70s Joshi on Wednesday: Jackie! Lucy! Ripper! Ikeshita!

29. 1979.04.XX2 - Jackie Sato & Lucy Kayama vs. Monster Ripper & Yumi Ikeshita

K: This feels like a match that didn’t have much thought put into it. Just stick two of the top babyfaces vs. two of the top heels in a tag match and have it end on a double count-out because the company is saving the decisive finishes involving these wrestlers for a better occasion. It’s still an enjoyable match though. For some reason Jackie is wearing an eye-patch. I would have liked it if it factored into the match somehow but the heels didn’t target it, which makes me think it’s just a legitimate eye-injury rather than an angle. Someone should show this match to Shinobu Kandori to see what she thinks about that.

They did work it well to make Monster appear to be the bigger threat. A good moment was when Monster had been knocked to the outside, Jackie went really wild relentlessly hitting Yumi with her biggest bombs, as if she was thinking that she needs to do as much damage as possible now as when Monster’s back up then the opportunity would have been missed. That 1st fall was the best part of the match. It felt like they kind of repeated themselves in the 2nd fall in a not very interesting way except with the heels pulling one back this time. The double countout was far from the worst I’ve ever seen, but I had already got a feeling before the 2nd fall had even ended that that was going to happen.

**1/4

MD: Pretty solid fifteen minute tag here. Ripper emerged from her rope with a mighty scream to set the scene. Jackie had an eyepatch. We don’t know why. She’s actually taller than Lucy which is weird since Lucy’s gimmick is that she’s “Mt. Lucy” but I guess that’s more something to do with her legs. Some fun heel communication bits early as they use Ripper’s size against her to Ikeshita’s dismay. Jackie definitely came off as a star again, just a level above the other babyfaces in how she can slug and stand tall and take stuff. She was also smoother with things like her short headscissors takeovers.

First fall ended with Jackie holding Ikeshita for the Queen Rocket by Kayama. Second fall had that same spot set up with Ripper eating it this time, but Ikeshita showed her mettle by smashing everyone with a chair and letting Ripper get back into it so she could suplex Lucy. Ripper seemed much more confident in there than she had previously and could just mow through her opponents and toss them about. Ikeshita had some great powerslams where you think she’s going to do a tombstone but she falls forward instead. Lucy makes a comeback here but it all breaks down and becomes a double countout, which weirdly we haven’t seen a ton of yet.