AJW Megamitachi No Densetsu (Legendary Goddess) III |
Manami Toyota vs. Yumiko Hotta 19:52. Toyota vs. Hotta would have been a great series if it were marked by the sort of positive attitude both displayed here. In a sense it was more Hotta’s match becuse she drilled Toyota with kick after kick, but she also sold Toyota’s aerial attack quite a bit, so it was very much a back and forth contest. They didn’t waste must time, and really stepped the action up at the 15-minute mark. ***3/4
Manami Toyota & Yumiko Hotta vs. Akira Hokuto & Toshiyo Yamada 21:50. Yamada worked so much that, until the later stages, you could almost forget Hokuto was even in the match. Normally that wouldn’t be a positive, but since Yamada was Hotta’s best opponent in these days, it definitely wasn’t a bad thing. Yamada could do the quasi UWF style well, more or less matching Hotta’s stiffness and intensity. The two big hitters traded blows in the best manner, making it a big deal when one broke through in any regard by forcing the opponent to sell, go down, or pretend to be injured. The match would have been much better suited to Yamada or Hotta’s tape. Toyota’s offense is never going to connect with the force or precision of those two, so while she did fine, she’s not going to stand out in a match built around stiffness the way she does in the usual match built around ring work or workrate. ***1/2
Manami Toyota vs. Etsuko Mita 16:44. Mita didn’t yield to Toyota even though Toyota is the far bigger star. She played her game, using her size and power, turning it into a brawl when she had the opportunity. They generally worked at Mita’s methodical pace, with bursts of action from Toyota. Though you never quite believed Mita could win, she made a good enough showing. The problem here is neither seemed to take it as a particularly important match, so they were content to apply no more effort than was necessary to make it good. ***
