You’d think I’d be better at dealing with joshi retirements by now. They’re hardly a rarity and the one on this show happened thirty-four years ago. And yet, well, you’ll see when we get there. It’s AJW Classics Episode 10, and we’re saying farewell to one of the greats.
Maybe if we don’t watch this show, Mina and Poi won’t leave, and we’ll never have to say goodbye. What do you mean it doesn’t work like that? Shut up, you big bully.
Taking the Queen’s Quest thing to the next level. Credit: Stardom
We’re here! It perhaps didn’t take the route it intended, but the 5STAR has reached its conclusion. Now, Stardom merely needs to power through the last group matches and the final. I’m sure that will be an easy day at the office.
With three events in just a bit over twenty-four hours, Stardom gave Fukuoka a big old dose of wrestling last weekend. It would come to an end with the penultimate 5STAR show, one that would provide us with an insight into who had a chance of winning this thing (although if you’re expecting me to sit down and do all the maths, you are sorely mistaken).
With a Korakuen incoming, Ice Ribbon’s latest trip to SKIP City was building to a few biggies and had the added joy of a tag title match involving the coolest man in the world. Who doesn’t want to watch that?
This was Stardom’s second show from Fukuoka last weekend and they still had one to go before they were done. I’m tired from reviewing them all, so I can’t imagine what the wrestlers were thinking. There is nothing like a tournament to test your cardio, but when that tournament has to cancel shows? Well, it seems a bit nightmarish to me.
ChocoPro might not have been around long, but it can already lay claim to a success story or two. Both Yunamon and Mitsuru have benefited from long arcs that have seen them grapple with who they are as a wrestler (while season three has hinted at a similar role for Mei). Meanwhile, Emi ‘Oni’ Sakura stirs the pot, looking on as the likes of Lulu Pencil grow in confidence, finding themselves in the ring. Nearly everyone involved has had something for fans to grasp hold of, and yet, ChocoPro’s greatest success story is none of that. Instead, it’s been the growth of one Tokiko Kirihara, known to fans as Otoki.
I guess it’s time to throw a token man into my Wrestler Mixtape series. If you’re going to watch one of those menfolk do a wrestle, Jushin Thunder Liger is probably not a bad choice. The Thunder God is one of my favourites and an absolute legend. However, rather than seek out some of the matches that earned him that status, I’ve decided to focus on times where he’s taken a wee trip over to America. Why? Honestly, they’re all on the first page when you put his name into YouTube… sorry, that’s not a very good reason, is it?