Welcome back to ChocoPro. It’s the episode after the hectic Masahiro Takanashi Produce Show (THAT YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WATCH) and now some of the fighters from that have another round of action to contend with. Mei Suruga was back with her Best Bro, Baliyan Akki against Masahiro Takanashi and Chie Koishikawa, Tokiko Kirihara was opening the show against Cherry, and in the main event, we had Sayaka and Chris Brookes clashing for the first time. It was a loaded episode of Ichigaya’s favourite wrestling show and it was all paving the way to the big season finale at #162. Let’s see how our fighters fared.

Cherry defeated Tokiko Kirihara via Spinning Clutch Pin

First up was a battle between Cherry and Tokiko Kirihara. The pair are teaming tomorrow so this was a great way for the pair to feel each other out before working together and for Kirihara to test herself against a veteran like Cherry. Though to get into the fight she’d have to break her admiration of Cherry’s title-earning best body of pro sports. The pair both posed to show off their figures and went through all the stages of a body-building contest before Cherry attacked as Kirihara gushed over taking part. Cherry tried to hijack the camera but Kirihara pulled her back and ended up in a kneebar for her troubles. The submissions kept coming as Cherry transitioned to a posing Figure-Four and both went for posing hair holds until Akki broke it up. They then went for wrist-locks and Cherry cleverly kicked Kirihara down for a Deathlock and rolled across to drag her into a back-scratching headlock. This gave way to abb attacks and a two-count. Kirihara found her way back into the fight with the Claw slam and trapped Cherry in the Cobra Twist. She tried to follow up with the dancing foot stomp but Cherry dodged and delivered a dancing foot grind into the mat. She started punching Kirihara in the midsection and Kirihara reversed a wall whip to send Cherry into the wall for knee strikes and smashes. The camera angled wall slam followed and Kirihara landed the dancing stomp on the second attempt. Cherry got a taste of the Comaneci and started a slugfest that led to the pair stopping for a dance break. Cherry once again attacked during the distraction and trapped Kirihara in a Sleeper. She released the hold and charged but Kirihara caught her into the Judo throw for another near-fall. Cherry fought through and tripped Kirihara into a spinning clutch pin for the win. They had clearly had fun here and it showed. They disappeared off together and looked prepared to work together at the next show.

Best Bros (Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki) defeated Chie Koishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi via Labyrinth Pin on Koishikawa

Next was an odd little tag match. This was going to give Best Bros the chance to beat up half their challengers and half their challengers getting the chance to beat them up. it would be Chie Koishikawa of Egg Tarts and Masahiro Takanashi of the Hoshitango Alliance teaming up to soften up their challenges before the big three-team war for those Asia Dream Titles at #162. Well, if they could work together anyways. Chris Brookes was on commentary for this one so he could commentate on his favourite goblin. Akki and Koishikawa opened with some rapid chain wrestling until they reached a stalemate. Koishikawa blasted Akki away with a dropkick and the pair tagged out, Takanashi having to force Koishikawa to make the tag. They went into a spree of counter wrestling with both having an answer for the other. Takanashi grabbed Suruga by the nose and Koishikawa ran in to cause some unplanned double-team, making the Nosebreaker so much worse by launching Takanashi with an arm-drag. Takanashi wasn’t happy and Suruga turned their argument into a meeting of the minds, then took both for the ride. Best Bros started beating down Takanashi, with Akki paying great attention to Takanashi’s knees. He dodged a double knee drop but his apprehension to tag Koishikawa in saw him continue to be Best Bros punching bag. Suruga body slammed Takanashi and promised to do the same to Hoshi tango, then went for her wall combo but Takanashi cut that off with a Neckbreaker. He tagged and Koishikawa rushed in to chop the hell out of Best Bros. She took both out with a double arm-drag and delivered soul-crushing demon chops to both. Suruga and Koishikawa battled over submission with Suruga countering the Muffler and Koishikawa making Suruga struggle to apply Apple Mutilation. Koishikawa escaped the hold and tried to apply the Muffler again but Suruga rolled her up. Takanashi tagged himself in and tried to throw Suruga into a chop but Suruga dodged around and took both out with crossbodies. Akki did the same and broke Takanashi with a backbreaker into a Crucifix. That got two and Takanashi got revenge with an arm-wringer and a basement dropkick. Koishikawa tagged herself in off a failed Taka-Tonic and used him as a stepping stone for a double chop into the Tornado Arm-drag. She landed another dropkick but only got two so she chopped him down again and dove onto him. Suruga made the save and fought off double submissions to keep saving him from pinfalls. A malfunction on finishers saw Takanashi take out Koishikawa and Akki quickly capitalised with the Labyrinth to take the win. Koishikawa attacked post-match but that didn’t hide the fact she’d lost again. The challengers had definitely softened up the champions and had shown a lot of unintentional teamwork but the miscommunication cost them in the end.

Chris Brookes defeated Sayaka via Grounded Octopus Hold

Last but not least, the main event. Chris Brookes was back in Ichigaya and had another singles main event. This time it was against someone he hadn’t fought before, Sayaka. He didn’t seem as annoyed to fight her but did make sure to brag about his main event status and the broken fingers he had. Sayaka was going to have to prove she wasn’t a night off for him. Of course, he had his favourite referee, Mei Suruga. Sayaka opened with a lock-up and quickly found she was at a height disparity and tried to work around it but Brookes just wanted to break her hands. Brookes mockingly patted her head for reversing the pressure so she forearmed his chest in and tried for the knee drop bow and arrow. She couldn’t roll him up so he started posing so Sayaka dropped the knees again and tried to break his injured fingers. She moved upwards to give him a Nosebreaker and tried for the body slam but Brookes easily reversed and slammed her into the mat instead. He worked her arm again and tried to break her face, she’d clearly pissed her off. Sayaka chopped back so Brookes let her up to chop her back down and then let her start a slugging contest. She locked onto his leg and snapped his knee to stun him for a dropkick. Brookes kicked away a crab and caught Sayaka’s kick until she used the window for leverage. He got revenge with a Snap Suplex and started another strike exchange, throwing in insults to fire Sayaka up.

Sayaka slugged her way to victory and landed the body slam, downing him again for the Crab with a dropkick. She kept pulverising Brookes’ chest but he finally got up and trapped her in a Texas Cloverleaf before grounding the hold and torturing her further. He went to the window for a dive but Sayaka popped back up and dropkicked him out of the window. The fight went outside and Sayaka started beating Brookes with a cone. She flew back into the studio with a crossbody and went for a series of roll-ups into Sayaka’s knot. Brookes escaped so Sayaka launched him into the wall and fought off a European Clutch. Brookes floored her with a high knee and perched her on the window for a twisting Neckbreaker. She fought up again and hammered Brookes again with a stiff elbow but could follow up as Brookes caught her Crossbody into a backbreaker and Nosebreaker. He blasted her with the shotgun dropkick and brutalised her with elbows into the Grounded Octopus to take the win. Sayaka did her best to fight it off but had no choice but to tap. She had held her own against Brookes and rather than him making her a star, she’d made herself a star against him. Brookes always seems to show disdain for his ChocoPro opponents but this time there was very little of that. Sayaka had bludgeoned respect into Brookes and put on one hell of a main event-level battle. Now, all that’s left is the grand finale tomorrow. Let’s see who’s left standing when that dust settles. Best Bros seem unafraid but Chie Koishikawa is on the warpath now and that is very dangerous.

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

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