Welcome back to ChocoPro and to another wild weekend of action. It was another double-bill of shows and another pair of outings for Ichigaya’s favourite wrestlers. The regulars were out in force with only Sawasdee Kamen proving to be anyone slightly out of the ordinary, though as the Gatoh Move superhero, you know he’s never too far away. On the cards today we had, #227 giving us two tag encounters. The first would Masahiro Takanashi and Shin Suzuki against Baliyan Akki & Sayaka Obihiro and the second was Sayaka and Yuna Mizumori teaming up to take on Warm Caterpillars. For #228, there were three matches to dig into, as Mei Suruga took on Tokiko Kirihara, Dragon Ninja warred with Chie-DK and Baliyan Akki had the main event slot against Sawasdee Kamen. Let’s get into the action.

ChocoPro #227

Masahiro Takanashi & Shin Suzuki defeated Baliyan Akki & Sayaka Obihiro via Crucifix Trap on Obihiro

Up first today, was some tag team action as Masahiro Takanashi teamed up with his biggest fan, The Headstand King Shin Suzuki to take on the combined might of the Ace Baliyan Akki and the Iron Chef, Sayaka Obihiro. It would be might vs speed and technicality as all four of the competitors can get crafty and creative when the time arises. I’m never going to turn down a chance to see Akki tangle with Suzuki. He let Obihiro open against Suzuki and watched as the pair traded headstands before getting into it with Takanashi. Obihiro cheered on as Akki trapped Takanashi in the Namaste Stretch and got a bit too carried away, leaving herself open to a series of hand-breaking attacks from Takanashi. Obihiro became the victim of the match with Takanashi and Suzuki utilising whatever they could, including stools, to break the bones in Obihiro’s hand. It was all quite painful to watch as Mei Suruga reminded us countless times from commentary how nasty this merciless display was. She stabbed her way to freedom after a power struggle and Akki quickly picked up the pieces with a lightning-fast flurry. Takanashi cut him down and we got the showdown we all wanted, Akki vs Suzuki. Akki eventually kicked free of Suzuki’s clutches and brought in Obihiro to close out the match with fire and chops, dropping both foes with Akki’s help but it wasn’t quite enough. With Akki superkicked to hell, Suzuki was able to trap Obihiro in a Crucifix and take the win. It was a nice win for Suzuki and a nice match to open the show. It’s hard not to root for Obihiro, she’s always so loud and energetic. She held her own well, just got caught out by a crafty pinfall. ChocoPro, please give me what I want and book Akki vs Suzuki again.

Yuna Mizumori & Sayaka defeated Warm Caterpillars (Chie Koishikawa & Mei Suruga) via Wall Run Splash on Koishikawa

To close the show, we had the reunion of the Warm Caterpillars. Although Koishikawa and Suruga spend a lot of time fighting and prolonging their competitive rivalry, they will also throw differences aside to fight together as one of the most hyperactive teams in the division. This time they were up against some Tropical Smiling Violence as Yuna Mizumori and Sayaka were joining forces. Mizumori opened the match by overpowering Suruga and after a debate over a pinfall count, the pair tagged letting Sayaka and Koishikawa duke it out. The Caterpillars turned Sayaka into a maypole but their teamwork was cut off as Mizumori and Sayaka tried to crush the Apple Girl into apple sauce. The tables quickly turned though as Sayaka was back in the hot seat. Her limbs were twisted by Suruga as Koishikawa held her down for the torture, the Caterpillars were hitting another gear. It was just going from bad to worse as Sayaka was stretched and pummelled by her loud foes. She forearmed to freedom and sealed the deal with a nasty slam. Mizumori stormed in and made up for lost time with more power games at Suruga’s expense. Things got more competitive as both teams came into their own with both the Caterpillars and Tropical Violence finding their rhythm.

Sayaka with a big bodyslam?#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/TeVF8RzREI

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) May 14, 2022

Koishikawa went chop wild on Mizumori but couldn’t avoid the tropical power, requiring help from Suruga, leading to a double pin. Everyone kicked into another gear again as all four fighters brought their best with Sayaka and Mizumori having a malfunction at the junction. Koishikawa went against Mizumori but got headbutted and blasted with lariats. With her downed, Mizumori nailed her signature wall-run splash to take the win. It had been a manic main event with both teams bringing the heat. Warm Caterpillars had an excellent outing with Koishikawa continuing to look great despite her propensity for eating pins. Mizumori is on a tear right now and I’m not quite sure who is going to stop her. Right now, I just want to see Koishikawa get a win again.

ChocoPro #228

Mei Suruga defeated Tokiko Kirihara via Suruga Victory Roll

Episode two of the weekend kicked off with the Apple Girl in solo action. She was taking on the Comaneci Master Tokiko Kirihara in what promised to be a fun one as we know apple girl antics don’t always go well when Kirihara is in go mode. Suruga was pretending to be fine despite not main eventing and not having her name on the show and she couldn’t understand why Sawasdee Kamen was in the main event instead. Which was a bold thing to say out loud considering he was the ref for this match. As expected, this was an excellent little bout with the pair getting technical as hell and countering each other well. They took the lessons they’d learned from previous fights and applied them throughout as Suruga tried to get cocky but couldn’t dominate the match the way she wanted to. The Comaneci’s came and Suruga found herself stretched out on more than one occasion as Kirihara gave her no quarter. It was her match to win after all. Despite not winning it, Kirihara shone in the spotlight in this one. Her attacks were crisp, her technique exceptional and just her presence felt so much stronger. It was rather funny to see her hoist up Suruga and run her right into the crane. She was on point for this one and had it not been for the fact she was against one of the best, would have no doubt walked away the winner. Kirihara continues to impress under the circumstances and when ChocoPro finally pulls the trigger on her, she will be a certified killer. Very damn good match to open the show. It also left Suruga with a knackered arm she was sure to keep complaining about.

Dragon Ninja (Choun Shiryu & Sayuri) defeated Chie-DK (Chie Koishikawa & Masahiro Takanashi) via Bombs Away on Koishikawa

A devastating Chie chop?#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/pjG0SwBsUv

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) May 15, 2022

Prepare for trouble and Ninja Magic as Sayuri and Shiryu were in the building to bring everyone another taste of the Dragon Ninja. They haven’t had the best string of luck recently but their spirits were high and they were prepared to remind everyone just what they were capable of. Chie-DK were there to try and spoil that and claw back a win for Koishikawa. Takanashi and Koishikawa still seem weird as a team but have been progressing nicely and had a lot to show off too. Sayuri started by getting under Takanashi’s skin with ninja magic and agility then Shiryu picked up the pace against Koishikawa. She got the better of Shiryu and Chie-DK got to work mauling Dragon Ninja, tanking a combo to start picking apart Sayuri. The ChocoPro Ninja ate the worst of Koishikawa’s chops and had the life squeezed out of her as Takanashi began locking her down. He was quickly thrown aside and Shiryu came out to play, twisting, tearing, and kicking through Chie-DK. Sayuri was back in too and got to get some vengeance on Takanashi before he got out of the match. Koishikawa came in like a house on fire but Sayuri was out just as quick and Shiryu wasn’t going to play around anymore. Chie-DK went for Shiryu’s legs, softening them up for the Muffler but the strategy didn’t pay off as Shiryu was just too quick. They showed off with a chopping Nosebreaker but even then, Dragon Ninja kept fighting. Chie-DK hit the wall and Dragon Ninja capitalised with a Ninja clutch into Bombs Away for the win. This was a pleasant surprise as it’s not too often we see Sayuri leave victorious. She’d toughed it out through the Chie-DK assault and alongside Shiryu made the best of what they were given to pull off the win. Aside from my grumbles with Chie eating another pin, I have nothing to complain about. This did exactly what it needed to, providing a fun tag match that established Dragon Ninja as a fighting force once again. Sayuri is back properly and firing on all cylinders.

Baliyan Akki defeated Sawasdee Kamen via Namaste Splash

Last but not least, the main event that had left Suruga scratching her head. The Ace Baliyan Akki was doing battle with the Gatoh Move Hero, Sawasdee Kamen. Akki wasn’t taking this fight too seriously even though Kamen had been protecting Gatoh Move for almost nine years. This was a fight to see who was really the top dog of ChocoPro. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Kamen could snag a Super Asia Title shot if he knocked Akki off his top spot here. This started intensely and just piled on the pressure as the pair went from chain wrestling to throwing everything they had at each other. Kamen brought out all his tricks and traps, really forcing the ace to live up to his moniker. It was a highly technical, highly physical chess game as neither fighter could afford to take the other lightly. Akki began breaking Kamen’s knees, trying to take away his speed and high-flying whilst also leaving him susceptible to the champ’s repertoire of leg-based torture holds. Despite the damage to his base, Kamen continued to kick back when challenged, refusing to back down from Akki. The Hero was proud and Akki wasn’t going to beat him that easily. Hell, he threw himself into his attacks, launching through the window with a Tope Con Hilo onto Akki. The high-flying gave way to another round of submissions and both guys found themselves feeling the sting and strain of their limbs being twisted.

Spider Akki?#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/cZxMZDyGdO

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) May 15, 2022

This was very much down to the wire with both guys knackered by the end. It had taken everything but Akki had taken the win with a Namaste Splash. Kamen had been everything a hero should be, valiant, enduring, and tough as nails. This was a reminder that he was more than a ref or a background guy, he could fight. Even Suruga’s doubts about the match’s place were wiped away by the end. These two fighters clearly care about Gatoh Move a whole lot and laid it all out here for everyone to enjoy. I think at this point, Akki could put on a watchable match with a broom so giving him someone as interesting as Kamen was bound to make magic. The Ace lives at the top another day and continues to break his own limits to keep impressing everyone. The anniversary show looms in the distance, who’s going to step up and take a shot at the champ?

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