#182: Bull Nakano vs. Shinobu Kandori, LLPW/FMW/AJW (7/14/1994).
This is a Chain Match.
Both women trash talk each other in the ring, and come to blows before the match starts. Hostility already! We finally get proper intros for both women. Nakano is representing All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling, while Kandori is representing Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling.
They begin the match by tugging at their end of the chain. Nakano avoids a clothesline, but gets tripped by the chain. Kandori looks for a powerbomb, and gets back body dropped. Nakano kicks her hard in the head, and Kandori shoves her into the ropes. She drives her boot into her face. Abdominal stretch by Kandori, and she wraps the chain around Nakano’s neck for extra leverage. She wraps the chain around her fist, and punches Nakano right in the jaw.
Another stiff kick to the head, and I randomly remember that Nakano today is a professional golfer. Wild. Kandori comes off the ropes with a clothesline, and more choking with the chain. Nakano gets on the advantage, and drops Kandori with a strike to the head. And another, using the chain as an instigator. Nakano is laying in these strikes with the chain to the head and the back. Some more kicks to the skull, and Nakano follows through with a nice clothesline and a leg drop. She covers, and Kandori kicks out.
Nakano brings Kandori to the ropes and grinds the chain into her forehead. She wraps the chain around Kandori’s face, and drops an elbow on her head. Snap mare by Nakano, and she continues to grind the chain into Kandori’s face. Kandori is busted open bad now. On the floor, Nakano whips Kandori into the barricade, then uses the chain to pull her towards her clothesline. She places her head in the barricade, and applies pressure.
They fight into the crowd next, as Nakano continues her ass whipping. She’s dragging her around the arena, and choking her out with the chain. Kandori finally makes a comeback with some hard shots to the jaw. The fans are surrounding them, as this brawl continues. It’s honestly chaos. Kandori leads Nakano back to ringside, and Nakano gives her a hard lariat. Nakano uses the chain around the ring post to trap Kandori, and nearly strangles her! It’s a crazy visual, seeing Kandori fight for her life while bleeding against the ring post.
Nakano stomps at her head, and brings her back into the ring. She sits on the top rope, and wraps the chain around Kandori’s head. More choking, if you can believe it. Nakano panders to the crowd, and Kandori explodes with a lariat to the back of the head. She brings Nakano to the outside, and sends her head first into the ring post. Hard forearms to the head follow, and now Kandori starts to choke her with the chain!
Kandori uses the chain to whip Nakano into the barricade at ringside. They return to the ring, and Kandori punches Nakano hard in the head with the chain. Now Kandori is whipping the chain around and she connects with it to Nakano! She wraps it around Nakano’s neck, and viciously tries to choke her out. Now Nakano is a bloody mess. Another stiff shot to the head with the chain by Kandori, but Nakano fights back with a kick to the chest.
Nakano with a facebuster off the middle rope, followed by a top rope DDT. That gets her a 2 count. Nakano whips the chain around like nunchuks, and then whips Kandori with it repeatedly. Nice powerbomb by Nakano, and that’s a nearfall. She goes to the top rope, and hits a nasty leg drop. She covers, and Kandori somehow kicks out. These two look like they’ve been through the meat grinder. She’s back on the top rope, but Kandori knocks her down. She’s hanging by her leg, and Kandori uses the chain to choke her while upside down. Very nasty spot. Kandori grabs a piece of the barricade, and throws it at Nakano a few times. Kandori powerbombs Nakano on the floor, and damn near spikes her, and gets a nearfall, because I guess this is falls count anywhere?
Now Kandori is choking Nakano with the chain, and also using it as leverage for an arm bar on the apron. Nakano strikes Kandori with the chain to break the hold. Back in the ring, Nakano catches Kandori with the Dead Eye. Nakano goes to the top rope, with the chain wrapped around her leg, and hits another leg drop to crush Kandori’s face. She returns to her feet, and eats a chain wrapped clothesline. Nakano is back on the top rope, and hits another chain leg drop to the back of Kandori’s head. She covers, and that’s enough for the 3 and the win.
That was an ugly fight in the best way. It had high intensity from start to finish, and both women put in the work to beat the hell out of each other. It was bloody, chaotic, and unpredictable. A violent spectacle between two Joshi legends. Nakano overcame the beating she took throughout the match, and was able to return it in kind to Kandori. Some of the choking spots were rough to see, as I wondered how they were faking it. And then I remembered: 90s Joshis don’t fuck around. Great match.