This review was commissioned by Nick over on my Ko-fi account.
A lot of buzz surrounds the two Marvelous super rookies Senka Akatsuki and Sora Ayame. You’ve probably already heard of Senka’s WrestleMania weekend showcase against Aja Kong, a tight five minute bout that brought the American fans to their feet once they laid their eyes upon a classic joshi shoot pin struggle. Ayame receives perhaps a little less of the attention her contemporary gets, but she’s stuck it out by continually impressing with whatever opportunities are provided. Chigusa Nagayo has clearly recognized the talent and value of these two workers together, you can tell by the red and blue 80s-style swimsuit gear that evokes the early days of the Crush Gals themselves.
I understand the excitement behind Senka and Sora. They’re promising young talents who have talent that commited themselves to what feels like a dying style. The spark of recognition flares up when they press themselves against an opponent’s shoulders and there’s a sudden sink or swim atmosphere that takes over in the ring. They’re a connection to a time in pro wrestling that people care deeply about, but on a more primal level, they just make wrestling feel real.
Something that gets lost in all the hype though is that a rookie is still a rookie. There’s a combined two years of experience between these two, and more often than not it shows.
In this tag, for example, against such an experienced pair as Sareee and Takumi Iroha, the differences become clear. The challengers more than hold their own here, but there’s moments when one is quickly reminded that they’re very new to this whole pro wrestling deal. The early attack, for example, is done with a lot of enthusiasm but not a lot of skill. Sora’s dropkicks especially feel airy and soft, a fact made even worse when compared to all the beautiful elbow strikes that get thrown later on.
There’s other things holding this back too such as Iroha always looking a little lesser than her tag team partner in this. It’s almost rude to noted thigh slap merchant Iroha to pair her with one of the most notoriously stiff strikes in the world, but it’s a comparison invited by proximity here. I’m not even against thigh slaps in principle, but it’s so hard to take Iroha seriously here when she’s standing next to the real fucking deal in Sareee.
In this match, Sareee’s a joy to watch. Senka and Sora are perfect foils–scrappy, young underdogs willing to take a beating and dish it out. There’s such friction between them, and it’s so fun to see Sareee unload these powerful live rounds. In their skirmishes with Sareee, the super rookies demonstrate their best selves. Both of them, but Senka especially, throw as good as they get when the elbows start flying. It’s also with Sareee that they both get to show off those beautiful shoot pins the best. One particular highlight sees Senka try to keep Sareee’s shoulders down repeatedly while Iroha tries to stomp her off of Sareee. Things like that create that volatile sense of realism that Senka and Sora both have worked hard to recapture.
There’s still just enough gaps in there to keep this from greatness though. I find myself once against cast as something a wet blanket when it comes to these two, as my general take on them has been “they’re really good, and I’m excited, but perhaps we should calm down.” I don’t think they’ve achieved greatness yet, and that’s fine, they’ve literally just started. We can’t all be Jun Akiyama or Volk Han out here. The fact that they even get close is enough for now.
Rating: ***½
