THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE # 71
AUGUST 18, 2003

Great Partners, Greater Rivals: Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada

Manami Toyota and Toshiyo Yamada were the star graduates of the All Japan Women Class of 1986, a talented group that also included Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda. Beginning in 1989, Toyota and Yamada often found themselves on opposite sides of the ring from each other. They had their first noteworthy singles showdown in 1991, but it was the year 1992 that really ignited and defined their careers. Soon after a memorable 40:00 overtime draw to kick off the year, they would gain momentum as a tag team, and won the WWWA Tag Team title on their way to becoming one of the greatest in-ring teams in the history of wrestling. At the same time, their rivalry also gained momentum, highlighted by two of the greatest matches of 1992 and in joshi puroresu history. This article takes a look at 5 of the most memorable matches that showcased one of wrestling�s greatest dual partnerships/rivalries ever.

3/7/92 All Japan Women UWA Tag Team Title: Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada (c) vs Suzuka Minami & Yumiko Hotta

Toyota jumped off the top rope and armdragged Minami. Yamada came off the top rope and hit Minami�s arm. Minami countered a spinning kick and back suplexed Yamada. Minami headlocked Yamada but Yamada back suplexed her. Yamada DDTd Minami and elbowed her. Yamada dropkicked Minami and gave Hotta a hairmare. Toyota gave Hotta her boomerang attack of 5 consecutive dropkicks and gave her a second rope dropkick for a near fall. Toyota gave Hotta a top rope forearm for a near fall. Yamada applied a leglock but Hotta reached the ropes. Yamada kicked Hotta�s leg and applied an over-the-neck half crab. Yamada legdropped Hotta�s leg and Toyota legdropped her leg twice. Toyota applied what looked like a Boston crab hold except both women�s backs were on the mat. Toyota then turned Hotta over and applied a half crab. Toyota bent Hotta�s legs back and applied a modified Mutolock by hooking Hotta�s arms instead of her head. Toyota pounced on Hotta�s leg in the ropes. Hotta elbowed Yamada and Minami dropkicked her. Minami elbowed Yamada and piledrove her for a near fall. Minami applied a chinlock on Yamada but Toyota intervened with a top rope axhandle. Minami applied a camel clutch on Yamada and Hotta added a roundhouse kick. Minami gave Yamada a bow and arrow but Yamada escaped. Minami applied a front chancery and suplexed Yamada for a near fall. Hotta gave Yamada a top rope elbow strike for a near fall and piledrove her for another near fall. Hotta applied a Boston crab and then a half crab on Yamada. Hotta gave Yamada a torture rack and gave her a flip slam to the mat for a near fall. Minami gave Yamada a top rope elbow to the back and stomped her. Minami kneed Yamada in the back and applied a modified half crab. Minami gave Yamada a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall and applied a cobra twist. Minami rolled up Yamada for a near fall. Hotta and Minami drove Yamada�s legs into the mat. Hotta scored with a bunch of roundhouse kicks on Yamada and double arm suplexed her for a near fall. Hotta suplexed Yamada for a near fall and applied a camel clutch. Hotta attacked Yamada with more kicks. Yamada went for a sunset flip but Minami punched her. Yamada hiptossed Minami and Toyota gave her two second rope dropkicks. Toyota gave Minami a top rope shouldertackle for a near fall. Toyota German suplexed Minami for a near fall and gave her a rolling cradle for another near fall. Toyota gave Minami a double overhook suplex for a near fall. Toyota stomped Minami�s leg and applied a double chicken wing/cradle submission. Toyota double arm suplexed Minami for a near fall. Yamada whipped Minami into the corner and gave her a running lariat. Yamada gave Minami 5 roundhouse kicks in the corner and a bunch of kicks to her leg. Yamada also kicked Minami�s back and gave her a sharp spinning kick for a near fall. Yamada appeared to go for her Gori special suplex on Minami but instead dropped her to the mat. Yamada legdropped Minami and applied a cobra clutch. Yamada snap suplexed Minami for a near fall. Toyota gave Minami a flying bodypress for a near fall. Minami caught Toyota on the top rope and superplexed her. Hotta gave Toyota a few roundhouse kicks and an overhead flip powerbomb for a near fall. Hotta lifted Toyota in a torture rack and flipped her to the mat for a near fall. Hotta cradle suplexed Toyota for a near fall. Minami gave Toyota a Takako panic of sorts and a top rope high kick for a near fall. Minami gave Toyota a double arm backbreaker for a near fall and German suplexed her for another near fall. Minami powerbombed Toyota for a near fall. Hotta went for a backdrop but Toyota dropkicked her. Yamada grabbed Hotta�s leg but Hotta gave her an enzuguiri. Yamada whipped Hotta into the corner but missed a spinning kick and Hotta gave her a spin kick of her own. Hotta gave Yamada a tiger driver for a near fall. Hotta German suplexed Yamada for a near fall. Minami missed a lariat and Yamada gave her 3 enzuguiris. Yamada back suplexed Minami for a near fall. Toyota gave Minami a sloppy Toyota roll for a near fall. Toyota missed a lariat and Minami went to German suplex her but Yamada gave her a top rope lariat. Hotta gave Yamada a top rope spin kick for a near fall. Hotta slammed Yamada but Minami missed a top rope senton. Yamada and Toyota gave Minami simultaneous lariats. Yamada flipped Minami and placed her in the corner. The champs gave Minami a back superplex with Minami being flipped onto her face and Yamada gained a near fall. Yamada slammed Minami but Toyota missed a moonsault. Hotta went to give Toyota a tiger driver but Yamada gave her a lariat. Hotta kicked Yamada out of the ring but Toyota then dropkicked Hotta out of the ring. Toyota took out Yamada with a plancha when Hotta moved. Minami then hit Hotta with a tope when Yamada moved. Toyota took out both opponents with a superquebrada. Hotta countered a superplex and slammed Toyota to the mat. Hotta missed a top rope elbowsmash and Toyota tiger suplexed her for a near fall. Minami caught Toyota on the top rope and Hotta gave her a second rope flip powerbomb for a near fall. Hotta gave Toyota a tiger driver for a near fall and Minami added a top rope splash for another near fall. Toyota countered a dragon suplex and dropkicked Hotta. Hotta was double back suplexed and Toyota gave her a top rope in-ring quebrada. Yamada gave Hotta a top rope enzuguiri for the pin at 22:49 to retain the title. A super match with the typical vintage Zenjo workrate. What made this match as great as it was was that Minami carried a substantial portion of the work for her team, leaving Hotta to work shorter segments and/or use her kicks to contribute to the match. Minami was a Shiro Koshinaka type worker in that she was very dependable and could always be called upon for a great match but never became a top star because she lacked something extra to make her stand out from the talent pool including Toyota, Yamada, Kyoko Inoue, Akira Hokuto and others. Yamada was at the top of her game with her sharp, well-executed quick kick sequences and smooth work in general. Toyota was the best worker of the match by a small margin, if only because as usual she was the most spectacular worker of the four. The match never dragged and they went to near falls halfway through the match. Much of the final 10 minutes contained hot action and good fan heat. Not quite a classic because it lacked 2 or 3 dramatic near falls to make it stand out from the crowd of great Zenjo matches in the year 1992 alone. ****1/4

3/20/92: WWWA Tag Team Title Best of 3 Falls: Jungle Jack (Aja Kong & Bison Kimura) (c) vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada

Toyota German suplexed Kong at the bell for a near fall. Kong gave both opponents a cross bodyblock. Kimura gave Toyota three hairmares and rammed her face into the mat. Kimura raked Toyota�s face across the top rope and lifted her by her hair before slamming her to the mat. Kimura stomped Toyota and Kong gave her some stiff kicks. Kong gave Toyota a foot stomp and bounced her off the ropes. Kong dropkicked Toyota for a near fall. Kong repeatedly tossed Toyota around by her hair for a near fall. Kong headbutted Toyota for a near fall. Kimura headlocked Toyota but Toyota pushed her into the corner. Kimura stomped Toyota but telegraphed a backdrop and Toyota gave her a backslide. Yamada punched Kimura but missed a spin kick. Yamada kicked Kimura and went to give her a Gori special suplex but flipped her to the mat. Yamada scored with a bunch of roundhouse kicks and a spinning savate kick to the back of Kimura�s head. Yamada DDTd Kimura for a near fall and applied a half crab. Kong hit Yamada with her oil can. Yamada took down Kimura and kicked her leg. Yamada whipped Kimura into the corner but missed a kick. Kimura went for a blazing chop but Yamada gave her a high kick. Yamada gave Kimura a lariat but Kimura chopped her. Yamada countered a piledriver and backdropped Kimura but Kimura held on and rolled her up for a near fall. Kong hit Kimura with the oil can when Yamada moved. Toyota gave Kimura a Toyota roll for a near fall. Kimura was given a double back suplex. Kong knocked Yamada off the top rope. Kong and Kimura gave Toyota a lariat and Kong slammed her. Kimura missed a top rope headbutt and Toyota gave her an ocean cyclone suplex for the pin to win the first fall (5:08 aired of about 11-12 minutes of action).
Kong hit Toyota with a chair at the start of the second fall and dragged her through the crowd. Kong hit Toyota with a table as Kimura threw Yamada into a sea of chairs and hit her with a chair. Kimura gave Yamada another chairshot in the crowd. Kong threw Toyota into some chairs and gave her some chairshots. Yamada went after Kong but Kong headbutted her. Kimura and Toyota finally returned to the ring and Kimura placed Toyota on the top rope. Kimura tossed Toyota to the mat for a near fall. Kong hit Yamada with a section of a barricade in the crowd. Kimura gave Toyota a fallaway slam for a near fall. Kimura gave Toyota a blazing chop for a near fall. Kong piledrove Toyota on a chair but the ref wouldn�t count the pin because of the blatant chair use. Kong gave Toyota a few chairshots and a piledriver for a near fall. Kong kicked Toyota and went after Yamada on the apron. Kimura rammed Toyota into the mat and applied a camel clutch. Kimura repeatedly stomped Toyota and countered a suplex with an elbow. Kimura missed a blazing chop and Toyota German suplexed her for a near fall. Yamada kicked Kimura and gave her a high kick. Yamada scored with a couple jumping kicks and gave Kimura a spinning kick. Yamada kicked and punched Kong. Yamada gave Kong a spinning kick and a second spin kick. Yamada missed a third spinning kick and Kong gave her a lariat. Kong whipped Yamada into the corner but missed a lariat. Kong gave Yamada an uraken for a near fall and slammed Toyota when she tried to intervene. Kong German suplexed Yamada for a near fall. Kimura lifted Toyota in a backbreaker and slammed her upside down into the corner. Kong then slammed Yamada into Toyota and gave then both a corner splash. Kong gave Yamada a second rope powerbomb for the pin to win the second fall (7:42 aired).
Kong kicked Yamada twice and piledrove her for a near fall. Kong kicked Yamada and sat on her. Kong scored with a roundhouse kick and back suplexed Yamada for a near fall. Kimura back suplexed Yamada for a near fall. Kimura whipped Yamada into the corner and gave her a blazing chop. Kimura pelted Yamada with a bunch of chops and gave her a hairmare. Kimura gave Yamada an overhead slam for a near fall and applied a sleeper but Yamada collapsed into the ropes. Kimura snapmared Yamada and applied a chinlock. Yamada escaped with some knees to Kimura�s head and tagged Toyota. Kimura kicked Toyota and stomped her. Kimura placed Toyota on the top rope and went for a superplex but Toyota fell on top of her. Toyota stomped Kimura and gave her a boomerang attack of 3 dropkicks. Toyota gave Kimura a second rope missile dropkick and a regular second rope dropkick for a near fall. Toyota missed a dropkick and Kimura applied an STF but Yamada kicked her to break the hold. Kimura then reapplied the STF on Toyota and gave her 3 blazing chops for a near fall. Kong gave Toyota two flying tackles for a near fall. Kong gave Toyota a dangerous backdrop for a near fall. Kimura slammed Toyota but missed a legdrop. Yamada superkicked Kimura and gave her some quick roundhouse kicks. Yamada gave Kimura a spinning kick but Kimura fought back with a blazing chop. Kimura countered a rollup and stomped Yamada. Kimura gave Yamada 3 blazing chops for a near fall. Kong slammed Yamada and Kimura gave her a top rope headbutt. Kong missed a flying bodypress on Yamada and Toyota dropkicked Kimura. Yamada gave Kong two top rope enzuguiris for a near fall. Yamada slammed Kong but Toyota missed a moonsault. Toyota landed on her feet and gave Kong a rolling cradle for a near fall. Kimura intervened but Yamada threw her out of the ring. Kong countered a back suplex with a double enzu-lariat on the challengers. They tripped Kong, however. Toyota went for a flying bodypress, Kong caught her, but Yamada kicked Kong and Toyota rolled her up for a near fall. Yamada threw Kimura out of the ring and hit a plancha. Toyota German suplexed Kong for a heated near fall and German suplexed her again for another heated near fall. Toyota and Yamada back suplexed Kong and Yamada gained a near fall. Toyota gave Kong a second rope dropkick and Yamada back suplexed her for a near fall. Toyota and Yamada clotheslined each other when Kong moved. Kong missed a corner splash and the challengers placed her on the top rope. They gave Kong a back superplex and flipped her onto her face. Yamada then pinned Kong to win the third fall, match and title (10:29 aired of 15:00 total). An excellent, dramatic match with two contrasting teams that worked well together. Good storyline in how the challengers won the first fall by largely controlling the pace and tone of the match, while Jungle Jack reverted to their wild brawling style and thus won the second fall. Great start to the match with Toyota German suplexing Kong and fans actually popped for the near fall, a tribute to the occasional unpredictability of Zenjo-booked best of 3 falls matches. Third fall was dramatic with multiple hot tags and several dramatic near falls. That�s the one aspect that was better than the 3/7/92 match: while the actual work wasn�t as great, this match had far more drama, heated near falls and an overall sense of urgency. The weak point was the brawling in the crowd as too much of it was a walking tour around Korakuen Hall. Other than that, Kong and Kimura were solid with Kong looking particularly sharp in her strikes and heavyweight offense. Toyota and Yamada were both great in their offensive flurries, including their double team spots. Logical finish in having a double team move put the future WWWA champ away instead of an individual finisher. The match was actually about 10-12 minutes longer than what aired, and I wouldn�t be surprised if the editing actually made the match look better than it was. However, I�ll rate it based on what aired. ****1/4

1/4/92: Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada

Yamada slapped Toyota but Toyota responded with a bunch of slaps and dropkicked Yamada. Toyota suplexed Yamada and applied a bodyscissors. Yamada pounded Toyota from the mount to escape and gave Toyota several roundhouse kicks. Yamada slammed Toyota and applied a headlock on the mat. Yamada took Toyota down but Toyota mounted her. Yamada applied a bodyscissors and mounted Toyota for a near fall. Yamada superkicked Toyota and applied a Boston crab but Toyota quickly reached the ropes. Toyota took down Yamada but Yamada reached the ropes. Yamada kicked Toyota�s leg and gave her a spinning kick to her back. Yamada scored with a bunch of roundhouse kicks to different parts of Toyota�s body including some in the corner. Toyota cross bodyblocked Yamada for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada her boomerang attack of 3 dropkicks and gave her a second rope dropkick for a near fall. Toyota applied a Boston crab-like hold with both their backs on the mat. Toyota then turned Yamada over and applied a half crab. Toyota crossed Yamada�s legs and bent them back. Toyota hooked Yamada�s right leg and bridged back to apply a headlock in what looked like an inverted Mutolock. Yamada gave Toyota a judo throw for a near fall but missed a spinning kick. Yamada superkicked Toyota. Toyota blocked a spinning kick but Yamada gave her an enzuguiri. Yamada gave Toyota a lariat and applied her overhead half crab. Yamada also applied an armbar and held Toyota�s head down with her knee. Toyota whipped Yamada into the corner and went for a sunset flip but Yamada blocked it for a near fall. Toyota tried to counter but Yamada gave her this cool suspended (in the air) surfboard by holding Toyota up with her arms and legs. Yamada applied a legbar and snap suplexed Toyota. Yamada legdropped Toyota for a near fall and applied a legbar again. Toyota kicked at Yamada�s head to escape and applied a legbar of her own. Yamada reached the ropes after a struggle. Toyota whipped Yamada into the corner but missed a dropkick. Yamada gave Toyota an enzuguiri but missed a dropkick in the corner. Yamada spin kicked Toyota and teased the Gori special suplex but instead dropped her hard to the mat. Yamada side slammed Toyota for a near fall and applied a half crab. Yamada telegraphed a backdrop but took down Toyota and pulled her up by her hair. Toyota gave Toyota gave Yamada a drop toehold but Yamada reached the ropes. Yamada superkicked Toyota and legdropped her for a near fall. Toyota countered a piledriver with a backdrop but Yamada sunset flipped her for a near fall. Yamada superkicked Toyota for a near fall and applied a Boston crab. Toyota escaped and rolled up Yamada for a near fall. Toyota missed a lariat and Yamada back suplexed her for a near fall. Yamada went for a back suplex but Toyota fell on top of her for a near fall. Toyota northern lights suplexed Yamada for a near fall and rolled her up for another near fall. They traded rollups for near falls. Toyota German suplexed Yamada for a near fall and gave her a second rope dropkick. Toyota hit 3 more second rope dropkicks for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada a double overhook suplex for a near fall. Toyota applied a double chicken wing cradle submission in which she rolled up Yamada with her legs. Yamada spin kicked Toyota. Yamada whipped Toyota into the corner and gave her a running lariat and some roundhouse kicks. Yamada gave Toyota a spinning kick and more roundhouse kicks. Yamada scored with two more spinning kicks and DDTd Toyota for a near fall. Yamada dumped Toyota out of the ring. Toyota countered a roundhouse kick with a dragon screw and dropkicked Yamada. Toyota gave Yamada a top rope flying forearm for a near fall and German suplexed her for another near fall. Toyota double arm suplexed Yamada for a near fall and slammed her but missed a legdrop. Yamada gave Toyota several more roundhouse kicks for a near fall and applied a Texas cloverleaf. Toyota hit Yamada and belly to belly suplexed her for a near fall. Yamada landed some punches and elbowed Toyota. Yamada belly to belly suplexed Toyota for a near fall. Yamada gave Toyota more kicks and legdropped her. Yamada applied a camel clutch and gave Toyota a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall. Yamada went for a backdrop but Toyota dropkicked her. Toyota gave Yamada 3 more dropkicks and a double arm suplex for a near fall. Toyota suplexed Yamada for a near fall and gave her a second rope dropkick for another near fall. Yamada fought back with several roundhouse kicks and a spinning kick. Yamada landed some elbows but Toyota gave her a victory roll out of the corner for a near fall. Toyota missed a lariat but countered a dragon suplex. Yamada gave Toyota a urunage for a near fall. Yamada telegraphed a backdrop and Toyota rolled her up for a near fall. Yamada blocked a rolling cradle and countered a German suplex with a rollup for a near fall. Yamada German suplexed Toyota for a near fall and time expired at 30:00. Both women asked for 5 more minutes and the ref obliged. Toyota went after Yamada right away and slammed her. Toyota moonsaulted Yamada for a heated near fall. Toyota elbowed Yamada for a near fall and gave her a cross bodyblock. Toyota suplexed Yamada for a near fall. Yamada scored with a roundhouse kick and gave Toyota a top rope spinning kick for a near fall. Yamada back suplexed Toyota for a near fall and gave her two jumping kicks. Yamada snap suplexed Toyota for a near fall and applied a double arm submission on the mat. Yamada back suplexed Toyota for a near fall. Toyota punched Yamada and piledrove her for a near fall. Toyota piledrove Yamada again (almost dropping her like a tiger driver �91 actually) for a near fall. Yamada countered a third piledriver with a backdrop but Toyota then piledrove her again for a near fall. Toyota countered a tilt-a-whirl slam but Yamada kicked her. Yamada went for a side slam but Toyota dropkicked her. Toyota missed a top rope flying forearm. Yamada went for a Gori special suplex, Toyota countered, but Yamada dropped her forward face first on the mat for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada a moonsault bodyblock for a near fall as time expired again. Toyota kept going after Yamada but missed an in-ring quebrada. Yamada belly to belly suplexed Toyota and gained a near fall as the ref granted them another 5 minutes. Yamada superkicked Toyota and gave her a lariat. Yamada missed a lariat and Toyota German suplexed her for a near fall. Toyota slammed Yamada but missed a top rope headbutt. Yamada gave Toyota a couple roundhouse kicks and a spinning kick. Yamada landed more kicks and legdropped Toyota for a near fall. Yamada spin kicked Toyota for a near fall and piledrove her twice for another near fall. Yamada whipped Toyota into the corner but missed a kick and Toyota rolled her up for a near fall. Toyota missed a dropkick and Yamada kinda catapulted her into the ropes in a sloppy spot. Toyota kicked Yamada and dumped her to the apron. Toyota kicked Yamada off the apron but missed her superquebrada on Yamada. Yamada missed two spinning kicks and missed a third kick. Toyota went for a suplex but couldn�t pick up Yamada. Yamada kicked Toyota and gave her an enzuguiri. Toyota knocked Yamada off the top rope and gave her a tiger suplex for a near fall as time expired for good at 40:00. Just one question: why didn�t Toyota ever attempt her ocean cyclone suplex? An interesting match in terms of how it was laid out. They never worked at the break neck speed one would expect and you could tell very early on they were going long. They traded holds and did more submissions early than expected and at a slower than usual pace, but it wasn�t like they were wasting time with restholds at all. They did mix in enough highspots to keep it interesting and enough near falls starting at 15:00 to keep one guessing about the finish. The match was excellent, but never really kicked into overdrive even during the final few minutes of regulation time. They did work well enough that fans chanted for five more minutes, and they popped when overtime was granted. Great execution not only in starting overtime just seconds after time expired, but also in the quick near fall to get fans into the match like you would expect during a closing stretch. Both overtimes contained hotter action and pacing than the 30:00 period as well as a greater sense of urgency. A few sloppy spots also, but they seemed to be the product of an exhausting effort and were forgivable since they came across as such. While both women were great, this was one time where I thought Yamada was the better worker of the two. The fact that much of the match was fought in a less spectacular style than usual seemed to play more to Yamada�s strengths, those being her kicks and overall mat skill. The booking did a great job of getting across the idea that they were equals in stature because of the evenness of the match. Their later singles matches were better, but this was a fantastic match that kicked off their rivalry/partnership dual roles in fine fashion. ****1/2

6/21/92 1992 Japan Grand Prix Tournament: Manami Toyota vs Toshiyo Yamada

Toyota ducked a lariat and gave Yamada a rolling cradle for a near fall fans really got into. Toyota hit a second rope dropkick for a near fall and gave Yamada a double arm suplex for another near fall. Toyota applied a chinlock but Yamada countered and Toyota turned it into a headlock. Toyota gave Yamada a lariat and applied a chinlock. Toyota then added a bodyscissors for leverage. Toyota stomped Yamada but Yamada superkicked her. Yamada scored with some stiff roundhouse kicks and a spinning kick. Yamada side slammed Toyota for a near fall. Yamada kicked Toyota�s leg and applied a half crab. Yamada gave Toyota�s left leg a bunch of kicks but Toyota fought back with two flying forearms. Toyota gave Yamada a top rope flying forearm for a near fall and a piledriver for another near fall. Toyota snapmared Yamada and applied a headscissors. Yamada turned Toyota over and escaped. Yamada gave Toyota two brutal roundhouse kicks, whipped her into the corner and gave her a running lariat. Yamada delivered a bunch of roundhouse kicks in the corner and a roundhouse kick to Toyota�s head. Yamada whipped Toyota into the corner and gave her a running lariat. Yamada DDTd Toyota for a near fall and applied her overhead half crab. Yamada bent Toyota�s head back with her leg for added leverage. Yamada kicked Toyota and lifted her in a Gori special suplex but instead dumped her back to the mat. Yamada scored with several brutal roundhouse kicks and a spinning kick. Toyota caught Yamada�s leg in attempting a kick and applied an ankle lock but Yamada quickly reached the ropes. Toyota applied a leglock on Yamada but Yamada reached the ropes. Toyota refused to break the hold and they both tumbled out of the ring with Toyota maintaining the hold on the floor. Toyota threw Yamada into some chairs at ringside and Yamada sold the damage to her leg. Toyota kicked Yamada and gave her a Toyota roll for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada her boomerang attack of 3 dropkicks and hit a sharp second rope dropkick for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada a cross arm overhead suplex for a near fall. They hit simultaneous lariats but Yamada gave Toyota two sharp kicks. Yamada gave Toyota two enzuguiris and a spin kick for a near fall. Yamada applied a cobra twist and gave Toyota a 360 spin kick for a near fall. Yamada gave Toyota a top rope elbow strike for a near fall and snap suplexed her for another near fall. Yamada applied a camel clutch and then a chinlock. Yamada scored with a bunch of kicks but Toyota elbowed her. Toyota pounded Yamada and dumped her to the apron but Yamada applied a sleeper in the ropes. Toyota elbowed Yamada to break the hold and kicked her off the apron. Toyota gave Yamada a dropkick between the ropes but missed a plancha. Yamada jumped off the apron with a spin kick on Toyota on the floor. Yamada missed a spin kick and a lariat but countered a German suplex with an elbow. Toyota did a neat German suplex counter but Yamada rolled her up for a near fall. Yamada mule kicked Toyota and flipped her up onto the top rope. Yamada went for a back superplex but Toyota landed on her feet. Toyota kicked Yamada and double arm suplexed her for a near fall. Yamada caught Toyota on the top rope and belly to belly superplexed her. Yamada hit a top rope enzuguiri for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada an in-ring quebrada for a near fall and slammed her. Toyota moonsaulted Yamada for a near fall but missed a second rope dropkick. Yamada applied a Texas cloverleaf on Toyota. Toyota reached the ropes after a struggle. Yamada slammed Toyota�s leg into the mat and legdropped her for a near fall. Yamada applied almost a half crab but with both women on their backs. Toyota whipped Yamada into the corner and sunset flipped her for a near fall. Yamada gave Toyota several stiff roundhouse kicks and belly to belly suplexed her. Yamada applied a chinlock and Toyota struggled to reach the ropes. Yamada went for a backdrop but Toyota dropkicked her. Toyota cross bodyblocked Yamada and slammed her but missed a top rope headbutt and Yamada side slammed her for a near fall. Yamada side slammed Toyota 3 more times for a near fall. Yamada went for a side slam but Toyota kicked her. Yamada countered a piledriver but Toyota sunset flipped her for a near fall. Yamada ducked a lariat and dragon suplexed Toyota for a near fall. Yamada whipped Toyota into the corner but missed a running lariat and Toyota German suplexed her for a near fall. Toyota German suplexed Yamada for a near fall and gave her a cross arm German suplex for another near fall. Yamada blocked a superplex, Toyota knocked her off the top rope and they both tumbled to the floor. Toyota stomped Yamada and hit her superquebrada. Yamada countered a tiger suplex by lunging for the ropes. Yamada blocked a dropkick and back suplexed Toyota for a near fall. Toyota tiger suplexed Yamada for a near fall and slammed her. Toyota went for a moonsault but crashed onto Yamada�s knees. Yamada gave Toyota two top rope enzuguiris for a heated near fall. Toyota caught Yamada on the top rope and gave her a double arm suplex to the mat for a heated near fall. Yamada countered an ocean cyclone suplex and gave Toyota her Gori special suplex for the pin at 26:17. This was better than their 1/4/92 match in almost every way I can think of. Better plotted, more heat, more dramatic near falls, more action, a greater sense of urgency, better execution, more stiffness in the strikes, etc. Yamada�s kicks were unusually stiff even by her standards and sounded similar to kicks from someone like the much larger Aja Kong. She was exceptional in her work as was usual back in 1992. In fact, while Toyota already seemed to be the top joshi worker by 1992, Yamada might have been the second best joshi worker from what I�ve seen. Toyota was her usual intense, athletically spectacular self and the better worker of this match, unlike their 1/4/92 match. The difference here was Toyota�s considerably sharper execution, as only one or two of her spots were sloppy this time around. This match was plotted really well, with the opening cradle at the start being a highlight. The matwork and submissions were excellent, particularly from Yamada, while Toyota�s comebacks and offensive flurries were fun to watch. If I were to nit pick, I would like to have seen a longer exchange of near falls in the closing minutes, and given how they worked the match they could have teased the 30:00 time limit. However, they didn�t need to. The finish was effective because it got over Yamada�s finisher while maintaining mystique as to the potential effectiveness of Toyota�s finisher. I got the impression Toyota and Yamada didn�t often use their signature finishers that often back in 1992, but I could be wrong. This was a masterpiece and from a technical wrestling standpoint, the best match of their series. *****

8/15/92 IWA Title, Hair vs Hair: Manami Toyota (c) vs Toshiyo Yamada

Toyota went for a suplex right away but Yamada lunged for the ropes. Toyota went for a dropkick at the same time Yamada went for a spin kick. They locked up and threw simultaneous kicks. Yamada went after Toyota�s arm and Toyota countered but Yamada caught her and DDTd her. Yamada slammed Toyota for a near fall. Toyota applied a headlock on the mat and gained a near fall. Toyota slammed Yamada and legdropped her. Yamada caught Toyota off guard with a rollup for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada two dropkicks and a double arm suplex for a near fall. Toyota applied a chinlock on Yamada and then applied a bodyscissors. Yamada struggles to reach the ropes. Yamada gave Toyota a judo throw for a near fall and applied a sleeper. Yamada also applied a bodyscissors for added leverage. Yamada turned Toyota over and applied a camel clutch. Yamada whipped Toyota into the corner and gave her a running lariat. Yamada gave Toyota a bunch of roundhouse kicks in the corner including one kick to the head. Yamada gave Toyota a spinning savate kick and a side slam for a near fall. Yamada applied her overhead half crab on Toyota and lifted her off the mat while maintaining the hold. Yamada spun Toyota around before dumping her to the mat for a near fall. Yamada went for a Boston crab but Toyota kicked her away. Toyota blocked a kick and went for an ankle lock but Yamada quickly reached the ropes. Toyota gave Yamada a Romero special. Toyota missed a flying forearm and Yamada countered a Toyota roll for a near fall. Toyota whipped Yamada into the corner and sunset flipped her for a near fall. Yamada superkicked Toyota and gave her some roundhouse kicks. Yamada gave Toyota a spinning savate kick and some roundhouse kicks to her leg and back. Yamada snap suplexed Toyota and gave her some stiff roundhouse kicks to her back and head. Yamada threw more kicks at Toyota�s leg and gave her a sharp spinning savate kick for a near fall. Yamada applied a half crab and gave Toyota a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall. Yamada threw more stiff kicks to Toyota�s back and applied a half crab as heat mounted. Yamada gave Toyota a roundhouse kick but missed a second rope move. Toyota gave Yamada 4 second rope dropkicks, one from each corner, for a near fall. Toyota placed Yamada on the top rope and gave her a double overhook suplex out of the corner for a heated near fall. Toyota gave Yamada a cross arm belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Toyota gave Yamada a moonsault bodyblock for a near fall as fan heat continued to intensify. Toyota gave Yamada a cross arm German suplex for a near fall but missed a lariat and Yamada German suplexed her for a near fall. Yamada whipped Toyota into the corner and gave her a running lariat. Toyota whipped Yamada into the corner but missed a lariat. Yamada missed a lariat and Toyota gave her a rolling cradle for a near fall. Yamada caught Toyota on the top rope and pushed her to the apron. Toyota rammed Yamada into the corner but missed a top rope splash. Yamada German suplexed Toyota for a near fall and dragon suplexed her for a heated near fall. Yamada went for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but Toyota countered and tiger suplexed Yamada for a great near fall. Yamada caught Toyota off guard with a rollup for a near fall. Toyota knocked Yamada off the top rope to the floor with a dropkick. Toyota signaled for her superquebrada but Yamada caught her on the apron and dumped her back into the ring. Toyota knocked Yamada off the apron with a dropkick and took her out with a superquebrada. Toyota German suplexed Yamada for a heated near fall and gave her a tiger suplex variation for another heated near fall. Toyota slammed Yamada and moonsaulted her for a near fall. Yamada gave Toyota a 360 spin kick and back suplexed her. Yamada gave Toyota 5 more back suplexes for a dramatic near fall. Yamada countered a German suplex with an elbow but missed a spinning kick. They traded suplex counters and Yamada rolled up Toyota for a great near fall. Yamada gave Toyota a top rope enzuguiri and Toyota rolled out of the ring. Yamada hit a plancha on Toyota and belly to belly superplexed her for a near fall. Yamada attempted her Gori special suplex but Toyota countered. Yamada then countered an ocean cyclone suplex right into a Gori special suplex but Toyota then countered with a victory roll for a super near fall. Toyota then gave Yamada her ocean cyclone suplex for the pin at 19:45 to retain the title and her hair. As a result, Yamada�s head was shaved bald after the match. The post-match scene and events were presented and sold effectively, and were quite dramatic. Not quite the best match I�ve ever seen, but the closest thing to a perfect match for my tastes that exists. This is the best match to see if you don�t have enough time to sit down and enjoy a long classic match. They didn�t waste a single second of this match with meaningless work as the intensity was strong from bell to bell. They traded several near falls during the first half of the match, and the heat was already quite intense by the 12 minute mark. Fans didn�t quiet down much at all during the last 8 minutes, which were jam-packed with each woman�s big moves, lots of great action and lots of dramatic and heated near falls. In fact, for heat and drama the last 8 minutes blew their 1/4/92 and 6/21/92 matches out of the water. Yamada�s execution was sharp and she was at the top of her game. Her kicks were great as usual and seemed to become stiffer and more brutal as the match progressed. Toyota proved once again why she was the top worker in joshi puroresu with her spectacular athletic spots, hot pacing and willingness to take so much punishment. She was more fired up than usual, which could also be said of Yamada because everything they did had an extra spark to it compared to their usual work. The closing minute capped off their masterpiece perfectly as both women countered each other�s signature move in quick and spectacular form before Toyota finally got to show the effectiveness of her ocean cyclone suplex in the win. Even Yamada and her signature move were perfectly protected as, like the ocean cyclone suplex on 6/21, the effectiveness of the Gori special suplex was kept under wraps for this occasion. A perfect and memorable climax to their series of great singles matches. *****

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