All japan women dream slam i and ii

[Guest blackjack4x]

I'm interesting in checking out some Joshi - are All Japan Women Dream Slam I and II a good start?

[Guest goodhelmet]

Excellent tapes! Also check out the AJW 11/20/94 Big Egg Universe tape. These three tapes will get you hooked on Joshi, without a doubt.

[Guest CB2M]

Excellent tapes! Also check out the AJW 11/20/94 Big Egg Universe tape. These three tapes will get you hooked on Joshi, without a doubt.

DreamSlam I:

 

Awesome show, maybe the best show ever.  Tons of great matches, such as the legendary Hokuto vs. Kandori match.  I feel that match is slightly overrated, but it's still a classic.  There's also a great Double Inoues vs. Ozaki/Suzuki match on there that is a lot of fun.

 

DreamSlam II:

 

Another great show, but a notch below #1.  The main event on this show is a classic match, but not nearly as good as their 11/26/92 match, which I think is the best match ever.

 

Big Egg Universe:

 

I only have the Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong match from this show.  I thought it was ***** and the best Joshi singles match ever.

[Guest DragonflyKid]

I have not seen Dreamslam 2 but did see the first and it blew me away. Having seen both the Super J Cup '94 and Dreamslam I can say without any hesitation that Dreamslam was much more exiciting IMO.

[Guest MRFTW]

Yeah, definitally a good start

 

Dreamslams 1 was the best show top to bottom i've ever seen, like CB2M said #2 wasn't quite as good but it's still  worth getting.

 

Big Egg besides having the Aja vs Toyota match has an Aja vs Kansai match that I liked just as much plus a ton of other great stuff.

 

After getting that show I just went from thear and now i'm slowly getting everything I can from 92 to 94, especially any other show that has an Aja vs Kansai match.

[Guest CB2M]

After getting that show I just went from thear and now i'm slowly getting everything I can from 92 to 94, especially any other show that has an Aja vs Kansai match.

You should pick-up AJW 8/30/95 WWWA Championship Night

 

The main event will blow you away, plus it has Aja vs. Kansai for the red belt.

[Guest MRFTW]

Yeah I allready have the 3wa championship night

 

the Aja vs Kansai match was only slightly below the one from Big Egg and really I don't think those 2 could ever have a bad match together

 

I got the 8/25/93 AJW show along with some other stuff in today. It has the Aja vs Kansai match that I think Aja challenged her to after the Thunderqueen match

[Guest CED Ordonez]

What about the more recent Joshi events? What would be something within the last 2 to 3 years that would make a first time Joshi watcher appreciate it?

[Guest CB2M]

What about the more recent Joshi events? What would be something within the last 2 to 3 years that would make a first time Joshi watcher appreciate it?

I don't bother with recent stuff.  I'm sure some of it is great, but the girls that I'm a huge fan of, like Manami Toyota, Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue, etc., were at their peak between 1992-1995.  Stuff from that era is can't miss.

[Guest areacode212]

I was also wondering about what good recent joshi tapes are worth picking up. What is this Ayako Hamada (the one who wants to go to the WWF) like?

 

Anyway, I'm one of the few (it seems) people who has seen Dream Slam 2, but not 1 (the fact that the DS II main event was the '93 Observer MOTY was the deciding factor in which one to pick). And I will echo RollingChop in saying that it was more exciting than the 94 Super J-Cup, IMO.

[Guest Captian Linger]

Excellent tapes! Also check out the AJW 11/20/94 Big Egg Universe tape. These three tapes will get you hooked on Joshi, without a doubt.

Notes on Big Egg. The show is divided into 4 volumes. If you don't feel like buying 4 tapes (or 2 SLP tapes), just get the last two. The last two cover the V-Top Tourny that's all the greatness.

 

Aja vs Kansai is a very fun match. About ****1/4.

Toyota vs Aja is actually overrated, IMO, NOT *****, but ****1/4.

 

Here's why-It was a 17min match with loads of great looking spots, some really good near falls and everything clicked on a "pure work" level. I felt the match lacked an epic storyline that their later matches had. It's still an excellent match but there's not enough content to the flash.

[Guest MRFTW]

Well I thought Kandori/Futagami vs Yamada/Watanabe and  Shimoda/Mita vs Kurenai/Nagashima were both around around ***+ and Yokota/Kimura vs Asuka/Ogura though short is close to 4* so those matches are worth getting volume 2 for as well.

 

I suggest just getting the whole show for anyone who wants it from http://www.ultimotapes.com since they have it for only $15(cheapest price i've been able to find it for anywhear)

[Guest CB2M]

Aja vs Kansai is a very fun match. About ****1/4.

Toyota vs Aja is actually overrated, IMO, NOT *****, but ****1/4.

 

Here's why-It was a 17min match with loads of great looking spots, some really good near falls and everything clicked on a "pure work" level. I felt the match lacked an epic storyline that their later matches had. It's still an excellent match but there's not enough content to the flash.

To the person who originally started the thread, don't let other's comments prevent you from getting that match.  Mike Lorefice, who's seen everything under the sun when it comes to Joshi gave it ****3/4.  Meltzer was actually at the show live, and gave it *****.  Here's what I've seen other people say about the match:

 

"Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong ****3/4

These are the two best workers in the world, at their prime on a top show. I don't know what Mike Lorefice subtracted 1/4* star for but this is ***** in my book. Aja is brutal and stiff as ever and nearly folds Toyota in half with her submission holds. Toyota makes a trademark firey comback with all her amazing spots including some of the best, most perfectly executed highspots in pro wrestling. Super action."--Bill Gallagher, http://www.triplecrowntapes.com

 

"Just an awesome match and Kong's best of her career. *****"--Jeff Nieves, http://hometown.aol.com/puroresu1king/myhomepage/index.html

 

"This match was so good in so many ways.  Great selling, great bumps, super action.  Aja Kong just threatens to steamroll Manami at times.  But unlike the previous Eagle-Hokuto match, Toyota does get in some great offense and counter attacks and fights so hard to get the win.   Aja's willingness to take the bumps for her and carry over sell helps get over how effective Manami's offense is being.  I know match ratings are pretty subjective, but this is a ***** in my book."--Miko, http://www.cherrybabe.com/michiku/index.html

[Guest MRFTW]

"These are the two best workers in the world"

 

I dunno, mayby I just haven't seen the right match of her's yet but while i'd certainly call her great I wouldn't call Manami Toyota the best in the world.

 

She just doesn't seem to have anything that makes her stand out like some of the others i've become a fan of.

[Guest Jubuki]

DS 1 & 2 are legendary shows...but I'd still have to say it's worthwhile to see what *gets them to* those shows before seeing them.  It's like seeing Misawa/Kawada and thinking it's 'not that great' when you have no understanding of what they were doing to get there.  Hmm, where've I heard that before?

 

As for the other issues bantered about...yes, Toyota is/was one of the best in the world.  She's been in more great matches than just about anyone, on par with Misawa or Jumbo in that respect.  Sure, she's a little on the nutty side at times, but that doesn't diminish the great stuff.

 

And on the Toyota/Aja tip...I need to rewatch BEU, but there are 2 things I know for sure: that's a great fucking match, and the whole tournament is as good as it gets.

[Guest Captian Linger]

"These are the two best workers in the world, at their prime on a top show. I don't know what Mike Lorefice subtracted 1/4* star for but this is ***** in my book. Aja is brutal and stiff as ever and nearly folds Toyota in half with her submission holds. Toyota makes a trademark firey comback with all her amazing spots including some of the best, most perfectly executed highspots in pro wrestling. Super action."--Bill Gallagher, http://www.triplecrowntapes.com"

 

Aja is brutal stiff in a lot of matches, he shouldn't give brownie points just because she does something that's actually *expected* of her. "Nearly folding Toyota in half" is actually a common trend in MANY MANY Toyota matches. She's limber, very much so. But I've seen her do it in so many matches so what does this really add to the star rating? She made her "trademark firey comeback" by ignoring all the "injuries" and backwork from Aja. She popped up like she was fresh as a daisy, that's an automatic * minus right there. Best most perfectly executed highspots-Rey Misterio Jr...Just because they're there, ***** make it not. What else did the match bring to the pallet? Gallagher didn't explain it too me.

 

 

"This match was so good in so many ways.  Great selling, great bumps, super action.  Aja Kong just threatens to steamroll Manami at times.  But unlike the previous Eagle-Hokuto match, Toyota does get in some great offense and counter attacks and fights so hard to get the win.   Aja's willingness to take the bumps for her and carry over sell helps get over how effective Manami's offense is being.  I know match ratings are pretty subjective, but this is a ***** in my book."--Miko

 

First let me say that I've read a lot of Miko's reviews and they are pretty good but she tends to add that extra star to undeserving matches at times because they're famous. Great selling I already explained above, that's just wrong. Read Dean Rasmussen's review of the match, since we're name dropping here. Comparing the match to Eagle-Hokuto isn't warrented either, of course this would look like ***** following that match.

 

Neither of your sources refutted my arguement that the match didn't present a ***** worthy in-ring story. There was very little story. The workrate was amazing but I actually enjoyed Aja-Kansai just as much because, where it lacked in amazing spots, it compensated with a great story that provided the blueprints for their 8/95 WWWA match.

 

I know everyone is so high on this match that they are so quick to call it *****. I was once in that boat. I thought it was amazing when I just got into Joshi and found that the match lost luster through repeat viewings. Rich matches like 6/3/94 Misawa/Kawada only heighten appreciation from repeat viewings.

 

Now tell me, if Misawa and Kawada wrestled a 17 minute spot fest where everything hit 99%, Kawada worked "brutal stiff" and Misawa hit every highspot he knew, would it be ***** without a great pyschology story?

 

I still can't believe people don't take ****1/4 into high regard, matches should only apsire to be that good. And Aja/Toyota at BEU was *that* good, but not the best.

[Guest Captian Linger]

Correction, the DVDVR review of the match wasn't by DEAN, rather by Pogo Pete Stein. Sorry.

 

Here's where you can read it, it contains *spoilers*. It's really not negative at all after re-reading it. Oh well, my bad.

 

http://www.deathvalleydriver.com/archive/dvdvr102.html

 

It was jdw, who has been to live shows in Japan who seems to share my opinion of the match being "excellent" rather than "great". Actually, it was a post he did over a tOA that promted me to rewatch the match just the other day. His sediments are right on. He's also a far more reliable source for match recommdations than Meltzer.

 

jdw's comments posted here, since name dropping seems to be the game here:

 

http://www.otherarena.com/cgi/post.cgi?616...mp;4&ajnjpw

[Guest Jubuki]

All this "so and so said" just makes me wanna trot out my favorite comedy spot...

 

"Shut up bitch!  Go fix me a turkey pot pie!"

 

"What about you Dad?"

 

"Fuck you!"

 

"No, Dad, what about you?"

 

"Fuck you!"

 

"No, Dad, what about you?"

 

"Fuck you!"

 

Name-dropping is a bad game, bad bad bad.