Joshi

[Special K 0]

Ok, I just rewatched Hokuto/Kandori and Thunderqueen. Both of these matches have little context to me. Both of these matches may be the very best I've ever seen.

 

If you know Joshi, hook me up with some recommendations. I'm looking to buy a comp tape,

 

However, I really have no sense of history or storylines, other than what's told in the match. What made me appreciate Misawa/Kawada '94 is seeing their history, and previous bouts. (and even if you want to go back, the Jumbo/Misawa bouts)

[Toshiaki Koala 0]

Apparently Jaguar Yokota is even better than Hokuto, which would make her God in woman's form. And... there are several of her matches on Youtube right now. Get 'em while they're hot!

[Guest wildpegasus]

smarkschoice.com and specifically the old smarkschoice board (just ask for a link on the board as all the info has been saved) are where all the joshi puororesu nerds like myself hang out.

 

I don't really think you need to get comps for joshi. The wrestling was always so good that if you just get comps you're going to miss out on stuff. Plus this way you can find out what stuff you specifically like. Anything past 90 to about 97 is gold. AJW and JWP were the best organisations during that time period with Megumi Kudo (my girl!) also kicking BUTT in FMW. Yoshida from Arison in the late ninties could wrestle too. Lots of great 80s stuff too. After about 2001 joshi really goes downhill in quality due to various reasons.

 

There are a million matches to reccomend. Of course always go for the interpromotional stuff.

 

Just a few of my favs off the top of my head

 

Hasegawa vs Yamada 3/94

Thunderqueen of course

Ozaki (who I almost like as much as Benoit)/Fukuoka vs T.Inoue/Hotta 12/92

Ozaki who's probably the best actress or actor in wrestling/Kansai vs Yamada/Toyota -- All 3 matches which are commonly thought of as being among the best ever. Well, at least two of them

Toyota vs K.Inoue had quite a series

Hokuto/Kandori vs Bull Nakano/Aja Kong

Hokuto vs Satomura 2001 Gaea

Toyota vs Yamada Hair vs Hair plus a bout from 8?/94 which I love

 

 

Eh, I'm not good at remembering dates and such. Just go to smarkschoice

[Special K 0]

Thanks WP, you're a mensch.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Devil Masami vs. Chigusa Nagayo (8/22/85)

Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto (1/4/92)

Bull Nakano & Aja Kong vs. Akira Hokuto & Toshiyo Yamada (8/15/92)

Manami Toyota vs. Toshiyo Yamada (8/15/92)

Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto (11/26/92)

Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada vs Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki (11/26/92)

Kyoko Inoue & Takako Inoue vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Cuty Suzuki (4/2/93)

Aja Kong & Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori & Eagle Sawai (4/11/93)

Toshiyo Yamada & Manami Toyota vs. Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki (4/11/93)

Bull Nakano vs Kyoko Inoue (1/24/94)

Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda (1/24/94)

Aja Kong vs Yumiko Hotta (1/24/94)

 

Interestingly enough, the 1/24/94 show seems to be better than the Dreamslam shows.

[Guest wildpegasus]

Thanks WP, you're a mensch.

 

JWP in 1997 rules too which reminds me that I love the 4/12/1997 (Wild Dress Up Fight) Mayumi Ozaki & Rieko Amano vs Megumi Kudo & RIE bout. The dropoff in quality for joshi really happens around 98 or so but there's still lots of great stuff to be found after 98. I have 12hrs of the best of 2001 Joshi for instance and it rules all.

 

 

Here's a link to the old forum where joshi puroresu talk was more prominent

 

http://www.smarkschoice.com/forum2/

 

and a link to the joshi forum with the most info you can probably find on the web. This also has links to other valuable information places.

 

http://www.smarkschoice.com/forum2/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=21

 

 

A lot of match reccomendations right here!! with reviews!! Must see!!

 

http://www.smarkschoice.com/forum2/index.php?showtopic=98

 

 

Me Yumi Fukawa

[Guest Velouria]

I don't really think you need to get comps for joshi. The wrestling was always so good that if you just get comps you're going to miss out on stuff.

Yeah, I was just thinking about how getting show after show after show of AJW is such a fantastic idea, what with all those Miori Kamiya, Chikako Shiratori, and Chapparita ASARI rookie matches stinking up the joint. Comps are good.

 

As for what should be on those comps...eh. It depends on who catches your interest. If it's someone like Toyota, first of all I apologize, but she has about a thousand matches that have been considered "great" by some pundit or another. You just have to wade through those yourself and separate the wheat from the chaff. If it's Hokuto, you can narrow it all down to 3 or 4 comps' worth of relevant material that covers practically her whole career and tells a neat story in the process. If it's Aja or Kyoko or the interpromotional stuff, you're in for a lot more work, but at least you'll know that what you're getting is quality.

 

If it's just a general sense of who's who and what's what that you need, maybe you are better off digging through shows. Watching the commercial tapes & TV shows in order does develop a nice story, from the end of the Crush era & the vacuum they created, to Bull rising to the top and taking Aja (and a different fanbase) along with her, to the start of Aja's reign kicking off the interpromotional era, to the inevitable burial of the smaller companies and fan burnout that helped bring everything down (along with a Hell of a lot of financial bungling by the Matsunagas). It's an interesting story to tell, one that's pretty common in wrestling: watching good wrestlers rise and fall as their promoters throw them under the bus when their bodies fail them. Victory through guts, indeed.