THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #49
AUGUST 12, 2002
Underrated Excellence: Dynamite Kansai
Kyoko Inoue vs Dynamite Kansai 11/20/94
This was a super match with all the great moves and stiffness you would expect. This was probably the best singles match these two had against each other. After an exchange of chops and kicks, the action spilled to the ramp, where Kyoko dove backwards off the second rope with an elbow. She then gave Kansai a giant swing on the ramp. Kansai gave Kyoko a spin kick for an early near fall. Kansai stiffed Kyoko with her usual kicks. Kyoko fought back but Kansai side slammed her and briefly assumed the advantage. Kyoko fought back and used a Romero special. Kansai fought back and applied a sharpshooter followed by an STF. Kansai barreled through Kyoko and gained a near fall. Kyoko gave Kansai a lariat and then a running elbow off the top rope for a near fall. Kyoko went for a powerbomb but Kansai cut her off and gave her several stiff kicks in the corner. Kansai gave Kyoko a lariat on the apron. Kansai went for a splash mountain on the floor but Kyoko fought back. Kyoko gave Kansai a top rope sropkick for a near fall. Kansai kicked Kyoko in the head a few times. Kyoko thwarted another splash monutain attempt but ran into another kick and then a lariat. Kansai then gave Kyoko a splash monutain for a near fall. Kansai went for a splash mountain off the second rope but Kyoko cut her off and jumped off the top rope with an elbow to Kansai's head for a near fall. Kyoko surprised Kansai and gained a near fall. Kansai then gave Kyoko a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Kyoko gave Kansai a belly to belly superplex for a near fall. Kyoko gained a near fall with her Niagara driver and applied her version of the camel clutch. Kansai fought back but Kyoko gave her a lariat. Kansai caught Kyoko on the top rope and then gave her a splash mountain off the second rope for the pin at 17:39. Both women were great and contributed much to the match with their excellent workrate. They had a tough act to follow after the incredible Toyota-Kong classic, but they succeeded in doing so, and created a classic match that was better than their match a year earlier. ****1/2
V-Top Tournament Semifinal Match: Aja Kong vs Dynamite Kansai 11/20/94
Kong immediately hit Kansai with an uraken at the start of the match. Both women clotheslined each other. Kong kicked the crap out of Kansai but Kansai fought back with a kick of her own and a lariat for an early near fall. Kansai applied a half crab on Kong and gave her several stiff kicks before applying a leglock. Kansai continued to dominate Kong on the ground. Kong kicked at Kansai but Kansai maintained the advantage. Kansai piledrove Kong for a near fall. Kong fought back and applied a Fujiwara armbar. Kong gave Kansai two stiff kicks and a second rope splash for a near fall. Kong used a crossface chicken wing and dropped Kansai upside down in the corner. Kong charged the corner but Kansai met her with an elbow. Kansai attempted a top rope splash but met Kong�s feet. Kong back suplexed Kansai for a near fall and hit a more brutal back suplex for another near fall. Kong missed a top rope elbow and Kansai gave her two stiff kicks. Kansai gave Kong two more kicks and nearly scored a knockout win. She gave Kong a splash mountain for a heated near fall. Kansai went for a lariat but Kong gave her an uraken and nearly scored a knockout win. Kong gave Kansai another uraken for a near-knockout. Kansai fought back and gained a near fall. Kong caught Kansai as she climbed the ropes and gave her an uraken and a second rope dangerous backdrop for a near fall. Kong gained another near fall after a second rope elbow and one after a top rope foot stomp. Kansai stiffed Kong with a ton of kicks and blocked a couple uraken attempts. However, Kong ended up connecting with two urakens for a super near fall. Kong gave Kansai a third uraken and scored the pin at 12:24. A super-stiff, flawlessly laid out, dramatic match. Long enough to tell a story but short enough to compensate for their lack of stamina due to their grueling first round matches. ****1/2
Street Fight: Dynamite Kansai vs Mayumi Ozaki 3/17/95
Action began outside the ring and before the bell, with Ozaki attacking Kansai with a chain. Kansai used the chain for leverage as she caught Ozaki and back suplexed her. Kansai choked Ozaki with the chain and hit her with it. Kansai slammed Ozaki and elbowsmashed her for a near fall. Kansai applied a sleeper and wrapped her legs around Ozaki for leverage. The action left the ring with Kansai jumping off the apron with a double axhandle. Kansai threw Ozaki into the barricade but Ozaki fought back and whipped Kansai into the barricade on the other side of the ring. Ozaki rammed Kansai into the barricade and choked her with the chain, standing on the apron while Kansai stood on the floor. Ozaki continued to choke Kansai with the chain after they returned to the ring. Ozaki wrapped the chain around her hand and punched Kansai. Ozaki continued to pound Kansai with the chain, busting her open in the process. Ozaki took the fight into the crowd and threw Kansai into a sea of chairs. Ozaki landed some fairly weak chairshots and whipped Kansai with the chain. Back in the ring Kansai caught Ozaki and dumped her clear out of the ring. Kansai then threw Ozaki into a sea of chairs and piledrove her on a chair amongst the crowd. Kansai actually undid the ring ropes and choked Ozaki with one of the ropes. Chaos ensued as the fight left the arena. Ozaki got the better of Kansai as they brawled down a flight of stairs. They left the building entirely and Kansai clotheslined Ozaki against a building pillar. Kansai clotheslined Ozaki again and gave her a couple kicks before the reentered the building. Kansai dragged Ozaki with the chain as they finally returned to the arena itself and fans popped. Kansai hit Ozaki with a baton or stick of some sort before throwing her back into the ring. Kansai back suplexed Ozaki for a near fall. Ozaki countered a splash mountain with an armdrag. Kansai missed a lariat and Ozaki gave her a tiger suplex for a near fall. Ozaki attacked Kansai with the chain again, including tying Kansai to the ringpost by her neck with it. Ozaki hit Kansai with a chair and gave her some dropkicks to the head. Kansai slumped out of the ring and freed herself but Ozaki whipped her into the barricade. Ozaki wrapped the chain around the chair and gave Kansai more chairshots. Ozaki jumped off the barricade and bulldogged Kansai onto the chair on the floor. Ozaki wrapped a dog collar or something similar around Kansai's neck and tied the chain to the collar. She dragged a bloody Kansai around the ring and hit her with the chain repeatedly. Ozaki whipped Kansai into the barricade twice and bit her. Ozaki DDTd Kansai 3 times for a near fall amist strong heat. Ozaki hit Kansai with the chain and kicked her but Kansai fought back with a lariat. Kansai wrapped the chain around her right arm and gave Ozaki two more lariats. Kansai kicked Ozaki three times, wrapped the chain around her boot and knocked Ozaki out of the ring with two roundhouse kicks to her head. Kansai brought a table into the ring and rammed Ozaki into it. They traded elbows. Kansai missed a kick but countered a tequila sunrise suplex. Ozaki gave Kansai a tiger suplex for a near fall and powerbombed her on the table (flat on the mat) for another heated near fall. Kansai caught Ozaki and went for a splash mountain but Ozaki countered. Kansai caught Ozaki with a roundhouse kick and gave her a back suplex for a near fall. Kansai then set up the table in the middle of the ring and piledrove Ozaki through the table for a very heated near fall. Ozaki countered a splash mountain with an armdrag again and rolled her up for the surprise pin at 22:30. Beautiful match with a perfect ending. The sudden finish was appropriate since Ozaki had to continually outsmart the much larger and stronger Kansai to get ahead. Kansai's continued excellence in her work was very evident here, but this was the Ozaki show, and this match became somewhat legendary as the match where Ozaki's top-notch brawling style emerged. Her selling and pacing really enhanced this match, and probably contributed to the super fan heat. This took place at Hakata Star Lanes, a bulding known for some great wrestling matches but also a building where the fan heat could be fickle. I've seen this building much quieter and less responsive to better matches than this (Toyota/Shimoda vs Ito/Yoshida comes to mind), and it seems that hardcore matches get a better response at this venue than traditional matches. Every near fall had great heat, and most had much meaning as well. If you're a fan of Mita and Shimoda's brawling, and haven't seen this match, I highly recommend getting this on tape in some form. Classic match for its genre, maybe one of the greatest hardcore matches ever, just falling short of being among the top 100 matches of the 1990s. ****1/2
WWWA Title: Aja Kong (c) vs Dynamite Kansai 8/30/95
Kong punched Kansai before the bell and slammed her upside down into the corner. Kong went for a corner splash but Kansai raised herself up and threatened Kong. Kong headbutted Kansai and gave her a second rope backdrop, falling on top of her in the process for a very early near fall. Kong hit a running lariat in the corner and gave Kansai some roundhouse kicks. Kong headbutted Kansai but Kansai kicked her leg and grabbed a headlock. Kong scored with a couple roundhouse kicks and some headbutts. She rammed Kansai into the corner. They traded chops and no-sold the other's blows. They exchanged palm strikes before Kong gained the advantage in a headbutts exchange. Kansai held her own with some headbutts on Kong and gave her some superkicks. Kansai elbowed Kong and gave her some stiff kicks to her left leg before applying a sharpshooter. Kong reached for the ropes but Kansai then applied an STF in a smart move. Kansai applied a modified camel clutch until Kong reached the ropes. They began the knockout gimmick as the ref counted to 7 on Kong. Kansai back suplexed Kong for a near fall and applied a sleeper. Kansai landed more roundhouse kicks but Kong responded with a bunch of headbutts and a couple big roundhouse kicks to Kansai's head. Kong scored with two more roundhouse kicks and nearly gained a KO win on Kansai before Kansai hulked up (well, not exactly but she did stand up quickly) for a pop. Kong suplexed Kansai for a near fall and piledrove her for another near fall. Kong missed a corner splash and Kansai missed a roundhouse kick and got her leg stuck over the top rope. Kong kicked Kansai's leg and stood on it. Kong missed a second rope splash. Kong gave Kansai a dangerous backdrop (her version, falling on her opponent while doing a backdrop) for a near fall and a second rope splash for another near fall. Kansai countered a brainbuster and elbowed Kong. Kong missed an uraken but scored with a roundhouse kick to the back of Kansai's head. Kansai barely answered the count and Kong gave her almost a backdrop driver (landed on her head, but not quite head first) for a heated near fall. Kong hit a top rope elbowsmash for a near fall. Kong missed an uraken and Kansai swept her legs from under her. Kansai landed a sharp roundhouse kick to Kong's head and nearly scored a knockout win. Kansai ran into an uraken and Kong nearly scored a knockout amidst great heat. Kong placed Kansai on the top rope but Kansai tried to fight back. Kong missed an uraken and Kansai slapped her. Kansai caught Kong climbing the ropes with a roundhouse kick to her face for a pop and a near-KO. Kansai attempted a splash mountain but Kong backed her into the ropes and slapped her hard. Kansai caught Kong climbing the ropes with a couple roundhouse kicks and gave her a splash mountain out of the corner for a great near fall as heat reached a fever pitch. Kansai attempted another splash mountain but Kong elbowed her sharp in the face. Kansai scored with a bunch of roundhouse kicks to Kong's right arm and Kong rolled out of the ring. Ringside attendants taped up Kong's arm as drama mounted. Back in the ring Kansai attacked the injured arm with more roundhouse kicks and even got in a few kick to Kong's arm as the ref checked on her. Kansai landed some roundhouse kicks to Kong's body. Kong countered a splash mountain and went for an uraken but Kansai kicked her right (uraken) arm. Kong tried an uraken again but Kansai kicked her arm repeatedly. Kong blocked a splash mountain attempt but Kansai kicked her in the head. Kansai went for a splash mountain again but couldn't hold Kong up and it ended up being more of a regular powerbomb, but it still looked fine and Kansai gained a heated near fall. Kansai placed Kong on the second rope and gave her a splash mountain out of the corner for the pin at 18:11 to win the title as fans came unglued. I can't believe I waited this long to watch this match from start to finish! This was somewhat of a climax of their singles match series dating back two years, and it was a perfect climax, as the chase was finally complete. Not only had Kansai finally gained her first singles win over the supreme monster of joshi puroresu, but JWP had finally claimed the "big sister's" top prize and the top prize in joshi puroresu. Lots to say about this match, and it's all positive. They worked a smart and flawless match from a psychological standpoint, with one of the biggest strengths being they got the fans into it right away and the heat didn't die down at all during the body of the match. Actually, they worked in such a fashion that they convinced fans the match could possibly end anytime after the 5 minute mark, which was amazing because WWWA title matches, like All Japan main events, rarely ended before the 20 minute mark. Kong and Kansai realized that most of the fan interest would be centered around their kicks, Kong's uraken and Kansai's splash mountain, so they built the match around those moves, either using them as potential finishers or as setups for potential submission endings early on. They hit each other very hard throughout the match and almost every kick, elbow, punch, uraken and other strikes landed perfectly and looked so sharp that fans bought them as potential endings. The work in between big spots was more focused than in previous matches, as they only worked submission sequences as long as they could to make them mean something, as opposed to tossing in lengthy submission sequences for the heck of it (see 5/22/94). This match also came across as more than just a toughwoman match (see 11/20/94 match), as this had the feeling of a major world title fight and a great sense of urgency throughout that was missing from their other matches (5/22/94 moreso than 11/20/94, haven't seen their 8/93 match). Not one of the 50 best matches of the 1990s, but definitely a classic match, the best of the Kong-Kansai series, and I think I'll have to rework my list of the top 100 matches of the 1990s! ****1/2
JWP Title: Dynamite Kansai (c) vs Hikari Fukuoka 4/8/97
Kansai hit a running lariat in the corner early. Kansai attempted a German suplex, Fukuoka countered and both women tumbled out of the ring. Kansai gave Fukuoka a bunch of stiff kicks at ringside and suplexed her for an early near fall before applying a sleeper. Kansai then applied a camel clutch and gave Fukuoka a couple kicks on the apron. Kansai applied a sharpshooter on Fukuoka and attacked her right leg. Kansai locked on an STF. Fukuoka fought back with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Kansai attempted a back suplex but Fukuoka countered with a headlock takedown. Fukuoka went for a handspring elbow in the corner but Kansai caught her and dumped her over the top rope to the floor. Kansai whipped Fukuoka into the barricade twice. Fukuoka fought back and whipped Kansai into the barricade twice as well. Fukuoka hit a top rope dropkick but Kansai recovered and gave Fukuoka a splash mountain. Kansai threw more stiff kicks at Fukuoka and back suplexed her for a near fall. Kansai attempted a splash mountain but Fukuoka countered with a sunset flip for a near fall. Fukuoka German suplexed Kansai twice for a near fall and gained another with a third back suplex. Fukuoka hit a top rope moonsault for a near fall and gave Kansai a koppo kick. Fukuoka missed a top rope somersault dropkick and Kansai knocked her for a loop with a lariat for a near fall. Kansai scored with two more lariats for a near fall. Kansai hit a second rope dropkick and gave Fukuoka a Saito suplex. Kansai then gave Fukuoka a splash mountain for a near fall as heat increased. Kansai attempted a second rope splash mountain, Fukuoka countered, Kansai went to throw a kick but Fukuoka caught her leg and sent her to the floor. Fukuoka hit an Orihara moonsault on Kansai. Back in the ring Fukuoka hit a top rope flip dropkick for a near fall. Fukuoka nailed a second top rope flip dropkick for a near fall. She missed a moonsault foot stomp and Kansai flattened her with more roundhouse kicks. Kansai gained a near fall after a roundhouse kick to Fukuoka�s head. Kansai went for a splash mountain but Fukuoka countered at the last minute with a huracanrana for a great near fall. Kansai attempted a roundhouse kick but Fukuoka caught her leg and gave her a modified fisherman buster for a near fall. Fukuoka gave Kansai her top rope moonsault foot stomp for a heated near fall. Fukuoka hit a second moonsault foot stomp and pinned Kansai at 20:26 to win the title. A super match that doesn�t get the acclaim it deserves. It was very reminiscent of the Toyota-Kong battles (including one reviewed above) with Kansai being the heavyweight beast and Fukuoka being the underdog, athletic heroine. Probably Fukuoka�s best singles match. ****1/2
Next Issue: Kawada vs Kobashi
BACK TO THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA MENU
HOME