The Grace of a Black Peach and an Icon Of Women’s Wrestling
Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Momo Watanabe
Prize: IWGP Women’s Championship
Event: NJPW X STARDOM Historic X-Over II (2024)
Placement on the card: Semi Main Event
Mayu Iwatani is considered as one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time. I can understand why that might be the case. She has a great match catalog as the only OG in the promotion when it began in 2010, but also an inspirational story of how she overcame a lot to become one of the best. The crazy part is that she is only 31 years old. 31 years old? It is very astonishing.
Momo Watanabe is a very interesting case. I am not really familiar with her body of work. She is highly regarded by fans over the 10 years of her career. I have noticed that she has been getting appearances in bigger promotions like All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the past year. Her most noticeable match from these appearances was the match against Mercedes Mone at NJPW Capital Collision in Washington.
One of the best matches of 2024
Today I will be writing about one of the best matches of 2024, Mayu Iwatani versus Momo Watanabe from NJPW X STARDOM Historic X-Over II. With that being, in front of 3,547 fans in the EDION Arena in Osaka. In the semi main event, it’s Mayu Iwatani defending the IWGP Women’s Championship against Momo Watanabe.
We kick off with both women doing some chain wrestling before staring at each other. Momo blocks Iwatani’s run with a sidekick and applies a headlock. Iwatani sends Momo off the ropes and goes for a Drop Down. Momo stops in her tracks and flips Iwatani over onto her backside. Iwatani immediately countered with a kip up into an arm drag. Iwatani continued with the MisDirection into an inverted arm drag and went for a high dropkick.
Momo dodges and goes for the Penalty Kick, but Iwatani ducks it. Iwatani rolls Momo so she can Irish Whip her. Momo reverses the Irish Whip and sends Iwatani to the ropes. Iwatani comes back with a Tierras and Momo is on the bottom rope in prime position for a dropkick. When Iwatani was running to the ropes across to build up steam, Momo’s stablemate, Saya Kamitami, pulled her out of the ring. Then fellow H.A.T.E. members, Ruaka and Rina, started this brawl with Iwatani and her STARS teammates on the outside. Momo would hurl Iwatani into the barricade that is blocking the fans from harm. Then Momo would tear it apart and the crowd moved when demanded. Watanabe would then throw Iwatani into the seats.
When Watanabe was dragging her by the hair, Iwatani’s foot was trapped in one of the chairs. Iwatani managed to free herself and striked Momo. Momo retaliates with a chair to the chest and throws her back in the ring. Back in the ring, after a hard kick to the back, Momo kept on bringing the punishment and slowing the pace. Iwatani starts fighting back with forearm strikes, but Watanabe kicks her down again. Momo would Irish Whip Iwatani in the corner. Iwatani would do a unique Schoolboy and transitions to a double dropkick. Momo dodged and countered into a dropkick of her own. When Iwatani rolled to the outside, Saya Kamitani, Ruaka & Rina went on stomping mode. Luckily, Hanan and Momo Kohgo were there to balance the books.
Turnabout is fair play
There was a moment where Watanabe held Iwatani, so Ruaka can hit Mayu with what seems to be a toolbox. But Iwatani ducked and Momo got hit instead. Hanan and Momo Kohgo quickly held both Ruaka and Momo Watanabe in place then Iwatani dived on them with the Tope Suicida. Back in the ring, Iwatani does a springboard double foot stomp. Then Iwatani screws Momo’s leg with a Dragon Screw. Mayu finally hit the High Dropkick with Momo draped against the bottom rope for a two count. Now this time Iwatani is kicking Watanabe around. What can I say? Turnabout is fair play. Iwatani wraps Momo in the ropes and dropkicks her. Iwatani would Irish Whip Momo from one corner to the opposite corner, but Momo fires back with a running dropkick.
Watanabe hits two more running dropkicks before kicking Iwatani so hard that your body would feel it. Especially the last one, it felt like hell. Momo even pushed referee Daichi Murayama and you just don’t do that. Watanabe followed up with two Suplexes before hanging Iwatani on the ropes. Then she kicked Iwatani in the head. I can’t describe it brutally enough and trust me, it’s miles more insane to view it. As they were on the apron, Momo hit Iwatani with the B-Driller (Belly-To-Back Piledriver). Momo rolled Iwatani back onto the apron, but Iwatani quickly popped up and gave a Snap Dragon Suplex to Momo. The height and quickness of that Snap Dragon is ridiculous. Both women got in at the count of 19.
Back in the ring, Watanabe just hits another one of her hard kicks. As she was going for the Peach Bomb, Mayu got out of it and roundhouse kicked her. Momo fires back with one of her own before running to the ropes. As she rebounds back, Iwatani hits her with a really good thrust kick. Both women are down. Iwatani hits a running dropkick in the corner that hits Momo right in the head. Then she climbs up to the top and delivers a double dropkick. Iwatani follows up with that beautiful Frog Splash for a two count.
Iwatani attempted the Two Step Dragon Suplex, but Momo knew this move so she grabbed the rope almost immediately. They both reversed each other’s Tombstone attempts, then Momo hits the Peach Slam (Uranange) and follows up with Somato (running double knee strike). Momo climbs up to the top rope and hits Diving Somato for a two count. Momo went up again, but Iwatani stopped her. They engage in a strike exchange on the top turnbuckle. Mayu did one of those SHOOT headbutts that makes me want to pull my nonexistent hair out. Mayu follows up with a Top Rope Frankensteiner. Iwatani kept doing these brutal kicks and hits and amazing Dragon Suplex for a count.
Mayu would hit the moonsault, but Rina distracted referee Daichi Murayama out as he was counting. When Iwatani was distracted, Watanabe fired a sickening roundhouse kick at Iwatani’s head. Momo would have her trademark bat in her hand. Instead of using it, she threw it and kicked Mayu right in the skull. Momo just kept on going with this barrage of kicks before Iwatani thrust kicked her. As Iwatani went for the Fubuki Rana (Top Rope Poisonrana), Momo kicked one of her legs and positioned her in the Tree Of Woe. Watanabe kicks Iwatani right in the head like a football. Momo would hit the Peach Sunrise and kick Iwatani in the head. Somehow, that was only a two count. Momo hits the Peach Sunrise again and that was only two. Momo went for the Peach Bomb, but Iwatani reversed it and got kicked for her escape. Iwatani dodged her charge and hit Snap German Suplex. Both women are down, then Iwatani hits Fubuki Rana with a roundhouse kick for a two count.
Momo would get out of another Two Step attempt and hit the Peach Bomb for a two count. Watanabe went for a lariat, but Iwatani ducked under and hit the Two Step Dragon Suplex. That allowed Iwatani to get the 3 count and she is still the IWGP Women’s Champion.
Post match: AZM came out and made the challenge for Wrestle Kingdom 19.