Joshi Spotlight: Saika Takeuchi

JOSHI SPOTLIGHT- SAIKA TAKEUCHI:
Stats:
Billed Height & Weight: 5’0″ 117 lbs.
Career Length: 1999-2001
Trained By: Chigusa Nagayo, Meiko Satomura, GAEA wrestlers

So I knew Saika’s retirement was coming up in my watchthrough, but didn’t know the exact date and it went unannounced on the GAEA Japan YouTube channel, so I’ve reviewed my last Saika match without realizing it! So here’s a Joshi Spotlight just for her! One of the last rookies attempted by the promotion!

So weak little Saika Takeuchi is mostly known for the documentary “GAEA Girls”, which I’ve covered before, and is Chigusa’s attempt to show that “Pro Wrestling Is Hard”. The brutality of training is ramped up for the cameras most likely, causing multiple girls to quit (one running away in the middle of the night), Chigusa is made the “final boss” of Saika’s training, etc… and she might have been allowed to debut because otherwise what was the point of all THAT? I mean it’d make things look even worse if she also failed and wasn’t allowed ot debut. Takeuchi wrestles for the company as its only newbie for a short time, eventually upgrades to “gets to wear unique gear” and is given some moves to elevate her status… but she eventually quits after two years, effectively GAEA’s last real rookie debut for YEARS.

So it’s hard to assess someone fairly if they last such a short period of time. Saika was TINY but had a lot of spirit, but never developed into a well-rounded performer or gained any credibility. By the end, she was turning into a “kicker”, possibly to give her more cred. She retired just as she was able to pick up solo wins (against RIE-level people, but still). With her size, she was kinda limited in potential, but she wasn’t that much smaller than Meiko Satomura and she would have made a fine jobber, as she had energy and could sell.

Debuting as an impossibly dorky-looking, harmless girl about to be slaughtered by a veteran. GAEA Japan really WAS the true successor to Zenjo style!

CAREER TRAJECTORY:
Saika notoriously shows up in “GAEA Girls”- a documentary showing the brutality of training. GAEA’s training was particularly rough not only because it was physically intensive in the style of AJW (Zenjo), but the facility was in the middle of NOWHERE. At least at Zenjo girls could hit the trains and go shopping or out to a park or something. This shit was in the middle of some tiny-ass town where the only entertainment was a bread truck playing a “come by some bread!” jingle. Otherwise it was eating bumps, being screamed at by 4th-year wrestlers, and cleaning up the facilities and then sleeping in a narrow corridor’s bunkbeds. No WONDER Saika was the last real rookie GAEA produced. By the time she debuted, everyone from Years 1996-98 had already quit wrestling except for Sakura Hirota- RIP Makie Numao & Maiko Matsumoto’s careers.

Most famously, there’s a bit where Saika is selling improperly (she’s blown up and not putting any effort into it- one of the worst things of bad cardio is you need that to SELL so people will just take offense and stand there, unmoving and making their opponent look bad), and an incensed Satomura starts screaming at her and shows her a “proper” dropkick by absolutely potatoing the dogshit out of her, pulping her lower lip. This is PROBABLY a little harder than intended (she probably wasn’t expecting to crank her in the face with it) but it leads to Saika crying as her lower face is completely red with blood while Meiko hurls insults at her for sucking so bad. Then Chigusa walks in, hears what happened, and scolds the trainee- “Who told you do it like that?”, “Serves you right, getting hurt!”, “If it was me, I’d have given back twice what I got!”. Saika struggles hard through the physical aspects of training, but is still clumsy and gets blown up a lot, ruining the “matches” she has with the other GAEA wrestlers. Chigusa tells her off and walks away while Saika does what’s likely a Japanese tradition- following behind someone and bowing “Please” while they’re ignored. FINALLY, at the end of the doc, the “superficially friendly but ABSOLUTELY CLEARLY the last one you want to fuck with” office lady gives Saika the good news- basically “You suck but you’re trying so we decided you can debut”. She’s given a haircut and a Jobber Swimsuit (bright green) and is turned into GAEA’s only rookie for ages.

One memorable early incident was when trainee Saika is brought out by the heel stable, completely covered with blood, and bawls to the GAEA originals when they come to her rescue. She spends the next year as a jobber getting squashed- at this stage wrestlers don’t have unique moves and just try to show “rookie fire” and lots of dropkicks. Her career is largely the “typical rookie” stuff, albeit in a company that has no other rookies, so Saika’s job is to get her ass kicked every single week. She’ll often be partnered up with someone and get some token offense before getting drilled, as is tradition. Sometimes she gets to kick out of a semi-decent move and thus impress the fans with her spirit. She’d occasionally get nearfalls over veterans as well.

Shortly before she retired, Saika received the universal sign of “Not a Pure Loser Anymore”: Getting Unique Gear. Her gear had kickpads and a skirt.

GAEA’s 5th Anniversary Day show is her biggest push ever, as she takes on RIE (former FMW wrestler Bad Nurse Nakamura) for nine minutes, kicking out of a release Tiger Driver, among other moves, before scoring a miracle Tiger Suplex for the win! But that’s it for solo victories aside from bouts against comedy wrestler Sakura Hirota. RIE retired immediately following the match, nullifying some of the impact from it, and preventing Saika from getting other wins (they could have been paired up in tags and the like). And then Saika retires right away.

Saika Takeuchi retires in July 2001 for reasons I can’t find (she’s not even listed on Japanese Wikipedia!). Could be anything, really- the brutal GAEA style, realizing she was the bottom tier person in a small promotion with no additional trainees that kept taking on new veterans (meaning her place on the card would shift back further *even though she was on the bottom*), injuries, losing heart, etc. With the only person she could really beat quitting the business, she was gonna have to wait until anyone else got trained (and, as stated, this almost never happened). If she’d have stuck it out, she’d have likely been slowwwwwwwwwllllly gaining credibility for another year or two, and maybe pick up miracle wins against more vulnerable wrestlers (Toshie Uematsu, the lowest-ranked of the 1995 class; Toshiyo Yamada, the lowest-ranked veteran) in tag matches. It’s probably have been 2004 before she’d get any reliable wins at all. I first thought her quitting is kind of the last nail in GAEA’s coffin as a reliable source of rookies- they’d basically run through every single rookie after the Class of 1995 (their inaugural class, who at least understood they were to be the backbone of the entire company) and had nobody left. But then I went digging and digging through random GAEA cards, and I think the only other person to make it to debuting is Hitomi Hayashi in 2004. oh! And Ryo Mizunami in late 2004- she even still wrestles! Okay that’s two more than I was expecting, haha. BUT IT AIN’T GREAT ODDS!

MOVESET:
Kicks, Knees, Tiger Suplex (what counts as a finisher)

MEIKO SATOMURA vs. SAIKA TAKEUCHI:
(Oct. 23rd 1999)
* NEW ROOKIE ALERT!! In a LIME GREEN Arena Rookie Swimsuit, too! And this one actually has a Cagematch profile, so she actually lasts for a while! Saika Takeuchi… oh god damn it- she only lasts until 2001, lol. So yet another GAEA girl who really doesn’t go anywhere. Saika is of course most notable for her appearance in the infamous “GAEA Girls” documentary, in which some extra-brutal training is offered and probably ramped up on purpose for the cameras to show how hard the girls train. Saika gets brutalized by Satomura in the most famous moment of the doc, getting viciously dropkicked square in the mouth and dressed down for being garbage as she bleeds all over the place just going “hai” (yes) repeatedly. And of course her first match is getting fed to Meiko. She gets a good reaction with lime-green ribbons flung into the ring, giving a serious yet nervous expression as she’s led to slaughter. Chigusa Nagayo’s steely gaze is seen before the match- almost a pronounced frown as she stares at the ring.

Saika screams bloody murder and flings out some dropkicks as we start, but Meiko quickly bludgeons her with forearms. Meiko misses a charge and eats more dropkicks until Meiko catches a cross-body and flops her to the ground. The Windmill Elbow crushes her but Meiko misses her frog splash and the kid gets two. Saika manages some kickouts from a charging forearm and a head-kick, getting a good reaction, then survives another forearm and hits a rollup for two, but Meiko locks up her arm on the kickout and the kid has to give it up at (3:34). Good, spirited rookie match by Saika, who has some good selling and bumping, flopping hard especially when Meiko threw her down out of the cross-body. I like he way she just collapses off of stuff, crumbling to the mat in a heap. A bawling Saika is given healing spray while holding her arms, then hugs the winner. Chigusa’s frowning expression… right on cue switches to a big, proud smile with tears in her eyes. Oh, these directors understood the assignment, alright. Caught her blinking back tears and everything!

Rating: * (very good for what’s effectively a squash)

TOSHIYO YAMADA, KAORU & SAIKA TAKEUCHI vs. NOSTRADAMUS (Aja Kong, Sugar Sato & RIE):
(Dec. 27th 1999)
* Okay, THAT’s a bizarre mish-mash of talent. Yamada & KAORU bring in the brand-new rookie from GAEA Girls (in her bright lime-green rookie swimsuit), and they’re up against ARSION’s Aja (in a rare navy blue look), Sugar the tag champ, and RIE.

We’re JIP with Saika begging to be tagged in, and she shows that trademark ROOKIE FIRE with shrieking and forearm shots, and when Aja breaks up her attack on RIE, Saika starts firing them into HER. Aja thankfully doesn’t sell them, taunting her until RIE wraps a chain around the kid’s neck. RIE pulls the barbed-wire stick into her forehead and the camera zooms RIGHT in on the ref openly blading Saika. But it doesn’t take, so after gnawing on her head a while they have to do it AGAIN, this time in the ropes. This leads to the heat sequence as they take turns beating on the kid and taunting the veterans on the apron. Aja is extra methodical with it, relishing the abuse, and Saika makes a rookie mistake with a sunset flip, getting squashed. Second-rope splash- the vets save. Sugar also takes her time, laughing and smiling along, but when RIE pulls out the stick again Yamada jumps in the way to save Saika, and KAORU springboards in and drags Saika to safety. Aja quickly hits KAORU with a Brainbuster, and Sugar gets a Ligerbomb for two. RIE adds a Tiger Driver and big powerbomb for two-counts, but readers the stick and accidentally nails Sugar & Aja. KAORU uses it on everyone and hits a Michinoku Driver, pulling RIE up like a dumbass. Yamada gets the Diving Brain Kick and the heels save. Everyone fights and breaks up pins in a huge clusterfuck, but RIE reverses the Reverse Gory Bomb… and SAIKA saves! She’d been lying on the apron for like six minutes, so that’s a great spot, haha. Yamada hits the Reverse Gory Bomb, and then they pay everything off by tagging in Saika and literally THROWING her onto RIE from the top rope, and that scores the pin at (11:21 of 14:05 shown)! Saika Takeuchi scores a pin!

Actually a fun match- mostly a mess in parts, but the fun kind where it’s just bodies flinging themselves around. The heel relishing beating on the poor innocent rookie was great heeling and built up not only her heroic saving of one fall, but her scoring the final pin thanks to KAORU rocket-launching her.

Rating: **1/2 (kept pretty simple but told a good little story)

LIONESS ASUKA vs. SAIKA TAKEUCHI:
(March 2000)
* LMAO jesus. The baby rookie in lime green up against the super-veteran. Sonoko Kato’s on the outside… in a neckbrace. Oh dear.

Saika tries to start early but Asuka just shrugs her off and giant swings her. Lioness toys with her, not going for pins and easily stuffing weak offense (What WAS that sunset flip attempt?), then does stretching. Asuka sells a flurry of dropkicks so well that fans actually pop for her at last being felled- I like how she’s not agonized but is just kinda being overwhelmed by how many there are. She weathers it all and crushes Saika with a lariat, and a pop is drawn for the slowwww bridge-out. Saika gets the token last-ditch rollup, then gets killed with another lariat at (6:10), Lioness winning. About how you’d imagine a Rookie vs. Top Veteran match would go, Lioness going easy on her and mostly doing slow stretching and easily dealing with her, selling only a tiny bit to show the gulf between them. Extra points for demanding the kid get up, and a dazed Saika actually being offered a handshake of respect, drawing some “oooh”s from the crowd.

Rating: 1/2* (your classic “Veteran Squash”, but not as mean as most- just definitive and emphatic)

SAIKA TAKEUCHI (GAEA) vs. RIE (Himiko):
(May 14th 2000)
* Time for more of GAEA’s only rookie getting demolished while getting 1-2 impressive kickouts! RIE is now fully cheating all the time, which is good because she’s otherwise very un-good.

We’re JIP with Saika being strangled using a chain and hung over the top rope, but she manages a miracle dropkick to the knee when RIE sails off the top rope and scores a billion dropkicks until the fans are actually excited. A 2nd-rope dropkick to the knee gets two (lol why is a limb strike a pinnable move?) and Saika is so upset with the ref she gets her back smashed by a barbed-wire shinai. The ref swipes it so RIE punches the kid with a chain and Germans her, slapping her leg during the pin to bring feeling back into it (nice touch). Saika “Fuck YOU!” bridges out, and RIE goes for a release Tiger Driver (!)- same result. RIE wraps the chain around her shinbone and boots away, then hits the Flying Knee for 2.9! Fans thought that was it. A tired, fading RIE goes to the ropes to re-wrap her leg and Saika is able to sneak up behind her for a Tiger Suplex… and GETS THE GODDAMN PIN AT (4:42 of 9:31 shown)! I was not expecting that! Great crowd reaction as they weren’t either! RIE was wearing her down but got overconfident and was wasting too much time and just got caught. RIE is dumbfounded (probably thinking “well that’s it for my chances of getting pushed” lol) and Saika is so damn excited when Meiko congratulates her and confirms that yes, she did in fact get the pin.

Actually good for what it was! Saika is obviously limited and so is RIE, but they constructed a simple little match around those limitations, featuring RIE selling her leg well, Saika repeatedly going to attack it as a default, the kid getting some mandatory “unexpected kickouts”, and RIE looking generally annoyed by how fighty she’s being, thus putting her over while mostly doing a steady squash. Except they TRICKED US and Takeuchi finally managed to pull one off (with a Tiger Suplex of all things- one of the trickier ones to do!).

Rating: ** (a very solid little story- not fancy but very direct)

CHIGUSA NAGAYO vs. SAIKA TAKEUCHI:
(June 15th 2000)
* Chigusa takes on her youngest rookie.

Saika gets the traditional pre-match sneaky German, but Chigusa absorbs ages of Jobber-Fu and superplexes her. Takeuchi is pulled up at “1” and beaten up a bit, managing to avoid a wheel kick, but can only manage a double-arm hold repeatedly for offense and gets her head knocked off by a proper wheel kick, Chigusa taunting her for a full minute until she gets up and is snap-suplexed. More methodical beatings set up a lot of defiant rookie bridge-outs, and Chigusa delights when the rookie gets out after a BRUTAL powerbomb. Same reaction from a big piledriver, and the Running Razor’s Edge pins her at (5:14). A much more precise “Veteran vs. Rookie” match, indistinguishable from horrible child abuse like the best examples of the genre are. Chigusa being like “Oh GOOD!” every time the kid kicked out was great, like she was authentically impressed and touched that Saika wasn’t dead.

Rating: *1/2 (fine example of its genre, if an entirely one-sided beatdown)

TOSHIE UEMATSU vs. SAIKA TAKEUCHI:
(Oct. 22nd)
* More of the same, but from Toshie as the veteran this time.

Pretty much goes how you’d expect, with Toshie easily handling the rookie but for some brief comebacks. Saika shows her experience a bit by managing a jujigatame and other arm stuff, actually putting some pressure on, but Toshie uses her weight advantage by lunging at Saika full-force. Yes it’s weird that TOSHIE is the bigger person in a match. Saika boots her off the top and manages a running knee smash where she’s parallel to the mat- a new big move? She gets Flair Tossed off the top but manages a rollup for our first pretty good reaction. Saika persistently avoids the Double-Wrist Armsault finisher and actually climbs up Toshie for the JB Angels armdrag move, impressing the fans, but gets thrown off. Second try actually gets it, leaving Toshie desperately avoiding another juji. She pummels the arm, Toshie actually looking worried, and her Goo Punch~~ just hurts her arm further, but buys her some time. She switches to kicks to try and brawl it out, Saika takes the lead again, then Toshie punches her lights out and hits a running knee for two. She waits her out repeatedly, another knee & a flying splash gets the “Fuck YOU!” bridge, Saika nearly pins her countering the Double-Wrist, then BACKFLIPS out of it and… Tiger Suplex! For two! Holy that was close. Buff Blockbuster but the crowd knows she’s outta miracles- Toshie kicks out, avoids another Tiger, and catches Saika charging in with a snap powerslam, holding her down for the pin at (13:15).

Actually turned into a solid match! The first half of most Saika matches are an unrecappable slog (lots of that “bodyscissors from behind and they roll out into a clutch” stuff) but they started pulling off the “holy she just might make it” stuff, though the crowd only bought one or two. Saika “pressing” the veterans at this stage is an important part of her development, and creates ever-so-slightly more drama in these singles matches.

Rating: **1/4 (a tricky thing to rate- it’s unwashed ass for 6 minutes and then quite good for the last half, albeit never like *** or anything)

This one is notable only for Saika debuting her new, and last, gear.

THE SECOND GENERATION ARMY (Dynamite Kansai, Toshiyo Yamada & Devil Masami) vs. THE THIRD GENERATION ARMY (Meiko Satomura, Toshie Uematsu & Saika Takeuchi):
(Jan. 14th)
* The veteran squad gets to take on one of the weaker three-girl squads the 3rd Gen can produce. Man WTF chance do they have? Devil’s in black, Kansai’s in white & green, Yamada is in hideous brown, Meiko’s in red, Toshie’s in black/green & Saika’s now in a bright-ass neon green two-piece with a skirt, all “striker” style.

The kids jump the heels at the bell and triple-team Yamada, but she quickly starts beating on Saika, but the kid’s armbar sets up flying stomps from her teammates. Yamada/Uematsu is uninteresting, but Kansai comes in with THE CLAW~~ and the heels beat up Uematsu for a while. Meiko/Devil is next up, with a slugfest turning into a sleeperhold nearfall from Devil. Kansai hits her murderous flying stomp for two and batters a defiant Meiko around, and Meiko does a great fire-up to briefly take the lead before Kansai starts killing her again. Meiko keeps grabbing her legs, so Yamada’s flying enzuigiri sets up the backdrop for two. Meiko lands a jujigatame, broken up by Devil, and Meiko’s allies fall, leaving her alone. But she lands a DVD, two Pele Kicks, and another Death Valley Driver FOR THREE at (11:26 of 11:56 shown), BEATING DYNAMITE KANSAI pretty much all by herself! Yeah okay, sacrificing Kansai for a “near-fluke but totally dominant” victory like that is a bold move. Kansai is enraged at herself after the match, inconsolable to her partners.

Rating: ** (very common GAEA “just a mess” match with a lot of uninteresting Uematsu bits, but Meiko firing up and just beating Kansai clean was pretty big)