By: Jeff Brown

Photos Courtesy of Actwres girl’Z

AWG was at Shin-Kiba for a pair of shows roughly a week apart for Steps 57 and 58. Both cards featured Act and Maru in the spotlight as well as previews of the upcoming GLEAT matches. The ACT Game rolled on, and Mizushima found a new hurdle in Kyoka.

To watch these shows and many others in their vast archive, go to AWG Nets. It’s 1,000 yen per month with a very quick and easy sign-up process. 

Here is a good recap video of Step 58 narrated by the King of Entertainment, Sakura Mizushima.

Step 57

Rico Fukunaga vs. Chii Aoba

A preamble to the GLEAT match in August. A wonderful way for Chii to branch out and add layers to her character, Rico already leans into both striking and submission, so this is merely an opportunity for her to refine her techniques.

Chii grounds with a heel hook. Rico is going for armbars and rear naked chokes. Aoba gets into an ill-advised strike exchange; Aoba always endures multiple kicks and will take a beating until she can no longer stand on her leg. Rico’s more intricate takedown sequences definitely bring to mind the submission magician Volk Han and are things she could utilize in every ACTwrestling match to stand out. Though she is an actress and very charismatic, she could be more of a magnetic personality like Nobuhiko Takada. One of the main takeaways from years of studying old UWF and RINGS shoot style tapes is that exciting matches can be under 10 or even under five minutes. Riko ends it with a Tiger Suplex.

Anri vs. Yukina Uehara

While Anri isn’t taking part in the summer’s UWF rules matches, she does have strong elements and trains in kickboxing. Yukina will be at GLEAT, so this is good practice and another big opportunity for the super rookie as she keeps getting big spotlights this year.

Do not forget that Yukina only debuted in December and already has an impressive resume. With her size advantage, Yukina could be a Bas Rutten-style fighter and just use brute force to get wins or build upon her grappling skills and be more like Chris Dolman. After surviving the kicks and arm bars from ANRI, Yukina hits a Jackhammer as ANRI struggles and nearly kicks out.

Those very dramatic reactions to losses really help make your investment in the product worthwhile. ANRI cares so much about winning that it destroyed her not to be able to kick out in time.

Hinata Senya & Nene Arahata vs. Erisa Nagai & Marino Saihara

Nene got to look dominant again while Marino was pushing Hinata to not give up and keep trying. Erisa is cruising along and shouldn’t be overlooked; her high energy sort of prevents that from happening anyways. Erisa, with a busted nose, was unfettered and fought through. ANRI and Yukina understandably get a lot of attention, but Erisa is right there in the new class of talent in AWG.

Nene is an unstoppable machine as of late and took care of Erisa with a delayed brainbuster. If she can hit that on Marino, there could be a new champion in AWG. However, Marino’s passion and dedication to the title were on display in the post-match when she didn’t back down to the mighty Nene.

Naru & Sakura Mizushima vs. Haruka Ishikawa & Kyoka Iwai

Ishikawa and Iwai are just flat-out mean and have no problem being the bullies on the roster. Kyoka truly shines in tag matches; if she can find a way to apply that to main event single matches, she will be a complete performer. Naru and Mizushima are in their element as the high-speed heroes who have to figure out how to beat the stronger Killer’Z. Ishikawa shutting down Mizushima was frightening, and she let out a guttural howl when she pinned the King with a wicked backdrop.

Act & Ayano Irie vs. Mari & MARU

Act and Maru are two player-coaches, but when the time comes, both can absolutely deliver at the highest level. ACT especially was making this bout a refresher course to the entire roster that she is a serious threat and a legend. Mari had more of a snake motif today, but regardless of gear, she is always fantastic and dangerous, even against her normal tag partner, ACT.

Ayano was nearly a babyface in the match and refused to stay down. Maru nailed Ayano with the Maru x 2 Suplex and gave a defiant middle finger salute to the crowd. Mari and MARU get the victory over the reunited BE∀STZ REBELLION team, and the Killer’Z close out the show. Absolutely recommended and a masterclass from four veterans. 

Step 58

Asako Mia & Natsuki vs. Hinata Senya & Mari

Fun Asako shenanigans mixed with hard striking from Mari and Natsuki. Natsuki was very good at being flustered by the wacky Asako and at times found herself in a 3-on-1 handicap match.

Asako really wanted to prove herself and get a victory but couldn’t help but be Asako. Mari struggling to pin Asako did show that she wasn’t just being a clown, though. Mari did end the match with a Crucifix Bomb on Asako, as Natsuki was a bit late and ended up stomping her partner (perhaps out of frustration). The Killer’Z team laughed and taunted Natsuki, especially Mari, who will be seeing her again soon in ACT Game.

Ayano Irie vs. Naru

Ayano taking Naru a little too lightly is the big story here. While Ayano had the advantage for a majority of the bout, she was laughing Naru off and not taking this seriously. Naru landed a crucifix bomb and shocked Ayano with the win. Fun match.

ACT & MARU vs. Marino Saihara & Yukina Uehara

ACT started off as the goofy bad partner and was happy to sit on the apron drinking while MARU was in a 2-on-1 fight. However, she tagged in, and then the serious stuff was being served up. ACT with another reminder that she is still a main event wrestler.

After a very strong tag fight, Maru hits the Maru x 2 Suplex to pin the AWG Champion Marino. Marino sold the loss magnificently, and it helps make every match feel significant. Another great outing for both ACT and MARU.

Chii Aoba & Nanami Togi vs. Anri & Erisa Nagai ACT Game Second Round 

A really strong match, and both teams should be proud. Polaris is really clicking as a team; it’s like in music when you see a support act that has a ton of energy and is starting to show up the headliners at concerts.

In another year, Polaris could be the main players if they keep progressing like this.

Togi kept things interesting as she was leaning into being a heel, and that was at odds with Chii, who is a babyface through and through. Erisa got a Fisherman Suplex on Chii and erupted into tears as she picked up a big win for herself and Polaris. Massive recommendation and a good showcase of the young roster—go see this match.

Kyoka Iwai vs. Sakura Mizushima

Kyoka brought it and figured things out. Miz is a great champion, and the brawling added a dimension to the fight. Kyoka already has the intensity for her singles matches, and adding in another special move at the end here really could help her stay in the hunt. She should look to her tag partner, Ishikawa, for inspiration.

Kyoka picked up the win with a spinning tombstone. Mizushima will have to avenge the loss with the King belt on the line the next time. Kyoka, standing tall, continued the theme from Step 57 of the show, ending with Killer’Z on top. 

A good way to build suspense as Korakuen approaches. There will likely be more new eyes on the roster with both the GLEAT appearance and the announcement of Natsupoi and Saori Anou returning to AWG at Korakuen. A lot of the board is set for a new audience to discover one of the most unique companies in wrestling or entertainment today.