This series will revisit the best matches in AAAW Championship history, celebrating a title that has been fought over since 1996 and remains a symbol of excellence today. 

For much of Meiko Satomura vs. Chikayo Nagashima, it feels as if we are watching two snakes rearing up, bearing their fangs, poised to make their fatal strike. It’s a match built on simmering tension, a showcase of true struggle.

Surprisingly, this often gets overlooked. It’s not talked about anywhere near as much as other big bouts of its era. As of this writing, it only has 10 ratings on CageMatch.net.  

Blame Satomura for having so many classics for part of that. When you have a greatest hits collection like her, some good stuff gets lost in the mix. 

So, this battle of legends in mid-ascent has become a hidden gem of sorts. Let’s change that. Let’s travel back to April 14, 2002 inside Korakuen Hall for GAEA Limit Break and watch champion and challenger coiled together like serpents. 

Both women had wrestled primarily for GAEA Japan at this point. This was seven years after both Satomura and Nagashima’s debut. 

Meiko had already had her brief WCW run and over 500-day stretch holding the AAAW Tag Team Championship with Sonoko Kato. Chikayo, meanwhile, had just ended her third reign with that belt, she and Sugar Sato losing to KAORU and Mayumi Ozaki only a week before this title tilt. 

After all their success in the tag world, it was time now for both women to move into the main event spotlight as singles stars.

Satomura was set for her first AAAW title defense here after beating Aja Kong to win the gold at the end of 2001. Her challenger, the rugged Nagashima, had a slight edge over her with a 3-2-1 record in singles bouts. When they begin this meeting, the most significant one between them to date, it is filled with tension.

Satomura proved herself a top dog in beating the indomitable Kong but now had to face this hungry, would-be alpha. You can sense the scale and importance of the match before it starts. Nagashima refuses to shake the champ’s hand before the bell, furthering the feeling of growing intensity between them.

It’s that intensity that carries the match early on. We don’t get a ton of big action. Mostly, Satomura and Nagishima grapple on the canvas, each wrestler cautious.

The early pace of the match requires some patience from the viewer. We will not get the haymakers until later. 

However, this is not mat wrestling merely meant as filler before the third act but instead a slow-burn scuffle. Every move feels calculated and doled out with malice. Nagashima goes after the leg; Satomura works over her foe’s arm. The ferocity gets upped as they go along.

The wrestlers began to get in each other’s faces, roaring, daring. There is something primal about it all. Animals tussling on the forest floor. 

Then in a flash, the match turns down a new road. Satomura and Nagishima are grabbing each other on the turnbuckles and both tumble over. The intense wrestling showcase morphs into a fight. 

In the stands, they brawl with chairs flung at faces and chair shots cracking against backs. 

Back in the ring, Meiko catches Chikayo in the air with a fireman’s carry but can’t hold her. The story circles back to this moment several times over. Each time Satomura hoists her opponent up on her shoulders, Nagishima slips out. A bullet dodged. 

But like with Chekov’s Gun, we know we will see that shot land eventually. 

The action grows delightfully nastier. Nagishima pulls on the champ’s hair. Satomura wrecks her foe with a kick to the back of the head. 

As each woman starts firing off their most powerful weapons, we see Nagashima hit an absolute stunner of a move–a 450 spinning diving foot stomp. 

That’s enough to put Satomura away. Meiko instead calls on all her inner strength and finally gets Nagashima in that familiar position atop her shoulders and lands a spinning, running DVD. It’s an emphatic move that exemplifies how difficult of a challenge she’s facing. Extra oomph is required to win this one. 

It’s so satisfying to see that move hit after all those failed attempts beforehand. 

Soon, Satomura screams, balls up her fists, and lands one last head kick.That’s enough to earn a three-count and keep the championship in her grasp.  

After the final bell, Nagashima offers her hand to shake. She remains as fierce as she began the bout but has clearly earned some respect for Meiko. The two warriors wince as they bow to each other. 

This poignant moment adds to the bout, giving it another layer of emotion.

Nagashima would go on to win the rematch two months later to win the AAAW Championship for the first time. One could argue that this is Nagashima’s best bout ever. Regardless of where you rank it, it’s certainly a key one for both women in terms of showing themselves to be top-tier talent. 

They elevated each other, each meeting the magnitude of the moment. Iron sharpens iron. Greatness breeds greatness.