Tag: Emi Sakura

Miya Yotsuba vs Emi Sakura, ChocoPro 400 Day 1 (4/10/24) Review

She won’t be bullied. Credit: Screenshot

Recently, after friend-of-the-site Flupke shared some GIFs on Twitter, I came to the realisation that Miya Yotsuba feels less like a product of Mei Suruga and more like one of Mitsuru Konno. If Mitsuru had kept wrestling, taking up her position as Gatoh Move’s ace and working in Darejyo, you could imagine her producing a Yotsuba – a wrestler who still has that Gatoh spirit but is also aggressive and ambitious. Mei and Mitsuru’s big ChocoPro feud, one of the final things Konno did in wrestling, was built around their differing ideologies, Mei’s fun vs Mitsuru’s drive. It’s funny then that Suruga’s first student would come to reflect Konno’s way of thinking as much (if not more) than she does Mei’s.

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Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for September 2024

The year is slipping away, but Miu’s still smiling. Credit: TJPW

September’s matches of the month is one of the more diverse selections I’ve put together recently. We’ve got everything from rookies doing their pro-test to mask matches in Arena Mexico. There is even one match that happened in August! I never claim these things are definitive, but I would like to imagine this one has something for everyone, and hopefully, you’ll discover at least one match you haven’t seen. Enjoy!

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TJPW Wrestle Princess 5 (22/9/24) Review

Gearing up for one more hit. Credit: TJPW

I know it’s how time works, but I’m still unsure how a year has passed since Miyu Yamashita defeated Mizuki for the Princess of Princess title at Wrestle Princess 4. Yet, somehow, here we are, Wrestle Princess 5. Neither Yamashita nor Mizuki were in the main event, as the shining new face of Miu Watanabe looked to defend her title from outsider and Princess Cup holder, Ryo Mizunami. Elsewhere, Tokyo Joshi’s favourite god and ghost married couple go head-to-head, Pom has got some big pals, and Daisy Monkey’s title reign faces its biggest threat yet. Sounds like a good day, right? Let’s find out if it was.

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Gatoh Move – To The Future

It’s a good gang. Credit: Screenshot

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.

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Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for August 2024

He’s a bit good that Dragon. Credit: AEW

August saw me attend some wrestling live as I put myself through the nightmare that was an MJF vs Will Ospreay match to see AEW at Wembley, alongside a wee jaunt to RevPro and EVE. More on that later. It was also another relatively busy month for me, so I haven’t quite hit everything I would have liked to see, but that’s just how it goes. There’s still plenty of good wrestling to enjoy!

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Miyuki Takase vs Mei Suruga, Final Countdown (31/7/24), Gatoh Move

She still knows how to enjoy herself. Credit: Screenshot

There’s never been any doubt about Mei Suruga’s talents as a wrestler. It didn’t take long for her to earn her genius tag, and while there were things to improve, Mei’s ability to hook you in has always been there. Instead, the questions have been about how Suruga adapts to a more serious style. She shines with the joy of someone who loves this stuff, capering around the ring, delighting in everything she does, and while I would happily have that be the main event style of every wrestling company in the land, the sad reality is that no one listens to me. There has always been a feeling that if Mei wanted to reach that next level (and she’s been open about that being the case), she was going to have to find a way to take that carefree approach and hone it into something a little bit sharper.

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TJPW Summer Sun Princess ’24 (20/7/24) Review

Miu’s mean face. Credit: TJPW

While the Princess Cup is just around the corner, Miu Watanabe had one more challenge to overcome before she got there. Her Daydream partner, Rika Tatsumi, wanted a shot at the title. Not only was it another one of the names that made TJPW what it is, but in their three previous meetings, Miu had never picked up the win. Could she finally overcome her good friend? Or was the White Dragon about to throttle her way to a second run with the belt? Let’s find out!

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Gatoh Move Road to Korakuen – MAKE@IKUSA (19/6/24) Review

Mei meets a fellow menace. Credit: Screenshot

The build to Korakuen Hall continued as Gatoh Move once again stopped by Shinkiba for a show with all the potential in the world. We now know our main event for Gatoh’s biggest event in years, as Mei Suruga will take on Emi Sakura, but with the boss having returned to America, she’s deputised one of her oldest friends to step in and put her trainee through her paces. Kaori Yoneyama vs Mei Suruga? Yes, please.

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Gatoh Move ‘Road to Korakuen – Apple Ambitious’ (30/5/24) Review

It’s a weird, but brilliant, gang. Credit: Screenshot

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.

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