Welcome back to ChocoPro and something of a special occasion for this reviewer. As of #159, this will be the 100th ChocoPro episode reviewed. This is made even better by the fact it features Trans-Am Hiroshi, the operatic yoga wrestler, and Chris Brookes, the wrestler that got me into ChocoPro for good. They’ll be facing off against each other as CDK battles Antonio Honda and Hiroshi. Alongside that, Best Bros will be in action battling Sayaka and Chie Koishikawa, ChocoPro’s fourth generation. In our second helping, we’d see the return of Ayano Irie, the ear-kicking panda of AWG as she teams with Yuna Mizumori against Kaori Yoneyama and Tokiko Kirihara and the main event tag-team war between Best Bros and Egg Tarts. Let’s get into the double-bill of tag team turmoil.
ChocoPro #159
Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) defeated Sayaka & Chie Koishikawa via Namaste Splash on Koishikawa
Up first was the Best Bros fighting together as a unit. They were opening the show by taking on the fourth-generation stars Sayaka and Chie Koishikawa. We’ve seen what happens when Koishikawa locks horns with Akki and Suruga, could Sayaka help gain her a win against them? Koishikawa went right after Suruga with an exchange of their greatest hits and counters. They argued with referee Honda and tagged out, so Sayaka and Akki could get chain wrestling. The fourth generation swarmed and tripped Best Bros into dual back-breaking bow and arrows. Koishikawa and Akki kept trading with Akki using a Kneebreaker to cut off the energetic one. The Best Bros had their target and went to work destroying Koishikawa’s knee however they could. The Goblin came out and Suruga used the window on Koishikawa’s ankle. Koishikawa was really being tortured here. Akki kicked Koishikawa back to life and she used this chance to forearm free and escape with a Tornado Arm-drag. Sayaka tagged in and a slugging contest got underway. She slammed down Akki and nailed him with a dropkick for a two-count. She locked on a Crab but Akki escaped and chopped her into a Backbreaker. Suruga got the tag and flew in with a double chop. She bounced Sayaka off the wall and drove her back into the mat with a Facecrusher. She nearly got the win with a bridging pin and kept throwing Sayaka into the wall. Sayaka dodged the Super Mei Punch to deliver a devastating forearm and brought in Koishikawa, who went for a run and dropped a Demon Chop. Both fighters hit the wall and Suruga used the impact to trip Koishikawa into the Apple Mutilation. Suruga tagged and Akki nearly scored the win with a vicious chop. Koishikawa countered the Spider with knees and the fourth-gen started firing off dropkicks. Koishikawa aimed low to set up the leglock and Muffler but Akki did his best to fight her off and trap her in Akki’s Knot. Suruga joined in with a double stomp but it couldn’t get the win. Koishikawa nearly rolled up Akki and chaos broke out as partners got involved. Koishikawa finally applied the Muffler but Akki countered into a Deathlock so the Fourth Gen doubled up to break his legs. The counters kept coming until Best Bros took the win with a Namaste Splash on Koishikawa, Sayaka immobilised by the Gâteau Invisible. This was one of the fastest 19-minute matches I’ve seen. Everything flowed perfectly and nothing was allowed to drag. Both teams beat the hell out of each other and put on another ChocoPro tag classic.
CDK (Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi) defeated Antonio Honda & Trans-Am Hiroshi via Octopus on Honda
The first main event would see the triumphant return of CDK. The Drunken Kings were in for one hell of a unique challenge as they took on the Yoga Bros masters Antonio Honda and Trans-Am Hiroshi, one of the deepest teams in ChocoPro. This would get wild, meditative, and might just make us question our place in the world alongside some incredible wrestling. We even saw Antonio Honda with hair! Brookes hates yoga so he was in hell and wanted to break the yoga bros so Honda could drink with CDK. Hiroshi started with some stretches, creeping the hell out of Brookes. He helped Brookes into some unwanted Yoga poses and brought in Honda. Brookes didn’t want to fight Honda so he tagged out. Takanashi and Honda got into a technical exchange and Honda nearly gave up to a Hammerlock. Honda cracked up trying to talk to Takanashi and baited him into a nerve hold. He beat down Takanashi with a lot of morally questionable stomps and holds, then brought in the Yogi. Hiroshi wasn’t interested in the dirty tricks and allowed Honda to be caught in a Nosebreaker. Brookes kept up the nose punishment and started dropping knees. He mocked camerawoman Mei with a sign attack and lobbed the discarded weapon at her. He ripped the sign up so Hiroshi repaired it through prayer as CDK kept mauling Honda. Brookes came in again and blocked the timeout stab so Honda gave him a palm reading but Brookes knew that trick too. Honda begged for Takanashi to enter and attacked him with those tricks instead.
Honda is starting to feel a little woozy#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/tEi46XZkfQ
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) September 25, 2021
It didn’t work though as he put Honda in an ankle lock as Hiroshi and Brookes did some kind of interpretive dance. Brookes kept attacking the legs with a Figure-Four so the action stopped for a song and beer break. Everyone chilled for Hiroshi’s rendition of Amazing Grace but it was all a trap and CDK were tricked into a beatdown as the song and yoga put them to sleep. Hiroshi locked on a Sharpshooter and a dancing jab battle broke out when Brookes made the save. Brookes looked to have the move blocked but Honda gut-punched him and Hiroshi flew at him for the elbow. Gon tried to attack but Takanashi blocked him with beer and Honda got drunk. Drunken Honda attacked everyone and showed off how much of a drunken master he was, even dodging the Shoop Cutter. The guitar was swung around but Hiroshi blocked it with his mind and used telekinesis to turn it on Brookes. They lit Brookes up with knees and kicks but only got two. Brookes floated through another attack and locked Honda in the Octopus hold. Honda struggled and found the guitar so he swung it into Brookes’ face. Brookes kicked Honda out of the fist drop and CDK hit him with a neckbreaker/shotgun combo. Honda swung on Brookes again and the pair threw manic strikes until Brookes bit Gon and tapped out Honda with the Octopus. CDK had won the day but the wild power of yoga had given them one hell of a fight. This was ridiculous at times but man was it fun. Hiroshi always manages to blend the strange and technical in the best way. Everyone clearly enjoyed taking part in this match and no one will ever say no to more CDK in ChocoPro.
ChocoPro #160
Ayano Irie & Yuna Mizumori defeated Tokiko Kirihara & Kaori Yoneyama via Wall-run Tropical Splash to Kirihara
The next episode opened with more big returns as AWG’s Ayano Irie looked to take out more ears as she teamed up with the Tropical Fairy Yuna Mizumori against the madcap Kaori Yoneyama and the master of the Comaneci Tokiko Kirihara. Which returning star would get the win here? There were no handshakes here and Irie started out being cute against Kirihara, dodging her attacks into poses. Kirihara tried to pull the same trick so Irie got pissed and went after Kirihara’s arm. They both battled over holds and ended things cute. They tagged and the energy went up as Mizumori battled it out with Yoneyama. Kirihara helped even odds and the pair crushed Mizumori with a senton train and taunting diving headbutts. Irie came to Mizumori’s aid and the pair dodged misdirection to hit dual Papaya Mango Coconut headbutts. Mizumori celebrated and ground Yoneyama’s face into the glass front, giving a special shout-out as she did so. Irie put Yoneyama in a Camel Clutch but didn’t sink it in deep enough so Yoneyama escaped and locked on her own face-pulling variant. Irie tried for a Sleeper but Kirihara came to the rescue with a Comaneci. Yoneyama piled on the pressure and signalled for a Judo contest. Irie won the contest so Yoneyama set up a million-point round between Mizumori and Kirihara. Mizumori won that by playing possum so Yoneyama attacked and stole the camera for some POV violence. Kirihara reapplied the Comaneci but Irie countered the follow-up Cobra Twist into a half crab. Kirihara tagged and Yoneyama tried to hit the Mongolian chops but Irie held her at bay and nailed her with a Stunner and the dropkick to the ear. Mizumori tagged in to bulldoze through Yoneyama and narrowly avoided getting rolled up. Yoneyama escaped with an assisted crossbody and Kirihara hammered Mizumori into the wall. Kirihara won the battle of the body slam and landed the dancing stomp. Mizumori powered up and landed the Tropical Yahho so the pair tried for a double crab. Yoneyama made the save and Kirihara countered a lariat into the Judo Throw. A senton led to the Cobra Clutch as Yoneyama stretched out Irie. She broke free and saved Mizumori with another dropkick to the ear and Mizumori ended things with monstrous Tropical Splashes. The young’uns had won the day as Irie made a triumphant return and Mizumori continues to be the fire that cannot be extinguished. What a way to open the show.
Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) vs Egg Tarts (Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno) end in a 20-minute draw
Ain't that a kick in the head#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/FtCOgOCOJs
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) September 26, 2021
Last but not least, our second main event. The reignition of a rivalry from previous seasons, the Best Bros vs the Egg Tarts. The last time these teams met, Egg Tarts fell to the Asia Dream tag champs however, this was a new Koishikawa so who knew what they’d be able to accomplish against them now? Koishikawa and Akki opened with the usual rapid-fire chain wrestling and kept trading momentum as both knew each other so well. They both tagged and Suruga started winding up Shinno and running. Shinno kept his cool despite Suruga’s head taps and got her back with a hard shot to the back and chest chop. Koishikawa tagged back in and gave Suruga mat burn, then chased her down for a Demon Chop. Suruga reversed the bow and arrow and nearly took the win being Cute on Purpose. Shinno and Akki took the other’s partner hostage and were both batted away by their quarry. Best Bros got the better of the exchange and Koishikawa once again became a punching bag. Akki gave her a fair chance at a fight and the pair struck it out, letting Koishikawa light him up with chops. Akki applied a Full Nelson and tried to suffocate Koishikawa with his hand, this was mean, especially for him. Koishikawa escaped with the Tornado Arm-drag and brought Shinno in to kill. He went after Akki with a boot to the face and paused to bonk Suruga on the head. He brained Akki with a bulldog and both guys traded head kicks. Akki made the tag and Suruga took advantage of the stunned Shinno by bouncing him off the wall. He dodged the double chop and threw her into Koishikawa for a chop and armbar combo. The pair continued to counter each other and Suruga went for the win with the Apple Mutilation. Shinno broke free but Best Bros flattened him with the rolling Swanton and took out both Egg Tarts with dual cross-bodies. Akki continued to push with the Spider and the pair beat the hell out of each other with stiff forearms. That transitioned to kicks and both men fell to the floor after a thrust kick and clothesline. Both dragged themselves to their partners and tagged, opening the floodgates for another round of chops and counter wrestling from Koishikawa and Suruga.
Hagane and Akki going strike for strike#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/aP6O13WPiD
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) September 26, 2021
Both countered the obvious so Koishikawa went for more lethal chops and ate the Super Mei Punch. This manic streak of reversals and killing blows continued as neither fighter would stay down. Suruga smashed Koishikawa’s hand off the wall and tried to lock on Gâteau Invisible but Shinno threw her into the mat. The Egg Tarts chopped the soul out of Best Bros and Koishikawa put Suruga in the Muffler. Suruga escaped and Best Bros double-teamed Koishikawa for another near-fall. Shinno wrecked the house again but Koishikawa couldn’t follow up and the bell rang. Both teams had taken the other to hell and couldn’t get the three-count. The match was a draw and both teams had to be dragged away to prevent further fighting. Things are getting heated between these two teams and I smell another Asia Dream Tag Title match on the horizon. If it’s anything like this, it’s going to kick ass.
All images courtesy of Gatoh Move, FlyingVTrigger, Sayuri, Chie Koishikawa, Videos courtesy of Gatoh Move YouTube