Welcome back to part 2 of ChocoPro’s new year’s celebrations. We covered the madness of Honda vs Shiryu and more in part 1, now we’re looking to the other two shows in the triple bill of festivities featuring even more returns, wars, and title fights. In #187, Toru Owashi makes a grand appearance to team with Tokiko Kirihara and Yuna Mizumori against Chie Koishikawa, Hagane Shinno, and Sayaka Obihiro, Kaori Yoneyama battles Sayaka and in the main event, Best Bros put their titles on the line against the ultimate team, CDK. Then, in #188, Best Bros take on Chie Koishikawa and Sayaka Obihiro, Shin Black Comaneci go to war with the Drunken Dragons and we get a tropical super-fight as Yuna Mizumori battles Sayaka. Let’s get into the action.
ChocoPro #187
Egg Tarts (Chie Koishikawa & Hagane Shinno) & Sayaka Obihiro defeated Toru Owashi, Tokiko Kirihara & Yuna Mizumori via Ankle Lock on Kirihara
Otoki and Yunamon are all over Chie#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/duTLrZibin
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) December 31, 2021
Up first was something hyperactive. It would be six-person chaos as Sayaka Obihiro joined the Egg Tarts to take on the combined forces of Yuna Mizumori, Tokiko Kirihara, and Toru Owashi. That right there was a proper powerhouse team and an odd mix of forces overall. It was going to be interesting to see Owashi in the Chocolate Square, especially as he had a target on his back carrying the DDT Ironman Title. Shinno had to keep his partners in check and started off against Owashi in a battle of the handsome. He changed his mind and Mizumori started for him, shunting Shinno around the venue until she got kicked. Her team gave her extra momentum with a push and she sent Shinno flying with a tackle. Owashi tagged in so Shinno left, letting Koishikawa have some fun. He was overwhelmed by her energy and got stomped and chopped for failing an escape. Obihiro tried to take over but spent too much time getting pumped up so Owashi threw her into a window. Kirihara came in to lock on the Comaneci and torture Obihiro with the hold, earning Owashi’s approval. His team kept the work up on Obihiro and Owashi started a chop battle with Obihiro that he quickly regretted as she switched to thrusts. Shinno made up for lost time and started wailing on everyone, ruining Owashi’s plans and starting another striking battle. They both tagged to give up Kirihara vs Koishikawa with Kirihara’s submissions helping her lockdown Koishikawa. The chops prevailed and Koishikawa went to the legs with the Muffler. Mizumori made the save and Koishikawa got her close up as Kirihara drove her into the wall. Both sides brought out their double team moves and Kirihara was used to start a domino fall onto her teammates. They sabotaged themselves by making each other dizzy and Owashi looked on in amazement as Mizumori hit the Papaya Mango Coconut. They went for a triple version but Shinno dodged and they all hit the wall. Everything broke down as Sayuri entered the fray to document the weird ongoing action. Kirihara locked the Cobra Clutch on Shinno and Shinno tapped out Kirihara with a knee jam into an ankle lock. That ended a wildly fun six-person cluster of fun spots, personality, and Toru Owashi’s personal charm. Can’t go wrong.
Kaori Yoneyama defeated Sayaka via Roll-up
Following that, we had a one-on-one war between another hyperactive force in Kaori Yoneyama taking on the resident heavy-hitter, Sayaka. Lately, Sayaka has been killing it in singles matches and this was another big opportunity to show off. They opened with a chanting contest and went to the technical holds, working the other’s wrists, arms and necks. Sayaka earned a foot grind by taunting Yoneyama’s height and both went for the other’s hair. Sayaka turned that into the bow and arrow but Yoneyama countered and locked on the same hold. Sayaka used the same counter so Yoneyama attacked her with a paint roller and put her in a Rear-Naked choke. That switched up to a body-scissor with an elbow in the back, Yoneyama trying everything to make Sayaka tap. Yoneyama started chopping away so Sayaka pushed her into the wall and started elbowing her back. They traded strikes and Yoneyama slapped Sayaka to the mat for a Camel Clutch before stealing the camera for more close-up action. Mongolian Chops met heavy elbows with Sayaka finding her groove and slamming down Yoneyama. A wall dropkick followed for two so she applied the Crab and started trapping limbs. Yoneyama forced a break and trapped Sayaka in a trailer hitch but she too escaped and blasted her with another dropkick. They both countered finishers and Sayaka landed another elbow but as a pinfall war broke out, Yoneyama stole the win with a roll-up. Sayaka had given Yoneyama hell but the crafty veteran had pulled out another win. This was a fun little match and saw Sayaka embody that underdog spirit before being screwed out of the win.
Best Bros (Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki) vs CDK (Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi) ends in a 30-minute draw
Main event time. Best Bros weren’t just champions, they were fighting champions. They wanted the top competition around now that Mei was back and they had outright challenged CDK to come at them. Now, they were reaping what they’d sown as they’d have one hell of a fight from them. Nothing would make Brookes and Takanashi happier than taking those Asia Dream Tag Titles, Brookes had even made his version of War is Over for the occasion. Takanashi and Akki opened the action with a chain wrestling exchange, quickly reaching a stalemate. Both tagged (Akki unwillingly as Suruga wanted the fight) and Brookes “locked up” with Suruga. She made herself taller with a stool but Brookes just dragged her off that and she faceplanted. Brookes bullied her further with hair biels but Suruga outfoxed him and nearly took the win with a roll-up. A dropkick followed and Best Bros tried to double team but Takanashi ruined their plans and CDK trapped them in a gruesome gory submission. Takanashi continued to bully Suruga but she escaped again and used Brookes as a platform to take him for the ride. Akki flew in with a crossbody and tried to go for his vintage combo but slipped on the wall and smashed his arm off the floor. CDK went right for that injured limb and did everything in their power to snap Akki’s elbow. Mei tried to come to the rescue but she and Akki ended up in double submissions. She was thrown away and CDK went back to torturing Akki around the studio, even snapping his arm in the bathroom door. Any time Suruga intervened, she too was beaten to a pulp. It was all firmly CDK until Akki could finally escape the maiming with a snap Backbreaker.
Chris blasts Akki with a dropkick#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/hDyMLDHpl7
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) December 31, 2021
Suruga came in like a house on fire and baited Brookes into chopping the wall before driving his head into the bricks. She unloaded on both with forearms and used speed and gravity to drop both with a head-scissor and a Tornado DDT. Brookes fought off Apple Mutilation and another roll-up to lock on an STF but Suruga bit free and kicked Brookes low. He kept hold of her though and dumped her across his knee with an Atomic Drop. Suruga ended up locking his legs up and pissing him off with a bitchslap so he hoisted her up and launched her with a Butterfly Suplex. Takanashi came in to pick the bones and had to fight off multiple attempts at the Apple Mutilation, eventually ending up in the hold. Brookes and Akki came into play to help their partners and Best Bros took control with a double-team flying combo. Brookes was stomped out and Suruga slammed Takanashi down for the Royal Dolphin Press but Akki couldn’t perform it due to his arm. He helped her land a Moonsault and started targeting Takanashi’s knee, doing what he could with the damaged arm. Takanashi used the target to avoid punishment and started destroying Akki’s arm again. Akki kept taking every chance to get the leg and momentum kept trading. Best Bros had Takanashi in peril with a Deathlock but couldn’t get the win as Akki’s arm gave out again. Takanashi kicked his way to freedom and Brookes launched in with the Shotgun Dropkick. He nearly took the win with a window Neckbreaker and CDK nearly took the win with the dropkick breaker combo. Suruga kept the match alive but Brookes cut her off with the Shoop Cutter. Akki had to fight off another arm-breaking Grounded Manji and nailed Brookes with a Finlay Roll into a one-armed Spider. They beat the hell out of each other, then both teams went hell for leather as the clock ran down. Everyone was dropped and everyone’s finishers and pins were broken up. Just as Brookes got another Manji trap locked in, the bell rang, and Best Bros narrowly retained their titles. CDK clearly wasn’t happy but they wandered out without a fight, signalling they’d fight again. This was bloody awesome. Not only was it a tag-team masterclass, we once again saw Best Bros saved by the clock. This is an early match of the season contender. Happy 365 belt days Best Bros.
As Janken happened, we had another shock as Yuna Mizumori temporarily won the DDT Iron Man Heavyweight Title after defeating the champion in the final. A loss is a loss and Owashi had just had his belt taken by Mizumori. After the ceremonial photo, Owashi pinned Mizumori to steal it back and fled Ichigaya with his prize, leaving Mizumori heartbroken.
ChocoPro #188
Best Bros (Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki) defeated Chie Koishikawa & Sayaka Obihiro via Assisted Moonsault on Koishikawa
There's nowhere to go for Mei#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/I8J8bm6r0c
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) January 1, 2022
The second show opened with another Best Bros tag bout as they tried to start 2022 with a win. Their first opponents of the year, their arch-nemesis Chie Koishikawa and her favourite Sayaka Obihiro. Best Bros went through hell at 187, now they were going to have to deal with all that energy. Akki and Koishikawa opened with the usual chain wrestling exchange and tagged out so Suruga and Obihiro could do the same. Suruga took Obihiro for the ride and Obihiro almost won with a pin counter, bringing in Koishikawa for a chopping combo. Obihiro ran into the wall and Suruga started the goblin behaviour early with a window hand crush. Akki was slightly more sporting in his goblin antics but still worked with Suruga to mangle Obihiro’s hands. She had no escape as they rolled and stomped over her digits, Koishikawa unable to offer much assistance. She escaped with chops and Koishikawa picked up the slack in a competitive counter fest with Akki, blasting him with chops and dropkicks. Obihiro came back in to deliver the throat thrust and Koishikawa launched Akki with the Tornado Arm-drag. The rolling chop followed but Akki kicked out and downed Akki with a Backbreaker. He brought in Suruga and she abused Obihiro with her wall combo and a double chop. Obihiro tried to block further damage but Suruga bit her hands and threw them into the wall. Suruga got too cocky though and Obihiro levelled her with another rolling chop. Koishikawa took up the charge with another flurry and the pair danced around the Apple Mutilation and the muffler. Suruga got the hold on but Koishikawa escaped and trapped Suruga in the muffler. Obihiro and Akki got involved, the former stopping the Propellor Pin with a thrust to the back of the head. More rapid near-falls followed and Akki knocked a light-tube loose hitting a high-rise Backbreaker. That was followed up by the assisted Moonsault and the win.
Best Bros had made relatively light work of the competition but once again, we saw the inklings of a proper team forming between Koishikawa and Obihiro. Suruga’s goblin mode extended past the match as she nearly went full-on deathmatch mode with the light-tube as Akki and Shiryu tried to fix the light he’d knocked loose. It was a fun little spectacle but I don’t think Koishikawa would appreciate being blasted and no one would want to clean up the spooky dust and glass.
Masahiro Takanashi & Chon Shiryu defeated Shin Black Comaneci (Antonio Honda & Tokiko Kirihara) via Dragon Lock on Kirihara
Next up was a special tag encounter between Shin Black Comaneci, the evil immortal devils in angel disguises, Antonio Honda and Tokiko Kirihara against the on-again/off-again friends and rivals the Drunken Dragons, Masahiro Takanashi and Chon Shiryu. This was one of those fights that could do anything based on the sheer insanity of those involved. We opened with the comedy of Honda trying to bow without his headband falling off and watched in terror as he unleased the Super Comaneci Chop from Hell… with zero impact. Takanashi was disappointed and gave Honda a real chop only to be attacked by a Super Volcano Elbow… with zero impact. Kirihara tagged in so Takanashi backed out to let Shiryu face the confusion. Kirihara also threatened to hit super moves but delivered a light tap and got punished with a harsh chop from Shiryu. There was a clear gap in the impacts as Shiryu slapped Kirihara in the back. Kirihara wouldn’t change it up so Shiryu smashed her in the head with her headband decoration. The Drunken Dragon beatdown continued as Takanashi destroyed part of Kirihara’s wings. Honda tried to calm things with song and promised to give up once he was done since angels couldn’t fight. The Drunken Dragons were drawn into the trap and Black Comaneci struck with neck stabs.
Well…some of their mistakes#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/aOB9rr2y7R
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) January 1, 2022
They continued their onslaught as Honda turned to death metal, singing Kirihara’s attacks. Gone were the angels and in were the real fighters. The prop attacks came into full effect and Honda jabbed away at Takanashi for the dancing elbow. Takanashi blocked that with a wall throw and Shiryu destroyed both members of Black Comaneci, locking Honda in a happy new year hold. Honda escaped with high knees and Kirihara kicked the soul out of Shiryu until the Dragon tripped her into the window. Kirihara dodged the dragon kick and broke him with wall slams into the Cobra Clutch. The Drunken Dragons found themselves in another jabbing chain and got nailed with Bionic Elbows. They shook that off and Dropped Kirihara on her face with a cross-arm DDT. Shiryu followed up with Bombs Away and got taken out by Honda. Black Comaneci nailed Takanashi with fan attacks and tried to do the same to Shiryu but he ducked and they brained each other. Shiryu followed up quickly by escaping a Kirihara pin and trapping her in the Dragon Lock. She gave up and Drunken Dragons took the win. This was a silly match but again, proved to be fun as hell and proof that Black Comaneci will never change their way, even if it bites them in the ass.
Yuna Mizumori defeated Sayaka via Lariat
Last but not least, our second main event of the double bill and one hell of a hard-hitting fight. It would be the Tropical Fairy, Yuna Mizumori against Sayaka. There would be some very heavy hits here as Tropical Power met striking fury. Could Sayaka start the year with a win? She almost stole the win with an instant roll-up and kept trying to score quick wins. Mizumori returned the favour and both kept attempting pins. Sayaka went for the knee drop bow and arrow, releasing that hold to cripple the back further with her knee. Mizumori slammed her down and dragged Sayaka across the wall of signs before snapping her down for a sliding elbow. The crush followed and Sayaka desperately fought off the Crab. Sayaka attempted the same hold but Mizumori shook her off and tanked multiple kicks to the face to finally lock in the hold. Sayaka dragged herself to freedom and probably wished she hadn’t as Mizumori catapulted her into the wall for Tropical Elbows. Sayaka dodged the Papaya Mango Coconut and rolled Mizumori up again for a dropkick. Sayaka locked on the Crab but Mizumori was too close to the edge and broke the hold instantly. Mizumori won another slam battle and splashed down but only got a two. The fight went outside and Sayaka used the wall to weaken Mizumori but found it quickly turned on her. They kept bludgeoning each other and Mizumori attacked Sayaka with a tree. They fought back into the studio and Mizumori struck with the Coconut Crush and another crossbody into the handstand press. Mizumori applied the Tropical Crab and flattened Sayaka with a Tropical Yahho. She looked to end things with a lariat but Sayaka ducked and blasted Mizumori with a wall dropkick. She finally landed the slam and reapplied the Crab in the middle of the mat. Mizumori escaped and knocked down Sayaka with a leaping headbutt and tried for another lariat but was elbowed to the mat. Sayaka hit another dropkick but still couldn’t keep Mizumori down and got stopped by Tropical Yahho and a lariat. One final lariat later and Sayaka was out. That won the match and gave Mizumori her first win of 2022. These two beat the hell out of each other. This was physical violence at its finest with no punches pulled. Both fighters threw themselves into their offence and started 2022 off right.
All images courtesy of Gatoh Move, FlyingVTrigger, Sayuri, Chie Koishikawa Videos courtesy of Gatoh Move YouTube