Starting with its name then its definition, professional wrestling is fueled by conflict: good and evil, real and fake, promise and letdown, routine and surprise, justice and, well, the opposite of that. Wrestling fans love it when they call wrestling beautiful, though they love when they can call it ugly too – as it is sometimes in its’ routine confirmation of everyone’s worst assumptions. This seemingly boundless fantasy world is ambushed weekly by reality, but if you can manage the time professional wrestling can be really beautiful. Ugly, too, though the great thing about wrestling and life is that if the moment isn’t beautiful then the context might be.
Jun Kasai is a death match icon, an absurd combination of words at first glance but the man’s Wikipedia begins like this: “dubbed the Crazy Monkey for his violent and often self-harmful style of hardcore wrestling … considered a breakthrough talent in Japanese wrestling … able to work both hardcore and technical styles.” That’s iconic. And he’s been doing it so long that there are successful active wrestlers in major companies who grew up dreaming to wrestle him.
Three years ago, one of those wrestlers – New Japan’s El Desperado – used his unique level of pull to wrestle Jun Kasai. Unfortunately, Desperado broke his jaw. Then there was a pandemic. Earlier this year, Kasai challenged Desperado to a rematch by handing him a rose. Isn’t that kind of beautiful? No? Maybe you need more context…
This celebration of three careers in wrestling was promoted by TAKA Michinoku’s JTO (JUST TAP OUT) organization and aired as a PPV on New Japan World. As with New Japan’s recent show nearby at Korakuen Hall, the crowd was allowed to be loud.
1. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI & TAKA Michinoku vs. Hikaru Sato, Hideki “Shrek” Sekine, Genta Yubari & Akira Jumonji
Being a JTO show, the undercard was filled with JTO and other semi-affiliated wrestlers from the Japanese independent scene. The opener saw four of them take on four members of Suzuki-gun including Suzuki himself. Hideki Sekine, a former MMA fighter whose nickname is “Shrek,” wore a Lucha mask to the ring and had to be held back from Suzuki before the bell, which created an intrigue I wasn’t expecting.
Minrou Suzuki is a pretty easy guy to play off of so everyone got to sparkle a little. Sato – blue pants – delivered some enthusiasm and leg work, while JTO rookie Jumonji blasted Suzuki in the face with a kick before falling to the sleeper and Gotch piledriver combo. An attention-grabber! A tone-setter! ***1/2
2. Misa Kagura, Sumika Yanagawa & rhythm vs. Yuu Yamagata, Hibiscus Mii & YuuRI
JTO’s joshi division was up next, and it was trying. Yuu Yamagata and Hibiscus Mii, the former Apple Miyuki, have been wrestling since the early 2000s when JTO was called Kaientai Dojo. Their partner YuuRI wears a leather jacket and made her debut during a pandemic, as did two of their three young opponents.
Less reliant on the presence of a Minoru Suzuki, they began quietly with holds and chops. The most memorable parts of the match unfortunately came from some flubbed moves like a 619 by YuuRI and bodyslam by Kagura, which created a haze that followed the action all the way to the awkward powerbomb that ended it. Occasionally charming, mostly unimpressive. **1/2
3. Ryuya Takekura, Eagle Mask & Fire Katsumi vs. Yuji Hino, Isami Kodaka & Yasu Urano
This match was JTO regulars against Kaientai Dojo Originals, though I don’t think anyone calls them that. The JTO team was led by Ryuya Takemura, a real cool guy: jacket, necklace, King of JTO Champion. His partners were young Eagle Mask and Fire Katsumi. The Eagle can move.
I caught some of Yuji Hino’s promising rookie year back in 2003-04 and boy has he gotten larger. He’s gotten over too, an over-ness that could carry a whole match. With him were Big Japan Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion Isami Kodaka and Yasu Urano, who wore a shirt with his name on it.
The story here was Hino though: a few minutes into the match Eagle was feeling it and popped him with an elbow on the apron, which he responded to by just staring ahead. When Eagle tried again, Hino implored him to focus on his opponent. When Eagle tagged in, Hino tossed him to the sky with a fallaway slam. Takekura finally confronting him was a genuine “deal” too and everybody brought out something cool for the finish, including a springboard plancha from young Fire Katsumi. Fun! ***3/4
4. Special Tag Match: Maika & MIRAI vs. Tomoka Inaba & Aoi
Maika and MIRAI stopped by during Stardom’s 5-Star GP tournament to wrestle a pair of JTO trainees, one of whom (Inaba) impressed working for Stardom this year and recently joined MIRAI in the God’s Eye stable.
The famous Stardom wrestlers entered with confidence – Maika cheerful, MIRAI pissed. Young Aoi followed by popping and locking to the ring, a stark contrast in approach to The Business until Inaba emerged in white carrying the Queen of JTO Championship.
Inaba kept up with the Stardom girls on holds early but it wasn’t long before they were isolating Aoi and talking shit, the only dynamic possible. Aoi isn’t a master of execution yet but there was some impressive fire whenever she was elbowing or chopping her way towards a comeback. She also punched Maika right in the gut then sort of in the face too, and when Maika hit The Superplex she got up and kicked her in the face before falling again.
Fifteen minutes in there was enough content for a Very Good Match but they tacked on a tremendous finish too as Stardom tried to close up and either Inaba kept throwing shots or Aoi kept kicking out. A kick from Inaba followed by Crossroads from Aoi got an incredible near fall, then MIRAI screamed at Maika to get her shit together and, well, they did. Action-packed, layered, and entertaining tag team wrestling. Go! Watch it!!! ****1/4
5. TAKA Michinoku Debut 30th Anniversary Match: TAKA Michinoku, CIMA & Kaz Hayashi vs. The Great Sasuke, Dick Togo & Gedo
Some wrestlers in Japan train with one company and work there for the rest of their lives; others take more of a rogue direction. The freelance junior heavyweights of 1990s puroresu are still here, still doing it, and most of them are running things somewhere. #HardWork! Gedo and Togo emerged with all the apathy of their current roles in New Japan, but they were followed by the freakin’ Great One who entered commanding respect and even kept it while doing the Too Sweet call.
TAKA began with his mentor Sasuke, a man known in the 90s for his death-defying bumps who got big reactions here for yoga-based comedy shtick. Some of these guys can still turn it up but Sasuke’s partners were Gedo and Togo who certainly can take their time on offense. CIMA and Kaz both got time to show off, Togo went up high for Kaz’ monkey flip, and then Gedo and TAKA were trading eye pokes. A classic-ish Dick Togo senton bomb ended it. More nostalgia than quality, but that’s fine. ***1/2
6. Taichi 20th Anniversary Match: Taichi & Yoshitatsu vs. Hirooki Goto & Ryusuke Taguchi
All Japan’s Yoshitatsu trained at the New Japan Dojo with Goto and Taguchi, debuting in 2002 and becoming affectionately known as NaoYama. He was eventually called to service as part of WWECW’s New Talent Initiative, where he did better than anyone will admit though when he returned home his wrestling was way more entertainment than sport. That approach didn’t keep him employed long with the King of Sports, which is weird because 25% of their roster now begins matches flexing their tits at each other.
They began the match flexing their tits at each other. Taichi failed to tear his pants off (that common New Japan spot) so he ran the ropes and took heat with his pants half-down. Goto and Taguchi beat up their old pal Yoshi and when he had the audacity to make a comeback, it cued them firing things up to the level of a quality New Japan heavyweight tag – maybe higher – filled with dramatic selling and near falls and ending when Yoshitatsu decided to reunite with his old Noojies and turn on Taichi. The job may be demanding but it’s nice to know you’re still in demand. ***3/4
7. Special Singles Match: El Desperado vs. Jun Kasai
El Desperado has a unique resume, even for someone who pro wrestles: New Japan Dojo trained, Mexico bred, mask-wearing junior heavyweight, loves a good bloody death match. A Best of Super Juniors brawl with Hiromu Takahashi helped establish him beyond tag wrestler, to the point where he led New Japan’s junior division while Hiromu dealt with a neck injury. Earlier this year he headlined (credibly) a New Japan USA show with Jon Moxley (also a death match), and occasionally he cameos on the Japanese independent scene and wrestles his heroes.
Being wrestling famous is a lot different than being actually famous, but when I started getting into all this the big dogs were NJPW and AJPW but everyone knew Jun Kasai. Most of the scars on his back and torso were there in the early 2000’s, back when I bought a Jun Kasai t-shirt on eBay after seeing like 5 matches of his because he just seemed so cool and I yearned to be a part of something, man – whatever this strange – beautiful? – thing he was part of.
Before the match weapons were assembled by ring attendants around the ring including chairs, tables, a guitar and multiple wooden boards affixed with razors, knives and cut-off aluminum cans. It was listed as a Special Singles Match in the advertising, but Jun Kasai on the marquee 99.999% of the time means a No Holds Barred Anything Goes Violent Hardcore Death Match.
They each emerged wearing white, and Despy vibed to Kasai’s theme music in a way only a Wrestling Fan could, even among thunderous chants for KA-SAI. A camera zoomed in on a little girl seated front row with a poster of Kasai’s face splattered in blood. Is this good? Bad? Cool? Weird. Take it in. Think about it.
They threw up middle fingers and began chain wrestling, showing a solid grasp of the fundamentals before someone grabbed a chair and started bleeding. Only a few minutes had passed when Kasai was slamming a chair over the barbed wire board he had trapped El Desperado under — classic!
Desperado’s mask got ripped up early too, hanging by strands and exposing his bleeding face all match as he struggled to make a comeback for 20+ minutes: Kasai laughed off his chops like they were nothing, then when Despy managed a bodyslam Kasai smashed the guitar over his head – just destroyed him. When Despy managed a superplex, Kasai threw a chair at his face and delivered a piledriver — the second one of the match. When Kasai hit a Superfly splash on the Board of Aluminum Cans, Despy’s eyes got so wide they could’ve popped out. He was bleeding, exposed, vulnerable… and exactly where he always wanted to be. Sort of beautiful.
He managed to put Kasai through a barbed wire board but otherwise Despy’s struggle continued: low blow, fork to the head, double-arm Canadian Destroyer through another barbed wire board. All three of those things range in plausibility if used in an actual fight, but in this world they all made equal sense. Then Kasai stabbed himself in the forehead with a fork.
The crowd actually making noise was obviously a huge boost too, reactions of glee and astonishment for Kasai mixed with hope and pity for Desperado. They got extra loud when a board of butcher knives entered the ring, and even louder when Despy dropped Kasai head-first onto it and finally managed to turn the tide. Then they threw bloody elbows and punches at each other until there was a winner.
Kasai still works regularly and his matches won’t always be this great — this might’ve been his best ever actually — but for over two decades by embracing the ugly side of wrestling he’s delivered one of it’s most compelling — beautiful? — journeys.
Here, two of wrestling’s most fascinating and unheralded characters delivered an epic, violent, memorable wrestling match that could’ve easily settled for the visceral reactions made possible with all the dangerous props, but not for any second of this half-hour spectacle did it feel like anyone settled.
Afterwards, Kasai spoke on the mic to the young wrestler who wanted this so bad, delivering a beautiful message of encouragement enhanced by the fact it was delivered in this bloody, sweaty and ugly environment. Why would someone do all this for a living, and why would someone watch so much of it? Crazy Monkey doesn’t have all the answers but go watch this match then listen. *****
Happy Thoughts: Good wrestling, good fun, good celebration, and an introduction to a buncha fun new wrestlers. Five-star main event too, yep. The crowd reactions helped but Taichi, TAKA and Desperado booked a strong card and the talent took it from there. 4.5 / 5.0
