Posted February 12, 201411 yr comment_5587692 You know, I can't help but notice Gran Hamada is reffing this match, too. That seems like a bit of a conflict of interests to me. How am I supposed to take this professional wrestling match seriously when I know there's a legit possibility of refs making questionable calls? Actually, he calls it right down the middle, which, if anything, adds to the match, because Xochitl spends most of it getting her ass handed to her, and all dad can do is stand back and watch. Xochitl eats the beating really well, and Kumi and Sawai deliver the beating really well, almost looking like the Japanese lady Andersons. Considering how little I thought of Sawai's 90's work, it's honestly kinda stunning how much I liked her performance here where she has less than a year of experience under her belt. She just looked great tossing Xochitil around like a rag doll, and while she gets a lot less offense in on Sato (since the match is worked as grizzled vet and overmatched rookie vs. grizzled vet and overmatched rookie), she does get some licks in on her, including a big belly buck. Kumi gets more on Sato, including an awesome dropkick from out of nowehere that made me jump out of my seat. Jackie Sato...all I can say is that if the stories about why she re-retired are true, than fuck Shinobu Kandori, because Sato was still awesome and looked like she had a lot left in the tank. She is great here as the sort of tough, Regal-ish gal with obvious technical prowess who also won't hesitate to rough you up if she feels like it. Great superplex right before the match goes into it's crazy-go-nuts finishing stretch, as Sato and Kumi take a big tumble through the ropes and everyone ends up brawling on the outside. They tease the DCO, but they make it back inside, where Sawai tries to break Xochitl in half with nasty backbreaker stretches. Then Sato and Kumi start smacking the shit out of each other until they end up brawling on the outside again, as does Sawai, and Xochitl gets a measure of revenge by blasting her with a tope before pops has to call the DCO. I'm sure people will be bugged by that finish, but it felt appropriately out of control, and that made it work for me. This was a stark contrast to the match right before it, as the grade of execution here wasn't nearly as good, but it was delivered with a lot more gusto by more compelling characters. Nomination.
