There was a lot of stuff going down over WrestleMania weekend, and while it would be easy for me to be comically dismissive of it, there was actually a decent amount that caught me eye. Thanks to TJPW putting together a Korakuen-level card and a host of my favourites making the journey to Las Vegas, there were nuggets of gold to be found amongst the usual troupe of interchangeable white men (I swear the same guy came out about twenty times during the Clusterfuck). And yet, out of all the wrestling that was happening, the match that stood out to me was a standard rookie vs legend showdown, the type you can see on nearly any card in Japan most weekends. Why? Senka Akatsuki, that’s why.
People who have been paying attention to my opinions (there must be at least one of you) will know that, when it comes to the Marvelous’ rookies, I have attached myself to the Sora Ayame train. She’s not got Senka’s cocky enthusiasm, but there is something about her that draws me in, and when the whole world is getting behind the golden girl, it’s in my nature to root for the one stuck in her shadow. However, it’s increasingly difficult for me to lean too far into those feelings. Yes, Ayame is exciting, but Akatsuki is increasingly undeniable. Part of that has been the gradual reveal that despite coming across like a straight-A nerd, she is a bit of a weirdo (see the running gag about her wearing her gear everywhere). However, it’s also that her in-ring work is showing promise far beyond her years. Like every work Marvelous rookie, she’s working with a tiny toolbox, but she is learning how to get the most out of it. Since beating Ai Houzan in the shoot-falls match, she has turned going for a pin into a full-blown offensive manoeuvre. Who needs powerbombs when you can make the basics mean everything?
And who better to test this cocky wee eccentric than Aja Kong? After years of seemingly being outside of the extended Marvelous family (part of which was because she contracted to Oz when they weren’t working together), she’s quietly slipped back into the fold, which can only be to Marvelous’s benefit. Dismissing latter-day Kong is increasingly becoming an opinion that makes me discount everything you say, and if you want proof of why, watch this match. Sure, Aja doesn’t move the way she used to, but she’s still Aja fucking Kong, and she knows how to use that. The opening seconds set the scene, Aja backing Senka up into the ropes, patting her head and then shrugging off the forearms and shoulder blocks the rookie threw at her in response. She’s not just a name. She’s a brick wall, and if you don’t have something to offer, any collision with her will only result in your death.
Not that we had to worry about Senka. She was outstanding here. Yes, you got your typical joshi rookie bluster, all dropkicks and flurries of ineffectual offence, but it wasn’t just that. Akatsuki seems to have an innate understanding of how to structure her offence, layering bricks on top of bricks until you get to the payoff. Her first huge moment here (and it was one not many rookies earn) was being allowed to take Kong off her feet with a lariat, and so much of what got it the reaction it did was in the build-up. We’d already seen Senka fail multiple times to make a dent in Aja, but she kept going, hitting harder and harder until she built up the momentum to wipe Kong out. It was the simplest thing in the world, but on a weekend where you could find countless examples of huge moves getting thrown away for nothing, Senka (and Aja) made sure to get everything out of that one hit.
It still wasn’t my favourite moment of the match, though. That goes back to Senka and her propensity for shoot-style pins. Having worked her arse off to lift Kong for a slam, Akatsuki went for the cover and Aja, in a moment that looked small but felt huge, rolled onto her front. In a match that saw her bump to extents usually only seen against her favourite TJPW wrestlers, the legend gave her biggest gift by showing a second of fear. She didn’t want to have to battle her way out of another Senka cover, instead choosing to get the pre-emptive defence up and make sure the fight never started. It was the kind of thing that could have easily passed you by, but on a day when Kong was feeling generous, it still managed to feel momentous. Senka may have eventually met the fate that nearly all Aja Kong’s opponents do, but she got her moment in the sun, and one suspects there will be a lot more of those to come in the years ahead.
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Ramblings About Wrestling 
Caught this one live in Vegas and boy the atmosphere was terrific!