Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Momono Is Matchmaking at its Best

Wrestling's so simple, man.

As far as smart matchmaking goes, it really just doesn’t get much better than this. From both a stylistic and a name value perspective, this is just a perfect kind of match up. Two of the best women’s wrestlers on the Japanese indie scene is enough of a draw on its own, but this goes further in having just a truly spiritually satisfying dynamic built into it as well.

For the unaware, Mio Momono is perhaps one of the best babyfaces anywhere in the world today. It’s a reputation she solidified in the Marvelous vs. Sendai Girls rivalry of 2021, where she basically let Chihiro Hashimoto beat a next level of greatness out of her. Equal parts fiery and sympathetic, few wrestlers in the world are quite as easy to root for as Mio Momono.

On the other hand, veteran joshi star Arisa Nakajima is a consummate bully. That might seem to imply some kind of malice on her part, but that’s not quite how it reads especially in a match like this. Rather, it’s something she’s earned through sheer ability and tenure. Her baseline approach to any match is just so violent and harsh, that she can’t help but come across as this nigh unbeatable force.

Throw the two together, and it just plain works.

It’s a match that acts as a perfect introduction to both women and what makes them work so well. For Mio Momono, the match is structured to immediately highlight her best strengths. Right at the bell, she comes charging out like a house of fire trying to catch Arisa off guard. It’s a big initial burst of action, one that can’t help but get the blood pumping.

Unfortunately for her, Arisa’s powerful and experienced enough to weather an early storm like this and cut it off with ease. She hits one big slap and it doesn’t take much more for her to press an advantage on the younger wrestler. Arisa’s just so adept at working on top. Mechanically, she’s quick and her strikes are nasty, but really it has more to do with the energy she applies those moves with. She’s just this relentless force that’s so damn effective at cutting off the energy of her opposition. She moves forward with such confidence and brutality, that it’s hard to imagine finding any openings to overtake her.

Luckily, this is the kind of oppressive force that Mio performs best again. Her comeback in this match, in particular, is a textbook example of how to build momentum and escalate. She utilizes her speed and risk taking to start believably increasing her chances against Arisa. One of Mio’s great strengths is taking the energy being thrown at her offensively and channeling that back in her comebacks. Her combination of stiff strikes, quick roll ups, and determination strung together make for some real close calls where she might just get one over on Arisa.

That being said, Arisa’s been in this game long enough to know how to absorb punishment and find ways to stifle the energy of the fiery Momono. By match’s end, it’s more a question of how much punishment Mio can absorb instead of whether or not she can win the match.

On that front, there’s perhaps the singular flaw I might have with the match. At this point in Mio’s career, Marvelous has made a habit of denying her big victories. Not only did Mio lose the two biggest matches in the Marvelous/Sendai Girls feud (the GAEAism trios and the Sendai Girl World Title match against Chihiro), but she also recently lost a AAAW Title match against Chiyako Nagashima. In hindsight, we know now that Mio was being primed to take that title from Nagashima in May, but for some reason having Mio get no big victories against a litany of the best women’s wrestlers in Japan on the path to that title win feel a bit unproductive.

But what do I know? I don’t own no wrestling promotion.

Taken just for what it is, it’s a kick ass match from the two best women’s wrestlers in Japan. That’s something worthwhile on its own.

Rating: ****