dived into a bag of double teams and creative attacks that might have had another pairing flustered but just let Emi and Masa pick their spots and strike. They managed to isolate both of them at various points, taking great delight in being bastards as they did so. Mei, in particular, took a beating as they pulled out some old-school tag tactics, doing everything from yanking Akki off the apron to distracting the ref so he missed a tag. It was great heel work, building up this idea that for all Akki and Mei’s fancy tricks, they don’t have what they need to put Hyakkin Thunders away. They’re not on their level.
Plus, when the time came, that final stretch was thrilling. If there is a criticism to throw at this match, it’s that I’d shave a few of its 32 minutes off, but those closing few were a blast. It’s easy to forget just how often these people have wrestled each other, going back and forth in the cramped confines of Ichigaya, but it means that they flourish when unleashed in a ring. Compared to that, this is easy, and as they escalated the action, going bigger and bigger in their attempts to get the win, it was a delight to get swept away in it. They’re all outstanding wrestlers, and even if you stripped the rest back, the fireworks display was spectacular.
And Hyakkin Thunders won. It’s a result that is doubly good for me as I prefer Best Bros when they’re not on top and because it set up Emi Sakura vs Mei Suruga for the Super Asia Title at Korakuen Hall. That is the match for Gatoh Move, and while there are other ways they could have gone (they’ve not pulled the trigger on Akki vs Mei yet), I think it was the right one. Will Mei beat her mentor at Gatoh Move’s biggest shows in years? On this evidence, no, but I’m looking forward to seeing her try.
Verdict: Outstanding
Overall Show
If you’re being picky, the last two matches were the big ones here, but this was another enjoyable ring show from Gatoh Move. I’ve been shouting it at every opportunity this year, but they’re on a hot streak, and with an influx of talented new rookies, it’s time to get back into watching this stuff if you’ve bowed out. Korakuen is getting closer, and while I’m sure it will be a good show regardless, the build is half the fun. Don’t be the fool who misses it.
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Ramblings About Wrestling 
Brilliant post!!! Can’t wait for Mei v Emi it’s the type of storytelling Gatoh Move does so so well.