Joshi Spotlight: GAEA Japan’s Double Destiny Revenge Matches

GAEA JAPAN IN SEPT. 2000:
(Sept. 17th 2000)
* From Korakuen Hall comes a series of REVENGE MATCHES! 7 on 7 as the 2nd Generation Army tries to beat up Chigusa & Lioness and all their friends in a series of singles matches! These all have a Time Limit of 10 minutes, which is important because the “Move Spam” is like… baked into that style rather than just being some moronic thing they’re trying. Though it took me like 6 matches in before I realized there were stips, haha.

HAND MADE TITLE:
SAKURA HIROTA vs. SAIKA TAKEUCHI:
* OH NO NOW SAKURA IS HITLER! Or maybe Chaplin. But probably Hitler. She’s got the li’l mustache and is wearing a suit. Wait it’s a tuxedo with tails it’s probably Chaplin we’re safe. Saika has upgraded to INDIE KICKPADS!

Sakura makes Saika hold a leather strap in her teeth and they tug-of-war over it until Sakura lets go, resulting in Saika getting her face smashed to tremendous heat while Sakura does this “oh hee hee- me naught” thing. She does some dances and headbutts, pratfalling as I’m guessing this is some Japanese TV host she’s parodying. Takeuchi throws some KARATE KICKS and even kicks the turnbuckles to show seriousness, while Sakura’s are no-sold as wimpy. She then gets head-kicked and takes a phony bump, demanding to be counted down, barely getting up and nearly getting rolled up trying her double-arm submission. They trip each other up for counters, then Saika nearly messes up eating the corner uraken (she barely stops her self in time to take it). Saika scores a few near-falls with rollups, but Sakura ultimately wraps her up with her trip into a Japanese leg roll clutch-ish one at (5:21) shown. Briefly amusing, played straight by Takeuchi but with typical Sakura pratfalls.

Rating: * (at least they’re clipping Sakura comedy fests!)

Clips of Double Destiny! Chigusa’s trainees defeat the veterans 5-0! Then the Crush Gals defeat the monster squad of Aja Kong & Dynamite Kansai in a heroic triumph to cap the whole thing off! This leads to multiple challenges from the veterans, and now we get clips from Sept. 17th as it’s REVENGE MATCHES!

REVENGE MATCH:
TOSHIYO YAMADA vs. TOSHIE UEMATSU: Yamada attacks as soon as Uematsu enters the ring, and they trade punches and quick pin attempts until Yamada holds her down after a punch for three at (0:21). Getting her win back, but flukily. (1-0 2nd Gen.)

REVENGE MATCH:
MAYUMI OZAKI vs. CHIKAYO NAGASHIMA: Ozaki attacks immediately, and they just trade Fisherman’s Busters over and over again, getting up increasingly slowly until Ozaki sneaks in her uraken for two. Chikayo catches her with a super rana into another Fisherman’s Buster for two, but can’t get the Tequila Sunrise that won her their match on 9/15. Oz stunners her out and hits a Ligerbomb for two, lands another uraken but gets immediately rolled up then gets her own F-Buster again for two. Chikayo with the Sunrise, but releases and Oz slides out at one and F-Busters her again. She FINALLY does a non-finisher with a spinning dragon sleeper, then spams urakens so Chikayo can’t Sunrise her, then no-sells Chikayo’s uraken so she can hit the Sunrise for three at (3:58)- Ozaki wins. (2-0 2nd Gen.)

This was… interesting. Literally just BeamSpam as a match. No transitions, no big comebacks, no intermediate moves- just bomb after bomb after bomb. Hitting like 3 each of Chikayo’s finisher to start, then Oz fires off her own repeatedly, then more busters intermixed, then they upgrade to Ozaki’s finisher. It’s got psychology of a SORT, kind of fitting their hatred by all going for finishes. It really doesn’t… HELP anybody, though. Ozaki doesn’t get much of her heat back because it was looking like it could go either way, and Chikayo doesn’t look good for jobbing in 4 minutes; it even kinda undoes her win a bit.

Rating: *1/2 (just beamspamming stuff willy-nilly, but alright for what it was)

*ps I had to tell people what “BeamSpam” was- it’s a mostly anime term for people spamming huge attacks endlessly until one of them wins. It’s very… illustrative of how these matches are, and how a lot of today’s wrestling is, particularly when the boys get all MOVEZ-y

REVENGE MATCH:
KAORU vs. SUGAR SATO: By now, the crowd’s gotta figure something’s up, so the question will be how they toy with expectations. Sugar immediately blocks KAORU’s charge with her board, then Ligerbombs her. KAORU counters with a Michinoku Driver for two, then ranas Sugar out of another Ligerbomb that was using the ropes. Sugar barely kicks out, and when KAORU charges in for her leaping attack… catches her with a Ligerbomb for three (1:27)! Sugar wins! Okay THAT surprised people, probably. Again it’s another quickie sprint (man I hope they’re not charging people full price for this) but unlike the others, actually helps Sugar by giving her two wins in a row. KAORU howling like a baby and having to be dragged away while Sugar gives her the double-guns of victory is great. (2-1 2nd Gen.)

Rating: 1/2* (just a couple spammed attacks and that’s it, but mostly well-executed)

REVENGE MATCH:
DYNAMITE KANSAI vs. CHIGUSA NAGAYO:
* Now THIS is a big one! The Kansai/Nagayo match is already going!

Kansai pounces with a lariat, trying for an early victory, but Chigusa counters the Claw to a high armbar and they smash each other’s shins with stereo kicks. Chigusa gets battered by kicks and a lariat, but counters Splash Mountain and wheel kicks her down. Death Valley Driver gets two, but she runs into the backdrop driver for two. Splash Mountain (helped by Chigusa kicking off the middle rope, lol)- two. Kansai throws on a chinlock, sold far more dramatically by any of the wrestlers and referee than the fans (they’re all acting like it’s a huge sleeperhold but Kansai’s only got one arm on her). Good reaction for Chigusa making the ropes, at least. Chigusa keeps throwing elbows to stop Splash Mountain #2 (she seems to have threaded a spinning back-elbow into her repertoire), but Kansai’s lariats are more powerful and she’s down again. Kansai can’t hit Splash #2 until she puts Chigusa up top, landing the move… but on the kickout Chigusa grabs the arm and wraps her legs around Kansai! Submission counter! Kansai looks more annoyed and “how am I gonna get out of this?” than angered, but goes down and apparently gives a verbal submission- Chigusa wins at (4:58)! (2-2 tied)

Chigusa wins and we’re (2-2) for the matches now, but all are sprints. This feels like a waste of these two, yet TWO DAYS after their huge tag battle it’s more than understandable, never mind Kansai’s physical issues.

Rating: ** (perfectly fine for what it was, but SHORT)

REVENGE MATCH:
DEVIL MASAMI vs. MEIKO SATOMURA:
* Their battle at DD 2000 was actually quite brutal, with Meiko killing her after a hundred Death Valley Drivers, but Devil sprung up and murdered her with a Steiner Screwdriver after the bout.

Meiko immediately pulls Devil into the DVD before the bell, but Devil springs up and sleeperholds her. Meiko slides to the floor and dares Devil to head out, thus charging into the ring and attacking Devil every time she tries to step in (clever girl!), waffling her with a head kick that Devil sells like a near-KO, but either suckers her in or recovers and hits a powerbomb to the amusement of the crowd, only for Meiko to score another head kick! Meiko flies to the top but eats a superduperplex for two. Devil claps to set up a lariat, but Meiko pulls out some impressive dodges until Devil no-sells her and wipes her out with one. But Meiko kicks out at one, then hits a DVD, Devil popping up, but Meiko peppers her with kicks- nonetheless, she’s able to block the DVD & Pele Kick. Meik blocks a powerbomb with a triangle choke. I think Devil was supposed to power out of it, but can’t make the lift even with Meiko helping so improvises a legdrop to set up a Ligerbomb. Meiko kicks out and stumbles, but still hits a DVD, then another, as Devil is now ultra-stiff, walking across the ring like a dying body, COLLAPSING before she can reach Meiko, and a third DVD gets a close two. Devil manages to punch some life into her leg, but Meiko breaks her sleeperhold, then tries her own. But Meiko pays for her repetitiveness- Devil misses a lariat, but slides out of another DVD attempt for a schoolboy, getting three (7:01). Devil gets her win back! But certainly not an EMPHATIC one! Meiko, unusually, chooses to make a big exaggerated laugh out of the finish, and Devil does the same. She gets on the mic, congratulates Devil and bows! I guess… they might be cool? (3-2 2nd Gen.)

Yet another BeamSpam sprint match, but a pretty effective one for what it was. Not that I’m a big fan of “hit finisher, kickout, hit finisher, kickout” matches (how do you buy finishers a show from now when you just saw someone eat five of them and kick out?), but it sold well that Meiko was going completely all-out to stop Devil, who kept getting up through sheer durability. Also given how Devil hit her with a Screwdriver last match I’m a little surprised she didn’t so much as go for it here.

Rating: **1/2 (I didn’t hate it as much as I usually do “Only Finishers” GAEA Sprints! Good finish!)

REVENGE MATCH:
AJA KONG vs. LIONESS ASUKA:
* NOOOOOOOOOOOOO two of the best workers in the entire scene and it’s a seven-minute video 🙁

We’re JIP as Aja goes into Asuka’s table, but Germans her, only to miss her flying back elbow. Lioness footstomps a table on top of Aja from the apron, then does a FLYING STOMP to the floor through a table! Iconoclasm in the ring gets two, but Aja escapes the Towerhacker Bomb (inverted fireman’s to ligerbomb) and scores her Brainbuster for two. The oil can and her Uraken get two, as does the Avalanche Waterwheel Drop (that one looked so weak I honestly thought Lioness reversed it and they fucked up and Aja fell on her anyways). Time is counting down as Lioness counters Urakens with a sloppy armbar and settles for a rolling kick instead of a powerbomb, and Time Expires at (4:55 of 10:00 shown). Dueling promos lead to a pullapart. (4-3 2nd Gen.)

Rating: *1/2 (seemed pretty dramatic, but sloppy- like when AJA AND ASUKA can’t be counted on to have a match of precise execution you know something’s up. Probably exhaustion/wear & tear as they go 10 minutes and try some pretty big power spots)

REVENGE MATCH:
AKIRA HOKUTO vs. SONOKO KATO:
* The main event! And it’s Hokuto, who lost to Kato in an utter fluke on the DD 2000 show- easily the one that gave the least “rub” to the 5th-year, as it was the biggest banana peel. So Kato now gets a REAL chance to beat Hokuto, and doing so would net a tie for the two sides instead of a loss for GAEA’s originals. But Hokuto with something to prove is a demon. New gear for Hokuto, too- none of her bulky glitterbomb two-pieces- this looks much more like her 1992 gear with some gold flair on it. This is one of those things that YouTube wrecks because there’s no chance of a dramatic struggle here, cuz I know this match is gonna be under 6 minutes because of the video length, haha. In fact, I’m sensing a repeat of the famous Akira Hokuto/Yasha Kurenai match.

Kato comes out with a bokken, throwing it to Hokuto, and when Akira flings it into the crowd, Kato strikes with a sudden rolling kick into a rolling fireman’s & Guillotine Legdrop! She keeps on the pressure with a missile kick to the noggin, but Hokuto slaps her while she’s trying to power up, then spinkicks her. Uh-oh. Hokuto just talks some shit, Northern Lights Bomb, goodnight at (1:01). (5-3- 2nd Generation Army wins)

Rating: 1/4* (effective for what it was)

Well that was a bunch of slaughter! The fans… did they get their money’s worth? It’s all shorty matches and a lot of them left a LOT in the tank, but it’s a ton of singles matches, which are a rarity in Japan. Like they got to see Aja/Asuka for 10 minutes and Chigusa/Kansai, plus some half-decent drama. A lot of matches on one card, I guess. I dunno, I’d have still been annoyed, haha. What it means for GAEA in general is iffy- it’s a lot of “the heels getting their wins back” but not universally. Sugar & Chigusa at least won (though as Kansai is brand-new to GAEA, having her drop repeated early jobs isn’t great), but Chikayo & Meiko kinda don’t need to be getting blasted down by veterans STILL if they’re gonna be future stars. Hokuto’s emphatic victory, never mind being the MAIN EVENT, seems to be setting up something, though. She shit-talked the Crush Gals afterwards, but I KNOW she does a series with Meiko at some point.