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All Pacific Senshuken: Kumiko Maekawa vs. Kurenai Yasha (LLPW) |
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This was a big mistake on AJW's part because Yasha has nothing to offer them and Maekawa needs wins on major shows. When LLPW wouldn't agree to have Yasha job to Maekawa, AJW should have just taken Yasha off the show and found someone else for Maekawa to beat. Even if they were stuck having her beat someone in AJW, it still would have been more benificial than this was. Yasha tried to carry the match, but didn't do a good job. The fact that she didn't rely heavily on her weapons further exposed her weaknesses. It started really slow, and was a dull match overall because it was overloaded with poorly utilized submissions. Yasha's offense was low impact as always, which is one of the many reasons she's not a good opponent for someone like Maekawa who is supposed to be a tough girl. Harley Saito would have been a much better opponent because her style is much more similar to Maekawa's, and she's still good enough that they might have been able to have had a kick ass match in more ways than one. Anyway, this match just meandered along until Yasha won almost out of nowhere. Maekawa was kicking as the ref was counting, but she couldn't get her shoulder up or get Yasha off of her until just after the 3 count. This was horrible for an All Pacific title match, mainly because Yasha is such fodder. The typically bad Matsunaga booking just made things all the more frustrating. Yasha took the title, becoming the 36th overall champion and ending Maekawa's reign after 1 successful defense. James: I really wish Kuzumi had challenged for the All Pacific title as they originally planned. Maekawa needed some credibility as champion, but her title reign wound up consisting of her sitting on the belt for nearly six months. She defended it only one time, and that was against an 18-year-old that she beats the tar out every time they wrestle. Nobody gave Momoe a hope in hell of winning the belt, so that defense didn't help Maekawa. In her first defence against a veteran, the lays the belt at Yasha's feet. Hardly the way to give Maekawa credibility. If anyone ever decides to write a book on use and misuse of titles, AJW's handling of their belts in 1998 would make a great chapter...in the misuse section, of course. Michael: I thought this was a good, passable match considering neither of these women can carry a match and they don't have a lot of offense. Kumiko has her kicks, and Yasha her weapons, but that's pretty much it. In this match, they did do a decent job with their submissions though. Yasha did a good job of working over Kumiko's back, but it seemed like they were just doing submissions to pass time, rather than to build to something. It was weird seeing Yasha wrestle such a "straight" match, but she did an okay job. Miko: This match simply did not work for me. I like Maekawa. She improved a lot in 1998, looking stronger and kicking better. She's one of few wrestlers flexible enough to pull off a good axe kick. While I don't consider Kurenai a great wrestler, I can be entertained by her matches. Unfortunately, Maekawa and Kurenai simply didn't work well together for long periods in this match. The selling was not all that strong, and all too often they seemed to hit lulls where they were just killing time. Special thanks to: Michael Smith, Miko Kubota - Michiku Pro, & James Phillips- Japanese Women's Wrestling16:29
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