It’s an incredibly short ramble for December, as I’ve been busy preparing my matches of the year and, well, Christmas. You know, at some point you do have to put wrestling aside and actually talk to people, loath as I am to admit it. However, I am willing to go on a limb and say that no one else has ever focused on these three things in the same feature before, so it has that going for it. Enjoy!
Ayame Sora vs Mika Iwata, Marvelous (3/12/25), Marvelous
I’ve made no secret of favouring Ayame Sora over Senka Akatsuki when it comes to Marvelous’ rookies. I also don’t think I’ve hidden that a big part of that is my own contrariness. Where Senka is loud and brash, grabbing the eye, Sora is quiet and understated, slipping into the shadow of her peer. However, as she celebrated the first anniversary of her debut, she put on one of the best performances of her young career so far.
And so much of that came from a feeling of authenticity. In the past, when Sora fired up, throwing out forearms or yelling in defiance, it felt forced. It’s not something that comes naturally to her. Against Iwata, though, it felt like something clicked. She’s still not Senka, who later in this show struck a buy-one-get-one-free deal on lariats, but for the first time, I truly believed in Ayame’s frustration and anger. Up against someone who kicks as hard as Iwata, it felt like something snapped in her, and she bit back. Sure, those blows were still lacking the oomph you might hope for, but they were a move in the right direction.
It also helps that the shin kicks are getting over. Sure, Chigusa Nagayo going wild for them probably helped, but the reaction is there regardless, as Sora repeatedly went to them against Iwata. Credit to the Sendai wrestler, she sold them all. Those things could easily be a comedy bit, something to be shrugged off, but as anyone who has been booted in the shin can tell you, it fucking hurts. There’s something about the relatability of that pain that I think could really work for Sora, who is already an easy figure to empathise with. If Senka is going to be the bluster, Sora can be the sympathy.
Which is the other way this match was great. Sora, bless her heart, benefits from wrestling people who hit her. Previously, Iroha has used that to great effect, chopping the shit out of the poor rookie. Here, it was the aforementioned kicks that did the job. Every time they thudded home, I flinched, hoping against hope that Ayame would be able to withstand the onslaught. And the longer she did, the more I cared. It was always going to end the way it did, but Sora clung on for twice the time she would have a year ago, and that’s progress. She might not be centre stage, but she’s putting on a performance regardless, and I have faith she’s going to surprise a lot of people before the end.
Past Rambles
Fat and Lean Wrestling Match, Georges Méliès, 1901
I suppose this counts as both the earliest example of comedic and cinematic wrestling that we have. Directed by Georges MĂ©liès, of ‘A Trip to the Moon’ fame, ‘The Fat and Lean Wrestling Match; covers a couple of fantastical wrestling bouts, in which various tricks are deployed to flatten wrestlers, have their limbs fall off, and boot them into the sky. Impressively, it has at least 90% of modern comedy wrestling beaten (and at least 98% of cinematic matches), by actually being quite good. It’s only a minute or so long, but I laughed, and there is a lot of wrestling I can’t say that about.
It also taps into something of a universal truth. In some ways, this isn’t really comparable to a Sakura Hirota match. Hirota has done a lot of things in pursuit of a giggle over the years, but she’s yet to deflate after a double stomp. Then again, if she could figure it out, I’m sure she’d give it a go. However, there is definitely a connective line between this and what Hirota does. It’s a wobbly one that takes a few detours over the years, but it exists, and it comes back to a fairly simple idea. Watching someone be booted up the arse is funny. I don’t care who you are or where you’re from, that route one piece of slapstick has to at least elicit a giggle. It’s something that Hirota, for all her creative genius, has always understood, and it turns out MĂ©liès got it, too.
And I find that somewhat reassuring. Wrestling and the world are in very different places today than they were in 1901, but certain things will always connect us. We can make countless advances, destroy the planet, try to make Austin Theory a thing, and yet, when you get right down to it, we’re all still the people who will laugh at the most basic pieces of physical humour. Whether it’s being booted up the arse, slipping on a banana or falling down the stairs, some pleasures can never be corrupted, no matter how hard the bastards try.
The Destroyer vs Giant Baba, Giant Series II (19/12/72), AJPW
I’m not someone who believes that everything was better back in the day. 2025 has delivered me music, films and wrestling that I find as exciting as anything from 30 years ago. However, that’s not to say that things haven’t changed. I recently saw a screening of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s debut film, Maborosi, and was struck throughout by how, despite being a young filmmaker, he wasn’t afraid to linger on a shot. To trust that the audience had the patience to sit with his art. I was thinking about that as I watched this. As Baba and Destroyer worked a headlock, grinding it in for minute after minute, I started to wonder how that would go down with a modern audience. Would they be willing to go with it? Or would they all start grumbling about rest holds on their podcasts?
And I love Destroyer’s performance here. He’s a proper heel. The fans are quiet for a lot of this match, as it’s probably closer to that fictional respectful Japanese crowd than most things are, but they love to laugh at his impotent range. He moans about Baba being taller than him, the ref and every other injustice he perceives throughout this match. The important word there, though, is at. Destroyer isn’t in on the joke. He’s infuriated by it, even if he makes sure to position his leg over Baba’s throat every time he complains. It’s a performance full of those little violent details, the kind that all serve to make these holds feel like he’s really putting Baba through the wringer. Then, when it’s time for the big lad’s comebacks, he sells for them beautifully, flying out of the ring and crashing to the floor. It isn’t the first time I’ve watched this match, and much like back then, I came out the other side desperate to watch more of Destroyer’s oeuvre.
Yet, I still think this is Baba’s match. Giant Baba is one of those wrestling litmus tests. With his long, gangly frame, he’s a classic example of someone whom people who have never watched his matches, or have only seen a couple of awkward GIFS, decide was never actually good. My other go-to is Dump Matsumoto, as people have been convinced, despite never actually paying attention to what they did, that they can’t wrestle. However, if you watch Baba here, I can’t imagine how you could come to that opinion. He’s brilliant. While Destroyer is wrenching on those headlocks, it is Baba who gets them over, his face contorting in pain or his legs thrashing wildly as he seeks a way out. Despite his giant frame, he’s not afraid to look vulnerable, and later in the match, when Destroyer goes after one of those long legs, he adjusts his entire stance. Yes, you get the big sells, the collapsing in a half crab, but what’s notable is the way he starts putting his still healthy leg to the front or the desperate way he fights off Destroyer’s second attempt to lock in a Figure Four. Baba understands that the way to be a hero is to show that you are not unbeatable.
There are also moments for those looking for the big spots, a Baba dropkick or a tumble over the ropes, but if that’s all you’re coming for, you’re missing what makes this match so enthralling. Have the patience to watch these two men work a headlock, and you will be rewarded for it. Then, when you get used to that, you can go back and watch the hour-long one, which, the last time I watched it, I was convinced was even better.
Ramblings About Wrestling 
Leave a comment