[1994-08-24-AJW] Manami Toyota vs Kyoko Inoue

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[ohtani's jacket]

This was a good match. People who like Joshi will enjoy it and people who don't won't, but I thought after a perfunctory beginning it developed into a long and exciting stretch run. The finish isn't quite as epic as they might have liked, and Toyota's botches hurt the rhythm a bit even if they're mostly covered well, but it was one Joshi match from 1994 where I wasn't begging for it to end. The thing I always liked about Kyoko is how she was able to convey the joy of performing. She doesn't get to really shine here but I was reminded of how likeable she is. People are probably aware of this from watching her promos but after six years of living in Japan I can tell you she's the type of person you'd love to hang out with. She has the same charisma as a TV comedian and seems like an awesome person. You can tell she's not from Tokyo, that's for sure.

[ohtani's jacket]

An interesting match to compare this with is the Toyota/Yamada match from a few days later. That match has a better beginning as they have some cool strike exchanges (Toyota may come across as shy and awkward in promos but man is she foul mouthed in the ring.) The stretch run isn't quite as exciting as Toyota/Kyoko, but in a way it's more focused. There are a few too many reversal attempts, and Toyota has the upperhand to a greater extent (making the finish rather obvious), but it all makes sense. (Or maybe I'm just getting my Joshi mojo back.) I never really liked Yamada in the past, but there seems to be a new appreciation for her these days because of her stand up game and Chigusa-like moveset. She was good in this match, though her star had clearly waned.

[FLIK]

Toyota & Kyoko have had aproximately 9 billion singles matches, i've seen about 8 of them and this was always hands down my favorite of the bunch. I only remember 1 major botch in the match, those who demand 100% spotless execution on everything will go wah wah about it but it never bothered me and didn't take the match down at all in my eyes.

 

An interesting match to compare this with is the Toyota/Yamada match from a few days later.

Still never seen this, actually had completely blanked that it even existed until you brought it up just now.

[ohtani's jacket]

You can find it on youtube.

[Loss]

I didn't see the good in this match that the rest of you did until the last 10 minutes or so. Toyota was pretty sloppy, slipping or nearly slipping off the ropes quite a few times. And frankly, I was bored for big chunks of this. These two can't ever seem to strike it quite right when they face each other -- they either overdo it or underdo it. This is a feud that really should be the Misawa/Kobashi of Joshi, but it just isn't. Their exciting matches are overkill. Their fundamentally sound matches are really boring. For such a famous and well-regarded rivalry, I can safely say now that I just don't see their chemistry. I've started to "get" Toyota and I can appreciate her more than I could when starting these yearbooks, but it's a very conditional love -- rarely in tag matches and in singles matches against the Hasegawas, Kongs and Hottas of the Joshi world. She brings out the best in them and they do the same for her.

 

I can't even point to a lot that they're doing wrong in terms of building drama and laying out the match. It's not as excessive as the sprawling '92 or '95 matches, so I can see getting into it as a well-edited version of those if you like those matches I guess. But anything positive I could say about this match is demonstrated better in a different match. It felt like they were having an off night, and it also doesn't seem like either of them have really grown much since their '92 match.

[Kevin Ridge]

Struggled to get into this match as first part of match wasn't too great. Seemed like they were just taking turns doing submissions on each other to waste time. It's drags for a while and then out of nowhere they start busting big moves out and each other with lots of kick outs. Felt like there was no real middle of the match. The ending is a bit exciting until they don't hit the Ocean Suplex correctly. Couldn't tell if that ending was the plan either but it was a real risky move for Toyota as she hadn't be exactly wrestling a clean match. Could have made for an easy botch jumping off the ropes like that and trying to hit sunset flip.

[Exposer]

I felt I was just watching a solid match really. I didn't get excited at all until the finishing stretch and then Toyota began to fall off the ropes. The crowd seemed to die a little bit from the mistakes and never fully recovered either. This wasn't terrible but I didn't find myself begging for me at the end.

[soup23]

Rough first two minutes for Toyota with some sloppy stuff. I liked the next few minutes with Kyoko thwarting off any offense attempt by Toyota. Real exciting finishing run. I thought this was a great Kyoko performance and a tough match to rate overall based on the sloppy flaws.

[PeteF3]

I was thinking all of you were out of your minds, but as the match went on, and on, and on, I started to come around. I actually liked the opening matwork--it's not exactly dynamic, but it's a different sort of opening for joshi. And Toyota being put into holds is almost always compelling because of how flexible and therefore sympathetic she is. And Kyoko has some pretty funky ways to tie you in knots. She also hits all of her big moves, like the springboard back forearm thing, great. Then we go balls-out with some insane spots, like Toyota doing a Taka Michinoku springboard plancha and Kyoko killing Toyota with a powerslam off the top. Even the transitions are pretty good--as this is an epic near-fall-fest without coming off as too my-turn/your-turn. Toyota even kicks out of the JOCS, which was a shocker and the first time I've ever seen that. But...that's probably about where the match peaked. After that come about 5 or 6 more instances of the girls kicking out of finishers, and Toyota gets sloppier and sloppier. Not only does she slip off the ropes, but she tries an inverted form of the JOCS that she used on Ozaki in one of their tags and the whole move falls apart. Then her horrible back springboard that Kyoko kind-of-sort-of covers but really kills the momentum of a match that was already starting to wear out its welcome to begin with. After each girl has completely killed the other with more finishers than you can count, Toyota puts Inoue away with...a sunset flip. Okay. But really, by that point, anything short of either woman pulling out a bazooka was going to be an anticlimax--there was simply nothing else they could do the other.

 

I thought I was seeing a sleeper MOTYC for a lot of this, but this was just too "epic" for its own good. I liked this a lot more than anyone else here and it's a truly magnificent all-around performance from Kyoko. Her ridiculous tanlines notwithstanding, her offense and her selling as well as the timing on her kickouts were all superb. Until they said "fuck it" and just started chucking everything at the wall, she did a fantastic job of reigning Manami in and putting on a great match.

[Zenjo]

A title vs title bout with Toyota's IWA World Title up against Kyoko's All Pacific Title. The first half was good level. Their matches may not have huge amounts of psychology but are so easy to watch with a lovely rhythm and flow. The Toyota vs Kyoko combination is the purest embodiment of the Go Go Go style from the era. The stretch was excellent as they shifted into top gear. Plenty of drama and excitement was provided without overcooking it. Kyoko kicked out of the JOCS, which was a first. That certainly ratcheted up the tension. Kicking out of finishers is a bad thing long term, but the first time it happens is gold. It seemed like an Inoue win after that, yet she got caught out by a very pretty top rope Sunset Flip. Manami is now laden with gold, being a WWWA Tag Champion as well. A few sloppy moments from her along the way. On this occasion I didn't find them damaging. Overall it was very exciting and quite the spectacle.

[Jabroniville]

Hooooo man, this was the worst Manami/Kyoko match ever- why, it barely got four stars! This really came off like two people trying to have a ***** match but the world just not clicking right for them, as Manami's early slips led to a lot of crowd-killing submissions as they tried to get it together, and Kyoko looked stiff and hurt. And then they're like "okay time for MDKs" and they just hit repeated finisher-tier moves and bump like lunatics (that superplex suicida-to-boot-off-the-top move was so, SO dangerous) and we're back in the game.

Selling? A BIT, with people lying around after moves, but then they'd still hit all their flying stuff with little problem. Less psychology and more "GO GO GO!" but screw it, that's good enough sometimes, especially when it's bugfuck insane like that. And hey- they did multiple "learned from the last move/second try hits" spots as well, so they used their heads a LITTLE. But then they botch 2-3 big moves right in the end-game, which probably shows they'd have been better off ending it early. ESPECIALLY since the biggest botch was their finisher, resulting in an improvised mess at the end. Toyota trying to improvise and do the "St. Battle Final" ending, but on a way heavier opponent than Ozaki, was disastrous as Kyoko lands funny and won't take the pin, so they have to re-do the original finish, but with a weaker sunset flip off the second rope.

Rating: **** (so, SO flawed, but also full of amazing spots and one of the best five-minute finishing stretches you'll see... unfortunately, that stretch lasted seven. I mean, it was heading to ****+ until they blew the finish. Hilariously, I think this is their worst match)