On the final present of 2022, a yr after the corporate’s founder left the promotion, SEAdLINNNG promised its followers that younger up-and-comers in distinguished spots can be featured closely.

The promotion established a story for the primary half of the yr in a post-match promo made after Arisa Nakajima regained the title she had misplaced a number of months prior due to an damage suffered in her anniversary match towards Hiroyo Matsumoto.

These youthful abilities would be the focus of this column as effectively.

Riko Kaiju, Ayame Sasamura, Riko Kawahata, Misa Kagura, and Itsuki Aoki took activates the microphone, congratulating or aggravating the brand new champion. And with these promos got here a promise from SEAdLINNNG that they might not be caught prior to now. As a substitute, they’ll look towards the longer term; in the event that they don’t, they’ll die. 

Like many promotions in Japan nonetheless counting on expertise from previous generations, SEAdLINNNG’s roster is thinning more and more with every passing yr. At the moment, it consists of simply Arisa Nakajima and Riko Kaiju. The corporate has been left with no alternative however to push Kaiju past the same old scene habits. The identical goes for her generational contemporaries as effectively.

Struggles of the youthful wrestlers towards the older, established ones is a story that’s been standard in Japanese promotions in 2023—most notably New Japan Professional Wrestling—as we’ve got exited the banning of vocal crowds, and folks can lastly cheer with out fear for his or her favourite underdogs to dethrone those that have been on high. Ideally, this new era will navigate the present stormy seas of the Japanese scene and produce a brand new gentle to an trade struggling all through the nation. 

For a corporation like SEAdLINNNG, there are very stormy seas. The corporate misplaced its founder, its Ace, one of many two of its vibrant rookies, and scaled down from 30 reveals a yr to only one present a month. There will not be sufficient ticket consumers to justify operating extra reveals. So for SEAdLINNNG, it will not be as dangerous to show to the youthful wrestlers of their orbit as a result of what have they got to lose? To promote a dozen fewer tickets to a Shinkiba 1st RING present? With that stated, let’s see the place we’re after half a yr of this story.

The primary present of the yr on January 13 opened with a generational conflict of trios with the veteran staff of Arisa Nakajima, Ryo Mizunami, and Hiroyo Matsumoto going through off towards three of the younger wrestlers who had been current on the shut of the year-end present Rico Kaiju, Riko Kawahata and Itsuki Aoki. Whereas it began as anticipated, the kids jumped the veterans, the remainder of the match didn’t go as common. For one, it was longer than common for a veteran vs. rookie undercard tag. Secondly, either side had occasions once they had been shining. When it was one-on-one, the veteran had an apparent benefit, however when it got here to the components of the match the place there was multiple particular person within the ring, the youthful staff labored with one another barely higher. Even when the veterans had teamed up extra typically, the singular give attention to successful was extra on the opposite facet. Ultimately, Arisa Nakajima may choose a second when each Aoki and Kawahata had been held firmly on the surface by her teammates and pinned Rico Kaiju sq. within the center. On this primary step, expertise received over vigor.

On that very same present, the principle occasion was a battle royal between all of the individuals the cardboard was one thing totally different for a brand new begin of the yr. The over-the-top elimination guidelines allowed for simpler “outs,” it ended with Riko Kawahata eliminating each Matsumoto and Nakajima. With “a win” over the champion and ex-champion, she cashed in on her win to problem for the singles title.

In mid-February, they met in Shinjuku FACE. Kawahata is a wrestler similar to Nakajima with the transfer set and viciousness she is beginning to present, so it was a match of a younger kicker versus a veteran kicker. They waged a warfare of stiff kicks, slaps, and even some straight punches to the face. It was a check for Kawahata to see if she may ship in the principle occasion of Nakajima’s type, which is as bodily because it will get. The one difficulty within the match was the viewers not shopping for Kawahata’s close to falls. She received her greatest response of the match after a one-count kick out from Nakajima’s deadly forearm straight to the face. Not even her moonsault was sufficient to persuade the viewers that she had an opportunity to win.

Subsequent in line was Ayame Sasamura.

In SEAdLINNNG, she is a member of Las Fresas de Egoistas—extra on them within the subsequent half— however she is signed to 2AW, an organization that cut up from Taka Michinoku throughout his scandal. Attributable to that, she’s been in limbo. As somebody who received a tag title with Nakajima in late 2018, Sasamura has been a relentless member of SEAdLINNNG’s rotating forged of non-rostered wrestlers, however due to her promotion’s standing on the scene, she was not given again the push she has misplaced following the cut up. So on March 20, she determined to take again what she misplaced and show she deserves it. She jumped Nakajima after she entered the ring and began to beat her up whereas nonetheless carrying her entrance gown. Taking the match to the surface, she received the higher hand early and tried to make one thing occur. However Nakajima turned it round with a high-angle suplex, and it was on after that. It was a correct beatdown, with Nakajima’s patented method to violence. Sasamura turned it round along with her scrappiness and large brainbuster, forcing the gang to consider in her once more, discovering methods to assault Nakajima’s beforehand injured knee, stealing her strikes and utilizing them towards her.

With a swollen face, battered by kicks, slaps and punches, thrown by way of chairs, Sasamura got here out of the struggle at a significantly increased stage, as a result of she may stand up to and provides as a lot as she was given. This was not dissimilar to wars Nakajima had ten years in the past, towards extra veteran wrestlers.

After the match, Arisa Nakajima claimed she wished additionally to get the tag title belts, Sasamura yelled at her, after which the opposite at present energetic SEAdLINNNG contracted wrestler, Rico Kaiju, stormed the ring and shoved the victorious champion half throughout it. Following this confrontation, a match was made.

On the Korakuen Corridor the subsequent month, Arisa Nakajima and associate Takumi Iroha from Marvelous vs. Little Twin Berries, Kaiju, and Sasamura. Once more, that’s one other story.

At Shinkiba on Could 25, Arisa Nakajima teamed with Ryo Mizunami towards Itsuki Aoki and Misa Kagura. Once more, returning to the identical those who stood within the ring collectively on the final present of 2022. Misa is the youngest of this class career-wise, so I don’t anticipate her to be certainly one of Nakajima’s challengers, in contrast to Aoki. Aoki may be very loud and educated by Ikuto Hidaka, she has been one of the vital prolific joshi indie wrestlers, she is in all places and matches in all the businesses. She has the hearth and vitality of somebody her age, she may be very constant, and to this point, her consistency and her prolificness has been rewarded with a number of tag title reigns wherein she has at all times been a junior member. However within the tag match towards Mizunami and Nakajima, she wrestled on the identical stage as them, she was violent and didn’t again down, even after Nakajima threw a straight proper instantly in her face. And what’s most necessary. She didn’t win with a roll-up however with a lariat. Clear within the center. It’s mainly remarkable for a youthful wrestler to beat an Ace of a promotion. However that’s the kind of factor SEAdLINNNG must do. The bottom has dried up and is infertile. The seeds planted on the finish of 2022 need assistance earlier than blossoming.

And on June 28, we noticed one other chapter written within the story of a promotion that has not given up whereas it has misplaced its founder and soul. 

SEAdLINNNG is making an attempt to foster a brand new era of wrestlers.

Itsuki Aoki had one of many greatest checks of her profession. She wanted to make use of her fireplace and keenness, making us consider she will beat Nakajima on the top of her powers. She was given a bonus as a result of the ace was already trying previous her. On the press convention, she was already calling out the returning Sareee, and their collision is inevitable— they’re booked in a tag match towards one another on the upcoming Sareee-ISM present in August. 

Was that Nakajima’s undoing, and was Aoki capable of get the title from Nakajima as a result of she was not targeted on her and was trying by way of her onto her subsequent challenger already?

Keep up to date on the most recent happenings in SEAdLINNNG and watch their newest reveals at seadlinnng.com.

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