Cero Reviews AJW Classics ~Retro Hour~ EP 8

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Cero Reviews AJW Classics ~Retro Hour~ EP 8

Post by cero2k » Apr 16th, '21, 23:50

AJW Classics ~Retro Hour~ EP 8
Aired: February 19, 2007

August 28, 1985
Osaka-Jo Hall Haircut Death Match
Chigusa Nagayo vs. Dump Matsumoto - 7/10, but epic.
This was incredible, something that you need to see to really grasp what I'm talking about. I can count with my left hand the amount of times that I've seen the level of energy this match had. The match itself wasn't fantastic in terms of workrate, but you end a match and make most people of the crowd legit cry, you know you have something magical here.

The match itself was short. Matsumoto obviously went for all her usual weapons, but she also did try to wrestle early on, she was legitimately trying to win the match, but as it went on, it just devolved into a usual Matsumoto brawl. The heat got to the point that it was Nagayo who introduced scissors into the match, but the referee took them away, and unfortunately landed on Matsumoto's hands. She stabbed Nagayo a couple of times and that's when the finish got weird.

First we saw someone start throwing a towel to the ring, which Nagayo rejected. I don't know who threw the towel, so it could had been GD trying to get the referee to end things, but the point is that Nagayo rejected it, as she should, but then, after a small attack, Nagayo wasn't able to answer the 10 count by a second, so the referee called for a knockout win for Matsumoto.

Post-match - This part was just epic. Nagayo and her whole team go crazy, trying to argue that Nagayo can still go and that she can't lose her hair by a second. Everyone is trying to get the referee and commissioner to restart the match, while Gokuaku Domei are obviously arguing against it. Eventually, Nagayo is dragged to the ring and Matsumoto starts going at her hair.

At that point, we see Lioness Asuka and Devil Masami straight up trying to get in a fight with the referee, the commissioner, trying to rip the scissors from Matsumoto's hands, only to get stopped by Nakano and Monster Ripper, forcing them to watch as their friend's head is shaved. Every shot of the crowd were people of all ages crying for Nagayo.

After Matsumoto was done, she simply walked away, she had what she wanted and had no more reason to be out there. Nagayo was helped to the back, while Lioness Asuka vowed revenge. Just fucking amazing.

Quick Tag League The Best Explanation - This tournament is a 10-team, round robin tournament, with the #1 position automatically qualifying to the finals, and the #2 and #3 positions having to face off in a 'Semifinal' match, to take on the #1 team.

October 10, 2985
Tag League The Best '85 Semifinal
The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno) vs. Gokuaku Domei (Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano) - Squash?
Bomb Angels are the #2 position in the table, GD are the #3. Just two months prior at Summer Night Festival In Budokan, GD squashed the Bomb Angels for about 20 minutes, so coming in to this match, I expected GD to win, but a win that they would have to earn, but oh boy, was I wrong. This came off as a squash because of how heavily edited the match was, it didn't go longer than 5 minutes in the broadcast, and while I wouldn't be surprised that they cut A LOT, it still came off as a squash. I think they added this match to the show only to set up the next match.

October 10, 2985
Tag League The Best '85 Final
Crush Gals (Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka) vs Gokuaku Domei (Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano) - 8.5/10
This was a crazy match all around, incredibly overbooked, not only to protect the teams, but to protect the feud, that is without a doubt, the hottest feud of AJW in '85 and they don't want it to stop. This feud has reached a point that these women can't be in the same room without coming to blows and it becoming a brutal exchange.

The whole idea of the match was that Gokuaku Domei would win for their brutality. Crush Gals had recently won the WWWA tag titles, and so they wanted to give GD a big win before the year ended.

First fall went to the Crush Gals after GD kept using weapons and their seconds interfering, it got chaotic enough that the referee just called for the bell. It came by fairly quick, so there hadn't been much action yet.

Second fall is when things got interesting. In the first fall, GD had started working on Nagayo's ankle, forcing Asuka to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the second round, except she gets knocked out with a Doomsday Device and loses the second fall. They're 1-1 with Asuka knocked out and Nagayo's ankle hurting, so Nagayo has to continue by herself for a while. GD start to Destroy Nagayo, having to go 2-on-1, Nagayo gets beat up, she is busted open, he knee is torn apart as Matsumoto keeps hitting her with the steel bucket over and over. Asuka recovers and tries to save Nagayo, but she can't do much.

At that point, the commissioner jumps in and is trying to stop the match, Nagayo convinces them that she can go for the third fall, but she really can't at that point. She makes the effort, but she can't even stand anymore, Asuka is down, and so the commission is forced to stop the match, and give the win to GD.

Crush Gals keep getting beaten up, but not straight up defeated cleanly by GD.

OVEARLL THOUGHTS
Really strong episode. It was yet another Crush Gals vs Gokuaku Domei heavy show, but it was just the flavor of '85. This specially felt like a Nagayo special, her defiance was all over tonight, especially in the Haircut Deathmatch that was just like a perfect spectacle.
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