Mayumi Ozaki vs. Takumi Iroha cuts like a knife. It’s a match that leaves its mark long after the final bell–a poignant, unsettling stageplay.
The AAAW Championship bout was a battle of Marvelous vs. Oz Academy, of good versus evil, a tale of pain and glory.
For me, it sung. I have other 2024 matches ranked higher based on workrate and such, but this moved me, stuck to me like a mess of thorns. It’s one likely to end up in the mix for my top 10 joshi bouts.
To best appreciate this meeting of the merciless veteran Ozaki and her heavy-hitting, charismatic challenger, we have to travel back to last summer.
Fan favorite Mio Momono was AAAW champ, a colorful sprite reigning over the Marvelous world. The speedster had only held that title for three months and had yet to defend it when she faced off against the invading (from Oz Academy) Ozaki, a woman twice her age. If you were rooting for Momono, a perennially underrated wrestler, you weren’t alone.
Ozaki, though, derailed Momono’s championship reign. She dethroned the diminutive hero by way of cheating, chains, and chair shots.
All the while, Iroha watched on from ringside, frustrated, concerned, unable to help her friend and sometimes tag partner/sometimes rival from being bloodied and beaten.
It seemed like the obvious move from that point would be for Momono to make the long climb back to contention and play the hell-bent warrior until she got her chance at redemption. Someone had to stop the rulebreaking wrestler from a rival promotion. Someone had to topple the villain and let fans rejoice again.
However, it was Iroha, who emerged in that role, not Mio.
The tall, red-clad Fukuoka native was the one popping up to get in Ozaki’s face, to step up to all her Ozaki-gun goons.
Eventually, Iroha found herself one win away from a title match. Should she beat Mayu Yukihi, Saori Anou, and Kakeru in a three-on-one battle at Oz Academy’s Serpent Tradition, she would get a crack at Ozaki and the AAAW crown she had worn back in 2022.
Iroha outlasted her three foes despite all the usual dastardly acts these heels rely on. She was gutsy and fiery throughout, a survivor.
Then, even though Ozaki tried to back out of the agreement by saying she took to long to beat Yukihi and company, Iroha was set to face the champion at Korakuen Hall on August 8.
Ozaki had reigned over a year at this point. She was a bully in that spot, smashing people with chains, outnumbering foes, giving no shits about honor.
For Iroha to beat her, she would have to endure all manner of suffering.
Their long-awaited match started off with a straight-up fight. An incensed Iroha started popping Ozaki with right hands amid streamers spread out on the mat.
Ozaki didn’t even get a chance to take off her black and red entrance gear. Iroha got straight to whooping her ass on the concrete surrounding the ring. Oh how that filled my heart.
It was the intense, foot-on-the-gas beginning that this bout deserved.
Soon after, however, Ozaki pulled out her most reliable trick from her bag–a chain wrapped around her fist. This is where the match took a turn to the familiar: Ozaki smashing on a younger foe with an illegal weapon.
This section of the action was raw and savage. The methodical Ozaki was ruthless, heartless, an unwavering force.
And this is where fans often split. Some view this kind of one-sided action, especially with someone Ozaki’s age on top, as irritating, or worse yet, boring. For others, it sucks one in, creating empathy for Iroha.
I’m in the camp that bought into this dynamic, edging forward in my seat, awaiting the moment when the babyface would finally charge back.
It took a while to get there. The match’s pace is slow and grinding. And boy does Iroha takes some punishment.
Ozaki punched her, slammed her face into the chain, and at one point hit Iroha so hard that the challenger looked as loopy and confused as someone waking up post-surgery.
In the midst of all this violence, Takumi’s head started to bleed. Red smears along her pained brow.
That visual served to play up the intensity of this match, serving as a crimson symbol for Iroha’s agony.
It all felt like something out of a Texas Death Match from the territories in the ‘70s. For me, that’s a plus. That style of wrestling has always gripped me with its simplicity and pure fury.
The increasingly rowdy crowd sure helped to make this exciting, too. You could hear the escalating emotion. They all want to see Ozaki fall from her throne so bad and their support for Iroha is palpable.
At ringside, Momono was there rooting on Iroha, as well. Just as Iroha did for her.
Her presence is a reminder of what could have been. Momono getting to redeem herself and take back the title from the woman that stole it from her would have such a damn good story. We are instead asked to watch her do her thing from the sidelines. Some fans won’t be able to put that aside to appreciate the art that we actually got.
When things got (unsurprisingly) unfair and out of hand, Momono tried to step in. The ref would have none of it and neither would the champion. When Momono slid her hand between the ropes, reaching out for Iroha, Ozaki kicked it away.
Iroha was going to have to do this on her own. And she did. In style.
Her comeback was glorious. She delighted in beating on her tormentor. When she grabbed Ozaki’s chain and wrapped it around the champ’s neck, she smiled a most satisfied smile. Joy in the center of a storm of anguish.
A running power bomb from Takumi got a near-fall and made the crowd erupt. No three-count, though. It was clear it would take more than the usual burst of strength to win this fight.
Iroha avoided getting sprayed with red mist and fired back with mist of her own. She wrecked Ozaki with another running power bomb, and finally it was all over.
After the decisive pin, Iroha coughed and panted. She was spent. She had walked through flames to get here.
The AAAW Championship is back in Marvelous. Vengeance was hers. Ding, dong, the witch is dead.
The match is a banger. It’s spectacle is sumptuous; its violence captivating. Hats off to Ozaki and Iroha.
Yes, Momono getting to play out this story would have been special, but the end result is a hero-versus-asshole drama that deserves recognition regardless.
RESURA 