Welcome back to ChocoPro and a three-in-one of wrestling action. It’s been a busy time for Ichigaya’s favourite promotion as they held three different shows across the past few days and welcomed back live crowds for a special occasion. Firstly, in #236, we’d see Choun Shiryu take on Masahiro Takanashi and Sayaka Obihiro in Triple-Threat action, Beauty as Is battle the Warm Caterpillars, and the first Super Asia Title Match of this season as Baliyan Akki defends against Shin Suzuki. #237 brings us Masahiro Takanashi and Yuna Mizumori vs Dragon Ninja and another Best Bros main event as they take on Chie Koishikawa and Emi Sakura. Lastly, #238 presents three more matches of fun as Egg Tarts reunite to take on Beauty as Is, Best Bros battle Sayaka and Sayuri and Sayaka Obihiro gets another shot at Masahiro Takanashi. We have a lot of action to get through so let’s waste no more time and get into it.

ChocoPro #236

Choun Shiryu defeated Sayaka Obihiro & Masahiro Takanashi via Double Impact Gory Bomb

Up first, we were kicking off the first show with a triple threat featuring some of the most creative fighters on the roster. We had the Dragon Choun Shiryu bringing his drunken Kung Fu, Masahiro Takanashi bringing his devious technicality, and Sayaka Obihiro’s striking excellence. The show even had an audience so, after all the introductions, it was up to them to warm up the fans in attendance. As expected, it was a nice, fun little opener that gave us eight minutes of manic action. It from triple-person technicality to an all-out battle as everyone tried to play to their strengths and avoid getting left behind. Obihiro had to fight the odds as the Drunken Dragons tried working together but that couldn’t last and it became every fighter for themselves. There’s not too much to say here, it was another great ChocoPro three-way kicking off a show by pitting three opposing styles against each other. Everyone had fun, everyone got their moments and the fans were warmed up nicely. It was also another great win for Shiryu who has been quietly building momentum again. He even got to win in style, dropping Obihiro onto Takanashi with a Gory Bomb and then rolling her into a bridging pin for the win.

Beauty as Is (Emi Sakura & Yuna Mizumori) defeated Warm Caterpillars (Mei Suruga & Chie Koishikawa) via Beauty Driver on Koishikawa

Quite the devious duo?#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/IDpVkCE79G

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) June 18, 2022

Up next was a tag team extravaganza as Beauty as Is reunited to kick some ass and take some names. The Queen’s brains met Tropical brawn and promised to bring the hurt to their opponents, the Warm Caterpillars. Suruga and Koishikawa are one of the most energetic duos in the company but could they best one of the most well-rounded duos in the company? As a fan of both teams, it was hard to pick a favourite in this one. Both had their times to shine as Mizumori and Suruga continued their competitive speed vs power games whilst Sakura kept trying to find ways to shut down Koishikawa’s energy. Warm Caterpillars continued to dazzle everyone with their hyperactive and intricate teamwork until Koishikawa was singled-out as the match’s punching bag. That led to a drawn-out series of bullying as Beauty as Is played with their food and fired up Koishikawa for a comeback. Once that happened, she was off like a rocket and we had another round of competitive team shenanigans. It was all pretty furious with both teams nearly stealing the win on multiple occasions. In the end, it was Beauty as Is that took the win as Koishikawa sadly ate another loss but she had fought her heart out and went down like a champ. Everything felt like it had an extra impact because of the crowd reacting. It made for an excellent watch with an excellent atmosphere. The Warm Caterpillars got the last laugh with a post-match attack, that sent everyone into another round of laughs.

Super Asia Title: Baliyan Akki defeated Shin Suzuki via Namaste Press

Last but not least, the first main event of the triple-bill. Shin Suzuki has continuously been a thorn in the side of the champion. He’s one of the few people to beat the champion in the longest time and as such, had earned himself a title shot. Now was the time to bring it all and after seeing so many glimpses of greatness between the pair in tag action, we were finally going to see what happened when the pair were unleashed in a singles match with all the stakes. After so many encounters, it’s safe to say the pair are familiar with each other. Because of that, we weren’t seeing the usual feeling-out process, these two went straight into a chain exchange and could only be caught out by pin traps and harsh kicks. It started intensely and just kept getting nastier as tempers flared, strikes got stiffer and both threw caution to the wind in their quest for victory.

Akki BLASTS shin with a chop#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/bVTcMthcHL

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) June 18, 2022

Alongside the high-flying and harsh striking, we saw both guys try to break the other’s legs, Akki paying special attention to Suzuki’s knees and heels with hellacious holds and knots. Both guys were not holding back and the action was taking its toll with every minute that passed. The match went close to 25 minutes and not a single moment was wasted. I knew this was going to be good but even my expectations were surpassed as we saw an angry, focused Akki looking to destroy the heart-filled Headstand King coming for his throne. I don’t want to give too much away because the show is free and you all need to see it. Akki and Suzuki just set another standard for ChocoPro title matches. Akki is unquestionably the ace of the company and Suzuki just helped him develop further. These two have been at war for so long, it was nice to see it end in a match that blew everyone away.

ChocoPro #237

Masahiro Takanashi & Yuna Mizumori defeated Dragon Ninja (Choun Shiryu & Sayuri) via Tropical Crab on Sayuri

Following their triple-threat encounter yesterday, we were in for more Shiryu vs Takanashi action as they and their chosen tag partners clashed again. Takanashi was teaming with Yuna Mizumori and Shiryu had his go-to in Sayuri. It was Dragon Ninja vs Tropical Technicality. As I’d hoped this was a great showcase for Dragon Ninja as they managed to keep the better of their foes for a lot of this one. Sayuri’s wrestling has gotten crisper and Shiryu was being an excellent teammate, helping the ChocoPro Ninja get her offence in against the Tropical Fairy. It couldn’t last though and we saw the teamwork of Takanashi and Mizumori shine through as they bullied Sayuri. Thankfully, it wasn’t as prolonged a beatdown as it could be and Sayuri escaped to bring in the Dragon. Shiryu mopped up and we got another showcase of Shiryu and Sayuri before the inevitable result was reached. Sayuri had pushed Mizumori to her limit with her speed and submissions whilst Shiryu managed to bolster their position in the match but when it came down to it, a Tropical Crab broke Sayuri and forced her to tap. This is the direction I want to see Dragon Ninja heading in. it might not have been a win but they looked like one hell of a tour de force. Their work was better than ever and Sayuri is really improving out there. Now, just to rack up some consistent wins, please…

Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) defeated Emi Sakura & Chie Koishikawa via Assisted Moonsault on Koishikawa

To close out the weekend, Best Bros were back in action. Akki had been taken to hell and back the day before in his war with Suzuki and now he was going to be taken to hell again by the combined forces of Emi Sakura and Chie Koishikawa. This was going to be one hell of a main event fight right here, as if anyone pinned Akki, we’d be looking at the next contender. It opened with Suruga vs Sakura and we saw that the Killer Queens were still up for scrap despite their recent team-ups. Sakura and Koishikawa had shared hyperactivity and Suruga found herself in a tough spot early on, even being turned into a throne for the Queen. Suruga became a whipping post for Koishikawa for once instead of it being the other way around. Not even biting could save Suruga as Koishikawa and Sakura just kept busting out double-team hits.

Chie surprises everybody#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/d4MY7Hl6wN

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) June 19, 2022

Once Akki was unleashed, the tone changed drastically as the Ace murdered everyone in his way for their taunts and tactics. It became a much more even but no less nasty affair as Akki and Sakura found themselves getting heated and Koishikawa was more than ready to fill in the gaps. It all made for another compelling tag team main event. Best Bros seem unbeatable but this pairing got startlingly close on countless occasions. Even the Megazord fell this time. Koishikawa, unfortunately, took the L again but it had been another valiant fight with some absolutely amazing work from her. it was just another great match with a fresh partner giving the match and Koishikawa some new opportunities for growth.

ChocoPro #238

Masahiro Takanashi defeated Sayaka Obihiro via Boston Crab

Obi definitely felt all of that#ChocoPro #gtmv pic.twitter.com/rzbKDhgUJs

— Rylino (@FlyingVTrigger) June 22, 2022

The night show kicked off with another singles showcase between Iron Chef Sayaka Obihiro and Masahiro Takanashi. Obihiro is one of Takanashi’s biggest admirers and has always tried to help out wherever she could, even if that meant getting in the way from time to time. Could she get the better of Takanashi or was she going to bite the dust again? Alas, it was not to be but goddamn did Obihiro put the effort in. These two have known each other a long time so all the usual tricks weren’t going to work. Takanashi planted a bullseye on Obihiro’s back and Obihiro aimed to keep the pace as fast as possible to lay in her rapid brand of strikes. It ended up becoming an even competitive contest that kicked things off again with a lot of heart and energy. It was a nice way to kick things off and a way to feed some unpredictability into a predictable result.

Beauty as Is (Emi Sakura & Yuna Mizumori) vs Egg Tarts (Hagane Shinno & Chie Koishikawa) ends in a time-limit draw

Next up was the momentous return of the Egg Tarts as Hagane Shinno was back in action, ready to team with his overactive too much energy partner, Chie Koishikawa. It was no soft welcome back though as they tackled the Tropical Queens, Beauty as Is. Sakura and Mizumori had destroyed one team during this triple-bill, were they about to wreck another? As you’d hope, this was a very hard-hitting one with both teams absolutely leathering each other. It was a vicious back-and-forth of personal jabs, hard shots, and excellent teamwork. Egg Tarts haven’t missed a beat and were just as fun as ever to watch but again, Beauty as Is seemed to have an answer or an escape when things got nasty. Sakura’s return run has been ridiculously entertaining and this match was no different as she looked to mock her opponents and suffered the consequences for doing so. It was also nice to have Shinno back in full gear as he took Beauty as Is to the limit with his ice-cold style of fighting, bringing the tropical fire out of Mizumori in the process. It was almost a win for Egg Tarts but the gong sounded before Mizumori could give up to Shinno’s monstrous hold. It was a nice result for this one and a promise that we could see it again on Sakura’s next return trip. If that fire remains, everyone is in for a treat.

Best Bros (Baliyan Akki & Mei Suruga) defeated Sayaka & Sayuri via B3 on Sayaka

Last but not least, our final main event of the marathon. It was time for another Best Bros main event as Akki and Suruga battled the unusual pairing of Sayuri and Sayaka. Best Bros had the best watch out for the Smiling Ninja violence. This match was so intense it kept breaking the broadcast as once again we saw both teams beat the absolute hell out of each other. Despite barely ever being on shows together, Sayaka and Sayuri had an excellent rhythm that saw them both making full use of every chance they had to bring the fight to Best Bros. it all made for another exciting Best Bros main event where the underdogs tried their hardest to topple the team at the peak of the mountain. It was another chance for Sayaka and Sayuri to shine against some familiar but high-ranking opponents and the results were worth the watch. I’m always going to cheer for Sayuri and Sayaka made for an excellent partner. Again, the result was pretty predictable but at least the journey to said result was really damn good. Once again, there’s not a lot to say here, it is better off watched than read about. Both teams worked their asses off to end this marathon with a bang and reward everyone who tuned in to see the night show. Plus, Sayuri didn’t take the L for once which is always a bonus. I’m hoping this result leads to another Sayaka vs Suruga slugfest now. That would definitely be a match that gets a crowd cheering…

All images courtesy of Gatoh Move, FlyingVTrigger, Yuna Mizumori, Sayuri, videos courtesy of Gatoh Move YouTube