Classic Match: Shinobu Kandori vs. Akira Hokuto, AJW Dreamslam ’93

Dave Walsh

RondaRousey.com’s Classic Match series takes a closer look at significant and super cool matches from wrestling history.


By the time 1993 rolled around, Akira Hokuto already had a much-earned reputation for being one of the toughest women in the world. She earned that reputation after she had her neck broken by a tombstone piledriver, only to continue forward in the match with her hands literally holding her neck in place. To say that match was difficult to watch would be an understatement knowing the severity of her injuries, but she recovered and her career stretched on until 2002, as she remained one of the best in the world. Shinobu Kandori, on the other hand, had a career that became best known for her MMA victories in a time when women’s MMA hadn’t even become a thread of an idea here in the west, as well as her incredibly bloody deathmatch with Megumi Kudo in FMW in 1997.

Despite their extensive history, both women had a career-defining match here in 1993 when they met at AJW Dreamslam, one of the most memorable professional wrestling cards of all-time. This match is perhaps one of the best brawls of the era. This was an inter-promotional bout, with Hokuto representing AJW and Kandori flying the flag of LLPW (Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling). At this stage in their careers, Hokuto was known as a no-nonsense, vicious ass-kicker with her her heavy striking style and tendency to show no mercy in the ring becoming legendary, while Kandori had a reputation of being a shooter, making her presence known immediately in the match by tearing at Hokuto’s arm in a sitting armbar.

It wasn’t long before the blonde hair of Hokuto was stained red. She was busted wide open as the brawl spilled to on the outside. Hokuto attempted a tombstone on one of the announce tables but Kandori reverses it and spikes Hokuto on her damned head again. Just like she got tombstoned and broke her neck all those years ago. Wrestling is at its best when it’s calling back to its own history, and spiking Hokuto with a tombstone piledriver that busts her open and leaves an indent on the table is perhaps the greatest, most pro-wrestling thing imaginable. Even with the ref screaming in her face, asking her if she gave up, she refused to concede. What ensued from here on out was a brawl that spilled out into the crowd and left both women bloody messes before they were able to stumble back to the ring.

To say that Hokuto was a bloody mess would be an understatement. The story of the match shifted to Kandori working Hokuto over in submission holds while Hokuto continued to fight to the ropes and bleed buckets of blood. Seriously, there was a bucket at ringside that the attendants were using to try to clean her up, to no avail. Hokuto was never going to just give up, though. She fought back valiantly, only to the thwarted, slapped and stretched for her troubles.

As the match heated up and blood stained the mats, Hokuto was finally gaining traction, forced to throw caution to the wind by hurling her body as a weapon against Kandori. When her finisher the Queen Bee Bomb wouldn’t do the trick it all felt rather academic at that point. Almost on autopilot, she was able to kick out of Kandori’s version of the Queen Bee Bomb, but it was clear that she was a battered, beaten soul with nothing left to give. When Kandori’s final elbow strike put her down it seemed over, but Hokuto pushed back to her feet, throwing a brutal elbow while Kandori threw one of her own that left both women on the mat. Hokuto, still on autopilot was able to crawl up the leg of Kandori, her body dramatically draped over her opponent for the ref to count to three.

An angry Kandori was able to stumble out of the ring and storm backstage, while the victor was left in a bloody heap as the ring girls did their best with their bucket to clean her up. Refusing the bucket, bloody Hokuto screamed into the microphone in a celebration of her victory and what was one of the most brutal brawls of the ’90s.

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