Marvelous Osaka (22/4/23) Review
Mio vs ASUKA
Front Matter
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With a Korakuen just around the corner, Marvelous took to the road for a weekend double-header that would wrap up Mio Momono’s trial series and perhaps give us a hint as to what the rest of that card would look like. Up first, they were in Osaka for a show headlined by Mio vs ASUKA, a match that is almost guaranteed to be worth your time.
Hibiscus Mii defeated HisokA
Here’s a rare treat, a serious Hibiscus Mii performance. Paired up with HisokA, a JTO rookie who has 20-odd matches, Mii decided it was time to put the silliness to one side and be a dickhead to a teenager. It was a move that caught Chig and Takumi at ringside off-guard, but they responded by becoming the world’s biggest HisokA fans. Not only was Nagayo booing Mii, but Takumi was running interference on HisokA’s behalf, distracting Tommy so she could hold a submission over the ropes for a bit longer.
They weren’t the only ones who were surprised, as I was coming into this excited to see HisokA (who has been quietly impressive in her Ice Ribbon appearances) put through the nonsense gauntlet. Therefore, it’s perhaps to the match’s credit that I didn’t come away feeling shortchanged. Not only did Mii produce a strong dickhead showing, but her deciding this was the perfect place to do it almost felt like an extension of her usual shtick. It reminded me of the rare moments when Hirota will hit a beautiful dive or execute her rope-walking perfectly. Subverting your expectations is a big part of what they do, and the reminder the Mii can go out and do this was a lovely way to keep everyone on their toes.
Plus, HisokA benefitted from the opportunity, fighting well from underneath and showing some rookie fire. It wasn’t an instant star-making performance (she got more support from the Marvelous roster than the crowd), but for someone with a handful of matches under their belt, she did a damn fine job. So while this wasn’t what I expected, I still came away happy with what I’d got.
Verdict: Mii Gets Serious
Leo Isaka defeated Shinji Kamakura
Shinji Kamakura doesn’t have a Cagematch, so I can’t tell you much about him. According to his Twitter, he debuted in February 2021 and primarily wrestles in NPW (New Pro-Wrestling), an Osaka-based company I haven’t heard of and which did not consider SEO when choosing their name.
All of which is to say that this was Leo vs a relatively inexperienced local lad, so if you’re looking for anything too fancy, you’re probably in the wrong place. And yet, they did a good job working the basics. There was some effective meat-and-potatoes wrestling here, as we got extended headlock spots before Kamakura battled back with some power moves, drawing a small reaction from a crowd that had been largely silent until then.
Sure, Leo targeting Kamakura’s neck ended up being pointless, and it was a minute or so longer than needed, but my expectations were low, and they exceeded them. It was some perfectly fine wrestling, and while I wouldn’t recommend anyone go out of their way to see it, it would make for decent background viewing.
Verdict: Perfectly Fine
Tomoko Watanabe & Unagi Sayaka defeated Magenta (Maria & Riko Kawahata)
I hate whining about booking because it’s boring, but I’m going to have to break my own rule to say that I hope there is a plan for Magenta. They seemed all set to challenge for the tag titles, but since then, they’ve mainly got the shit kicked out of them. Unagi’s good, and I know Marvelous is basically her home base now, but moments like her and Tomoko taking turns to one-up each other while slamming Maria rankled me a tad. Only one of those people has earned that particular spot, and even then, I don’t think Maria is the right person to be on the receiving end of it.
Thankfully, whatever I think about Magenta’s booking, they are a great tag team, and I love watching them together. If anything, they’re a touch too good for what is being asked of them in these matches, as they require you to believe the power of Unagi and Watanabe can overcome their fluency as a pairing. Unfortunately, they’re just a touch too crisp and in tune for that to be believable, and it feels like they have more than enough to overcome someone like The Eel. On top of that, it’s not like they’re weak individually. Riko’s striking alone feels like a threat, as she’s getting better and better at laying into those blows.
Sadly, that wasn’t enough, as Tomoko pinned Kawahata after spiking her on her head. For all my whining, I’ve no real issue with Watanabe beating anyone. She’s earned that right. It’s the wider pattern that’s got me anxious, and honestly, it affected my enjoyment of this match. In other words, I was focused on being a grump because the team I wanted to win wasn’t going to, which probably doesn’t count as good reviewer behaviour. Being emotionally invested in wrestling is often what makes it incredible, but now and then, it can also undermine it. It’s also a reminder that for all my scoffing at booking chat, I am be no means immune to throwing my toys out of the pram occasionally.
Verdict: I Had A Grump, But There Was A Good Match There
Takumi Iroha & Yurika Oka defeated Team Yellow (Chikayo Nagashima & Ai Houzan)
Yurika Oka’s back in Marvelous! I’m so happy that I’m even willing to forgive them for holding off on the Mystic Young Fox reunion, especially as Oka still joined in with the dance. To make things even better, Chikayo roped Takumi into showing off her moves, revealing that she’s been practising those steps. I hear she’s a massive Mystic Young Fox fan.
Before I get onto it being just as fun to watch Mystic Young Fox fight as it is to see them team up (I assume everyone knew that was coming), I want to chat about Chikayo. There has been a sense throughout her title reign that she’s holding onto the belt until Takumi or Mio come and take it from her (a feeling I’ve probably contributed to), and while I think her winning it was primarily down to Iroha’s injury, I don’t think it should take away from the fact that she’s been brilliant. Twenty-eight years into her career, she excels at the little touches. Her walking up behind Takumi and booting her behind the knee to help Ai escape a Powerbomb was the perfect example, as she delivers it with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what they have to do and when. If she does lose the belt to Mio at Korakuen, I hope people appreciate how she stepped up when they needed her.
Back to Mystic Young Fox, though, a pairing that continues to be an utter delight. I love the dynamic between them, as they’re both young and hungry, but Oka is just a step or two ahead of Ai. She’s got that little bit more in the bag, as shown when Houzan kept returning to her new forward roll and double chop move, which, on the third time around (Chikayo had gotten in on the act too), Yurika had figured out an answer for, diving into a sunset flip to counter it. A similar idea would then play into the finish, as a frantic exchange of pins seemed to be running down the time, only for Oka to change tact, switching to a submission and tying Ai up with no escape. They’re both incredibly talented, but as things stand, Houzan is the one doing the chasing.
It’s fitting that I’ve barely mentioned Takumi, as seconds after the bell, Oka decided she would rather hang out with her Team Yellow teammates. Not long after, they were joined by Hibiscus Mii, leaving poor Iroha all by herself. One of Marvelous’s never-ending stories is that everyone thinks Takumi is stupidly cool and wants to be friends with her, but it seems that the tide might be turning. Still, she’s Takumi Iroha, and this whole thing was a blast, so she was hardly going to be the one to let the side down.
Verdict: A Load Of Fun
After the match, Unagi vs Takumi was set for Korakuen, and you can tell that The Eel learnt at the knee of Tam Nakano. Every promo is delivered like she’s going for the big emotional scene that will win her an Oscar. Still, I’m intrigued about what that looks like, and Unagi promised to debut new gear and music, so I’m looking forward to it.
ASUKA and Mio Momono fought to a double countout
With her title shot against Chikayo at Korakuen confirmed, Mio came into the 4th match of her trial series knowing that another defeat wasn’t really an option. If she’s going to win that belt, she needs to find a way to start winning, but as challenges go, ASUKA is one of the biggest. While Mio’s brave to a fault, trying to take ASUKA in a straight fight is stupid, so her best chance of victory came from being on the move, keeping her distance and crafting the opening she needed to try and find a way through. The problem was that every one of those openings had an ASUKA at the end, ready to meet her with violence.
And yet, Momono wouldn’t stop. ASUKA booted her in the head, threw her across the ring with Germans and Powerbombed the fuck out of her, but Mio kept coming. Letting out screams of frustration, she kicked out at one and pulled herself to her feet, even if all her body could do was run into the next boot. There’s almost a pig-headedness to the way Momono approaches these big matches, as every moment feels like a struggle, but it’s one that she refuses to lose. It’s almost a perfect contrast to ASUKA, who treats wrestling like it’s easy, never showing the slightest sign of weakness even when she is rattled.
That contrast meant these two couldn’t be split, the fighting going out to the floor where Momono snapped, launching chairs at ASUKA even as Tommy’s count rose. There was already a twist of uncontrolled violence to everything they were doing, but that suddenly accelerated as they went for each other’s throats, the match breaking down into a brawl. There were attempts to return to the ring, but it was clear it wasn’t happening as the two of them were too focused on beating each other up. Even when the bell had rung, they didn’t stop, the seconds having to step in and pull them apart.
Which, to return some credit to Marvelous, was a great piece of booking. Mio winning the 4th match in her trial series wouldn’t have felt right, especially against someone with the profile of ASUKA, but with that title shot so close, a defeat would have also felt wrong. Instead, they managed to find a way to escalate things, leaving loads on the table while making sure that any future meetings between these two will be in danger of boiling over from the bell. That’s a neat piece of work, and this match, unsurprisingly, fucking ruled. More, please!
Verdict: It Was Obviously Great
Overall Show
ASUKA vs Mio is the match that you need to see from this show, but there was plenty of fun stuff. I suspect others will enjoy Magenta vs Tomoko and Unagi more than I did, but I’d personally recommend HisokA vs Mii and the semi-main. However, even with my booking quibbles, there was nothing awful here, and Marvelous started their weekend with a good one.
Marvelous have a Nico channel where you can watch older shows and you can buy access to live streams here.