Marvelous (8/7/2023)
AAAW Championship: Mio Momono (c) vs. Mayumi Ozaki
It would have been more interesting if OZ Academy had a young representative to go against the young Marvelous ace, but the youngest wrestler on their roster is Sonoko Kato, who is in her 40s. So Mio Momono essentially became the sacrificial lamb to set up a match between Mayumi Ozaki and Chigusa Nagayo, two old ladies who are several decades removed from their prime. Nagayo can barely move and looks in no shape to wrestle. It's like they've learned nothing from the dark ages. In terms of the match, it exceeded my expectations. Mio Momono typically employs a traditionalist joshi pro-wrestling style that can feel disjointed, lacking cohesion and selling, but I think Mayumi Ozaki's extended control segments somehow paced things out properly and created a sense of structure. ***1/4
