JWP Notable Matches January 2011 |
Tag League The Best 2011 Blue Zone League Match: Command Bolshoi & Aoi Yagami (Rainbow Dragoon) vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto & masu-me (Cuty Pair) 8:24. Fast, energetic, enthusiastic but somewhat sloppy ICE RIBBON style match. Bolshoi vs. Fujimoto has some real potential if they continue the program beyond this and Fujimoto's ICEx60 Title win on 12/26/10, but right now they lacked the timing and chemistry to consistently pull off the speedy and somewhat complex athletic sequences they were after. It was a total sprint when Bolshoi was in, but all badass shoot style when Yagami was in. Yagami stuck to what she does well, but she was the most impressive and consistent performer in the match. Fujimoto has the ability to shift right into mat work, so that pairing worked well, but little masu-me was pathetic trying to exchange elbows with Yagami. *1/2
Leon vs. Misaki Ohata 10:00. Both were trained by Mariko Yoshida and have a similar style that mixes shooting with athletic junior heavyweight wrestling. Leon has been one of the better workers for a while, and while Ohata will probably never be quite that good, there's a lot more there than the potential. They worked well with one another, and it was a highly competitive match as Takase was much more interested in having a good match than in pulling rank on her partner. Leon allowed The Blue Fairy to play even with her throughout, and even push her a bit. Ohata made a couple of mistakes early, but too her credit she didn't allow it to effect her confidence or aggression. It wasn't an all out effort from Leon, but at times she didn't hold back, such as really laying into Ohata during the early elbow exchange. It was only going to be so good given the 10 minute time limit, but that actually yielded some drama as you assumed going in Leon would win in 7 or 8 minutes, but Ohata kept going strong and I got into seeing her not simply try to last, but actually push to get the win herself. **1/4
Tag League The Best 2011 Red Zone League Match: Tomoko Morii & Hanako Nakamori (Hanako Kobayashi) (dog lock-be) vs. Sakura Hirota & Senri Kuroki (Hiroki) 16:33. Hirota & Kuroki dragged the Mori's down to the level where it appeared everyone lacked the athleticism and coordination to make anything look good. The match was way too long with the first half wrestled at half speed, which really made them look as skilled as a battering ram. The second half was mostly passable as they picked it up, though it was still a mess. Nakamori had some nice slaps, but there wasn't much else to brag about here. Hirota seemed more or less as "talented" as the others, but with way more charisma and even pulled a moonsault off the middle rope. 3/4*
Daily Sports Joshi Tag Title & Tag League The Best 2011 Red Zone League Match: Kayoko Haruyama & Tsubasa Kuragaki (Harukura) vs. Kaori Yoneyama & Hailey Hatred (Queens Revolution) 20:43. A quality main event with a really nice effort from all four. They worked hard from start to finish, and the match even maintained a nice level of intensity. Yoneyama, Haruyama & Kuragaki were all very consistent, and damn good. Hatred matched their effort, but was hit and miss. Kuragaki mainly worked with Hatred, so Yoneyama vs. Haruyama was the best pairing. They countered each other well, with Yoneyama usually being a step ahead of Haruyama and able to use her standing/running offense to set up her submissions. I was surprised that Haruyama scored the victory over Yoneyama even though the way the match was worked set her up to reestablish herself in the end. **3/4
JWP Tag League The Best 2011 DVD 1/28/11 Itabashi Green Hall |
Tag League The Best 2011 Blue Zone League Match: Leon & Misaki Ohata (Lion Hole) vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto & masu-me 9:52. Fun little match with Tsukasa being on fire. She was excited to wrestle Leon & Ohata, working most of the first half. This was some impressive stuff, with Fujimoto & Ohata showing some nice chemistry. Masu-me was finally allowed to wrestle in the 2nd half, and even though Tsukasa was all over the place helping her out, she couldn't get out of the ring. Fujimoto got her cheap shots in after the match, but it was a disappointing end to what started off so promising. Leon did do a nice job of carrying masu-me, but the standard for her is passable, so it wasn't exactly the climax we were hoping for. I know Tsukasa's matches are usually this short, but because most of the best stuff came at the outset this one felt very incomplete. **1/4
Tag League The Best 2011 Red Zone League Match: Kayoko Haruyama & Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Sakura Hirota & Senri Kuroki 17:01. Hirota & Kuroki are the worst team in the tournament, and keep getting way more than ample time to prove it. Haruyama & Kuragaki couldn't really take them seriously, and Haruyama thought so little of them she dumbed things down to the point she was mainly just exchanging strikes. Kuragaki generally wrestled the way she always does, but she has a lot of jumping, charging moves, and power moves, or in other words her offense doesn't require a lot from the opposition. The match wasn't inept, Harukura are way too professional for that against any opposition, but the outcome was never in doubt and the match had way less than even the intensity that normally suggests. *1/4
Tag League The Best 2011 Blue Zone League Match: Sachie Abe & KAZUKI (The+WANTED!?) vs. Command Bolshoi & Aoi Yagami 15:29. Competent main event. They stuck to what KAZUKI & Abe could do, and did that well. Yagami was the best in the match. She's explosive, and had the most motivation and intensity. KAZUKI carried her side, using her weight well. Bolshoi was fine, but was hurt by the lack of sequences. **
