1/17/99 Club Citta Kawasaki First Stage

THE FIRST STARDOM: Reggie Bennett & Mari Apache vs. Aja Kong & Fabi Apache. Highlights

THE SECOND STARDOM: Michiko Omukai vs. Mikiko Futagami. Highlights

THE THIRD STARDOM: Yumi Fukawa vs. Mariko Yoshida. Highlights

THE FINAL STARDOM: Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino vs. Rie Tamada & Hiromi Yagi. Highlights

1/17/99 Club Citta Kawasaki Second Stage

THE FIRST STARDOM: Reggie Bennett vs. Jessie Bennett. Highlights

THE SECOND STARDOM: Reggie Bennett vs. Fabi Apache. Highlights

THE THIRD STARDOM ARSION Survival Game: Mikiko Futagami & Rie Tamada & Hiromi Yagi & Mari Apache vs. Aja Kong & Michiko Omukai & Yumi

Fukawa & Ayako Hamada. The 7minutes they show (of 21:59) are excellent, particularly Aja’s job of directing traffic and Fukawa’s work.

THE FINAL STARDOM Queen Of ARSION Title Match: Mariko Yoshida vs. Mika Akino. Akino is a great rookie, and Yoshida, who was in top form, lead her

through a very strong technical match. Much better than Akino’s debut, which was quite impressive in it’s own right. ***3/4

1st ANNIVERSARY STARDOM ’99 2/18/99 Tokyo Korakuen Hall

THE FIRST STARDOM Emiko Kado Debut Match: Aja Kong vs. Emiko Kado. *

THE SECOND STARDOM Lucha Triangle ~ARSION Mexico Match~: Mari Apache vs. Fabi Apache vs. La Galactica 2000. Highlights

THE THIRD STARDOM: Reggie Bennett vs. Mikiko Futagami. Highlights

THE FOURTH STARDOM: Yumi Fukawa vs. Rie Tamada. Yumi tried to work on a broken foot. Tamada focused her entire attack on the foot, which was good,

except Yumi after 3 minutes Yumi legitimately couldn’t even stand so the ref had to stop the match. *1/4

THE FIFTH STARDOM: Mika Akino vs. Ayako Hamada. **3/4

THE SEMI FINAL: Candy Okutsu vs. Michiko Omukai. **3/4

THE FINAL STARDOM Queen Of ARSION Title Match: Mariko Yoshida vs. Hiromi Yagi. Very good, technically excellent match wrestled totally in the new

style Yoshida has developed. The matwork was more focused than previous Yoshida matches with Yagi injuring the arm with an udehishigigyakujujigatame and then

trying to go back to it every chance she got. The transitions were also better. There were less high spots though, and the ones they did weren’t worked into the

match as well as they could have been. ***3/4

This tape is a summary of everything that happened from 7/23/98-2/14/99. There are no complete matches, just a ton of highlights.

3/16/99

THE FIRST STARLET: La Galactica 2000 vs. Reggie Bennett. Digest

THE SECOND STARLET: Emiko Kado vs. Hiromi Yagi. *1/2

THE THIRD STARLET: Mari Apache & Fabi Apache vs. Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino. **1/2

THE FOURTH STARLET: Yumi Fukawa vs. Rie Tamada. Digest

THE SEMIFINAL: Michiko Omukai vs. Mariko Yoshida. Digest

THE MAIN EVENT ARSION Premium Raibu (?): Hikari Fukuoka (JWP) & Mikiko Futagami

vs. Aja Kong & Candy Okutsu. ***3/4

THE SPECIAL MATCH: Hikari Fukuoka vs. Mikiko Futagami. Good short match. The post

match was really great. Sakie tried to rolling savate Hikari after giving her flowers but Hikari

avoided and they had a brief exchange culminating with Sakie turning Hikari's goofy wind up

punch into her uranage. Sakie also uranage'd Aja then, along with Gami, held Aja so Hikari

could moonsault footstomp Aja. Sakie and Gami proceeded to count 3, giving Hikari the

unofficial win. Aja got a measure of revenge though, sneaking in a headbutt after presenting

Hikari a bouquet of flowers.

4/14/99

THE FIRST STARLET: Aja Kong & La Galactica 2000 vs. Mari Apache & Fabi Apache. Digest

THE SECOND STARLET: Hiromi Yagi (free) vs. Yumi Fukawa. Good match, but unfortunately

they edited it down to 4 minutes.

THE THIRD STARLET: Aja Kong vs. Rie Tamada. Digest

THE FOURTH STARLET: Aja Kong vs. Michiko Omukai. Digest

THE SEMIFINAL: Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino vs. Candy Okutsu & Ai Fujita (debut). Fujita

is a good athlete and showed a lot of potential. She got to show off some hot moves like a

moonsault and plancha before pinning Akino with a firebird splash. Fujita was the worst of the

four, but she made such a good first impression that she was the one that stole the show, IMO.

***1/4

THE MAIN EVENT Queen of ARSION Title Match: Mariko Yoshida vs. Mikiko Futagami.

This was better than the 12/18/98 Yoshida vs. Candy match to decide who became shodai Queen

of ARSION that won ARSION match of the year for 1998, and is most likely the best ARSION

match to date. Usually the main problem with Yoshida's matches is that it's hard to believe that

any of the near finishes will indeed end the match. However, in this match, there were several

points where it looked like it was over. I attribute this to two things, better selling and better

counter moves. Another improvement was they did a much better job of switching between

standing and the mat, which made the match flow so much better. For the most part, the reason

this was so good is that these two have an incredible amount of ability, especially technically,

and they finally had a match together that reached it's potential. ****1/4

TOURNAMENT ARS ’99 THE FIRST ROUND

Hiromi Yagi vs. Rie Tamada. Rie’s performance here was inexcusably bad because Yagi pretty much did the fast-paced style that Rie is supposed to be good at. It

would have been a good match if Rie wasn’t screwing up, she’s just a step to slow at this point. At least Tamada did a good job of selling her knee. *3/4

Yumi Fukawa vs. Mariko Yoshida. Really beautiful match. Both women were on top of their game displaying smooth, clean technique and doing great counters.

Fukawa just keeps improving, the difference between this match and their match from 5/8/98 is incredible. There Fukawa didn’t know how to counter, here Fukawa

had an answer for everything and it wasn’t like she just watched what say Gami did against Yoshida and copied her. This booking of this show wasn’t good because

it didn’t tell any stories, this was the only match that they really made you care who won. Fukawa was made credible and the fans got into her because she was

trying so hard and doing so well. There were a couple spots where she had Yoshida beat, and this is what the fans wanted to see. Instead, they got a lot of upsets

that just happened without anything being done to make you want to see them. Even though Fukawa lost in the first round, they gave her kanto sho (courageous

fighter award) because her performance was so impressive. Normally I’d have a really hard time giving an 11 ½ minute match such a high rating, but I can’t say

enough about how good this match was. ****

Michiko Omukai vs. Mikiko Futagami. This match was way too short. It was good from a technical standpoint, but there just wasn’t any time to build the match.

Also, these two have the most character in the league, but there really wasn’t time to display it. The spots were good, but they didn’t really have any meaning. **1/4

Aja Kong vs. Candy Okutsu. This was just lame. They spent ¼ of the match playing to the crowd. Then Aja was throwing Candy all over, but Candy is a punk now

so she kept asking for more. Then all of a sudden Candy pins Aja out of nowhere and Aja throws a temper tantrum hitting the mat with her hands and legs like a

three year old. Campy. *

TOURNAMENT ARS ’99 Junkessho

Hiromi Yagi vs. Mariko Yoshida. A good match, but very disappointing given who was involved. They mainly exchanged submission holds, once again not doing

that great of a job of incorporating the pro style spots they did. Kind of like the Yoshida vs. Gami match from ARS ’98 in that it was strong technically, but it just

didn’t really click and you wound up still being disappointed because on paper the match should have been much better. ***

Michiko Omukai vs. Candy Okutsu. Basically a two move match. It didn’t work for Omukai like it did for Goldberg. DUD

SKY FLY DREAM Elimination 6 Woman Tag Match

Mari Apache & Fabi Apache & La Galactica 2000 vs. Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino & Ai Fujita. I can’t believe how good this match was. It seemed like they

practiced this for weeks to get all the spots involving 4-6 people down. The execution and timing weren’t perfect, but it was exciting, well choreographed Lucha.

Everyone was constantly involved and they did a lot of triple spots that they hadn’t done before (at least not on a comm tape). Another good thing about the match

was it was unpredictable. ***1/2

TOURNAMENT ARS ’99 Kesshosen

Hiromi Yagi vs. Michiko Omukai. Another match that was too short. Both women were really fired up and pulled out all the stops, so it was quite good while it

lasted. I really don’t see why this wasn’t longer though, Omukai had wrestled less than 7 minutes in her first two matches combined and Yagi has no problems with

stamina. They weren’t really over because the booking didn’t go beyond results, so this didn’t have the aura. Omukai winning this was a big surprise, but it seemed

like one that people just weren’t ready for. ***

STARLIGHT ’99 6/30/99 Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Aja Kong REPRODUCE BATTLE 7 FINAL: Aja Kong vs. Yumi Fukawa. I wanted to like this match, but it just wasn’t very good because the execution was

spotty. They just couldn’t get over the size differential even though they really tried to. 1/3 shown. Below average.

TWINSTAR OF ARSION TITLE MATCH: Rie Tamada & Hiromi Yagi vs. Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino. Fast-paced, all action match. Work and spots like all

the TWINSTAR matches have been. Tamada had a good day, but Yagi definitely carried the team. It seems like a waste to have Akino with all the spot wrestlers,

it’s not that she’s not good at it, but she has the potential to be so much more. It just seems ridiculous that even against Yagi, she wouldn’t even do one submission.

After Hamada & Akino won the titles, they got wise with LCO, who was sitting in the crowd toward the back of the hall, giving them the kiss my ass sign. This got

LCO to come to the ring, and Shimoda talked until Fukawa ripped the mic out of her hands. Mita seemed to be acting like Fukawa was a joke. Yoshida & Omukai

wound up in the ring, and Gami seemed ready to fight LCO right there, but Aja got them to go back to their seats. In the dressing room, LCO, who were laughing

the whole time, agreed to accept TamaFuka’s challenge then laughed at them some more. ***1/4

HYPER VISUAL FIGHTING TOURNAMENT SKY 7/25/99 Tokyo Korakuen Hall

ARSION "X" Zone: Rie Tamada & Yumi Fukawa vs. Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda. The match itself was good, but it was done all wrong. It made no sense to

introduce LCO in this manner. I mean, Yumi was the only one that even showed that there was some semblance of a rivalry. It’s pretty simple, if anyone is going to

think it’s a big deal that some evil force has invaded the league, everyone has to fight hard and play their roles right. You can’t be nice or indifferent, it has to look

and feel like something special. Otherwise, what’s the point? A lot of the problem was the match was too long. It needed to be heated right off the bat, but since they

were going over 21 minutes, they didn’t do that much in the first 10. Some things they did were good like Mita acting arrogant and making fun of Yumi’s diminutive

size. It was good that LCO didn’t adopt to ARSION style because why should they start doing things the ARSION way, wrestling like all these women they are in

opposition with? They still had to adjust to Yumi’s submission style, of course. It was a good match because three of the four have too much talent for it not to be,

but anyone with half a brain should have been able to see that doing it in this manner would kill off LCO’s potential as a draw in ARSION. It didn’t help TamaFuka

either because no one gave them a chance to win. I hate the blade, but if there was ever a time for it, this was it. They needed to get LCO over, and they needed to

show TamaFuka wouldn’t give up even though they were really overmatched. Once again, they failed to give the fans a reason to care. ***

HYPER VISUAL FIGHTING TOURNAMENT SKY Hokketsusen (alternate match)

Princess Suhei vs. La Galactica 2000. Only 45 seconds shown.

HYPER VISUAL FIGHTING TOURNAMENT SKY Ikkaisen

Tiger Dream vs. Ayako Hamada. Short spotfest. Could have been smoother and better executed. A big disappointment. Below average.

Mari Apache vs. Linda Starr. Deliberate, but they did some good moves. Really short, but it seemed okay for what it was.

AKINO vs. Gami Metal (Mikiko Futagami). Very good, smooth work. Good fast action, but all these matches are too short. The one good thing about the Gami

Metal gimmick is that Gami can be pretty funny. **1/2

Ai Fujita vs. Chaparita ASARI. They did good moves, but Ai doesn’t have the timing down. Also, for whatever reason, she seemed kind of lethargic. Ai is green,

but this match was what the tournament was supposed to be, a glamourous show of athleticism. *3/4

TOURNAMENT SKY Junkessho

Ayako Hamada vs. Mari Apache. Much better than their ZION ’98 match. Ayako has definitely improved, but the main difference is Mari is way better than she

was then. It was still a spotfest, but they hit their spots now. The highlight was Mari doing a swandive style corkscrew plancha. **1/4

AKINO vs. Chaparita ASARI. ASARI’s work has definitely improved, she seems to almost be back to where she was before she broke her hip in early 1997.

AKINO was also quite good. Once again it was too short to warrant a high rating, but people will like this match for the action. I was most impressed by the speed

they worked at, not so much that it was fast paced, but that the sequences and transitions were so quick. The finish came out of nowhere, but I actually thought it

worked because the sequence was so complicated with all the reversals. ***

THE SEMIFINAL

Aja Kong & Michiko Omukai vs. Mariko Yoshida & Hiromi Yagi. Given who was involved, this match almost had to rule. Unfortunately, we’ll never know because

they only showed 3 minutes of it.

TOURNAMENT SKY Kesshosen

Mari Apache vs. Chaparita ASARI. This was better than I expected. These two worked well together, especially considering it was their first time in the ring

together. It was better than Mari ’s match against Ayako, and Mari has been working with her for a year. ASARI did her sky twister press to the floor and Mari did

a tope con hilo that had impressive height and distance. They didn’t build the match, so when Mari got pinned and I was like, that’s it? **1/2

HYPER VISUAL FIGHTING SUMMER CARNIVAL THE QUEENS 8/6/99 Tokyo Ota-ku Taiikukan

Queen of ARSION Title Match: Mariko Yoshida vs. Aja Kong. **** range

ARSION "Z" Zone Tag Match: Michiko Omukai & Mikiko Futagami vs. Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda. 6:34 shown

HYPER VISUAL FIGHTING TOURNAMENT ZION '99 8/22/99 Tokyo Zepp Tokyo

Tournament Ikkaisen: Rie Tamada vs. Michiko Omukai. *

Tournament Ikkaisen: Hiromi Yagi vs. Aja Kong. 1:53 shown

Tournament Ikkaisen: Yumi Fukawa vs. Mima Shimoda. **1/2

Tournament Ikkaisen: Mikiko Futagami vs. Rie Tamada (subbing for Yoshida). 3:16 shown

Tournament Junkessho: Michiko Omukai vs. Mikiko Futagami. **3/4

Tournament Junkessho: Aja Kong vs. Mima Shimoda. ***

TOURNAMENT SKY Premium: Chaparita ASARI & Mari Apache & Linda Starr & Princess Sujei vs. Candy Okutsu & Ayako Hamada & Mika Akino & Ai

Fujita. **1/2

Tournament Kesshosen: Michiko Omukai vs. Mima Shimoda. **

This tape is a summary of everything that happened from 2/18/99-8/6/99. There are no complete matches, just a ton of highlights. Aside from match highlights,

there's a CAZAI recording session, Hamada+Fujita+Akino at the beach, Omukai's+Fukawa's birthday party, ARSION in Mexico, etc.

ARSION Premium Single VIRGIN '99: Candy Okutsu vs. Yumi Fukawa. 2:25 shown.

Lucha Libre Rule Saiyo (use) Tag Match: Rie Tamada & Linda Starr vs. Ai Fujita & Mari Apache. 3:15 shown.

SKY HIGH OF ARSION TITLE MATCH: Chaparita ASARI vs. Hiromi Yagi. Fast-paced all action match, but not standard ASARI because Yagi was in top

form and made it really great looking wrestling. Everything was so smooth. The sequences, counters, transitions, and bumps were all top notch. Damn good match,

but unfortunately only 4:56 was shown.

ARSION & Toryumon Dream Mix: Magnum Tokyo & MagChama Tokyo vs. Sumo "Daddy Fuji & Mikiko Futagami "Beauty." I'd expect WWF to stoop to the

level, but I was hoping for much better from these four.

QUEEN OF ARSION TITLE MATCH: Aja Kong vs. Mariko Yoshida. The match lacked drama and was too short. **3/4

TWINSTAR OF ARSION TITLE MATCH: Ayako Hamada & AKINO vs. Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita. LCO's best match since the 9/21/97 cage match.

Great really bloody brawl that was designed to make Hamada & AKINO stars to the ARSION fans, and worked because it was laid out so well and everyone

played their role to perfection. LCO mainly destroyed Hamada & AKINO, but Hamada & AKINO showed a ton of heart and just wouldn't stop fighting. They

kept making little comebacks to give the fans, who were actually into it, hope. ****1/2

'99 TWINSTAR OF ARSION Koshiki Leaguesen Kessho Tournament Junkessho: Ayako Hamada & AKINO vs. Michiko Omukai & Yumi Fukawa: Good

fast-paced one dimensional action. 5:59 shown.

'99 TWINSTAR OF ARSION Koshiki Leaguesen Kessho Tournament Junkessho: Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita vs. Aja Kong & Rie Tamada. Aja & Tamada

come to blows so Aja never gets back into the ring. 3:03 shown.

'99 TWINSTAR OF ARSION Koshiki Leaguesen Kessho Tournament Final: Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita vs. Michiko Omukai & Yumi Fukawa. Fukawa

looked really good, but the match was way too short. *1/2