[1991-11-02-JWP] Dynamite Kansai vs Harley Saito

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Zenjo]

From the finals days of the original JWP promotion. A couple of months later it would be disbanded and in it's place came the new JWP and LLPW. The talent roster was split between these two organisations.

 

As the decade progressed I can't help but think how the two promotions could have benefitted from a combined roster. LLPW lacked credible main event stars to go up against Shinobu Kandori. JWP had these in Devil Masami and Dynamite Kansai. Other workers reached main event level in future years like Ozaki and Fukuoka. The JWP roster was very talented but lacking in depth, and LLPW had plenty of good midcarders. In the original JWP these two promotions were effectively combined, yet the resulting output was underwhelming. This was even allowing for the fact that the wrestlers hadn't yet reached their peaks.

 

This match was one of the exceptions. Right from the start the combatants layed into each other with vicious strikes. It was clear they had a heated rivalry going. Both dished out plenty of punishment. It was well structured with appropriate body part work. Kansai almost had it sewn up with Harley barely hanging on. But then she made a huge tactical error by missing a tope to the outside. Saito grabbed the opportunity with both hands as she quickly delivered high impact moves to get the upset pin. Very intelligently worked. There was only one major problem and that was the lack of a hot crowd. With that it could've been something more than a very good match.

[Loss]

What I kept thinking watching this was how much I wish the "original" JWP could have stayed intact. The style was more mat-based and less flashy than AJW, but I think I prefer it. I don't think the matches peak as high as the best AJW matches, but there's a promise of the style eventually producing some world class workers that I guess sort of came to fruition eventually, but in a roundabout way. I like Suzuki, the Scorpion, Kansai and Saito, and they all seem on track to become great workers as they gather experience. That happened in some cases, but I think the wrestlers became great in a different way than we get hints of in matches like this. Saito in particular looks like someone with a bright future in this match. I like her ground attack, and she also has the likable charisma factor where she comes across as a tougher Sakie Hasegawa. Here she gets a bloody mouth in an exchange with Kansai on the floor, who gets knocked for a loop after a nasty dive to the floor. Saito could have won the match by countout, but opts to roll Kansai in and pin her, which is a nice touch. Very good match.

[PeteF3]

I'm going to miss JWP already and I didn't even know if its existence until last month, and it's for the same reasons as Loss. This does have the typical "both girls run at each other" opening but like the other JWP matches it boils down to something more organic and methodical in a good way. This differs pretty noticeably from the Scorpion matches as this is all about stiff kicks from Kansai and Saito just trying to survive and keep her head above water even though she comes off as overmatched. Well-done finish to keep both ladies looking strong--Saito comes off as a crafty opportunist rather than someone who won on a fluke, even though there was a great deal of luck involved in her victory.

[soup23]

Terrific match. Starts out with a vicious pace and Dynamite getting overwhelmed and then coming ferociously back. Like a good beginning chase seen in a movie, the action drops down in tempo but the mat and leg work remain interesting leading to the big finish. Kansai spills the action to the outside and begins to really dominate Saito. Saito wont give up and gives some flourishes but she looks overwhelmed. Then Kansai dives to the outside and the match takes a sudden turn. Saito pounces and hits a back suplex on the outside before finishing her off. I agree with Pete that this match is smartly worked and made Saito look smart and remained Kansai to look a little overconfident but still dominant. My favorite joshi singles match of the year.

[garretta]

I liked this one a lot. Dynamite brought most of the offense, but Harley held her own more than I thought she would. Each woman did excellent work on the other's legs, and Dynamite's kicks looked positively brutal. Not to be missed is her work on the outside, where she seemed like she was putting extra oomph behind her whips to the guard rail. But my single favorite spot has to be that sick-looking back suplex Harley gave to Dynamite on the floor. It looked like it could have fractured Dynamite's skull, and she sold it like it almost had until she left the arena. She couldn't even bow to the crowd without help, and she's lucky she wasn't concussed legitimately. Maybe she was, who can tell? The only strange thing was that Harley didn't just go for the cove once she rolled Dynamite back into the ring; maybe she wanted to win with a "cleaner" move (which she did with another suplex variation).

 

This is the best joshi match I've seen far this year, but it looks like there are some real barnburners coming up over these last couple of months, so it'll be interesting to see if it's topped and if so, by whom.

[dawho5]

I liked this match a lot. Harley tried getting off to a fast start, and we see why when she just takes a beating once Kansai is on offense. I thought Harley was an opportunist the whole way through, having to rely on clever takedowns to set up attacking Kansai on the ground and do some real damage. Kansai gets past that and it looks like Harley is finished, but one mistake turns the die in a big way. Really good match with natural transitions and a finishing sequence that doesn't go way too far. I could do with more selling of the leg for a few minutes after the focus by both, but that's a small quibble and one that can be pointed at a lot of matches.