The
final starlet:
Mikiko Futagami (6-2) vs. Candy Okutsu (4-3-2)
This was an exciting all-action match. In fact, there was so much action that it was hard to keep up with at times. The workrate was so high, yet at this high pace everything still looked great. The downside was that the comebacks and selling, especially on Candy's part, were Koji-esque. This was one of those matches where they did so many cool, and some innovative, spots that you had to be impressed even though they were rolling things out.
Futagami's new look and gimmick really suits her. One of the reasons it works so well is that she looks so intense when she is applying her moves. Candy doesn't have a new gimmick, but she is a lot more attractive than she was when she was in JWP. She is also by far the smoothest worker in ARSION, and it really showed in this match.
The match started out fast, and actually it stayed that way throughout, with Candy knocking Futagami to the floor and doing the Sayama feint. Candy tried a climb-up plancha, but Futagami saw it coming and reentered the ring. Candy wasn't going to let that stop her though, so Candy immediately turned around on the top rope and gave Futagami a diving body attack! However, Futagami got the last laugh because she rolled through on this and locked in an udehishigigyakujujigatame.
Futagami put Candy in a Dragon sleeper, but Candy did a cool bridge, basically flipping backwards over Futagami, and turned it into a sleeper. Candy hit a couple of missile kicks and a moonsault attack that came up a little short. They did a nice sequence of counters on the mat that resulted in neither being able to lock in a finisher.
Futagami leveled Candy with a lariat for a near fall. She tried to go to the top, but Candy dropkicked her to the floor and this time was able to hit her climb-up plancha. However, Futagami put her in an udehishigigyakujujigatame on the floor, which Candy put over well.
Back in the ring, Futagami used her northern lights suplex, but of course she didn't win with her LLPW move. Futagami put Candy down with shoteis and went to the top, but Candy made a quick comeback with her nadare shiki no northern lights suplex. Candy tried a diving headbutt, but Futagami avoided it. Futagami did a good job of putting over her back then tried a running shotei, but Candy avoided it and did her rolling German suplex for a near fall. However, Futagami broke the pin by turning it into a chickenwing armlock. Futagami set Candy up on the top and pulled her off into an udehishigigyakujujigatame, which looked a lot better than when she did this spot to Aja.
Candy stopped an Irish whip and went into a powerbomb then moonsaulted Gami for a near fall, which was another quick comeback on Candy's part. Candy ran off the ropes, but Futagami shotei'd her for a near fall. Futagami went into an udegarame (arm lock/arm entanglement) when Candy kicked out, and Candy was screaming in pain. Futagami continued after the arm, pulling Candy off the top into an udehishigigyakujujigatame, but Candy made it to the ropes. Futagami used finisher after finisher, but still couldn't put Candy away.
Candy ducked a shotei in the corner and finally came back using her rolling German suplex hold for a near fall. Candy set up her nadare shiki no northern lights suplex, but when she ran up the ropes, Futagami shotei'd her off. Candy took a great bump on this, leaping backwards so far that she practically landed in the center of the ring. This perfectly set up the following spot, Futagami's diving headbutt. Futagami rolled into a strangle hold, which was the finish of their first match on 2/28, but Candy was too close to the ropes. Futagami dragged Candy up and brought her to the middle of the ring so she could do another strangle hold for the win, but Candy once again made it to the ropes, which frustrated Futagami. Futagami did a victory roll, but it was innovative because instead of holding both legs for the pin, she held one and made it a submission hold that looked like a modified stump puller. Candy tried to turn Futagami's German suplex into a bodyscissor victory roll, but Futagami stopped it and wheel barrel suplexed her. However, Candy landed on her feet/knee and caught Futagami with a Yakuza kick for the upset win. This showed that Candy would be a player in ARSION, and after the match she talked about the ARS tournament, which she would go on to win. Excellent action even though the comebacks should have been better. 13:15 ****
