5-Star Match Reviews: Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue vs. Las Cacchoras Orientales (Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda) – AJW Grand Prix 1997, Night 19

It’s kind of a sad thing to say but there seems to be a correlation between higher match quality lower attendance or revenue. Let’s use 1997 as an example. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin is widely regarded as the best match in WrestleMania, WWE, and wrestling history, and it took place on one of the least financially lucrative ‘Manias ever. Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi headlined two AJPW shows in 1997 and the better of the two took place in front of a much smaller crowd yet it is widely considered the best match in AJPW history (at least judging by how much Kobashi talks about it). NJPW’s best match of 1997 took place not at the Tokyo Dome, but in Osaka in front of 6,000 people. Then there’s AJW which had the worst year of its existence up to that point. And yet despite facing an implosion worse than maybe any other promotion in the world at the time, the women who competed in that unforgiving ring still put on classics as if everything was still fine. They were true professionals who gave everything to their craft, and the end results are some of the most exciting and worthwhile matches available today.

The Story

By 1997 AJW was approaching its nadir following years of financial mismanagement with bankruptcy only weeks away. The wrestlers, meanwhile, still worked their butts off, hoping to get enough asses in the seats to make money and get something in return (it is said that many of them went unpaid for months but since they had free room & board by way of the AJW dojo then they were a slight step up from being homeless). Yet despite the company circling the drain the quality of wrestling remained consistent and in some ways still exceptional.

What made AJW wrestling unique, especially compared to, say, women’s wrestling in WWE and AEW, was that AJW created an honest-to-goodness anything goes mentality. In big matches like this one weapons use wasn’t just allowed, it was expected. The referees had significantly more leeway in allowing whatever was necessary to win the match and very rarely. These refs were more likely to not count a pin after a blatant chairshot to the head than they were to end the match due to disqualification. As such the wrestlers had to work that much harder to secure a three-count. Speaking of which, rookies in AJW were trained to wrestle matches with shoot pins to hone their timing and mat skills. Granted, no one in this match was a rookie but this detail added more of a “what if” to matches with longtime fans knowing that a possible shoot three-count was always possible, even if also improbable.

With that stylistic foundation in place it was up to the wrestlers to build on that and create magic in the ring. And these four certainly had the chops for that. Both Aja Kong and Kyoko Inoue were considered “geniuses” internally within AJW and by the press, Kong more so than Inoue. They were outside-the-box thinkers when it came to their wrestling, even if management discouraged them from doing so. Kong was said to watch other wrestling studiously and come up with things to do in the ring that conjured up visions of other famous matches involving either men or women. As such fans who saw Inoue and Kong had heightened expectations because those two would do things that no one else in AJW, or joshi for that matter, could come up with.

Across the ring from them WAS one of the most famous women’s tag teams of all time in LCO. From what I’ve read about them – mainly in translated books and Jabroniville’s detailed work about joshi elsewhere here on the blog – Mita and Shimoda started off on separate teams and spent years spinning their wheels. Then in 1992 they accompanied Akira Hokuto to Mexico and there they formed their new duo “Las Cacchoras Orientales”, or “The Oriental Bitches”. True to their name, Mita and Shimoda switched from the typical AJW style towards brawling, liberal chair use, cattiness, and everything else they could to come across as, well, bitches. It also helped that Mita in particular looked and carried herself like that one obnoxious girl everyone knew in high school that everyone hated yet seemed to constantly get her way.

The Match

This took place on August 9, 1997. It was rated ****1/2 out of five by The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer and ***** by BoD’s Jabroniville who covered this back in 2023.

Kong & Inoue rush LCO the moment their entrance music ends and they brawl into the stands. There’s an immediate sense of danger and mayhem as the announcer cautions the fans to be careful and get out of the way. Both Kong and Kyoko get smashed with chairs all over, including one extra nasty chair shot to Kong’s head. Back in the ring Shimoda throws her chair aside, wanting to face Inoue hand-to-hand. Inoue teases going along but calls Shimoda’s bluff and rushes her chair in hand. Shimoda gets hit but soon retaliates with a big boot to the gut and some hairpull whips as Kong slowly makes her way back to the ring, blood tricking down her forehead.

LCO work Inoue over as Kong flashes them a death glare convincing enough to make every man in the arena fill his pants. Kong walks over to help Inoue as she’s trapped in a double-team choke and when she gets kicked in the head she does the monster no-sell. Kong head-butts each of them but suffers minor recoil damage which Shimoda exploits with a boot to the head.

Saya Endo, one of the LCO’s seconds, assists in attacking Inoue but Inoue blasts her with a lariat. Shimoda continues working her over and even bites her forearm. Then she goes for a corner move but Inoue counters with a rope-assisted DDT and tags Kong who just demolishes her as she runs wild…but only for a bit as Shimoda digs her claws into Kong’s head wound. Then Mita comes up from behind and chokes Kong with a towel.

Mita tags in and lands some catty moves of her own until Kong counters with a body block. Then Kong gives LCO a taste of their own medicine by raking Mita’s eyes across the top rope. Kong ragdolls Mita and taunts Shimoda but Mita, even on defense, won’t give Kong the satisfaction of showing actual pain. In response Kong tags Inoue who cracks her over the head with a chair, finally eliciting something of a reaction. Inoue goes for her dancing Muta Lock but Shimoda throws another chair at her. Mita takes advantage with a double chop to the chest. She attempts a Death Valley bomb but Inoue counters with a DDT. Shimoda rushes in but Kong catches her by the foot. Then we get a rare instance of Kong playing into her feminine side as she joins Inoue with some quick cutesy dancing to play to the crowd. Kong doesn’t quite do the same inverted deathlock thing Inoue does but still manages to trap Shimoda in something like a cross between a deathlock, a camel clutch, and a back-arm stretch. Wrestling’s full of never-before-seen surprises and this is proof.

Mita counters an Irish whip and hotshots Inoue onto the top rope. Shimoda tags in and lands some neckbreaker drops for two. She goes to the top rope but Inoue cuts her off and goes for a double team, only for Shimoda to interfere again. Saya Endo shows her face again and she holds Kong & Inoue in place so that Shimoda can land an aided springboard senton to the floor. Then Mita dives onto both opponents through the ropes which leads to another segment of ringside mayhem. The commentators are forced away as their table becomes a weapon. Kong smashes Mita’s head with a soda can, more chaos ensues all over the place, and then Kong can be seen trying to throw Mita off the balcony. Mita actually gets half of her body over the edge as the crowd chants Kong’s name. But then Mita escapes, counters, and starts choking Kong with some thick rope. Just like in that famous cage match with Bull Nakano, Aja Kong finds herself tied in place, unable to move. LCO use this as an opportunity to isolate Inoue two-on-one.

With the referee and ringside trainees focused on Kong for the moment, LCO rush Inoue to double-team her some more in the ring. But lo, the monster’s stirring. Kong barrels her way through the stands knocking aside anything in her path, as she carries a fire extinguisher in one hand. LCO see her coming, panic, and try to stop her. Inoue stops both of them in place. This allows Kong to spray extinguisher chemical all over the ring. Soon all of Korakuen Hall is filled the sight of white mist and the sound of the fire alarm going off.

More hardcore bedlam ensues in the ring with Inoue eating a chairshot to the head that sends the seat flying out of the ring. That shot to the head leads to a two-count. Inoue eats a diving dropkick but kicks out at two. The alarm goes on and off again two more times as Inoue lands counter double lariats. Then the two babyfaces double press slam both of LCO onto a growing pile of chairs. More chairshots all around. In comes a table. Kong with a piledrives Shimoda through the table for two. Kong follows with a Sheerdrop Ligerbomb. Mita makes the save. LCO bail to ringside yet again, leading to even more fighting.

Kong pours a bottle of liquid on Shimoda and then we get more wild brawling. Inoue lands more lariats against the ropes. Shimoda counters a German suplex with a leglock of all things and lands a bevy of chops. Inoue counters with a double springboard back elbow and then a Doomsday variant for two. Shimoda escapes a Niagara Driver and spits the Asian Mist. Mita tags in. Inoue tries a top-rope back elbow but Shimoda holds her in place from the apron long enough for Mita to hit an avalanche Electric chair suplex. One, two, Inoue kicks out.

Shimoda shoves the ref for the two-count (again, man doesn’t DQ them, likely because he doesntt want to incur their wrath), and Inoue blocks a DVB and lands a lariat. Kong tags in all fired up but is immediately hit with a chair. She attempts a counter crossbody but LCO part to avoid it. A corner electric chair/diving splash combo gets two. Then there’s a corner struggle and, once again, LCO double-team one opponent. Then Mita lands a huge top-rope chairshot that sends Kong falling to the mat like a tree being felled.

Kong resists a Tiger Suplex and marches to the ropes, only to eat another chairshot to the head. LCO try another aided chairshot but Kong dodges causing Mita to hit Shimoda. Kong follows with a second-rope splash for two. Endo shows up again to cut Kong off long enough for Shimoda to attempt her super-finisher the Death Lake Driver, an avalanche Tiger Suplex that not even Misawa was ready to use at this point in time. But before that can happen Inoue launches Shimoda with a German and Kong lands the Tenryu back elbow for two. Kong attempts a Backdrop. Shimoda counters with a bridging German of her own that breaks as Inoue smashes one of Aja’s oil tins on Shimoda’s knee. Another suplex attempt and another shot with the tin. A backdrop by Kong gets two. Endo tapes Inoue’s hand to the ropes on one side of the ring as Kong gets help from other rookies who throw more chairs into the ring. Then Kong Brainbusters Shimoda onto said pile…for another two-count. Mita saves her partner, musters whatever strength she has left, and spikes Kong onto those same chairs with a Death Valley Bomb! Mita drags an unconscious Shimoda over for the cover. One, two…Inoue makes the save.

Inoue hobbles over and powerbombs Mita onto the chairs. Then she shakes Kong awake for the finish with one hand while holding Shimoda in place with the other. Kong, barely conscious, struggles to her feet. Precious seconds go by. Inoue does her best to hold Shimoda still. Then Kong lands it. Massive Uraken. The force sends Shimoda to the mat and even knocks Inoue back a bit. Then Inoue goes over to hold Mita in place a little bit longer as Kong covers. One, two…and three! There’s the match!

Winners after 27:26: Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue

You can watch the full match here or here.

Review

Given how so much of today’s world of entertainment is at the mercy of various algorithms there’s something to be appreciated when, by sheer random luck, something like this pops into your lap and gives you such a treat. Prior to this my exposure to LCO had been limited but I knew they had a reputation for wild and exciting brawls. Lo and behold did they ever deliver here. This was one of the most compelling and entertaining matches I’ve ever seen and I’m confident you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did.

It was a collection of small things and minor details that, when combined, came together into one of the greatest matches you will ever see, regardless of gender. First there was the character work: each woman played her role to perfection. If there was ever a single match that captured what LCO were all about it’s this one. They fought like catty bitches, mocked their opponents, taunted them and the crowd, and even got physical with the referee. Their body language, small gestures, preening, and overall tone gave off this unshakeable air of arrogance. Even when they were getting their asses beat neither woman did anything to generate sympathy; their screaming and other expressions make the crowd go “hah, you deserve it” when they took big hits. All these small details were markers of outstanding wrestlers: without having to hammer the audience over the head with promos explaining who they were and what they were about: their actions, both big and small did that for them.

As for Kong and Inoue, despite being physically bigger they both did great jobs as babyfaces. For Inoue this was her bread and butter while Kong was more of a silent badass-type who absorbs hits like a sponge and kept coming back from the brink. I once called Kong the Vader of women’s wrestling because of her aura and that was on display here as well. But another thing I want to bring attention to is how the match was structured: LCO did everything in their power to isolate Kong and weaken her from the start without shattering her Vader-like monster image. To do that they brained Kong with chairshots and antagonized her indirectly when they were beating in Inoue. So when Kong came in and head-butted each of them she too went down, still weakened from LCO’s earlier attacks. That, my friends, is brilliant selling that furthers the story without damaging the monster’s credibility.

Second, there’s the creative aspect. With pro-wrestling being such a formulaic and structured medium, it’s refreshing to see something so wild yet still grounded in basic competition. These four women had a basic outline and filled the gaps with some of the wildest and most chaotic mayhem ever seen, stuff that most likely wouldn’t fly stateside either then or now. Yes, some of it was borderline nonsensical and hard to follow. But once you understand that AJW gave their women free reign to do as they pleased so long as their matches ended with a three-count then you were in for a treat. Kong & Inoue’s outside-the-box thinking meshed perfectly with LCO’s penchant for ringside brawling and chaos-driven wrestling philosophies. They created this match that made the action come across as frantic, dangerous, and extreme. Underneath all that mayhem was a modicum of logic built on isolating Kong from Inoue so that the two catty bitches could continue using their numbers advantage over the plucky Inoue as much as they could. Kong got so angry she tried throwing Mita off a balcony which almost blew up in her face because she almost ended up trapped up there, completely cut off from her partner. Then Kong retaliated by spraying the fire extinguisher which sent hundreds of people scattering and left them coughing, gasping for air…and clapping. They cheered the impromptu smokescreen even if it damaged their in-person viewing experience. To be honest I’m not 100% sure why she did this since it didn’t really slow LCO down all that much. It might’ve been surprise for its own sake but it definitely helped give the impression that these women were willing to do anything and everything to win.

Third is the effort factor. Even though AJW was almost bankrupt, even though none of these women had been paid in months, and even though they only drew 1,750 to Korakuen Hall, these four women still put in a tremendous effort into the match. They treated this match like a big deal, even though it was a non-title tag match without much in the way of stakes. Lazier wrestlers could’ve seen this small house and decided to take it easy; these four tore the house down and gave the fans their best and then some. Whether it was out of necessity or choice it doesn’t matter: wrestlers who put so much on the line regardless of crowd size is something worthy of respecting.

Final Rating: *****

This match is incredible and it still holds up tremendously well almost three decades later. Even with its minimal stakes and subdued setting the action was nonstop from start to finish and filled with some of the most unchained bedlam ever seen. This was ECW with a structure, a happy marriage between hardcore, anything-goes chaos and classic tag team psychology. Add to that two women who shined as bitchy heels and two of the smartest and most studious wrestlers of their day and you have a guaranteed formula for success. It might not be the most groundbreaking, revolutionary, or industry-changing matches ever, but in terms of minute-for-minute viewer satisfaction I had a hard time pinpointing something to criticize here.

There’s definitely a sobering aftertaste to this, though, knowing that AJW would see financial ruin soon afterwards. Then again that’s no fault of the wrestlers: they did what they did best and gave the paying audience more than their money’s worth. So what they did, what they put their bodies through, is nothing short of commendable, and deserves to be recognized and appreciated long after their names face into the history books.

Thanks for reading.