(Almost) 5-Star Match Reviews: Combat Toyoda vs. Megumi Kudo – No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Death Match – FMW Fighting Creation ’96

The 1990s was an excellent decade for pro wrestling outside. While different companies experienced ups and downs throughout that period, there was a general sense of experimentation and risk-taking that affected the medium all over the world. Nowhere was this truer than in Japan: with an economic downturn affecting fans’ discretionary spending wrestling companies had to reinvent the wheel to draw viewers in. You could say that each of the biggest companies tried to answer a different theoretical question through their wrestling. For AJPW it was “What if we pursue pro wrestling in its purest form?” For NJPW it was “What if we combine pro wrestling with martial arts?” For UWF and the other shoot-style companies it was “What if pro wrestling became a pure sport?” For AJW it was “What is the ring was not a square, but a cube?” For FMW it was “What if the ropes were no longer usable?” and who better to answer that question than Megumi Kudo and Combat Toyoda?

The Story

For the longest time most of my knowledge of joshi centered on AJW and JWP so my knowledge of these women was fairly limited. I’d heard stories of Megumi Kudo’s fabled reputation and how the AJW women were afraid of wrestling her because she was so tough and daring. Luckily for me (and other visitors to the Blog), Jabroniville has done excellent write-ups of both women’s careers. According to him, Kudo was decidedly average in most respects but had excellent timing in the ring which is one of those abilities that can’t really be taught; you either have it or you don’t. JAB compared Kudo to Shawn Michaels in terms of ability to carry lesser workers to **** quality, especially since FMW’s women’s division was limited compared to other promotions showing women’s wrestling at the time. Oh, and of course, she invented the Vertebreaker, because of course she did.

So now we have the obvious babyface in the equation in Kudo so not it’s time to look at the heel. Like Kudo, Noriyo “Combat” Toyoda debuted for AJW but was cut after only two years. Both women were later recruited by Atsushi Onita when he launched Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and Toyoda would transform into another big, face-painted monster similar to Aja Kong. Like Kong, Toyoda could become known for eating her opponents’ offense and selling at the right time; that is, after taking a beating to make it look like her opponent stands a chance of somehow defeating her.

So after a decade in wrestling and six years in FMW, it was time for Combat Toyoda to retire. Following in the footsteps of Akira Hokuto, Toyoda vows to put everything from her career into this match, as does Kudo. In other words, both women vow to ensure Toyoda ends her career on the highest note possible. Considering that many fans consider this, her final match, the single greatest of her career, there’s a lot of pressure to live up to.

The Match

This took place on May 5, 1996. It was rated ***1/2 out of five by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer. Not only is this Kudo’s retirement match, she’s also staking her two titles: the FMW Independent Women’s Championship and the WWA Women’s Championship.

They lock-up and Toyoda shows off her strength advantage but gets a clean break close to one set of wires. On a second lock-up Kudo gets dangerously close to hitting another. Kudo gets an arm wringer and lands stiff middle kicks. Both women throw hands, feet, and heads. Toyoda gets the advantage and almost sends Kudo into the wires. Kudo takes Toyoda to the mat, works a headlock, and sinks down to avoid getting shot off the wires. A quick scoop slam gets Kudo a one-count. She briefly works the leg and starts kicking Toyoda close to danger. Kudo escapes a pop-up powerbomb and gets a schoolboy cover for another one-count. Kudo charges but runs into a scoop powerslam that gets two. Toyoda blasts Kudo with head-butts which leads to another strength struggle. Kudo kicks herself free. Then she forward to dodge a clothesline – but Toyoda dropkicks her and sends her into the exploding barbed wire! BOOM!

Kudo survives that explosion with soot on one arm and a cut on the other. Toyoda picks her up and hits the Combat Driver, a sick one-shoulder powerbomb out of a torture rack, for two. Toyoda follows with a spinning torture rack backbreaker for another near-fall and then locks her in a surfboard hold. Kudo counters another Combat Driver with an armdrag. Combat reverses an Irish whip but Kudo saves herself by sliding intentionally. Toyoda misses a charge and runs into another set of electrified barbed wire!

Kudo lifts Toyoda up and puts her in a sleeper hold. Toyoda resists and fights to her feet so Kudo lands an enzuigiri and locks in a dragon sleeper. Kudo attempts her own Irish whip but Toyoda collapses after only a few steps. Kudo attempts a Tiger Driver but Toyoda powers out and clotheslines her into one of the already-exploded sides. Kudo swings for a clothesline but Combat ducks and lands a picture-perfect bridging German Suplex for two. Kudo counters a powerbomb with a DDT. She counters a clothesline with a bridging snap suplex for another near-fall. Kudo charges again but Toyoda spikes her with a Backdrop. Two-count once again. Crotch-lift Ligerbomb. Two-count. Toyoda hits two ThunderFire Powerbombs, each gets a near-fall. Kudo counters another powerbomb attempt with a Yoshi Tonic for two. Both women struggle towards another set of wires. They trade rear waistlocks. Kudo fights out, gets a running start, and charges, only for both women to fall into the wires and get electrocuted!

Atsushi Onita looks on from the stands concerned as both women struggle to get up. They use each other to get to their feet but Kudo strikes first with a Tiger Driver for another near-fall. Kudo follows with an absolutely vicious high-angle head-spiking powerbomb but that, too, gets only two. There’s only one thing left to do: Kudo hooks the arms, flips Toyoda upside down, and spikes her with the Kudome Valentine/Vertebreaker. One, two, three! Kudo wins the titles and Toyoda retires!

Winner and new FMW Independent Women’s Champion and WWA Women’s Champion after 21:26: Megumi Kudo

You can watch the full match here.

Review

I don’t usually like deathmatch wrestling but I must make an exception here because, point blank, this is one of the greatest matches of the past thirty years. I loved watching this and if you haven’t seen it yet I’m sure you will, too. This wasn’t token gore or ultraviolence for its own sake; instead, it was a tremendous example of “no wasted motion” and making every move matter. That necessity came from the stipulation: they couldn’t risk getting too close to the ropes lest they suffer extreme consequences. With both women unable to use the ropes they both lost access to an entire repertoire of moves, ropebreaks, and the ability to use the ropes for momentum. The stipulation created a similar sort of claustrophobia and tension as a steel cage or Hell in a Cell match but with significantly more danger. Given the stipulation and the situation, the match ended up a nail-biting experience that held fans’ undivided attention from start to finish and included some of the wildest display of consequence ever seen.

Because of their setting, both women had to make every move matter, and they did. Every lock-up, exchange, even step, told a story. They made tests of strength immediately consequential. Placement in the ring was essential to each woman’s success and survival. Without the freedom of the ropes both women wrestled far more cautiously than normal, rarely leaving outside of five feet from their starting positions. They still showcased some “normal” wrestling but everything was still wrapped in this razor’s edge tension that simply isn’t found in ordinary wrestling and especially not in major TV-friendly wrestling. From how they moved and hit techniques they made it look like they were both competing while walking on their tiptoes, slowly but repeatedly teasing an explosion that eventually came when a well-timed dropkick from Toyoda sent Kudo into the wire.

But just because they hit three of the four sets of wires and eliminated those once-and-done current blasts didn’t mean the wrestling got any easier. Both women smashed each other with incredible techniques and stiff strikes to the head. Both women bled from getting sliced by the wires, with Kudo’s pink-and-white costume stained red all over once the match ended. Both women sold incredibly well, which created a gripping story of frustration, passion, and determination. They succeeded in elevating this beyond typecasting and stereotyping associated with deathmatch wrestling and created something far more resonant. They overcame physical and special handicaps yet managed to craft just as compelling a narrative. It goes to show that sometimes, limiting what a wrestler can do in the ring can yield better results since the athletes are forced to add greater emotional weight and depth into fewer techniques.

There’s also the visual aspect to consider. The barbed wire weren’t just thin strings replacing the ropes but were tangled and combined into spider web patterns. The explosions and electric current were pulled off in a way that made the idea of them getting shocked/electrocuted far more believable, even if it was still theatrical. But most importantly was a minor visual detail in the ring canvas: rather than keep the typical monochrome pattern FMW added a red stripe around the edges, closest to the wires. So for anyone watching from farther away could see whenever one of the women touched the line between red and blue which signaled imminent danger. Small aesthetic choices like this add to the viewing experience, especially if you can’t see the action from too close.

Final Rating: ****3/4

While some might find the idea of women throwing themselves and each other into electrified barbed wire barbaric, even by pro wrestling standards, this wasn’t the torture porn that’s found in some American promotions, nor was it slapstick or comedic horror either. Instead, this was a psychological and explosive (pun intended) experience that featured both classic wrestling concepts and new ideas. While it was a bit slow at times and there were a few too many cuts to Atsushi Onita watching from the crowd, both of these minor flaws were justified given the stipulation and actions in the ring.

I’ve read many reviews and the general consensus among them is that this is the best deathmatch ever or something like that. I have a hard time disagreeing. They got so much out of so (relatively) little, to the point that Toyoda did indeed conclude her career on the highest note possible. Absolute highest recommendation possible to seek this out and save it.

Thanks for reading.