Joshi Spotlight: LLPW Live Battle ’98

LADIES LEGEND PRO WRESTLING- LIVE BATTLE ’98:
(June 21st 1998)
* It’s time more more LLPW! As I’ve found a pretty big (by their standards) tape they put out featuring various matches. I think from different dates. This one is headlined in a Double Title match, as Shinobu Kandori defends the LLPW & WWWA World Titles against FMW’s Shark Tsuchiya! As Shark is one of the peak heels behind the G-MAX stable (combining the heel armies of LLPW, FMW & JD’ into one), that’s a pretty big deal, sure to be full of lots of cheating. Also featured are AJW’s top star Yumiko Hotta against Mizuki Endo, a bunch of LLPW-focused matches, and Michiko Nagashima shows up! That’s awesome- I’ve just been getting into her stuff! And here’s her… retirement match.

GODDAMMIT!!

At least it’s against Yasha Kurenai! Oh, and we’re starting off with the biggest match first:

WWWA WORLD TITLE & LLPW WORLD TITLE:
SHINOBU KANDORI (w/ LLPW loyalists) (LLPW) vs. SHARK TSUCHIYA (w/ goons) (FMW):
(June 13th 1998)
* Remember in the very beginning of my 1998 reviews when Kandori beat Yumiko Hotta in a short shoot-style match for AJW’s Red Belt? But there’s little follow-up since AJW & LLPW have ass presence on YouTube for 1998? Well she’s still champion! And she’s up against Shark Tsuchiya, the infamously bad worker who was FMW’s dominant heel for years, using matches full of weapon shots and cheating, and now she’s part of a mega-heel stable. Shark’s in green & black and Kandori’s in her day-glo yellow & orange bodysuit. Shark takes a casual gangster pose in the corner while the office guy does the opening-match Title spiel, and actually whacks his scroll away with her barbed-wire shinai, drawing in Kandori to shout at her incredible lack of respect and decorum!

It’s funny- even from the opening lockup you can kinda tell Shark can’t wrestle, because she barely has her arms around Kandori’s and just kinda leans into her with her lower body to push her back. No positioning! Shark no-sells some shoulderblocks and takes advantage when a goon trips the champ. She releases a hold for no reason and gets immediately thrown into Kandori’s own, which is sold bigger by the fans, and immediately calls in the goon, who Kandori dispatches with humorous contempt. Shark slaps on a leghold, but in my favorite Kandori spot, she’s such a submission expert she refuses to sell, then tells Shark how to more correctly apply it… then easily gets out and puts the same hold on her! Shark immediately pusses out and is like “AGH SAVE MEEEEEEE!” to her goons, hahaha I love this. Shark goes to the barb-wire shinai, Kandori dodging a bit before taking a shot, but countering with JUDO and again out come the goons and Shark chokes her using a chain and a sleeper… but an LLPW girl runs in and puts the boots to Shark. And when Shark is like “WTF?” the girl gestures to the crowd like “it’s justified, RIGHT?” and gets cheered for it. This sets off a few G-Max attacks on the floor as Lioness Asuka & Michiko are seen jumping Kandori and that leads to the RESTHOLD SICKLE OF DEATH as Shark casually leans a sickle into Kandori’s forehead to cut her and kill time!

Shark slowly works over the cut with her sickle, then uses a chain-wrapped fist against it. This seriously goes on for two minutes and THEN she calls in six women to beat down Kandori in a pile-up (lol what are the LLPW defenders even doing?), and Kandori can only manage some weak punches and G-MAX’s three leaders come in for corner clotheslines, Eagle just splattering her. Eagle adds a Vader attack, they fire off a Double-Assisted Powerbomb and then they stack CHAIRS on the bloodied Champion, and then they do a group prayer as if burying her to a crowd pop. The poor referee has to act as janitor for all that bullshit, drawing a good reaction for clearing the clutter while Shark just casually wanders around, apparently not wanting to capitalize on this (both Monsoon AND Ventura would be trashing her for that), strolling over with the sickle… and Kandori springs to life, hitting Headbutt Spam and then judo-flipping a charging Lioness Asuka! Judo flip for Eagle! A goon gets trucked! Kandori pummels Shark with headbutts in the corner to beat her down before finally selling the accumulated punishment… and then chairshots Shark! She throws on a Sleeperhold and Shark’s arm drops twice before G-Max can finally break free from the LLPW loyalists and chairshot her, and Eagle missile kicks her into a Lioness powerbomb. Shark has her moment, and an Eagle lariat/Shark backdrop… gets two! Another assisted backdrop (Lioness cleverly flinging Kandori’s leg up so Shark can hook it) gets the same, and they try another Double-Assisted Powerbomb… but LLPW’s loyalists charge in to take out Eagle & Lioness, and Kandori drops Shark with a Fujiwara Armbar while they’re being pinned down… and that’s the submission at (13:45)! Kandori retains!

Okay, this is another wild “All Cheating” match, which is good because Shark can literally do nothing else. So they build drama by throwing in never-ending interference and cheating, because she’s Dump Matsumoto Lite and needs help to make things look even remotely watchable. And they succeeded, because the match ends up good mostly through the story told over Shark’s “offense” (which somehow looks weak even with D&D weaponry). Once two fellow Main Eventers charge the ring and Kandori is 3-on-1, it looks bad for the World Champ, and we might have Red Belt-holding SHARK TSUCHIYA, but we’re saved from this atrocity by Team LLPW actually doing their job for once as backup and enabling Kandori to get Shark alone, and that’s all she needs to win.

Rating: ***1/2 (pretty miraculous for Shark, and really the actual “match” is nonsense outside of the cheating, but fun character bits throughout and some good payback for all the cheating)

YUMIKO HOTTA (AJW) vs. MIZUKI ENDO (LLPW):
* It’s an Interpromotional Match, where Hotta, the top wrestler in Zenjo now, will no doubt smash LLPW’s 3rd-tier wrestler but try to make her look good in the attempt. Endo’s in a black top & tights with yellow stripes, and has her typical topknot, while Hotta’s in a kind of Power Rangers-esque chestplate over black. They’re in a tiny, brightly lit gym in what looks like a TERRIBLE show, and there’s a single cam on one corner of the ring. This is heavily clipped.

Hotta takes the lead to start this JIP contest, I think hitting her rolling kick in the corner but the camera is missing EVERYTHING, having to drop down so the cameraman can run to the other corner for something. Endo takes the lead with a chinlock and an ultra-slow reversal to some armholds, Hotta gets her own, but misses the Owen-style enzuigiri only to land her rolling kick on a charging Endo. Hotta gets the Tiger Driver for two, but a Pyramid Driver (cross-armed ligerbomb) fails and Endo hauls her down for two, then tries lariats, which are no-sold and Hotta catches her charging in for the Pyramid Driver at (4:28 of 13:27 shown)- Hotta wins casually.

Well hard to get a fair assessment here given the camera was HORRIBLE, but looks like Vet vs. Rising Star 101, House Show Version, with Hotta dominating, selling a tiny bit, letting the kid kick out of a secondary finisher, then hitting the real one for the pin.

Rating: * (totally forgettable, poorly-shot match, and in House Show Mode to boot)

SAYURI OKINO vs. MEGUMI SATO:
(June 21st 1998)
* This is from Korakuen Hall and features the younger wrestlers… should I know who Megumi Sato is? She’s got no profile on Cagematch nor WrestlingData so I guess not! Though… I see the same name pop up in 2001 NEO shows? She looks oddly EXACTLY like a 1980s joshi star, with “hime” bangs, long black hair, a frilly blue outfit with puffy sleeves and frills on her ass. Okino’s repping G-MAX and is in black & pink with tassels.

Sato turns around at the bell and is immediately greeted by a charging shinai attack, haha. Okino beats the rookie all over the ring with it, traps her in the ropes and pokes the shinai into her forehead, punching her with a chain-wrapped fist and slamming her head on it. We’re cut to a HORRENDOUS comeback, as Sato barely gets her feet up on a corner charge, then appears to forget where she is, then hops up for a headscissors that poor Okino has to do ALL the work on because Sato completely failed the lock, and they try again for a marginally-better one. She charges in with the wimpiest clothesline ever and gets stopped, but avoids a missile kick and gets dropkick spam, appearing COMPLETELY exhausted, and then in a horrific bit, takes half an hour to climb to the top rope while Okino fakes being hurt then clocks her leg, causing Sato to complete a full flying body press to air despite being hit (OH GOD). Okino throws missile dropkicks and Sato bridges out like a good rookie, then “falls back” from a Perfect Plex for two, hits a sunset flip, then gets caught in a handful of snap suplexes for two, Okino appearing to have to literally force her into the pin attempt, then a Northern Lights Suplex FINALLY finishes this at (4:53 of 10:15 shown). The look on Okino’s face at the end says it all.

hahah, what a debacle this was. Poor Okino was left against someone who could do NOTHING, as Sato was so bad at this point that she couldn’t even bump properly, handle the cardio of the fast-paced joshi style, nor get into pinning predicaments well. Sato botched a simple top-rope missed shot by taking so long that Okino had no choice but to try improv (which Sato failed to “read” and thus flew out into the void), then failed to counter a suplex properly (almost like she accidentally fell back), can’t get into a pin attempt right (Okino practically shoot-wrestles her), and then FINALLY takes the pinfall. I felt bad for Okino here, being a rookie herself and having to try and improv this shit out.

Rating: DUD (poor, poor Okino. No wonder Megumi Sato bombed out)

Rumi Kazama, former booker/promoter of LLPW, passed away very recently. Most LLPW events seem to feature SOME chance for her to shine.

RUMI KAZAMA vs. KEIKO AONO:
* Keiko’s a third year wrestler in black & yellow, while Rumi’s the LLPW booker presumably doing a Vet vs. Kid fight. Rumi’s in a purple & leopard-print bodysuit.

Keiko dodges a spinkick and gets a leghold & running powerslam as this is already looking very slow and awkward, like Keiko is just learning how to wrestle or doesn’t know her opponent at all. Rumi takes a rolling senton but gets a DDT, only to eat one of those corner face-crushers. Keiko “flies” onto feet and takes a spinkick & Inverted DDT for two. Rumi misses a cannonball and gets “facecrushered” (Keiko almost slips) and a flying back elbow gets two for Keiko. They BADLY fuck up a counter (what looks like a corner powerbomb is just Rumi hauling Keiko down off the top slowly), and Rumi does a swiping kick that looks stiff-adjacent and DDTs Keiko for two. Keiko gets a rollup but Rumi manages a straighjacket German, failing on the bridge utterly (STOP! STOP! THE MATCH IS ALREADY DEAD!!!), throws a bunch of light kicks (one Keiko sells half a second too late), and a German suplex puts us out of our misery at (5:49 of 13:31 shown).

Jesus CHRIST- I’ve seen some bad botches in my day (like in the previous match, for example!), but this takes the cake. If you’d told me Keiko Aono had never wrestled before, I would believe it, as she was all over the place, out of position, doing delayed sells, appearing to forget her next move before attempting it, etc. And Rumi isn’t the best at getting shit back on track, as she often relies on her lame strikes (which are hard to sell) and bridging suplexes that she’s too small to accomplish, and is left looking annoyed at her match falling apart as Keiko can’t do anything and Rumi lacks the muscle to just force things along.

Rating: DUD (spectacularly bad match from Aono- Rumi also couldn’t help keep it together)

EAGLE SAWAI (w/ Sayuri Okino) vs. CAROL MIDORI:
* It’s one of the G-MAX leaders against the midcarder Midori, who’s in red with a tasselled fatigue-type top. Eagle’s in black with lots of frills.

Carol slaps Eagle before the bell to start, but gets crushed in the corner and Eagle catches her for a fallaway slam and charges her off the apron. Eagle throws chairs and beats on her in the ring, but when she tries a powerbomb on a chain, Carol hits a DDT onto it and uses the chain herself. She batters Eagle, then Okino when she comes in, then chooses to dive onto Okino instead of Eagle. She then dodges Eagle’s next dive off the apron and Germans her out there, too! She hauls Eagle back in but eats a mother of a lariat, but no-sells and Germans her for two! But she tries a suplex and gets chokeslammed, then Okino sets up Eagle chokeslamming her off the top rope. Eagle with a 2nd-rope dropkick, but her powerbomb is reversed to a rana for two- Eagle catches a charge with a whirling suplex, but misses a Vader Bomb. Carol gets the overhead side suplex she keeps trying for, getting two, but Eagle gets a weak counter-lariat into a powerbomb for two. Carol gets a last-ditch rollup, but a Powerbomb finishes her at (6:28 of 14:36 shown)- Eagle wins again.

Seems like a perfectly acceptable match, Carol pressing Eagle just a bit and one-upping her a lot, but having no real chance outside of dumb luck because nothing she has can put Eagle down for long enough. It made Carol look pretty clever, and her moves seem fine. But a pretty basic effort and we only got half of it.

Rating: ** (seems okay)

MICHIKO NAGASHIMA RETIREMENT MATCH:
NO RULES:
MICHIKO NAGASHIMA (w/ G-MAX) vs. YASHA KURENAI:
* So now, after a bunch of reviews where I note how good Michiko has been getting… she calls it quits. 1998 Joshi, everyone! This is “No Rules”, as opposed to the famously stringest rules by which all joshi matches are governed, I guess (but seriously, what does “No Rules” mean in a promotion where eight people can hit the ring and stab you with sickles? Can you now use a .44 magnum?). Michiko gets a hero’s welcome for her finally, even though she’s being flanked by the evil Eagle & Okino. Yasha, staring down Michiko, draws PROMINENT boos. Michiko, wearing a white “Yasha”-style shirt with similar writing on it, tears it in half and throws it at Yasha (revealing an all-yellow tasseled uniform underneath), setting off a brawl immediately.

They brawl into the crowd, then the ring, then it’s a double-down into DOUBLE staff tosses into the ring, and we have a good old-fashioned stick duel! The weapon-clash is won by Yasha (must have tapped “B” faster), but she only tags Michiko once before getting lured into the corner where Michiko raps her in the shins with the stick and throws shots to the front and back. It’s time for some chain-fu as Michiko batters Yasha, tosses her with it and DDTs her on it, but charges in and Yasha reverses and uses it herself (to boos!), then uses her Hangman’s Choke with the chain! haha, the nWo is so popular in 1998 that there’s a sign with “Nagashima With Okino” written under it hanging from a balcony. But Yasha misses a guillotine legdrop and gets DDT’d on the floor. Michiko buries her with chairs to allow her time to set up a table in the ring (clever) and then tortures and taunts her in the ropes to each side of the arena. Yasha goes into the table, then is backdrop suplexed on it while it’s flat for two, then DDT’d on it. But Yasha suddenly springs to life and chokeslams her on it, roars and gets a Northern Lights superplex for two.

Michiko gets an oil can and uses that to come back, but Yasha swipes her handcuffs and uses them (to boos) and beats her down repeatedly. Michiko gets uncuffed by Okino and comes back with a sickle (I think), DDT & flying stomp for two. The table comes back and Michiko does a high Thesz Press, but Yasha overshoots and rolls back off it! I AM THE TABLE! Since that’s a worse bump in every way (Yasha rolled right over on her neck) Michiko goes to check on her subtly before trying the pin. Missile dropkick & Northern Lights suplex get two. Backdrop hold stops a comeback, and Michiko’s goons put Yasha on a table on the floor for a springboard dive through it! She sets up another one and OKINO does the same thing, Michiko celebrating like a proud teacher while Okino looks like she’s ultra-emotional. Michiko hits a flying senton (appearing to miss almost completely), but a second misses and Yasha starts no-selling and smashing her with tons of chairs that get slid into the ring, and hits a pair of Guillotine Legdrops (one to each side of the head)… for two! Gutwrench falling powerbomb gets two, and Yasha puts her up top, only for Okino to slip Michiko a chain- Yasha gets blasted and takes an NL Superplex in return. Michiko uses an awful chain-wrapped backfist for two, then a running punch… but Yasha just kind of sits up and beats a now-dying Michiko down with a fist and strangles her with the chain until she gives up at (17:52). Eagle & Okino come in to check on their stablemate and we’re out- Michiko drops her last match.

This was a very fun, but very odd little match- Yasha doing a babyface act to tremendous heel heat because the heel is RETIRING, leading to Michiko using a bunch of nefarious tactics to applause… except she’s not cheating NEARLY as much as usual for a G-Max/Guren-Tai match, because Eagle Sawai was out there the whole time not doing anything! I mean, we just saw all of them hit the ring for other matches! I liked the varied use of weapons, as you never saw them just use it the same way over and over again- even Michiko knew to shake it up with the same weapon. The table stuff mostly worked and things felt sufficiently “big” by the end, though there were weird bits with Yasha twice making comebacks simply by ignoring prior damage and beating up her lesser, and Michiko suddenly “got tired” and couldn’t defend herself against the last comeback or something.

Rating: ***1/2 (very solid match overall, with Michiko giving an all-out effort on the way out)

We get Michiko Nagashima’s Retirement Ceremony thereafter- a LONG narration from the announcer goes out, Michiko being very stoic throughout, and finally Eagle rings the bell ten times and Michiko’s out, laughing as the ring FILLS with yellow ribbons.

SHINOBU KANDORI & NORIYO TATENO vs. HARLEY SAITO & MIZUKI ENDO:
* Oh, why not? The ACTUAL main event of the show is a random tag match between the two seniors of LLPW (Kandori and the former Jumping Bomb Angel) against Harley and a midcarder. Tateno looks decidedly unimpressed in purple/black, Kandori’s in yellow/orange, Endo’s in black/red & Harley’s in a light blue & white bodysuit with bleach-blonde hair.

Endo & Kandori start, Kandori demanding harder lariats before just catching her with an armhold and Endo gets leverage on her. They do “mat-wrestling” (mostly organized spinning out of facelock attempts) to applause, then we’re clipped to Kandori’s lariat for two. Endo can’t get much going, but Harley hits a wheel kick and gets Tateno to accidentally lariat Kandori to complete a German for two. Harley gets a pescado, and when a German hold’s pin is countered, Endo stops the armbar. Harley gets a rana on Tateno for two, backdrops her to counter a headlock, then another sets up Endo’s lariats and she DEMANDS Kandori. Some backdrops and a fireman’s slam set up Stereo Flying Headbutts. Tateno stops that pin and a front facelock, and Harley breaks up Kandori’s Ligerbomb pin attempt with a kick that nearly gets Endo two! But Endo charges in and they end up in a tussle that sees Endo tapping out to Kandori’s cross-armbreaker at (5:10 shown of 11:56). After the match, Endo cuts a promo in the ring and bows to all four sides of Korakuen while red ribbons fill the ring- was she announcing her retirement, too? *checks* uh, NOPE- she’s still wrestling into 2023! Looks like she misses the rest of 1998 and only wrestles a bit until 2000, though.

The match was total “meh” and we only get a bit of it. Tateno didn’t care in the slightest and Endo was a bit like a bull, just charging in and being more energetic than good. Harley was barely in it.

Rating: *1/2 (actually half there but it feels like there’s not enough to rate)

And that’s it for another LLPW show! This one is a strange mix of content- AJW’s Red Belt being defended amidst a horde of G-MAX cheating, Endo looking clumsy, two IMPOSSIBLY bad matches in Korakuen Hall (one with a good excuse, another with none- both should have known better), the best Nagashima solo match I’ve seen right when she quits, and then a throwaway tag match. This continues to be the weirdest promotion ever. Like who puts some of this on TAPE?