The work was quite good, but the match was nothing more than a very good Nitro sprint (there was still such a thing at this point). The match needed to be longer because there wasn't enough time for Uematsu to really push Chigusa. Of course, if it was longer, Chigusa still wouldn't have let Uematsu push her, but I'm writing under the pretense that there could be a point to the match. Uematsu, who cried before and after the match, did at least look good doing the spots she was able to get in. Chigusa got the submission with the udegatame.

5:40

Rating:

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Chigusa Nagayo Taped 1/19/98 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan 2 (1,400)

This was basically the same deal as the previous match except Chikayo is a heel and a much better worker. I liked Chikayo double crossing Chigusa on the pre match handshake, as it was a very Oz-ish maneuver. Chigusa, of course, won this match as well, pinning Chikayo in a powerbomb. Even though Chikayo has no chance, she is a good opponent for Chigusa when it comes to making Chigusa look good because she has a lot of athleticism and can make all the big girl vs. little girl spots look good.

5:00

Rating:

KAORU & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Kurenai Yasha & Carol Midori Taped 1/15/98 Tokyo Korakuen Hall

The wrestling in this match was quite mediocre. The main storyline was the continuation of the dissention in the ranks of the KAORU & Yamada team. Yamada wound up refusing to tag in, leaving KAORU to be pinned in Midori's diving body press. Not a bad match, but certainly nothing special.

Jerome: A fun little match with a good story of Yamada & KAORU not getting along. They did a good job of playing the dissension factor, but the wrestling was average because Kurenai can't work very well. However, Carol Midori was the best of the four in this match. She made a good showing, and the match was pretty good when she was involved.

Midori is probably one of the most underrated wrestlers because "nobody" sees her. I'm pretty sure she's been better than Yamada for the past four years, give or take, but it's hard to make a case for her being in the top 25 or being better than a certain wrestler when you see them a dozen times at the least, while you only see her a few times a year.

Jerome: I'd like to see more of her just based on this match. Too bad LLPW doesn't seem to showcase their good workers in interpromotional matches. It would have been fun if ARSION stole her with GAMI and Chama.

Too bad LLPW doesn't showcase their good workers, period.

16:04 (11:01 aired)

Rating:

KAORU & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Devil Masami & Sakura Hirota Taped 1/19/98 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan 2

KAORU & Yamada had more problems here. At one point, Yamada tried to drag KAORU over to their corner so she could tag in, but KAORU pushed her. Yamada then enzuigiri'd KAORU, and would have done it again had Hirota not stopped her with a dropkick. Devil & Suckura didn't look good. In particular, Devil doesn't bump like she used to, not that she was ever any great bump taker.Yamada pinned Hirota with her spin leg lariat. Overall, it was probably a poor match, but only about 30% aired, so perhaps it was a little better.

22:00 (6:10 aired)

The work was quite good, but the match was way too one-sided. Everyone knew their role, but I think the GAEA teams role should have been better than it was because this was too much like the way Neo had their veterans squash their youngsters. The thinking was that Satomura & Kato could get over just by taking this kind of beating, which included Kato juicing a gusher and Satomura bleeding as well, for so long. Whether it worked or not on this night is anyone's guess because you can't gauge a crowd that you know is never going to pop. Overall, I don't see where they gained anything from the match. It was one of their better matches though because Shimoda & Mita did a good job of carrying them. It even turned into an excellent match in the later stages since Satomura & Kato had no quit in them. I mean, they were still coming at LCO after 15 minutes of getting destroyed, so to me the match worked the way they intended it to. Shimoda eventually pinned Kato with her moonsault.

Jerome: This probably is my favourite LCO match from '98. Yes, it was one-sided, but that was the story of the match, much like in the awesome LCO vs HamaKINO. The difference here is that the youngsters were not going over. If they did, it would easily have been a great match. The reason I say this is that I feel the difference in quality was mainly due to the youngsters not going over. This booking decision is what prevented LCO from needing to give more to their opposition, and the match ended up looking like a long beating on Satomura and Kato. If the booking called for Satomura & Kato to go over, LCO would have taken the match in another direction, with more selling and a more dramatic build to make the win of the youngsters a huge deal. And this could have easily been a great match. In any case, LCO's work was as good as it's ever been, and they seemed really motivated after some disapointing performances in Neo. They did a trememdous job of beating the shit out of Kato & Satomura during the whole first half of the match, only giving them some short flashes of offense. The intensity mounted in the second half as the GAEA youngsters were finally able to retaliate. LCO gave them some great credible near falls before finally destroying them once and for all. Kato & Satomura took a huge beating, but looked really good in the process.

I tend to disagree with the idea that LCO vs. Hamada & AKINO shows that LCO losing means they'd have to sell a lot more. They'd have to sell more than they did here because they hardly sold anything, but they really didn't sell that much for Hamada & AKINO either. Hamada & AKINO did some moves, but I don't see where the damage mounted at all. I suppose that's because most of the few moves they did were geared toward a flash pin rather than doing damage, but this also shows getting someone over can be about a lot more than just selling someone's moves.

Jason: I liked the fact that Satomura and Kato showed great heart in this match, not giving up and really staying in the match longer than any of the youngsters in Neo. I think this match was much better than the two LCO matches from the first Neo-Ladies show. You eventually have to sell for the youngsters though or there just isn't any point.

20:59

Rating:

Meiko Satomura & Sonoko Kato vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Sugar Sato Taped 1/19/98 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan 2

Earlier in the night, Ozaki got to look on as Chigusa defeated her protégé. This time the table was turned, as Chigusa watched her proteges lose to Ozaki. This match was more along the lines of what I think the previous match on this show should have been like. The work wasn't quite as good even though Sato had one of her only good performances of the year, but the match was better overall than anything else on the show because it was far more competitive. Ozaki & Sato opened up Kato's cut from the LCO match. Ozaki didn't steal the show, but she was smart and her timing was excellent. Ozaki & Kato were really good together simply because they knew how to play it. For instance, when Ozaki came in she had this devilish grin like, "I'm gonna kick your ass, and enjoy it," and Kato was just like, "come on, I can take it." Later on they did a spot I've never seen before where Kato avoided Ozaki's lariat in the corner and tried a dropkick, but Ozaki used the ropes to lift herself up to avoid the kick then let herself down onto Kato for a footstomp. Satomura & Kato were about equal performance wise, but Satomura was featured more because she was the one doing the job to Sato's Ligerbomb. Satomura's elbows were really impressive, particularly for such a young wrestler.

Jerome: This time Kato & Satomura were a lot more competitive, simply because Oz let her kohai Sugar work most of the match. The booking did not allow them to be more competitive with the veterans. However, Oz was really giving, and she sold enough to make them look credible. She had an overall excellent and intelligent performance, letting the spotlight shine on Sato but helping the match doing little things with great timing, much like she did in the 4/4/99 match. All the young workers, including Sugar, worked really well with Satomura being particulary impressive. The match was technically inferior to the previous match. It was also inferior emotionally because the story wasn't as strong. On the other hand, the young girls looked better because they were playing on the same level as their opponents.

Jason: I think this match was better than the previous match was simply because Ozaki is much better with the youngsters than Shimoda and Mita. In this match, Kato and Satomura showed that they belong at the top of the card. I like that Ozaki never tries to steal the spotlight in this type of match, she just sits back and lets the youngsters go at it, coming in at the appropriate time to help move the match along. This match impressed me so much that I think it could even be rated ****.

20:37

Rating:

Special thanks to: Jason Higgs & Jerome Denis