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[1993-12-06-AJW] Megumi Kudo vs Aja Kong


Loss

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  • 4 months later...

This was FUCKING GREAT. Absolutely FUCKING GREAT. Kudo wrestles like the Joshi version of Arn Anderson and systematically destroys Kong's arm. In what gets annoying in American matches, but feels cool in Japan because it doesn't happen very often, there's a ref bump, and Kudo gets a visual fall. Kudo's surprise powerbomb from the top rope into a reeaaaaalllly close call was tremendous. This also really had the feel of a world title match because of the pacing being a little slower than normal. I want to make sure I like this because it's as awesome as I think it is, and not just that it stands out because they were doing things not everyone was doing, but my instinct is to call this second to Kong/Kansai as the best Kong match of the year, and also call it a fairly high-end MOTYC, one I think I even liked better than Thunderqueen and the Dreamslam II main event. I'm not sure what the rep is for this match, but it deserves a genuine revisit and evaluation from anyone who hasn't watched it in a long time.

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Yeah, chalk some of that instant reaction up to overexcitement over some things you don't normally see in this style being rolled out in this match. This is a great match, probably more so than I've seen it get credit for, but it's a shade below the very best matches of the year. But there are a lot of positives, and I still think this is worth a revisit.

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Possibly...?

 

But, yeah, this stood out to me similarly. When I got this tape for the first time I knew of the top two matches, and certainly Aja/Kudo looked interesting/good on paper, but after seeing her other 1993 stuff I wasn't sure how good Kudo actually was in '93 (her sunset flip during the crowd brawl at Dream Slam might be the single worst move choice I've ever seen). That there're two matches better than this on this show speaks more for what AJW was doing in 1993 than anything else, and thank God for St. Final because Queendom would've made a very unsatisfying "last big show" for the year. Yet another match that would be a very strong MOTYC in 20-- but in 1993 is probably, what, not even Top 20?

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Kudo wrestles like the Joshi version of Arn Anderson and systematically destroys Kong's arm.

Kudo did a great job of it but that type of thing is a Kong match staple. She hadn't done it THAT many times up to this point before but "Aja throws a ton of urakens so opponent tries to take out her arm" is a story you'll see repeated in a ton of her big matches over the years. Not complaining either as it's always fucking awesome and so many of Aja's opponents have unique ways to go after the arm (submissions, kicks or other strikes, weapons, etc..) that it never becomes repetitive.

 

but it's a shade below the very best matches of the year

Yeah that's more or less the concensous opinion on this. Almost no one would put it ahead of Dream Slam, Thunderqueen, etc.. but most everyone considers it a great match and one of the better ones of the year.

 

In case you're interested, Loss, here's an archived copy of CTC's review of this match/show

Fuck, haven't seen Coey's name brought up in forever. That brings back memories, few of them good :)

 

but after seeing her other 1993 stuff I wasn't sure how good Kudo actually was in '93

It's weird to say this since there are a lot of Kudo fans out thear but she really doesn't get as much credit/respect as she deserves. Both for how big of a star she was for a while and for how talented she was. She didn't get to work as much high end talent as some of her contemporaries so her list of great matches isn't as long as others but i'll take the very best matches Kudo's had over all but a few others out thear.

 

Yet another match that would be a very strong MOTYC in 20-- but in 1993 is probably, what, not even Top 20?

In general you mean? For just joshi i'd say this is an easy top 20.

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Even for joshi, though, it's towards the bottom of the top 20 in 1993.

Makes me really want to hurry up and finish my 92 joshi watching so I can move on to re-watching all this 93 & checking out the little i've never caught.

For me personally based off memory i'd have it low top 10, high top 20 though. But eh, like you said, really all just speaks to how strong a year it was.

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  • 2 years later...

A second Joshi match I liked from the same show. Yikes, it's becoming a trend. Seriously though, this style appeals to me a lot more than the more lauded tag match from later in the show, which I eventually found numbing. Kudo brought great focus to her strategy, and Aja put it over by selling it all as a real threat. They really made the nearfalls count instead of reeling off one after another. When Aja finally nailed the backfist at the end, it felt like she had punched herself out of real danger.

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  • 7 months later...

That fucking ref bump...God, I seriously, without any hyperbole think that was one of the worst spots of the year. I get it was probably politically motivated for Kudo to get a visual fall given the interpromotional nature of the match, but it was SUCH a lame goddamn way to try to shoehorn extra drama into a match that was going perfectly well on its own. I thought it was absurd to expect that Aja would have gone down that easily after one big move under normal circumstances, so the whole thing felt completely false and artificial. There have been some great examples of American-style match booking being used internationally, but this year it's almost always been confined to AAA. Here they needed to leave the American-style bullshit to the guys who still do it the best.

 

The rest of this was better. Kudo is insanely overmatched--you can practically see it in her eyes during the intros--but carries out an effective strategy trying to take out Aja's arm, but it isn't quite effective enough. The hope spots after that fucking ref bump are really good, particularly that sunset flip power bomb off the top when Aja's going for one of her standard finishers. Even after Kudo appears to be completely out cold from that last uraken, Aja quickly dives on top and holds on for dear life, which is a cool way to put Kudo over even in the midst of a dominant victory.

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I think that's one of the reasons that the Aja vs Dynamite series was so great. They seemed to avoid all that interpromotional bullshit. Dynamite flat out put over Aja without the bullshit. When it was time for Aja to put over Dynamite, it was done emphatically and without bullshit.

 

With Kudo, we get bullshit. With Kandori, they wouldn't even make the match because Kandori wouldn't put over Aja. I mean... it was kind of set up by Kandori beating Hokuto on this card, but they danced around it keeping it to tags. Not only that, but they couldn't even get Kandori to work the tourney at the Dome the following year.

 

I don't think we realized at the time how lucky we are that the NJPW vs Tenryu/WAR and AJW vs JWP rivalries/feuds worked out so well in this era.

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  • 1 year later...

Two graduates from the AJW class of '86 had made it to the WWWA Title match through very different routes, neither of them easy. Aja had risen through the ranks, overcoming discrimination and adversity early in her life. Kudo had been dumped by the promotion that trained her. She'd become a teacher before returning to wrestling and making her name in a hardcore men's promotion. To be facing each other once more must have been an emotional occasion for them.

 

This was an intriguing contest throughout, with a different and fresh feel to it. Probably more interesting than exciting. Well constructed for the most part. In the early stages Kong was predictably on top. Kudo's fighting spirit and quick counters were only going to take her so far. But once she went to work on the arm the whole complexion of the match started to change. The result suddenly felt like it was in the balance. I didn't mind the ref bump, it beats a count out finish any day. It's so weird seeing it in the 90's. In 80's AJW the ref was frequently involved. Aja refused to tap and delivered lots of urakans before shouting at Kudo on the mic. Bizarre and not good. They got partially back on track with a close finish. Fine performances from both. Low end top 50 for the year.

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  • 1 year later...

Like all of you, I enjoyed the work Megumi did on Aja's arm. The only other time I've seen Aja quite this vulnerable was against Bull, who was not only closer to her size but was a lot meaner than Megumi was here.

 

Did Aja forget the trash can in the back, or was she simply not bringing it to the ring anymore? The last few times we've seen her bring it, she hasn't used it, so I wonder if they were phasing that part of her persona out.

 

I criticize the AJW ladies a lot for improper selling, but Megumi and Aja both sold excellently, especially Megumi after taking all those backfists. Of course, that might not have been all selling; she looked like she was legitimately out on her feet during the postmatch.

 

Aja pulling Megumi up from at least two pins, then going outside to yell at her on the mic would have been the dumbest sequence of moves in wrestling history if she hadn't gone on to win the match. As it stands, it's still stupid.

 

I haven't seen Bob Backlund's crossface chicken wing for a while, but it can't look much better than the one Megumi had on Aja. It was a miracle that Aja was able to make it to the ropes before her arm snapped like a twig.

 

Who was it that Aja seemed to be talking to after the match? Whoever it was, Aja made her cry with whatever she said.

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  • 2 months later...

Thought this was a very good match! A shade too slow for what I wanted in this match. With the joshi I've been watching recently, as frantic and over the top as the pace can get, it's still a very enjoyable and engaging watch for me. I like the urgency in it. But here, while Kudo's work on top destroying Aja's arm was great, I didn't feel anything too urgent until Aja's starts battering her with Urakens. Aja puts in a pretty inspired selling performance here by the way and the match is seriously elevated on that basis.

 

****

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  • 4 weeks later...

Aja having her arm worked over draws me in every time and this was no different. This was a match where starting out the 90's viewing I would have been like "oh cool Aja vs a no name, lets see what she can do". Now, with the great matches I have seen Kudo have, this was another one to add to the mantle. A real simple story of her being outmatched and having to mount a ferocious attack against the arm of Aja to even the odds but really dramatic. I could have done without the ref bump too but I guess political implications are going to happen in inter promotional matches. Aja's backfist attack at the end was brutal. Kudo had earned her respect. ****1/4

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  • GSR changed the title to [1993-12-06-AJW] Megumi Kudo vs Aja Kong
  • 2 years later...

Haha, AWESOME!! Kudo did the literal exact opposite match ANYONE could have been expecting- no weapons, no cheating, no nothing! She beat down Aja with TECHNICAL HOLDS, and damn near beat her thanks to all the state of the art arm stuff she was pulling. Aja, used to just bullrushing people over or taking tons of MOVEZ, didn't have anything to counter that, and it even weakened her Uraken! Fantastic psychology as Kudo can and will reverse ANYTHING, Toyota-style, and Aja starts to become desperate, especially once a big finish gets reversed and nearly costs her the match. That final Uraken, and Aja's "NO STAY DOWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" pinfall, was perfectly timed and way into character. When they finally recover, Aja hugs her- one of my favorite "Aja Things" is how much she respects and admires toughness in others. Megumi's clear heartbreak at realizing she lost? That's why she's the Ace of FMW.

Rating: ****3/4 (can't believe Meltzer only gave this ***3/4, but then he's always been kind of a "MOVEZ" guy)
 

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  • 2 years later...

Time to end Megumi Kudo’s 1993 with the best of her career yet, a singles match against one of the greatest wrestlers ever Aja Kong, she’s clearly the underdog in this match not just because of the size but also in in-ring ability is not that Megumi is a bad wrestler, it’s just that Aja is a sublime one, once again this match isn’t the best of the show. Remember this show featured the rematch between Akira Hokuto and Shinobu Kandori as the main event after the masterpiece they put together in Dreamslam 1 so the match I’m reviewing didn’t come close but it didn’t have to, it was better than I remembered it being, there’s a lot of good stuff throughout. Aja’s selling is outstanding, it’s something that not many people talk about, her ability to make everyone look like a legitimate threat to her 3WA title while always looking strong. This match is unique in joshi during this time period, it’s a match so different from the others, it’s a style marked by wrestlers that prioritize spots over selling so having this is a pleasant surprise to say the least, the match narrative took the front seat in this one and I’m incredibly grateful for that, some joshi wrestlers around that time should have learnt from this match.

The match is amazing from the beginning, Megumi’s limbwork is incredible, she knew that it was her only chance to get away with the victory, Aja looked visibly weakened by those attacks, at first she’s unable to hit her signature offense because of it but as time passed she began to feel better and once she was able to regain her composture Megumi couldn’t stop her. From there, it was Aja’s show, the only moment when she posed a threat was when she tried to hit her Tiger Driver but she couldn’t, Aja hit an flurry of urakens to get the win and retain her title as expected.

I think everyone should watch this one, if you think joshi is all spots no narrative this match proves you wrong.

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