GAEA JAPAN (February-March 1997):
* It’s time for more GAEA Japan! These are mostly digested shows again. Three different nights here, with some semi-big news afoot- a main event of Chigusa Nagayo vs. OZ Academy’s evil leader Mayumi Ozaki… but the night holds great tragedy for GAEA Japan, as they lose even more rookies to the devilish one’s cause!
CHIGUSA NAGAYO, AKIRA HOKUTO & HIROMI KATO vs. MEIKO SATOMURA, TOSHIE UEMATSU & SAKURA HIROTA:
* A bizarre trios match, this one features the two top stars in GAEA teaming up with their greenest rookie (Kato, in black) up against a rookie squad- a top 1st year (red Meiko), a secondary 1st year (green Toshie) and another green-ass rookie (pink Sakura).
Chigusa quickly beats up Meiko to start, hitting a backdrop driver- funny bit as Meiko’s partners come in and clubber her with a cartoonish frenzy to break up the pin. Meiko is powerbombed, but springs back with a cross-armbreaker instantly- she tries for more but Chigusa suplexes her & Toshie at once. Akira comes in but gets tagged and the kids hit their signature strikes (Sakura’s ass, Meiko’s windmill punch & Toshie’s backflip kick-off), but Toshie takes a vicious backdrop suplex onto her head. Toshie tries to chase Akira up, but Kato hoists her into a torture rack and the vets tee off on Toshie in that position. Another rack has Sakura knock them over into a near-fall, and then Sakura uses SQUIRREL TACTICS~~ to avoid everyone’s attacks, then starts slapping her ass like a goof until she hits a FLYING ASS ATTACK to knock out Kato for the pin (5:03 of 17:18)!! Yes, the rookies beat two gods and a rookie just because of this. Funny how that psychology works, because in the West this would 100% be the veterans just slaughtering the kids but for a fluke.
Rating: *1/2 (what we saw was fine and quite fun)
GAEA JAPAN- VICTORY ROAD:
(Feb. 23rd 1997)
* Another GAEA show, this one in Nagoya, Japan, with a full-ish floor but empty upper seating, giving the show an unfortunate “poor-selling house show” look despite the big-time main event.
CHIGUSA NAGAYO vs. MAYUMI OZAKI:
* These two have had some great matches in the past, but now it’s personal- Ozaki has been recruiting GAEA rookies to OZ Academy- her heel stable. Ozaki’s now all in black with a top & skirt, while Chigusa’s in pink/red & black.
Oz attacks before the bell with a spike because of course she does, sending Chigusa to the floor to be looked after, but the boss pops up and does the same to her and we’re in a bloody brawl right away. There’s headbutts & slapping and Chigusa throws chairs onto Ozaki, then CRUNCHES a table by piledriving her through it. She revels in the fan reactions, as one side cheers for her but another gets flipped off for booing her (is this JWP territory?). Chigusa just flies out onto Ozaki with a plancha, then a punt & side suplex gets two. She gets a backdrop driver, but Oz finally makes a comeback with a DDT, sleeper & two Fisherman’s Busters.
Chigusa bails and they talk smack- back in, they uraken each other and Ozaki charges into a tilt-a-whirl, getting powerbombed. We’re clipped to Chigusa hitting a dominator on a pants-wearing Ozaki (?) for two, but they fight up top and Oz brings her down with a Super Rana for the same, but turning splashes onto Chigusa’s knee. Chigusa’s powerbomb finisher is reversed to a rollup for two, but she hits a Ligerbomb- Oz kicks out and tries for a pin, then scores an uraken. Chigusa resists the Tequila Sunrise (tiger/dragon suplex) but eats another uraken, and Oz finally goes to her minions… who give her a CHAIN! She menacingly wraps her fist as the fans are at a peak, and scores an uraken with THAT, and hits a shitty Tequila Sunrise for the pin at (8:43 of 22:02 shown).
Ozaki talks smack on the mic after the match, and makes some pronouncement and ANOTHER GAEA rookie comes out and asks to join OZ Academy! And another! It’s Sakura Hirota & Hiromi Kato! They’ve betrayed their trainer and joined Ozaki!
This actually feels kind of like later GAEA main events I’ve seen, where they skip the pleasantries or “feeling out” stuff and just go right to big stuff- it’s blading and weapons to start, then immediately goes into a table piledriver and potential finishers from both, interspersed with resting on the floor and taunting segments. To be fair, though, we got less than half of this match, with 14 minutes being cut-out. This would explain the sloppy move application in the final minutes (not that Oz was ever great with that uraken). Letting Ozaki cheat to win is a very “1980s AJW” move, and Chigusa doesn’t job very often (and certainly won’t in the future very much), so this carries on that Oz/GAEA feud.
Rating: **1/2 (seems fine, but super-abridged. The original match seems WAY too long, though)
GAEA JAPAN- FLASHBACK OF GAEA JAPAN!:
(March 15th 1997)
* A few weeks later, with another show. Chigusa tries to get revenge on her traitorous rookies, and KAORU & Hokuto pair off again, with 1st-years as their partners.
CHIGUSA NAGAYO vs. SAKURA HIROTA & HIROMI KATO:
* Oh man, it’s the boss versus who two lowest-tier trainees- Sakura & Kato! Chigusa actually looks pensive before the bout, almost like she doesn’t wanna go through with murdering these two rookies whose checks might not have even cleared yet. Or maybe it’s parental sorrow, I dunno. Really, they just joined OZ Academy last show so Chigusa’s probably just sorrowful she lost two trainees to that devilish scumbag, and now has to murder them. Sakura’s in pink & Kato’s in black.
The rookies pounce Chigusa to start, Sakura throwing out ass-attacks so fast Chigusa can’t counter her easily. Funny bit as Chigusa trips them both to stop a whip, but they do the same to her, only for her to just walk away from a double-dropkick. So Chigusa just punts them both when they’re down and murders Sakura with a powerbomb with shades of Devil’s earlier MDK bomb and pins her (0:54), then lariats Kato for the hell of it.
Rating: 1/4* (scarcely even a match, but funny)
KAORU & MEIKO SATOMURA vs. AKIRA HOKUTO & SONOKO KATO:
* The KAORU/Akira and Meiko/Akira feuds continue in this tag match that pairs up vets with rookies. We’re JIP with Akira in her rad pink & white gear, Kato in blue, Meiko in red & KAORU in silver.
KAORU holds Akira for Meiko’s windmill attacks and a flying splash gets two, then KAORU hits a snap suplex & bridging fallaway slam for the same. Akira crushes her with slaps in return, but we’re clipped to KAORU’s comeback taking both opponents out, and she ducks Akira’s kick & scores a rana for two. Bridging German gets two, but she gets powerbombed trying another rana. Kato with a sidewinder and a rolling fireman’s, but KAORU snags her in a cross-armbreaker and a big backdrop driver for two. Meiko flying stomps the injured arm and they torture it like nuts- Akira saves after a brainbuster and we get a REALLY dramatic nearfall as Kato reverses and tries a Doomsday Device, but Meiko ducks Akira and rolls Kato into a cross-armbreaker!
KAORU dumps Akira to leave poor Kato in agony until Akira can finally escape and break it up. KAORU just comes in with a springboard moonsault and lets Meiko hit another armbreaker while she holds off Akira, leading to another dramatic struggle as Kato gets an ovation for making the ropes. Akira Germans Meiko but KAORU Germans Akira and Michinoku Drivers Kato to let Meiko score the pin, but she misses a pescado and Akira slides in for the save. Hokuto hits the Dangerous Queen Bomb and orders Kato to finish while she hits her tope con hilo on KAORU, but Meiko reverses to a rollup for two and… Kato reverses on her and finishes with a Dragon Suplex at (7:37 of 17:29 shown). The vets slap the crap out of each other at the end- they’re not done.
See, stuff like this makes me more impressed by Kato than anything, as she fights HARD and seems to have the best overall offense and selling of any of the GAEA rookies. If you’d told me she had as much experience as KAORU I’d believe it if not for their different “tiers” in seniority. I liked the psychology of Akira always having to help but Kato being trapped frequently- KAORU looked like a snot for repeatedly hitting finishers on poor injured Kato to set up the falls, so it was great seeing Meiko get just desserts by being nailed with the DQ Bomb and ultimately reversed for the pin.
Rating: *** (we only got the tail end but it was some great tag psychology- the best kind of vet/rookie tag bout)