[1993-06-03-AJW vs JWP] Akira Hokuto & Kyoko Inoue vs Bull Nakano & Aja Kong

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I love everyone involved in this match, but it did nothing for me and was really disappointing. I was hoping Hokuto would STILL be selling Dreamslam injuries, but I suppose one can't grieve forever, so I got over that quickly. There's some nice attention to detail, which shouldn't surprise anyone in a match featuring Bull and Hokuto -- but the match just sputters along. This is also the most lax AJW crowd of the year.

[MJH]

I don't remember the crowd being particularly dead... but the Toyota/Fukuoka match right before this (I think?) was very run-of-the-mill.

 

I recall the match being very good, but a tad routine. The Joshi selection is a bit... strange, I guess, at times on the set. The notable match on this show, for me, was the main event. I can understand 60:00s getting left off unless essential for the sake of space, but whilst this match is probably better than a lot of matches on the set, it's not as if Hokuto got the big win here or something to make it notable beyond that.

[Loss]

The Joshi picks for this set are based on recommendations.

[FLIK]

I don't remember the crowd being particularly dead... but the Toyota/Fukuoka match right before this (I think?) was very run-of-the-mill.

 

I recall the match being very good, but a tad routine. The Joshi selection is a bit... strange, I guess, at times on the set. The notable match on this show, for me, was the main event. I can understand 60:00s getting left off unless essential for the sake of space, but whilst this match is probably better than a lot of matches on the set, it's not as if Hokuto got the big win here or something to make it notable beyond that.

Pretty much my same thoughts. A good match but nothing mind blowing in the grand scheme of things.

Toyota/Fukuoka was after this match, the one before was Yamada/Suzuka but both of them fit into that run of the mill catagory.

[Loss]

Actually, now that I think about it, the logic here was to include as much Hokuto as possible. People talk about her incredible year making her one of the best ever just on the strength of '93 alone, so I was hesitant to cut anything she was part of for that reason. With that in mind, I know I still have a few big matches of hers left, but halfway through the year, she's only had two great matches, while all the All Japan guys have had way more and aside from Kobashi, would any of them be argued to be having a career year in '93? Not a knock on Hokuto's year by any means, but more of a statement that I expect every match she's in after this to be off the charts in order for her to come close to living up to her rep.

[MJH]

The 1/24 trios and 9/5 tag are two very notable omissions.

 

I've always been quite partial to Hokuto/Toyota vs. Aja/Sakie from 11/12, though it falls apart a bit. If the idea is a strong Hokuto focus on the Joshi front though, I'd've included both that and the 8/25 Kazama match ahead of this tag.

 

But it's a question of what's available. I think I outlined it in another match discussion, but there's maybe 20 (25 max) matches of here's on tape for the year.

 

8/21 vs. Toyota is to come. I'm not as keen on the second Kandori match as some, but the 12/10 Tag Final (double match) is possibly my favourite Joshi tag ever.

 

I'm not denying that her year hasn't been somewhat overrated over the years given you're very right to say the AJPW three have a larger collection of "great" (or thereabouts) matches for 1993 (and years after). But it's an impressive output worthy of acclaim either way - if you're going to use one woman's year to say "hey look what these Jap girls can do" then it's probably the best.

[FLIK]

Not a knock on Hokuto's year by any means, but more of a statement that I expect every match she's in after this to be off the charts in order for her to come close to living up to her rep.

The JGP & Tag League stuff should def live up to the hype

 

But meh, to be fair a lot of her other good to great matches weren't put on the set.

 

1/24/93 Akira Hokuto, Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Harley Saito, Eagle Sawai & Miki Handa

4/11/1993 Aja Kong & Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori & Eagle Sawai

8/25/1993 (All Pacific Title) Akira Hokuto © vs Rumi Kazama

9/5/1993 (Vacant UWA Tag Titles) Yumiko Hotta & Takako Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Suzuka Minami

10/9/1993 Aja Kong vs Akira Hokuto

11/9/1993 (Hair vs Hair) Akira Hokuto vs Rumi Kazama

11/27/1993 Mayumi Ozaki vs Akira Hokuto

11/28/1993 (Captains Falls Match ) Akira Hokuto, Suzuka Minami, Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Dynamite Kansai, Devil Masami, Mayumi Ozaki & Plum Mariko

 

All of these except for Aja/Hokuto and maybe the 1st Kazama match i'd consider better then her & Kyoko vs Bull & Aja and the Aja/Hokuto singles match is atleast a pretty historic moment in her career. As legend goes she was possibly going to win the 3WA title in that match but her leg was so shot that when she got the ring she asked for the match to be changed to non title because she knew she couldn't deliever a great performance but still wrestled anyways. They actually show her getting pain killers shot into her knee post match after it's over after she gets to the back.

 

The 1/24 LCO vs LLPW tag besides being awesome (def one of the biggest ommisions from the set) also was a pretty important moment in the whole feud with Kandori/LLPW.

 

4/11 & 9/5 tags I remember also having on my list of stuff I thought was essential viewing, the others while not must see MOTY or anything are still really damn good too.

 

Never seen but her vs Debbie Malenko from one of the TVs early in the year i've always heard get pretty decent amount of praise too.

[ohtani's jacket]

That Toyota/Fukuoka match was really good. Compare it to the mess they had in JWP.

[Zenjo]

This was just a solid B match. Easy to watch. Nobody was going full out as they didn't want to wear out the crowd ahead of the two interpromotional feature matches on the show. Like others have said you can't read anything into Hokuto's year from this. You could literally dedicate half the 1993 Yearbook to Joshi there were so many strong matches. I'll pimp them all in time, but I might want to save it until the end of my 90's viewing to finish on a high.

[PeteF3]

Good solid match that never really got into a higher gear--nor did it overstay its welcome. Kyoko was probably the best and most enthusiastic worker in it and Hokuto the least. Not bad, but...not anywhere close to something to serve up for a Best in the World candidacy.

[soup23]

Agree that this match was disappointing given the talent involved but fine overall. I wanted more brutality from Bull/Aja as that is a hellacious tag team together. ***

 

I know joshi is a banner year in 1993 and maybe 1993 should have been extended overall but I must say at this point it is up there with 1997 as my favorite year to go through and the match quality has been super. I have enjoyed the joshi highlights we have seen and look forward to watching some supplemental stuff.

[garretta]

This was the Bull and Aja Show, as both Akira and Kyoko took righteous beatings each in their turn. They got in some offense, but not enough to matter much, though I thought one of them (I can't remember which one at the moment) countering a possible Aja superplex with a sunset flip was beautiful.

 

I could have done without the nunchuk spots in the middle of the match. I'm sorry, but foreign objects in the middle of a regulation bout will always be grounds for disqualification as far as I'm concerned, and any promotion that allows them is seriously deficient in my eyes. That's one of the reasons I grew tired of ECW so quickly. Aja and Bull are physically impressive enough not to need stuff like this, which only makes the situation worse. Can you imagine 1970s Andre using chairshots as part of his offense? This is the female equivalent.