Big Egg Wrestling Universe Review (11/20/1994).

05 Feb, 2025

Since I started this blog in April 2024, there have been things I've been excited to watch and review. It meant a lot to dedicate a whole week to Bray Wyatt (#86-100), I was excited to review my favorite Okada/Tanahashi matches (#151-160), and it was really cool to review a George Hackenschmidt match from 1908 (#166).

But, from the very beginning, there's been one show that I've been itching to get to. It's one of the most historic wrestling shows of all time, it's considered the final peak of the Golden era of 1990s Joshi, and it's the biggest Women's wrestling event ever held on this planet, as it drew allegedly 42,000+ to the mythical Tokyo Dome.

So, why has it taken so long to get to? Well, it's because this event is over 10 hours long. Yes, if you aren't familiar with this event, you read that correctly: Over 10 hours long, with 23 Matches.

Taking place at the end of 1994, Big Egg Wrestling Universe (or, Doumu Super Woman Great War Big Egg Wrestling Universe, the full name) was THE supercard to end all supercards. It was an Interpromotional showcase from 10 different promotions, including home promotion AJW, JWP, LLPW and GAEA.

It also featured performers from Puroresu promotions like Michinoku Pro and FMW, the infamous Death Match promotion ran by Atsushi Onita.

This show was so huge for it's time, it also featured a match from the WWE, during a period in the 1990s where they were as open to working with other promotions as All Japan was. Needless to say, their involvement was special here.

The event was a massive spectacle for it's time, as the show featured a massive stage that put every WrestleMania in the decade to absolute shame. It had all the glitz and glamour of a major sporting event. It made $4 million in ticket sales, and a whopping $1.6 million in merchandise sales.

It also featured an absolute all star line up of female talent from the era: Nagayo, Kandori, Yamada, Asuka, Yokota, Hokuto, Kong, Toyota, Kansai, and Nakano, just to name a few.

The main selling point of the event was the VTop Tournament, an 8 woman single elimination Interpromotional tournament to decide who the best women's wrestler in the world was. To add further drama, tourney participant Akira Hokuto proclaimed that should she not win the VTop, she would retire.

Also, for some reason, in the middle of the show, there were two amateur wrestling matches, a kickboxing match, and a shoot boxing match.

If you can't tell, this show really had it all. It remains one of the most outlandish and excessive wrestling events to take place anywhere in the world. And for my blog this week, I'm going to watch the entire show for the first time, and attempt to do it in one sitting.

Probably not a smart idea, but it wouldn't be the first time I've done something crazy for this blog - after all, I once watched and reviewed the Doomsday Cage Match from WCW Uncensored 1996 (#50). That remains one of the worst decisions I've ever made.

So, I've done my best to prepare you for this, so let's get to it!

YouTube has the event in its entirety, so here’s hoping it didn’t cut anything out.

We start with an opening video package showcasing some of the performers we’ll see on this, set to a song that would fit right in with early 1990s Heavy Metal. We go then to December 3rd, 1996, where I assume this event was first announced, with the AJW roster standing in the ring. From there, we cut to early 1994, where we get an interview with Akira Hokuto, presumably about her possible retirement. I really want to learn Japanese, so I can understand these a lot better.

From that, we go to a video package covering the great tag team match between Hokuto & Shinobu Kandori against Aja Kong & Bull Nakano, arguably the best tag team match featuring rivals as partners that you’ll ever see. I covered the match at #146. Next, we get a press conference from June 3rd, 1994 – the famous date of the Misawa/Kawada 6 Star classic. It’s more talking from those involved. We see some autograph sessions for the fans by the wrestlers, more highlights from an AJW event at the Nippon Budokan, the inclusion of Blizzard Yuki – a character from an anime – who will be participating in the event, and some more buildup and highlights on the road to the Dome.

Now the show officially begins, as we get an opening ceremony, ala the Olympics, as the different promotions make their way to the stage, carrying flags to show their support for their company. This is a really cool touch to make this all feel special and like a legitimate sporting attraction. The stage for this event is huge, like the actual walk way to the ring may be the biggest I’ve ever seen in the Tokyo Dome. After all the pomp and circumstance, it’s time for the opening match!

1. Hiromi Sugo & Hiromi Yagi vs. Bomber Hikari & Chaparita Asari.

Asari’s team is made up of her from AJW, and Hikari from JWP, while both Sugo and Yagi represent JWP.

They shake hands to start, and Yagi makes first contact with some dropkicks to Hikari. They double team Hikari for the first nearfall. Yagi gets irish whipped, and Hikari tags in Asari. She gets arm dragged several times by Yagi a few times, and here comes Sugo with some hard shoulder tackles. Yagi tags back in and eats a hurricanrana into a pin for 2. Big knee to the face by Asari, and another. She covers, and Yagi kicks out.

Cross Armbreaker by Yagi is immediately broken up by Hikari. Asari with a snap mare into a chin lock. Yagi fires back with a crossbody for 2. She brings Asari to the mat and continues to work on the arm. Asari escapes the hold and does a back flip dropkick in the corner to Yagi a few times, which is admittedly really impressive. Back body drop, followed by a standing moonsault gets her a two count. Hikari makes the tag, and just flattens Yagi with a military press slam.

Yagi catches Hikari in a leg lock, and she quickly gets to the ropes. Scoop slam by Hikari gets her a nearfall. Asari makes the tag, and she goes to the top rope. Yagi catches her and arm drags her to the mat for 2. Nice missile dropkick by Yagi, and here comes Sugo with the tag. She hits a dropkick from the top to the legs, and then hits a nice double team move with Yagi, and Hikari breaks up the pin. Running knee in the corner by Sugo, and Asari forces Yagi off the apron.

All four women fight on the outside, and Asari hits a beautiful corkscrew moonsault onto everyone. Back in the ring, Sugo hits an alley oop, and Asari hits a dropkick from the top rope to get the win. Fun opening match. It was fast and full of action. It was everything that you love about 90s Joshi.

2. Two on One Handicap Match: Buta Genjin & Little Great Muta vs. Tomezo Tsunokake.

This has to be good if it features someone known as “Little Great Muta.”

This is a Minis match, and already, this may be the most bizarre match on the entire card.

Little Muta has a big afro, and he spits red mist in the air, Keiji Mutoh style. I’ll be honest – I have no idea what to expect from this.

The bell sounds, and Muta starts out with Tomezo. Back flip elbow in the corner, followed by a snap suplex and a snap elbow. He tags in Buta, who crushes Tomezo with a running chest bump. Hard boot to the face follows, and Tomezo knocks himself silly by hitting the ropes, I think. Muta tags back in, and Tomezo stuns him a few times, before spinning him on top of his head. He irish whips Muta into the turnbuckle, and he falls backwards like it’s a comedy.

Shining Wizard by Little Muta! Dropkick follows, and Buta tags back in. He throws Tomezo onto the ramp, and they run up to the stage. Buta places Tomezo on a shipping cart, and rolls him back to the ring, decapitating him against the ropes! Buta with some cartwheels, and then a lariat to Tomezo. Muta tags in, and dropkicks him in the chest. Buta tags in, and continues to assault him. They go to the floor, then immediately return to the ring.

Buta lifts Tomezo up and throws him into the ropes. Powerslam, and then he brings Muta in for a double team senton. Muta with a drop toe hold, into the STF. Tomezo submits, and Muta gets the win for his team. That was more fun that it should’ve been. Muta and Buta completely dominated Tomezo here. He never stood a chance.

3. AJW Junior Championship: Candy Okutsu © vs. Rie Tamada.

We have our first of three championship matches up next.

Candy is representing JWP, while Tamada is representing AJW. Tamada looks to bring the AJW Championship back home from JWP.

They shake hands, and the bell rings. Candy with a running ass drop into Tamada’s face, and a series of dropkicks to the head. She runs up the turnbuckle, Toyota style, and hits a crossbody to Tamada on the floor. Back in the ring, Tamada quickly sends her to the floor, then hits a top rope dive onto her. She brings her back into the ring, then throws her half way across a few times. Good suplex by Tamada gets her a nearfall.

Running crossbody by Tamada gets her another 2. Drop toe hold by Candy, and she quickly turns it into a roll up for 2. She hits a single leg dropkick, and goes into the Boston Crab submission. She transitions to a Single Crab, but continues to yank back on it to give Tamada a ton of pressure to her back. Candy breaks the hold and stomps her back, then sends her into the turnbuckle. Tamada fires back with a dropkick, and a shotgun dropkick. She covers, and Candy kicks out.

Tamada with a Boston Crab of her own now! She goes from that to a back stretch, as she grabs the arms and legs and drives her foot into the spine. She even adds a few stomps into the mix. Tamada isn’t fucking around, as she connects with some low dropkicks, before hitting a snap mare into another back stretch. She pulls Candy’s arms behind her for more pressure. Tamada irish whips Candy to the turnbuckle, and Candy walks it again and hits a crossbody for 2. Tamada with a roll up for a nearfall. Tamada with, I think, a corkscrew splash for 2? It was cool, nonetheless. She misses a missile dropkick, and Candy goes to the top rope for a senton. She also misses. Tamada with a shotgun dropkick, and a regular dropkick.

She goes to the top rope, and hits another shotgun dropkick. She follows that with a top rope splash for 2. Candy with a shotgun dropkick, followed by a Sling Blade, Tanahashi style, for 2. She hits Tamada with a suplex, then goes to the top again with a splash. It gets her a nearfall. Tamada with a small package for 2. Candy places her on the top rope, and Tamada punches her away. Candy goes right back to the top to hit a Northern Lights Suplex to the mat!

Candy hits five consecutive German Suplexes, with the latter being bridged for the 3 and the win to retain the Junior Championship. That was a lot of fun. A good sprint, with some nice back and forth action between both women.

4. KAORU vs. Suzuka Minami.

Minami represents AJW, while KAORU represents GAEA, the promotion founded by the legendary Chigusa Nagayo.

Another pair of wrestlers shake hands, as the action begins fast, with KAORU reversing a powerbomb into a pin. She does it again, and then again. She only gets 2. KAORU with a suplex to Minami, and that also gets her a two count. She kicks at Minami’s leg, and then applies the Surfboard Lock. She transitions from that to a leg lock submission next. KAORU stays on the offensive, as she looks for a Boston Crab submission next. She has dominated Minami so far.

Minami fires back with a roll up attempt for 2. She lifts KAORU up and spikes her with a piledriver. She covers, and KAORU kicks out. Minami applies a chin lock next, and then lifts KAORU up for a Samoan Drop of sorts. She goes into a Half Crab submission next. Minami with a Tiger Driver set up, into a back breaker across her knee, and then she repeats the spot. She covers, and KAORU arches out of it.

Minami with a clothesline drops KAORU, and she goes for a powerbomb, but KAORU reverses it into a back slide pin. Minami gets her feet on the ropes to break it up. Minami sends her to the apron, and knocks her on the floor. She connects with a nice Tope to the outside, and then brings her back to the ring. Minami goes to the top rope, and hits a diving knee to the face. She only gets 2 off of it. KAORU reverses out of a powerslam, and hits a German Suplex bridge, and again, Minami gets her feet on the ropes.

Minami goes to the top rope, and KAORU slaps the shit out of her, sending her to the floor. She follows that up with a dive onto her! Back in the ring, KAORU hits a powerslam, and then a springboard moonsault for 2. She misses her second attempt of that moonsault, but quickly rolls Minami up anyway for 2. Another roll up out of the corner gets her a 2 count. Minami with a pop up powerbomb, Kevin Owens style! She hits a normal powerbomb, and KAORU kicks out.

The crowd enjoy the action, as Minami lifts her off the mat. KAORU reverses a powerbomb into a pin for 2. Minami goes to the top rope, and KAORU brings her down with an arm drag! She gets 2 off of that. Another powerslam by KAORU, and then she hits a top rope moonsault, but Minami gets her knees up to block it. Sit out powerbomb by Minami that absolutely brutalizes KAORU is enough to get the 3 and the win.

That wasn’t a bad match, though I’d call it a tad repetitive. I popped big for the KAORU slap, the Pop Up Powerbomb, and the Sit Out Powerbomb by Minami at the end.

Up next is the portion of the show that is almost universally disliked by fans of this show – the real fights.

5. Kickboxing Match: Kumiko Maekawa vs. Sugar Miyuki.

I don’t know anything about Kickboxing, but I can tell you that Sugar Miyuki looks like a female Jackie Chan in the face.

So, this will be 5 Rounds, and 2 minutes per round. Sugar makes the first move with a leg kick. Kumiko with some hard kicks of her own, and Sugar throws in some punches for good measure. Kumiko seems to be controlling the pace, as she is moving forward much more than Sugar, who’s backing up a lot. Sugar with some punches, and Kumiko grabs her head and brings her to the mat. The bell sounds, and Round 1 is over. I’d give that to Kumiko, based on my nonexistent knowledge of kickboxing.

Round 2 kicks off, and Kumiko kicks first. Sugar throws some punches, and some nice kicks to the head, and gets Kumiko against the ropes. Kumiko controls the pace, staying on top of Sugar with stiff kicks to the leg. Sugar is fighting her best, though! They’re both throwing wild punches, but Kumiko’s kicks are more measured and precise. Kumiko connects with a head kick, and Sugar immediately grabs her waist. The round ends, and I’d say Kumiko is still in the lead. She is playing rough here, and Sugar is trying to keep up.

Round 3 begins, and Kumiko again strikes first. Sugar peppers in some strikes as well. Kumiko continues to press forward with a series of roundhouse kicks. Sugar pops off some strikes to the jaw. Sugar grabs Kumiko, and they get separated. Kumiko with a kick straight to the stomach, as she continues to press forward. Sugar can’t get ahead. The round ends. Kumiko is winning this fight, hands down.

Round 4 starts, and Sugar remembers that she’s here to win! She has a flurry of offense, and Kumiko slows her down with some kicks. Sugar is throwing wild haymakers, and Kumiko is staying calm and composed. Smart strategy. Kumiko decks her with a strike that sends Sugar into the ropes. Kumiko keeps the pressure on, as the round ends. Kumiko is still in the lead, but it was nice to see Sugar come out swinging.

The fifth and final round is under way, and both women are swinging for the fences. Kumiko is dominant, but Sugar is trying to find victory. Sugar lands a nice shot to the face. Kumiko with some clean kicks to the head. Kumiko continues to keep Sugar against the ropes with kicks and knees. The fight is over. Kumiko wins by judge’s decision. I would’ve been shocked if she hadn’t. That wasn’t bad, but I can see why people wouldn’t be so happy to see this on a wrestling show.

6. Amateur Wrestling Challenge: Doris Blind vs. Kyoko Hamaguchi.

I noticed something while watching the entrances for this: they get the same fancy treatment in the entrances as the Joshi wrestlers. It must be wild to come into this as an outsider, but get superstar treatment like that.

The bell sounds, and here we go! I honestly have no idea how to even review this. Both women lobby for takedowns, and whomever takes the other down, they’re separated by a whistle. Yeah, I don’t know if something like this was needed on this show, but I do respect the representation and appreciation of women on this show! I will say I think something like this would absolutely kill an American crowd, because I don’t hink they’d have the patience for this.

Anyway, Doris won the match. She was more of the aggressor in this. Her and Kyoko shake hands post match. I didn’t hate this, as I think this stuff is cool, but like the Kickboxing Match, I can see why it would have detractors.

7. Amateur Wrestling Challenge: Anna Gomez vs. Miyu Yamamoto.

I’m now seeing the rules of this challenge: it’s one round, four minutes long. I guess it’s done under a point system? Again, I have no clue how to write about this, I’ll just be honest. I feel like I’ll just sound repetitive talking about takedowns over and over again, so I’ll just reiterate once again that this is a unique and cool representation for women, but it probably doesn’t belong on this show.

Yamamoto wins, and they show respect afterwards.

We go into Part 2 of the tape, as we continue on with more press conference coverage of the performers.

8. Shootboxing Match: Kaori Ito vs. Fumiko Ishimoto.

This will have five rounds, three minutes a piece. Round 1 begins, and Ishimoto lands some hard strikes to the head of Ito right away. They’re both throwing bombs out the gate, with Ishimoto staying in the lead. Ito lands a good bit of consecutive strikes, and Ishimoto fires back with knees to the chest. Nice Judo throw by Ishimoto, and a spinning back fist. She takes Ito to the mat. Round 1 ends, and I’d say Ishimoto has a commanding lead.

Round 2 begins, and Ishimoto continues to control the pressure of the fight. Ito sneaks in some nice hard strikes to the face. Ishimoto is landing more accurately at this point, and continues to dictate the pace. She takes Ito down to the mat. Spinning back fist by Ishimoto, as Ito swings wildly. More punches miss than land, but Ito isn’t giving up so easy. She takes Ishimoto down a few times. The round ends, and that one was a bit of a toss up. Ishimoto controlled a lot of it, but Ito brought a solid game with those takedowns.

Round 3 begins, and we get a nice exchange of leg kicks. Ito takes Ishimoto down, and lands more kicks to the midsection. Ito seems to be doing more this round, as Ishimoto has gone into defense mode. She takes Ito down to slow things. More leg kicks from both women. The round ends, and I’d call that another toss up. This fight is closer than I thought it would be. Ito may not be in the lead, but she is doing more.

Round 4 begins, and Ishimoto rushes forward. She knees Ito in the chest repeatedly. Beautiful Judo throw by Ito. Ishimoto lands some strikes to the head. Ito is staying on the offensive, as she forces Ishimoto against the ropes. Another takedown by Ito. Spinning back fist by Ishimoto misses, but a takedown doesn’t. The round ends, and I feel like Ito took that. She kept the pressure on, and Ishimoto really had to work. For me, it’s a toss up on who takes this.

The fifth and final round begins, and Ishimoto hits a brutal takedown on Ito. Both women are throwing wild offense. Ishimoto with another takedown, and both women land strikes on the other. Ito pops off a Judo throw on Ishimoto. Both women are showing clear signs of exhaustion, but they aren’t letting up. Ito with repeated kicks to the left leg, while Ishimoto forces her against the ropes. They throw crazy haymakers, and Ito gets a spinning back fist off. Ishimoto with one of her own. The fight comes to a close.

That was my favorite of the four “real” fights on this show. Good back and forth, and a real struggle between both women. That final round was fucking crazy. I popped a lot during this. By judge’s decision, the winner is Ishimoto. I’d say what got her the win is the fact that she completely dominated the first round. Ito’s little victories came later on, but it was still too mixed of a bag. Ishimoto took the first round completely, and I think that gave her the edge in the decision. Great fight.

And that’s the end of the “real” fight segment of this show. I didn’t hate any of it, really. It was all fascinating to watch. That said, I can see why many people don’t care for it. If this was in America, these fights would’ve killed the momentum of this event. Alas, Japanese fans are simply a different breed.

9. Chigusa Nagayo vs. Reggie Bennett.

Nagayo represents GAEA, the promotion she founded, and Bennett represents AJW.

Apparently, this match has some real life heat behind it. Bennett said in an interview that she doesn’t care for Nagayo, due to her “claiming” that the gaijin wrestlers were inferior to her. This should go over well!

Bennett walks up the ramp and goes right after Nagayo in a big brawl! Bennett returns to the ring, and Nagayo is already busted open. She returns to the ring as well, and this properly gets under way. They stare each other down, and Nagayo looks pissed.

The bell sounds, and Bennett forces Nagayo into the turnbuckle with slaps and a hard knee to the midsection. Nagayo spin kicks Bennett to her knees, then hits repeated kicks to the head. Bennett goes to the floor, and Nagayo hits a plancha onto her. Bennett is right back to her feet, and she sends Nagayo into the ringside table. Back in the ring, Bennett splashes Nagayo in the turnbuckle. She hits a snap mare, and goes into a chin lock.

She transitions to a waist lock, then hits a powerslam and a splash for a 2 count. Bennett connects with a suplex for another nearfall. Nagayo fires back with some strikes, and a headbutt that rattles Bennett. Nagayo grabs the legs and turns her over into a Boston Crab. She transitions to an arm bar next. Clothesline by Bennett, and another. She hits a powerslam, then goes to the middle rope. Good splash by Bennett, and Nagayo kicks out.

Bennett goes to the top rope, and misses a splash, as Nagayo moves out of the way. She locks in a Sleeper Hold next, and Bennett elbows her way free. Now Bennett applies her own! Nagayo catches Bennett in a roll up, and takes the win, despite the fact that Bennett had clearly kicked out before the 3. Very weird finish to a weird match. Bennett leaves the ring immediately. Was that a shoot?

10. Shinobu Kandori & Mikiko Futagami vs. Toshiyo Yamada & Tomoko Watanabe.

I’m excited to see Kandori here, as she’s half of the reason that I became a fan of Joshi – her match with Akira Hokuto at Dream Slam I in 1993 is the most violent women’s match I’ve ever seen, and it fucking ruled.

Kandori’s team represents LLPW, while Yamada’s team represents AJW.

Futagami goes right after Yamada, hitting a gut wrench pump handle suplex. Watanabe breaks up the pin, and then just clubs Futagami in the head. Watanabe goes to the top rope, and dives onto Kandori. In the ring, Yamada applies a chin lock to Futagami, while Watanabe holds Kandori back with a sleeper. Kandori escapes, and she makes scary eye contact with Yamada. Kandori makes the tag, and the two all stars of this match square up.

Yamada with some hard slaps and kicks to Kandori, who responds by grappling her to the mat. Hard strikes by Kandori, and she brings Yamada up the ramp with a sleeper hold. Watanabe and Futagami brawl at ringside while this happens. Kandori brings Yamada back to the ring, and chokes her with her leg against the ropes. Yamada fires back with a kick straight to Kandori’s face, and that doesn’t make her too happy.

They exchange slaps, until Futagami makes the tag in. Yamada with a snap suplex and a kick to the back of the head. Yamada wants Kandori back in the match. Futagami forces her into the turnbuckle, and here comes Watanabe with a back elbow. Springboard back elbow, and a pair of leg drops by Watanabe give her a two count. Suplex by Watanabe, and Yamada tags back in. Kandori tags in as well, and the all stars go at it once again.

Kandori with hard slaps in the corner, and Yamada with a stiff kick to the face. She misses another kick, but stays ahead and takes the side headlock. Watanabe with a double axe handle to the back, as Yamada cranks on the hold. Watanabe tags in, and Kandori takes her down with a hip toss, right into a cross arm breaker. Watanabe gets to the ropes to break the hold, as Futagami hyper extends the arm over the ropes and makes the tag.

She elbows Watanabe’s arm into the mat. Kandori is back in, and she headbutts Watanabe, while trash talking Yamada. Futagami tags in, and gets kicked in the face by Yamada. They double team Futagami for a moment, until Kandori comes in and clotheslines both women. Yamada knocks Kandori off the apron, and then hits a diving elbow off the top rope, accidentally hitting her partner. Powerbomb by Futagami gets her a nearfall.

Powerslam to Watanabe, and she goes to the top rope. Frog splash connects flush, and she gets a nearfall. Watanabe with a nice clothesline, which gets a nearfall. Watanabe with a back suplex for 2. Yamada is keeping Kandori at bay as best as she can. Kandori tags in, and gets reversed into a hurricanrana for 2. Yamada comes in and kicks her fucking head off. Kandori immediately locks in the Ankle Lock, causing Yamada to scramble for the ropes. She hits a back suplex next, but Yamada comes back with a German Suplex.

Watanabe keeps Futagami at bay, as Yamada kicks Kandori in the head. Futagami knocks Yamada down, and Kandori applies the arm bar. Yamada gets to the ropes to break the hold. Nice spinning heel kick by Yamada, and Kandori kicks out. Kandori blocks a move and goes back into the arm bar. Watanabe is here to kick her head and break it up. Kandori responds by slapping her repeatedly and hitting a powerbomb.

Yamada rushes Kandori and gets a nearfall. Yamada dives off the top rope, but gets caught in another arm bar attempt. This time, it’s too much pain, and she submits. Kandori and Futagami take the win. That ruled for being such a short sprint. They packed a lot of action into 11 minutes, and everyone had a chance to shine. Every time Kandori and Yamada squared off, it was magic.

11. UWA World Women’s Tag Team Championships: Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda © vs. Michiko Nagashima & Yasha Kurenai.

The champions represent AJW, while the challengers represent LLPW.

This is our second championship match of the evening.

The challengers attack before the bell, and we are under way. Shimoda gets caught in a leg lock by Michiko. Shimoda comes back by tossing Michiko across the ring and hitting her with a back elbow. Mita tags in, and grabs Michiko by the hair and throws her all around the ring. The champions double team Michiko on their side of the ring. Shimoda tags back in, and hits a diving clothesline, followed by a snap mare into a chin lock.

Michiko is hung in her corner by Mita. Mita gets caught in a sunset flip roll up for 2. Here comes Yasha, who gets booted in the face. Mita with a great looking side headlock, before getting kicked in the gut and hit with a swinging neckbreaker. Michiko tags in, and the challengers dig their boots into Mita’s head. Running neckbreaker by Michiko gets her a two count. Shimoda tags in, and hits a nice clothesline. And another! She goes into a chin lock next.

Michiko with an old school back rake, before tagging in Yasha. Shimoda looks like she’s just getting started. They exchange hard elbows and slaps, before Yasha just throws her to the mat with a brutal back suplex. Michiko distracts the referee, while Yasha chokes Shimoda out. Yasha with a Tombstone Piledriver, and then the challengers hit a spike Piledriver. Michiko goes into a head scissors next. Mita tags in, and slaps Michiko down hard, Mongolian chop style.

Another piledriver by Mita gets a 2 count when Michiko arches up. Yasha makes the tag, and gets chopped down immediately. Shimoda makes the tag, and avoids an abdominal stretch the first time, but not the second time. Mita traps Michiko in an armbar. Shimoda gets chokeslammed by Yasha. Good double team by the champs, until Yasha hits a plancha onto them on the outside. Doomsday Device by the challengers, and the pin is broken up.

Yasha goes for something, but the champs begin their double team work. Yasha attacks them with a kendo stick, and the challengers get taken down by a double clothesline. Small package gets a 2 count. Eita gets back body dropped by Yasha, who goes to the top rope. Yasha chokeslams Eita off the top for a 2 count. Shimoda gets tossed over the top rope onto Michiko and Yasha, and then Eita hits a Tope onto the challengers.

Back in the ring, Michiko gets hit with a Northern Lights Suplex by Shimoda for 2. Tiger Suplex by Shimoda, and Yasha breaks up the pin. Double arm suplex by Shimoda to Michiko off the top rope, and Michiko arches her way out of the pin. Shimoda powerslams Yasha, and then dives off the top rope, landing on her feet. The champions use the kendo stick on Yasha, until she counters it with a German Suplex.

Michiko with a diving body press on Shimoda for 2. Shimoda boots her down, and Eita makes the tag in. Axe handle to the chest, and Eita places her on the top rope. Michiko reverses it into a victory roll for 2. Big suplex off the top by Michiko, and the pin is broken up by Shimoda. Michiko hits a powerslam, and Yasha hits a senton from the top rope. Michiko hits a leg drop off the top after that, and gets a nearfall.

DDT out of nowhere by Eita, and Yasha comes in to slam her to the mat. Michiko goes to the top, and misses a senton. The champions are in, and all four women are fighting. Bridging German Suplex by Eita gets a close nearfall. Huge Death Valley Driver to Yasha, and that’s enough for the win. The champions retain their titles. Matches like this are why I hate writing about Joshi matches – they’re so fast and furious, I can hardly keep up! This was awesome, and just nonstop action. I feel like everyone got a chance to shine, and the crowd was into. This is definitely the kind of match I’d rather watch than write about, though. And I mean that as a compliment.

12. Jaguar Yokota & Bison Kimura vs. Lioness Asuka & Yumi Ogura.

All four women represent AJW.

This is the in ring return of Yokota, one of the best women’s wrestlers of all time, former ace of AJW, and someone who’d been retired since 1986. Lioness Asuka is one half of the Crush Gals – her partner being Chigusa Nagayo – a team who is arguably the most popular women’s wrestling act of all time.

Both teams shake hands at the start, and then go right at it. Asuka and Yokota trade exchanges, until Asuka hits a suplex. Yokota with a hurricanrana for a 2 count. Asuka catches Yokota and hits a hard back suplex. Yokota flips past Asuka, and both women are at a standstill. Kimura and Ogura tag in, and Ogura hits a springboard crossbody. Kimura with a headbutt to the head, then she just ragdolls Ogura by the hair around the ring. It looks rough.

Ogura grabs the wrist and arm drags Kimura across the ring. She hits a Fisherman Suplex, then tags Asuka in, who comes off the top with an elbow to the head. She hits her own powerslam, and then applies a chin lock. Scorpion Deathdrop, Sting style, by Asuka, followed by hard kicks to the spine. Ogura tags back in, and hits a running knee into the chest. Yokota tags back in, and pops off a small package for 2. She bumps her ass into Ogura’s face, Naomi style, and then hits a Jackhammer for a 2 count.

Yokota twists the arm around, before hammerlocking it in her leg. Kimura tags in, and dives onto the extended arm of Ogura. She grabs her hair and slams her face into the mat repeatedly. Next, Kimura applies a Camel Clutch. Asuka makes the tag, and takes Kimura to the mat. Hard kick to the midsection by Kimura, who then applies the STF submission. Asuka focuses her attention on Kimura’s arm, kicking at it with relative ease.

Asuka and Ogura double team Kimura, reDRagon style. Kimura chops them both away, and drops Asuka with a hard chest chop for 2. Yokota tags in, and accidentally dropkicks Kimura. Ogura with a dropkick and a senton, and Yokota arches her way out of the pin. Yokota looks for a Tiger Driver, and Ogura counters out of it. All four ladies start fighting in the ring, as Asuka traps Kimura in a Sharpshooter, while Ogura traps Yokota in an abdominal stretch. Asuka with a brutal looking Powerbomb for 2. She swings Yokota around a few times, and then grabs Kimura and swings her around, Claudio Castagnoli style. Ogura dives in and accidentally hits Asuka. Kimura grabs Ogura and places her on the top rope. She goes for a suplex, but Ogura counters into a splash. Yokota tags in and hits a sunset flip pin for 2.

Yokota hits a Straitjacket German Suplex for 2. Ogura elbows her way free, and hits a Tiger Suplex for 2. Asuka is on the top rope, as Ogura lifts Yokota up there for her. Asuka drops Yokota with an inverted suplex, but misses an elbow drop. Asuka is up first, and hits a snap German Suplex on Yokota for 2. Yokota with a nasty looking back suplex, as the 10 minute time limit expires. The match is a draw. It was a decent match, with plenty of action, and chances for Ogura and Kimura to shine. It was wrestled at a slower pace than the other Joshi tag matches, which I liked, as it meant I could actually keep up with the action. Yokota looked great in her comeback match.

We get some breathing room from all the action, as representatives of All India Women’s Pro Wrestling are here for an exhibition of Judo flips and amateur wrestling. Neat stuff here, and further representation of Women, which this show is majorly succeeding at all across the board. Some of it may not fit in a wrestling show, like the kickboxing, the amateur wrestling, the shootboxing, or this, but it’s still nice to see Women from all different circles of combat given a spotlight in the Tokyo Dome.

We’re moving into Part 3 of the tape, and we see a special ceremony for the V*Top Tournament, which has all eight competitors coming out for a nice little laser light show.

13. Blizzard Yuki vs. Mariko Yoshida.

Both women represent AJW.

Yuki is actually Sakie Hasegawa, a woman who was becoming a big player in AJW, who was put under the mask to represent the “Blizzard Yuki” character, which is famous in an anime from the time.

They shake hands at the start, and the bell rings. Yuki with a high kick to the head, and a dropkick. Yuki takes Yoshida down, but Yoshida is quick to her feet with a splash. They lock hands in the middle of the ring, and Yoshida kicks Yuki in the legs. She dives off the middle rope with a splash. Cartwheel into an elbow in the corner by Yoshida, followed by a powerslam. Yoshida traps Yuki’s leg, and applies a Half Crab.

Yoshida breaks the submission and kicks Yuki right on her spine. Sunset flip pin by Yoshida, and Yuki kicks out. Yuki fires back with a tilt a whirl hurricanrana, and a thrust kick to the face. She powerslams Yoshida, then hits a running senton for 2. Nice shotgun dropkick by Yuki. She next applies the Figure Four Leglock, Flair style, as Yoshida struggles to break free. After some time, Yoshida is able to get to the ropes to break the hold.

Yuki with a standing frog splash onto the injured leg. She then goes into a Half Crab submission. Yoshida struggles again, but she’s still able to get to the bottom rope. Yoshida comes back with a double arm suplex for a quick nearfall. Yoshida gets Yuki on the outside, and hits a middle rope crossbody onto her. She follows that up with a dive onto Yuki, who was trying to walk away. Yoshida recovers, and hits another dive onto Yuki, before bringing her into the ring.

Nice back suplex that nearly spikes Yuki gets a nearfall for Yoshida. Yuki sends Yoshida to the floor, and then destroys her with a diving Tope. Back in the ring, she powerslams Yoshida and misses a splash from the top rope. Yoshida rolls her up for a quick nearfall. Drop toe hold by Yuki, and a bulldog attempt, which is countered by Yoshida. She hits a nice suplex on Yuki, and then looks for an arm submission.

Yoshida with a sunset flip pin for a close 2 count. She places Yuki on the top rope, and connects with a nice DDT. She covers, and Yuki is able to kick out. Yuki with an ax kick to the head, followed by a powerslam. She hits a top rope senton onto Yoshida for the pin and the win. That was decent. I didn’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll remember it once this show is over. I think it would’ve been better if they just let Sakie Hasegawa wrestle as herself.

14. V*Top Tournament First Round Match: Combat Toyoda vs. Yumiko Hotta.

Toyoda represents FMW, while Hotta represents AJW.

The bell sounds, and we are under way. Hotta with a quick kick to Toyoda to start things out. They lock hands, and Toyoda has a clear strength advantage. She bumps Hotta into the ropes, then squashes her against the turnbuckle. Hotta escapes a move, then slaps the shit out of Toyoda. She knees her right in the face, then kicks her while she’s down. Toyoda is right back up, and in Hotta’s face. Toyoda collides with Hotta again, then connects with an Exploder Suplex.

Hotta kicks Toyoda right in the face. She connects with more hard kicks to the leg, midsection and head. Toyoda responds with some stiff elbows to the jaw, which Hotta doesn’t like. She slaps her hard, and Toyoda appears to be smiling. More stiff kicks from Hotta, followed by an enziguri by Toyoda. Hotta is right back on the advantage, as she continues her stiff offense on the larger Toyoda. Toyoda takes the side headlock, and cranks it hard enough to bring Hotta to the mat.

She transitions into a Single Leg Crab, and then into a full Boston Crab. Toyoda has great strategy, as she slams Hotta’s knees into the mat while in the submission. She kicks at Hotta’s knees after releasing the move. Hotta fires back with some hard kicks to Toyoda’s legs. Spinning heel kick in the corner, followed by some quick kicks to the face. Toyoda reverses it into a leg submission. Now Toyoda looks to torture Hotta with the Figure Four Leglock submission.

Hotta talks a lot of smack to Toyoda, while her legs are being destroyed. Hotta uses her momentum to turn the move over, and reverse the pressure onto Toyoda. The red haired monster is quick to stay on the offensive, nailing Hotta with a huge lariat. She goes for a powerbomb, but Hotta reverses it with a back body drop. She follows through with a stiff kick to the spine, and a spinning heel kick in the corner.

Toyoda powerslams Hotta, and goes to the top rope. Hotta tries to join her, but Toyoda forces her down twice. Hotta, on the third time, knocks Toyoda down, causing her leg to become trapped in the ropes. Hotta goes to the apron, and starts kicking the shit out of her! On the floor, Hotta places Toyoda on one of the ringside tables, and returns to the ring. Toyoda quickly rejoins, and eats some knees to the face for her troubles.

Hotta goes to the top, and misses a spinning heel kick. Toyoda looks for a powerbomb, but Hotta reverses it and sits on her chest. Toyoda fires back with a scoop slam for 2. Toyoda hits the Sit Out Powerbomb for a close 2 count. Toyoda lifts her up and hits it again, and again Hotta kicks out at 2. She goes to the top rope, and hits a nice diving splash! She covers, and Hotta barely gets the shoulder up. Toyoda is stunned! She comes off the ropes with a big clothesline. Hotta blocks the next with a Tiger Driver, and Toyoda kicks out. Hotta looks for it one more time, and connects. She covers, and Toyoda gets the shoulder up.

Toyoda blocks a Tiger Driver attempt into a back slide, which gets a razor thin 2 count. Hotta places her on the top rope, but Toyoda pushes her to the mat. She connects with a backwards diving elbow, and Hotta gets her foot on the bottom rope. Toyoda drills Hotta with the Combat Driver, and Hotta still kicks out! Toyoda goes to the top, and Hotta follows her up. She hits an insane Straitjacket German Suplex off the top rope! Hotta covers, and Toyoda manages to kick out!

Hotta goes to the top, and just barely hits a spinning heel kick. She goes up one more time, and connects flush this time. She kicks Toyoda hard in the back of the head, and then kicks her some more in the face. Toyoda barely meets the referee’s 10 count, and Hotta goes right back to beating the shit out of her. Hotta shoves the referee out of the way, and Toyoda takes advantage of the distraction with a bridging German Suplex for the 3 and the win to advance!

Holy shit, what a battle! That’s one of the best Joshi matches I’ve ever seen. An intense back and forth struggle, and a match that justifiably can be called “a war.” Both women were stubborn, and throwing stiff shots at one another all match long. There was some limb work in the beginning, but that all went out the window when both women decided to just beat the hell out of the other. Fantastic match!

15. V*Top Tournament First Round Match: Akira Hokuto vs. Eagle Sawai.

A reminder from the beginning that Akira Hokuto has vowed to retire from pro wrestling if she does not win this tournament.

Hokuto is representing AJW, while Sawai is representing LLPW.

Sawai looks kind of like Emi Sakura, I think.

The bell sounds, and we are under way. Both women don’t look like they are here to fuck around. Sawai quickly grabs Hokuto and drills her with the Razor’s Edge, and Hokuto kicks out. Sawai just tackles Hokuto to the ground a few times. Sawai grabs Hokuto and sends her to the outside. She is able to make it back into the ring, and get hit with an STO by Sawai for a nearfall. Off the middle rope, Sawai drops Hokuto with another STO for 2.

Sawai elbows Hokuto in the back of the head really fucking hard, and then applies a chin lock. She grapevines the legs around her midsection for a full rear naked choke now. Hokuto gets her hand on the ropes to break the hold. Sawai lifts her in the air for a double arm back breaker across her knee. Powerslam follows, and Sawai covers. Hokuto kicks out. Sawai goes right into a Boston Crab submission, as she looks to continue her utter domination of Hokuto in this match.

Sawai with a small package for a quick nearfall. She powerslams Hokuto again, then goes to the top rope. She misses the Vader splash, as Hokuto is back to her feet. Spinning kick to the head by Hokuto, and another. Sawai rolls to the floor, and Hokuto goes to the top rope. She hits a nice Plancha to the outside onto Sawai. She goes to the middle rope, and brings Sawai up there from the apron. She tries for a suplex, but Sawai is fighting it off. She pushes Hokuto to the mat.

After posing, Sawai hits a middle rope dropkick. Hokuto quickly grabs the bottom rope. Sawai is back on the top rope, and she tries the Vader splash again, but Hokuto this time gets her boots up to block it. Tilt a whirl chest drop by Sawai, and she’s back on the middle rope again. She misses a diving senton, and Hokuto hits a German Suplex. She grabs her, and hits another for a 1 count. Hokuto goes to the top rope, and connects with a shotgun dropkick. She covers, and Sawai kicks out.

Sawai quickly goes for an armbar submission. Hokuto is back up and hits a back suplex for a 2 count. She lifts Sawai up for the Snow Plow, and connects! She covers, and Sawai kicks out. Hokuto goes for it again, and Sawai counters into a small package for 2. Hokuto manages to hit the Snow Plow one more time, and that’s enough for the 3 and the win to advance. That was a decent match that had a nice finishing stretch. Hokuto certainly got her shit rocked in this one.

16. V*Top Tournament First Round Match: Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong.

Both ladies represent AJW. Kong is the reigning WWWA Women’s Champion.

I have previously written about this match for my book, “King’s Road: 25 Years of Wrestling Fandom Condensed Into 100 Matches.” Needless to say, it’s awesome as fuck.

Toyota wastes no time and goes right for Kong with a shotgun dropkick! Toyota hits a Code Blue for a nearfall. She scales the top rope, but Kong meets her up there. Toyota with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a 2 count. She’s back to the top and goes for a crossbody, but Kong catches her and splashes her to the mat.

Kong crushes Toyota into the corner, and kicks away at her body. A running tackle follows for a 2 count. These two are not wasting time. Kong gets Toyota locked in a Boston Crab submission. Kong transitions into a Camel Clutch, focusing exclusively on Toyota’s back. She pulls back very far, almost contorting her opponent. She stands up to kick Toyota into oblivion. She lifts her up for a suplex, and that gets a nearfall.

Toyota somehow escapes the pin by bending her body upwards, but Kong is quick on the offensive, stretching Toyota’s back once again with a Half Crab. Kong hits another suplex, but Toyota bends out of it once again. Kong hits hammerfists to her back, and runs her off the ropes. Toyota comes flying off with a crossbody, and then heads to the top turnbuckle. She attempts another crossbody, but Kong kicks her as she comes down. Now she has her up for a devastating piledriver, which gets a 2 count.

Toyota is back up and dropkicks Kong to the mat, and now she unleashes with kicks of her own – to which Kong simply stands up and drops her with kicks of her own. Toyota won’t stay down though, and she comes back with more offense. Kong uses her overwhelming power advantage to keep her opponent down. She places Toyota on the top turnbuckle, and brings her down with a nice suplex. Again, Toyota stretches out of the pin. And again, Kong puts on a devastating Boston Crab. After a moment of struggle, Toyota is able to reach the bottom rope and break the hold.

Kong lifts Toyota up and sends her chest first into the turnbuckle, and then splashes her whole weight into the upside down opponent. Both women end up on the outside ramp way, and Kong carries Toyota to the middle. She goes running, and slams Toyota chest first onto the ramp! She places Toyota against the ropes, and now Kong goes running back up the ramp. She sprints down and spears Toyota into the ropes. Kong brings her back into the ring and hits another nasty looking piledriver, and somehow Toyota is able to kick out.

The crowd chants for Toyota, who is simply looking to survive this onslaught. Kong lifts her for another piledriver in the middle of the ring, which once again gets a 2 count. Toyota looks to get on the offense, and looks to apply an Octopus submission, but Kong simply tosses her aside like a gnat. She drops Toyota with a Black Mephisto, but Toyota stretches out of it once again. Kong powerslams Toyota and heads to the top turnbuckle. Toyota is quick and knocks her off, sending her to the outside. Then, Toyota springboards off the top rope and flies onto Kong! Toyota goes back to the top and hits a flying Shotgun Dropkick to the floor, knocking Kong backwards! Toyota then grabs a ringside table and places it beside the ring. She lays Kong across it, and then scales the top turnbuckle once again. She dives out of the ring, hitting a splash that doesn’t even budge the table with Kong on top!

Back in the ring, Toyota suplexes Kong and hits the moonsault from the top, but the monster is able to kick out. Kong attempts the spinning back fist, but Toyota counters into a tiger suplex pin attempt, which gets a nearfall. Both are back up, and Kong hits a brutal German Suplex that stops Toyota’s momentum. Toyota looks for a Code Blue off the ropes, but Kong counters with a savage power bomb that only gets 2!

A splash from the top gets a 2, and Toyota stretches away from Kong. She stops Kong from diving off the top, and follows her up. She attacks the back of the head with punches, and hits a Poisonrana that damn near drops Kong on her head! Somehow, that only gets 2. Toyota kicks away at Kong’s head and drops her with a powerslam, and she goes back to the top. She attempts the moonsault, but Kong is able to get her legs up in time to stop it. She lifts Toyota up and puts her on the turnbuckle, and Toyota is able to kick her down. She hits the Shotgun Dropkick, and Kong still kicks out!

Toyota scales the turnbuckle again, but Kong follows her up. She goes for the Sunset Flip Powerbomb again, but Kong reverses into a pin attempt from the top, which only gets a 2 count. Kong’s back suplex attempt is countered by Toyota, but she’s quick to stay on the offensive and hits a Spinning Back Fist! She lifts Toyota up for a Falcon Arrow Brainbuster, and that’s enough to put Toyota away! Kong advances to the next round of the tournament.

This match symbolized everything that made Joshi in the 90s so damn good – high octane offense, stiff strikes, a suspension of disbelief. Manami Toyota proved once again why she is one of the most exciting Women’s wrestlers in history, while Aja Kong proved why she is one of the best Monster wrestlers of all time, male or female. She was utterly dominate here, tossing Toyota around at will and stopping her offense like a brickwall every chance it got started. This was her night to shine, and no one was going to stop her – not even Joshi’s biggest star.

Toyota did her best, though, flying in and out of the ring to keep Kong down with dives and strikes. If you weren’t keeping her down, she was all over the fucking place – that was her appeal, she was exciting and ahead of her time. But Kong was a true monster on this night, taking one shot and delivering three in response. An act of God could’ve happened, and Kong probably would’ve bitch slapped him. Is that blasphemous to say?

This match fucking rules. One of the best Joshi matches of all time.

17. V*Top Tournament First Round Match: Dynamite Kansai vs. Kyoko Inoue.

Inoue represents AJW, while Kansai is the Ace of JWP.

They shake hands to start, and we are under way! Inoue shouts at the crowd, and they cheer! Kansai strikes first with a hard leg kick, and Inoue fires back with multiple Mongolian chops, Tenzan style! Kansai isn’t having any of it, and clotheslines Inoue to the entrance ramp. She rushes to meet her there, but Inoue fires back with a middle rope back elbow onto her. Inoue grabs the legs and swings Kansai around, Cesaro style.

Kansai strikes the midsection, as Inoue tosses her back into the ring. Kansai with a spinning heel kick gets a nearfall. Elbow to the top of the head, and Kansai goes into a chin lock. She brings Inoue to the ropes, and kicks her repeatedly in the chest. She follows that with an ax kick to the back of the head. Big powerslam, followed by a running elbow to the chest get Kansai a 2 count. Kansai first with a chin lock, and then a half Camel Clutch.

Kansai retorts to kicking Inoue hard in the head, which Inoue responds by just shoving Kansai on her ass. Huge sidewalk slam by Kansai gets a nearfall. Kansai hyperextends the arm, and Inoue gets her foot on the rope. Middle rope springboard back elbow gets Inoue back in the lead, and then she follows with a surfboard lock submission attempt. Kansai tries to fight it, but Inoue just headbutts her repeatedly, before finally locking it in.

Inoue traps the leg in an Indian Death Lock, and then flips Kansai onto her back, and holding her in the air. Very unique submission, so unique that I don’t even know if I described it well. Kansai is back up, and trips Inoue. She quickly applies the Sharpshooter next. Inoue crawls her best, and makes it to the ropes, and Kansai quickly transitions to an STF. Big clothesline in the turnbuckle, and one out of it by Kansai gets her a two count.

Inoue fires back with a huge clothesline of her own. Powerslam, and Inoue walks up the turnbuckle with ease, hitting a diving back elbow drop for a 2 count. Kansai starts kicking Inoue hard in the corner, and she rolls to the apron. Kansai drills her with a lariat, sending her to the floor. Kansai quickly follows, and tries for a Razor’s Edge, but Inoue escapes. They collide with each other after a clothesline. Back in the ring, Inoue hits a missile dropkick for 2.

Inoue attempts a piledriver, but Kansai escapes and kicks her hard in the head over and over again. Inoue forces her into the turnbuckle, which causes Kansai to explode out with a clothesline. Kansai has Inoue up, and hits Splash Mountain for a close nearfall. Inoue comes off the top rope with a back elbow to the head, and it gets her a 2 count. They fight for control of the back, and Inoue pops off a victory roll for a close nearfall.

Inoue with some hard slaps, and Kansai with a Northern Lights suplex for 2. Inoue hits a top rope Exploder Suplex for 2. Inoue lifts Kansai up, and damn near drops her on her head. Sit Out Powerbomb hits flush, and Kansai still kicks out. Inoue hooks the legs, and applies a Camel Clutch of sorts. Kansai crawls, and is able to get to the ropes. Inoue shouts to the heavens, as she lifts Kansai up again, and Kansai slips out and trips her. He then lands a couple of nasty kicks to the face.

They exchange elbows on the mat. Inoue goes to the top rope, and Kansai cuts her off with a slap. She goes up, and elbows Inoue on top of the head. She lifts Inoue up, and hits a Super Splash Mountain!! Fucking insane. Kansai gets the win and advances to the semifinals. This was a pretty good back and forth match, as Kansai’s hard strikes balanced well with Inoue’s high flying offense. The action was fast throughout, and there was hardly a dull moment here. The ending, with Kansai’s Splash Mountain from the top rope, was the coolest thing I’ve seen all night long.

18. Cutie Suzuki & Takako Inoue vs. Hikari Fukuoka & Megumi Kudo.

We get a brief breather from the V*Top with this tag team showdown, with Cutie representing JWP, Inoue representing AJW, Hikari representing JWP and Kudo representing FMW.

Both teams brawl at the start, as the bell rings. Cutie and Kudo go at it in the ring, with Kudo hitting a back elbow in the corner. We get some double team action, as Inoue accidentally dropkicks Cutie. Hikari dives onto Cutie on the floor. In the ring, Hikari hits a splash on Cutie for a 2 count. She tags in Kudo, and Kudo gets biten by Cutie! Inoue tags in, and spikes Kudo with a Tombstone. She brings Kudo to the entrance ramp, and carries her up a bit, before dropping her with another Tombstone.

In the ring, Inoue gets a Camel Clutch going on Kudo. Cutie comes in and places her boot against Kudo’s face. Cutie tags in, and hits a DDT, before going into pulling back on Kudo’s hair. After some snap mares, Cutie hits a DDT for a 2 count. Inoue tags in, and Kudo quickly regains control. She pulls on Inoue’s hair, and taunts Cutie. She pulls on Inoue’s hair, and taunts at Cutie. We get a hard elbow from Kudo, and then she brings Inoue to the ropes to pull on her hair some more.

Hikari comes off the top rope with a shotgun dropkick for 2. Snap mare, and a kick to the spine. Inoue quickly gains top position and slaps the hell out of her. Big clothesline against the ropes by Inoue, followed by a double arm suplex for 2. Cutie tags in, and bumps Hikari down for 2. Big kick to the spine, and a rear naked choke follow. Hikari escapes, and Cutie keeps a hold of her hair. Inoue tags in, and lifts Hikari up. Cutie and Hikari hit the Doomsday Device for 2.

Double DDT to Hikari. Hikari looks for the abdominal stretch, but Inoue counters into that thing where they all roll around the mat. Powerslam by Hikari, and she goes to the top. She connects with a beautiful moonsault for 2. Kudo tags in, and immediately eats a clothesline. Powerslam by Inoue, and Cutie makes the tag. She connects with a top rope double stomp for 2. Cutie with a Dragon Suplex next for 2.

Kudo hits a DDT on Cutie, and tags in Hikari, who hits a gut wrench powerbomb for 2. Cutie pops off a Straitjacket Suplex for another nearfall. Inoue comes in, and they miss the Doomsday Device. Hikari with a sunset flip pin on Inoue for 2. Kudo tags in, and misses a back suplex, but after a Cutie dropkick, can’t block another from Inoue. She’s able to kick out. Inoue is on the top rope, and Kudo meets her there. Inoue hits a top rope clothesline, and Kudo kicks out.

Diving knee to the face by Inoue, and Kudo kicks out once again. Kudo blocks a dive from Inoue, and drills her with an elbow to the face. Fisherman Suplex connects, and Inoue kicks out. Kudo avoids a Cutie attack, and locks in the Dragon Sleeper. Cutie is back in, and elbows Kudo. Inoue grabs the waist, and accidentally gets kicked by Cutie. Bridging German Suplex gets Kudo a 2 count. Kudo looks for something, but here’s Cutie with diving knees to the back.

Inoue goes to the top rope, and hits a diving knee to the back of the head, and Hikari breaks up the pin. Victory roll by Kudo gets a 2 count. She goes back to the Dragon Sleeper, and Inoue quickly gets to the ropes. Kudo with the Tiger Driver 91, Misawa style, and then she hits it a second time to Inoue! She goes for the proper Tiger Driver this time, and that’s enough for the win. Decent tag team match. All action, no filler. By this point in the show, however, this match could’ve either been cut for time, or cut altogether. I was shocked to see two back to back Tiger Driver 91s, however.

The fourth and final part of the tape begins, as we see footage of the Tokyo Dome, empty, as the crew set up the massive stage for this event.

19. Six Man Tag Team Match: The Great Sasuke, SATO & Shiryu vs. Jinsei Shinzaki, Gran Naniwa & Super Delfin.

All six men represent Michinoku Pro, a hot promotion at the time, and one that was known for exciting and high flying wrestling. Why it’s here on an all women’s wrestling event? Your guess is as good as mine.

Shiryu and Naniwa start things out. We get some clapping from all involved. Naniwa starts posing for some reason. Naniwa arm drags Shiryu, and starts chanting out loud. Naniwa hammerlocks the arm, and Shiryu hops out of it, and throws up a piece sign. Naniwa gets a front face lock in, before hammerlocking the arm. They flip around some more, to the delight of the crowd. Here comes SATO and Shinzaki.

They collide shoulders, and neither man goes down. Nice press slam by Shinzaki. They exchange chops, until SATO dropkicks Shinzaki out of the ring. Sasuke and Delfin tag in next. Dropkick by Delfin, who then irish whips Sasuke into the turnbuckle. Delfin with a huge tilt a whirl backbreaker to Sasuke that got some air. He goes to dive, and SATO & Shiryu block his path. Naniwa and Shiryu are legal now, and Shiryu hits a shoulder tackle and an arm drag.

Naniwa walks the middle rope, while throwing up a piece sign, until Shiryu causes him to slip. We get Delfin and SATO now, as they fly around the ring, and Delfin hits a nice hurricanrana. Sasuke and Shinzaki are in now, and they exchange hard strikes. Spinning heel kick sends Shinzaki to the floor, and Sasuke fakes him out with a dive. Shinzaki takes control of the arm, and walks the top rope around most of the ring, before coming down on the shoulder.

Shiryu and Naniwa exchange moves now, but here comes Delfin to help out. Shiryu dropkicks Delfin to the floor. In the ring, SATO with a hip toss to Naniwa, then he walks on top of him and Delfin. I feel like I’m watching a bad cartoon. Delfin, Naniwa and Shinzaki all double team Shiryu by stepping on his balls. Airplane spin by Naniwa, and then he just drops Shiryu right on top of his fucking head. What the hell was that?

Shinzaki with a Boston Crab to Shiryu next, as Delfin stands on his head. Delfin now applies it, and he looks to pull the mask off. He locks in the Sharpshooter to Shiryu. He extends the arm over the ropes, as Naniwa claps along. They do the same thing to SATO. Naniwa runs up the ramp, and Delfin has to go and get him. What the fuck is going on? Shinzaki hits a Side Russian Legsweep to Shiryu in the ring, followed by a Urinage for 2.

There’s a five person submission spot in the ring, with Naniwa dancing around doing a hybrid of the Yes Chant. We get some dives to the outside, with the highlight being Sasuke’s moonsault where he flew so high, he landed on the announcer’s table. Sasuke and Naniwa are in the ring, and Sasuke gets a nearfall from a springboard moonsault. He powerbombs him, and gets the win. I don’t have much to say about that match, except I’m glad that it’s over and that it should’ve been cut from this card. The men got the longest match on a show built around women. How dumb. This sucked. 20. V*Top Tournament Second Round Match: Akira Hokuto vs. Combat Toyoda.

Hokuto is repping AJW, while Toyoda is repping FMW.

Toyoda rushes Hokuto with a clothesline at the bell, and Hokuto slaps the piss out of her. Spinning heel kick by Hokuto sends Toyoda to the apron. Hokuto then hits a hand spring dropkick to send her to the floor, then she goes to the top rope. Huge senton to Toyoda on the floor! Toyoda is back up, and she’s staring right at Hokuto, who’s doing the same. In the ring, Toyoda hits a huge German Suplex, followed by several kicks to the head.

Combat Driver connects, and Hokuto kicks out. Toyoda places Hokuto on the top rope, and she counters whatever was next with a sunset flip powerbomb for a 2 count. Northern Lights suplex by Hokuto gets her a nearfall. Toyoda elbows her in the back of the head, then lifts her up for a press slam. She just throws her to the floor into the steel guardrail. Toyoda grabs a ringside table and tosses it into the ring.

Toyoda is gloating, while Hokuto is struggling to get to her feet. She makes it back inside, but Toyoda throws the table right at her head. She sets it up proper, and then hits a sit out powerbomb beside it. She lays Hokuto onto the table, then goes to the top rope. Her senton is avoided, as Toyoda lands ass first on the legendary stiff 90s Japanese table. Hokuto grabs Toyoda, and drills her with the Snow Plow. She covers, and Hokuto wins! She’s in the finals.

A bit disappointing, honestly, especially after the high I had after Toyoda’s first round match. It wasn’t a bad little sprint for being just over five minutes, but I think these two could’ve done better if they had more time. This was their only singles match, too, but they did compete in a tag team match two years prior in FMW that was allegedly better than this. Guess I’ll have to find it!

21. V*Top Tournament Second Round Match: Aja Kong vs. Dynamite Kansai.

OH HELL YEAH! This is the shit I like, right here. These two have a bit of history, as they got heated during the legendary Thunder Queen Battle from 1993, where Kong knocked Kansai out in seconds to earn a point for Team AJW. So, you know these two are going to throw bombs here.

Kong is representing AJW, and Kansai is representing JWP.

The bell sounds, and Kong hits the spinning back fist, just like in Thunder Queen! Kansai isn’t knocked out, though, and they take each other down with double clotheslines. Kong with some hard kicks to the midsection, and Kansai kicks her hard out of the corner. She follows with a clothesline for a 2 count. Kansai then applies the Sharpshooter submission. She then resorts to kicking Kong really hard in the back and right on the face. She drives her knee into Kong’s leg, then applies a heel hook.

Kansai transitions to a side headlock, and then a front facelock. Kong lifts her up for a suplex and connects. Kansai is quick, and goes for an armbar. Kong uses her size to get back to her feet, and she stomps on Kansai’s head. Kansai once again outwrestles Kong and takes the facelock back. She lifts Kong up for a piledriver and connects. She covers, and Kong kicks out. Dragon Sleeper submission is next, and Kong is trying to escape by kneeing Kansai in the head.

Kong eventually escapes and ties up the arm of Kansai. Kong with some swift roundhouse kicks to the chest, and she follows that with a powerslam. She goes to the middle rope and hits a splash for a 2 count. She wraps Kansai’s arm around her back, and almost appears to be going for a Chicken Wing. Kong lifts Kansai up and sends her chest first into the turnbuckle. She rushes Kansai, who elbows her. She dives off the top, and eats Kong’s boot. Kong with a high back suplex gets her a nearfall. Kong quickly hits another, and Kansai still kicks out. If you can believe it, Kong hits a 3rd back suplex, and Kansai kicks out.

Kong scales the top rope, and Kansai cuts her off. Kong forces her back to the mat, and hits a diving back elbow, which Kansai avoids. Kansai hits a few roundhouse kicks to the head that drop Kong. She’s barely able to beat the referee’s ten count, but Kansai quickly lifts her up for Splash Mountain, and she connects! She covers, and Kong is able to kick out! Kong with a spinning back fist out of nowhere drops Kansai!

The ref counts, and Kansai is back to her feet. Kong is quick to unload with more strikes, including another spinning back fist. Kansai is up, and hits a back suplex to Kong. She covers, and Kong kicks out. Kansai goes to the top, and Kong cuts her off with a spinning back fist. Kong hits a Northern Lights Suplex from the top, and Kansai kicks out. Kong goes back to the top for a diving back elbow, and Kansai still kicks out.

Kong is on the top rope, and she just flattens Kansai with a double stomp. Kansai still manages to get her shoulder up, somehow! Kansai trips Kong, then soccer kicks her in the face repeatedly! Kong is back to her feet, hitting repeated spinning back fists! She covers, and Kansai still kicks out! Kong hits one more, and Kansai is done! Kong is going to the finals! Not quite the all timer I thought it would be, but still a badass fucking war. They came to do battle, and do battle is what they did.

They threw hard strikes back and forth, as they were determined to completely destroy each other. There were good call backs to Thunder Queen, and the spinning back fist was the story of the match, as that’s how Kong KOed Kansai the first time around. The finish was white hot, as you couldn’t really tell who had the upper hand, but Kong’s grit pulled her through, as she toppled JWP’s ace and ensured that the V*Top finals would be all AJW.

22. WWE Women’s Championship: Alundra Blayze © vs. Bull Nakano.

A bit of an oddity for this show – WWE representation. While it wasn’t out of the ordinary for WWE wrestlers to appear in Japanese promotions – they held a Summit with New Japan and All Japan at the start of the decade after all – it was out of the ordinary in 1994. Just months prior, these two women wrestled for the Women’s Title at SummerSlam in a match so out of the norm for the promotion that it ended up being a runner up in PWI’s Match of the Year Awards that year.

Now, they’d have their big rematch in the Tokyo Dome of all places. After this event, WWE even talked about this match and showed footage from it during an episode of Monday Night Raw. It goes to show that Women Representation for this event knew no boundaries.

Blayze is representing the WWE, while Nakano is repping both WWE and AJW.

They shake hands, as the bell sounds. Your semi-main event is under way! They lock up, and Bull uses her size advantage to force Blayze into the ropes. We get a clean break, and they lock up again. Bull quickly kicks Blayze in the legs, before Blayze unloads with hard roundhouse kicks. Bull tosses Blayze around the ring with violent ease. She lifts Blayze up by the throat, then tosses her back first onto the mat. She covers, and Blayze kicks out at 1. Huge lariat by Bull pops the crowd, as Blayze kicks out. Bull locks in a leg submission next, almost like a Calf Crusher. Bull figure fours the legs, and then grabs Blayze for a surfboard stretch. Bull chokes Blayze in the ropes, then whips her into the turnbuckle. Blayze comes back by guilloting Bull on the top rope. She goes up, and Bull pulls her back to the mat. Bull hits a piledriver on Blayze, who gets her foot on the bottom rope.

Blayze attempts to fight back with strikes, but Bull isn’t having it. Blayze pulls her face first into the turnbuckle, and Bull steamrolls her. Snap mare by the challenger, into a chin lock. Bull lifts her up, and drops her ass first onto the mat. Bull connects with a suplex, which gets her a nearfall. Bull with the sleeper hold, and Blayze attempts to escape by kicking her in the head. Blayze finds her flurry, as she takes Bull down with repeated diving neckbreakers.

Blayze looks for a powerbomb, but Bull counters into the Alabama Slam, and transitions right into the Scorpion Crosslock submission. She pulls on the hair for added leverage, and the referee doesn’t like that. She grabs Blayze by the throat, and chokes her while sitting on the top rope. She follows that with a bulldog for a nearfall. She places Blayze on the ropes, and hits a spike DDT for a 2 count. Inverted Facebuster by Bull, and Blayze kicks out.

Bull goes to the top rope, and Blayze catches her with a kick to the face. She tries to suplex Bull, who throws her to the mat. Bull stands tall, and misses her top rope legdrop. Blayze with a quick German Suplex into a bridge for a nearfall. Blayze with a spinning heel kick to the leg, followed by some roundhouse kicks to the chest and a standing moonsault. It only gets her 2. Bull elbows her way free and hits a Side Russian Legsweep.

Another facebuster by Bull, followed by a powerslam. She goes to the top rope, and hits the Guillotine Legdrop for the 3 and the win to become WWE Women’s Champion. Not a bad match by any means, but certainly one that couldn’t top their SummerSlam encounter. It almost felt rushed, which is crazy to say at this point in a 10+ hour event. Blayze got her ass beat, and Bull looked like a monster. Decent match, but they’ve certainly had better.

23. V*Top Tournament Finals: Aja Kong vs. Akira Hokuto.

We made it, boys (and girls) (and non-binary folks). I’ve been at this since 930 this morning. It is currently 640. It’s main event time in the Big Egg, as two of the top stars in AJW face off in the V*Top finals!

This is their third and final singles match ever. To say that Kong has had a tougher night getting here than Hokuto would be the understatement of the century. Your final reminder that if Hokuto loses this match, she has promised to retire.

Kong looks exhausted, but ready to play. Hokuto looks to be in tears. They immediately slap each other in the face, and then shake hands. Based. The bell rings, and we are under way. They lock up, and Kong forces Hokuto into the ropes. Kong eats a Tiger Suplex out of nowhere, and then gets whipped into the ropes. Hokuto with a spinning heel kick that Kong catches and turns into a back suplex. Huge clothesline in the corner by Kong, followed by a powerslam. She covers, and Hokuto kicks out.

Kong goes right to a sleeper hold. She then hits a standing elbow drop for a 2 count. Right back to the sleeper for Kong. Hokuto fights and makes it to the ropes. Kong lifts her up and throws her into the top rope. She follows with some hard kicks to the side. She lifts Hokuto up for a delayed suplex. Hokuto manages to get her shoulders up. Kong tries it again, but Hokuto counters into an arm bar submission. Hokuto is back to her feet, and she executes a double leg takedown on Kong. Good toe hold by Hokuto, but Kong is quickly back up. They exchange hard slaps to the face, with Kong winning the exchange. Huge spike piledriver by Kong gets her a 2 count. Kong ties herself around Hokuto’s leg, and locks in the Single Leg Crab.

After a moment, Kong transitions to the STF submission. From there, Kong resorts to kicking the injured leg. Kong ties her leg up in the turnbuckle, and mercilessly kicks the inner thigh. She then goes back to the Half Crab. Hokuto finds the strength to crawl towards the ropes to break the hold. Kong sends her to the outside, and then dives through the middle rope for a splash, but Hokuto avoids it! Kong appears to have injured her own leg, as Hokuto comes off the top rope with a diving senton, landing right on Kong’s bad leg!

Kong is screaming in pain, as the referee goes to check on her. Ringside officials are wrapping Kong’s knee in tape, as Hokuto waits patiently for her return. Kong tries to get in the ring, but slips and hurts herself. Kong finally comes in, and Hokuto kicks at her knee and sends her back to the floor. Kong is back in, and Hokuto smells blood in the water. She puts Kong in a vicious leg lock, and Kong just barely gets to the ropes to break it up.

Hokuto repeatedly stomps on the knee, as Kong screams in agony. Her selling is really good here. Hokuto goes for the Sharpshooter now, and she really yanks back on it. Bret Hart would probably still find a way to criticize it AND shit on Bill Goldberg at the same time. I’d be okay with the latter. Kong scrambles and gets to the ropes. Hokuto then goes for the Ankle Lock – the real one that also torques the knee, Ken Shamrock style. Kong again makes it to the ropes, but her cries of pain are getting worse.

Hokuto hits the Snow Plow on Kong, and then brings her back to her foot. Another Snow Plow connects, and Kong defiantly kicks out. Hokuto pulls her back to her feet, and Kong explodes with a spinning back fist out of nowhere! She punches at her bad knee, looking for any kind of life in it. Kong drops Hokuto with a nasty looking brainbuster. She again punches at her knee. She lifts Hokuto up and drops her with the Snow Plow, Hokuto style! Kong covers, and she kicks out.

Hokuto avoids a middle rope splash, which only further advances Kong’s bad knee woes. Kong rolls to the entrance ramp, as the ref checks on her again, and Hokuto looks on from the ring with only a slight bit of mercy in her eyes. Kong rolls back to the ring, yelling in defiance. The crowd approves of her guts, and so does Hokuto in a way. Hokuto grabs her and hits a nasty back suplex for 2. Kong punches her knee once again, as Hokuto goes to the top rope.

She comes down with a nice shotgun dropkick. Back up on top, Hokuto hits another, but Kong blocks it with a roundhouse kick! Kong places her on the top rope, but Hokuto quickly takes advantage and sends Kong flying to the mat. She covers, and Kong kicks out. Hokuto goes for the leg lock again, and Kong hysterically gets to the ropes fast, because she knows how bad her leg is. Kong hobbles, while Hokuto stalks her.

Kong fakes her out with a spinning back fist, then hits the real one. She then decks her with a back suplex, nearly spiking her. Another back fist connects, and Hokuto is able to kick out. Hokuto blocks another fist, and rolls Kong up, who’s able to get her hand on the bottom rope. Snow Plow connects, and then Hokuto hits it again, and then she hits it a third consecutive time! She covers, and that’s the win! Akira Hokuto has won the V*Top, and will NOT retire!

Post match, she has a look of contentment on her face, like she doesn’t have to stress anymore. A crying Kong then decides to hand the WWWA World Title to Hokuto as a sign of respect. Hokuto, ever the humble woman, outright refuses this gesture, and instead straps the title around Kong’s waist. They embrace in a show of sisterhood. All of the V*Top participants enter the ring for a photo shoot, as Hokuto poses with a giant check and a trophy. The show finally goes off the air, as the Tokyo Dome faithful still have enough energy to chant her name in unison.

What a phenomenal end to this tournament, and a fantastic end to this absurdly long show. It's amazing how by the end of the match, the story had changed so much. Coming in, Kong was the unstoppable monster who had wrecked her opponents, while Hokuto was the veteran who was doing her best not to end up retired by the end.

And as the match went on, and after Kong fucked her knee, the roles changed. Now Kong was desperately hanging on, and Hokuto had turned into a bloodthirsty monster. It was incredible psychology, helped tremendously by Hokuto's attention to the knee, and Kong's otherworldly selling ability here.

She sold this knee like death, and it has to go down as one of wrestling's greatest sell jobs. Kong ended up having an incredible night here, turning in three masterful performances that were different each time, and she ended it by being maybe the most vulnerable she'd ever been in her career.

This was Hokuto's night, though. With her career at stake, she wrestled like everything depended on it - because it did. She fought tooth and nail with some of the best Joshi has to offer, and in the end, her ring smarts and her added aggression towards Kong's injury in the finals brought her a monumental victory to cap off one of the biggest spectacles in wrestling history.

And, that's the end of Big Egg Wrestling Universe! If you've actually read this far in, congratulations, you've earned yourself whatever your favorite snack is. 10+ hours of professional wrestling. If you can believe it, I have thoughts about this show.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first, because quite frankly, I don't have many.

I did not care for the Nagayo/Bennett match, and that was justified with how awkward the ending turned out. It was weak. The Blizzard Yuki match also didn't work for me, as it just felt out of place and kind of booked weird. I was disappointed that the Hokuto/Toyoda match didn't go longer. And honestly, I didn't like the Michinoku Pro 6 Man at all. It should've been cut from the card, and the fact that a men's match was the longest match on a show based around women really grinded my gears.

Oh, and let's address the elephant in the room - this did not need to be over 10 damn hours long! It's not even that the show sucked, because it didn't. Those negatives are the only bad things I could find about the show. But damn, I was struggling at some points to get through this, and I almost fell asleep at one point. Listen, I don't generally mind long PPVs, but this one tested my limits. Anyone who thinks AEW PPVs are too long should try this event. You'll thank Tony Khan for stopping at 4+ hours.

Despite those small negatives, I really have a lot of nice things to say about this show. For starters, presentation was on point. From the stage set up, the lights, and the opening ceremony, this felt like a big deal, and I'm glad that everyone involved made it so. This was a landmark moment for women in professional wrestling, and it was given the respect it deserved.

While I do agree that many of the Matches on this show could've been cut for time, I can at least say that the Matches were entertaining and at least were all solid. If you're gonna spend 10 hours watching one show, at least watch one like this where the wrestlers hit more than they miss.

The portion with the "real fights" was a mixed bag for me. While I don't think it fit very well with the rest of the show - and could've been cut to give us two less hours of the thing - I still respected that they were given the spotlight to showcase more of the talents that women bring to combat. If anything, they were neat to watch in a bubble.

The obvious highlight of this event is the V*Top Tournament. If you aren't psychotic and don't want to watch this entire event, I at least recommend you watch this entire Tourney. It's fantastic and has great wrestling all across the board.

The first round alone features two all time classics in Kong/Toyota and Toyoda/Hotta. Those are fucking incredible pieces of work. And then you have Kansai/Inoue, which was classic 90s Joshi all around. The second round gave us a Hoss fight for the ages between Kong and Kansai as well

And then you have Akira Hokuto, who fought tooth and nail through the tournament, putting in an incredible performance to keep her career alive, culminating with an all time match against Kong, who herself had one of the best one night performances you'll ever see.

Overall, I do not regret spending an entire Monday watching and writing about this show. Will I watch it in it's entirety ever again? Fuck no. It's so damn long, I can't do it. That said, it's essential viewing at least one time. It's a landmark event for wrestling, it's one of the most excessive spectacles you'll ever see, and most importantly, it features 90s Joshi Wrestling in all it's glory. It's one fine event in a legendary era that will likely never be duplicated again.