All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling
1/4/92 Korakuen Hall Super Charge Commercial Tape
For the most part AJW ran nearly monthly events at Korakuen Hall. These were not major shows, but the next notch below. These shows always showcased the AJW incredible workrate and this show was no exception. While it wasn't the deepest card in terms of great matches, it did have two classics and the undercard was solid. Actually this was a great show when considering that very few of the workers had reached their working peaks yet. The first four matches weren't memorable, but the final two matches make the tape worth seeing.
It has been a tradition in AJW to have their first event of the calendar year at Korakuen Hall. These shows were often memorable for producing at least one outstanding match. For example, there was Kong vs Hotta in 1994, Toyota/Hasegawa vs Inoues in 1995 and the first AJW vs LLPW trios match in 1993. Just one year before this event Nakano tore it up against Hokuto at Korakuen Hall in a WWWA title match. This event stood out from those in that it produced two classic matches instead of one.
Match 1: Miori Kamiya & Kaoru Ito & Mayumi Yamamoto vs. Tomoko Watanabe & Kazue Saito & Akemi Torisu
The match started with fast but simple action. Everyone but Torisu looked fine but noone stood out. Kamiya seemed to specialize in kicks and submissions alhough nothing nearly as advanced as Hotta
or Yamada. Ito gained a near fall on Saito with two hip attacks. Miori dominated Torisu a bit and gained a couple near falls. Saito and Ito had a fast paced exchange though it was nothing special. Watanabe
gained a near fall on Ito with a powerslam. Ito and Watanabe had a good exchange of offense. Yamamoto gained a near fall on Watanabe with a double arm suplex. Watanabe pinned Ito at 12:59 after a botched
huracanrana. Typical opener, nothing remarkable. *1/4
Match 2: Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Takako Inoue & Mariko Yoshida
Simple work to start, but it was more polished than in the first match. Shimoda gave Yoshida a huracanrana. Mita and Shimoda dominated Takako for a while as the pace slowed. Yoshida and Takako
looked good doubleteaming Shimoda. Mita gained a near fall on Yoshida with a piledriver. Shimoda gained a couple near falls on Yoshida. Yoshida surprised Mita with a sunset flip for a near fall. Takako
used a couple sharp Mexican armdrags on Shimoda and gained a near fall with a double arm suplex. Takako applied a leglock submission on Yoshida. Al four briefly fought at ringside. Yoshida focused
her attack on Shimoda's knee. Mita gained a near fall on Takako with an airplane spin. Mita held Yoshida on her shoulder and Shimoda gave her a flying bodypress for a near fall. Yoshida pinned Shimoda
at 13:38 with la magistral. Solid action, but the work wasn't nearly as polished and advanced as they would produce in later years. **
Match 3: Sakie Hasegawa & Debbie Malenko vs Suzuka Minami & Yumiko Hotta
The action started fast. Hotta looked solid against Hasegawa. Malenko gained an early near fall on Minami with a double arm suplex. Hotta kicked the crap out of Malenko and piledrove her for a near fall.
Minami and Malenko traded the advantage on the mat. Hasegawa did a double arm suplex into something of an inverted double chicken wing on Minami. Malenko applied a dragon sleeper on Minami. She also
dominated Hotta on the mat, including using an STF and a half crab. Hasegawa threw a bunch of dropkicks at her opponents. Minami gained a near fall on Hasegawa with a superplex and another with
a top rope dropkick. Hotta used a flip throw suplex that I believe Jaguar Yokota invented on Hasegawa twice for a near fall. Hotta gained a near fall on Hasegawa with a fisherman suplex. Hasegawa
gained a near fall on Minami with a German suplex. Hotta threw more kicks at Malenko and gained a near fall. Malenko used an Ace crusher on Minami. Hasegawa gave Minami three spinning savate kicks.
She hit a plancha on Minami but Hotta sidestepped a Malenko plancha. Hotta gained a near fall on Malenko with a tiger driver. Hotta gave Malenko a top rope spin kick and Minami pinned her at 15:47 with
a German suplex. A very good match. ***1/4
Match 4: Bull Nakano & Bat Yoshinaga vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura
Kong and Nakano traded offense at the start in their typical toughwoman form. Nakano got the better on Kimura on offense. Yoshinaga's kicks on Kimura looked sharp. Kong's kicks on Yoshinaga were
stiff as usual. Kong and Kimura dominated Yoshinaga for a stretch. Yoshinaga fought back against Kimura using her kicks. Nakano gained a near fall on Kimura with a powerbomb. Kimura caught Nakano
and applied an STF. Nakano did a double clothesline on both opponents. Kong barrelled through Yoshinaga and gained a near fall. Kong gained a couple more near falls on Yoshinaga. Kimura dominated
Yoshinaga and applied a half crab. Nakano applied a cross armbreaker on Kimura. All four women briefly brawled throughout the ringside area and into the crowd. Nakano hit Kimura with her nunchaks.
Kong hit Yoshinaga with a trash can. Kimura hit Yoshinaga with a blazing chop. Yoshinaga hit a top rope dropkick on Kong. Kong and Kimura double superplexed Nakano. Kong back suplexed Yoshinaga
for a near fall. Kong pinned Yoshinaga in 17:33 after a dangerous backdrop off the second rope. Another very good match. Not as glamorous as the last match but more chaotic. ***1/4
Match 5: Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada
Although they had faced off in great singles matches before, this was the first of three genuine classics these two would have against each other. On its own this was a super match, but not nearly
as amazing as their 8/15/92 epic. Neither woman had reached their peak by this point, but both would later in the year. Yamada gained an early advantage with her stiff kicks. She dominated the early
minutes with her matwork. Yamada maintained the advantage until 5:40, when Toyota went on offense using her boomerang attack and two seond rope dropkicks for an early near fall. Toyota focused
her attack on Yamada's legs for a couple minutes. Yamada's kicks continued to be sharp and varied, and she used them along with matowork and submissions to hold Toyota at bay for several minutes.
Yamada held Toyota in a reverse Gory special and gained a near fall at 14:50. Yamada gained a near fall after a superkick and another after a back suplex as action picked up. Toyota gained a near
fall with a northern lights suplex and another with a German suplex. Toyota gave Yamada three second rope dropkicks for a near fall. Yamada came back with a spin kick and several kicks in the corner.
She gained a near fall with a DDT. Toyota German suplexed Yamada for a near fall at 23:08 and gained another near fall with a double arm suplex. Yamada applied a Texas cloverleaf on Toyota at 24:30.
Yamada gained a near fall with a belly to belly suplex and allpied a camel clutch-like chinlock. Toyota dropkicked Yamada four times and hit a double arm suplex for a near fall. Toyota gained a near fall after
a top rope dropkick. After more exchanges of offense and near falls, time expired at the 30 minute mark. Both women petitioned for five more minutes and got them. Toyota gained a near fall with a moonsault.
Yamada gained a near fall with a top rope spin kick and another with a back suplex. The two exchanged near falls at a quick pace but time expired again as Toyota gained a near fall with a moonsault
bodyblock. They were then granted a second five minute overtime. Toyota German suplexed Yamada for a heated near fall. Yamada hit Toyota with several kicks and gained a near fall after a spin
kick. Toyota attempted her superquebrada but Yamada moved and Toyota crashed onto two ring attendants. Toyota German suplexed Yamada as time expired for the third and final time after 40 minutes
of action. Good job done in terms of positioning them as evenly matched against one another. ****1/2
Match 6 (IWA World Title): Kyoko Inoue (champion) vs Akira Hokuto
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An excellent match and in some ways similar to their Dream Rush Match, but this effort was better with more action and stronger pacing. The two traded the advantage early in simple spots designed
to display their athleticism. Hokuto backdropped Kyoko out of the ring and gave her a plancha. Hokuto focused her attack on Kyoko's leg and gave her a piledriver for a near fall at 4:28. Kyoko dropkicked
Hokuto and dominated her for the next couple minutes using submission holds such as a camel clutch and a dragon sleeper. Hokuto turned the tables, gained a near fall, and applied a dragon sleeper
of her own on Kyoko. Kyoko gained a near fall with a suplex and applied a cross armbreaker. Hokuto piledrove Kyoko but Kyoko reversed a flying bodypress attempt for a near fall. Kyoko gave Hokuto
a fallaway slam out of the ring and dove backwards off the middle rope onto Hokuto. Kyoko hit her running top rope elbow on Hokuto and gained a near fall. She then hooked Hokuto in a sharpshooter
at 12:35. Hokuto fought back and gained a near fall after two spin kicks. Hokuto gained another near fall after two top rope dropkicks. Hokuto worked on Kyoko's arms for a couple minutes. Kyoko jumped
off the middle rope with a dropkick on Hokuto but missed her runnning top rope elbow. Kyoko recovered and gave Hokuto a giant swing for a near fall. Hokuto German suplexed Kyoko for a near fall at
19:50. Hokuto nailed Kyoko with her flip plancha seconds later. Kyoko gave Hokuto a springboard clothesline for a near fall and gained another near fall with a German suplex. Hokuto gave Kyoko an
overhead double arm suplex for a near fall at 22:15. Hokuto then gave Kyoko a tiger driver for a heated near fall and gained another with a powerbomb. At 23:38 Hokuto tiger suplexed Kyoko for a near
fall and followed up with a somersault dive off the top rope. Kyoko sidestepped a second flip dive and gave Hokuto a giant swing with her legs in a Texas cloverleaf lock. Kyoko then powerbombed
Hokuto and scored the pin at 24:56 to retain the title. A better organized match than the previous match. ****3/4
The tape started out with an opening ceremony that saw the wrestlers throw balls into the crowd. I believe it was a contest/game in which a few people won certain prizes. This is a tradition of AJW's Korakuen Hall year opening shows. They also aired interviews with the participants before every match and with the winners after each match.