GAEA G-PANIC # 19: 4TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW
April 4, 1999
1. 6-Woman Elimination Scramble Match Series: Kaori Nakayama, Sugar Sato & Kaori Nakayama vs Toshie Uematsu, Sakura Hirota & RIE
A) Toshie Uematsu vs Sugar Sato
Uematsu turned a test of strength into a northern lights suplex on Sato for a neat early near fall. She got the better of Sato early but Sato fought back. Sato tossed Uematsu by her hair, but Uematsu returned the favor along with a dropkick. Uematsu applied a half crab briefly and scored with an elbowsmash. Sato turned a slam attempt by Uematsu into a Fujiwara armbar. Sato focused her attack on Uematsu’s left arm but Uematsu fought back. Uematsu missed a flying bodypress off the top rope. She recovered and gave Sato a pair of forearm smashes but Sato blocked a German suplex attempt. Sato gave Uematsu a modified stun gun. Uematsu chased Sato to the top rope but Sato knocked her to the floor with an elbow. Uematsu got right back up and knocked Sato to the canvas. Uematsu hit a top rope dropkick for a near fall. Sato blocked a northern lights suplex attempt and gave Uematsu a dragon screw out of the corner. Uematsu hit a dropkick and a German suplex for a near fall amidst decent heat. Sato attempted a powerbomb but Uematsu countered and hit four top rope dropkicks for a near fall. Uematsu did a headscissors/cradle for a good near fall. Sato fought back with a dragon screw and gave Uematsu an Oklahoma stampede. She gave Uematsu a top rope elbow for a near fall. Uematsu countered a powerbomb attempt but Sato caught her and gave her a modified slam/powerbomb for a near fall. Uematsu fought back with a modified frankentoyota (not as spectacular; more like a bodyscissors flip) but Sato reversed her cradle for a near fall. Uematsu countered a powerbomb and gave Sato a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Uematsu threw a bunch of slaps but ran into an uraken and Sato gained a near fall. Sato blocked a northern lights superplex attempt and went for a top rope dropkick but Uematsu met her with a dropkick of her own. Sato countered a northern lights suplex and powerbombed Uematsu for a heated near fall. Uematsu flipped out of a powerbomb attempt and cradled Sato for a very near fall. Uematsu gave Sato a released German suplex and then a great top rope missile dropkick for a great near fall. Uematsu threw a couple elbows but Sato responded with an uraken. Uematsu tried to fight back but Sato gave her another uraken and pinned her at 13:47 with a Liger bomb. There were some definite flaws since they were still learning, but overall a really fun, terrific opener. The last five minutes or so had great heat and many dramatic moments. Basically two of the better young lions of GAEA’s class of 1995 living up to their potential. ***1/4
B) Sugar Sato vs RIE
RIE attacked Sato at the bell and gave her a released German suplex. She gave Sato a top rope jumping knee for an early near fall. RIE came off the top rope but Sato gave her a dragon screw and applied a figure 4 leglock. Sato attempted a powerbomb but RIE countered and attempted a powerbomb of her own, but Sato countered that with a backdrop. Sato scored with a slap and a powerbomb for a near fall. RIE fought back and applied a sleeper while she was on the top rope. RIE then gave Sato a top rope kneedrop and quickly applied an STF. Sato countered a tiger driver attempt and powerbombed RIE for a near fall. RIE countered a second powerbomb with a huracanrana for a near fall. In a unique spot, Sato countered a tiger driver attempt with a small package for a near fall. RIE kicked Sato in the corner and hit another top rope jumping knee for a near fall. RIE gained a near fall with a backslide but Sato immediately came back with an uraken for a near fall of her own. RIE gave Sato a northern lights suplex for a near fall. RIE gained a near fall with a tiger driver. Sato won an exchange of strikes and powerbombed Sato for a near fall. RIE countered another powerbomb with a huracanrana for a near fall but Sato fought back with three consecutive dragon screws. Sato then gave RIE a Liger bomb and pinned her at 7:29. Another fine match. Not as dramatic as the opener, nor was the pacing as well-thought out, but both women clearly worked hard here and did enough interesting spots to make it good. **1/2
C) Sugar Sato vs Sakura Hirota
Sato attacked Hirota before the bell. Hirota flipped out of a powerbomb attempt but Sato flattened her with an uraken. Sato hit a sharp top rope dropkick for a near fall and powerbombed Hirota. Sato hit a second powerbomb for a near fall and gained another near fall with an uraken. Hirota countered a second powerbomb with an armdrag and cradle of sorts for a near fall. Sato no-sold a slap from Hirota. Sato attempted a powerbomb but Hirota countered with a huracanrana for a near fall. Hirota rolled up Sato for a pin out of nowhere at 2:38. The result and time were fine since Sato had worked well over 20 minutes and had turned in a very good night’s work, and Hirota came out with a flukeish upset. Not bad while it lasted, but too short to amount to much. *
D) Sakura Hirota vs Kaori Nakayama
Nakayama scored with a modified powerbomb for a quick near fall. Hirota fought back but Nakayama responded with a face drop for a near fall. Hirota gave Nakayama a backslide but Nakayama escaped and fought back. Nakayama applied a camel clutch and hit a running elbow in the corner. Nakayama applied a Boston crab and then a half crab. She continued to dominate Hirota in heelish fashion. Hirota fought back and gave Nakayama a cross bodyblock after an exchange of strikes for a near fall. Hirota bounced off the second rope with a hip attack for a near fall. Hirota applied a modified surfboard while almost riding Nakayama piggy-back style. Nakayama escaped but Hirota hit a top rope dropkick. After a couple counters Nakayama fought back with a urunage and a top rope elbow strike for a near fall. Hirota blocked a tornado DDT attempt and dropkicked Nakayama’s knees. Hirota gained a near fall with a cradle resembling la magistral and another with a top rope hip attack. Hirota charged at Nakayama but Nakayama gave her a stun gun. Hirota twice fought off Nakayama with elbows but missed a twisting top rope flying body attack. Nakayama gave Hirota la magistral for a near fall but met Hirota’s knees on a moonsault attempt. Hirota hit a second rope twisting bodypress for a heated near fall. Hirota went for what looked like a tequila sunrise suplex but Nakayama countered and DDTd Hirota. Nakayama hit a second DDT for a near fall and gained another near fall after a pair of German suplexes. Hirota fought back but Nakayama caught her on the top rope and gave her a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. After a series of counters Nakayama gained a near fall with a backslide. Hirota reversed a small package attempt with one of her own and pinned Nakayama at 9:21 for another upset. A fine match given each woman’s limitations. They kept the action moving and Nakayama showed good charisma. **1/4
E) Sakura Hirota vs Chikayo Nagashima
Nagashima attacked Hirota before the bell, absorbed an uraken, and hit a released German suplex. Nagashima gave Hirota two top rope foot stomps for a near fall. Fights broke out between the previously eliminated wrestlers. Hirota gave RIE an elbow when Nagashima moved. Hirota jumped to the second rope but Nagashima dropkicked her to the floor and hit a plancha on a bunch of wrestlers. Hirota then hit a plancha on Nagashima. Hirota gained a near fall after a second rope hip attack. Nagashima German suplexed Hirota for a near fall and then hit a baseball slide kick on RIE. Nagashima gave Hirota a top rope foot stomp and tried to slam her but Hirota rolled her up for a near fall. RIE gave Nagashima a top rope jumping knee and Hirota hit a German suplex for a near fall. Hirota gained a near fall with another German suplex. Hirota hit a tequila sunrise superplex of sorts for a near fall. Nakayama caught Hirota on the top rope and Nagashima suplexed Hirota. Nakayama gave Hirota a top rope foot stomp as did Sato and Nagashima. Nagashima German suplexed Hirota for a near fall. Hirota fought back and gained a near fall with a unique cradle. Both women each blocked German suplex attempts and Nagashima ducked a ton of uraken attempts by Hirota. Nagashima then gave Hirota a fisherman buster and pinned her at 6:17. Again not great, but for the most part a good match because both women worked hard and weren’t too sloppy since they stuck to what they could do well. Overall, this was a really fun series of matches. This one gets **1/4, but the series as a whole was perhaps ***-***1/2.
2. Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Toshiyo Yamada & Kaoru
The action spilled out of the ring seconds after the bell and quickly left ringside. Shimoda and Kaoru fought in one area while Yamada and Mita fought on the other side of the floor. Kaoru whipped Shimoda into a sea of chairs after which the action returned to the ring. Shimoda got the better of Kaoru and Mita piledrove her. Mita and Shimoda double teamed Kaoru with their trademark heel charisma. The action left the ring again. Mita whipped Yamada into a sea of chairs and Shimoda hit Kaoru with a chair. Shimoda dominated Kaoru on the entrance ramp and took the fight back into the crowd. Back in the ring Mita hit Kaoru with a blazing chop after which Shimoda briefly dominated Kaoru as the action slowed. Kaoru fought back and suplexed Shimoda. Kaoru went for a quebrada but Mita knocked her off the top rope to the floor. Yamada accidentally kicked Kaoru back to the floor when Mita moved. Shimoda hit a springboard somersault plancha on both opponents and Mita followed with her tope suicida on both opponents. Shimoda repeatedly hit Kaoru with a chair as Mita also dominated Yamada in the crowd. Mita brought a ton of chairs and a section of the barricade into the ring. Mita placed several chairs on Kaoru and Yamada. Shimoda was going to come off the top rope and drop the barricade on them but they recovered and got the better of the heels. Kaoru then placed the chairs on Mita and Shimoda and a bloody Yamada came off the top rope and slammed the barricade onto both opponents. Kaoru gave Shimoda two brainbusters on a chair and hit a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Shimoda missed a second rope cross bodyblock. Kaoru went for a huracanrana but Shimoda powerbombed her for a near fall. Kaoru and Yamada missed a double roundhouse kick and Shimoda gave them a double clothesline. Shimoda missed a top rope dropkick and Kaoru gave her a top rope missile dropkick. Shimoda knocked Mita off the apron when Kaoru moved. Shimoda tiger suplexed Kaoru for a near fall. Kaoru blocked a Mita Death Valley driver attempt but Shimoda hit her with a chair. Shimoda hit Mita with a chair when Kaoru moved. Kaoru gave Mita a brainbuster. Kaoru botched a moonsault attempt but gave Mita a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Shimoda came off the top rope but Yamada met her with a kick. Kaoru gave Mita a Michinoku drive. Yamada went for a top rope spin kick but Mita met her with a chairshot. Kaoru German suplexed Mita as Shimoda gave Yamada a top rope missile dropkick that sent Yamada into the ref. Yamada gave Mita her 360 spin kick and her reverse Gori special suplex for a near fall. Mita countered another r. G. s. suplex attempt and gave Yamada a Death Valley driver but Yamada no-sold it and superkicked Mita for a heated near fall. Mita gave Yamada two Death Valley drivers for a near fall. Yamada gave Shimoda a reverse roundhouse kick and Kaoru hit a corkscrew senton on Shimoda for a near fall. Yamada hit Kaoru with a top rope spin kick when Shimoda moved. Shimoda gained a near fall on Kaoru. Shimoda gave Kaoru a tiger superplex for a near fall. Kaoru and Yamada gave Shimoda and Mita back suplexes. Kaoru hit a moonsault bodyblock on the ramp, but hit Yamada when their opponents moved. Mita and Shimoda took the action back into the crowd and dominated their opponents. Mita piledrove Kaoru on the floor at ringside. Mita then gave Kaoru a Death Valley driver on the entrance ramp. Mita placed a ton of chairs on their opponents on the ramp and Shimoda came off the top rope and slammed the barricade onto them. Mita and Shimoda then did the same move to their opponents back in the ring. Shimoda kicked Kaoru and attempted a pin but the ref was knocked out. Shimoda missed a high kick but Mita gave Kaoru a Death Valley driver. Shimoda came off the top rope with a somersault axe kick on Kaoru. The ref was slow to make a pin count and Mita punched her. Kaoru blocked a tiger superplex attempt by Shimoda but missed a top rope moonsault. Shimoda gave Kaoru a tiger superplex for a near fall. Shimoda went for another tiger superplex but Kaoru fell on top of her for a near fall. Mita gave Kaoru a Death Valley driver and Shimoda gained a near fall. Kaoru gave Shimoda a released German suplex and also German suplexed Mita. The fight left the ring again and Kaoru hit an amazing moonsault off a light tower onto Mita and Shimoda from a height of about 8-10 feet. Yamada then hit a rare somersault plancha onto both opponents. Back in the ring Kaoru gave Shimoda a Michinoku driver for a near fall. Yamada gave Shimoda a spin kick and Kaoru then gave Shimoda Yamada’s 360 spin kick. Yamada gave Shimoda a spinning superkick and Kaoru followed with three Michinoku drivers and pinned Shimoda at 38:27 (27:02 aired). This was a great match on a number of levels. They managed to maintain a fast pace for the most part and most of the brawling segments were very intense at least and occasionally super. Mita and Shimoda are great at fast, intense, occasionally high impact brawling with spots that are not overly complex. This match played to those strengths to perfection, which enabled them to carry the has-been Yamada and the unfocused Kaoru to a great match. Also, they went fairly close to the 45 minute time limit, so gave the fans a good tease of the time limit as well. ****
3. Aja Kong & Mayumi Ozaki vs Meiko Satomura & Sonoko Kato
Satomura and Kato threw a bunch of kicks at Kong early but Kong flattened them with a double clothesline. Ozaki whipped Satomura into the corner and Kong delivered a lariat from the apron. Satomura missed a roundhouse kick and her opponents double booted her. Ozaki gave Satomura a released German suplex. Satomura elbowed Kong but Kong immediately responded with a clothesline. Kong won an exchange of elbows and gave Satomura a dangerous backdrop for n early near fall. Satomura knocked Kong down with an elbow strike off the middle rope but Kong quickly fought back with a lariat. Satomura caught Kong on the top rope and attempted a superplex but Kong knocked her to the mat. Kong gave Satomura a second rope splash for a near fall as Ozaki held Kato at bay. Satomura gave Kong a roundhouse kick. Kato came off the top rope with a flip but Kong gave her a roundhouse kick in mid-air. Kong and Ozaki got the better of Kato by attacking her taped left leg. Kong big splashed Sato’s left leg and gained a near fall. Satomura intervened but Kong still dropped Kato on her head with a backdrop driver for a near fall. Kong gave Satomura a stiff roundhouse kick. Kato countered a powerbomb attempt but Ozaki still dominated her. Satomura intervened with a roundhouse kick on Ozaki but Kong then gave Satomura a backdrop driver. Satomura recovered and gave Ozaki a roundhouse kick. Kato then German suplexed Ozaki for a near fall. Kong hit Kato with her trash can and powerbombed her. Ozaki powerbombed Kato for a near fall and gained another near fall with a Liger bomb. Ozaki gave Kato a couple urakens. Satomura came in but Kong gave her a stiff kick. Kato backdropped a charging Ozaki over the top rope. Ozaki recovered and she and Kong dominated action outside the ring. Ozaki suplexed Satomura on the ramp and gave her a low dropkick as Kong threw Kato into a sea of chairs. Ozaki powerbombed Satomura on the ramp. Kong gave Satomura a windsprint lariat on the ramp as Ozaki dominated Kato in the ring. Kong went to superplex Ozaki onto Kato but Kato moved and tagged Satomura. Satomura top rope splashed Ozaki for a near fall and applied a cross armbreaker but Kong intervened with an elbowsmash. Kong flattened Satomura with two short lariats but Kato intervened and Satomura fought back with a Death Valley driver. Kong immediately responded with a short lariat for a near fall. Kato intervened and German suplexed Kong. Satomura gave Kong a Death Valley driver as Kato gave Ozaki what could best be described as a piledriver but with Ozaki’s body behind Kato. Kong and Ozaki immediately popped back up and gave their opponents simultaneous brainbusters for a near fall. Satomura blocked an uraken but Kong blocked a koppo kick. Satomura gave Kong a top rope sunset flip for a near fall. Kong missed an uraken but gave Satomura a shoda for a near fall as Ozaki held Kato at bay. Satomura fought back with a sleeper on Kong as Kato held a sleeper on Ozaki. Satomura gave Kong a Death Valley driver for a near fall. She attempted a second but Kong punched her. Kato intervened but accidentally kicked Satomura when Kong moved. Ozaki gave Kong an uraken when Satomura moved. Satomura then gave Kong two Death Valley drivers as Kato held Ozaki at bay and pinned Kong at 17:19 for one of the biggest upsets in recent history. This was the match that made Satomura a star. Kato was more or less a supporting character, but was very good and showed good intensity. Kong and Ozaki played two very different heelish roles to perfection. Satomura, though, lit up the place with her intensity and charisma. In terms of enthusiasm, she was almost reminiscent of a Satoshi Kojima in that her expressions not only fit the given situations perfectly, you could also tell she was having such a great time doing what she could do best. Aside from the first 10 minutes being almost too one-sided, this was a vintage veterans-young underdogs match with super work. ****1/4
4. Winner gets control of GAEA: Chigusa Nagayo vs Lioness Asuka
Asuka took down Nagayo early but Nagayo held her own on the mat. Asuka threw a kick and applied a sharpshooter. Asuka repeatedly hit Nagayo with a chair. Nagayo fought back with a superkick and then applied a sharpshooter of her own on Asuka. Nagayo then applied an STF briefly. Nagayo turned a test of strength into a modified northern lights suplex but missed a kneedrop. Asuka kicked Nagayo repeatedly and legdropped her back. Asuka gave Nagayo an Akiyama-like powerbomb for an early near fall. Nagayo countered a suplex attempt and spin kicked Asuka. Asuka fought back with a roundhouse kick to Nagayo’s back and attempted a Boston crab but Nagayo blocked it. Nagayo landed a punch but Asuka responded with a couple lariats. They exchanged punches in the corner after which Nagayo belly to belly superplexed Asuka for a near fall. Nagayo went to the top rope but Asuka hit her with a chair. Asuka then powerbombed Nagayo off the apron through a table at ringside. Asuka hit Nagayo with a piece of the broken table repeatedly and busted her open as a result. Asuka won an exchange of punches on the ramp and gave Nagayo a lariat on the ramp. Asuka climbed a light tower and gave Nagayo a foot stomp on a table that did not break. Asuka’s seconds threw a bunch of chairs into the ring. Asuka then gave Nagayo a Cima-like flip slam from the top rope onto the chairs. Asuka gave Nagayo a Liger bomb, Nagayo popped right back up but Asuka then gave her a koppo kick for a near fall. Asuka gave Nagayo a stiff kick and brought a table into the ring as Aja Kong held the ref at bay. Asuka went for a top rope splash onto Nagayo through the table but Nagayo caught her and gave her a splash mountain onto the table, which dented by a few inches (it looked painful). Nagayo powerbombed Asuka and then gave her a running splash mountain out of the corner for a near fall. Asuka countered a powerbomb attempt but Nagayo gave her a Death Valley driver for a near fall. Asuka caught Nagayo on the top rope and kicked her. Asuka gave Nagayo a torture rack dropped into a powerbomb for a near fall. Another table was brought into the ring. The ref tried to intervene but Kong attacked her. Asuka stood on the table and attempted a powerbomb but Nagayo fought back and German suplexed Asuka off the table, which was propped on the middle rope. Nagayo attempted a pin but the ref was out of it. Asuka then threw a fireball into Nagayo’s face. Asuka gave Nagayo a torture rack into a powerbomb and pinned her at 16:59 to win control of GAEA. The scene was memorable with Asuka, Kong and friends storming the ring and “taking over”, so to speak. Asuka had to be restrained as she and the others showed distain for Nagayo and the GAEA establishment in general. As for the match, it was not a classic. In fact, it wasn’t even great, nor as good as these women were capable of performing. But it was a good match with generally solid work and pacing, and actually not that disappointing given that Nagayo’s work had generally become uninspired by this point. An acceptable match if you don’t take their 1980s classics into consideration. **3/4
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