Gatoh Move probably shouldn’t have survived the last five years. When COVID shut down wrestling in Japan as we knew it, things looked bleak for even the big promotions, never mind the tiny one that inhabits an old dentist’s in Ichigaya. Emi Sakura has admitted that she thought it was the end, and honestly, with the world seemingly burning down, would anyone have blamed her for giving up? Thankfully, she’s made of tougher stuff. Instead of curling up in a ball, she took a wild swing, calling on an old friend in Minoru Suzuki and putting on a show intended entirely for YouTube. On that day, ChocoPro was born, and while we didn’t know it yet, Gatoh Move was saved.
It’s probably simplistic to say that moment single-handedly led to Gatoh Move returning to Korakuen Hall for the first time in eight years, but it’s hard not to link the two. Since ChocoPro was born, everyone involved in that wee company has worked their arse off, building a fanbase from the ground up and creating something that – while still small – is undeniably special. From Mitsuru Konno through Lulu Pencil to Miya Yotsuba, it’s been the story of a group of people who came together and refused to let the thing they cared about die. I know Twitter loves to tell us we shouldn’t get sentimental about companies, and I understand the roots of that idea, but I’d struggle to imagine anyone watching this journey and not getting invested in it. They are (to steal a line from some of the greats) the only wrestling company that matters.
That all gave their return to Korakuen Hall an air of celebration, as no matter the room, Gatoh Move did what Gatoh Move always does. They weren’t going to let that famous old building change them, and from the opening charms of ‘Ri-Ri-Ringo’ through to the roster charging around the venue in the aftermath, desperately trying to shake the hand of every single person in attendance, this was Gatoh Move to its core. At times, it was silly. At others, it was emotional. Importantly, though, it was always the company I love. I guess someone coming in from the outside could rightfully complain that the undercard was lacking in much of the way of stakes, and they wouldn’t be wrong, but I don’t think it needed them. It was enough that these wrestlers were on that stage.
Plus, it allowed the card to slowly build, culminating in the final three matches, which featured the people central to keeping this whole thing alive. Akki, who had sat out the rest of the month to make sure his knee was in good enough shape to perform, threw himself at the giant Shuji Ishikawa in one of my favourite singles matches from him in quite a while. It was beautifully summed up by the moment when, after putting Big Shuj down with a huge move, he scrambled to his feet only to find Ishikawa already up, ready to meet him. At that point, Akki’s body language told you everything you needed to know as he stared at this giant of a man, pondering what the hell he had to do. That’s so much more effective than cutting a promo mid-match.
Then there was Popcorn Carnival winning the tag titles, a moment that will stick with me for a long time. I don’t know if I’ve ever said it outright, but Chie might be my favourite wrestler in the world right now. She brings such joy to the ring and, as my running Twitter thread shows, consistently entertains me with something as simple as making a funny noise. Not that this was only about her. We talked about Gatoh Move not surviving this long, but I suspect we’ve also been close to losing Obi a time or two over the years, too. After 14 years of loyalty to Emi Sakura, it would have been no surprise if her growing interest in cooking and repeated injury issues had convinced her to hang up her boots. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, and getting to see her win the belts alongside Chie against two old Gatoh Move stalwarts in Mizuki and SAKI was heartwarming. Truthfully, the match never quite came together to the level I know they’re all capable of, but the emotion was strong enough that I was happy to brush that off.
Finally, the main event. The future vs the past and present, although I would never write Emi Sakura off. I’ll go into this in more detail in my matches of the month, but it was the ultimate celebration of how Gatoh Move has grown. Mei has, in many ways, stolen Sakura’s company away from her, becoming the face of ChocoPro and then transferring that across when they returned to a ring. There’s a reason they chose to announce the official name change in the aftermath of her picking up that belt, and it’s because ChocoPro is what the world associates with Mei Suruga, and while I’ll miss Gatoh Move, I understand why it was done. Emi can’t go forever, as much as I’d love for that to be the case, and the Big Apple Champion is so clearly the future. I’ve said it a million times before on here, but she is brilliant and captures the beauty of everything that drew me to this company in the first place. She’s silly and charming but also has a grasp of wrestling that could only have been passed down from Emi Sakura.
And there’s still so much I’ve not mentioned! We had Kaho’s delightful debut against Aniki, in which the newest and youngest member of the roster wrestled like the 10-year-old she is while being protected by one of the best in the scene. Then there was the emotional return of Shin Suzuki, a host of Gatoh Move friends from across Asia getting the chance to wrestle at Korakuen Hall; Erii Kanae, Nonoka Seto and Hiyori Yawata all being showered with streamers as they made their Korakuen debuts; Miya Yotsuba and Sayaka locking horns with Rina Yamashita and Miyuki Takase; CDK mixing it up with Ikuto Hidaka and so much more. I’m not sure there was a match of the year, but everything was joyous, and I cried tears of happiness on more than one occasion. Gatoh Move means a lot to me. I’ve said more than once that going to a show on New Year’s Day 2020 in Ichigaya changed my wrestling taste completely, and while that might not seem that big a deal, I’ve been lucky to make some good friends because of that change. It’s a company and a group of people I care a lot about, and it’s a pleasure to watch them thrive.
Now, onto the next one!
Thanks to their No Pay Wall initiative, all Gatoh Move and ChocoPro content is available for free on Gatoh Move’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2HtPsU4U7TNSv2mSbPkj0w
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