SEAdLINNNG Summer Blast on 8/24/17 Review

Event: SEAdLINNNG “Summer Blast”
Date: August 24th, 2017
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 736

Soon as I saw this card I knew I had to watch it at the earliest possible moment, so much potential for goodness. First, we have the end of the ULTRA-7 Tournament, which features four quality wrestlers in Mio Momono, Yoshiko, Takumi Iroha, and Sareee. We also get a very special match between Nanae Takahashi and Great Sasuke in a TLC match, which is obviously insane. On top of that, we also get Best Friends! Here is the full card:

• Kaho Kobayashi vs. Manami Toyota vs. Maruko Nagasaki
• ULTRA U-7 Tournament Semi Final: Mio Momono vs. Yoshiko
• ULTRA U-7 Tournament Semi Final: Sareee vs. Takumi Iroha
• TLC Match: Great Sasuke vs. Nanae Takahashi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami
• ULTRA U-7 Tournament Final: Takumi Iroha vs. Yoshiko

All the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on the website, you can click on their name to go straight to it. Since this event aired on Nico Pro, all matches are shown in full.

Kaho Kobayashi vs. Manami Toyota vs. Maruko Nagasaki
The show kicks off with a “High Speed” match. This means that Natsuki Taiyo is the referee, and before pinning an opponent the wrestler first must bounce off the ropes a few times. They are playful matches with comedy elements, not to be taken too seriously. Manami Toyota is in the process of her farewell tour, as after one of the most successful careers in Joshi history she is retiring in November. Kaho Kobayashi wrestles primarily in OZ Academy and comes into the match with the OZ Tag Team Championship, while Maruko Nagasaki is a young wrestler from Ice Ribbon.

Kaho and Maruko double team the legend to start the match but with little success initially. They deliver a double dropkick to get Manami on the mat, they both try to cover her but they only get two counts. They take turns covering Manami until they tire themselves out running off the ropes, Manami puts both of her opponents in the ropes and dropkicks them in the back. Manami covers Maruko, but Natsuki doesn’t count since she didn’t go off the ropes first. Manami puts Maruko in a leglock, Kaho tries to help by dropkicking Manami, but each time she does it just puts more pressure on Maruko. Kaho puts Manami in an octopus hold but Manami pushes her off, Maruko jumps on Manami’s back but Kaho schoolboys her for two. Kaho and Maruko both go off the ropes, Kaho tries to dropkick Manami but connects with Maruko by accident. Rolling Cradle by Manami, but Kaho grabs Natsuki while she is rolling around and flings the referee out of the ring. Manami chases Natsuki around the outside of the ring but isn’t able to catch her. Manami trips everyone, she gets up on the top turnbuckle but everyone runs away before she can dive off. They return to the ring, Maruko and Kaho trade elbows until Maruko connects with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Maruko but Kaho hits an enzuigiri, cover by Kaho but it gets a two count. Manami finally gets off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick to Kaho, Maruko rolls up Manami but it gets two. Big boot by Manami to Maruko, and she drops her with the Japanese Ocean Queen Bomb. Manami goes off the ropes before making the cover, and she gets the three count! Manami Toyota is the winner.

Its really hard to dislike High Speed matches, they are silly as hell but the wrestlers are having so much fun. Manami of course is multifaceted, she can do goofy matches like this or drop you on your head, it doesn’t matter too much to her. I miss Natsuki so its always nice to see her get involved in matches, and the match was short enough that it didn’t get old. Nothing that needs to be hunted down but a fine way to start the show.

Mio Momono vs. Yoshiko
This match is part of the ULTRA U-7 Tournament. I couldn’t find what U-7 means so I am going to assume it means only wrestlers with under seven years of experience. But really its just a fun tournament with both SEAdLINNNG wrestlers and wrestlers from other promotions. Mio Momono scored an upset victory over Kaho Kobayashi in the first round, she is a young wrestler from Marvelous. Yoshiko is SEAdLINNNG’s young Ace, she defeated Rin Kadokura in the first round to reach the Semi Final.

They tie-up to start, Yoshiko gets Mio to the mat but Mio springs back to her feet before they trade arm holds. Yoshiko applies a side headlock, Mio gets out of it and hits an armdrag, but Yoshiko blocks the next one and hits an armdrag of her own. Yoshiko drives Mio into the corner but Mio slides out of the ring, Mio crawls under the ring and pops out the other side, Yoshiko chases her around but can’t catch her. They finally both get back in the ring, stomps by Mio but Yoshiko swats aside her dropkick and applies a chinlock. Bodyscissors by Yoshiko and she sits on Mio’s chest, Yoshiko picks up Mio but Mio avoids her attempt to sit on her and hits a couple dropkicks. Mio finally gets Yoshiko off her feet, Mio goes for a scoop slam but Yoshiko blocks it. Yoshiko hits her own scoop slam but Mio fires back with elbows, dropkick by Mio and she covers Yoshiko for two. Mio goes up top and goes for a diving crossbody, but Yoshiko catches her and hits a backbreaker. Yoshiko dropkicks Mio out of the ring and goes out after her, Yoshiko throws Mio into the chairs at ringside and lariats her against the wall. Yoshiko brings Mio back to the ringside to throw her into more chairs, she drags Mio back into the ring and covers her for two. Yoshiko picks up Mio but Mio wiggles away, elbows by Mio but Yoshiko catches her in a sleeper. She keeps the hold in for several moments but Mio will not submit as she finally makes it to the ropes, Yoshiko sits on Mio’s chest but Mio pushes her off before the three count. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, and the bell rings as the 15 minutes has expired.

Since this is a tournament, you can’t have a draw, so after a brief recovery the bell rings again and the match continues. Mio goes for a backslide but it only gets a two count, she goes for a few more quick pins but Yoshiko kicks out. Hard shoulderblock by Yoshiko but Mio avoids the running senton, crucifix cover by Mio but it gets a two as well. Mio picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a Samoan Drop, running senton by Yoshiko and she covers Mio for a two count. Kick to the stomach by Yoshiko bu Mio reverses the cover into one of her own, Mio goes off the ropes but Yoshiko kicks her in the chest. Sliding lariat by Yoshiko, and she picks up the three count! Yoshiko wins the match and reaches the Finals of the tournament.

I liked the story they were telling, but it felt like they were going for the draw as in the first 15 minutes neither went for anything that felt like a match ending move. That’s a long time to have what basically amounts to filler, very little happened during the first portion of the match. They wrestled with more urgency in the Overtime Period, no issues there, but the first chunk just felt empty. The brawling around the ring was well done and Mio looked good in her hope spots, it was just longer than it needed to be to tell the same basic story. Not a bad match, just too stretched out and Mio isn’t quite good enough yet to look convincing in a match of this length.

Sareee vs. Takumi Iroha
This match is part of the ULTRA U-7 Tournament. Sareee formally wrestled for Diana and is now a contracted SEAdLINNNG wrestler, she defeated Hirori in the first round of the tournament. Takumi Iroha is the young Ace from Marvelous, she trained in Stardom before leaving the promotion in 2015. Takumi defeated Kyuri in the first round and is looking to advance to the finals to face her old rival Yoshiko.

Takumi and Sareee trade waistlocks to start, Takumi goes for a cross armbreaker but Sareee blocks it. Takumi eventually gets it locked on but Sareee quickly gets to the ropes, headlock by Takumi but Sareee applies a headscissors and both wrestlers get to their feet again. Leg sweep by Takumi and she kicks Sareee in the chest, Sareee kicks her back and kicks Takumi repeatedly on the mat. Takumi gets back up and hits a snap vertical suplex, cover by Takumi but it gets a two count. Kicks to the chest by Takumi and she charges Sareee, but Sareee holds down the ropes and Takumi lands on the apron. Sareee dropkicks Takumi out of the ring, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody down to the floor. Sareee slides Takumi back into the ring, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick before dropkicking Takumi again. Waistlock by Sareee but Takumi reverses it, roll-up by Sareee and she hits a footstomp to Takumi’s midsection. Sareee goes up top again but Takumi joins her, Sareee pushes her off and delivers a diving footstomp for a two count. Sareee slides away from Takumi but Takumi hits a superkick, German suplex hold by Sareee but Takumi kicks out at two. Sareee picks up Takumi but Takumi blocks the uranage, she goes off the rope but Sareee grabs her again. Sareee goes off the ropes but Takumi catches her with a heel kick, German suplex hold by Takumi but Sareee gets a shoulder up. Sareee and Takumi trade elbows while on their knees, they keep trading shots as they return to their feet, heel kick by Sareee and both wrestlers knock each other down at the same time. Sareee goes for the uranage again but Takumi blocks it, hurricanrana by Sareee but it gets a two count. Hard elbow by Sareee, she picks up Takumi but Takumi hits a superkick. High kick by Takumi, she drags up Sareee and drops her with a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Takumi picks up Sareee again, Running Three by Takumi and she gets the three count! Takumi Iroha wins and reaches the Finals of the tournament.

A more low-key match than you’d expect from these two, probably due to the circumstances, but still a good match. Takumi and Sareee are both really crisp with their strikes, lots of great kicks and their exchanges were well done. Sareee never did hit her uranage, so they kept that in their pocket for a future encounter, and it was a convincing finish by Takumi. I wouldn’t say it was a great match as it felt like they were holding back, but an entertaining midcard match.  Mildly Recommended

Great Sasuke vs. Nanae Takahashi
This is a TLC Match. Sometimes in smaller indie promotions, you get really random matches you thought you would never see. This is one of those times. Great Sasuke is a legend in the business, known for his success in New Japan and of course for promoting Michinoku Pro for over 20 years. Nanae Takahashi is the owner and operator of SEAdLINNNG and a respected wrestler on the Joshi scene, so it seems only natural that she would challenge one of the craziest wrestlers in recent memory to a TLC Match. Nothing really on the line here, just a fun spectacle before two accomplished veterans.

They begin with simple holds, ignoring the weapons propped up in each corner. Sasuke sets up some chairs in front of the corner with the table, he then puts the ladder in front of the chairs but Nanae throws him into the stack. Chops by Nanae and she chokes Sasuke in the corner, but Sasuke pushes her down and goes for Nanae’s leg. Snapmare by Sasuke and she puts a ladder across the top rope, he climbs on top and puts the ladder around his neck, but Nanae pulls him off the turnbuckles and he goes head and ladder first into the mat. Nanae puts the ladder on her neck but Sasuke kicks her into the corner, she tries to hit Nanae with a chair but she ducks. Nanae hits Sasuke in the head with the ladder, she puts some chairs down on the mat before hitting Sasuke with one. Nanae slams Sasuke onto the chairs, she goes up top but Sasuke recovers and joins her. Vertical suplex by Sasuke onto the pile of chairs, cover by Sasuke but it gets a two count. Sasuke puts a chair in the corner, he then sets up a table before throwing Nanae into the corner with the chairs stuck in it. Sasuke sets up a tower of chairs on the table, he then puts the ladder up near the tables and climbs up it for reasons unknown, which leads to Nanae pushing the ladder over. Sasuke face plants instead of going through the table/chair setup, Nanae hits Sasuke with a chair and then dropkicks a chair into Sasuke’s head, cover by Nanae but it gets two. Nanae puts more chairs on the mat but Sasuke back bodydrops her onto the pile, he sets up more chairs near the corner and puts Nanae on the chairs as he goes up top, but Nanae recovers and joins him. Nanae slides around Sasuke and powerbombs him spine-first onto the chairs, cover by Nanae but it gets a two count.  Nanae puts a chair onto Sasuke, she climbs up to the top of the ladder and hits the Refrigerator Bomb, but Sasuke gets a shoulder up on the cover. Nanae puts the ladder on its side, she drops Sasuke onto it with the Nana☆Racka, picking up the three count pinfall! Nanae Takahashi is your winner!

The only way to describe this match is “fascinating.” It wasn’t good, or bad, but just captivating. Great Sasuke was going out of his way to take bumps no 48 year old person should, and it was like he was Wile E Coyote as each time he set up a contraption he was the one that got hurt by it. The bulk of the match was “Sasuke sets up spot, gets hurt, Sasuke sets up spot, gets hurt” until it ended. Typically I dislike this match style but on some level it was still interesting since each time Great Sasuke would set up a spot all you can do is shake your head and wonder how it will backfire. More a unique spectacle than anything else.

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami
It is rare for two tag teams with wrestlers from different promotions to collide when still in peak form, but that is what we are getting here. Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa are known as “Best Friends,” they have multiple tag title reigns between them and are two of the top wrestlers from their promotions (SEAdLINNNG and Ice Ribbon, respectively). Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami are from Pro Wrestling WAVE, this year they have already held the tag titles in both Pro Wrestling WAVE and Ice Ribbon. There are few certainties in life, but it is safe to assume that this will be an entertaining match.

Ohata and Tsukasa start the match but Arisa immediately runs in to help, they put Ohata in the ropes and pour salt and pepper on it. I’m sure for a good reason. Back in the ring, Ohata elbows Tsukasa and throws her into the corner, she drags Arisa into the ring and drives her head repeatedly into the mat. Curb stomp by Ohata and she tags in Ryo, Ryo goes off the ropes and she hits a hard shoulderblock on Arisa. Another shoulderblock by Ryo and she hits a scoop slam followed by a quick legdrop for two. Wristlock by Ryo and she bites Arisa’s arm, they struggle for position on the mat but Ryo manages to tag in Ohata. Ohata kicks down Arisa in the corner but Arisa pushes her off and they two trade strikes. Hard mounted elbows by Ohata and she tags Ryo, Irish whip by Ryo but Arisa reverses it and hits a Sling Blade. Ohata comes in and Arisa is double teamed, lariats by Ryo while Arisa is against the ropes and she covers her for a two count. Ohata is tagged back in and she puts Arisa in a camel clutch, she then hits a trio of curb stomps before Ryo returns to the ring as the legal wrestler.

Arisa greets Ryo with elbows but Ryo hits a back bodydrop, she puts Arisa in the corner but Arisa dropkicks her when she charges in. Tsukasa comes in and dropkicks Ryo as well, tornado DDT by Arisa and with Tsukasa they hit Ryo with a double dropkick. Arisa goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she tags in Tsukasa but Ohata comes in too. Tsukasa pushes Ryo into Ohata and footstomps Ryo onto her, PK by Tsukasa and she covers Ryo for two. Cross-arm submission by Tsukasa but Ryo muscles out of it, Anaconda Vice by Ryo but Tsukasa eventually gets a foot on the ropes. Ryo tags in Ohata, low crossbody by Ohata and she goes up top, Tsukasa tries to join her but Ohata pushes her down and hits a Tree of Woe Footstomp. Ryo comes in and they double team Tsukasa, Stunner by Ohata but Tsukasa kicks her in the back. Arisa comes in and hits a release German on Ohata, cover by Tsukasa but it gets a two count. Tsukasa picks up Ohata and hits a strike combination, Ohata pushes her off when she goes for a flip powerbomb however and Ryo runs in and hits a leg drop. Hurricanrana by Tsukasa, but Ohata barely gets a shoulder up. Tsukasa quickly dropkicks Ohata and tags in Arisa, rolling Germans by Arisa but Ohata kicks out of the fourth when Arisa holds it for a pin.

Ohata grabs the ropes to block the Half and Half, Arisa goes for a kick but Ohata ducks it before Ryo hits Arisa from the apron. Kicks by Ohata and the two trade elbows, Ohata knocks Arisa to the mat first and covers her for two. Cutie Special by Arisa, but Ohata kicks out. Arisa goes up top but Ohata joins her, Tsukasa dropkicks Ohata from behind and Arisa knocks Ohata to the mat. Ohata avoids Arisa’s doublestomp, Ryo puts Arisa on her shoulders and throws her to the mat before Ohata hits a diving body press for two. Ohata picks up Arisa and hits a crucifix bomb, she drags Arisa to her feet but Arisa quickly hits a release dragon suplex. Kick to the head by Arisa, she delivers the package German but it only gets a two count. Tsukasa is in the ring but Ryo lariats both Tsukasa and Arisa, Arisa elbows Ohata until Ohata applies a quick roll-up for two. All four are in the ring elbowing each other, Ohata and Arisa both hit German suplexes on their respective opponents before trading elbows again. Ohata picks up Arisa, Ryo lariats Arisa before Ohata hits a German suplex hold, but Tsukasa breaks it up. Assisted cutter to Tsukasa, Ohata drops Arisa with a fisherman buster but Arisa barely gets a shoulder up. Ryo comes back over but Tsukasa dropkicks both of them, Arisa gets Ohata in a suplex but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I loved this match, even it not having a conclusive ending didn’t bother me since it was just so fast paced and entertaining. Both of these teams work so well both with their teammates and with each other, its amazing the pace they can go at and still be so smooth. The speed in which they do everything, even after a pinfall kick out there were no pauses as they quickly went back in again. I think most wrestling chants are silly but these two would deserve the “Fight Forever” chant, as it just felt like a battle of attrition from bell to bell. This match had great teamwork, strike battles, suplexes, and a sense of urgency you don’t always see in wrestling these days. A great match between two great tag teams.  Highly Recommended

Takumi Iroha vs. Yoshiko
This is the Finals of the ULTRA U-7 Tournament. These two have been at odds since their Stardom days, and while Yoshiko was a higher ranked wrestler back then, they are a bit more even now as Takumi has grown a lot since joining Marvelous. They last met in Marvelous on April 15th, however that match ended in a Draw so they have unfinished business. The winner of the tournament will get bragging rights, and either way I am sure this feud will not end after this match.

Takumi kicks Yoshiko in the back before the match starts, kicks by Takumi and she throws Yoshiko hard into the turnbuckles. Heel kick by Takumi, and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Kicks by Takumi and she applies a Scorpion Deathlock, but Yoshiko gets to the ropes for the break. Takumi drapes Yoshiko on the top rope and goes to the turnbuckle, hitting a footstomp to Yoshiko’s back. Takumi picks up Yoshiko and hits a strike combination, but Yoshiko avoids a kick and hits a Codebreaker. Kick to the chest by Yoshiko and she hits a quick senton before putting Takumi in a sleeper hold. Takumi gets into the ropes for the break, Takumi slides away from Yoshiko but Yoshiko blocks the suplex and elbows her off. Superkick by Takumi and she hits a butterfly suplex hold, but Yoshiko kicks out at two. Takumi goes up top but Yoshiko hits her before she can jump off, Yoshiko joins her and the two trade elbows. Yoshiko gets Takumi on her shoulders and hits an avalanche Samoan Drop, cover by Yoshiko but it gets two. Yoshiko gets on the second turnbuckle but Takumi avoids the diving senton, crab hold by Takumi but Yoshiko inches to the ropes to force a break. Takumi goes up top but Yoshiko rolls out of the way of the Swanton Bomb, they both slowly get up and trade elbows on their feet. High kick by Takumi and she hits three superkicks, cover by Takumi but Yoshiko gets a shoulder up. Takumi goes up top again, frog flash by Takumi and she immediately goes up top again, nailing the Swanton Bomb for a two count. Takumi goes for the Running Three but Yoshiko slides away and puts Takumi in the sleeper. Takumi almost goes out but manages to get a toe on the bottom rope, Yoshiko picks up Takumi and hits a Samoan side slam for two. Diving senton by Yoshiko off the second turnbuckle, but Takumi kicks out at two again. Yoshiko goes for a lariat but Takumi ducks it and delivers a high kick, Takumi gets Yoshiko up and hits a sit-down powerbomb, but Yoshiko gets a shoulder up on the cover. Takumi drags Yoshiko to her feet and hits a release German, but Yoshiko rolls to her feet and hits a lariat. Another lariat by Yoshiko, she gets up on the top turnbuckle and nails the diving senton for the three count! Your winner of the match and the tournament is Yoshiko!

Like both of their respective midcard matches, this one didn’t have that real sense of importance that you may have hoped for. It was still a good match, you can tell the influence that Chigusa Nagayo has on Takumi Iroha as she has a pretty old-school style. She uses a fair amount of submissions, then mixes in kicks before using power moves like the powerbombs to keep her opponent down, the only difference is she also has some top rope moves like the Swanton Bomb as well. It felt like it ended a bit too soon, it was a pretty even match and I wouldn’t have minded another lariat or two to further weaken Takumi. Solid, but it was a step down from the previous match, maybe my exceptions were too high but I was expecting a bit more from two talented young wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended