Sendai Girls’ 10th Anniversary on 7/2/16 Review

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Event: Sendai Girls ‘”10th Anniversary: Women’s Wrestling Big Show in Niigata”
Date: July 2nd, 2016
Location: Niigata City Gymnasium in Niigata, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,200

We return to Sendai Girls’ after a few months break, but at least when Sendai Girls’ pops up they come with a big show. The Sendai Girls’ younger wrestlers are spread over three different matches, and in the main event we have Satomura defending her title against Stardom’s Io Shirai! Here is the full card:

Some of these matches will be clipped, remember you can click on the names above to get to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City.

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Ayako Hamada vs. Mika Iwata

We begin the show with a rookie showcase match of sorts, as the young Iwata faces the accomplished veteran Ayako Hamada. Iwata debuted last fall and has been impressive when given the chance, unfortunately we don’t get to see much of her since Sendai Girls’ doesn’t make tape as often as other Joshi promotions. Ayako Hamada is the daughter of Gran Hamada and has held over a dozen titles in her career, so to say she out-ranks Iwata is an understatement. Still, it is a chance for the young wrestler to show her progress and maybe learn a few things.

sendai7.2-1Hamada dominates the rookie to start, Iwata fires up with elbows but she eats a big boot for her trouble. Iwata delivers a high kick and kicks to the leg, kick to the chest by Iwata and she covers Hamada for a one count. Hamada comes back with a kick and the two trade elbows, with Hamada getting the better of it. Iwata briefly comes back with a PK but Hamada immediately takes over with a kick to the chest, as the rookie can’t manage any sustained offense. Front roll into a slap by Hamada but Iwata ducks the next one and kicks Hamada in the corner. Inside cradle by Iwata, but Hamada kicks out, enzuigiri by Iwata and she goes up top but Hamada dropkicks her as she jumps off. Lariat by Hamada and she hits a big backdrop suplex, but the cover gets two. Hamada goes up top and nails the moonsault, and she gets the three count! Ayako Hamada wins!

A bit clipped and with the expected result, but still a solid match. Hamada didn’t take it too easy on the rookie, which is good, and it took a series of big moves to put away Iwata so she didn’t lose to a crab hold. I would have liked to have seen all of it and its hard to recommend a short match that is clipped even further, but it was nice to see Iwata again, I think she could be big in Joshi if given the chance.

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Alex Lee vs. Eiger

This is one of the strangest feuds in Joshi. Alex Lee is a fairly popular gaijin Freelancer (popular in that she is used in a lot of different promotions, sendai7.2-2including Stardom) and Eiger is an undead zombie wrestler of sorts. She mostly does comedy matches as one would assume but she can wrestler quite well when she needs to.

The match starts somewhat normally, for an Eiger match, but soon it gets weird as Eiger takes Lee around the ring by her wrist without actually hurting her. They return to the ring, kicks by Lee and she covers Eiger for two. Eiger ducks the next kick and rolls up Lee, leg sweep by Lee and she applies La Magistral for the three count! Alex Lee is the winner.

A five minute match clipped even further, and it didn’t have (or they didn’t show) the comedy that you’d expect from an Eiger match. Way too short to get anything out of, skippable match as shown.

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Hikaru Shida, KAORU, and Rosa vs. Matsumoto, Kandori, and Takako Inoue

On paper, this is a really fun match as Freelancers collided in a massive midcard match. Inoue, Kandori, and KAORU are legends from yesteryear but still can go, while Matsumoto and Shida are two of the top Freelancers on the scene. Nyla Rose is a bit random, she wrestled on a few Marvelous events (one in the US and one in Japan) but is virtually unknown in Japan.

sendai7.2-3Just as a warning, they clipped the hell out of this match so if you were looking forward to it… don’t. KAORU immediately hits Inoue with a piece of table but Inoue recovers and tags in Kandori. Rosa is tagged in too, Kandori tries to knock her over with lariats but Rosa stays up. Rosa lariats Kandori to the mat but Kandori gets back up and hits a judo throw into a cross armbreaker. Its quickly broken up as the wrestlers all spill outside the ring to brawl, with clip ahead in the match with Matsumoto in the ring with Shida. Big lariat by Matsumoto and she covers Shida for two. Matsumoto goes for a powerbomb but KAORU breaks it up, so Matsumoto hits a backdrop suplex on both of them. Sliding Lariat by Matsumoto, but Rosa breaks up the cover. Matsumoto goes for a powerbomb but Shida reverses it with a hurricanrana and delivers the Falcon Arrow for two. Double chop to the chest by Matsumoto and she hits a high angle backdrop suplex on Shida, but the bell rings and time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I think one of the reasons the match was clipped so heavily is that it was void of any Sendai Girls’ wrestlers so the promotion opted to focus on the matches with their own participants. Which makes sense but was still disappointing as I like a lot of these wrestlers and I am sure the full match was entertaining. Even the little bit they showed was good as Matsumoto and Shida looked great together, it was just way too clipped to get excited about.

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Hiroe Nagahama and Syuri vs. Cassandra Miyagi and Kyoko Kimura

This is another match with seemingly random wrestlers thrown together, but since it has a Sendai Girls’ wrestler they will actually show the whole match. Nagahama is affiliated with Pro Wrestling WAVE, while Syuri is a Freelancer and MMA fighter for Pancrase. Miyagi is a crazy young Sendai Girls’ wrestler, while Kimura is a well respected veteran Freelancer that plans to retire later this year.

Nagahama and Miyagi start the match with Miyagi quickly using some heel tactics to get the first advantage before both hit dropkicks. They tag in Syuri and Kimura, Kimura gets Syuri to the mat but Syuri quickly switches positions with her and they return to their feet. Syuri tags in Nagahama, Kimura throws Nagahama out of the ring and Miyagi runs over to help attack her. Kimura and Miyagi take both opponents around the crowd as they brawl around the arena and up to the balcony, back in the late 90s they would have thrown Nagahama off the balcony but wrestlers have mellowed out a bit so they eventually walk back to the ring. Kimura chokes Nagahama in the ring before tagging in Miyagi, scoop slam by Miyagi and she hits a slingshot senton for a two count. Miyagi throws down Nagahama by her hair, Kimura is tagged back in and they continue focusing on the younger Nagahama. Nagahama finally fights back against Kimura and hits a dropkick, giving her time to tag in Syuri. Miyagi chokes Syuri from the apron and comes in the ring, but Syuri kicks both of them before hitting a double Backstabber. Grounded necklock by Syuri to Kimura but Kimura muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex.

sendai7.2-4Back up they trade elbows, jumping knee by Syuri and she covers Kimura for two. Kimura fires back with a backdrop suplex and tags in Miyagi, running elbow by Miyagi and she hits Syuri with a face crusher. Miyagi ducks the high kick and dropkicks Syuri in the leg before covering her for two. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker, Miyagi blocks it so Syuri applies a seated armbar instead. Miyagi gets to the ropes, Syuri tags in Nagahama and Nagahama hits a series of dropkicks on Miyagi for two. Dropkick by Nagahama in the corner but Miyagi throws the referee in front of her so that Nagahama hits the referee by accident. Kimura comes in the ring with a chair and hits both Nagahama and Syuri, she then sits Nagahama in the chair and they deliver a double big boot. Miyagi slams Nagahama to the mat, the recovered referee starts the count but Syuri breaks up the cover and hits a German suplex on Miyagi. Syuri and Nagahama double team Miyagi, Nagahama picks up Miyagi and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Kimura comes back in to help but Miyagi hits a missile dropkick on her by accident, Syuri comes in but Nagahama dropkicks her by accident, leaving just Miyagi and Nagahama in the ring. Missile dropkick by Miyagi and she hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Ebisu Drop by Miyagi, but the cover is broken up by Syuri. Syuri kicks Miyagi in the stomach, Nagahama goes off the ropes and she applies the Kasadora for the three count! Nagahama and Syuri are the winners.

An entertaining match, we saw a lot more of Syuri here than we did on the Oz Academy show I last reviewed which was a real plus. This is the best I have seen from Nagahama, normally she looks a bit tentative in the ring but maybe teaming with Syuri gave her some fighting spirit as she was a lot more fired up. Kimura and Miyagi were a logical team since both are missing a few screws, and all four worked well together. Solid stuff all the way around, Miyagi and Nagahama are not on Syuri or Kimura’s level but they did a good job elevating them up to put on a good show.  Mildly Recommended

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DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Aja Kong and Rydeen Hagane

Sendai Girls’ is attempting to set the record for most random tag matches on one card, as we have another one here. Chisako and Hashimoto are Sendai Girls’ affiliated wrestlers, with Hashimoto being their star rookie. Kong is a Freelancer but a regular wrestler in Sendai Girls’, while Hagane is a younger wrestler that is affiliated with JWP.

Hashimoto and Hagane kick things off, Hashimoto quickly starts working the headlock but Hagane rolls out of it and they face off again. Both wrestlers go for scoop slams, Hashimoto wins the battle and she tags in Chisako. Dropkick by Chisako but Hagane hits a high speed hip toss followed by a running bodypress for two. Hagane teams Kong and Kong stands on Chisako near the ropes. Kong applies a stretch hold before letting her up and hitting a hard lariat in the corner for a two count. Delayed piledriver by Kong but Chisako rolls out of the backdrop suplex attempt and dropkicks Kong in the knee, giving her time to tag in Hashimoto. Hashimoto gets Kong to the mat but Kong swats her away, Kong pushes her back into her corner and tags in Hagane. Body splash by Hashimoto in the corner and she hits Hagane with hip attacks. Hagane tries to hit a body press but Hashimoto moves, Irish whip by Hashimoto but Hagane shoulderblocks her to the mat. Lariats by Hagane in the corner, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the Reverse Splash for two. She tags in Kong but Hashimoto plants Kong with a spear, she picks up Kong and hits a front rolling slam before tagging in Chisako.

sendai7.2-5Chisako keeps the heat on Kong as she dropkicks her, another dropkick by Chisako in the corner and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. Hashimoto comes in and they try to suplex Kong, but Kong blocks it and hits her own double vertical suplex. Backdrop suplex by Kong to Chisako, and she tags in Hagane. Hagane gets Chisako up in a press slam before throwing her to the mat, lariats by Hagane but Chisako barely kicks out of the cover. Hashimoto comes in to help Chisako regain control, dropkick by Chisako and she goes up top, but Kong grabs her from the apron which gives Hagane time to recover. Hagane joins Chisako and hits a superplex, getting a two count cover. Chisako slides away from Hagane and with Hashimoto’s help she hits a crucifix slam for a two. Chisako and Hagane trade elbows, dropkick by Chisako and Hashimoto hits a hip attack from the apron. Hashimoto comes in the ring and hits a somersault senton fro the second turnbuckle, diving footstomp by Chisako but Kong hauls ass and breaks up the cover. Kong throws Hashimoto out of the ring and hits Chisako with her paint can before hitting a body avalanche in the corner. Hagane goes up top and hits the diving bodypress, but Hashimoto breaks it up. Kong and Hagane go for a lariat on Chisako but Chisako moves, causing them to hit each other. Kong accidentally hits Hagane with the paint can, German suplex by Chisako to Hagane and she nails the Hormone Splash for the three count! DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto are your winners!

Another really solid match, a touch better then the match we just saw as it was a bit more cohesive. Kong can still go for a wrestler her age, she is limited but she wrestles well within those limitations and is fun to watch. Chisako has been bringing it hard this year, perhaps to prove she is more than just one half of the former tag team with her sister Sachiko, and Hashimoto looked great as usual. Hashimoto is perhaps the best rookie on the current Joshi scene, just a great wrestling base and incredibly strong. Never a dull moment in this one as they were going full tilt, definitely worth a watch.  Recommended

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(c) Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

This match is for the Sendai Girls’ World Championship. Finally the re-match that everyone has been waiting for, as Satomura looks to avenge her loss from December against Stardom’s Ace. Not a lot has changed since December, Shirai still has lots of belts but she isn’t putting any of them up for grabs here, as Satomura is defending her Sendai Girls’ World Championship. Satomura won the title when it was first created last fall, but this is only her second defense after beating Aja Kong in April. I have said before that the only way to beat Shirai is with a quick roll-up or by killing her, Satomura wouldn’t use the first method so to win she will have to do enough to keep down Shirai for good.

They begin the match with a knuckle lock before quickly going to strikes, armdrag by Shirai and she delivers a dropkick before kipping up to her feet. Satomura hits her own armdrag and puts Shirai in STF, she then goes for a crab hold but Shirai fights out of it. Satomura hits Shirai and applies the crab hold anyway, but Shirai reverses it into her own crab hold. Texas Cloverleaf by Shirai but Satomura gets to the ropes, scoop slam by Shirai and she hits her handstand walk double kneedrop for two. Shirai goes off the ropes but Satomura catches her with a high kick, Shirai comes back with a flip into a dropkick which sends Satomura out of the ring. Shirai sails out after her with a plancha suicida, she slides Satomura back in and hits a running double knee in the corner for a two count. Spinning heel kick by Satomura and she hits the cartwheel knee strike, backdrop suplex by Satomura but Shirai blocks the next one as she lands on top of Satomura. Dropkick to the head by Shirai, Satomura rolls out of the ring as Shirai goes to the top turnbuckle, but Satomura slides back in before Shirai can jump and joins her up top. Superplex by Satomura and she hits a hard elbow, but Shirai catches a kick and hits a dragon screw. Satomura bails from the ring to try to recover but Shirai jumps up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a moonsault onto Satomura on the floor.

sendai7.2-6Back in the ring, Shirai gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, covering Satomura for two. Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she dragon screws Satomura into the ropes. Swandive dropkick by Shirai and she covers Satomura for a two count. Shirai rolls Satomura to the mat and applies a leglock, but Satomura gets into the ropes for the break. Satomura cuts off Shirai with an uppercut and kicks her in the head, Satomura goes up top and she hits a diving body press for a two count. Sleeper by Satomura but Shirai gets out of  it, Satomura picks up Shirai and kicks her a few times in the head, but Shirai kicks out of the pin. Death Valley Bomb by Satomura, but Shirai gets a shoulder up. Shirai comes back with her own buzzsaw kick, she hits a German suplex hold but keeps it applied and rolls into two suplexes, holding the last one for a two count. Shirai goes up top and hits the moonsault, she quickly goes up top again but Satomura is up and kicks her in the leg before she can jump off. Pele Kick by Satomura, Shirai goes for the double underhook facebuster but Satomura escapes and kicks her to the mat. Pele Kick by Satomura, she picks up Shirai and delivers another Death Valley Bomb. Satomura follows that with another Death Valley Bomb and then a third, cover by Satomura and she gets the three count! Meiko Satomura is still the Sendai Girls’ World Champion!

An excellent and exciting match through and through, the only real criticism is I don’t think it did anything to elevate itself beyond their first match. When looking at a feud or match series you’d like to see more callbacks or something changing, but I think their match in December was better. Not that that makes this a bad match as it wasn’t at all, these are two of the best wrestlers in the world and they pulled out everything to put on a good show. The last Death Valley Bomb to Shirai was almost literally deadly and was a good exclamation point to the match, no one would expect Shirai to kick out from that. The strikes were very on point and they both countered each other’s moves very smoothly, even a simple crab hold wasn’t done without a real struggle. A high end match for sure and other promotions will be hard pressed to put on a better match this month, even if it wasn’t quite as good as their previous match its still definitely worth viewing.  Highly Recommended

Final Thoughts
3.3

 

Once you accept the fact that the first three matches are too clipped to get excited about, this was a solid card. The random tag matches were a bit…. random but they still delivered on some level and had some quality wrestlers involved, and of course the main event was incredible. This is the largest crowd for any Joshi event so far in 2016, Sendai Girls’ doesn’t have a lot of big shows but when they do they always go all out. Definitely check out the last three matches, the first half of the card has some good stuff too but it was just too cut to really recommend.