ARSION in 2.2002 & AJW in 2.11.2002 (Hamada Quits ARSION)

ARSION IN WINTER 2002 & AJW IN EARLY FEBRUARY:
* It’s time for more Zenjo as we head into February! There’s a couple ARSION matches from January, but I figure it’ll wait a bit as there’s only a tiny handful of their content to go through by comparison…. but looking closely, the Feb. 24th Zenjo show is HUGE and gonna take a full review easily, as nearly every match of the five is 20 minutes long and the World Title match runs 39. So I’ll do a rare move and put ARSION & AJW in the same review, lol.

FEB. 11th:
* This is a Zenjo show from Korakuen Hall, headlined by a tag match continuing the Momoe/Kumiko feud!

GAUNTLET MATCH:
KAORU ITO vs. KAYO NOUMI, AYAKO SATO, FUMIKO YAMANE & SAKI MAEMURA:
* WOOOOOOOOO it’s a superstar versus Noumi and three jobbers! All three of the baby wrestlers are teamed up to get destroyed by the Ace. Noumi might get SOME offense sold but the other three are gonna die. Noumi’s in blue, Sato’s in red, Yamane’s in light blue & Maemura’s in pink.

Maemura charges in and IMMEDIATELY gets lariated and pinned in one motion (0:05). Sato tries her chance but gets caught in a crossbody, gets poked by a lariat and gives up in a Boston Crab (0:13). Yamane, the “strongest-willed of the three rookies” is scared out of trying anything and Ito just settles into standard-issue Rookie Abuse. But during a crab, both other rookies charge the ring, leading to an amused Ito doing one of my favorite Big Veteran spots- no-selling a TRIPLE DROPKICK because they were limp garbage. Noumi adds a missile kick to finally drop her and finally adds enough oomph for a quadruple-dropkick to work. Each adds a running dropkick in the corner, but as soon as Noumi leaves, Yamane lands on feet trying a splash and gets pinned by an elbowdrop (3:07). Noumi tries basic early-match stuff- a bad windmill headscissors is saved entirely by Ito, who USES THE ASS to come back and adds another crab for Noumi. Noumi comes back with falling clotheslines & a plancha, and the Double-Wrist Armsault gets two. Ito lariats her, but Noumi gets a BIG reaction for a slap- Ito dumps her and crushes her with a dive. Noumi avoids the Flying Stomp and gets a sunset flip & Super Armsault for two. But Ito just casually hits a powerbomb- impressed by the kickout, she goes to a Ligerbomb & Flying Stomp to execute Noumi at (6:12).

So Noumi is “The next one being elevated”, and naturally that starts with “being murdered by top wrestlers”, getting the “impressive kickout” from a mere powerbomb and not a real finisher. Watching Ito demolish weak rookies is great fun (though one can imagine not many rookies sticking around knowing this is their life for 1-2 years) and Noumi does some good selling and expressions. Fun exhibition overall.

Rating: ** (actually pretty good considering it’s mostly just Ito crushing jobbers)

TAKAKO INOUE (Freelance) vs. TOMOKO WATANABE (AJW):

This one’s clipped to the end- Takako takes a dragon screw but gets her Super Chokeslam. Destiny Hammer misses, but Tomoko sells an Uraken like a KO shot, barely kicking out. Another Uraken and some great kicks wear Tomoko down, and a Destiny Hammer/Uraken combo gets two. Tomoko takes two more, but fires off a lariat and scores a Tiger Driver (probably supposed to be a Hellsmasher but the angle wasn’t as deadly) for a sudden three at (2:36). Tomoko talks shit (“You have a belt; shouldn’t it be harder to beat you?”) and leaves.

MANAMI TOYOTA, MIYUKI FUJII & MIKA NISHIO (JWP) vs. YUMIKO HOTTA (AJW), KAYOKO HARUYAMA & KAORI YONEYAMA (JWP):
* An interesting Interpromotional tag, with Hotta teaming up with low-ranked JWP wrestlers (it’s explained Yoneyama took a break for a year so is at the same level as Nishio- having just finished a first year) against and all-Zenjo squad. Toyota’s in black/red, Fujii orange/black & Nishio white/pink, Hotta’s in white/black, Yoneyama in neon yellow/pink, and Haruyama in orange/black.

Haruyama gleefully holds Toyota for multiple double-teams in the opening, but Manami quickly murders Yoneyama, who herself dominates Nishio. Nishio comes back, but of course is hopeless against Hotta. Fujii runs in and we’re clipped to a Tiger Driver… getting “two” when Nishio’s late on a breakup and Hotta laughs at the ref and the fans go “OHHHHHH” cuz it’s obvious Fujii was pinned. The confusing orange/black vs. orange/black battle takes place, Haruyama scoring a stunner on Nishio, then a German after Yoneyama cheats. Nishio holds her up top so Fujii scores a super facecrusher and La Majistral for two. Toyota & Hotta interfere for their sides, Yoneyama adds a flying-dart splash off the top, and Haruyama hits a spinebuster & German for twos, but ends up in another La Majistral for 1, 2… and a REALLY delayed “3” at (8:08 of 20+ minutes shown). Everyone is confused but indeed Haruyama never got her shoulder all the way up during a struggle. Checking back, it looks like she fucked up her right shoulder on the facecrusher landing and was holding it during the whole rest of the match between her moves, so they might have called an audible. She pleads with everyone to go see a JWP show that night where they’ll get revenge… and then MARIKO YOSHIDA shows up, directly calls out Toyota for another match (“What happened to the laid-back Mari-chan I remember? Next time we fight, I’ll be 3WA Champion Toyota”). And noki-A (Mika Akino) gets on the mic and calls out Momoe Nakanishi for a Rising Star Fight!

Rating: ** (kinda just some stuff happening, very clipped and we mostly get the lower-ranked wrestlers going through the motions)

NANAMOMO (Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi) vs. KUMIKO MAEKAWA (AJW) & MISAE GENKI (NEO):
* More of Genki & Maekawa as a team! Genki looks almost superhuman here- 5’8″ and strong, in a Power Rangers/Sentai costume. The Momoe/Kumiko feud is ongoing.

Genki tries to start fast, but NanaMomo drag them to the floor for a beating in the stands. Misae & Momoe slug it out in the ring, won by Genki’s charging elbow. Momoe & Kumiko lock up, Momoe firing off a headbutt and Kumiko booting her down but taking the windmill crossbody. Nanae works the back and some holds, but it ends up being Nanae/Misae, the big powerhouse battle. Sadly nobody watches NEO so there’s zero reaction to what commentary sells as this titanic struggle. They actually sell it for MINUTES, dramatically pushing against each other, Genki nearly ending up against the ropes before shoving Nanae all the way across the ring. And one dude claps, lol. Nanae absorbs some chops, then dodges an elbow and splashes her, they hairtoss each other, and Nanae finally manages a suplex after a long struggle and that finally gets a reaction. Genki absorbs Momoe’s repeater dropkicks and easily kicks out of a double-dropkick. Clipped to Kumiko kicking out after a run-up moonsault press- she accidnetally kicks Genki, who assists her in a powerbomb, but Nanae aids in a Momo Latch for two. Everyone helps their partners and Nanae hits a dive, coming in as “a hot refrigerator” per Japanese metaphors! Momoe’s Run-Up Plancha to both sets up Nanae’s Vader Bomb for two on Kumiko.

Nanae & Kumiko work counters in the corner, ending in a big Ax Kick for Kumiko, who then drives her knee into Nanae’s neck from the top. That’s called “calf-branding”? Weird counter of a powerbomb (Nanae is just let go mid-lift and splats on her side, then gets up like it didn’t hurt) but Momoe missile kicks her partner, but Nanae avoids a rolling kick and lariats Kumiko for two. Flying Back Senton- Genki saves. NanaMomo Driver (double-razor’s edge) attempt, but Kumiko just flops down and scores a double-kick for two. Nanae tries to fire up the NanaRakka Bomb (falcon arrow) but Kumiko escapes and Rolling Kicks her- Momoe saving. Nanae grabs the leg out of an Ax Kick in a NICE counter, allowing Momoe to slide in with a German, and the NanaRakka Bomb gets two- Genki saves! Kumiko ducks a lariat and thrust kicks Nanae for two and a good reaction, but the Ax Kick finishes at (16:59). Poor Genki didn’t feature in the last half of the match, lol.

This one had some bowling shoe tendencies, to say the least. Lots of “indiscriminate run-ins and weird counters” all over the place, leading to a very disjointed match with little in the way of consistency or flow. Not helping was a lot of obvious botches and stuff that probably should have looked better, like whatever Nanae was doing in that powerbomb or Kumiko countering a NanaMomo Driver by just crouching. Nanae continues to be a frustrating wrestler to watch: you can SEE the quality in some of her stuff, and she’s TRYING, but she’s like a 6/10 worker when her just being a 7-8 out of 10 would result in some AMAZING matches and instead she’s always kind of holding them back because instead of exploding out with awesome power offense she’s just kinda in there scooting and scuttling around. And despite all the prominent matches over the years the fans haven’t bought her, so you get stuff like Genki/Takahashi being sold like Hogan/Warrior when it’s just “two AEW dweebs in the opening minute” to the fans. BUT the match eventually got over that hump, starting to draw great reactions in the last couple minutes as it became the Nanae/Kumiko story (which is a solid play; saving Momoe/Kumiko and helping build Nanae).

Rating: **3/4 (kinda disappointing in that it’s not BETTER, as it was disjointed and ugly in parts, but it was pretty good in the end)

So yes, it’s the old fallback that started in 1992… INTERPROMOTIONAL MAYHEM! Except it’s the dying Hyper Visual Fighting ARSION and its unpopular wrestlers calling out Zenjo’s. And speaking of ARSION…

—

HYPER VISUAL FIGHTING ARSION:
(Jan. 22nd)
* Two matches from a January ARSION show are available online. This contains both a big Lioness Asuka/Michiko Omukai “gotta push Omukai” match, but LCO defending their tag belts in Ayako Hamada’s last ARSION match!

MICHIOKO OMUKAI’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY:
LIONESS ASUKA vs. MICHIKO OMUKAI:
* So with Ayako Hamada’s push done and her soon quitting ARSION, the new gameplan is “Build Michiko Omukai” since they can sell bikini photos of her and she hasn’t been burned to the fanbase like Hamada was. And there’s a LONG to-do about Omukai, who arrives in a costume the commentators can’t stop gushing about (it’s a black mask and cape, with one eyehole cut-out). She had debuted Jan. 13th 1992 for LLPW, so this is her 10th Anniversary match, against the Queen of ARSION.

Clever Omukai waits for the ref to check Asuka’s boots and then WHAMMO- Running Shining Wizard off the ref’s back! This is a perfect way for the underdog to even the scales, and she fires away with punches and urakens until Asuka finally falls. Asuka bails after to put the moves over, and tricks Omukai into backfisting the ringpost. Omukai waits her out in the ring and it’s a slapfest until Asuka can manage the Giant Swing. Some nice bits as Omukai keeps slapping her to stall it at first. Omukai does a way better job of selling a half-crab than usual, grimacing in pain and firing off backfists in defiance- a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two, but she catches Lioness’s kick and puts her into a poor man’s STF. Commentary is like “Hamada and others are good, but I think Omukai is the true leader of ARSION” which is some DECIDED “Rossy made us say it” as Omukai controls with mat stuff until Asuka powerbombs her out of a jujigatame. Asuka gets her own and Omukai scrambles as the fans are mostly silent since the opening minutes. Omukai gets beaten up in the stands and noki-A holds her for a dive, and Asuka crushes her beneath a table with a Flying Stomp to the floor! And then SWEET FUCKING CHRIST- she drags her to the side of Korakuen and leaps off the top of a stairwell, dropping like twenty feet onto Omukai on a table!

Asuka drags Omukai’s corpse across Korakuen into the ring, then hits the Towerhacker Bomb (inverted fireman’s spinning ligerbomb)… and Omukai thrashes out at 2.8! haha fuck off. Asuka stops a comeback with a big kick to the head and drapes a table across the 2nd rope in the corner for a regular spot, but Omukai gets the world’s wimpiest kick to “stun” her, then charges up onto the table to sorta lifts her leg in the vicinity of Asuka’s head. LMAO that probably looked AWESOME in their heads- that “shining wizard” looked like a dog taking a piss. Omukai then flops to the mat theatrically as Asuka thankfully doesn’t sell that shit and instead drags Omukai to the floor so she can take an ax kick and then Omukai can DRIVE her face into the floor with a knee. A Flying Knee Smash stuns Asuka in the ring and Omukai flails around harmlessly before another uraken- a Ligerbomb gets two, but the Shining Wizard is blocked and Asuka gets her Rolling Kick for two. Time is ticking down as they get into a strikefest that has Omukai doing her best “flailing death” sell as she keeps hammering away but also going down. Asuka recovers from an ax kick and hits a Ligerbomb, but Omukai kicks out at one and they punch each other in the face until Time Expires at (15:00). Post-match, a fading Omukai says “You are my eternal idol, and now my A Rival!” and charges for a pullapart.

Asuka is still a pretty great carry-artist, and the mission today was “carry Omukai to make it clear she’s The Next Champion”. Did it succeed? Not REALLY- the fans were still mostly quiet and they built up some INCREDIBLE spots on paper, but the ridiculous 20-foot Footstomp was probably hard to see (only one fan shrieked, which at least was cool) and then they did a finisher kickout spot off of it, stretching reality to make Omukai seem invincible. Then the HORRIBLE “Shining Wizard” spot on the table that made them have to reposition stuff on the floor. And the fans weren’t biting on the nearfalls at all- something Asuka’s normally great at building towards. Omukai’s strikes looking like utter shit is a big issue- she’s so skinny and flaily that it’s hard to imagine anyone with credibility selling them, much less getting pinned by them. Which is unfortunate because you can tell she’s TRYING- she wants to to these big spots, she’s working on her selling, and is now trying the “flailing death” sell, where she rolls her head around while stumbling, falling backwards into the ropes, etc. It’s not QUITE convincing yet but it’s more down to bad acting than her effort levels. Good effort throughout, but weak execution and the usual novocaine’d ARSION audience is hard to impress.

Rating: **1/2 (good in parts, then a silly amount of stuff after the insane 20-foot drop/finisher, and Omukai’s goofy selling and bad execution)

UWA WOMEN’S TAG TEAM TITLES:
LUCHA RULES:
LAS CACHORRAS ORIENTALES (Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda) vs. AYAKO HAMADA & FABY APACHE:
* So ARSION has given a renewed push to LCO, having them defend these random-ass tag belts that were dormant for SIX YEARS and then they just said “Hey we have these, remember?” and started defending them again. And their second defense is against Ayako Hamada, fading former star of ARSION, and Jobby Jobberson. Oddly, this appears to be the LAST UWA Title defense as well- wtf is it with this kind of stuff, haha? Hamada’s actually in LONG PANTS tonight, having revolutionized her look as commentary suggests it’s a “new beginning” for her. Yeah, a new beginning IN ANOTHER COMPANY. Faby’s in black leather with neon green tassels, Mita’s in yellow & Shimoda’s in pink.

The challengers attack before the bell, and Ayako quickly ignorea Shimoda’s comeback and whacks her a half-dozen times with a chair and AGAIN the “lol ignoring u” ARSION crowd is completely silent. Shimoda sits her in the yellow chair for a missile kick. Mita hits a stunner & blazing chop, but Faby assists Ayako in a double-spinebuster and take too long to set up a lucha submission and Mita chairs them both, again to dead silence. Faby manages a torture rack, but gets tripped by Mita- Ayako missile kicks LCO and Faby hits a tornado plancha, then Hamada a quebrada- Faby gets hit by it, but is noticeably laughing after. Mita dives into Shimoda by accident and LCO gets beat up on the floor. Ayako tries to beat on Mita but gets strangled, LCO do the Bitch Pose and work her over a while.

Faby laughing after taking a quebrada.

Mita seems to not want to take a trip and instead holds a headlock of all things for a while, grinding away with it until Hamada gets a slingshot moonsault, but the Springboard Moonsault hits feet- LCO do the Electric Chair Drop/Flying Splash combo but Shimoda hits knees & Ayako bails so Faby can work rollups, including a bad La Majistral (she leaps over Mita’s ass, not side, and fucks up the turn) out of a DVD. Faby gets powerbombed, but keeps hitting lariats on Shimoda- a Ligerbomb gets two, but a Corkscrew Senton misses. But then Ayako hits the ring and it’s Stereo Ligerbombs for two. Faby keeps trying a Sit-Out Pedigree, but then Ayako nails her and she takes the Ax Kick/Death Valley Driver… for two! Faby FINALLY gets her Pedigree for two. Ayako runs in for some ugly miscued offense and takes a random DVD for two, gets German’d by Shimoda, but manages to escape LCO’s finisher and hits a Shotei/Super Hama-Chan Cutter to Shimoda. Mita saves, then tosses Shimoda a chair so she can escape the Spinning Ligerbomb. The Flying Ax Kick misses and Hamada spinkicks her for two, but she wastes time beating up Mita and falls back into a Tiger Suplex… for three (14:49)! Hamada jobs to Shimoda’s least-valued finisher!

A bowling shoe-ugly match at times, with an incredibly uninterested crowd, who is just DONE with Hamada and doesn’t care about Faby either. LCO were mostly going through the motions but were fine. Ayako was trying but nobody was biting on anything, and eventually was running around indiscriminately. Faby had fine moves but ZERO selling, often eating a finisher and then just bursting up for a counter, cheering, then running out like nothing had happened.

Rating: ** (like SORTA fine and not actively bad but dreary)

But then… DRAMA! Hamada oddly offers to strap the UWA Belts around LCO’s waists herself. Shimoda offers a handshake… then swats her in the head, because obviously. But after all that (fans had to be wondering why Hamada sat there amused for the whole ceremony over the belts), Rossy Ogawa, ARSION’s President, heads to the ring! And he calmly announces to the fans that “Hamada Ayako has ended her contract with ARSION on Dec. 31st of last year. She desires to go on an adventure.” She’s quitting! “She is graduating from ARSION- rather, leaving”. Ayako, blank-faced, gets on the mic and says it might be difficult from now on, but she’s chosen this. She asks the fans to continue to support ARSION and thanks the fans who’ve supported her until then. A handful of fans are heard shouting for her as commentary is dumbfounded. It’s pretty astounding that there wasn’t a single gasp to be had, though.

And thus ends Ayako Hamada’s disastrous run with ARSION. Being rapidly overpushed as the “Super Rookie”, increasingly unover as she gets rocked up the card, getting kind of successful as the Tag Champ with AKINO, then the fans completely turn on her while she’s Queen of ARSION. She has stated that she felt the fans were blaming HER for all ARSION’s troubles (and while her mostly shitty matches haven’t helped, she is FAR from the worst part of it), and given how dead-silent they’d very clearly chosen to become during all her big matches, I don’t blame her for quitting. Her career would have been dead by 2003 if she hadn’t, so better try her game somewhere else. After all, ARSION has one of the smallest fanbases of the other promotions- why NOT “debut” in a new place where they might not have seen anything from her for years?