On ChocoPro #135, the finals of the One of a Kind Tag League came to an end. In this competitive encounter, Yuna Mizumori and SAKI, known collectively as TropiKawaild, faced Melt Brain Dancing, the duo of PSYCHO and CHANGO. Following nearly 26 minutes of high-energy competition, it was “Yunamon” and her “Kawaild” comrade that emerged victorious in Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling‘s first-ever tag league. Now that the tag league in question is behind us, and the dust has settled, it’s time to take a look back at how it came together, its successes, and other aspects of importance.
How the ChocoPro One of a Kind Tag League Began
On ChocoPro #126, Gatoh Move founder Emi Sakura announced an event never seen before in the purple-and-yellow promotion. This would become known as the One of a Kind Tag League, pitting 8 teams against one another. Two blocks would each consist of 4 teams. On the episodes that followed, teams within Block A and Block B faced one another, earning points to make it to the top of their respective blocks. Tag leagues are familiar to Japanese wrestling enthusiasts, but as stated earlier, this was a unique venture for Gatoh Move.
From ChocoPro #127 onward, One of a Kind Tag League matches took place, virtually every episode dedicated to moving up the ranks in Block A and Block B. The rules were simple: a team received 2 points following a victory, 0 points after a loss, and 1 point in the event of a draw. Furthermore, the tag league featured prominent teams in Gatoh Move, Asia Dream Tag Team Champions Best Bros included, as well as teams created for the purpose of the tag league. Here are a few reasons why Gatoh Move’s inaugural tag league mattered.
1. Regardless of stature, the One of a Kind Tag League was anyone’s to win.
One of the favorite teams to win the One of a Kind Tag League was the tag team titleholders. The Asia Dream Tag Team Champions, Mei Suruga and Baliyan Akki – better known to the ChocoPro faithful as Best Bros – entered the tag league with momentum on their side. Keep in mind that, as a team, they seldom lost. This indicated that they would not only make it to the top of Block A but win the tag league itself. As recent history has shown, this wasn’t the case. In fact, following their draw against TropiKawaild on the first day of the tag league, it became evident that this multi-show endurance was anyone’s to win.
This is what makes professional wrestling tournament-style matches so entertaining: the idea that, realistically, anyone can rise to the occasion. Take, for example, Melt Brain Dancing, which is a team whose history dates back roughly a decade. Despite only appearing in Gatoh Move a handful of times prior to ChocoPro’s formation, their experience took them to the finals, taking many viewers aback. Chie Koishikawa and Hagane Shinnou, the team known as Egg Tart, became another popular duo with a chance to win Block B as well. Each team in the One of a Kind Tag League had a realistic chance of making it far into the contest.
2. Multiple entertaining teams were formed and showcased.
Several teams in the One of a Kind Tag League were formed in ChocoPro before said tag league’s announcement. These included, but weren’t limited to, Best Bros, Egg Tart, and Dragon Ninja (Sayuri and Chon Shiryu). However, the tag league was open to all duos. Case and point, joshi veteran Ryo Mizunami and Actwres girl’Z star Ayumi Hayashi joined forces as Wasshoi Aniki. This party-loving, spirited duo quickly became one of the fan-favorite teams in the tag league, performing well despite never teaming before. The fact that they wrestled the Asia Dream Tag Team Champions to a draw was evidence of Wasshoi Aniki’s formidable nature.
When it comes to the more chaotic elements of the One of a Kind Tag League – even beyond the underhanded nature of Melt Brain Dancing – look no further than Black Comaneci. The “spoiler” team of Tokiko Kirihara and Antonio Honda should also be familiar to ChocoPro viewers, as they often don outlandish apparel and bend the rules to achieve victory. They entered the tag league as White Comaneci, proclaiming nobility and innocence. That was, however, until they lulled their opponents into a false sense of security, quickly ramping up the aggression, often with Honda singing and strumming on an acoustic guitar. They didn’t make it far into the tag league, finishing Block B with only 1 point, but their antics made for must-see wrestling all the same.
3. The One of a Kind Tag League produced memorable matches.
As of this writing, ChocoPro is in its eighth season. At the end of each season, Gatoh Move holds fan votes, allowing viewers to vote for the best match, the season MVP, and other categories. One of the most enjoyable points to look back on is the series of quality matches held within Ichigaya Chocolate Square and elsewhere. Fortunately, the One of a Kind Tag League had no shortage of entertaining matches, some of which could be considered the best contests of ChocoPro season eight.
Take the first day of the One of a Kind Tag League, for instance, which concluded with Best Bros battling eventual tag league winners TropiKawaild. This was a competitive affair that showed just how evenly matches the duos were, so much so that they wrestled to a 20-minute draw. Mi✰Sayaka (Minoru Fujita and Sayaka) also proved formidable despite ending Block B with 2 points. They secured a victory over White Comaneci on ChocoPro #129, with Sayaka getting the surprise win over Tokiko Kirihara. On ChocoPro #133, the final show of the tag league, Wasshoi Aniki held their own against TropiKawaild. These are just a few examples of the quality matches the tag league produced.
The ChocoPro One of a Kind Tag League – In Closing
With the first-ever One of a Kind Tag League in the books, one must wonder what its future holds. Ideally, Gatoh Move would hold this tag league on an annual basis, bringing together teams formed within the promotion and outside of its walls in a competitive environment. Though Gatoh Move has only two active titles, the Asia Dream Tag Team Championship is important to the promotion, especially with the quality of work Best Bros have put forth. This creates an interesting story as well; who will usurp the dominant Asia Dream Tag Team titleholders?
No matter what comes of the One of a Kind Tag League moving forward, it’s safe to say that it produced a few weeks of entertaining wrestling. It showcased established teams in ChocoPro and shined a spotlight on new tandems as well. Everyone had the opportunity to shine, which made the eventual victory that much sweeter. Here’s hoping that the second tag league held by Gatoh Move tops, or at the very least matches, the first.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch Gatoh Move on YouTube and support ChocoPro in various ways, including Patreon.
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