The first of this week's three S-Arena videos features the return of the wrestler formerly known as Tyrannosaurus Okuda at MAKEHEN's Apr. 25 show. Okuda has been out since having shoulder surgery last fall and of course she also left Sendai Girls. She has been given the ring name Basara as the result of a contest. In this match, she's teaming with Mikado against Mio Shirai & Bambi. The match doesn't look like anything special and Basara used a German suplex on Bambi for the win at 11:07. It remains to be seen if Basara will be anything special. Her new costume and look would indicate that she wants to be a heel.
Next is the Apr. 25 NEO show at Itabashi Green Hall. Of course everything is designed to set up the big May 5 Korakuen Hall show. Nanae Takahashi, Natsuki*Taiyo & Kana vs Yoshiko Tamura, Yuki Miyazaki & Ray goes to a 30 minute draw. I guess no one wants to job anymore. They give Natsuki & Ray some ring time because they have that High Speed Title match. And then Takahashi & Tamura have a long segment together. Afterwards, they have a discussion and NEO President Koda gets involved. The thinking is there will be a title change as Takahashi needs to be taken down a peg. Ayumi Kurihara wins over Haruka Matsuo with a uraken at 10:04. The main event has Revolution Amandora vs Kyoko Inoue, Hiroyo Matsumoto & Etsuko Mita. RA controls the match at first but the tide is turned and Matsumoto wins over Nakagawa with a Liger Bomb at 21:57. Kyoko Kimura gets very aggressive with Kyoko Inoue afterwards and it turns physical of course.
Finally we have the final Chick Fights SUN show and the Hikaru & Saki Maemura retirement Apr. 26 at Belle Salle Roppongi. First there is the final defense of the WDB Mixed Tag Team Title. Saki Maemura & Minoru Fujita successfully defend over Ikudo Hidaka & Toshie Uematsu when Maemura pinned Uematsu with the Never Give Up at 15:00. You mean they don't get an estate in Abu Dhabi? I'm outraged! Not really. But I guess Maemura gets to keep the belt. Ironically, Hikaru teams with her nemesis Aja Kong against Manami Toyota & Haruka Matsuo. Also ironically, the end comes when Aja accidently nails Hikau with a backfist and Toyota uses a German suplex for the win at 15:03. That's a Hikaru's entire wrestling career in a nutshell. Even more ironically, Hikaru & Saki Maemura's final match is against each other. That's what they've been doing on ZERO-ONE shows for the last year and a half. Hikaru wins with the Lanakilla-H at 18:00. Then they show the retirement ceremony and the 21 bell salute. Of course Hikaru is marrying New Japan star Koji Kanemoto. I presume Maemura has a job somewhere. I have a nagging feeling that the irony of this show was lost on these two. Though I didn't much care for Hikaru, she had a significant following in AJW and her potential was squandered after they closed. Maemura was an OK midcarder but nothing special. And since Jan. 2008, both of them chose to work for a paycheque instead striving to achieve something in the joshi business. Some fans will miss them but neither have been a real part of joshi during that time so they won't be missed at all. It's a sad end to a company with delusions of grandeur that they refused to back up with any substance. Good riddance to Chick Fights SUN.
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