Welcome back to ChocoPro and to another weekend of wrestling action. It was a doubly special weekend as we got Masahiro Takanashi’s birthday celebrations and his Super Asia Title shot. He was headlining #195 against Choun Shiryu whilst Tropicalamari battled Chie Koishikawa and Shin Suzuki and Best Bros took on Minoru Fujita and Sayaka Obihiro. Then, in #196 we’d have three more fun bouts as Yuna Mizumori, Chie Koishikawa and Masahiro Takanashi went to war in a three-way, Choun Shiryu gets right back to work with a singles bout with Sayaka Obihiro and in the second main event Mei Suruga battles Comaneci Master Tokiko Kirihara. It was all to play for this weekend so let’s get into the action.


ChocoPro #195

TropiCalamari (Chris Brookes & Yuna Mizumori) defeated Chie Koishikawa & Shin Suzuki via Double European Clutch

Up first today was the return of TropiCalamari, the Calamari Catch King and the Tropical Fairy were joining forces once again to see off the combined forces of Chie Koishikawa and Shin Suzuki. it would be a battle of established dominance vs energetic innovation and I feel everyone could enjoy that, except Brookes, who hates energy. Things had already gotten dicey as Koishikawa had nearly stabbed Mizumori as she practised bridging. The opening was full of screaming and chain wrestling as Brookes and Koishikawa tried to bring the roof down. Brookes had the better of Koishikawa and disrespectfully attacked until she blasted him with the rolling leg drop and bow and arrow. They tagged and Suzuki got into a shunting match with Mizumori. Suzuki got the better of Mizumori and let Koishikawa have some fun with double mat burn, Suzuki being scared into maintaining that high energy. Brookes stormed in and taped Koishikawa’s mouth up, bringing some quiet to the studio before tearing it away. TropiCalamari kept torturing Koishikawa with some holds and signs as Suzuki could do nothing but protest. Koishikawa escaped Brookes again and the pair caused another sparring match between Suzuki and Mizumori, Suzuki trying to preserve the sanctity of the sponsor signs. Once again, Suzuki was on the winning side of their exchange and managed to outmanoeuvre Mizumori as she counterattacked. Koishikawa joined the fun again to lock on the Muffler and Suzuki launched Brookes out of the studio before helping with a double muffler. The chops came out but she was stopped in her tracks as Mizumori hit a Yahho.

Koishikawa quickly rebounded and dropkicked Mizumori down for the Demon Chop. She went up top for the finish but Mizumori dragged her down for another Yahho. TropiCalamari took control of the fight and Koishikawa used Mizumori for a springboard chop to Brookes. Suzuki and Brookes had a whirlwind of a fight and TropiCalamari bullied both foes, even using Koishikawa as a weapon with a hammock We Will Rock You. Suzuki and Brookes kept their compelling back-and-forth going and Koishikawa finally got her double muffler but it wasn’t enough and Brookes was crafty enough to trap both foes in a European Clutch. This was bloody awesome. It opened the show with a bang and showcased just how good TropiCalamari are. Koishikawa was livid again and Suzuki was forced to run for his life lest Koishikawa snuff it out. Koishikawa might not get many wins but she always tries to steal the show and Suzuki tried to help out however he could. I now also want to see a Shin Suzuki vs Chris Brookes singles match.

Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) defeated Minoru Fujita & Sayaka Obihiro via Assisted Moonsault on Obihiro

The tag team action kept flowing as the Iron Chefs Minoru Fujita and Sayaka Obihiro unleashed their recipe for disaster on the Chocolate Square. The downside to that plan was, they’d be facing the best team in the division, Best Bros. They seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation and jumped Best Bros quickly, much to cameraman Brookes’ amusement. It was all double chops and gong shots until Best Bros could unleash the goblin rage and create some breathing room. That was quickly quashed as Fujita and Obihiro countered the double team and gave the pair the taste of pain, even utilising their aprons for chokes. Brookes just kept cackling as Suruga was beaten from pillar to post and Obihiro showed everyone how to peel an egg. Fujita did the same and thwacked an egg off Akki’s head too for good measure. Best Bros got a taste of eggshell to the head and more as the chefs found their rhythm. Akki had to keep making the save as Brookes kept making egg puns about Suruga’s situation. When he was finally unleashed on the match, Akki made Fujita suffer but a missed Spider opened him up for a crushing knee. The hostilities kept being traded as Fujita and Akki made up for a lost time, pummelling each other like they had done many times before. Obihiro did the same when Fujita tagged and really laid it into Akki with elbows. Best Bros swarmed and Obihiro was flattened with the rolling senton. She fought off Apple Mutilation and tried for her Bridging Suplex but Suruga bit free and sampled a taste of Obihiro. That stunned Obihiro enough for Apple Mutilation and Suruga just kept applying pressure after she’d escaped. Suruga almost fell to Obihiro and Fujita Magic but had the wherewithal to kick out but couldn’t stop a Butterfly Suplex. Akki saved the match with the Backbreaker and had to save her again as Fujita turned the Propellor on her. Fujita also played saviour by preventing B3 but couldn’t delay the inevitable any further and Best Bros won with the Assisted Moonsault. Yet again, Best Bros put on a tag team clinic with more fun opponents getting time to shine. I want to see more from the Iron Chefs as they were a really enjoyable team to watch. They provided a nice mix of serious wrestling and comedy spots which is just what I’d expect.

Super Asia Title: Choun Shiryu defeated Masahiro Takanashi via Project A

Now, for the moment everyone had been waiting for. It was Masahiro Takanashi’s birthday and what better way to celebrate than with a Super Asia Title match? Choun Shiryu had been a perfect friend and rival across countless years and now, it was time to take that up a notch. Shiryu has done excellently defending his belt but now, he needed to beat the boss. They’ve had each other’s numbers across each war they’ve had and this was no different. They started with a very familiar feeling out process as the pair tested different holds and grapples. It was all very slow and very methodical as they just tested the waters and tried to do some early damage. They kept upping the intensity of their hold but felt no need to pick up the pace as their submissions did the damage. After multiple close calls, Shiryu finally upped the tempo with some Dragon Ninja offence and used Suruga as a stepping stone for a Dragon Kick. Shiryu kept bludgeoning Takanashi around the studio and flattened him against the wall with a We Will Rock You. The back had become Shiryu’s target and he worked it for all it’s worth whilst all twisting up that repaired leg, as Brookes tried to shout advice to his friend and partner. He even through in Ninja Magic and Crane Antics but Takanashi turned that on him with a Dragon Screw. From there, Takanashi went straight after the knee with every brutal trick he could think of. He even dragged up the mat to slam Shiryu onto the bare floor.

Things heated up as the ref and a stool entered the mix with both guys just tearing chunks from each other. Takanashi got the better of the exchange and used said stool for more submission work. Mei forcibly removed it from play and Shiryu found his way back into the fight, bringing the drunken Kung Fu on wobbly legs. Even then, Takanashi had most of it scouted and further destroyed Shiryu’s knee. It almost ended with a leg lariat but Shiryu still had life left in him. For this, Takanashi just put further pressure on those knees. If he couldn’t pin Shiryu, he’d tap him out. He locked on a Figure Four and kept it applied for a torturously long time but couldn’t stop him from escaping again. He switched holds again but Shiryu turned it into a pin and rocked Takanashi with a headbutt. Bombs Away followed but this just allowed Takanashi to apply the Sharpshooter. Both guys were kicked loopy and Shiryu launched into a trust fall from the wall. They fought to their knees and slugged it out then ended it with another chain of fast and furious counters and heavy hits. Shiryu’s knees limited his attacks so he improvised, dropping Takanashi on his head with an inverted Gory. He dropped the bomb with Project A and took the win. This had been an absolute war. It was thirty minutes of simmering destruction as both guys took each other to hell. This is the match quality ChocoPro always excels at. These two did it all, striking contests, submission grappling, and told another chapter in a story that had resonated through history. When it really mattered, Shiryu had stepped up and proven why he holds that title. His next test, Akki at #197 then at #200, Fujita is coming to reclaim his title.


ChocoPro #196

Yuna Mizumori defeated Chie Koishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi via Supergirl on Koishikawa

There’s no rest for the wicked and that means that even after a gruelling title fight and birthday drinks, you have to turn up for your next shift. What was worse, Masahiro Takanashi was going to have to shake off the effects of yesterday and battle, not just Yuna Mizumori but also Chie Koishikawa. He was in for a rough time. As expected, he was as salty as ever and tried to dominate things but this was Koishikawa’s time to shine, even if she did end up like a hot potato between the pair. Alas, it couldn’t last and she found herself as the punching bag for Takanashi and Mizumori before they turned their ire on each other. Fortunes turned and Takanashi tried to team with Koishikawa for an easier life, teaching her some new tricks to use on Mizumori. It was an oddly wholesome sight to behold. Mizumori ended up fighting back and all bets were off once that happened but for a short time, we saw Chie-DK in action. Takanashi tried to win at all costs and Koishikawa kept scoring some fun moments but in the end, it was Mizumori that walked away the winner after trapping Koishikawa with a Supergirl pin. The odds had been against her but the Tropical Powerhouse had managed to fight through the double-team and pick up the win over two very game challengers. It had been a fun fight with most of the focus being on the teamwork between Takanashi and Koishikawa. I’d love to see more of them as a unit in the future.

Choun Shiryu defeated Sayaka Obihiro via Gory Duo

That same rule applied for Choun Shiryu who would have to get his knees back in working order to take on the fighting chef Sayaka Obihiro. We know both of these fighters can throw hands so it would be interesting to see how they fought and if there was any fallout from yesterday’s match. This looked to be a grappling contest but Shiryu quickly dipped into the goblin playbook and used a foot grind to set up Obihiro for his signature attacks. If there was any lingering damage, Shiryu wasn’t showing it and did his damn well best to break Obihiro’s hands so she couldn’t keep cooking. Obihiro worked Shiryu like a chopping board but it didn’t do much other than piss Shiryu off further. He ended up using her as a message for Akki and straight-up brutalised her Obihiro chopped back again and knocked some of the cockiness out of Shiryu but she couldn’t land a killing blow, he kept kicking out. She tried to fight off the drunken Kung Fu but Shiryu had made her dizzy and quickly caught her into a Gory Duo for the win, smashing her off the wall and the floor before pinning her. This had been a quick fight with Shiryu using Obihiro to send a message to his next challenger, Baliyan Akki. There had been no mercy shown here as Shiryu started off taking her lightly and quickly upped the ante once he realised she was a threat. The Dragon is still as deadly as ever.

Mei Suruga defeated Tokiko Kirihara via Lucifer

Last but not least, the second main event. Mei Suruga was going to have a rare singles match as Akki was out of action for this one. She’d been given the main event slot against the Comaneci master, Tokiko Kirihara. This would be an excellent showcase for the pair as Kirihara could claim a high-profile win if she could put Suruga away here. Plus, she had extra incentive to do so because Suruga wanted to beat her so badly, she couldn’t work tomorrow. Kirihara opened the match showing off her strength advantage and grappling prowess whilst Suruga just tried to match her, using the odd goblin tactic to do so. She mostly was wise to Suruga’s tricks though and managed to quickly apply the first Comaneci of the match. It would take more goblin tactics and sign attacks for Suruga to finally get a proper foothold in the match. Koishikawa refused to count her pin though as she destroyed one of the bouquets. Suruga didn’t let this stop her and just went to work destroying Kirihara’s arm using legitimate moves and more goblin antics. Kirihara got a modicum of revenge with the claw and gave Suruga her close-up before slamming her into the mat. Her advantage didn’t last as Suruga kept working the arm to escape further punishment. A slugfest got ugly and Suruga kept trying to apply Gateau Invisible and the Apple Mutilation. Neither hold could get the job done and Kirihara was able to rebound and smash up Suruga’s knees. This battle of submissions kept escalating as both fighters kept breaking limbs and delivering bombs. Neither could put the other away as more holds were escaped and more moves were kicked out of. After a blitz of attempted tap-outs, it would be Suruga who picked up the win with Lucifer. She had destroyed Kirihara’s shoulder and tanked the damage to her knees to rack up another win. I also feel she probably achieved her goal as that arm took some nasty blows. It was another entertaining main event as Suruga had to rely more on her technical skills and less on her goblin antics. It made for a very compelling and competitive bout.

All images courtesy of Gatoh Move, FlyingVTrigger, Chie Koishikawa, Yuna Mizumori Videos courtesy of Gatoh Move YouTube

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