ChocoPro Roundup: #303 & #304
Masa Heels It Up
Front Matter
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April will be a busy month for Gatoh Move, as they welcome American indie upstarts DPW to Japan to pair up for a couple of shows at Shinkiba. Those cards are already looking tasty, but before we get to that, there is plenty of ChocoPro to enjoy as I look over my favourite matches from #303 and #304.
Masa Takanashi vs Sayaka, ChocoPro #303 (2/4/23), Gatoh Move
Relatively early in this match, Masa grabbed Sayaka by the hair, turning towards the crowd to girn as he did so. It was heel wrestling 101, the more experienced wrestler attempting to bully their younger opponent. However, Sayaka was having none of that, violently shoving him away and refusing to accept her place in the trope. A few seconds later, she was dishing out a good old-fashioned stomping as Takanashi was on the retreat.
It was a tiny detail, but one that sums up what makes Sayaka special. As someone who wrestles part-time, she’s not at the top of the pecking order, and Masa would eventually beat her fairly convincingly, but she refuses to act like that’s the case. Mei Suruga has previously talked about how her confidence is always annoying, bemoaning that she never appears even slightly nervous, and in moments like that, you can see it. Sayaka isn’t going to stand around and let someone like Masa take control. She prefers to shove them away and start dishing out those stiff forearms.
And this wasn’t a perfect performance, Masa did some solid work on Sayaka’s arm that she shrugged off a bit too easily, but it spoke to what makes her so fun to watch. She’s a sneaky bruiser who takes no shit and isn’t going to let anyone push her around. It’s an attitude that her career perhaps hasn’t earned but is a lot of fun to watch, and if she ever did decide to go full-time, her ceiling would be mighty high.
Verdict: Don’t Mess With Sayaka
Masa Takanashi & Mochi Natsumi vs Andreuw Tang & Miya Yotsuba, ChocoPro #304 (7/4/23), Gatoh Move
Talking of Masa being a bit of a dick, we got a doubleheader of prick behaviour on these shows, as he and Mochi slipped into playing the big bads. Much like his CDK partner, Chris Brookes, Masa never shies away from being a bellend, drawing boos from those in attendance in Ichigaya as they got to work on bullying Miya Yotsuba.
That plan was aided by Miya being a natural babyface. With the calming down of pandemic restrictions, we’ve seen a plethora of rookies debut recently, and Yotsuba’s perhaps been overshadowed thanks to a lack of exposure. However, when it comes to natural talent, she is right up there. It’s not just the wrestling, either. Miya has an innate likeability (aided by her selling) and a strong sense of comic timing. The moments in this match where she tried to do Tang’s pose along with him, nervously watching him out of the corner of her eye the whole time to see what to do next, were the perfect example. It wasn’t only a fun bit based around her trying to remember what to do, but it also got over that she is a rookie, doomed to play out the whims of her seniors.
As for Tang, I can’t pretend to have seen much of him before (he’s had an occasional Gatoh appearance in the past), but this was a decent showing. He’s got a lot of energy and seemed to enjoy grandstanding for the Choco crowd. I believe he founded Singapore Pro Wrestling, a company that has brought over a decent amount of Japanese talent (and has a relationship with Gatoh Move), so I can’t imagine this will be the last time we see him. Judging by his interactions with Miya, that’s not something I’d have an issue with.
Verdict: Keep An Eye On Miya