Late in this match, when even that cunt POLICE had turned his back on Mayumi Ozaki, it felt like it might finally be time for her to face the consequences of her action. Having been beaten back by Marvelous, losing the AAAW Title to Takumi Iroha, Ozaki did what Ozaki does and turned her anger on her minions, causing Maya Yukihi to challenge the boss. Now, she was all alone. Or at least that’s what you’d think. Where in any other company, the fans would have been relishing in the downfall of the big bad, that’s not Oz Academy. There, Ozaki is emperor, king and whatever else she damn well pleases, and her subjects are grateful to her for it. As her doom appeared apparent, they simply chanted her name louder, willing her on to victory.
That dynamic, which is etched deep into Oz’s identity, is the cause of many a misunderstanding. At least once a year, people who never watch the shows are left up in arms, complaining about Ozaki squashing yet another upstart. However, unlike nearly every other wrestling company, Oz doesn’t build towards that big babyface victory. It builds to Ozaki. She’s the reason people come through the door, and while stories of her greediness are greatly exaggerated, things end with her because that’s what the fans want. They don’t care how evil she is. In fact, they revel in it. The company that grew out of a unit built to invade GAEA is the actual bizarro land that WWE invokes whenever fans don’t cheer the way they desire.
And despite accusations of it being boring, there is still so much you can do with that dynamic, as this match proved. It captured the breaking point when Ozaki’s minions realised, perhaps for the first time, that she doesn’t give a damn about them. They’re simply another tool. The cracks started with Yukihi, the rare person who can step into the cauldron of a big Ozaki main event without feeling like the underdog. She was brilliant here, unleashing the same cruelty we’ve seen from her boss when she busted her open. It’s hardly a secret that Maya is a star, but having seemingly chosen to prioritise messing around with her pals in recent times (a move I respect the hell out of), it was a timely reminder of how special she is.
Even more importantly, she was the conduit through which we saw Ozaki’s backups be stripped away. Her turn had the rest of Seiki-gun stuck between their boss and their friend, Kakeru appearing to choose Yukihi’s side early on while Anou hovered in the middle, unable to commit. Then, when Maya contrived to send multiple POLICE chair shots into Ozaki’s skull, even that prick snapped. The beating Ozaki dealt out in return was deserved (it’s POLICE, after all), but it was enough to turn him against her, the faithful old dog finally biting its owner after one whipping too many.
That brings us back to the start. Ozaki, alone, against one of her top minions in a situation where, suddenly, she wasn’t the one holding all the cards. She knew Yukihi could beat her, so there was nothing else to do but strap on her boots and get to work. The brilliantly annoying thing? She still won. Not cleanly, but this is Oz Academy, so that’s not an issue. Stripped of everything, Ozaki is still better than everyone else, and even as her empire crumbled around her, she remained untouchable – at least for now.
In the aftermath, as Yukihi and Kakeru threw their Seiki-gun wristbands at Ozaki’s feet and even Mio Shirai wavered, one person was left standing on the outside, deep in thought. Saori Anou, the wrestler who stood up to Ozaki once before only to gratefully return to her side when she was left a bloody smear on the canvas, stared off into the distance, stuck between loyalty and realisation. Finally, she chose, storming the ring and demanding entry to the Last Woman Standing match that will decide the next challenger. The Oz Academy fans might not need Ozaki to taste her own medicine, but those around her suddenly do, and where Yukihi fell, it might be time for Anou to rise. Damn, it’s almost like they know what they’re doing.
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