Kana Produce “ProMania: Desire” on 5/27/15 Review

Event: Kana Produce “ProMania: Desire” 
Date: May 27th, 2015
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 915

*Over the next month, I will be slowly bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying.*

The World Premiere Review of Kana Produce “Desire” 2015! I ordered this disk directly from Kana’s Shop at great expense just so I can review it for all of you wonderful people. And of course because I really wanted to watch it. This is the 3rd Kana Produce event of the year, and like usual Kana has brought in a great selection of wrestlers from other promotions including All Japan, Union, Dragon Gate, JWP, BJW, and more. Here is the full card:

Konami vs. Syuri
– Gabai Jinchan vs. Isami Kodaka
– Hercules Senga and Tsutomu Oosugi vs. Shuji Ishikawa and Takao Omori
– Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Kenshin Chikano
– Mineo Fujita and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Yosuke♥Santa Maria and Shinobu
Arisa Nakajima and Yuko Miyamoto vs. Koji Kanemoto and Hikaru Shida
– Cyber Kong and Masaya Takahashi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Magnitude Kishiwada
– Gran Hamada, Shiro Koshinaka, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Great Kojika, Kana, and Mitsuo Momota

The Joshi wrestlers above all have profiles on the website, you can click on their name to go straight to it. What an odd collection of wrestlers, let’s see how this goes.

Konami vs. Syuri

This is a solid way to kick things off. Konami is Kana’s young protege, she debuted officially at the Kana Produce show on February 25th. Her offense is very similar to Kana’s as you probably figured and she has already shown a lot of promise early in her career. Syuri is Kana’s life-long rival and is the main star of REINA. This will be basic match but likely well-worked.

kanadesire-1They circle around to start and end up on the mat, trading holds until they return to their feet. Syuri gets Konami back down, Syuri kicks Konami in the back but Konami elbows her. More elbows by Konami but Syuri kicks her into the corner, jumping knee by Syuri and she applies a sleeper. Konami gets to the ropes, kicks by Konami but Syuri catches one and trips her to the mat. Cross kneelock by Syuri but Konami gets to the ropes, snapmare by Konami and she kicks Syuri in the back. Running kick by Konami and she covers Syuri for a two count. Back up they trade strikes, knees by Syuri but Konami applies a sleeper. Cross kneelock by Konami but Syuri gets in the ropes, kicks by Konami but Syuri grabs her and applies a crab hold until Konami gets into the ropes. Syuri and Konami trade kicks and elbows, enzuigiri by Konami and she applies the Konami Lock. Syuri barely gets to the ropes, Konami kicks Syuri but Syuri elbows her back. Syuri takes Konami to the mat and gets the cross armbreaker applied, Konami wiggles to the ropes and gets a foot on them for a break. Stomps by Syuri, Konami gets up and they trade elbows, Syuri knocks Konami to the mat and hits a running kick for a two count. Syuri quickly applies the cross armbreaker, she modifies it into a seated armbar and Konami quickly taps out! Syuri is the winner.

As I figured, this was basic as they kept it mostly to strikes and submission holds. In the long run this type of match will do Konami well as it gives quality practice on transitioning holds smoothly against one of the better mat wrestlers in the game. I wouldn’t call the match overly interesting and it ended a bit suddenly, but it was perfectly watchable and a fine way to kick off the show.

Gabai Jinchan vs. Isami Kodaka 

I don’t watch a ton of indie sleaze so I had to branch out for some help here. Jinchan’s character is basically that of an old man, but when he doesn’t have his cane he is able to speed up and wrestle as a much younger person. In reality, Jinchan is the wrestler PYSCHO in a old man outfit, but it can be an amusing gimmick. Kodaka is best known for his work in Big Japan but officially hails from Union, which is who he represents here. You don’t come into a Jinchan match looking for workrate, the goal is just a chuckle or two which he usually delivers.

kanadesire-2Kodaka attacks Jinchan before the match starts, he knocks Jinchan in the corner and runs the bases, but Jinchan hits him in the knee with his cane. Jinchan slowly takes off his rope and hits Kodaka with his cane a few more times, he picks up Kodaka but he hurts his back and falls to the mat. Kodaka applies a crab hold but Jinchan gets his cane onto the bottom rope to force a break. Kodaka picks up the cane but it causes him to be old man-y, so he tosses it to the referee who has the same issue. The referee drops the cane, Jinchan runs off the ropes and headscissors Kodaka out of the ring. Jinchan then runs to the ropes, no longer acting old, and springboards out of the ring with a plancha. Back in the ring, swandive crossbody by Jinchan but it only gets two. Jinchan goes for the chokeslam but Kodaka elbows out of it and kicks Jinchan into the corner. Scoop slam by Kodaka, he goes up top but Jinchan avoids the diving kneedrop. Lariat by Jinchan but Kodaka tosses him the cane, making Jinchan an old man again. Jinchan tosses it back to Kodaka, and Jinchan plants Kodaka with a chokeslam. Jinchan goes for a powerbomb but Kodaka reverses it with a hurricanrana, getting a three count! Kodaka picks up the win.

This was short and cute at times, but nothing special. It works for short comedy matches so no harm done, Jinchan does the role well but it was a pretty quick match and not very memorable.

Hercules Senga and Tsutomu Oosugi vs. Shuji Ishikawa and Takao Omori

Senga and Oosugi have been teaming together for many years, wrestling as Speed of Sound around the indie circuit. As the name implies, they are a high flying duo that moves very fast. Ishikawa and Omori wrestle in Union and All Japan (respectively), and are not a regular tag team (in fact this may be the first time they’ve ever tagged). They are not high flying nor fast, and wrestle a more power-based style. So while there is no official backstory, it is the classic speed vs. strength encounter.

Senga and Oosugi attack as the match starts to try to get the upperhand, and Senga dives out of the ring onto Omori. In the ring, Ishikawa flings Oosugi over his head to get out of a sleeper but Oosugi sneaks in a crucifix pin for a two count. Senga returns but Ishikawa hits a jumping crossbody on both of them. Ishikawa slams Oosugi to the mat and tags in Omori, and Omori hits a hard elbow. Senga comes in to help but Omori knocks him out of the ring and tags in Ishikawa. The Oosugi beatdown continues for a bit with a few failed Senga attempts to rescue him, until Oosugi finally hits a big jumping kick on Ishikawa and tags in Senga. Omori holds Senga but Ishikawa hits Omori on accident, Senga kicks Ishikawa hard in the face and covers him for two. Ishikawa regains the advantage and flings Senga to the mat, giving him time to tag in Omori. Omori boots Senga and hits a spinning heel kick, swinging neckbreaker by Omori but Senga kicks out at two. Omori goes off the ropes but Senga blocks the lariat and goes for one of his own.

kanadesire-3It doesn’t work so Senga hits a low blow instead, Senga puts Omori on the top turnbuckle and goes for a Frankensteiner, Senga blocks his but Oosugi jumps up there and successfully hits one. Quick cover by Senga, but Ishikawa breaks it up. Ishikawa goes for a brainbuster on Senga but Oosugi saves him and they hit a double vertical suplex. They grab Omori and give him a double vertical suplex too, then Oosugi hits a pescado out onto Ishikawa. Senga goes up top and goes for a twisting diving thing on Omori, but Omori wisely rolls out of the way. Ishikawa gets back in and they double team Senga in the corner before hitting a double backdrop suplex. Omori picks up Senga and hits a full nelson bomb, but Senga barely kicks out of the cover. Omori goes for an Axe Bomber but Senga ducks it and rolls him up for two. The next Axe Bomber doesn’t miss however, as Omori flips Senga inside out and covers him for the three count! The new team of Ishikawa and Omori win the match.

This match was solid, the type of match you want to see in the midcard. Senga and Oosugi are a fun team to watch, and Omori/Ishikawa did their part as well so the match never was dull. They did a few spots I hadn’t seen before which is always impressive, and while the ending was never in doubt the journey to get there was entertaining. Nothing that will be memorable by the end of the night but solid nonetheless. Mildly Recommended

Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Kenshin Chikano

Don’t feel bad if you don’t know who these wrestlers are, as they are at the bottom of the indie wrestler totem pole. Kanehara hails from “Kanehara Dojo” which judging by the name is just his own gym. But he is a shoot-style wrestler and actually debuted back in 1991 as he came up in UWF-I. He doesn’t wrestle too often these days and mostly participates in shoot-style matches in promotions such as Hard Hit and Futen. Chikano is much younger as he debuted in 2008, he comes into the match representing DOVE which is a really small indie promotion. He actually retired in 2010 but returned in 2014, wrestling a very limited schedule. I am not sure why they are wrestling on this card but they are so we will watch it with hopes of something magical.

kanadesire-4Kanehara gets Chikano to the mat first but they return to their feet, Chikano slaps Kanehara but Kanehara kicks him as they trade blows. Kanehara gets an armbreaker applied but Chikano gets into the ropes to force a break, kicks by Kanehara as they get up and he gets Chikano’s waist. Kimura by Kanehara but again Chikano gets to the ropes, jumping kick by Kanehara and he hits a scissors kick. Powerslam by Kanehara and he applies a kneelock, but Chikano slides out of it and goes for the armbreaker. Kanehara gets it locked on but Chikano quickly gets a foot onto the ropes, kicks by Chikano back up and he hits a fisherman buster. Jumping kick off the turnbuckle by Chikano, and he covers Kanehara for a one count. Cross armbreaker takedown by Chikano but they are too close to the ropes and Kanehara easily reaches them. Big jumping heel kick by Kanehara and he puts Chikano in a Mexican Surfboard, he then applies a sleeper but Chikano gets into the ropes. 619 attempt by Kanehara but he botches the first one, he connects the second time and he pins Chikano for the three count. Kanehara is the winner.

There were a few issues with this match. First, it wasn’t interesting. I will admit I am not a big fan of shoot-style, so it takes something really special to grip me and this didn’t qualify. Second, the ending move was botched which isn’t a great way to end a match. I understand mistakes happen, in fact I like some sloppiness from time to time, but if the mistake is the finish then wrestlers really should come up with a different ending instead of just re-doing the spot. Nothing really positive here to report.

Mineo Fujita and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Yosuke♥Santa Maria and Shinobu

Now this match is something, Kana is a crazy booker woman. Fujita is from ZERO1 and the bulk of his offense is based on low blows. Okabayashi is the massive Big Japan star that frequently teams with Sekimoto. Yosuke’s gimmick I won’t try to explain as it will likely offend someone but basically it is Yosuke Watanabe playing the role of Dragon Gate’s version of an exotico (when wrestling, Yosuke uses the “she” pronoun, just so I don’t confuse anyone below). And finally we have Shinobu, who is a great high flyer that frequently takes off his trunks. So to summarize, we have a crotch kicker, a BJ Strong wrestler, an exotico, and a thong wearer. I don’t think any additional backstory is necessary, it was just built to be bizarre and I assume it will be.

Fujita and Shinobu kick things off and begin with some limb work and armdrags just for fun before returning to their feet. Okabayashi and Maria are tagged in, waistlock by Maria and she hugs Okabayashi against the ropes. Maria drops down with Okabayashi as he pancakes, but Okabayashi levels her with a hard shoulderblock. Okabayashi tags Fujita back in, he trades waistlocks with Maria, low blow by Fujita and Maria takes a delayed fall to the mat. Maria tags in Shinobu, and Fujita knees Shinobu in the groin. Fujita chokes Shinobu and tags in Okabayashi, chops by Okabayashi and he grabs Shinobu by the nuts. Scoop slams by Okabayashi to Shinobu and he attacks Shinobu in the corner. He goes for a suplex but Shinobu reverses it and tags in Maria. Maria and Okabayashi trade chops, scoop slam by Okabayashi but Yosuke sits on his face for a two count.

kanadesire-5Okabayashi tags in Fujita, Fujita flips Maria out onto the apron but Yosuke hits a swandive missile dropkick. Fujita falls out of the ring and Maria dives out onto Okabayashi with a plancha suicida. Shinobu then gets onto the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto Fujita. Shinobu slides Okabayashi in the ring and he covers him for a two count. Maria returns, she spreads Okabayashi’s legs and Shinobu helps her hit a face crusher onto Okabayashi’s groin. We then go through 30 seconds of groin shots, with everyone getting hit, including the referee so all five are down on the mat. Okabayashi covers Shinobu but the referee is too hurt to finish the count, Okabayashi puts Shinobu in the Argentine Backbreaker but Maria breaks it up with a big ol kiss. Okabayashi throws Shinobu down and grabs Maria, kissing her back and tossing her to the mat. Okabayashi kisses Fujita too for good measure, he hits a lariat on Shinobu and covers him for two. Okabayashi goes off the ropes and hits another lariat, kiss and cover by Okabayashi and he gets the three count! Fujita and Okabayashi pick up the victory.

This was as silly if you’d expect, if not more so. The match really lasted too long, there isn’t any reason to do limb work/armdrag exchanges in a comedy match. But it was an interesting combination as you had Fujita’s groin-based offense mixed in with Maria’s kiss-based offense, and both eventually sucked in Okabayashi so the match was 50% low blows and lip locks. So if you find such things funny you’ll enjoy it, it made me chuckle enough that it wasn’t a wasted match, but just know what you are getting into.

Arisa Nakajima and Yuko Miyamoto vs. Koji Kanemoto and Hikaru Shida

Like most of the matches on this card, this one doesn’t have much of a backstory but it is definitely going to be a more serious match as it is full of grumps. Nakajima hails from JWP and is one of their biggest stars, while Shida is one of the biggest freelancers in Joshi. Kanemoto of course you know as a former New Japan wrestler, he is also now a freelancer. And finally we have Miyamoto, officially representing 666 but best known for his work in Big Japan. All four of these veterans are multi-time champions so I fully expect this one to be a quality match.

Shida and Kanemoto attack before the match starts, with Shida and Nakajima staying in as the legal wrestlers. Hip attack by Shida but Nakajima gets her wrist, takedown by Shida but Nakajima gets out of it. Miyamoto and Kanemoto tag in and they trade holds, Kanemoto flips Miyamoto to the mat and kicks him repeatedly in the chest. Miyamoto manages to tag in Nakajima, Nakajima elbows Kanemoto and she dropkicks him to the mat. Slap by Kanemoto and he knees Nakajima in the chest before kicking her in the back. Kanemoto chokes Nakajima in the corner and throws her into the turnbuckle, scoop slam by Kanemoto but Nakajima fights back. Kanemoto has none of that as he regains the advantage with a hard slap, he puts her in a crab hold but Nakajima gets to the ropes. Kanemoto tags in Shida, Shida clubs on Nakajima and hits a big knee in the corner. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Shida and she applies a crab hold, but Nakajima gets into the ropes again. Shida goes for a suplex but Nakajima blocks it and hits a Sling Blade. Bridging fallaway slam by Nakajima, she picks up Shida but Shida elbows her and they trade blows. Shida wins the battle but Miyamoto finally comes in to help, double Irish whip to Shida but she grabs the ropes as Kanemoto comes into the ring. Kanemoto and Shida both hit running strikes, Shida grabs Nakajima and she hits a gutbuster for a two count. Shida tags in Kanemoto, Nakajima elbows Kanemoto but Kanemoto returns the favor. Nakajima rolls up Kanemoto and hits a quick footstomp, elbows by Nakajima and she hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Nakajima goes for a dragon suplex but Kanemoto blocks it, Nakajima goes off the ropes but Kanemoto boots her in the face. Kicks by Kanemoto, he knocks Nakajima in the corner and gives her some bootscrapes.

kanadesire-6Knee by Kanemoto, he goes for a moonsault and hits it, but Miyamoto breaks up the cover. Ankle hold by Kanemoto but he releases the hold after a moment, Nakajima grabs him from behind and hits a release German followed by a running kick. This gives her time to tag in Miyamoto, Irish whip by Miyamoto to Kanemoto and he hits an overhead belly to belly suplex for two. Jumping double knee by Miyamoto in the corner and he applies a cobra twist while Nakajima does the same to Shida, but Kanemoto gets into the ropes. Miyamoto goes up top to go for a moonsault but Kanemoto recovers and joins him, nailing an avalanche reverse hurricanrana. Kanemoto tags in Shida, Shida goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Miyamoto. Three Count by Shida, she covers Miyamoto but it only gets two. Kanemoto comes in to block Nakajima, Shida goes for the Falcon Arrow on Miyamoto but Miyamoto reverses it into a vertical suplex. Kanemoto kicks Miyamoto, Shida grabs Miyamoto while Kanemoto gets Nakajima and they both hit a Falcon Arrow. Kanemoto and Shida take turns kicking Miyamoto, cover by Shida but Nakajima breaks it up with a missile dropkick. Kanemoto boots Nakajima in the head but Miyamoto drops Kanemoto with a handspring elbow. Miyamoto picks up Shida and nails a spinning Yankee Driver, Miyamoto is up first but Shida sneaks in a small package for two. Shida goes off the ropes but Miyamoto catches her hip attack attempt and hits a release German suplex. Lariat by Miyamoto, he slams Shida in front of the corner and nails a moonsault for the three count! Nakajima and Miyamoto win the match.

This was a really well laid out match that had a good variety of wrestling. It had strike battles, submission holds, suplexes, and big spots all seamlessly mixed together as you would expect to see from four veterans. It did start a bit slow, and my main complaint is that Nakajima never really got revenge on Kanemoto smacking her around most the match as you’d expect to see from the spunky underdog. Still, it was an enjoyable 20 minutes overall, maybe they didn’t want to overshadow the main and co-main as they generally kept it simple but it was still fun to watch. Recommended

Cyber Kong and Masaya Takahashi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto and Magnitude Kishiwada

We are continuing our theme of odd pairings on this event. Kong wrestles in Dragon Gate and is one of their bigger stars, while Takahashi is a Big Japan midcarder officially from the ASUKA Project. On the other side, Sekimoto is the king of BJ Strong in Big Japan while Kishiwada is one of my favorite masked freelancers. Takahashi is definitely the oddest one of the bunch to be in this match, while the rest have not had a lot of interaction (Kishiwada has wrestled in Dragon Gate) they are close to being on the same level while Takahashi is about three tiers below them. Safe to assume that Takahashi is taking the fall here but hopefully the journey to get there will be hard hitting.

Takahashi and Kishiwada kick things off and they keep it basic to start with some limb work until they both tag out. Kong and Sekimoto trade shoulderblock attempts, an exchange that Kong gets the better of, and Kong chokes Sekimoto against the ropes. Kong pushes Sekimoto into the corner and tags in Takahashi, Takahashi goes for a scoop slam but he can’t pick the strong man up. Sekimoto hits his own scoop slam and he tags Kishiwada, Kishiwada boots Takahashi and throws him out of the ring before sliding out as well. Kishiwada gets a chair and hits Takahashi with it a few times, back in the ring Kishiwada hits a big senton and tags Sekimoto back in. Chops by Sekimoto but Takahashi chops him back, Sekimoto knocks Takahashi to the mat and covers him for two. Kishiwada comes back in as they take turns on poor overmatched Takahashi, until he finally tosses Sekimoto to the mat with a judo throw which gives him time to tag in Kong. Kong clubs at Sekimoto, Kishiwada comes in but Kong hits a lariat on both of them. Kong goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop, cover by Kong but it gets a two count. Kong picks up Sekimoto but Sekimoto slides away, Sekimoto kicks back Kong and scoop slams him to the mat. Sekimoto tags Kishiwada, Kishiwada goes off the ropes and he levels Kong with a lariat.

kanadesire-7Takahashi comes in but he eats a dropkick, Kishiwada goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a moonsault onto Kong for a two count cover. Kong blocks the suplex attempt at first, but Kishiwada plants him with a brainbuster anyway. Kishiwada goes for a powerbomb but Kong blocks that better, getting out of it with a back bodydrop. Kishiwada and Kong trade lariats, Kong lariats Kishiwada into the corner and finally knocks him to the mat for a two count. Kong tags Takahashi, body avalanche by Takahashi and he hits a cannonball onto Kishiwada. Irish whip by Takahashi and he catches Kishiwada with a backdrop suplex for a two count. Takahashi picks up Kishiwada but Kishiwada blocks the Irish whip attempt and applies a cobra twist. Kong breaks that up, Sekimoto gets rid of him but Sekimoto lariats Kishiwada by accident. Kong shoulderblocks Sekimoto out of the ring, spear by Takahashi to Kishiwada but Kishiwada barely kicks out. Back up, Takahashi goes for a suplex but Kishiwada blocks it and levels him with a lariat. Kishiwada tags Sekimoto but Takahashi catches Sekimoto with a dropkick. Waistlock by Kishiwada to Takahashi, but Sekimoto comes up from behind and suplexes Kishiwada, which in turn sends Takahashi crashing onto his head. Release German by Sekimoto to Kong, but Kong springs up and hits a lariat, leaving all four men down on the mat. Takahashi and Sekimoto are up first and they trade elbows, chops by Sekimoto and he delivers a jumping kick. Big lariat by Sekimoto, cover, but Takahashi manages to kick out. Sekimoto grabs Takahashi as he starts to get up, nailing the deadlift German Suplex for the three count! Sekimoto and Kishiwada are your victors.

This was a very manly match. There was some time wasted on the Takahashi beatdown, really that wasn’t needed. They could have put another Strong wrestler in his place and just made the whole match clubberin’ time, having the weak link just limited what they could do a bit since Takahashi couldn’t hang with the other three. Once they got past that though I really enjoyed the clashes, and anytime I get to see Kishiwada it is a great, the man can still go. This just made me want to really see a Kong vs. Sekimoto singles match, maybe one day. Not perfect since I didn’t think it was the perfect pairings but they hit hard and often so still worth watching. Mildly Recommended

Gran Hamada, Shiro Koshinaka, and Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Great Kojika, Kana, and Mitsuo Momota

From the best I can understand, this match isn’t as random as the others. Since Kana produced this show, she of course had the power to put herself into any match she wanted. In this case, she wanted to be in a match against all the legends that she watched when she was getting into wrestling, her wrestling idols if you will. It is basically like if I ran my own show, and I teamed with Great Muta and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Vader, Kenta Kobashi, and Rey Mysterio Jr. It may not be the best ‘worked’ match but it is basically her dream match, at least with the wrestlers that were available. So we get to watch Kana’s dream come true, isn’t that touching?

kanadesire-8Fujiwara and Kana are the first two in the match, and Fujiwara promptly slapped her. This pisses off Kana and she kicks the crap out of him, but Fujiwara levels Kana with a headbutt. Another slap by Fujiwara and he stomps Kana, but Kana elbows him back. Headbutt by Fujiwara and he hits another one, cover by Fujiwara but Momota breaks it up. A melee breaks out as the action spills out of the ring, Shida randomly runs over and hits a hip attack on Kana. Miyamoto comes down but Kana hip attacks him, as Fujiwara and Kana finally return to the ring. Headbutt by Fujiwara and he tags in Koshinaka, hip attacks by Koshinaka and he tags in Hamada. Double shoulderblock to Kana, Hamada picks her up and hits a few elbows. Scoop slam by Hamada and Koshinaka is tagged back in, as Kana is beaten down by her wrestling heroes. Kana finally suplexes Koshinaka and makes the hot tag to Momota, Hamada is also tagged in but Momota drops him with a backdrop suplex.

kanadesire-9Momota tags in Kojika, chops by Kojika and he covers Hamada for two. Fujiwara comes in and headbutts Kojika, but Kojika hits a low blow. Missile dropkick by Kana and she kicks Fujiwara some more before putting him in a submission hold. It gets broken up as things break down a bit, Kana goes up top and she hits a diving hip attack on Koshinaka for a two count. Kana tries another hip attack but Koshinaka absorbs the blows and hits a hip attack of his own. Powerbomb by Koshinaka, but Momota breaks up the cover. Koshinaka goes up top and he delivers a diving hip attack, but the cover is broken up again. Kana’s friends run into help, kick by Kana and she covers Koshinaka for two. Kana kicks Koshinaka squarely in the head, but again he kicks out of the pin. Elbows by Kana but Fujiwara comes in and headbutts her. Hamada waltzes in and hits the Hamada-chan Cutter on Kana, Koshinaka picks up Kana and nails the Samurai Bomb for the three count! Hamada, Koshinaka, and Fujiwara win the match.

This wasn’t a smooth match, and it didn’t need six wrestlers. Kojika and Hamada did virtually nothing (Momota wasn’t incredibly active either) and it easily could have been a tag match. But the point was to get all the legends in one match which is what Kana did. It had some cute spots and I thoroughly enjoyed Kana kicking Fujiwara repeatedly, but under normal circumstances this wouldn’t be a great way to end the show. If it wasn’t a Kana produced event this would have just been a fun midcard match, a little treat for the crowd but nothing expected to main event. There are definitely some fun parts but overall it was just too short and really had very little structure to speak of, even though I think Kana put in a good performance.

Original Review Date: 10/15/15

Final Thoughts
3.5

 

From top to bottom this was a really entertaining show, although not without its faults. I love random matches, one of the reasons I watch so many smaller indies is I enjoy seeing something different. The ‘bigger’ promotions have a habit of running the same pairings over and over again so it is nice to see something fresh. This event certainly qualifies as that as it combined a lot of wrestlers that do not usually work together. It wasn’t always smooth but it doesn’t have to be, and the bulk of it was enjoyable easy viewing. The only issue with random pairings is it is hard to get a MOTY out of them as the wrestlers aren’t as familiar with each other, so they tend to keep it more simple. I think in a different setting the Kanemoto/Shida tag could have been even better but it was still the best match on the card. The main event was what it was, and while it really wasn’t a main event quality match it wasn’t bad either. Overall an event worth watching if you just want to see something a bit different as it had a good variety of wrestling styles and had Kana kicking the crap out of Fujiwara, which is all a person can ask for.