I’m not sure I’ve ever kept up one of these wee projects for as long as this. The ROH one was barely out the blocks before the racism and homophobia had me banging my head against a wall, and while I’m planning on continuing my run through Stardom, it’s been a little bit stop-start. Then again, not everything is cherry-picked AJW, which does make it a little bit easier. Episode 20 was filmed over two shows in 1987, the first taking place on the 16th of June in Okinawa and the second on the 28th in Korakuen. Let’s get into it!
Continue reading “AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 20 Review”AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 16 Review
All of the matches on episode 16 of AJW Classics come from the same show, the 7th of November 1986 event in Osaka. It’s a biggie too, as for the second time Dump and Chigusa go head to head with their hair on the line. This feud has defined the first batch of Classic episodes, producing countless incredible moments, so let’s get onto seeing what happened next.
Continue reading “AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 16 Review”AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 11 Review
With the success of Assemble, I’m feeling particularly warm and fuzzy towards the old-guard of joshi. The sight of Chigusa and Akira Hokuto hanging out and having a lovely old time has kept me happy during a period where everything else has been a bit shit. So, a chance to go back and spend time with their younger versions is not to be sniffed at. All the matches on episode 11 of AJW Classics came from the same show as we were in Osaka on the 20th of March 1986.
Continue reading “AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 11 Review”Meltzer’s Classics: Lioness Asuka, Mika Komatsu, Kazue Nagahori, Mitsuko Nishiwaki, Etsuko Mita and Sachiko Nakamura vs. Chigusa Nagayo, Yumiko Hotta, Mika Takahashi, Mika Suzuki, Yumi Ogura and Yachiyo Hirata, 12/6/87
Time to be honest. There is no way I am going to be able to write out a match report for this or even anything close to one. There are twelve women in this and – outside of Nagayo and Asuka – I know nothing about them. They also all wear very similar gear and are constantly switching in and out of the ring. What I’m trying to say, is I don’t have a clue who anyone is. On top of that, I don’t think the full thing is out there. As far as I can tell there’s only a seventeen-minute highlight package online. It’s far from convenient but as Meltzer once described this as the best match he’d ever seen, I don’t think I can miss it out. So I’ll have to do my best with what I have.