JWP Monthly JWP No. 4 7/90 |
UWA International Title Match: Eagle Sawai vs. Maiko Tsurugi 10:30. You’d never guess Tsurugi was about to retire, as she was still one of the best workers around. An athletic wrestler with excellent body control, Tsurugi’s style is a mix of junior heavyweight and U.W.F kick, suplex, and submission. An action packed junior style match from the get go, it was not only exciting but well thought out. Eagle was actually a good worker before she turned into big bird. Even if she seemingly weighs half of what she did in LLPW, it’s still somehow odd seeing her superplexed. Tsurugi got off to a fast start, utilizing her all around game, but when she tried a plancha, Mayumi Ozaki climbed up and forearmed her off the top rope to the floor. They put a weightlifting brace on Tsurugi’s lower back, but Eagle turned the tables by going to work on the injured area with power moves, quickly undoing the brace. Just when it was seemingly hopeless for Tsurugi she countered into a flash pin that wasn’t the world’s most convincing for the win. ***1/2
Plum Mariko & Cuty Suzuki vs. Miki Handa & Utako Hozumi 11:40. Fast-paced match that despite their still developing offense was was exciting for the workrate. Plum vs. Hozumi was good, and Handa & Cuty held their own. Cuty was clearly not the wrestler that Plum was, and seemed a little behind the far faster and more athletic Hozumi as well, though she did step it up as the year progressed. In any case, her charms not only worked on the fans, but also the ref. Hozumi saved Handa at 2 ½, but Cuty protested so the ref gave her the win. The fans actually booed this, as it was such a blatant miscarriage of justice. The result was such a crock that they eventually overturned it and restarted the match, at which point they did a 3 minute sprint with their best and fastest offense. ***
JWP Junior League Match: Mayumi Ozaki vs. The Scorpion 14:29. Exciting matchup between two of the best workers in the league. Ozaki kept Scorpion under control, interspersing lightning action in between solid mat segments. Scorpion is actually more of a technical junior heavyweight stylist, but that's not the strength of many of her counterparts, so her offense tends to be the more spectacular stuff they can take (but she can't hit with consistency). Ozaki really worked the submission game with her, and while the offense still seemed great because the athleticism and highspots were inserted at the right time, in actuality they did some quick bursts in between the matwork. They didn't go all to deliver the most exciting match they were capable of, but that may have actually helped because while Scorpion’s work was a bit loose at times, this harnessed version managed to hit all her spots. That being said, the final 4 ½ minutes was particularly impressive, with one near fall after another, though unfortunately the actual finish was rather unconvincing. ***1/2
