Joshi Spotlight: GAEA Japan on Christmas Day 2001

GAEA JAPAN ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2001:
* SURPRISE, SUCKERS! We’re not done with 2001 just yet! In fact, GAEA has TWO MORE matches at the end of the year and I was like “oh fuck this” when reviewing their monster December big show about doing these last two. But after this that’s it! I swear! Then it’s the Year in Review for 2001!

DEC. 24th:
* Christmas Day at Korakuen Hall sees a pair of matches.

AJA KONG & CHIGUSA NAGAYO vs. LAS CACHORRAS ORIENTALES (Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda):
* Interestingly, LCO is trotted out one more time to take on two of GAEA’s biggest wrestlers (well the boss and a freelancer and ex-Champion). I wonder if this is the “LCO jobbing out” phase I’ve heard about. Mita’s in yellow & Shimoda’s in pink, Chigusa’s in the ECW T-Shirt of Shame and black shorts, and Aja’s in xxxxx.

We’re JIP with Mita unable to get much going on Chigusa, as the Blazing Chop meets a wheel kick, Chigusa getting the worst of it but firing back- Shimoda attacks both opponents with a run-in. They do the Bitch Pose and Mita rapidly fires off a piledriver (almost ended up a ligerbomb), and everyone kinda scraps with everyone, LCO ignoring offense and just double-teaming Chigusa a bunch. They use American-style tactics to prevent Chigusa from tagging, tripping her after a punch combo drops Shimoda, but ultimately LCO tries a Doomsday Device and carries her too far to the corner, so Chigusa superplexes Shimoda while on Mita’s shoulders! A kneeling Falcon Arrow gets two, as does a powerbomb- Shimoda escapes the Running 3 (running razor’s edge) but eats the new Back Elbow move for two. This finally tags Aja (no pop, really), and Mita stops a Sandwich Clothesline but Aja still gets a chokeslam & Backdrop Driver. Mita runs in, but Chigusa helps out and Aja avoids the Tiger Suplex from Shimoda, but the Flying Back Elbow misses and Chigusa accidentally lariats Aja- Shimoda boots her down for two. Mita keeps going for the DVD but settles for a stunner, Chigusa stops a DVD, Mita stops Aja up top but Aja resists the electric chair drop, but Mita ducks the Uraken and throws a chair. Aja’s sat in a pink chair for a Shimoda missile kick and the Death Valley Driver gets two. Aja pops to life and kicks away a Blazing Chop, countering with the Uraken- Shimoda saves. Aja dusts LCO off with oil can shots, and brings back the Brainbuster on the Oil Can… but the ref won’t count. Then Shimoda comes in and takes out both women with Green Mist and Mita hits another DVD… for 2.9! And gives the biggest “Shocked Kickout Face” ever, haha. And while Chigusa holds Shimoda back, Aja throws out a quick Uraken and catches a dazed Mita with her own Death Valley Driver, getting three at (8:51 shown).

A very solid, typical “Late LCO Match”, where they do some of the greatest hits and cheat plenty. This brings in some of the New Offense for many of the wrestlers- the stunner, Brainbuster on a can & back elbow, but the last bit is the typical “Mita in the end-run” finisher attempts and trading.

Rating: **3/4 (really these four would be incapable of having a match anything less than “good”, even if we’re missing some of it)

Epic reaction to a kickout.

MEIKO SATOMURA & TOSHIYO YAMADA vs. CHIKAYO NAGASHIMA & CARLOS AMANO (GAEA & JWP):
* Amano returns for more GAEA stuff while JWP is doing its thing- good stuff, as she’s been really good lately. Meiko is very recently the AAAW World Champion and thus at her peak, while Yamada is… there. Chikayo’s in yellow, Amano blue & black, Meiko red and Yamada white. Of concern is that Meiko neither gets a huge pop for her entrance, nor much of a reaction for the announcements, despite proudly wearing the AAAW Title (which looks gigantic on her tiny body).

Meiko takes a high-angle German after a long, quick grappling struggle against Chikayo, but fires back and Amano has to be held back from charging her. Another dramatic, hesitant stand-off sees Chikayo popped in the face, but Meiko charges in and gets caught in the upside-down ropes hold. Amano adds a boot to the face, then injured Sugar Sato on the floor does too, popping the fans! Meiko & Yamada quickly kick the paste outta Chikayo, though, and Yamada enzuigiris her for two. Amano runs in and keylocks Meiko, settling for an anklelock- Meiko gets an enzuigiri but Amano catches her leg and a rolling elbow drops her. Meiko plays evasion but Chikayo sneaks in a flying stomp, Amano adding a tiger suplex for two. Amano gets a flying clothesline & jujigatame but Yamada frees her- Chikayo comes in with a solid spinning DDT counter, and in a great sequence, everyone runs in to clobber everyone else, but Chikayo no-sells a high-angle German and charges in, but can’t get her Fisherman’s Buster, only to counter Meiko’s DVD to an octopus stretch, Meiko helpless until Yamada flies in with the Diving Brain Kick to assist. Meiko pulls out a nasty bow & arrow, Amano saves, then Chikayo hits the Fisherman’s Buster for two- she then counters a snap-DVD attempt with a DDT for a nearfall. Chikayo with a rana then another Fisherman’s for even more dramatic two-counts, but Meiko turns another F-Buster into a front facelock, nearly getting her. Chikayo throws on another octopus but Meiko lifts her into a DVD to excite the fans, getting two. Chikayo tries to no-sell but stumbles into the Ax Kick- Amano saves. An enzuigiri stuns Chikayo into an obvious “shining” position (ie. she’s on one knee, but Meiko whiffs it, easily hitting a Pele Kick on the rebound and pinning her (9:12).

The point here seems clear to me- Meiko just won the World Title and is the new “Ace”, but suddenly her 1995 Classmate is out to match her, and does so in this match. All the “hesitant lockup” stuff was well done, establishing parity and Meiko not being confident despite her commanding lead in success, and Chikayo’s repeated nearfalls as the match ticked closer to the finish establishes further that they’re not THAT far apart. Amano & Yamada didn’t get to do much- they were obviously here as “Main Event Delivery System” so they could do a bunch but also be justified in kickouts.

Rating: **3/4 (hard-fought and quite good!)

And that does it for 2001 in Joshi Puroresu! This Friday will be my Joshi in 2001 column!