Welcome back to ChocoPro and to the grand celebration of the company’s second anniversary. Gatoh Move has managed to do a whole lot in two years with ChocoPro, racking up 214 episodes with a whole lot of chaos. Now, we were going to make more memories with four more madcap matches to enjoy. Across the four matches, we’d see, CDK in a triple-threat tag bout against the reunited Dragon Ninja and another new variation of Black Comaneci, Rotten Yahho resurfacing to take on Sayaka Obihiro and Kappa Kozo as Fujita celebrates 25 years of wrestling, Mei Suruga finding a new ally in Haruka Umesaki to take on Sayaka and Kaori Yoneyama and in the main event, Baliyan Akki was in for the fight of a lifetime as Emi Sakura came for her title shot. She’d made herself the number one contender and had started a hot streak. She was better than ever so who knew, we could see a new champ crowned. Let’s get into the action and find out.
CDK (Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi) defeated Black Comaneci (Antonio Honda & Tokiko “Honda” Kirihara) & Dragon Ninja (Choun Shiryu & Sayuri) via Double Pin Trap on the Two Hondas
Nothing kicks off the action better than some multi-person mayhem. That is what CDK was going to contend with as the number one team in the division. They were getting to open this show by battling the returning Dragon Ninja and the monstrous combination of Antonio Honda and “Antonia Honda” Tokiko Kirihara. Somehow, Black Comaneci just managed to get scarier with every reiteration. Absolutely no one in that studio was enjoying the double Honda act. Things opened in hilarious fashion as everyone wrestled around the Hondas. Takanashi locked with Sayuri and Brookes locked with Shiryu as the Hondas just flailed in the background left out. They protested and started reading palms, Shiryu being told he’d be like Justin Bieber and Brookes getting Michael Jackson. The inevitable betrayal came but it was hard to tell what Brookes was sadder about, his sore wrist or the Jackson comment. Everyone was attacked with props and the Hondas spread the joys of song, lyrically highlighting their attacks. Sayuri was bullied by the horrible Hondas and snapped, opening the floor for a Dragon Ninja chop down on the two comedic killers. CDK would have received the same treatment but was able to turn the tables and locked down both teams with terrifying ease.
She had a 50/50 shot#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/3kiXhaB4xd
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) March 28, 2022
Everyone danced and everyone tried for Bionic elbows but only Honda succeeded and sent everyone reeling with a rolling dusty, causing a chain reaction around the studio and even taking out camera person Mei. Takanashi had to save the day as the Hondas singled out Brookes and despite a frantic closing sequence, CDK left the winners with a double pin on both Hondas. They added extra insult to injury by attacking everyone with the Comaneci fans when the fight was over. This was ridiculous but it was funny as hell too. It made for perfect opening match fodder and opened the show with some silliness, some laughs interlaced with some great wrestling.
Rotten Yahho (Minoru Fujita & Yuna Mizumori) vs Sayaka Obihiro & Kappa Kozo ends in No Contest
The tag action continued with the return of Rotten Yahho. The decaying tropical force of Yuna Mizumori and Minoru Fujita had returned to the Ichigaya Chocolate Square and were being greeted by another diabolical unit, Sayaka Obihiro and her monster frenemy Kappa Kozo. The evil Kappa and Obihiro jumped the tropical pair and enjoyed a solid stint of ruthlessly attacking their foes. They were granted more time to torture as Rotten Yahho’s double-team failed but Fujita was able to turn the tables with a double leg sweep and got things back on track. Or it would have but Obihiro craftily repositioned herself to avoid any impact. He fought through more pain and finally got his escape by making both himself and Obihiro dizzy trying to avoid Obihiro Magic. Mizumori unleashed tropical hell on the match as she was tagged but ended up getting chopped out of her rampage by Obihiro. The Iron Chef was on fire today. Kozo came in to pick the bones but Yahho got their act together and managed to work as a unit to put the hurting on the evil Kappa. They finally landed the double team press but Obihiro was awake enough to break the pin. Fujita hit Sayonara and the pair rolled him up in the mat but when they pulled it back, it wasn’t Kozo there… it was Tiger Jeet Shinjuku! That Kappa had escaped doom with his teleportation magic again. It became a three-on-two beatdown and the match was thrown out as Jeet and Kozo mauled the ref. Once again, the monsters had disrupted the flow of things with pure anarchy. Rules mean nothing to them, especially when they’re losing. No one may have won here but goddamn it was a great match. Obihiro was on top form here, aggressive, cunning, and focused. She was the star of this one, dishing out quite the beating on the tropical pair.
Mei Suruga & Haruka Umesaki defeated Sayaka & Kaori Yoneyama via Propellor Pin on Sayaka
The final tag match of the show was bringing a returning face to Chocolate Square. Haruka Umesaki, a champion in Diana and WAVE was making her way back to ChocoPro to team up with the Big Apple, Mei Suruga. We know Suruga doesn’t play well with others and won her encounter against Umesaki but she was going to have to find some cohesion if she wanted to beat the forces of Sayaka and Kaori Yoneyama. It started fast and loud with Suruga mixing it up with Yoneyama and Sayaka feeling the wrath of Umesaki. Yoneyama and Sayaka were the first to get their double team off the ground but the goblin team struck back just as fast with double cute on purpose. Umesaki and Suruga both made full use of goblin tactics but they couldn’t extinguish the competitive fire of their foes, momentum continuously shifting back and forth. Umesaki tried to get cocky against Sayaka and felt the brutal sting of her strikes first-hand. She gave back just as hard but fell victim to the body slam and Sayaka Lock. Yoneyama piled on but their rhythm was disrupted by Sayaka getting carried away on a double submission. The Goblins took full advantage and began breaking the legs of Yoneyama, softening her up for their submission game. They couldn’t keep Yoneyama down or locked down as she kept kicking out or Sayaka kept making the save.
Nice teamwork, but at what cost#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/bIvJzvDCnz
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) March 28, 2022
The tide shifted again and Suruga found herself locked down as the pair tried to get their revenge. It didn’t last though and Sayaka had to fight off roll-ups and eat that brutal wall combo. Yoneyama both saved and doomed her partner as she fought off Gateau Invisible and got caught in the crossfire as Umesaki and Suruga used Sayaka as a weapon. Sayaka once again managed to fight back but couldn’t get the roll-up or the pin and Suruga took the lead, using Yoneyama to fly into the Propellor Pin and took the win. Umesaki and Suruga had really gelled here with their styles and tactics meshing nicely. Both teams kept the pace going and honestly, there wasn’t a bit of drag to this bout. It lived up to the hype people were giving it and had a lot going on.
Super Asia Title: Baliyan Akki defeated Emi Sakura via Namaste Splash
Last but not least, the main event. Baliyan Akki has been a very strong champion for ChocoPro. He’s fought off whoever has stepped to him and remains one of the most certifiable contenders in the company. Being at the top of the mountain has not made him soft. Now, he was in for a different type of challenge. Emi Sakura has been away from ChocoPro for quite some time, holding court in AEW. Now, the Queen was back in her castle and was about to put one of her subjects through the wringer in hopes of earning a new crown. It was put up or shut up time for Akki as Sakura was not going to make this easy. It was intense from the get-go as the pair opened with a chess game of chain wrestling before Sakura upped the pressure and started trying to break an arm, occasionally losing her patience and stomping Akki silly. She kept stretching him out and relished the pain she was causing. It turned out Sakura was going to get sadistic too, using a sign to give Akki papercuts between his fingers. She wasn’t impressed but her cockiness cost her as she gave Akki a free shot so he dead-legged her. He now had a target too and worked the leg to its breaking point. The kicks came out and Sakura quickly regretted squaring up. She tried to run but Akki just gave chase, kicking out at her every time. It was his turn to revel in the sadism as tore the leg apart. Sakura used some of her Lucha expertise to escape the punishment and dropkicked Akki’s soul out but her We Will Rock You was dodged and Akki took the opportunity to hit the Spider. More goblin shenanigans ensued and the window became Akki’s worst enemy. He was brought crashing down with a Backbreaker and hammered with chop-lines into a successful We Will Rock You.
SHE WILL CHOP YOU#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/pOxeKbyqWj
— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) March 28, 2022
Akki brought out his Backbreakers as Sakura tried to take to the air but his fire was put out with Smash Mouth. They both kept throwing bombs and both crashed to the mat after a dropkick collision. Once they’d gotten their wind back, the pair went hell for leather, unleashing even more furious strikes and kicks on each other. They were both hurting but neither would back down, taking and giving the nastiest shots they could. Sakura almost took the win with a driver into an armbar, even biting at Akki’s fingers but his lanky frame saved him as he forced a break. His title could have been gone in a flash. They both went back to their initial targets, Sakura striking at the arm and Akki returning to the legs. It descended into a pinfall war but even then, neither would stay down. Sakura almost won again, nailing the Queen’s Gambit but Akki rolled to safety, self-preservation kicking in. She kept up the pressure with a Tiger Driver and went for Akki’s own Namaste Splash but still only got two. The champ would not quit. He kept kicking through Sakura’s efforts, blasted her with a thrust kick, and after a Herculean effort, landed the Namaste Splash. He had done it. The champ had retained but goddamn had it taken a lot. Akki has gone through hell defending that title and Sakura just took him to a whole new circle. It was vicious, brutal, and exhausting for both fighters with both leaving it all on that mat. Emi Sakura remains one of the best wrestlers in the company and Akki continues to prove why that belt is on him. This is a potential MOTY from a company that loves to give us them. At the end of the show, the company announced they were going to do a 25th-anniversary show for Minoru Fujita. I cannot wait to see that.
All images courtesy of Gatoh Move, DOGU, FlyingVTrigger, video courtesy of Gatoh Move YouTube