The lights are dim and the crowd is quiet. All you can hear are the stiff strikes and the beautiful sound of the shamisen. This isn’t regular ol’ pro rasslin. This is much closer to a traditional kabuki or even a ballet performance than it is to a conventional wrestling match. And quite frankly it’s one of the greatest things to come from professional wrestling this century.
From the opening moments, the fine line between the music and the action starts to dissolve. With Satomuras first steps falling naturally into the rhythm of the string instrument, everything quickly begins to melt together. The best thing about this match is that the wrestlers aren’t just existing alongside the music, they seem to become one with it, dancing inside of it, allowing it to quicken the tempo at times, while at others letting it stretch out the quiet, tense pauses. It creates a sense that both elements are reacting to each other in real time, forming something unified rather than layered. This makes it much easier to compare it to a Swan Lake than it is to compare it to an Austin/Rock match. It’s an incredibly unique experience that I don’t believe could ever be replicated by two other wrestlers.
That unity shifts the match into something more stylized and deliberate, closer to a staged duel than a traditional fight. Every movement feels considered, every moment given space to breathe. Matches like Anarchy in the Arena reach for a similar marriage of wrestling and music, however those often land closer to a 2000s era early youtube highlight package, chaotic and exciting but almost entirely unfocused. This is controlled. It has structure and intent, and because of that it feels less like a presentation and more like a fully formed piece of art.
Underneath that, the wrestling itself never fades into the background. Kana and Meiko have a natural chemistry that keeps everything grounded. The strikes crack with a sharpness that cuts through the score, the holds are tight and purposeful, and the transitions flow cleanly without losing their edge. If anything, the added structure sharpens the work, making each action feel more important rather than less.
As a standalone match, it might not sit comfortably among the usual all-time classics. I don’t think it’s right to take it as a standalone match however, you have to take it in as a complete work, with the music, the pacing, and the way it all comes together, and with that it becomes something far more distinct and powerful. There is very little else in wrestling that captures this same feeling or executes an idea like this with such precision. It stands as a rare example of wrestling fully embracing itself as performance art without losing its core, and because of that, it feels less like something to compare and more like something to experience. Taken as a whole, it remains one of the coolest and most unique things professional wrestling has produced in the 21st century.
4.75 Stars