By: Jeff Brown

Photos courtesy of Actwres girl’Z.

As springtime warms up, ACT Game begins as AWG is looking towards the summer at Korakuen Hall in the distance. Ayano and Arahata carry the banner of Beast Rebellion as they face off against Naru and Mizushima. Much like springtime, there is new growth sprouting up with Rio being courted to join Killer’Z while Rico and Uehara battle ACT and Maru. The singles matches are glimpses of the future, as Chii wants to topple Kyoka and the electric ANRI was challenged by Asako.

You can watch this show on AWG Nets, which you can subscribe to here for roughly 1,000 yen a month, or you can opt for the YouTube membership. Here are some impressions from the event.

Here is a video recapping the previous show in Yokohama which is narrated by the King herself Sakura Mizushima.

Kyoka Iwai vs. Chii Aoba

A short opening match that had some Killer’Z cheating from Kyoka as the good guy Chii tried to persevere.

Chii has the ice cream motif with her gear and entrance, but once the bell rings, she is anything but a cute and sweet up-and-comer. She started blasting Kyoka with forearms that thudded throughout Tokyo Square. The match was rough around the edges, but Kyoka has a bit of a wild street toughness that she brings to every fight. Kyoka catches Chii in a Death Valley Driver-like slam to pick up the victory. Kyoka got the win, and Chii is back to the drawing board to figure out how to succeed in singles competition.

Asako Mia vs. ANRI

ANRI wasn’t going to have an easy day going against Asako. Even though this is her more grounded persona, she still is an enigma to her opponents, the audience, and likely herself. ANRI tried multiple submissions but had better luck with her assassin-like kicking. Asako attempted some variations of water wheel-style kicks but perhaps doesn’t yet have ANRI’s precision.

This match went quite long; it was over 11 minutes, and both performers were showing signs of fatigue, but to their credit, they both powered through and continued to fight. Was this a nice 8-minute match that went beyond and tested their gas tanks? Possibly, but that’s really easy to write from the sidelines. It also needs to be written that both young roster members never gave up, nor did the match fall apart.

ANRI nailed Asako with her 100,000 Volts to grab the hard-fought pinfall.

ACT & MARU vs. Rico Fukunaga & Yukina Uehara

Rico and Maru picked up their rivalry, and this is the type of situation that will allow Rico to grow. Maru knows all the right moments to execute an attack or pull back and allow the story to breathe.

ACT and Maru utilized stretch mufflers and did so relentlessly. Uehara is putting together a nice set of moves; she will have a big spotlight on her at the end of the month when she tags with Natsuki at the Natsu Saory produce show. Maru puts an end to the match with a double foot stomp off the top rope. She held out her middle fingers to add insult to injury.

Mari & Rio vs. Erisa Nagai & Marino Saihara

It’s almost unbelievable how quickly Rio has gelled with this roster. Mari is sort of overlooked in terms of comedy, but she has a career filled with great moments, many of which have gone viral. AWG’s charm is that it has many different styles of acting/storytelling/wrestling in one big melting pot. All of these things get stirred around, and each member may have three completely different matches across three shows. Yet they always make it work somehow.

Mari and Rio argued, but each really put a hurting on Erisa. Marino, of course, shined and even went toe-to-toe with the wall that is Rio. Erisa got beaten up by Mari and bounced all over the ring by Rio. Mari got angry with Rio and went to the concession stand and bought herself some food. Once she returned to the match, Mari got serious and almost Crucifix Bombs Erisa out of her shoe for the three-count. Poor Erisa.

Ayano Irie & Nene Arahata vs. Naru & Sakura Mizushima (ACT Game First Round Point Match)

The first match of the ACT Game, and after all the videos and talk, it was the main event.

Both teams stood in the ring visibly carrying the weight of the fact the tournament had begun. While this will be a long road, it didn’t prevent both teams from going all out and making this a battle. Naru and Mizushima used their speed and aerial moves to topple the mean duo of Ayano and Arahahta. Mizushima and Naru each have unorthodox techniques that really make them stand out as they add their own signature to moves. Mizushima is often walking a tightrope when executing complex spots but usually pulls through, but it adds a daredevil-like suspense to her offense. Naru’s dropkick off the top rope is at such an extreme angle that it has to be seen to be believed.

This match had everything you would want from a show closer: tandem moves, brawling around the Tokyo Square, near-falls with split-second saves, and Mizushima grabs a rollup on Nene to get the pin.

A strong kickoff to the tournament, and the pace has been set for everyone else in the ensuing weeks. Naru and Mizushima are making a strong case for themselves and might have people second-guessing their picks. Rio was impressive with her odd couple chemistry with Mari. Mari is arguably the best performer in AWG and one of the best in the greater wrestling world. The roster is growing, and they are finding out what works, but overall they all seem to be on the right path.

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