One year following her tragic passing, the late Hana Kimura was honored with a special event title ‘MATANE’ from Korakuen Hall.
Kimura sadly took her own life one year ago at the age of 22 following incidents involving cyberbullying over her portrayal on the reality series ‘Terrace House’. There has been significant outrage and coverage of the show’s practices with Hana’s mother, Kyoko, leading the charge.
Because of the early start time in Japan, the event aired live in a convenient slot for North American fans. It was assisted by English commentary on the FITE TV feed from Ring of Honor’s Ian Riccaboni and World Famous CB (formerly Cheeseburger). Initially, Japanese reporter & historian Fumi Saito was scheduled to be part of the team but it was announced recently that due to a time zone issue, he would not be able to participate in the broadcast.
In the half-hour pre-show, the commentators informed the audience that seventeen promotions were participating in the event and we saw Korakuen Hall decorated with Kimura’s old ring outfits.
Riccaboni and CB did a great job providing commentary across the globe from Riccaboni’s home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The feed never faltered, and it sounded crystal clear throughout the show, reinforcing the idea that all Japanese promotions with worldwide distribution should be investing in English commentary for newer fans to engage and get past the hurdle of a foreign language product.
The show was built around a special tribute match involving members from Kimura’s former groups of Oedo Tai and Tokyo Cyber Squad. This included Kagetsu and Hazuki coming out of retirement for the special occasion.
The two teamed with Konami and DEATH Yama-san in a losing effort to ASUKA (a.k.a. ‘VENY’), Syuri, Mio Momono & Stardom’s High-Speed Champion Natsupoi.
Afterwards, ASUKA and Kagetsu had a bonus singles match with ASUKA prevailing with the Benibana Koromo.
To close the show, two lengthy tribute videos were played to the audience. One, a compilation of moments throughout Kimura’s in-ring career, much of which involving moments with her mother. The other, a series of video messages from participants around the globe speaking the phrase ‘matane’, including Kenny Omega, Keiji Mutoh, Io Shirai, Kairi Sane, The Great Sasuke, Kris Wolf, Bea Priestley, Thunder Rosa, Session Moth Martina, Hikaru Shida, Meiko Satomura, Cheeseburger, Sumie Sakai and many more.
RESULTS (Courtesy: Purolove.com)
*HUB, Eisa8 & Shisa-o over Shota, Fuma & Mil Mongoose – they explained that HUB was Kimura’s favorite wrestler
*Ram Kaichow won the ‘Irregular Battle Royal’ – this was similar to the battle royal you would see at Spring Break each year with tons of comedy and many surprise entrants including Jinsei Shinzaki, CIMA, Masato Tanaka, Super Delfin, and Jun Kasai
*Natsupoi, Syuri, Asuka & Mio Momono over Kagestu, Hazuki, Konami & DEATH Yama-san
*Asuka over Kagetsu
