#113: Akira Hokuto vs. Manami Toyota, AJW Destiny (9/2/1995).
This is the fourth singles meeting between two of Joshi's greatest stars, and the final time they would share a ring together. The stars aligned for this match perfectly. Hokuto is one of the toughest woman to ever enter a ring, while Toyota was having a banner year in 1995 as one of the very best wrestlers anywhere in the world.
Hokuto attacks during Toyota’s entrance, and hits a senton to her on the outside. In the ring, she offers her hand out for a show of respect. She fakes it, and back suplexes Toyota as the bell rings. Toyota sends Hokuto to the apron, and we get our first of many shotgun dropkicks. Hokuto jumps to the apron to block a diving attack from Toyota. Toyota kicks Hokuto off the top rope, then dives off to the outside with a shotgun. We’re a fucking minute into this match!
Back in the ring, they lock hands, and Hokuto explodes with a suplex. She ties Toyota’s arms around her neck and tries for a Dragon Sleeper. She mounts Toyota and explodes with furious slaps to the face. Toyota just grabs her hair and starts slapping her too! Hokuto won’t stand for this, and goes for the Sharpshooter on Toyota. She grabs Hokuto’s hair to try and break this up. Hokuto transitions to a Crossface. From there, she locks Toyota in a nasty Camel Clutch.
Hokuto grabs Toyota’s hair to add even more pressure. Hokuto with a dragon sleeper next, as she continues this hard offense of Toyota on the mat. She sends Toyota into the ropes, and she just jumps straight to the top rope, and comes off with a crossbody. A shotgun dropkick follows. Toyota with hard kicks to the chest and legs next. A shotgun to Hokuto in the corner by Toyota, and another. She hits Hokuto with a double arm suplex for a 2 count.
She mounts Hokuto, and trash talks her while slapping her repeatedly. Toyota grabs all of her hair and throws her across the ring. She boots her head into the ropes next. Hokuto avoids a clothesline and hits a German Suplex. Hokuto hits a Dragon Suplex, and damn near spikes Toyota on her head. She applies the Sharpshooter again, as I sit here and ponder how Manami Toyota has a spine left in the world. Toyota gets to the ropes, but Hokuto simply grabs her arm and restrains it. Hokuto wrenches back on the leg, contorting it in weird angles. Toyota gets to the ropes again.
Toyota stomps Hokuto’s chest, and now they roll around the ring looking for a pin. Toyota gets a nearfall. Powerslam by Toyota, followed quickly by a top rope moonsault for a nearfall. Toyota avoids a powerbomb to hit a hurricanrana for 2. Hokuto is able to powerbomb her afterwards any way. Poisonrana by Hokuto gets a 2 count. Toyota with a Tiger Suplex for a nearfall. Hokuto with another powerbomb for another nearfall.
Hokuto lifts Toyota up for a Fisherman Brainbuster, and Toyota forces her way out of that pin attempt. Hokuto goes right into an armbar like submission, and Toyota gets her foot on the bottom rope. Hokuto hits Toyota with a powerslam, and goes to the top rope. Toyota tries to cut her off, but Hokuto kicks her away. She goes back to the top, and misses her own shotgun dropkick. Toyota looks for the Cyclone Suplex, but Hokuto reverses into a pinning combination for a close 2 count.
Toyota with a powerslam, and she goes to the top rope. She hits her moonsault, but Hokuto gets her knees up in time! Toyota with an arm drag, right into a Cyclone Suplex! She pins, and Hokuto kicks out. She brings Hokuto to the outside, and grabs a ringside table. She places it on the floor, and sets Hokuto on top of it. Toyota goes to the top rope, and hits a splash to Hokuto, which doesn’t even budge the table one fucking bit!
Toyota returns to the ring, then springboards right to the top rope for a senton to the outside, but Hokuto avoids it and Toyota just lands hard on the floor. Seriously, how does this woman have a spine? Hokuto drags Toyota to the announcer’s position, and brings her atop another table. On it, Hokuto connects with a powerbomb onto the table, and again, it doesn’t budge. Hokuto tosses the table aside, and brings Toyota back to ringside. They’re on top of the first table, and Hokuto powerbombs her again. She goes to the top rope, and hits a diving back splash to Toyota on the table, and the thud it makes is sick. For a third time, the famous 90s Japanese wrestling table doesn’t give a single budge. Both women are back in the ring, but they each look like they’ve been through the ringer. They grab each other’s hair, as they look for an opening.
Toyota with the Snow Plow to Hokuto out of nowhere. Toyota is up, and she hits another Snow Plow! And that’s enough for the win. Man, what a fucking war. These two women just beat the shit out of one another, and neither one would relent. Toyota showed real grit here, hanging with someone the likes of Hokuto, who is known in the 1990s as one of the toughest women in the Joshi scene. The story here was Hokuto was trying to literally break Toyota down at the back, but Toyota is just too much to overcome by the end.
I will say I thought the ending came out of nowhere, which didn’t work for me. Toyota took an incredible beating – including those wicked table spots – and then just kind of won out of nowhere? I would’ve personally liked a little more build to the actual finishing sequence, but that’s just me. It doesn’t take away from what was a true classic in the realm of 90s Joshi. Plus, as far as Manami Toyota matches go, this was one of the easier ones I’ve written about.