Memoirs of a Booker: 5SSW: Return of the Oracle

Yuu Onuki · January 27, 2011

Part I:

It's a trilogy, and this is Part III:

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Yuu Onuki is not one to give many interviews. So when you first get over the initial shock that she actually said yes to your request, you quickly follow up and make the date. We met in a small yet modern coffee shop near the Osaka JR station in the Kinki region of Japan. Appropriate as Kinki's own 5SSW had just announced The Oracle's "return home after a three year journey of self discovery." A difficult voyage that saw her run her own promotion into the ground before leaving the business all together.

JPM: Let's start with the big news: The Oracle (Yuu Onuki) and the Lizard Queen (Sakurako Kagawa) are united again. How exactly did this come about?

Yuu: It is a small world, yes? The world of Joshi is only smaller than that. I think the time was last year, and it was cold. I was in Tokyo station, a station of thousands of people per minute. But the woman standing in front of me? She was the Lizard Queen still. There were no bad feelings there that I could feel. I am her glove of her right hand and I had been found again. It was simple. We went our separate ways that day, yes? But the seed was planted then. Then it only took time like all such things do. We are natural afterall, that is how we grow.

JPM: Speaking of natural, let's go back to GAIA. What went wrong?

Yuu: I think it was too ... much. The people could not connect to it. The theme swallowed the human beings inside. This is a very human drama we practice: physical, emotion, struggle... GAIA was

JPM: Too theatrical?

Yuu: They are good words, yes and too complex for the eyes that did see. Too many lines and rules made things slow and heavy until it drowned of it's own weight. A sad ending, I think.

JPM: When you started GAIA you said it was for the good of Joshi Puroresu as a whole. Do you still feel that way?

Yuu: Yes. The Lizard Queen may roar at me, again. But another company is of desperate and of need. It is good for the women. It is good for the future. It is good for the now and time. It just should never be run by me. I am not a good leader of women and business things. I never had control of things, so they did their eventual spinning.

JPM: After GAIA, 2012-2013 you dropped out of the picture. What did you do for those two years, and what finally brought you back?

Yuu: I did travel and distance the connection, no? It is too often we say we will do this, but then we are back in 2 weeks of time and space. No, I had to disconnect completely after the fall of GAIA. It had many problems, but it was still mine of eye and soul. As I moved I did find my eye on this strange play that we all perform. A new perspective from far away.

JPM: Did you watch 5SSW from the crowd?

Yuu: No, no. It was nothing like that. I went to America and watched a NYCW. Their booker is the Mack~san, David? Yes? He has a very good way of connecting to the people and their many different eyes. I stayed at home and bought a ticket to BHOTWG. They have the face of change a new that is new... Onodera~san? The Japanese book is heavy with awkward traditions and he carries it all to the well. I wrote a poem about TCW and took blurry pictures of SWF.

At this point she stopped the interview and brought a beat up, leather messenger bag up to the table. She fished out her cell phone and showed me the blurry pictures. She had a difficult time with the names, but remembered the matches quite well. She placed ticket stubs on the table top, between the coffee cups and a wrinkled map of Canada. But she didn't show me the poem. She only assured me it really was quite bad, while TCW was the opposite of her poem.

Yuu: The trips were like traveling in times and places. Each was a story teller, I often closed my eyes and listened. Men have such physical presence and projection, they are perfect instruments, yes? For the story folding. But all stories must end or else they are something else entirely. I knew that I had to return to Japan once the story did go quiet. I knew I had to try to bring what I had felt back to Joshi Puroresu.

JPM: A new Yuu Onuki? Can we expect a new 5SSW?

Yuu: It is a catchy phrase, that is your job. Phrases can not change me so much. I am not so young any or more. But I still believe in the future of all people and things. That has always been my philosophy, and my final wish for Joshi Puroresu. It will have a future, with or with out me. I can only set a course into it and hope this thing that I love? It will grow once more and then stretch into the years it does more than deserve.

23

Dragonmack · January 27, 2011

Welcome back! Looking forward to this.

Wallbanger · January 27, 2011

YAY!!!!!!!!!

/glomps Yuu

Yuu Onuki · January 28, 2011

Saturday, Week 1, January 2014

5SSW Dojo

Kinki, Japan

It was almost a week before Yuu actually set foot in the 5SSW dojo. The crew was in the middle of their Uprising Tour. Fortunately their last two shows had been in their home region, so they stood on stable ground. Four years ago they would have needed stable ground, but Yuu had changed over time. She was more patient. She wanted to work with what they had and not re-create the world in her mind.

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Kit Hatoyama: "Yuu!"

Kit dropped her moped helmet on the cold, January concrete and soon had Yuu in suffocating bear hug of parka and old friendship. Yuu was not a particularly 'touchy' person but there would be no fighting off Kit, she just went limp and tried to breath through the furry collar of Kit's parka until it was over.

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Yuu Onuki: "No? This is not the place? I am quite sure I was looking for somewhere else."

Yuu smiled and, finally getting some space between them, bowed more properly.

Yuu: "It has been too long Ki~chan."

Kit picked up her helmet without bothering to inspect it. Kit's notoriously laid back nature seemed to have taken a turn for the worse as she led Yuu back into the shared offices of the staff. Kit tossed her things onto a table top and then bent down to work the notoriously finicky kerosene heater which finally sputtered to lift. As she worked her voice meandered over the random and multiple happenings Yuu had missed. The lines were never still. It did not matter if Yuu was around to guide them or not. Kit nodded over to an empty desk.

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Kit: "Chisu~san left the minute your name came out of the Queen's mouth."

Kit looked under her stuff on the table and found some notes, scrawled in the unmistakable hand of the same Queen. It was too bad Chisu~san had left. He was a very good announcer and the defacto voice of 5SSW

Kit: "You need to find a new announcer by Wednesday night."

Kit flipped through another couple of notes. Some were obviously for her, reminding her of things she had forgotten to do. She nodded to the empty desk.

Kit: "It's all yours, Space Girl."

Yuu had been spacing out, looking at the walls and corners. Nothing ever left the office, but a few things had been added or upgraded. A window had been replaced, but the cold air still made your feet ache. Yuu walked over to the desk and set her leather messenger bag on the chair. In the middle of the desk a small parcel had been set, wrapped in a red ribbon with a note on top.

"Do nothing

which is of no use."

~Miyamoto Musashi

Yuu pulled the ribbon open as Kit chatted away some more about the current tour and the current faces of 5SSW. Unfolding the wrapped cloth, there were no surprises inside: Stuffed inside a weathered and worn copy of The Hagakure was the 5SSW bank book. Kit looked over and grinned.

Kit: "Well, the book has been passed."

Yuu gathered up the book and slid it into an inside pouch of her bag.

Yuu: "So it would seem."

The two women shared a long grin between them before Kit grabbed up her things.

Kit: "Well I can't stand here all day being happy. I have little girls to make cry. You know being a Road Agent isn't glamorous like being a Head Booker. Noooo, we have to make your ridiculous ideas go bump."

Kit waved over her back and headed into the main room, closing the office door behind her so the smell of kerosene and heat couldn't get out. Yuu pressed her hands against the desktop and leaned on it as she began the glamorous job of running down possible names for an announcer by Wednesday.

Yuu Onuki · January 28, 2011

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Yuu Onuki · January 29, 2011

Wednesday, Week 2, January 2014

13:28

Gunma Hall, Kanto, Japan

Pre-show Staff Meeting

It was the usual staff meeting that they had held hundreds of times before. But today the energy was all wrong. There was tension in the small room, and empty chairs. The Road Agent, Kit Hatoyama, and the referee, Kazuko Hiroyuki, were in their chairs. They sipped heated coffee from cans and went over the matches for timing, cues and any theatrics required. But the Head Booker, Yuu Onuki, and the Colour Commentator, Shirosama Ezakiya, were standing and obviously the source of the room's stress. Shirosama pointed to one of the empty chairs for the 20th time.

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Shirosama: "Without someone, this is going to be a disaster. I do not know half of the finishers. What am I supposed to say? Leg thingy kick, it's over?"

Yuu held up the master sheet for the 20th time. It was already filled with scribbles, notes and lines at every angle.

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Yuu: "We will have them for you on the sheet. Everything will be on the sheet. If you have the sheet? It is all okay, no? If you do not have the sheet, then it is not."

Shirosama: "I don't even know what that means, and for the record? You have the sheet."

Yuu looked at the sheet in her hand and grimaced. He had a very valid point. In the end she could not make it all better. They had to leave Kinki for Kanto before she could hire an announcer. Snow delays had caused the last cancellation. But it did not matter. She put all of her fish in one bucket and that had slipped back into the sea.

Yuu: "We have no fish."

Yuu said to herself mostly. But Shirosama just threw up his hands and prepared a very colourful reply that would have most certainly involved Yuu's mother and her mother before her. That was when the door opened and the owner, Sakurako Kagawa walked in. She opened her mouth for some light hearted greeting, but immediately felt something was off. A quick head count only confirmed it. A quick head count that ended on the Head Booker.

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Sakurako Kagawa: "Why, my dear Yuu. Making things interesting already?"

Yuu: "I would hate for you to think that I have lost the touch that is mine, Kagawa~san."

Sakurako: "I would never think such a thing. Alright Shirosama, do what you can. That's why I stole you from Hinote Dojo in the first place. We'll have an Announcer, for tomorrow's show?"

The Lizard Queen looked at Yuu for verification. But Yuu was not prepared to dig herself a deeper hole today. She could only tilt her head.

Sakurako: "... or not. Kit!"

She turned away from Yuu and Shirosama, glad to have 'settled' that. Kit looked up from her time sheet.

Sakurako: "Are we okay?"

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Kit: "Peachy, Kagawa~san."

Sakurako turned back to Yuu, her face clearly asking why Yuu couldn't be more like Kit. Heaven forbid that actually happen, because besides being a crackerjack Road Agent? Kit Hatoyama was nothing but a first rate slacker in the rest of her life. But she was 5SSW's slacker. They were all 5SSW and they were all home now. Sakurako sat down on one of the chairs and tried to look comfortable.

Sakurako: "Alright my little gremlins. Enough with this trying to sabotage my company. It's not going to work. So show me Plan B, which, I can only hope, is tonight's show."

The others all took their seats as well. Shirosama finally had the sheet, which he studied quietly as Yuu began to speak.

Yuu: "Tonight is for the eyes of mine as well of those that are not. There are faces I do not know. There are lines I do not understand. So tonight I will draw a map of basic form."

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Disc 1:

Last week Heart Saitoh helped defeat The Rainbow Girls. While Tomoko Nagatsuka found victory as part of a three person team. But tonights these two will be alone and facing each other. Trying to hold on to the ground they've gained.

Romi Yamato is one of the hot, new faces of 5SSW. But the high expectations she brought with her met reality when Yuma Maruya took her to school last week. This week the teacher is Jaguar Endo and she has taught more classes than most can remember. Romi will have to have her head on straight to pull out a victory tonight.

Not many 20 year olds have a finishing move named after them, but Hana Ajibana and her 'Ajibana Plunge' are a unique package. Tonight will be her biggest challenge yet as she faces a true legend of Joshi Puroresu, in "Bubble Gum" Kiko Sakakibara. While in the twilight of her career, she has proven more than once that she plans on taking it all with her into the next world. If Hana wants to take that step? She WILL have to take it.

Raku Makuda has been locked in a bitter feud with one time partner, Tomoko Nagatsuka with neither one claiming victory yet. This is a dangerous distraction and a huge opportunity for Chitose Ariwara to regain her footing after being lost in the shuffle.

Some say the era of DEVIL Karube has finished. The only problem is that no one is stupid enough to tell DEVIL to her face. Etsuko Arihyoshi tried to last week, and we all saw the results of that as she dismantled the younger woman and seemed to enjoy it as much as ever. Gemmei Oonishi will have to use all of her youth and spirit tonight just to survive.

The young women of 5SSW are always looking for a way up. They are always looking to break through. The only problem is they keep running into women like Umeko Hotta. She has ignored her doctors. She has ignored our inspiration from her story. She has made it her single mission to break young women down and show them that nothing is a given inside a 5SSW ring. After being blocked by DEVIL last week, Etsuko Arihyoshi may find the road is still closed tonight in Gunma Hall.

There can be only one #1 contender in 5SSW. So what happens when you put two of them on the same team? Add to that the history between Shiori Jippensha and Megumi Nakajima, then you have a volatile situation. Will these two be on the same page as they face "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima and one half of the 5SSW Tag Team Champions, Yu Hashimoto? Don't count on it.

Saori Nakada in the current four time, 5 Star World Champion and she will team with the self proclaimed future Champion, Fuyuko Higa. But many say Saori's days are numbered and those numbers are kept by the two time former champion, Yuma Maruya. She teams up with the current 5 Star All-Asian Champion, Otsune Tsumura in what promises to be line altering Main Event.

* * * * *

HEART Saitoh vs Tomoko Nagatsuka

Jaguar Endo vs Romi Yamato

Hana Ajibana vs Kiko Sakakibara

Chitose Ariwara vs Raku Makuda

Gemmei Oonishi vs DEVIL Karube

Etsuko Arihyoshi vs Umeko Hotta

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori vs Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto

Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan vs Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura

* * * * *

Midnightnick · January 29, 2011

HEART Saitoh vs Tomoko Nagatsuka

Jaguar Endo vs Romi Yamato

Hana Ajibana vs Kiko Sakakibara

Chitose Ariwara vs Raku Makuda

Gemmei Oonishi vs DEVIL Karube

Etsuko Arihyoshi vs Umeko Hotta

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori vs Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto

Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan vs Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura

Dragonmack · January 29, 2011

HEART Saitoh vs Tomoko Nagatsuka

HEART was building at end of your last diary. I assume her progress continues

Jaguar Endo vs Romi Yamato

Don't know much about Yamato yet, so give nod to veteran

Hana Ajibana vs Kiko Sakakibara

same here

Chitose Ariwara vs Raku Makuda

Makuda clips the wings of the butterfly

Gemmei Oonishi vs DEVIL Karube

sacrificial victim for the DEVIL

Etsuko Arihyoshi vs Umeko Hotta

no one questions Hotta's heart, but her knees are several years older now

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori vs Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto

Squash

Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan vs Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura

While Higa's attitude probably hasn't improved, no doubt her already high level of skill has.

Wallbanger · January 29, 2011

Ah, the quest for joshimpeccability! I have missed it so.

HEART Saitoh vs Tomoko Nagatsuka

Jaguar Endo vs Romi Yamato

Hana Ajibana vs Kiko Sakakibara

Chitose Ariwara vs Raku Makuda

Gemmei Oonishi vs DEVIL Karube

Etsuko Arihyoshi vs Umeko Hotta

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori vs Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto

Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan vs Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura

Astil · January 30, 2011

HEART Saitoh vs Tomoko Nagatsuka

Jaguar Endo vs Romi Yamato

Hana Ajibana vs Kiko Sakakibara

Chitose Ariwara vs Raku Makuda

Gemmei Oonishi vs DEVIL Karube

Etsuko Arihyoshi vs Umeko Hotta

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori vs Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto

Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan vs Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura

Yuu Onuki · January 31, 2011

5SSW Uprising Tour (Wednesday)

Wednesday, Week 2, January 2014

Gunma Hall (Kanto)

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"Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go;

it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow."

~Alice Swain

*Yuu Onuki had returned to many thing: 5SSW, the Head Booker position and the right hand of the Lizard Queen. But maybe the place she had missed most of all was the long, brown table that she sat behind to collect the tickets. Uusually there were glass doors she could look out of before they actually opened. She could watch the line slowly grow as the sun slowly dropped from the sky. Some faces were familiar, they knew more about 5SSW than she. Others were new and open, wondering what they would see tonight. It was Yuu's job to bring them both inside.*

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Yuu Onuki: "It is snow, yes? Please do come inside our home and we will tell you a story, and you will be warm."

*With practiced hands she tore the ticket and returned the stub. She had much she needed to see tonight. She was like a new face herself. It had been three years since she had held the book. Three years since the lines had met in this most famous Joshi Puro ring. What would she see?*

Yuu: "And you?"

*She tore the ticket again.*

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HEART Saitoh vs Tomoko Nagatsuka:

We've seen these two face each other often in numerous battles between Ultimate Devastator Lemons and All Business. It's a safe match for Yuu and company to start the evening with. HEART has no problem bringing the crowd along with her. In the closing minutes they help rally her to her feet and the victory.

In a bout that had a good crowd and some decent in-ring action, HEART Saitoh defeated Tomoko Nagatsuka in 15:05 by pinfall with a Flying Tiger Knee.

HEART Saitoh has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed.
The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.
HEART Saitoh is improving in Rumble skills.

Match Grade: D

Post match interview:

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HEART Saitoh:

"We have faced each other many times in the tag team ranks. She is really tough and knows what she's doing in the ring. I knew I had to stay off the mat as much as I could. If I could do that I felt I could get the win."

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Jaguar Endo vs Romi Yamato:

Romi can really get the crowd worked up. It's a shame she can't work the ring with same consistancy. Horrible match, very one sided and limited in its moves. It takes two to put on a great match. But it also takes two to put on a really bad one. Jaguar has been around long enough that most of the blame will likely fall on her. Highlights: entrance, match length.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction but featured terrible wrestling, Romi Yamato defeated Jaguar Endo in 6:30 by pinfall with a Yamatotal.

The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.
This match brought the crowd's mood down.

Match Grade: D-

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Romi Yamato:

"Jaguar is old enough to be dead, really. That old school style doesn't work with someone like me because I'm part of the future. You see?"

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Hana Ajibana vs Kiko Sakakibara:

We, the IWC, love Hana and I think we all have high hopes that she will blossom under Yuu's graceful fingers. It has been hard to watch her buried under the Young Lion system. A system Yuu has notoriously ignored with eyes toward the future. The chains were off tonight, and you could tell Kiko was not quite ready for the storm. Flash pin by Hana. Long live Yuu.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Hana Ajibana defeated Kiko Sakakibara in 6:18 by pinfall with an Ajibana Plunge.

The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.

Match Grade: D

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Hana Ajibana:

"Respect her? Why? For losing? This is exactly what's wrong with Joshi Puroresu. Respect for the past even though it's time is done. They want me to respect them? Then beat me."

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Chitose Ariwara vs Raku Makuda:

The Butterfly of 5SSW has lost her tag team partner and her way. The only thing in her favor is the on-going feud between Raku and her ex-tag team partner. But seems that Raku is in no mood to play as she dissects Chitose with her usual maniacal speed before rolling out of the ring after the victory.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Raku Makuda defeated Chitose Ariwara in 8:08 by pinfall with a Swanton Bomb.

Raku Makuda really needs a change to her character desperately.
The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.
This match brought the crowd's mood down.
Raku Makuda is improving in Rumble skills.

Match Grade: E+

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*Raku is shown walking backstage where she runs in to her ex-tag team partner, Tomoko Nagatsuka. The two stare at each other, thinking if they should strike before the other does. But the tense body language does not boil over and two continue to walk by.*

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Gemmei Oonishi vs DEVIL Karube:

Gemmei has come a long way and won over quite a few fans with her underdog spirit. But for all her hard work, she is no where near the level of DEVIL Karube and probably never will be. The winds of change definitely filled the sails of DEVIL as she made a 7 minute example of Gemmei. In the end she dragged the young girl up by the hair and delivered a 2nd DEVIL Drop for the overdue pin.

In a bout that had a good crowd and some decent in-ring action, DEVIL Karube defeated Gemmei Oonishi in 7:38 by pinfall with a DEVIL Drop.

Gemmei Oonishi was really off her game tonight.
DEVIL Karube has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed.
The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.
Gemmei Oonishi is improving in Performance skills.

Match Grade: D

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DEVIL Karube:

"There are some big changes coming to 5SSW, and you are looking at one of them. If you think my generation is going to pass the torch to these one dimensional, paper dragons then you don't know who you're really talking to. 5SSW still belongs to the DEVIL. I think everyone needs a reminder of who I am."

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Etsuko Arihyoshi vs Umeko Hotta:

You can see Yuu's fingerprints already as youth vs experience is all through this card. Umeko Hotta gets her usual ovation and she gives her usual smirk. Hotta has changed her entire game plan from high flying to high intelligence. Every match sees her catching someone coming in, or reversing into victory. But Arihyoshi is able to keep out of enough trouble to lock in a victory.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Etsuko Arihyoshi defeated Umeko Hotta in 10:12 by submission with an Arihyoshi Lockdown.

Umeko Hotta has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed.
The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.

Match Grade: D

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Etsuko Arihyoshi:

"Hotta~san is a legend. L. E. G. E. N. D. As long as she wants to put on the boots you know you are going to have to fight for the win. I never take her lightly because if you do that? You will not sit here and give an interview very often."

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Huntress Makiko vs Chiyeko Kita:

Tonight's theme is clear, as Yuu obviously wants to see what the future holds for 5SSW. But the future of Chiyeko is clear, it's going to be a long night. Chiyeko's frustration was evident as she was soon tied up by Huntress and grounded for good.

In a bout that had solid in-ring action and average heat, Huntress Makiko defeated Chiyeko Kita in 10:01 by submission with a Makiko Clutch.

The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.

Match Grade: D+

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingHuntressMakiko.jpg

Huntress Makiko:

"My win? My generation? Be careful there. But these young girls are all the same. Most of them can't even apply a basic Sleeper Hold. Oh, they kick hard and jump high. But their ring IQ? It's almost zero and no where near mine."

* * * * *

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Megumi Nakajima and Shiori vs Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto:

This could have been a Main Event three years ago. But 5SSW's headliners are in disarray after years of short sighted booking. The match had its moments, with Yu Hashimoto providing a burst of energy in the middle as Shiori and Megumi showed their differences of opinion more than once. But the team still had more than enough talent to put away the challengers. You'll be seeing these two at each others throats before too long as Yuu tries to clean the World Title scene up.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha defeated Yori Toyoshima and Yu Hashimoto in 13:36 when Megumi Nakajima defeated Yu Hashimoto by pinfall with a Nakajima Straight Jacket.

Shiori Jippensha has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed.
The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.
This match brought the crowd's mood down.

Match Grade: D-

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*Megumi and Shiori are shown backstage; battered, spent. Shiori was screaming at Megumi.*

Shiori Jippensha: "Tonight meant nothing. Nothing! I'm taking the World Title shot at Japan's Warfare, not you Megumi!"

*Megumi just stood with her head down and her hands on her hips, but keeping a careful eye on her 'partner'.*

Shiori: "Huh!? What have you got to say about that!?"

*The space got quiet between them, except for the heavy breaths of two fighters who had given everything just minutes before. Finally Megumi looked up and responded.*

Megumi Nakajima: "I don't have to say anything Jippensha~san. I said all I needed to when I hit the Nakajima Straightjacket."

*Megumi paused, and then looked Shiori straight in the eye.*

Megumi: "If you want me to repeat myself, that won't be a problem."

Shiori: "We'll see about that. We'll see!"

*Shiori stormed off, ripping a 'Surviving an Earthquake' poster off of the wall as she did.*

* * * * *

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Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan vs Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura:

Ms. 5SSW used to be a badge of honor. But in three long years has become a badge of politics instead. The woman the IWC loves to hate is still the World Champion and is just getting started it seems. Teamed with Fuyuko Higa, this match is wrapped up in the worst kind of heat that only Yuma Maruya can dispel. The addition of the All-Asian Champion only makes the case stronger. Saori feeds Fuyuko to Yuma and leaves with the belt, big surprise. Look for Yuma to turn up the heat, and look for Yuu to increase the title defenses, unless Saori has the Lizard Queen's ear.

In a bout that had a good crowd and some decent in-ring action, Yuma Maruya and Otsune Tsumura defeated Fuyuko Higa and Saori Nakadan in 24:49 when Yuma Maruya defeated Fuyuko Higa by pinfall with a Split-Legged Moonsault.

Saori Nakadan was visibly tiring toward the end.
Saori Nakadan has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed.
Otsune Tsumura has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed.
The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match.
The colour commentary gave the match a boost.
The match dragged at the end, as it was too long for the workers to really keep an 'all out' pace going.
This match brought the crowd's mood down.

Match Grade: D-

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Yuma Maruya:

"How does it feel to be female wrestler of the year twice? It's an honor of, of course. But I don't want to think about it too much. That was almost 2 weeks ago! My eyes are on Saori Nakadan and the World Championship, because that belt says you're the best right now. That is what we all strive for. Saori? Your days are numbered."

* * * * *

Attendance: 300 (Sell Out)

Show Rating: D-

* * * * *

*The crews and crowds shared the same space for a moment and then tear down began. Wrestlers, family, friends and the local junior high school began folding up 300 steel chairs and cushions. The bigger names worked the merchandise booth, selling instant pictures with fans for 2,000 yen each. Money they would eat and drink until the next show, and the next. The Lizard Queen mingled with the mayor and several city officers. It was all an act to her. A face she loved to wear. A character she played expertly... Such were the eyes of Yuu. She saw many things and she had seen many things tonight. The shades of the roster made her mental compass spin in a storm of stale characters, directions and costumes that had not changed in over three years. Yellow post-its covered her clipboard, three layers deep. Names, gimmicks, turns, ideas and the future. It was too much.*

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Kit Hatoyama: "Ohhhh, that was ugly."

*Kit stepped over the chair next to Yuu and sat down beside her. Kit had a flair for the obvoius that kept her job secure.*

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Yuu Onuki: "I think that is a word for another occasion, no?"

Kit: "Hideous?"

Yuu: "I am thinking so."

*Yuu looked over to Kit.*

Yuu: "How long has it been like this and that?"

*Yuu pointed to the ring being dismantled.*

Kit: "Three years, Yuu. When you left we just kept going. We quit touring. Made some money though."

*Ah yes, money. The Lizard Queen had filled her Queendom with all kinds of coins. But at what true cost, Yuu could not figure out.*

Kit: "Yeah, we rode it into the ground. That's why Queenie finally called you back. She knew we were getting tired."

Yuu: "She is observant, yes?"

*Kit laughed and handed Yuu a can of black coffee.*

"Kit: "Yes. So what's the plan?"

*Yuu took the coffee and popped open the top. The aroma wrapping warm around her brain almost instantly. The plan was simple, but not at all.*

Yuu: "The lines have been buried under money and time."

*Yuu took a small sip of coffee, bitter on her tongue. It would keep her awake a few hours more.*

Yuu: "We will dig and I will find them."

Yuu Onuki · February 1, 2011

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The Return of Yuu Onuki, also known as the 5SSW Uprising Tour:

~Ippotamus Fudd (Your friendly internet writer)

Thursday, Week 2, January 2014

Yuu Onuki has the book, again. But can even she turn around 5SSW? That's the question burning up the Joshijoshijoshi forums and the consensus is, 'quite possibly'. While still too early to tell. There were some glimmers of hopes last night. The younger members of the roster were finally given some solo ring time, including surprising wins by Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato. We also saw some direction in the Main Event that has been sorely lacking for quite some time.

Now don't get me wrong, 5SSW is still a complete mess from the top down. It's stale. It's aged poorly and buried its youth in order to profit from its glorious past. And Yuu Onuki? You couldn't pay me enough to watch GAIA. But there is still reason to hope. Joshi history has proven that The Lizard Queen and The Oracle, while volatile, belong together and when they are on the same page? They change directions and turn heads.

Until then I'll be watching BHOTWG-Combustion Tour-Show 1-(Mon 6th September 2010).

* * * * *

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Midnightnick: 6

Dragonmack: 5

Astil: 5

Wallbanger: 4

* * * * *

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Thank you all for the predictions. It is great to see so many familiar and their faces again. I wish I could give you all the mark of Joshimpeccability. But alas, and far away it seems.

It is just lovely to be back, and thanks for all the notes of encouragement and pushings. It always means much. Chapter 3, no? And I am back where I belong in 5SSW and hope to make a very. very good and long run with this the story telling. I simmed the game to 2014 and took over from there. What a mess! Chisu~san should never hold the book again in the hands that are his and stale.

I finally got my Photoshop back too, so we have DVD cases. But you will see the classic icons too. I can not change everything. This will be a build and going thing. I want to take my time to the park and play with it. So the roster, information, etc will come out in pieces as it changes and evolves under the small hands of Yuu.

But again and again, thanks again. Your noodle shop is now open for all your bothy needs. Enjoy.

* * * * *

Yuu Onuki · February 2, 2011

Thursday, Week 2, January 2014

13:28

Gunma Hall, Kanto, Japan

Pre-show Staff Meeting

*Yuu had found little sleep the night before. She finally faded away in a pile of papers and blankets with the lights still on. Over hauling the roster was an impossible task to pull off in the 24 hours between shows, but she had done as much as she could. Dark eyes surrounded her eyes. Even Shirosama~san, who was not happy that the announcer position was still vacant, did not say anything to her. She acknowledged this small act of kindness with a small smile.*

*Kit Hatoyama and the referee went over their time sheet, while Shirosama took notes on his. Yuu stared at the perculiar spaces in a blank, white wall until the Lizard Queen appeared in the doorway. She looked well rested, strong and the energy was soon contagious. Even Yuu felt a little wind in her sleepy sail. Leadership: The Lizard Queen was a subtle master.*

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Skurako Kagawa: "Good morning, my hardworking little gremlins."

*The Lizard Queen sat down, but not before grabbing the extra cushion off the empty announcer's chair.*

Sakurako: "I see Shirosama is earning his money again tonight. Good. Maybe I should give you all a second job and retire to Okinawa with all the money I save."

*Kit didn't like the sound of that at all. She was secretly hoping for a second Road Agent in the future. But it sounded like she was going to have to keep earning her money too. It seriously cut into her down time.*

Sakurako: "So what's in the cards tonight, Yuu? It looks like you slept on top of all the cards. That's always a good sign with you."

*Yuu cleared her throat and began to tell the tale once again.*

* * * * *

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Disc 2:

Tag Team titles are on the line as the combustible and unlikely team of Yu Hashimoto and HEART Saitoh defend their titles against the wily veteran, Umeko Hotta, and "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima. Some say this is Umeko's final chance at a title. Of course those same people have been saying it for three years.

Both Jaguar Endo and Chitose Ariwara are both in free fall and desperate for a meaningful victory, that puts Etsuko Arihyoshi in the middle as the three women face each other in a three way dance.

5SSW has long boasted one of the strongest tag team divisions in wrestling. This match is loaded with title implications as either the team of red hot Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato or the veteran unit known as The Rainbow Girls will earn a shot at the Tag Team Championships next week.

Gemmei Oonishi was the DEVIL's toy last week. While Tomoko Nagatsuka took it too the limit only to lose against long time nemesis, HEART Saitoh. Can the young high flier turn her luck around against the tech savvy veteran? Or will Tomoko quietly ground another up and comer in order to hold her space?

Raku Makuda is one of the most innovative women on the roster, and proved it yet again by dispatching the Butterfly Chitose in record time. But Chiyeko Kita? She has never been confused with a butterfly and has a reputation for stiff kicks that end things suddenly. Raku's mind will need to be focused tonight.

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha appear to be at the breaking point as they are both one step closer to meeting Saori Nakadan for the 5SSW World Championship. If one of them pins Saori or her apprentice, Fuyuko Higa, tonight? They would be almost a sure in to the title match. If they lose? Both could see their claims diminished.

Diminished by tonight's Main Event. If Shiori and Megumi fail to capitalize tonight, Saori may find herself in a no-win situation as DEVIL Karube, Huntress Makiko and Yuma Maruya meet head on with no time limit. All three come into this match with a winning record, and all three have been Champions many times before. This is the match that will decide the future. What are you waiting for?

* * * * *

5SSW Tag Team Championship:

Yu Hashimoto© and HEART Saitoh© vs. Umeko Hotta and "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima

Jaguar Endo vs. Chitose Ariwara vs. Etsuko Arihyoshi

Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato vs. The Rainbow Girls

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Tomoko Nagatsuka

Raku Makuda vs. Chiyeko Kita

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha vs. Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa

Main Event:

DEVIL Karube vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Yuma Maruya

* * * * *

Dragonmack · February 2, 2011

5SSW Tag Team Championship:

Yu Hashimoto© and HEART Saitoh© vs. Umeko Hotta and "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima

Even if it isn't Ultimate Devastator Lemons, the champs retain

Jaguar Endo vs. Chitose Ariwara vs. Etsuko Arihyoshi

Arihyoshi seems to have advanced the most

Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato vs. The Rainbow Girls

Youth is served

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Tomoko Nagatsuka

But not here

Raku Makuda vs. Chiyeko Kita

All business all the time

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha vs. Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa

Nakajima and Jippensha cannot coexist, and cannot overcome the level of talent facing them divided.

Main Event:

DEVIL Karube vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Yuma Maruya

DEVIL lays claim to top contender

Midnightnick · February 2, 2011

Yu Hashimoto© and HEART Saitoh© vs. Umeko Hotta and "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima

Jaguar Endo vs. Chitose Ariwara vs. Etsuko Arihyoshi

Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato vs. The Rainbow Girls

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Tomoko Nagatsuka

Raku Makuda vs. Chiyeko Kita

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha vs. Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa

Main Event:

DEVIL Karube vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Yuma Maruya

Jingo · February 2, 2011

5SSW Tag Team Championship:

Yu Hashimoto© and HEART Saitoh© vs. Umeko Hotta and "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima

Jaguar Endo vs. Chitose Ariwara vs. Etsuko Arihyoshi

Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato vs. The Rainbow Girls

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Tomoko Nagatsuka

Raku Makuda vs. Chiyeko Kita

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha vs. Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa

Main Event:

DEVIL Karube vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Yuma Maruya

Yuu Onuki · February 4, 2011

The show is close to polish and shine.

One more time with the over and eyes again.

A final chance for you to say the words that are yours.

Wallbanger · February 4, 2011

Jaguar Endo vs. Chitose Ariwara vs. Etsuko Arihyoshi

Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato vs. The Rainbow Girls

Gemmei Oonishi vs. Tomoko Nagatsuka

Raku Makuda vs. Chiyeko Kita

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha vs. Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa

Main Event:

DEVIL Karube vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Yuma Maruya

Yuu Onuki · February 5, 2011

<div style="text-align:center;"><div style="text-align:right;">5SSW Uprising Tour (Wednesday)

Wednesday, Week 2, January 2014

Gunma Hall (Kanto)

</div>

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"The color of springtime is in the flowers,

the color of winter is in the imagination."

~Terri Guillemets

* * * * *

*Back to back shows, and things become a blur. This was not Yuu Onuki's tour, but her predecessors. She wrestles with it and it snaps back at her with monotonous teeth and stale breath. Many changes made, too many more did remain.*

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Yuu Onuki: "Time? It is soon indeed."

*But for now she was safe in front of faces. Taking their tickets one at a time, two at a time, all. Did they come to watch the particular dance they weaved? Did they come to be warm? Did they come to escape the winter world? Maybe that is what made Yuu... unique... in her profession. These were her fuel. These logs she tossed on the fires to blaze.*

Yuu: "Why are you here? Will it change what you see? You will see."

* * * * *

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It's good for you.

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5SSW Tag Team Championships:

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Yu Hashimoto© and HEART Saitoh© vs. Umeko Hotta and "The Firefly" Yori Toyoshima

Too much youth and HEART for Umeko and Yori to compensate for. But that didn't stop them from making it interesting. They managed to isolate Yu for much of the match, but she refused to stay down and finally made the red hot tag to a very fresh HEART.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Hashimoto & Saitoh defeated Toyoshima & Hotta in 11:59 when HEART Saitoh defeated Umeko Hotta by pinfall with a Flying Tiger Knee. Hashimoto & Saitoh make defence number 14 of their 5 Star Tag Team titles.<ul><li> HEART Saitoh has now switched to a Blue Collar gimmick. It has gotten an initial B+ rating. </li><li> Umeko Hotta has now switched to a Straight Edge gimmick. It has gotten an initial B- rating. </li><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li><li> The colour commentary gave the match a boost. </li><li> HEART Saitoh is improving in Rumble skills. </li></ul> Match Grade: D

Post Match Interview:

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Yu Hashimoto© and HEART Saitoh©:

"Umeko Hotta has always been a challenge. She's been in this business for a long time and knows more than the two of us put together."

"Together? Speak for yourself HEART. I don't need you putting words in my mouth. What is Umeko? Eighty years old? She should have retired a long time ago. A long time ago. I didn't learn anything from her except when I'm old I'll never be that pathetic."

*HEART just shook her head.*

"Hashimoto, you have a lot to learn and someday? Someday, someone is going to teach you. I guarantee it."

* * * * *

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Jaguar Endo vs. Chitose Ariwara vs. Etsuko Arihyoshi

Jaguar was the weak link and everyone knew it, including Jaguar. Arihyoshi had the match well in hand until she went for the submission. Chitose simply grabbed the legs and rolled Jaguar up, while locking Etsuko out. Clever girl.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Chitose Ariwara defeated Jaguar Endo and Etsuko Arihyoshi in 6:06 when Chitose Ariwara defeated Jaguar Endo by pinfall with a Sunset Flip.<ul><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li><li> The colour commentary gave the match a boost. </li><li> This match brought the crowd's mood down. </li></ul> Match Grade: D-

Post Match Interview:

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Chitose Ariwara:

"Tonight? It felt really good, right? I have been in a hole for a long time. So it was great to spread my wings for once."

* * * * *

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Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato vs. The Rainbow Girls

They may be young, but Hana and Romi have a solid in ring IQ. With Kiko starting off the match, you could see the plan taking shape and then being executed. Otsune would not see the inside of the ring until the final bell had rung and then, only to check on her downed partner. Classic tag team isolation.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato defeated The Rainbow Girls in 9:03 when Romi Yamato defeated Kiko Sakakibara by pinfall with a Yamatotal.<ul><li> Otsune Tsumura has now switched to a Clean Cut gimmick. </li><li> It has gotten an initial C+ rating. </li><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li><li> The colour commentary gave the match a boost. </li></ul> Match Grade: D

Post Match Interview:

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Hana Ajibana and Romi Yamato:

*Hana and Romi stared at the fresh Otsune after the match. Perhaps they were thinking about making a statement. But Otsune's intuition must have been tingling, because she stood up straight and locked eyes with Hana. The victors left without incident.*

* * * * *

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Gemmei Oonishi vs. Tomoko Nagatsuka

Gemmei came out fast and determined which got the crowd on her side, and made it difficult for Tomoko to slow her down. But then Raku Makuda appeared and slowly began climbing the apron. The younger Gemmei got distracted and that was all Tomoko needed to recover.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Tomoko Nagatsuka defeated Gemmei Oonishi in 12:07 by submission with a Crossface Chickenwing. During the match we also had Raku Makuda turn on Oonishi.<ul><li> Tomoko Nagatsuka has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed. </li><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li><li> The colour commentary gave the match a boost. </li><li> This match brought the crowd's mood down. </li></ul> Match Grade: D-

Post Match Interview:

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Tomoko Nagatsuka:

*At the end of the match, Tomoko stood in the ring breathing heavily and looking outside to Raku. She still had her hand on the bottom rope, but finally released it, turned and walked away. Leaving Tomoko with the victory and her thoughts.* * * * * *

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Raku Makuda vs. Chiyeko Kita

Raku attacked with her usual wild abandon, trying to hit a big move early. But Chiyeko caught Raku coming in and made her pay instead. Chiyeko absolutely dominated Raku throughout the match, until Tomoko Nagatsuka came down to return the early favor. It's enough for Raku to steal the win from the deserving Kita.

In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, Raku Makuda defeated Chiyeko Kita in 14:31 by pinfall with a Swanton Bomb. During the match we also had Tomoko Nagatsuka run in and attack Kita.<ul><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li><li> The colour commentary gave the match a boost. </li><li> Raku Makuda is improving in Rumble skills. </li></ul> Match Grade: D+

Post Match Interview:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingRakuMakuda.jpg

Raku Makuda:

*Kita rolls out of the ring after feeling the Swanton Bomb. But Tomoko reels her around and smashes her spine against the apron before pushing her back into the ring. The crowd does not approve as Tomoko joins Raku in the ring. Somewhere behind her face mask, bad intentions are clear. Raku jumps to the apron as Tomoko drags a struggling Chiyeko up by the hair. Cross Knee Back Breaker by Tomoko, who holds Chiyeko prone. Catapult Leg Drop by Raku, across the throat and Chiyeko is down hard.

Here comes Gemmei! But it's too late, All Business are reunited and they stomp Gemmei into the mat before she can even get her feet under her. Finally someone finds the theme music which is enough to bring it to a close as All Business pose to the jeers.

* * * * *

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingMegumiNakajima.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/talkingShioriJippensha.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/versus.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingSaori.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingDevil.jpg

Megumi Nakajima and Shiori Jippensha vs. Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa

The wheels cam off late in the match, much to the dismay of Saori Nakadan. But when they finally did come off? It was spectacular and just what she was waiting for. With Saori down and almost out, Shiori tagged herself in to take the victory from Megumi. That did not go over well. As soon Shiori walked past Megumi, she was in the Nakajima Straightjacket and out on her back. Megumi looked to get back to work, but Fuyuko sacrificed herself with an over the top rope clothesline... taking both women out of the scene.

In a bout that had a good crowd and some decent in-ring action, Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa defeated Shiori Jippensha and Megumi Nakajima in 17:56 when Saori Nakadan defeated Shiori Jippensha by pinfall with a Nakadan Spike. During the match we also had Shiori Jippensha turn on Nakajima.<ul><li> Saori Nakadan has now switched to a Straight Edge gimmick. It has gotten an initial B+ rating. </li><li> Fuyuko Higa seemed off her game tonight. </li><li> Shiori Jippensha has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed. </li><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li></ul> Match Grade: D+

Post Match Interivew:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingSaori.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingDevil.jpg

Saori Nakadan and Fuyuko Higa:

Saori Nakadan: "Those two? They are always at each others stupid throats. While 'The Future' and I walk together. She knows that if you want a chance to be World Champion, you have to put your feelings aside. Maybe Shiori has finally seen the light. If you want a title shot, you work for me not against me. That's why Fuyuko Higa stands by me. She uses her head, not her heart."

* * * * *

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingDevil-1.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/versus.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingHuntressMakiko.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/versus.jpghttp://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingYumaMaruya.jpg

Main Event: DEVIL Karube vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Yuma Maruya

This match was as good as you could have asked for in Gunma hall. While maybe a little long for the end of the show, it showcased some of the best workers in Joshi Puroresu today, period. Everyone hit their finishers in the closing minutes. But when DEVIL caught Yuma in mid-air and swung her into the DEVIL Drop? 300 people counted along to three. When 5SSW has herself together, we would love to see this match again.

In a bout that had a good crowd and good action, DEVIL Karube defeated Huntress Makiko and Yuma Maruya in 34:01 when DEVIL Karube defeated Huntress Makiko by pinfall with a DEVIL Drop.<ul><li> DEVIL Karube has now switched to a Bitter Veteran gimmick. It has gotten an initial B- rating. </li><li> Yuma Maruya has a dreadfully stale character, a change is really needed. </li><li> The announcing quality wasn't up to the same standard as the match. </li><li> DEVIL Karube is improving in Technical skills. </li></ul> Match Grade: D+

Post Match Interview:

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingDevil-1.jpg

DEVIL Karube:

"It's time we get things perfectly clear around here. It's a new era in 5SSW. But it's not what you think. You think the future is coming. You all think it's like some ticket that can be bought and passed on."

*Devil scowled at her own words, shaking her head before looking into the camera again.*

"Well here is the reality. Just because you are young doesn't mean you get to have a future. It is not an entitlement. For three years I've been reaching across the generations. But not one of you. Not one of you is in my league! So here is what's going to happen. I'm going to take the World Championship back. I'm going to take 5SSW back. Everything I have given to this business, I am going to take back, and then?"

*Devil paused letting the question sink in.*

"And then you are going to watch the future pass you by."

* * * * *

Attendance: 300 (Sell Out)

Show Rating: D+

* * * * *

</div>

Dragonmack · February 5, 2011

Good show, though it sounds like you need to find a good announcer and fast as it's dinging your matches.

Yuu Onuki · February 5, 2011

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Dragonmack" data-cite="Dragonmack" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30307" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Good show, though it sounds like you need to find a good announcer and fast as it's dinging your matches.</div></blockquote> That was very and frustrating combined. The first thing I did was to offer a contract... six days later... six days without a voice.

Yuu Onuki · February 6, 2011

<div style="text-align:right;">Sunday, Week 2, January 2014

</div>

<div style="text-align:center;">http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/GAIA%20Logos/JoshiJoshi.jpg

News Feed:

Currently following:

5SSW, AAA, BSC, CWWF

Monday, Week 2, January 2014: <ul><li> BSC were in The Snake Pit today for BSC Feel The Burn, Call A Doctor.</li></ul> Wednesday, Week 2, January 2014: <ul><li> 5SSW drew 300 fans to Gunma Hall for 5SSW Uprising Tour(Wednesday).</li></ul> Thursday, Week 2, January 2014: <ul><li> 5SSW drew 300 fans to Gunma Hall for 5SSW Uprising Tour(Thursday).</li></ul> Friday, Week 2, January 2014: <ul><li> Sayuri Sakoda has signed for 5SSW with a pay-per-appearance deal. </li><li> Jamie Quine has signed a non-exclusive contract extension with AAA.</li></ul> * * * * *

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEW/Greydoggy.jpg

GreyDoggyBagTable.forums:

January 2014

Dragonmack: 11

Midnightnick: 9

Wallbanger: 8

Jingo: 6

Astil: 5

* * * * *

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWLocations/noodleshop.jpg

*Congratulations to Dragonmack, stealing the lead away at the end of the week that was 2. But there are two more weeks before the mind of Yuu is fully open and the prize of power given.

*I am happy with things now, and for once. I will take my pace and tell the story as well as I can or be with my limited prowess for such things as plot and lines. Look for weekly Profile Cards of your favorite wrestler, yes? Whoever she is or was.

*I am slowly re-freshing the roster still, that is how stale it was. Once it is settled and more, I hope the story will come out in full... for your eyes... of course.

</div>

Yuu Onuki · February 6, 2011

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingYuu.jpgYuu Onuki: "44 years old."

*Yuu looked at herself between splashes of cold water to her face. She was no longer young, wrinkles and lines were making significant advances on her face. Not that it mattered much, this life was not for the beautiful. This life was not for the loved. Maybe that is why they came together and formed this... thing. Was it a gang, a family, or circus? She did not know which one. She only knew she had spent most parts of her life: in it, leaving it or returning once again.*

Yuu: "Family?"

*She had some of course, and dutifully returned every New Year's to visit the temple, eat food and fall asleep in front of the TV. Her mother had stopped prodding her about marriage about six years ago. The unspoken reason was they all knew it was too late. She was an 'old maid' at 44. But instead of the library rows of lonely books, she had given her life to Joshi Puroresu. Yes, they were a family up to a point and that point's name was performance. 'What will you give us today? Nothing? Farewell.' That was why her dear companion Umeko Hotta still hobbled out to the ring against all order or logic. That was why the aging Saori Nakadan did everything in her power to keep the World Title. Because once they stopped performing? The only family most of them had wouldn't need them anymore. They would slip into oblivion. A printed name on an obscure Google search. An entry on a list of Champions or a forgotten fantasy of days gone by and by.*

Yuu: "Goodbye."

*She turned the taps from cold to hot until steam swallowed the mirror whole, and bringing her relief from her own face. Yuu had it easy, did she not? Her face was not important. Her body was quite the same. She only had to keep her mind, such a simple task. She only had to read the lines like tea leaves in a cracking cup; part future, part fraud all wrapped up in belief. Would they believe her? Would their eyes see show the way she had intended? Or would The Lizard Queen, the mother of them all, send her packing again?*

Yuu: "I don't drink tea."

*Indeed, one of the few that didn't in her country. She preferred the bitter black of coffee on her nerves. A booker’s choice no doubt. She turned the water off before taking the tip of her index finger and brushing it against the steamed glass. She drew a large happy face. It was a childish thing to do, and then she wrote the simple phrase ‘Smile at me’ beneath it. She did, and it was not fake. She kept it there and soon it began to spread, a blanket over the mid-crisis that was Yuu and her life.*

Yuu: “What do you want to do?”

*She wiped the steam away, along with the soap off her face. If all she had left was her career, then what did she want to do with it? Umeko, Kiko, DEVIL, Saori, Jaguar and many more were past their prime and on the other side. It was time to select the future, but that was a delicate act in Japan. You did not just throw out the old like so much rubbish. There was too much respect, ego and tradition for that. Plus how do you tell a woman who is like your sister that the days are not numbered, they are gone?*

Yuu: “Change.”

*That was her job after all. That is why they said, ‘please come home’. The hand of the future. The hand of the Queen. The hand of cruel. The hand of opportunity. The hand that followed the lines with care. How many hands could she be before she became tangled in herself?*

Yuu: "I am the octopus, come to save all who are you."

*She turned off the washroom light and made octopus noises all the way down the hall.*

Yuu Onuki · February 8, 2011

<div style="text-align:right;">Wednesday, Week 3, January 2014 14:28 Gunma Hall, Kanto, Japan Pre-show Staff Meeting </div> http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/SakurakoKagawa.jpg Owner: 'The Lizard Queen' Sakurako Kagawa <div style="text-align:center;">http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingYuu.jpg Head Booker: 'The Oracle' Yuu Onuki </div> <div style="text-align:right;">http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/TalkingKitHatoyama.jpg Road Agent: Kit Hatoyama </div> <div style="text-align:center;">http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/SayuriSakoda.jpg Announcer: Sayuri Sakoda </div> http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/ShirosamaEzakiya.jpg Colour: Sirosama Ezakiya <div style="text-align:center;">http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWTalkingHeads/KazukoHiroyuki.jpg Referee: Kazuko Hiroyuki * * * * *</div> *The Lizard Queen had decided to keep her circus in Kanto, Region for another week. She had made some analogy about cracking nuts that Yuu had not quite understood, if at all. But Yuu agreed with the decision. 5SSW had sat in their home region far too long. It was time to break new ground again.* *Yuu had hired Sayuri Sakoda to the vacated announcing position. It had raised more than a few eyebrows. At 23 years of age, she was by far the youngest staff member and obviously the least experienced. Yuu could see the wheels in Shirosama's mind cracking and grinding, the same. But Yuu had faith in her choice. Sayuri's voice work was good, but the key point was she was improving and experimenting. Everyone else she had considered were set in their ways.* *Having a new face and all the chairs filled at the meeting took the edge off things a little. Though the Lizard Queen has no problem making little girls cry, she usually waits until she has seem them perform before doing so. With everyone seated with coffee and tea, Yuu stood up and began to pace around the room. With gestures fluid and voice the weaving of baskets, she began to spell out the nights card again.* Yuu Onuki: "Tonight will be a show of the size and strength as our feet do hit and ground the same..." <div style="text-align:center;"> * * * * * <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30307" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj188/Ippotamus/TEWPosters/dvdbox2.jpg ~If you were ever going to purchase a DVD from the Uprising Tour-2014, this would be the one. Three discs culminating in 5SSW Japan' Warfare-2014, where all three titles will be defended as the new vision of the future begins to take shape.~ Disc 1: You know the night is big when Yuma Maruya opens the show. Still in the title chase heading into 5SSW Japan's Warfare, Yuma faces Shiori Jippensha. Shiori has reached her breaking point with Megumi Nakajima last week, and now she has reached her last chance as well. The loser of this match will be eliminated from the the title match completely. With 5SSW's new vision focused on the future, Eri Sato makes her in-ring debut with an All-Asian Title shot against the champion, Otsune Tsumura. It's the ultimate chance to make a name before the ink has even dried on the contract. Last week Tomoko Nagatsuka and Raku Makuda put their differences aside reformed as All Business. Every building needs a foundation, and All Business are no different. They built their reformation on the broken bodies of Gemmei Oonishi and Chiyeko Kita in a series of unprovoked attacks. Tonight Gemmei and Chiyeko team up for the first time, looking for vengeance. 'The Butterfly' Chitose Ariwara took the winds of change under her wings last week and found a much needed victory against the veteran Jaguar. Tonight she faces not only a veteran but a working class legend. Her name is Umeko Hotta and she passes no torches without a fight. Few wrestlers have created the kind of internet buzz that Hana Ajibana has. With an impressive win over the Rainbow Girls, the learning curve goes sky high as the young sensation faces two of the most well rounded and seasoned workers on the roster: Huntress Makiko and Kiko Sakakibara in a three way dance. With all the posturing for the #1 contendership, it would be easy to forget Saori Nakadan is the 5SSW World Champion. But tonight she puts her title on the line against the submission ace, Etsuko Arihyoshi. DEVIL Karube laid it all on the line in her, DVD exclusive, post-match interview. From sailing quietly into the sunset, she has turned her ship around 180 degrees and rammed it into the heart of the World Championship race. How poetic is it that the first woman she sees in her path is the HEART Saitoh, the student of DEVIL's most famous nemesis, Sensational Ogiwara? Very poetic indeed some would say. 'The Future' Fuyuko Higa may have a deal with Saori Nakadan, but she has a date with Megumi Nakajima that will decide her fate instead. As it begins, so it will end. The loser will be cut from the title match at 5SSW Japan's Warfare. The stakes are high. The card is packed, and waiting for you.</div><div style="text-align:center;"></div><div></div></blockquote> * * * * * Shiori Jippensha vs. Yuma Maruya Eri Sato vs. Otsune Tsumura All Business vs. Gemmei Oonishi and Chiyeko Kita Chitose Ariwara vs. Umeko Hotta Kiko Sakakibara vs. Hana Ajibana vs. Huntress Makiko Etsuko Arihyoshi vs. Saori Nakadan DEVIL Karube vs, HEART Saitoh Fuyuko Higa vs. Megumi Nakajima</div>

Midnightnick · February 8, 2011

Shiori Jippensha vs. Yuma Maruya

Eri Sato vs. Otsune Tsumura

All Business vs. Gemmei Oonishi and Chiyeko Kita

Chitose Ariwara vs. Umeko Hotta

Kiko Sakakibara vs. Hana Ajibana vs. Huntress Makiko

Etsuko Arihyoshi vs. Saori Nakadan

DEVIL Karube vs, HEART Saitoh

Fuyuko Higa vs. Megumi Nakajima

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