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THE FINAL ARSION Shodai QUEEN
OF ARSION Title: Mariko Yoshida vs. Candy Okutsu |
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What we had here was pretty much everything we could ask from these two. As expected, the match pitted Candy's flying against Yoshida's submissions. It was almost like the two factions of ARSION coming to a head, the head of the one that does the same thing as they did in their previous league and the head of the new submission oriented style. Speaking of which, Yoshida was really great at moving in and out of submissions. Candy's matwork will never be close to that tight, which hurt the match to some extent. Still, both women did a good job of selling (particularly Yoshida, who even has the glassy eye part down now), and the match built really well to the decisive finish you need in a big match like this, well unless you ask and U.S. bookers who think it's great to end a 60:00 match with the face getting DQ'd. After a brief portion of feeling out, they went to the mat. Yoshida's superior skill there was very evident, although they played it up like they were fairly equal. Candy finally got a (reverse) diving body attack by countering Yoshida's whip into the turnbuckle, but Yoshida avoided Candy's diving body press and it was right back to the mat. Candy avoided Yoshida's udehishigigyakujujigatame and German suplexed her. Candy tried a diving body attack since Yoshida countered her whip into the corner, but Yoshida had seen it earlier, so this time she turned it into a wakigatame. Countering Irish whips was a motif of the match, and Yoshida soon turned a series or Irish whips into some kind of released pump handle suplex. Yoshida really acted like she was going to win on this, but obviously Candy kicked out. Candy tried to turn Yoshida's sleeper into her powerbomb, but high spots were really hard to execute in this match, so Yoshida back body dropped her way out. Candy tried her powerbomb again, but ironically, Yoshida turned it into sleeper. From there, Yoshida went into a doushime sleeper, which was the first serious chance for a finish in the match. Candy reached the ropes then mounted her comeback, including a nadare shiki no brainbuster that took too long to set up because Candy lost her balance on the top and a DDT that began Yoshida's great selling streak. Candy unleashed her moonsaults for a near fall, and Yoshida looked like she was going to throw up from taking that impact to the stomach. Candy finally delivered her powerbomb then rolling German suplexed Yoshida. Yoshida was acting limp and dizzy during this segment, but kicking out just in time as if she was waking up from a nightmare, or at least trying to having them about this match. Still, Yoshida acted as if she couldn't even stand. Yoshida found it in her to counter Candy though, and soon delivered her old AJW finisher, the deadly air raid crush, for a near fall. Yoshida set her sights on putting Candy to sleep. I liked that Candy did a good job of acting like she was going out. What I really liked about the segment is that Yoshida kept pulling Candy back to the center when Candy would edge her way too close to the ropes. It's really simple and nothing new, but it's very demoralizing to think if I can only hold on a little longer, and then a second later you are right back in the position you started in. I think it made Candy's loss to the henkei sleeper hold credible because her effort to escape was valiant, but there simply was nothing she could do because she was too out of it to be able to escape while Yoshida dragged her so she eventually had to tap. The only problem with the segment was that once again, the credibility of Yoshida's sleeper goes way down when you go from looking at her face (how much effort she's working you to make you believe she's putting in) to the actual lock (some light shown and no real pressure being applied). For the longest time it looked like it would never happen because she was never even a contender, but Mariko Yoshida finally rose to the top. In doing so, she put on a performance that validated her as one of the couple best women in the game and one of the most underutilized, when healthy, for the past several years. Yoshida was overcome by emotion after the match, crying and having trouble getting the words out. Miko: Another excellent match. Yoshida was as good as I've seen her working her hardcore submission style and her selling was better than ever. Candy did her usual flying, powerbomb and German suplexes What happened to the moonsault? It used to be a finisher, now three moonsaults in a row can't get a pin. I really liked some of the transitions in this match. Candy found a lot of ways to try to work into her powerbomb, while Mariko kept trapping Candy into submissions. The final spot, leading to the air raid crash and Mariko sleeper was excellent. I liked both wrestlers in this (except Candy's outfit), but I thought this was Yoshida's match. She seemed totally on while at times Candy was just trying to keep up with her. Jerome: Given the talent involved, this match had to rule. And in fact, it was to be the best ARSION match at this point. They both put over the importance of the match with their intensity during the introductions. Okutsu is far from being as good as Fukawa on the ground, but Yoshida led her so she looked very good anyway. Another element of greatness in this match was Yoshida's selling. It was certainly her best performance ever from that standpoint. It made the match dramatic and put Okutsu's offense over huge. After receiving the three moonsaults, Yoshida looked like poor Natsumi after the final side kick, holding her ribs and nearly throwing up. That aspect of the match was truly impressive. Of course, her matwork was as smooth and fast as it's ever been. The finish was very strong and very climatic, with Yoshida going from her air raid crush to the henkei sleeper hold, and Candy slowly going out after fighting to get to the ropes. Yoshida keeping her in the middle of the ring led to the ineluctable end of the match, and the crowning of the first Queen of ARSION. A great performance by both, and finally, the talents of Mariko Yoshida are acknowledged by receiving the top title of the best joshi promotion today. Special thanks to: Jerome Denis & Miko Kubota - Michiku Pro 16:05
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