Joshi Spotlight: The Micro-Promotions in 2001

I’m away for a late Thanksgiving thing, so I figured I’d do a shorter Spotlight… and this ended up being 2400 words anyways because there was more than I expected, lol. And that’s AFTER I deleted a Hyuga/Bolshoi match that was actually from 2009! I’ll have to save that for focused Spotlights on both! Anyways, this is the three promotions too MINOR to focus on during my Spotlights, with some notes on JWP, a pair of IWA Japan matches, and Chikako Shiratori’s Retirement Ceremony in Osaka Pro!

JWP in 2001:
* So Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling shut down in late 2000- Wikipedia blames a February show co-promoted with All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling that failed, but I think the promotion was just a money-loser for a long time. The promotion always seemed kinda snake-bit- the first JWP was founded in the 1980s and had a combination of Zenjo stars who’d been forced to retire (Jackie Sato, Devil Masami) and fresh stars and Zenjo rejects they could train, resulting in some incredible rookies who turned into great workers (Shinobu Kandori, Dynamite Kansai, Mayumi Ozaki). Internal politics led to a big split in 1991-92, with Rumi Kazama and her friends forming Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling (LLPW), while the others teamed up with President Masatoshi Yamamoto to form JWP Project, effectively a second version of JWP. This acted as a small indie with a roster of about 10+ wrestlers.

After some good business with a Zenjo feud in the “Interpromotional Era”, however, they were falling on hard times. Popular idol wrestler Cutie Suzuki called it quits. Plum Mariko died in a huge in-ring tragedy in 1997. They’d lost Mayumi Ozaki in 1998, and she became a Freelancer and started up her own micro-promotion with monthly shows (OZ Academy). Candy Okutsu, a reliable midcarder, retires around then, too. Hikari Fukuoka, the champ for a year or so, retired (I’ve been told it’s because she wasn’t allowed to quit and join ARSION with her friends). Dynamite Kansai, whose health problems helped sink business, ended up leaving around 2000 to join GAEA Japan. Even Devil Masami mostly did as well. In 2000 there was a JWP/AJW feud of sorts that saw JWP’s top wrestler Azumi Hyuga come in and… mostly get beaten by Zenjo veterans and trade the All Pacific Title with Kumiko Maekawa (a 3rd-stringer). So by this point they held none of the cards and probably needed the exposure, and so Zenjo got to take them to the woodshed.

So in late 2000 they gave it up- Mike Lorefice, a follower of the scene back then, says Yamamoto announced he was leaving, and it would have folded by “the eight wrestlers along with the rest of the front office wanted to keep it going. So, welcome to JWP 3.0”. I thought Bolshoi started booking here, but Wikipedia is once again WRONG (their link is not even to a JWP thing) so thank goodness I asked someone else.

Interestingly, this version would not only last, but kinda thrive! I’m told it was one of the top promotions on the badly damaged scene after 2005, when we lost Zenjo, GAEA & AtoZ in succession. In the late 2000s, it was the top #1 or #2 promotion in joshi wrestling!

As you might imagine, though, all of these hiccups and the company’s issues getting TV time leads to them not having much presence online in this era. What used to be 3-4 shows per year available on YouTube is now “nothing”, so you’ll see very little of it.

JWP’s REOPENING:
(Feb. 18th 2001)
* So this is the reunion show, though it apparently drew only 300 people.

JWP’s Roster At This Point: Azumi Hyuga (Champ), Command Bolshoi, Ran YuYu, Carlos Amano, Kana Mizaki, Kaori Yoneyama, Kayuko Haruyama, Acute Sae.

This is, um… not the strongest. Four good workers, though! Hyuga was a good worker for sure, Bolshoi was a solid high flyer, Ran’s looked good in the stuff I’ve seen, and Amano is a really good mat wrestler. I think the bottom three are total rookies, though. And nobody here is OVER over-

The matches, most of which aren’t on YouTube, are:

EXHIBITION: MISAE GENKI vs. RAN YUYU- Time Limit Draw (5:00). Ran had been injured, but gave it in this one and didn’t want to stop after the time limit.
MEGUMI YABUSHITA & THE BLOODY (JD) d. KANA MIZUKI & KAORI YONEYAMA (JWP) (14:02): Mizuki has apparently improved a lot, looking good here. She jobbed to Bloody’s “Bloody EX” submission.
TSUBASA KURAGAKI (JWP) d. MISAE GENKI (NEO) (9:38): Tsubasa ate a lot of “boring holds” and won with a flash pin.

JWP OPENWEIGHT TITLE: AZUMI HYUGA d. COMMAND BOLSHOI (16:55) for the JWP Openweight Title: Hyuga finally wins the title back on this show. The two top stars of what remains of the beleaguered promotion wrestle for their top title. Bolshoi has been a JTTS FOREVER, and had a disappointing title shot against Hikari Fukuoka years before this, doing a “dramatic unmasking” to crickets when I’m sure they were hoping for a BIG reaction. Azumi had been the champ for a while beforehand, but had lost to Ran YuYu, who held it for most of 2000 until Bolshoi defeated her in August. Mike Lorefice called this one ***1/2.

IWA JAPAN:
* IWA is associated with garbage wrestling in my memories, probably thanks to PWI advertisements for their tapes, but it appears to mostly be a mishmash promotion of minor stars and guest stars.

LAS CACHORRAS ORIENTALES (Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda) (Freelance) vs. MISAE GENKI (NEO) & KAORI YONEYAMA (JD’):
(IWA Japan, Feb. 4th 2001)
* A clipped match sees LCO demolish a weird team of Genki (NEO’s powerhouse) and Yoneyama (a JD’ kid). Genki gets beaten up a bit, and Yoneyama & Shimoda BADLY mess up a sunset flip spot (I think the kid is just too short for the gigantic 5’51/2″ Shimoda and jumped short on her). Genki electric chair drops Shimoda to set up Yoneyama’s moonsault for two. Genki is shown countering Shimoda with the Kick of Fear, then hits a release uranage to Mita. The NEO/JD’ team hit a somersault rocket launcher on Mita, but Yoneyama tries a move and Mita just easily counters and hits a kneeling powerbomb for the pin at (2:38 of 12:41 shown).

MIMA SHIMODA vs. KYOKO ICHIKI:
(IWA Japan, March 17th 2001)
* Shimoda gets as solo match against IWA’s most regular girl wrestler.

Ichiki stays mobile on Shimoda, awkwardly bouncing around and hesitating before moves, but hits a boomerang crossbody and recovers after a flying knee misses. A floor brawl leads to Shimoad rifling pink chairs at Ichiki while the crowd is mostly silent, but they laugh at Shimoda doding a counter and throwing one at her head. Shimoda misses her flying ax kick, so Ichiki actually uses the chair, then sits Shimoda in it for a running boot. Shimoda gets beat up on the floor, showing a ton of vulnerability, and eats a flying knee smash for two. But she pops up like “didn’t hurrrrt!” and throws some whiffing garbage for two, but gets rolled up out of her Tiger Suplex. She has to counter a whip to hit it the second try for three (3:42 of 12:31 shown). A very plainclothes Mita cuts a calm promo to Ichiki, then shakes Shimoda’s hand at the end. This one looked to be a mess- Ichiki is too weak and hesitant to be taking on someone with Zenjo training, especially one as sloppy and manic as Shimoda (who is the least precise of those people with her execution).

OSASA PRO PRESENTS: CHIKAKO SHIRATORI RETIREMENT CEREMONY:
(Osaka Pro, June 8th 2001)
* Yes, it’s time to say goodbye to yet another joshi star, as Chikako Shiratori hangs it up. This one isn’t really that impactful to any of my stuff, as I haven’t seen anything of hers since she quit JD’. Mike Lorefice emailed me and explained she was one of the wrestler who figured Freelancing was where it’s AT, and so formed a “Chikako Shiratori Office” and waited for the money to flow in, but she was never really that big a name. She banked a lot on her looks, and was only nearly-decent for about a year or so, having made a real effort to be a good worker when she joined JD’. I mean, she FAILED at that, but it was an honest try- you could see the effort, she was just no good in an honest sort of way. She had quit Zenjo to help form JD’, where a bigger push would presumably present itself in a nascent company desperate for new stars, but it never panned out, and she spent her last few years in the business mostly in the regional indie Osaka Pro (Super Delfin’s promotion).

KAORU ITO & TOMOKO WATANABE vs. TAKAKO INOUE & MIORI KAMIYA:
* Weirdly, we get a Zenjo vs. Freelancer match, with KAMIYA coming out of retirement for one show to wrestle. Kamiya, in pastel shiny stuff on a white bodysuit, has lost a TON of weight in retirement, seemingly dropping all bulk to be a standard “Skinny Japanese 40-Something”.

Takako & Kamiya double-team Ito, who suplexes both at the same time. Kamiya dodges a senton and hits her own, but Takako can’t get much going on Ito. She fares better against Tomoko, holding her for Kamiya’s kicks. Tomoko dragon screws the leg and figure-fours Takako while the ref seems to be screeching “YES! YES! YES!” during every submission hold. Ito throws her stomp series at her and Tomoko hits a slingshot elbow and senton, but Takako super armdrags Tomoko for two. Kamiya nearly gets beaten up, but dodges and rolling kicks Tomoko- Tiger Driver gets two. Tomoko stops a double-team with a slingshot attack, and Ito works a LONG half-crab on Kamiya (this late in the match, lol?). Time ticks down and Ito hits a dive on Kamiya, who comes back with her KARATE PUNCH move. Ito counters with a big lariat, but Takako saves Kamiya from a powerbomb. Ito backdrops out of a Tiger Driver and they roll back and forth until both Takako AND Tomoko are rolling them over until Time Runs Out at (10:00).

A fun little diversion- rather that shoot for the fences OR play it for comedy, they played it like an every day tag match full of traditional spots and good offense. Actually quite solid, especially since Kamiya was now slender and out of practice. You could tell she was slower and was going to have more issues getting into place, but everyone was very read for her and easily wrestled around those weaknesses and let her get some spots in. Just a very solid bout overall.

Rating: **1/4 (highly cromulent)

CHIKAKO SHIRATORI RETIREMENT CEREMONY:

Out first to see her off are Aja Kong & Bison Kimura (!!), who say some words, then out come Kaoru Ito (Zenjo’s current Ace) and Miori Kamiya (a Zenjo veteran who also helped form JD’). Kamiya doffs her shirt to reveal very 2001 fashion- a belly-shirt and flared jeans.

CHIKAKO SHIRATORI RETIREMENT MATCH:
CHIKAKO SHIRATORI (Freelance) vs. RIE TAMADA (ARSION):
* This is fitting, as both are members of the Class of 1991. Rie never really made it far in the business, peaking as an ARSION midcarder and Tag Champion. But it was her or Kumiko Maekawa, who is a bit more elevated, haha. Chikako comes out with Super Delfin, Ebessan (another comedy wrestler), and someone I don’t recognize. Chikako gets a lot of white ribbons for her announcement, but mostly just “polite clapping” ON A SHOW NAMED AFTER HER RETIRING.

Rie attacks before the bell, but Chikako comes back with a falling clothesline. Both do Jaguar Yokota bridge-outs and find themselves at an impasse, soon working a test of strength as they go into “early match basics”. Chikako works a dragon sleeper but gets her knee dropkicked out, but hits a swinging DDT counter. A missile kick & Rolling Germans get two. She tries a Dragon suplex but Rie rolls through into a heel hook, Shiratori beaning herself by falling forward like only she can. She makes a game effort to scream and sell, at least, and eats an ace crusher after fighting up. Rie keeps calling her “Bakayero!” and such, but Chikako hits a DDT off the second rope for two, but Rie counters a dragon suplex to a stunner, and hits her own Dragon Suplex for two. But Rie charges in, bounces off Chikako and turns around for no other reason other than to be Dragon suplexed. ugh I HATE THAT- this is creeping into 2000s joshi stuff a lot and it’s really bad. At least PRETEND like the other person has turned you- sell by bouncing off or have them grab you and pull you to “spin you”- don’t just arbitrarily turn around for no reason. Oh god now CHIKAKO is throwing urakens (hers look better than Ryu Miyuki’s at least), but Rie gets a Bridging German for two. Chikako gets La Majistral, but Rie gets a Fisherman’s Buster. 1 minute left, as Rie measures her for a big missile dropkick, then a Dragon Suplex gets… two. Rie whips her off the ropes but takes an O’Connor Roll, then manages a “tornado DDT” that’s just her pushing off the rope because she’s so blown up (when you wanna hit a tornado DDT but you’re just so TIRED). Another missile kick hits, but Chikako gets her own Dragon Suplex for two, and time ticks out at (10:00)- Chikako is retired with a draw.

I haven’t seen Chikako in ages, but this is pretty much what I remember- lots of effort, attempting to sell big, but very clumsy, ungaingly and just not what it needs to look like. Lots of unnecessary bouncing off of one another, getting into place solely so you can be hit by a move, etc. TO BE FAIR she’s retiring but she was always like this. They also seemed blown up by the end- they’d been going pretty hard thanks to the time limit.

Rating: *3/4 (almost decent but full of clumsy bits and awkward moments)

THREE WAY DANCE:
CHIKAKO SHIRATORI vs. RIE TAMADA vs. KUMIKO MAEKAWA:
* Chikako’s music instantly plays as time goes out, and Classmate Kumiko Maekawa also comes out for hugs… and a match! Oh, joshi retirements…

Kumiko & Chikako tease locking up… only to turn around and beat Rie down. Rie & Kumiko brawl in the corner until Chikako makes the fans laugh by pulling them apart, then Kumiko takes some double-DDTs. Chikako holds Kumiko for Rie’s missile kick, but they swap places and she nails Rie, who just pops up all annoyed and they beat her up, Kumiko throwing dangerous kicks until they start getting played off like a self-indulgent Adrien Brody speech, and Rie hits her Fisherman’s Buster and holds Chikako for Kumiko’s Ax Kick, both girls piling on in a hug for the pin at (2:28). And with that, Chikako stands up in the ring as the lights go down, a spotlight hits her, and she does a short interview before the bell rings ten times. Chikako Shiratori’s career ends ten years after it began. Everyone gives her flowers! I can’t hear the names the guys saying but I recognize Rossy Ogawa among them.

Rating: * (just filler nonsense, but more well-wrestled than the prior match!)