Welcome back to ChocoPro Wrestling. It’s the first show back in Shin-Kiba 1st Ring and it’s going to be a big one. On a sad note, the company says goodbye to Mitsuru Konno as she graduates from the company and says goodbye to wrestling. She will be missed and the tears from the end of the episode proved that. In this episode, we had four exceptional matches featuring a whole host of our usual competitors and some interesting guests. We’d see six-man chaos featuring Honda, Sekine, and Shinno, Sayuri’s return with a mystery partner against Emi Sakura and Sayaka Obihiro, Masahiro Takanashi, and Chon Shiryu in an exhibition match and the big Asia Dream Tag Title match between Best Bros and TropiCalamari. Let’s get into the action.

Antonio Honda, Ryuichi Sekine & Hagane Shinno defeated Chie Koishikawa, Tokiko Kirihara & Lulu Pencil via Musical Fist Drop on Pencil

First up was a chaotic six-person tag match between Chie Koishikawa, Tokiko Kirihara, and Lulu Pencil and the Band of Antonio Honda, Ryuichi Sekine, and Hagane Shinno. I call them the band because they came out playing instruments and singing to counteract Koishikawa’s energy. Pencil and Shinno started things and as you’d expect, Shinno instantly kicked her. She grabbed onto his boot as he attempted a third so he crushed her under his other foot and knocked her down as she attempted a clothesline. She kicked back and missed with an assisted Stabber. Both tagged so Honda and Koishikawa took over. She went for a run, then chopped Honda down and dragged him around the mat for a Boston Crab. Honda struggled to get up and begged Koishikawa for a Time-Out. But it was a ruse and he hit her with a time-out strike. He tagged out to Shinno and he started pulling at Koishikawa’s hair. The rest of the band crossed the ring to pull at Pencil and Kirihara’s hair too. After a three-way hair pull, Sekine came in and continued the work Shinno had started. Koishikawa escaped his clutched and blasted him with a duo of dropkicks. Kirihara came in and kicked the life out of him, locking him in an armbar that Honda had to break up. Kirihara sent him flying and locked Sekine in a straightjacket.

Kirihara continued to lock in submissions that the Band had to break up with hair pulling. After taking another kicking, Sekine escaped with a rolling senton and tagged in Honda. The pair had a jab and dancing elbow off which no one won as Kirihara hit a hip toss and tagged out. Pencil hit him with the stomps and chops so Honda told her a story about a butterfly and hit her in the throat. Pencil kicked out his leg and the rest of her team hit him with diving attacks, setting him up for the Stabber. They hit a three-way stab attack on Honda that hurt so badly he needed to sing about it, dedicating the song to Mitsuru. This was another trap as Honda hit all three ladies with Gon attacks and ended the match with a musical fist drop on Pencil. Well, this wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it was a good laugh with Kirihara getting a nice spot of submission work amongst the comedy. The musical numbers cracked me up too.

Emi Sakura & Sayaka Obihiro defeated Sayuri & Sawasdee Kamen via Nyan Nyan Press (450 Splash) to Kamen

Next up was the big return of ChocoPro’s resident ninja Sayuri. She was teaming up with Sawasdee Kamen against the veteran team of Emi Sakura and Sayaka Obihiro. Would the makeshift team be able to beat the boss? Both Sakura and Sayuri had new gear for the occasion giving it a big fight feel. Sayuri started things viciously by dodging Sakura’s forearms and answering back with her own. She chopped out Sakura’s soul and dragged her through the ropes with a headlock. Sayuri disappeared from view and reappeared behind Sakura through the power of ninja magic to hit a dropkick. Both tagged out and Kamen met Obihiro for an arm drag trade-off. Obihiro met Kamen with knees and the pair went on a run. They collided over backslides and Kamen winded Obihiro with a rolling kick. A double-team attempt failed and Sayuri had to pick up the slack with a sleeper. Sakura helped her break free and beat down Sayuri, then threw her across the ring by her hair. Sayuri tried to fight back but Sakura was all over her with strikes and chokes. Obihiro and Sakura continued to bully Sayuri with chops and chokes until she dodged a corner strike into a series of roll-ups. These failed and an angry Obihiro slammed Sayuri face-first into the mat. Sayuri was trapped in another choke but Sayuri got out and scored a near-fall with a crucifix. She kicked Obihiro away and made a much-needed tag to Kamen. He came in hot and destroyed both members of Team Sakura but locked a submission on the wrong woman and got stomped by Obihiro. Kamen shook this off and hit Obihiro with a bridging brainbuster.

Obihiro fired back with her own bridging Suplex and tagged in Sakura who hit the We Will Rock You crossbody in the corner. She followed up with a Vader Bomb but only got two. Obihiro and Sakura attempted a double-team but Kamen broke free and Sayuri helped him throw Obihiro into Sakura. They started arguing as Kamen and Sayuri tried to help mend the bridges. It was a trick though and the pair hit double dropkicks. Kamen broke free from Sakura and hit a flipping neckbreaker, then crashed and burned off a frog splash. He hit Sakura with a thrust kick but couldn’t capitalise as Obihiro hit him in the throat. Sayuri tried to come to his aid but Obihiro knocked her away, hit Kamen in the throat again, and ended things with a Nyan Nyan Press. It was a valiant effort from Kamen and Sayuri but Sakura and Obihiro were just too strong. I hope that Sayuri sticks around more though.

Masahiro Takanashi vs Chon Shiryu goes to time-limit draw

Up next was a special five-minute exhibition match between Masahiro Takanashi and Chon Shiryu. Takanashi has been out with an injury for a long time now and this was his way of proving he could still go. This wasn’t about winning or losing, just showing he could last against someone as vicious as Shiryu. This was five minutes of technical wrestling excellence as Takanashi tried to show off his old submission skills and survive against the sadistic counter game of Shiryu. Things sped up as time went on and Takanashi got to show off more and more. It was short and sweet and gives you hope that Takanashi will be back in full force at some point. He even got a visit from Uma to finish the segment.

Asia Dream Tag Titles: Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) defeated TropiCalamari (Chris Brookes & Yuna Mizumori) via Labyrinth Pin on Mizumori

Last but not least, the main event. After the Pencil War, Best Bros and Mizumori were no longer allies. Mizumori and Chris Brookes were reforming TropiCalamari and coming for the Asia Dream Tag Titles. This would be the Best Bros’ toughest challenge to date as Brookes has been one of their greatest rivals. It was going to get wild. It started with Brookes vs Suruga which as expected, Brookes didn’t take too seriously, shunting her away continuously. She got behind Brookes and jump-scared him, letting him run himself into the turnbuckle, then ran him into the turnbuckle herself. Akki really wanted to fight Brookes so the second he was tagged in, Brookes ran away. Mizumori brought the fight to Akki but got caught by a Best Bros crossbody combo. She broke free of Suruga and trampled her throat. She tagged out to Brookes who started yanking at Suruga’s hair and desperately tried to pin her of a knee drop. Mizumori hit Suruga with a giant swing and the pair hit her with an assisted tropical splash. TropiCalamari aimed to keep Suruga trapped whilst Brookes acted like his usual dickish self. Suruga escaped a double-team attempt and blasted Mizumori with a Supergirl forearm but the ref didn’t see her tag and she was back to being bullied by TropiCalamari. She was able to escape again and got a tag to Akki. He went strike wild on Brookes and lit him up with a combo before eating a nose breaker. Brookes ran away and Mizumori levelled him with a shoulder block. Akki held on and the Best Bros hit the double chop backbreaker. Suruga followed up with the Apple Cut Mutilation but Brookes dragged her back to the ropes. She tried for a second time but Mizumori threw her off into a Coconut Crush and tropical splash.

Brookes was back in control and tried for a powerbomb but Suruga reached the ropes and turned it into an arm-drag. He tried to shunt her away again but she fired back with a vicious slap. She tagged Akki back in and he relished the chance to angrily kick the hell out of Brookes. He hit the head kick combo and dropped a knee across his chest. He splashed Brookes into a backbreaker and tanked an enzuigiri to continue brutalising Brookes with elbows and more. He hit Brookes with a Tope and tried for the Namaste splash but Mizumori interfered. The duo fought on the top rope until Brookes snapped Akki’s arm across the top rope.  Suruga saved Akki for certain doom and slammed Mizumori for a double stomp. Akki tried the Namaste splash but ate nothing but knees and Brookes hit the Shoop cutter. TropiCalamari murdered him with a corner combo and Mizumori scored a near fall with another splash. Brookes tanked Akki’s comeback and locked him up but couldn’t make him tap. Another brutal exchange of knees and kicks broke out that downed both, then the pair fought to their feet and did it again with Akki decapitating Brookes with a dropkick. Both dragged themselves to their partners and watched as Suruga and Mizumori went into a hockey fight. Suruga tried for the Apple Cut Mutilation again but Mizumori downed her. She tried to follow up with a splash but Suruga rolled away and the pair fought over roll-ups. Mizumori locked on the Tropical Crab and turned a reversal into the Supergirl pin but Akki broke it up with a splash. They tried for the Best Bros Sault but Mizumori got her knees up and Akki was dragged out by Brookes.

TropiCalamari continued to play the advantage and hit Suruga with a deadly combo of an assisted Coconut Crush and assisted lariat. Akki jumped in to save Suruga from further damage and dropped Mizumori with a brainbuster across his knee. They nailed the Best Bros sault but Brookes broke up the pin. Brookes laid into Akki with stiff elbows and shoved away Suruga again. He raked her eyes but she ducked through and Akki threw her into an assisted Rana and double stomp. Akki dived across 90% of the ring to hit the Namaste Splash and as Brookes rolled out, Suruga dived onto him. Mizumori charged Akki and downed him with a violent forearm. She ran the ropes but Akki grabbed her by the arm and trapped her in the Labyrinth pinfall for the three-count. The end came out of nowhere but once again, the Best Bro used their wits and wills to power through tough competition and pick up a win. Mizumori was heartbroken to eat another loss but she went down fighting and would have killed Akki had he not pulled off this pin. The rest of the episode was dedicated to a heartfelt send-off for Mitsuru Konno with everyone celebrating with her. Good luck with what comes next Mitsuru.

All images courtesy of Gatoh Move, FlyingVTrigger, Video courtesy of Gatoh Move YouTube

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