Event: Stardom X Stardom 2022 Nagoya MidSummer Encounter
Date: August 21st, 2022
Location: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,353
Broadcast: PPV and streamed on Stardom World

Stardom is easily my favorite Joshi promotion, but I don’t review their events very often for one primary reason – they are long. These reviews take a fair amount of time to do. Its not because of the play by play – I have to watch the matches anyway and I type super fast so no time lost there, but I do a fair amount of prep work to make the reviews as informative as possible. That means setting up the formatting, finding pictures, looking up why the match is happening, the stakes, the fallout, making GIFs, etc. and the more matches there are, the longer this takes. But occasionally I have to go back and review a Stardom event since I know a lot of Stardom fans visit the website.

Since I do not want to parachute into the middle of the FIVE STAR GP, which would require a lot of work, instead I am going to review their latest standalone show -Stardom X Stardom 2022. A pretty massive show with eight matches, all their stars are here and there are five title matches. They tend to stack their PPV events when they can. The downside is originally, KAIRI was on the event but missed it due to coming down with COVID. So I am sad I will miss out on seeing her, but the show still has a lot going for it, including Nanae Takahashi returning to take on Syuri! Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Miyu Amasaki
• Hina vs. Maika
• Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Giulia and Mai Sakurai vs. Rina and Ruaka
• Captain’s Fall: AZM, Lady C, and Utami Hayashishita vs. Saya Iida, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Kohgo
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima, and Starlight Kid vs. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, and SAKI
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Natsupoi and Tam Nakano
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka
• World Of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Onto the show!

(c) Hanan vs. Miyu Amasaki
Future of Stardom Championship

Miyu dropkicks Hanan as the bell rings, Miyu elbows Hanan in the corner and Irish whips her, hitting the Space Rolling Elbow. She goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a judo toss, Irish whip by Hanan but Miyu hits a dropkick. Hanan fires back with a dropkick of her own, trip by Hanan but Miyu rolls away and dropkicks Hanan in the knee. Miyu rolls Hanan to the mat and applies a knee submission, but Hanan gets to the ropes for the break. Miyu picks up Hanan and goes off the ropes, and she somewhat hits an overly ambitious springboard tornado DDT. She tries the spot again and nails it this time, cover by Miyu but it gets two. Double underhook by Miyu but Hanan spins away, she runs to the corner and rebounds out with a crossbody for two. Hanan picks up Miyu but Miyu gets out of the scoop slam, nailing a jumping DDT for two.

Miyu picks up Hanan and applies a double underhook, but Hanan gets away and hits a jumping knee. Hanan goes off the ropes but Miyu avoids her strike attempt and applies a kneelock. Hanan again makes the ropes for the break, Miyu picks up Hanan and delivers a double underhook facebuster, but Hanan barely kicks out. Elbows by Miyu to Hanan, she goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a Cutie Special. Hanan goes off the ropes and hits a Fameasser, double wrist-clutch suplex hold by Hanan but it only gets two. Hanan picks up Miyu but Miyu gets away, cradle by Miyu with a jackknife but it gets two. Miyu charges Hanan but Hanan hits a STO, Fameasser by Hanan but Miyu kicks out of the cover. Hanan drags Miyu up and knees her in the face, Blockbuster Hold by Hanan and she picks up the three count! Hanan wins the match and retains the championship.

Hmm this wasn’t very good. The match felt a lot longer than it was as they kept repeating spots, and Miyu probably isn’t quite ready yet to be trying some of the moves she is trying. In a way she reminds me of Saya Kamitani – Saya in her first year also tried a lot of moves with limited success, but she figured it out. Hopefully Miyu can figure it out as well, but she’s not there yet. Hanan is solid enough but isn’t able to carry a match, so this was pretty sloppy and not structured very well. I appreciate the effort from both, but this didn’t click.

Hina vs. Maika

Maika and Hina circle each other, they end up on the mat but neither can get a clear advantage. They return to their feet, Maika throws Hina into the corner and hits a hard shoulderblock. Maika goes off the ropes but Hina ducks her charge and hits a hip toss. STO by Hina, he quickly picks Maika back up and hits a second one for a two count. Hina goes for the cross armbreaker and gets it looked in, but Maika quickly gets to the ropes to force a break. Hina grabs Maika but Maika elbows off of her, she goes off the ropes but Hina does as well and she slams Maika to the mat. Hina picks up Maika and delivers a wrist-clutch side slam, cover by Hina but Maika kicks out. Hina goes for a slam but Maika blocks it, Hina goes off the ropes but Maika levels her with a lariat. Maika picks up Hina but Hina snaps off a quick STO, covering Maika for two. Hina goes for a scoop slam but Maika pushes her off and hits a powerslam. Maika picks up Hina and hits the cross-arm STO, but Hina barely gets a shoulder up. Maika drags Hina to her feet but Hina slides away, Gedo Clutch by Hina but it gets two. Lariat by Maika, but Hina sneaks in an small package when Maika goes to pick her up. Maika kicks out of it and hits another lariat, Enka Otoshi by Maika, and she picks up the three count! Maika is the winner.

This was a good short match. Hina has improved since her debut, which makes sense as she debuted when she was about 12 years old. She doesn’t have the most varied offense but she hits what she does well. Maika is great, I’d have liked to have seen her in a bigger match but she executed here and all her moves had impact. Solid way to kick off the show.

Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Giulia and Sakura vs. Rina and Ruaka

Under triple threat rules, all three teams have one legal wrestler at a time. Rina, Mai, and Ami start the match, Ami is double teamed right off the bat but she starts getting the better of things until Giulia and Ruaka run in to help. Ruaka and Ami end up in the ring as the legal wrestlers apparently, but Rina pulls Ami out of the ring as things break down quickly. Rina grabs MIRAI and throws her into Ami, Oedo Tai then do the same to the two DDM members. Mai is rolled into the ring and is double teamed by Oedo Tai, Rina stays in as the legal wrestler and she covers Mai for a two count. Mai fights back as Ruaka runs in, and she hits a reverse DDT/Stunner combination on both of them. Giulia comes in with Rina and MIRAI, she takes care of both of them before suplexing Rina to the mat. Giulia goes towards the ropes but Rina grabs her by the hair and throws her to the mat. Giulia grabs Rina by the throat but lets go, Rina offers her hand but she throws Giulia to the mat instead.

Rina goes for a slam but Giulia reverses it, Giulia applies a STF but Ruaka breaks it up. Mai also comes in but Ami lariats both DDM members, she gets into a shoulderblock contest with Ruaka which Ruaka gets the better of. Complete Shot by Ruaka, she goes for the cover but moves when Mai sails into the ring with a diving elbow drop. Mai then goes for the cover on Ami but Mai dives off the top turnbuckle with a double kneedrop. MIRAI goes to grab Rina but Giulia jumps off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick/senton combination. Giulia picks up Rina and hits a Falcon Arrow, but Ruaka breaks up the cover. Ami clubs on Ruaka but Ruaka blocks the scoop slam. Ami comes in to help but Ruaka punches them both, she goes off the ropes but eats a double lariat. Ami and MIRAI slam Rina on top of Ruaka, full nelson slam by MIRAI on Rina and she goes off the ropes, but Rina sneaks in a jackknife cover for two. Rina charges MIRAI but MIRAI levels her with a lariat, she applies the Miramare and Rina submits! MIRAI and Ami Sourei are the winners.

I am glad they just didn’t worry about having tag rules, who was keeping track of that anyway and it doesn’t really matter on an undercard match. With an eight minute match containing six wrestlers, not all of them were really able to stand out but on the positive side no one lagged behind either. There was always something going on, and Giulia looked great which is the most important thing. MIRAI was impressive with her power offense, and overall it clicked better than I was expecting. Nothing to get excited about, but an entertaining chaotic undercard match.

AZM, Lady C, and Hayashishita vs. Iida, Iwatani, and Kohgo
Captain’s Fall Match

Saya and Lady C start the match, Saya poses for the camera but is attacked from behind for her trouble. All of Queen’s Quest try to throw Saya over the top rope, which would make this a really quick match, but Momo and Mayu stop her from going over. They get in the ring and all three STARS wrestlers hit dropkicks, they isolate Lady C and triple team her. Saya sits up Lady C and she eats a triple dropkick, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Lady C and the two trade chops, Saya chops Lady C against the ropes but Lady C catches her with a side Russian leg sweep. Giant Swing by Lady C, she covers Saya but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Lady C from the corner and she hits a running elbow, jumping lariat by Lady C and she covers Saya for two. Lady C picks up Saya but Saya gets away, Mayu runs in and she hits a hurricanrana on Lady C for the three count! Lady C is eliminated.

AZM runs in and puts Mayu in the Azumi Sushi, but Momo breaks up the cover. Momo picks up AZM, double Irish whip and the STARS team double team her. Double 619 by Momo and Mayu, cover by Momo but it gets two. Momo throws AZM into the corner, Irish whip by Momo but AZM jumps onto the top turnbuckle. Momo elbows her down to the apron, she charges AZM but AZM holds down the top rope and both end up on the apron. AZM and Momo trade elbows while still on the apron, Momo trips AZM but AZM avoids her kick and slides back into the ring. Momo and AZM trade flash pins, AZM puts Momo in the Azumi Sushi and she picks up the three count! Momo Kohgo is eliminated.

Utami and Mayu come in the ring, Mayu grabs Utami and AZM but they knock her out to the apron. They go off the ropes but Saya re-appears to even the odds, with Mayu hitting a missile dropkick on both opponents. Saya goes up top and delivers a diving shoulderblock to Utami, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the suplex attempt, Utami hits a Samoan Drop but Mayu cradles Utami from behind for two. Superkick by Mayu to AZM and Saya bridges AZM, but Utami breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Utami but she levels both opponents with a lariat, Utami picks up Saya and delivers the Air Raid Crash for two. Utami picks up Saya but Saya blocks the German suplex hold, Utami keeps the waistlock applied however and nails the German suplex hold anyway for the three count! Queen’s Quest wins the match!

A pretty typical Stardom midcard match – meaningless, but very watchable. Utami and Mayu were protected, maybe even too much as they put away their opponents pretty easily when they were in the ring. The chosen captains alone showed this wasn’t going to be a match with any real stakes, and it definitely came across as filler. Nothing offensive, but it just lacked any substance and its a match I’ll forget by the time the next one starts.

(c) Watanabe, Kashima, and Starlight Kid vs. Shirakawa, Sayaka, and SAKI
Artist of Stardom Championship

The Cosmic Angels charge to start the match, immediately isolating Kashima and triple teaming her. SAKI stays in as the legal wrestler, Kashima whips off a hurricanrana and boots SAKI while she is against the ropes. Face crusher by Kashima, and she covers SAKI for two. Kashima tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid picks up SAKI and elbows her in the chest. SAKI fires back with a big boot, she gets Starlight Kid on her shoulders and slams her to the mat for a two count. SAKI goes off the ropes but Unagi tags herself in, sitout face crusher by Unagi but Starlight Kid avoids the leg drop and hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Unagi but Unagi gets Starlight Kid on her back in the Gory Special. Momo breaks that up, Unagi hits a leg drop on Starlight Kid and covers her for two. Back up, Unagi throws Starlight Kid into the corner but Unagi avoids her charge and all three members of Oedo Tai attack her.

Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the swivel body press, but her pin attempt gets broken up. Starlight Kid picks up Unagi but Unagi spins out of her hold and hits a flapjack. Jumping kick by Starlight Kid but Unagi gets her arm and drops her face-first into the mat. Starlight Kid tags in Momo while Mina also tags in, kicks by Momo but Mina eventually catches one and hits a backfist. Kicks to the chest by Mina as she drives Momo into the corner and sends her down with a final kick to the midsection, cover by Mina but it gets two. She picks up Momo and goes off the ropes, but Kashima kicks her from the apron. SAKI runs in and slam Momo, Reverse DDT by Mina to Momo but Momo kicks out. SAKI, Mina, and Unagi all hit heel drops, Unagi gets Momo on her shoulders and with Mina’s help she drops her to the mat. Mina picks up Momo but Kashima runs in to help, striking Mina to the mat. Momo gets a wrench but Mina kicks it out of her hand, jumping kick by Mina to Momo and she delivers the jumping DDT, but Kashima breaks up the cover.

Things break down as all six wrestlers end up in the ring, with Starlight Kid and Kashima both hitting spinning headscissors. Starlight Kid sails out of the ring with a moonsault while Momo and Mina remain in the ring, roaring elbow by Mina but Momo kicks her in the head. B Driver by Momo, but Mina gets a shoulder up. Momo picks up Mina and delivers a cradle belly to belly piledriver, but SAKI breaks up the cover. Momo picks up Mina but Mina trips her and applies a crucifix pin for two. Starlight Kid stays in to help Momo deliver a side slam, Momo picks up Mina and punts her in the face. Peach Sunrise by Momo, and she gets the three count! Oedo Tai win and retain the championships.

The biggest surprise here is SAKI not taking the fall, she must have some political power I don’t know about. This match was definitely good, Starlight Kid is really great and everyone else here held up their ends. It was pretty short for a trios title match (under 12 minutes) and it felt like not everyone even got much in-ring time, I didn’t record the time splits but it didn’t feel even and the match left me wanting more. No one pairing was able to really get into a flow until the end stretch, which was really good from Momo and Mina. Fast paced and interesting, but it came across as more of an afterthought since the teams were lopsided and they simply didn’t get a lot a time considering the stakes of the match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Natsupoi and Tam Nakano
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Koguma and Natsupoi start the match, they take turns shoving each other until Hazuki grabs Natsupoi from the apron. Tam grabs Koguma as well, but Hazuki runs in the ring and dropkicks her while Koguma hits a body avalanche on Natsupoi. Hazuki stays in and they double team Natsupoi, cover by Koguma but it gets two. Scoop slam by Koguma, she picks up Natsupoi and tags Hazuki. Hazuki slaps Natsupoi in the back before throwing her down by the hair, she pushes Natsupoi against the ropes and nails the running boot. Cover by Hazuki, but it gets two. Scoop slam by Hazuki and she tags Koguma, crab hold by Koguma but Natsupoi makes it to the ropes for the break. Koguma puts Natsupoi in a Camel Clutch but Natsupoi breaks it up, Hazuki takes care of Tam while Koguma slams Natsupoi in front of the corner. Hazuki is tagged and comes into the ring with a slingshot footstomp, Hazuki kicks Natsupoi repeatedly in the face but Natsupoi gets Hazuki against the ropes and hits the Murder Dropkick. This gives her time to tag Tam, Koguma quickly comes in to help Hazuki but Tam avoids their lariat and hits a double dropkick. Running knee by Tam, she picks up Hazuki and kicks her in the midsection.

Tam charges Hazuki but Hazuki moves, Koguma shows back up and Tam eats a double dropkick. Running elbow by Hazuki, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki, Natsupoi tries to break it up but Koguma grabs her and throws her out of the ring. Hazuki charges Tam and kicks her hard in the face, she goes for a suplex but Tam lands on her feet and hits a head kick. She goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits a pump kick, she goes for another one but Tam swats her away and hits a backdrop suplex. Tam waits for Hazuki to get up and superkicks her in the head, Hazuki follows with a Codebreaker and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, scoop slam by Koguma to Natsupoi and she hits a footstomp to her midsection for a two count. Natsupoi elbows Koguma and goes off the ropes, Koguma applies a quick cradle but it gets two. Both wrestlers go off the ropes and go for jumping crossbodies, sending both crashing to the mat. They slowly get up, body avalanche by Koguma in the corner and she hits a cutter. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she applies a waistlock but Tam grabs Natsupoi to prevent the German suplex. Hazuki breaks her free (awkwardly) so Koguma can connect with the German suplex, Hazuki stays in the ring and they hit an assisted cutter on Natsupoi. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle but Natsupoi rolls out of the way of the diving body press. Hazuki dives in with a senton onto Natsupoi, but Tam hits a diving crossbody onto Hazuki.

Tam picks up Hazuki while Natsupoi grabs Koguma, but Hazuki and Koguma both get away and hit DDTs. They eat superkicks for their trouble but fire back with dropkicks, and all four wrestlers are down on the mat. Hazuki and Tam both roll out of the ring while Natsupoi and Koguma trade elbows on their knees, Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle but Koguma elbows her before she can jump off and joins her. Koguma drops Natsupoi throat-first onto the to rope which sends her out of the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Tam kicks her down to the floor. Hazuki sails out of the ring with a tope suicida but hits her own partner on accident, Tam and Natsupoi both go to the ropes and dive out with stereo springboard crossbodies. Tam slides Koguma back in the ring, both she and Natsupoi go to the same turnbuckle with Tam diving off first with the Takako Panic. Natsupoi follows with the swivel body press, but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Natsupoi and Tam both hit German suplexes on an opponent, with Natsupoi’s getting a two count. Natsupoi picks up Koguma again but Koguma spins away and applies the 120% Schoolboy for two. Koguma goes off the ropes but Natsupoi superkicks her, Tam is in too and they both connect with superkicks. Hazuki is back but Tam drops her with a release tiger suplex, they go back to Koguma and slam her to the mat. Natsupoi picks up Koguma and nails the Fairy Strain, and she picks up the three count! Cosmic Angels win and are the new champions!

Aside from one botched move, this was a really smooth and well worked tag match. I know they wrestle and train a lot together but it always amazes me how in sync Stardom wrestlers are. There are some advantages to being an isolated promotion, as it allows their stars to really gel. Koguma and Hazuki have worked off all their ring rust and the cardio of everyone involved is commendable as there was no slowdown whatsoever. They were firing on all cylinders from start to finish. The match also “felt” like a title match and not just another match (like the last one), with big moves and late saves to add to the drama. A really entertaining match, four really good wrestlers just going non-stop for 15 minutes.  Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They lock knuckles to start, Himeka pushes Saya to the mat but Saya bridges back up and they end up facing off again. Kick by Himeka but Saya throws her into the corner, Himeka fires out of it with a shoulderblock, Saya kips up but Himeka shoulderblocks her again. Himeka kicks Saya out of the ring and goes out after her, slamming Saya onto the floor. Another scoop slam by Himeka, she picks up Saya and rams her back-first into the ring post. Himeka slides Saya back in and hits a lariat in the corner followed by a backbreaker. Cover by Himeka, but it gets two. Himeka goes for a crab hold but Saya blocks it and hits a double footstomp, she goes off the ropes but Himeka catches her with another backbreaker. Himeka throws Saya out of the ring and goes out as well, but Saya slides back in as she does. They repeat these steps again, but this time Saya dropkicks Himeka back to the floor and hits a sliding headscissors under the bottom rope. Saya slides Himeka back in and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. Saya picks up Himeka but Himeka blocks the suplex attempt and elbows her. Saya elbows her back and they trade shots, Saya goes off the ropes but Himeka knees her in the midsection. Saya knees her back but Himeka blocks the big boot and they trade elbows again.

After a minute of trading elbows Saya finally sends Himeka crashing to the mat, more elbows by Saya but Himeka hulks up and returns to her feet to return the favor. More elbows from both until they both fall to the mat, holding their heads. They slowly get up at the same time, Saya charges in but Himeka drops her with a backdrop suplex. Single leg crab hold by Himeka, Saya crawls to the ropes and eventually makes it to force the break. Himeka picks up Saya and gets her on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, she throws her off after a moment and hits a lariat. Sliding lariat by Himeka, but her cover gets two. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders again and hits the JP Coaster, but again Saya kicks out. Himeka throws Saya into the corner and lariats her in the back, she puts her on the second turnbuckle to get her on her shoulders, but Saya slides off and hits a spinning heel kick. Saya hits a rolling fisherman suplex into a backslide, Himeka rolls through it but Saya boots her in the face. Saya positions Himeka and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Himeka rolls out of the way of the Firebird Splash. Kick to the head by Saya but Himeka levels her with a Rainmaker, but Saya plants Himeka with a pump kick. Saya picks up Himeka and hits the sitout fisherman driver, but it gets a two count. Saya goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Firebird Splash, but Himeka gets a shoulder up on the cover. Saya goes back up top and attempts the Phoenix Splash, but Himeka clubs her from behind before she can jump off and joins her.

Elbows by Himeka while they stand on the turnbuckles, but Saya jumps over Himeka’s back in an attempted powerbomb. Himeka blocks that so Saya dropkicks her instead, she re-joins Himeka on the turnbuckles but Himeka blocks the Frankensteiner with a powerbomb. Himeka waits for Saya to get up and nails the jumping knee, she picks up Saya and delivers the powerbomb but Saya barely kicks out. Himeka drags up Saya and throws her into the corner, lariat to the back by Himeka and she sits Saya on the second turnbuckle. Running powerbomb by Himeka, but Saya kicks out. Himeka picks up Saya and elbows her against the ropes, lariat by Himeka but Saya lands on her feet on the apron. Saya springboards back in the ring but Himeka catches her with a lariat, another lariat by Himeka and she picks up Saya. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya snaps off a Fubuki Rana and picks up the three count! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship!

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this match. I love Himeka’s power based offense and it worked so well with Saya’s whacky high flying offense. Himeka was killing Saya with her backbreakers and lariats, but Saya would come back with something sneaky as their contrasting styles worked perfectly with each other. Himeka really wrestled as the “better” wrestler, with her hitting all her big moves and Saya needing to do a desperation move to win the match. I have one small quibble – I don’t think the long elbow strike battle wasn’t necessary, as it didn’t add anything to the match and it went against the theme of the rest of the match which was Himeka being the stronger wrestler. But if you take that out, everything else really hit the spot with me, a hard hitting and entertaining match with two of the brightest young stars of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi
World of Stardom Championship

The match starts slow as they jockey for position, Syuri gets Nanae into the ropes and she slaps Nanae before backing off. Nanae quickly pushes Syuri into the ropes on the other side and also gives a slap as she breaks, kick by Syuri but Nanae drops her with a release German. Syuri tackles Nanae and starts on her ground game, she gets the cross armbreaker locked in but Nanae gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Nanae rolls out of the ring to re-group, she gets up on the apron and catches Syuri leg when she goes for a kick. Lariat by Nanae, she pulls Syuri’s head over the apron and dropkicks her from the floor. Nanae picks up Syuri and suplexes her on the floor, she slides Syuri back in the ring and hits a backdrop suplex. Nanae applies a facelock but releases it after a moment to apply a neck crank. She throws Syuri into the corner and chops her in the chest, snapmare by Nanae and she kicks Syuri in the back. Syuri kicks her back, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Nanae again. Nanae returns to her feet and dropkicks Syuri, she picks up Syuri but Syuri dropkicks her into the corner. Knee by Syuri and she hits a single arm suplex for two.

Kicks to the head by Syuri and she delivers a running knee, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Nanae joins her. Superplex by Nanae, and she covers Syuri for two. Backdrop suplex by Nanae, she goes to the second turnbuckle and applies a choke to Syuri. She lets go after a moment but sits on the top turnbuckle too long so Syuri boots her off of it to the floor. Syuri gets on the second turnbuckle and dives out onto Nanae with a missile dropkick. Syuri slowly sits up Nanae and kicks her in the back before dropping her with a DDT on the floor. Syuri slides Nanae back into the ring, she gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving legdrop for two. Scoop slam attempt by Syuri but Nanae slides off, Syuri goes off the ropes but Nanae catches her with a release German. Sliding D by Nanae, but Syuri barely kicks out. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle but Syuri rolls out of the way of the refrigerator bomb, running knee by Syuri but Nanae kicks out. Syuri picks up Nanae but Nanae slaps her and the two trade strikes. Spinning backfist by Syuri but Nanae punches her right in the face, sending both hurt to the mat. Nanae is up first, Falcon Arrow by Nanae but it gets two. Nanae picks up and hits a short range lariat, Syuri slowly gets up but Nanae drops her with another lariat. A third lariat by Nanae but Syuri again gets back up, elbows by Syuri and they go back and forth. Mutual headbutts, they go off the ropes but Nanae hits the lariat for a two count cover.

Nanae picks up Syuri and hits the Nana Racka, but Syuri reverses the cover into a guillotine. Nanae gets into thee ropes for the break, Syuri picks her up and kicks Nanae in the chest. More kicks by Syuri but Nanae hits the cradle back to belly piledriver, she picks up Syuri but Syuri hits a jumping knee. Nanae fires back with a lariat, but her cover gets two. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Refrigerator Bomb, but Syuri barely kicks out. Armtrap crossface by Nanae, she switches it into a double armbar but Syuri gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Scoop brainbuster by Nanae, but again Syuri kicks out of the cover. Nanae picks up Syuri but Syuri slides away and puts Nanae in a sleeper. Nanae rolls into the ropes to get a break, Syuri picks up Nanae and hits the Emerald Frosion for a two count. Syuri picks up Nanae and delivers a release German, but Nanae ends up on her feet and hits a lariat. One Second EX by Nanae, she covers Syuri but Syuri barely gets a shoulder up. Nanae headbutts Syuri repeatedly, she goes off the ropes but Syuri drills her with a head kick. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, both wrestlers slowly get up and Nanae hits a headbutt. Syuri punches Nanae in the face in return, she picks up Nanae and knees her in the midsection. Knee to the head by Syuri, she waits for Nanae to get up and kicks her in the head. Syuri gets Nanae on her shoulders before sliding her into a fireman’s carry position, Red World by Syuri and she picks up the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship.

Even though Nanae is no longer in her prime and has a lighter schedule, she can certainly still bring it when she needs to. This at times definitely felt like an old school Joshi match. Lots of strikes and suplexes, questionable selling, big moves. It was interesting that Syuri particularly at the beginning was doing more moves off the turnbuckles, which I don’t normally associate with her, but being in the main event of a Stardom PPV can bring out the “extra” in wrestlers. I will say that the nearfalls were very convincing – it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Nanae would return and win the belt, so the drama was legitimate and it kept my attention for sure. It may have been a few minutes longer than it needed to be and not everything was perfectly smooth, but the action was hard hitting and generally they were on the same page. I don’t think it was quite as entertaining as the last match, but still pretty damn good and with the drama it was a suitable main event for Stardom’s big summer show.  Recommended

The post Stardom X Stardom 2022 Nagoya MidSummer Encounter on 8/21/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
Date: August 27th, 2022
Location: MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: None (FanCam via YouTube)

I never thought I’d be reviewing a WWE house show match, but here we are. Why am I reviewing this, you ask. Well, the reason is that in all the years Asuka and IYO SKY could have had singles matches against each other while both wrestled in Japan – they never did. Believe it or not, they have had tag matches against each other, but no singles matches in their long careers. Once they started feuding on RAW in early August, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before they finally squared off one on one. Well it didn’t take long to happen, as on August 27th they would have their first ever singles match – on a house show.

The match may still happen at some point on RAW (or maybe a PLE!), but as of early September this is their only singles match to date. Normally, we’d never be able to watch it, but some wonderful person in the crowd did a FANCAM of the ENTIRE MATCH. Watching a FanCam takes me back, as there are some Puroresu shows from the early 90s that only exist (or existed, unsure if they were ever released officially) on a FanCam. But I haven’t watched a FanCam match in years because its not something people really do anymore, as they are too busy taking selfies or TikToks. So once I saw the match not only happened, but was uploaded to YouTube, I grabbed it real quick so I could save it forever and also review it for the site. Needless to say, I will only be watching their match in this review, so here is the match list:

• Asuka vs. IYO SKY

Woot, a one match review! Both Asuka and IYO have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it.

Asuka vs. IYO SKY

As for why they are feuding now, Io Shirai debuted as IYO SKY on the main roster of WWE when she showed up at SummerSlam with Bayley. Showing up as heels to face off against Bianca and Becky, Bayley’s group of IYO and Dakota Kai seemed intent on taking over RAW. Unfortunately, Becky got hurt at SummerSlam and was put on the shelf, so Asuka ended up in the feud. Its unknown of course if it was always the plan, but either way Bianca needed two buddies to even the odds so she got Asuka and Alexa Bliss. Since now they are in feuding factions, that led to this house show match, which hopefully will lead to a singles match on a major show down the road. Now that we got the backstory out of the way, let’s get to the match!

To begin the match, IYO avoids Asuka’s attempts to tie-up, just to solidify their roles as ‘crowd favorite’ and ‘taunting heel.’ Asuka finally gets a hold of IYO’s arm but IYO reverses it, they end up on the mat but reach a stalemate. Back up, hard shoulderblock by Asuka and she stomps at IYO’s head, she goes to run off the ropes but IYO trips her and returns the favor. IYO goes off the ropes but Asuka does as well, IYO goes for a handstand but Asuka kicks her in the stomach. IYO throws Asuka into the corner and charges, but Asuka tosses her onto the apron. IYO goes for a shoulderblock through the ropes but Asuka moves and kicks her, she then goes off the ropes and hip attacks IYO down to the floor. IYO delays returning to the ring while Asuka calls her a chicken, Asuka finally goes after IYO but IYO returns to the ring and taunts her. Asuka gets on the apron and grabs IYO, but IYO snaps her neck over the top rope. She then goes out to the apron and hits a DDT onto it, giving IYO control of the match. IYO returns to the ring, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a running elbow.

IYO trips Asuka and stomps her down in the corner before hitting a double knee strike. Cover by IYO, but it gets two. IYO kicks Asuka in the leg before applying a chinlock, she releases it for a moment only to switch to a stretch hold. Asuka hulks out of it but IYO quickly hits a dropkick, cover by IYO but it gets a two count. IYO slams Asuka’s head into the mat repeatedly, she kicks at Asuka but Asuka fires back with a strike exchange. Sliding head kick by Asuka, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Asuka is up first, IYO charges her but Asuka knocks her back with an elbow. Jumping lariat by Asuka and she hits a hip attack in the corner, she goes for a German suplex but IYO blocks it. Backfist by Asuka and she now can hit the German suplex, sliding kick by Asuka and she covers IYO for two. Asuka goes for IYO’s arm but IYO quickly grabs the ropes, Asuka charges IYO but IYO drops her head-first into the turnbuckle. Running double knee strike by IYO, she goes to the stop turnbuckle but Asuka recovers before she can jump off and pulls out Io’s leg.

Io ends up dangling on the top turnbuckle, Asuka joins her and goes for a superplex, but IYO headbutts her. IYO goes for the sunset flip powerbomb but Asuka blocks it, IYO slides away and instead German suplexes Asuka off the second turnbuckle to the mat. Cover by IYO, but Asuka barely kicks out. IYO goes for the 619 but Asuka moves, cross armbreaker takedown by Asuka but IYO stops her from locking it in and applies a crossface. Asuka rolls out of it and applies the Asuka Lock, but IYO gets out of it and delivers a palm strike. IYO goes for the double underhook facebuster but Asuka reverses it into a backslide for two. Asuka tosses IYO up and knees her in the face, but her cover only gets two. Asuka picks up IYO but IYO drives her back into the corner, Asuka goes for a kick but IYO ducks it and schoolboys Asuka. IYO puts her legs on the ropes for extra leverage, and she picks up the three count! IYO SKY is the winner!

First, I just have to note that Asuka and IYO did not wrestle this like it was a meaningless midcard house show match. Maybe they are practicing spots for a future match on a bigger event, maybe they just have too much pride, but neither were holding back. I’ve seen wrestlers coast when they were on a small or non-televised event, this wasn’t that. Both were going for it and were hitting some bigger moves, including the German off the second rope and the DDT on the apron. They have really solid chemistry, as one would expect from their years wrestling as a team in Japan, and everything from their rope exchanges to their strike exchanges looked smooth. The ending was a little disappointing but a heel cheating to win isn’t exactly unusual, and was probably the right way to go even on a house show. If they did this same match on RAW (or a PLE with just a couple extra minutes added) it would not look out of place at all, a really entertaining back and forth match between two of the best in the world.  Recommended

The post Asuka vs. IYO SKY at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on 8/27/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Strong Style Pro Wrestling Vol. 18
Date: August 25th, 2022
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: NicoPro PPV

It has been awhile since we have visited Real Japan/Strong Style Pro Wrestling, lets see what they are up to. Strong Style Pro Wrestling is the rare hybrid puroresu promotion that has an almost equal number of men’s and women’s matches. Other promotions of course have both, but with SSPW it is generally split pretty evenly. That is the case here, with three Joshi matches to go along with the three men’s matches. SSPW only has a few contracted wrestlers, and mostly uses Freelancers or loans wrestlers from other promotions. That gives us some unique match-ups, as this card has wrestlers from Diana, PURE-J, COLOR’S, and some Freelancers. We also get a fun match with three masked wrestlers, as SSPW wrestler Tiger Queen takes on two invading evil wrestlers – Dark Cheetah and Dark Tiger. I will only be reviewing the Joshi matches on the event, here are the Joshi matches on the card:

• Leon vs. Nanami
• Itsuki Aoki and Jaguar Yokota vs. Sae and SAKI
• Dark Cheetah and Dark Tiger vs. Haruka Umesaki and Tiger Queen

Most wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Let’s get to the fun.

Leon vs. Nanami

They circle each other before locking up, Leon pushes Nanami into the ropes but Nanami switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Nanami but Leon blocks it an elbows her, armdrag by Nanami and she dropkicks Leon. Snapmare by Nanami and she applies a bodyscissors, Nanami rolls Leon around the ring before holding her down for a two count. Back up, Leon throws Nanami into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton for a two count. Camel Clutch by Leon, she lets go after a moment and hits an elbow drop. Leon sets up Nanami in the ropes, she then goes out to the apron and hits a series of chops. Back in the ring, Irish whip by Leon but the two collide with neither going down. Nanami goes off the ropes and tries to knock over Leon, but Leon kicks her. Nanami knocks Leon into the corner and finally hits a successful shoulderblock for a two count. Scoop slam by Nanami, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving bodypress for two.

Nanami picks up Leon but Leon knees her off, Nanami goes off the ropes but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Leon but Nanami crawls to the ropes to force the break. Leon pulls Nanami to the middle of the ring and clubs her in the back, she waits for Nanami to get up and Nanami hits a series of elbows. Leon knocks her back down with a hard elbow, she picks up Nanami and slams her into the corner. Running shoulder tackle by Leon, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Leon picks up Nanami but Nanami pushes her off and throws Leon to the mat. Leon quickly gets back up, she goes off the ropes but Nanami hits a shoulderblock followed by a Northern Lights Suplex Hold for two. She goes for another one but Leon blocks it, cradle by Nanami but Leon kicks out. Nanami goes for a couple more flash pins with no luck, Spear by Leon and she covers Nanami for two. Leon positions Nanami, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Mad Splash for the three count! Leon is the winner.

I seem to be watching a lot of Nanami matches lately. Completely not on purpose, although I guess she is improving some? Hard to tell. Leon is a really solid veteran that could have a good match with a broom, she isn’t flashy but she knows how to structure a match and keep it moving. Nothing here broke any new ground, it was a pretty standard veteran vs. child match, but Leon did give Nanami a near fall or two so it wasn’t a squash. Nothing special, but not awkward or disjointed which I guess is a win.

Itsuki Aoki and Jaguar Yokota vs. Sae and SAKI

Itsuki and Sae start the match, they go off the ropes trying to knock each other over until Sae knocks Itsuki to the mat. Itsuki quickly returns the favor, stomps by Itsuki and she tags Yokota. Yokota picks up Sae and rakes her face against the top rope, DDT by Yokota and she stomps Sae in the stomach. Yokota picks up Sae again and puts her in an Octopus Hold, but SAKI breaks it up. Snapmare by Yokota and she applies a sleeper, but Sae wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Yokota tags Itsuki, Itsuki elbows Sae in the chest and sets her up in the ropes. Body Avalanche by Itsuki, but Sae kicks out of the cover. Double kneedrops by Itsuki, she picks up Sae but Sae slams Itsuki and makes the tag to SAKI. Double Irish whip to Itsuki and she eats a double boot, SAKI picks up Itsuki but Itsuki hits a drop toehold followed by a sliding kick. Itsuki tags Yokota, Yokota stomps on SAKI’s head and throws her into the corner. Elbows by Yokota but SAKI reverses the Irish whip, Yokota boots SAKI as she charges in and follows up with a heel drop.

Yokota applies an abdominal stretch but Sae breaks it up, Yokota grabs them both and hits a sidelock takedown/headscissors combination followed by a somersault legdrop onto SAKI. She then tags Itsuki, Itsuki throws SAKI into the corner and hits a running elbow. Face crusher by Itsuki and she hits a bodypress for a two count. Itsuki picks up SAKI but SAKI elbows her to block a slam attempt, elbow by Itsuki but SAKI boots her back. They go back and forth until SAKI sends Itsuki to the mat with a boot, she tags in Sae and Sae promptly boots Itsuki in the face as well. Another boot by Sae and she covers Itsuki for two. Scoop slam by Sae and she hits a leg drop, but Itsuki kicks out of her cover again. Sae picks up Itsuki and boots her while she is against the ropes, she goes out to the apron as does SAKI but Itsuki avoids their double boot attempt and knocks them both to the floor. Itsuki joins them and holds both while Yokota dives off the apron with a cannonball. Sae is slid back in, running double knee by Itsuki and she hits a bridging vertical suplex for two. Itsuki picks up Sae and goes off the ropes, but Sae avoids her elbow and hits a spear for two.

Sae gets Itsuki around the waist but Itsuki elbows out of it, STO by Itsuki and she makes the tag to Yokota. Somersault legdrop by Yokota, but SAKI breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Yokota, boot by SAKI and Sae delivers a fisherman suplex hold for two. Sae goes off the ropes but Itsuki cuts her off with a lariat, Yokota hits a fisherman suplex hold of her own but that also gets two. Yokota picks up Sae but Sae snaps off a DDT, running boot by Sae but Itsuki breaks up the cover. With all four in the ring, Yokota and Itsuki throw their opponents into each other and Yokota drops Sae with a suplex. She goes to the second turnbuckle but SAKI grabs her, this gives Sae time to cover and she joins Yokota. Itsuki runs over and tosses Sae back to the mat, giving Yokota time to hit a diving somersault legdrop for two. SAKI boots Yokota but Itsuki delivers a lariat, Itsuki dropkicks Sae in the knee and Yokota applies a Japanese leg-roll clutch hold for the three count! Jaguar Yokota and Itsuki Aoki are the winners!

This was… fine? The best thing I can say about it is that they kept the pace up, all four got a chance to shine, and both teams worked well together as teams. It didn’t feel like a thrown together random match, which is really to their credit since it was indeed a thrown together random match. Yokota seemed fired up and hit all her moves cleanly, and Itsuki Aoki is always a bundle of fun. Sae’s offense is really really repetitive and I would have liked to have seen more of SAKI, but there was enough going on that it didn’t get old. A pretty solid midcard match, it won’t set your world on fire but won’t make you sad either if you watch it.  Mildly Recommended

Dark Cheetah and Dark Tiger vs. Haruka Umesaki and Tiger Queen

Haruka and Cheetah start the match, they lock up and trade quick holds until Cheetah gets Haruka to the mat with a headlock. Haruka gets out of it but Cheetah hits a hard shoulderblock, they trade armdrags and Haruka dropkicks Cheetah to the mat. Haruka tags in Tiger Queen as Dark Tiger also tags in, Tiger Queen and Dark Tiger trade elbows until Dark Tiger rakes Tiger Queen in the eyes. Tiger Queen kips up and takes Dark Tiger to the mat, but Dark Tiger applies a headscissors. Tiger Queen kips out of it and kicks Dark Tiger in the chest, she tags in Haruka and Haruka hits a jumping lariat. Haruka positions Dark Tiger and applies a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and goes for a suplex, but Dark Tiger blocks it. Vertical suplex by Dark Tiger and she steps on Haruka’s face before tagging in Cheetah. Snapmare by Cheetah and she kneels on Haruka’s head until Tiger Queen runs in to knock her off. Cheetah knees Haruka again before throwing her into Panther’s boot (Panther jumped on the apron for the occasion), Cheetah tags Dark Tiger and Dark Tiger throws down Haruka by the hair. Dark Tiger taunts Tiger Queen but the referee tells her not to get in the ring, Dark Tiger picks up Haruka and throws her into the corner.

Haruka kicks Dark Tiger when she charges in and hits a hurricanrana, dropkick by Haruka and she makes the hot tag to Tiger Queen. Tiger Queen kicks both Dark Tiger and Cheetah, they fall out of the ring so Tiger Queen goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto them both with a moonsault. Tiger Queen slides Dark Tiger back in and follows her, she goes off the ropes and hits a diving double chop to the chest for a two count. Tiger Queen goes off the ropes but Panther trips her from ringside and pulls her out of the ring. Tiger Queen is stomped down by Cheetah and Panther, Panther slides Tiger Queen back in where Dark Tiger and Cheetah are waiting for her. Cheetah stays in as the legal wrestler and hits a missile dropkick on Tiger Queen, picking up a two count. Cheetah gets Tiger Queen on her shoulders but Tiger Queen slides off and applies a sleeper. She spins Cheetah around and hits a DDT, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Cheetah moves when she dives off. Tiger Queen rolls as she hits the mat for a quick recovery and drops Cheetah with a German suplex. Tiger Queen picks up Cheetah but Dark Tiger elbows her from behind, Haruka dropkicks Dark Tiger but Cheetah sends her out of the ring with a lariat. Jumping back kick by Tiger Queen to Cheetah and she makes the tag to Haruka, Dark Tiger also tags in but Haruka delivers a dropkick. Murder Dropkick by Haruka, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two.

Haruka picks up Dark Tiger but Dark Tiger applies a dragon sleeper, which is broken up by Tiger Queen. Cheetah kicks Tiger Queen from the apron, Dark Tiger grabs her as Haruka runs over to help but Dark Tiger moves and Haruka runs into Tiger Queen. Dark Tiger dropkicks both of them, she picks up Haruka and drills her with a vertical drop reverse DDT for a two count when Tiger Queen breaks it up. Dark Tiger picks up Haruka but Haruka sneaks in a cradle for two. Dark Tiger goes off the ropes but Haruka catches her with a suplex, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the swivel bodypress for two. Haruka picks up Dark Tiger but Dark Tiger blocks the suplex attempt, Panther pulls the referee out of the ring (isn’t that illegal) and then comes in to help triple team Haruka. All three of the villains hit running strikes on Haruka in the corner, Dark Tiger gets a sword (it has its cover on) and hits Haruka in the stomach with it. Crucifix slam by Panther to Haruka, Dark Tiger picks up Haruka but Tiger Queen runs in and boots her. Tiger Queen is attacked by both Cheetah and Panther, Dark Tiger goes to pick up Haruka but Haruka applies a small package for two. Haruka goes off the ropes but Dark Tiger catches her with a TKO. Dark Tiger picks up Haruka and drops her with a double underhook facebuster for the three count! Dark Tiger and Dark Cheetah are the winners!

I was actually hoping this would be more chaotic, as the bulk of it was just a regular match. Which all four are capable of doing but if you put four (including Panther) quality wrestlers under a mask, let them be a little crazy, not work headlocks. A few times they did expand their methods, such as pulling out the referee and using the sword, but it just wasn’t as “extra” as I was expecting. That being said, the action was still really solid, with Dark Tiger in particular looking impressive. Very fluid match with Haruka only looking out of place since she didn’t have a mask on, she didn’t hold back the match even though she had the least amount of experience. It didn’t quite reach the level I was desiring, but the in-ring action was good and it did leave me wanting to see more of Dark Tiger which was probably the goal.  Recommended

The post Strong Style Pro Wrestling Vol. 18 on 8/25/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: JTO GIRLS Tomoka Inaba and Aoi 20th Birthday Festival
Date: July 22nd, 2022
Location: JTO Arena Chiba Main Store in Chiba, Japan
Announced Attendance: 17
Broadcast: Sold in JTO’s Online Shop

While I am known for occasionally reviewing really obscure wrestling events, I may be going too far this time. This show was filmed from a ringside seat and sold only on JTO’s online shop for 2,000 yen. As I am a noted Aoi fan, I am required to watch as much JTO as possible, so I purchased it and here we are. This was a short show that took place in their building with a small audience, mostly for fun. We do have one mystery trainee exhibition match, so if Trainee R turns out to be a big time wrestler down the road, this footage may be highly sought after. Not a likely scenario but stranger things have happened. Here is the full card:

• Exhibition Match: Tomoka Inaba vs. Trainee R
• rhythm vs. Yuu Yamagata
• Aoi and Tomoka Inaba vs. Misa Kagura and Sumika Yanagawa

All the non-trainee wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. Onto the show!

Tomoka Inaba vs. Trainee R
Exhibition Match

Inaba didn’t even take her t-shirt off for this match, emphasizing that it is just an exhibition. They tie-up to start and trade some basic holds, Inaba works a headlock but Trainee R reverses it into a wristlock. Inaba gets the headlock re-applied and takes Trainee R to the mat, but Trainee R gets away and the two return to their feet. Kick by Inaba and she returns to the headlock, Inaba delivers a series of snapmares but Trainee R wiggles away and applies a wristlock. Irish whip by Inaba but Trainee R hits a hard shoulderblock, elbows by Trainee R but Inaba elbows her hard to the mat. Stomps by Inaba, she picks up Trainee R and elbows her some more. Hip toss by Inaba but Trainee R elbows her, kick by Inaba and she hits a scoop slam. Trainee R gets back up but after an elbow goes back down, Trainee R fires up and hits a series of elbows but Inaba knocks her to the mat again. Scoop slam by Inaba and she hits a second one, but the bell has rung as the time expires. The match is a Draw.

Its impossible to either expect too much or read too much into a rookie exhibition match, but what Trainee R did here was pretty crisp even if it was basic. A formulaic match for sure that went as expected, but still necessary practice for the trainee to get some experience in front of a live crowd.

rhythm vs. Yuu Yamagata

They trade wristlocks to start, rhythm gets a headlock applied but Yuu gets rhythm to the mat with a headlock of her own. rhythm returns to her feet and reverses the hold, Yuu eventually gets out of it but rhythm takes her to the mat. Yuu gets out of the headlock as both return to their feet, Irish whip by Yuu and she elbows rhythm in the chest. Yuu drops a knee on rhythm’s face before applying a reverse chinlock, Yuu picks up rhythm and throws her into the corner. Yuu kicks at rhythm and hits a couple knees, snapmare by Yuu and she goes out to the apron to hit a slingshot stomp. rhythm gets up and fights back with elbows, knee by Yuu but rhythm hits a back elbow followed by a bulldog. rhythm picks up Yuu, she goes out to the apron and snaps Yuu’s neck on the second rope. rhythm gets back into the ring but Yuu quickly recovers and the two trade strikes, Yuu eventually blocks one of rhythm’s blows and applies a choke. rhythm gets to the ropes for the break, Yuu walks up to rhythm but rhythm quickly goes for a triangle choke. Yuu blocks it so rhythm hits a neckbreaker instead, she goes for the bulldog but Yuu pushes her off. rhythm boots Yuu and hits the bulldog anyway, she picks up Yuu but Yuu hits an enzuigiri. Yuu goes to pick up rhythm but rhythm goes for the triangle choke again, she rolls it into a crossface but Yuu gets to the ropes. rhythm picks up Yuu but Yuu pushes her off and drops rhythm with a dropkick for a two count. Yuu quickly puts rhythm in a Facelock and rhythm taps out! Yuu Yamagata is the winner.

I am not sure if rhythm is “good” but she wears a mask and therefore I love her. She has been improving however, she was pretty rough her first year but I do see signs of progress. Still, she needs more experience, hopefully she gets better. Yuu was pretty giving here all things considered, and even though rhythm didn’t have any nearfalls in the match it was far from a squash. I appreciate rhythm’s bulldog-based offense, it is not effective but its fun anyway. Its good to see rhythm going in the right direction, hopefully matches like this continue her growth.

Aoi and Tomoka Inaba vs. Misa Kagura and Sumika Yanagawa

Misa and Sumika throw streamers at their opponents to distract them to get the early advantage, Aoi is isolated and is dropped with a double armdrag. Misa and Sumika both slam Aoi to the mat before Misa stays in as the legal wrestler, elbow drop by Misa but Aoi avoids the senton and delivers a dropkick. Aoi leads Misa back to her corner to tag in Inaba, Misa is double teamed in the corner before Aoi starts on Misa’s wrist. Hammerlock by Inaba and she stomps on Misa’s arm, she tags Aoi back in and Aoi goes to the top turnbuckle. Ax handle by Aoi to Misa’s arm as the arm work continues, Aoi attacks Misa’s arm some more before tagging in Inaba. Inaba applies an armbar but picks Misa back up after a moment, Irish whip attempt by Inaba but Misa blocks it. Kicks by Inaba, she goes for another Irish whip by Misa reverses it and tackles Inaba in the corner. Hard shoulderblock by Misa and she makes the hot tag to Sumika. Sumika delivers a jumping kick to Inaba’s chest, Aoi comes in but Sumika slams her to the mat. Sumika sets up Inaba in the corner and hits a jumping knee to her back, double knee by Sumika in the corner and she hits a back heel kick for a two count. Sumika picks up Aoi and hits a scoop slam, Misa runs in with a senton and Sumika applies a Sickle Hold.

Aoi breaks that up, Misa throws Aoi out of the ring while Sumika picks up Inaba, but Inaba blocks Sumika’s attack and cradles her for two. Inaba applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Sumika gets to the ropes for the break. Inaba tags Aoi, Sumika elbows Aoi repeatedly but Aoi doesn’t go down. Aoi chops her back but Sumika hits a headbutt, Aoi blocks her next strike however and applies an armbar. Inaba runs in and puts Misa in an armbar as well, but both of their opponents reach the ropes. Aoi goes off the ropes but Sumika avoids her and hits a Backstabber. This gives her time to tag in Misa, shoulderblocks by Misa to Aoi and she covers her for two. Misa picks up Aoi and throws her into the corner, but Aoi kicks her back and delivers a boot. Big boot by Aoi but Misa fires back with a hard shoulderblock, she goes to pick up Aoi but Aoi puts her in a reverse armbar. Misa wiggles to the ropes for the break, Aoi picks up Misa but Misa sneaks in an inside cradle for two. They trade flash pins with neither getting the three count, Sumika catches Aoi with a heel kick and Misa applies the Misa Roll 2 on Aoi for the three count! Misa Kagura and Sumika Yanagawa are the winners.

Such a carny wrestling thing to do – having a wrestler lose to a scrub on their own birthday. Kidding aside, this was a pretty good main event considering the size and scope of the show. Even though the match wasn’t long (about 12 minutes) they weren’t mailing it in, with Sumika in particular seeming to step up her game and make an effort to be noticed. You’d expect for younger wrestlers to be fired up regardless of the situation but it was good to see all four didn’t see this non-televised show as an excuse to coast. The arm work was well done (although ultimately meaningless) and everything looked pretty crisp. Not a match that anyone needs to go out of their way to see but an enjoyable offering between four up-and-coming wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

The post JTO GIRLS Tomoka Inaba and Aoi 20th Birthday Festival on 7/22/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3”
Date: July 8th, 2022
Location: Shinagawa Intercity Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 419
Broadcast: Streamed on YouTube

In early 2022, Stardom announced a new concept for the promotion that gives a bigger platform for less experienced Joshi wrestlers. As part of the idea, wrestlers from other promotions would also be invited to join, giving the events a unique feel and separating it from their normal events. Called “New Blood,” the first event was well received and the series continued, with this being the third show with the “New Blood” branding. The main event has Stardom’s Miyu Amasaki, who debuted this year, against one of the top wrestlers in Stardom – Giulia. But as mentioned, this is not an “all Stardom” affair as we also have wrestlers from Ganbare, JUST TAP OUT, PROMINANCE, Diana, and COLOR’S on the show plus Ram Kaicho. A pretty interesting line-up, here is the full card:

• Mai Sakurai vs. YuuRI
• Ami Sourei vs. Nanami
• Aoi, Misa Kagura, and Tomoka Inaba vs. Hanan, Momo Kohgo, and Saya Iida
• MIRAI vs. Suzu Suzuki
• Ram Kaicho vs. Waka Tsukiyama
• Haruka Umesaki, Rina, Ruaka, and Starlight Kid vs. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Rina Amikura, and Yuko Sakurai
• Giulia vs. Miyu Amasaki

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. As this aired on YouTube, every match will be shown in full.

Mai Sakurai vs. YuuRI

YuuRI forces Mai to shake her hand, then dropkickers her into the corner. She charges in again but Mai moves, hitting a big boot followed by a dropkick. YuuRI avoids Mai’s elbow drop and hits a somersault senton, body press by YuuRI and she covers Mai for two. Camel Clutch by YuuRI and she pulls on Mai’s nose too for good measure, she eventually lets go but Mai blocks the scoop slam attempt as she hits one of her own. Stomp by Mai and she applies a Camel Clutch of her own, she lets go and knees YuuRI in the back. YuuRI elbows her and the two trade blows, YuuRI goes off the ropes and she applies a flying sleeper hold. Mai gets into the ropes for the break, YuuRI goes for the 619 but Mai moves out of the way. Mai goes off the ropes but YuuRI trips her before kneeing Mai in the back. Dropkick by YuuRI and she connects this time with the 619, jackknife cover by YuuRI but it gets two. YuuRI goes to the top turnbuckle but Mai recovers and elbows her before she can jump off, tossing YuuRI back into the ring. Boot by Mai and she hits two more before dropping YuuRI with a standing leg lariat. Mai picks up YuuRI but YuuRI pushes her off and applies a rolling Schoolboy for two. YuuRI goes to the top turnbuckle again and this time hits a missile dropkick, cover by YuuRI but it gets two. YuuRI goes off the ropes but Mai boots her, but YuuRI kicks out of the pin. Shining Yakuza Kick by Mai, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving elbow drop, but YuuRI reverses the cover. Both wrestlers get back up, YuuRI goes for a couple flash pins but they don’t work. Shining Yakuza Kick by Mai, she picks up YuuRI and delivers the Shining Buster for the three count! Mai Sakurai is the winner!

I am as impressed with YuuRI as I am unimpressed with Mai so they kinda cancelled each other out here. YuuRI has a variety of fun looking offense, I loved the running sleeper hold, and at her stage of experience she really looked good. Mai has a very limited moveset and doesn’t necessarily even hit those moves crisply, every promotion needs lower end wrestlers to eat pins and I doubt Mai will ever move past that unless she really ups her game. More good than bad thanks to YuuRI and a suitable opener for this type of event.

Ami Sourei vs. Nanami

They tie-up to start, Ami pushes Nanami into the ropes but Nanami switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Ami and they collide with neither going down, Nanami tries to knock over Ami a few more times but has no luck. Kick by Nanami but Ami hits a hard shoulderblock, Ami picks up Nanami and throws her into the corner. Ami puts Nanami across the second rope and hits a running body avalanche, cover by Ami but it gets two. Ami picks up Nanami and hits a scoop slam, crab hold by Ami but Nanami gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Ami to the corner but Nanami shoulderblocks her down when she charges in, Nanami goes for a slam but Ami blocks it. Nanami eventually hits the scoop slam, but Ami kicks out of the cover. Nanami picks up Ami and drops her to the mat, rolling bodyscissors by Nanami but Ami breaks out and gets to the corner.

Nanami charges in but Ami moves, body avalanche by Ami and she chops Nanami in the chest. Ami gets Nanami on her shoulders and hits a death valley bomb, she puts Nanami in a crab hold but Nanami gets to the ropes. Ami picks up Nanami, Nanami elbows her off and the two trade blows. Nanami sneaks in a backslide and a schoolboy for two counts, cradle by Nanami but that gets a two as well. Nanami charges Ami and hits a knee, neckbreaker by Nanami and she hits a body press off the second turnbuckle for two. Ami ducks an elbow and delivers a lariat, she picks up Nanami and hits a second lariat for a two count. Ami picks up Nanami and puts her on her shoulders in the Argentine Backbreaker, Nanami struggles for a moment but has to submit! Ami Sourei is the winner!

This was an interesting match. New Blood shows are kinda in their own bubble as Stardom’s most recent acquisition really shouldn’t be having a 50/50 match with a mediocre 15 year old. But since the idea of the show is to give young wrestlers a chance, I won’t complain too much. It was odd that Nanami was at times presented as almost even when it came to strength and strikes since Ami was brought in as a “bodyguard” for God’s Eye, it definitely came across more as a way to showcase Nanami than a match within the Stardom universe. Which is fine, it just seems wasted on someone like Nanami who has shown minimal improvement since debuting years ago and likely will stay low on the pecking order in Diana. Not a bad match, but kinda weird and the action was never overly interesting.

Aoi, Misa Kagura, and Inaba vs. Hanan, Kohgo, and Saya Iida

Inaba and Hanan start the match, they trade holds and end up on the mat with Hanan going after Inaba’s arm. Inaba gets away and they reach a stalemate, Hanan tags MIRAI while Aoi also tags in. Irish whip by MIRAI ad they both go off the ropes, armdrag by MIRAI and she delivers a dropkick. Aoi tags Misa so Iida also tags in, they bump chests until Iida knocks over Misa with a hard shoulderblock. She tags Momo as Hanan also comes in, and all three attack Misa. The ring eventually clears as Momo throws Misa into the corner, but Misa avoids her dropkick and hits a shoulderblock. Running senton by Misa and she covers Momo for two. Misa tags Inaba but Hanan and Iida both get in the ring too, Inaba takes care of both of them however before going back to Momo. Inaba throws Momo into the corner but Momo avoids her charge and hits a crossbody off the second turnbuckle for two. Dropkick by Momo, she goes for the Tiger Feint Kick but Inaba moves and punches Momo in the gut. Momo returns fire with a dropkick, she tags in Iida while Inaba tags Aoi.

Iida and Aoi trade strikes, chops by Aoi against the ropes and she hits a jumping double chop. Iida gets one of her own and tags Hanan, dropkick by Hanan to Aoi and they trade elbows. Judo toss by Hanan, she picks up Aoi but Aoi blocks the suplex attempt and hits a jumping forearm. This gives her time to tag Misa, dropkick by Misa into the corner and she hits a lariat. Misa jumps on Hanan’s back with a submission, the other members of JTO come in the ring and put a respective opponent in a submission hold as well. Misa cradles Hanan and puts her in a crab hold, but Hanan gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, STO by Hanan but her covers gets two. Hanan picks up Misa but Misa blocks the slam, she goes off the ropes and clubs Hanan for a two count. Momo picks up Misa and clubs her in the back, Iida goes up top and delivers a diving shoulderblock. Hanan jumps on Iida’s back as does Momo, and together they fall on Misa with a triple body press. Wrist-clutch suplex hold by Hanan, but it gets broken up. Iida and Momo clear the ring while Hanan hits a Fameasser on Misa, but Misa barely kicks out. Hanan picks up Misa and delivers a backdrop suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! STARS win the match.

More of a showcase for Stardom’s young wrestlers than doing a lot of favors for JUST TAP OUT, but not a bad match even if it was pretty basic. Every time I watch Hanan I forget how tall she has gotten, she got the most shine in this match and I wonder once she turns 18/graduates if they are looking to move her up the card. Everyone else looked fine but it Aoi didn’t get to really do anything and Inaba only got about 30 seconds to impress. Too short to really get going, mostly mid-card filler but at least Hanan looked good.

MIRAI vs. Suzu Suzuki

They tie-up to start, Suzu gets MIRAI into the ropes but she gives a clean break. MIRAI quickly pushes her into the ropes on the opposite side but also gives a clean break, headlock by Suzu and she gets MIRAI to the mat. MIRAI gets back up and escapes the hold, she applies her own headlock but Suzu gets out of it and kicks MIRAI against the ropes. Kick by MIRAI in return but Suzu knocks her out of the ring and throws MIRAI onto the floor. Hard elbow by Suzu on the floor and she throws MIRAI into a table at ringside before pushing her onto the ramp. Suzu joins MIRAI on the ramp but MIRAI blocks the scoop slam, elbows by Suzu and she finally hits the slam. She returns to the ring while MIRAI slowly recovers, MIRAI rolls back in and Suzu greets her with stomps. MIRAI gets back to her feet and elbows Suzu, she goes off the ropes but Suzu knees her and mushes MIRAI against the ropes. Suzu goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, MIRAI lands in the corner and Suzu drills her with a running knee. Cover by Suzu, but it gets two.

Waistlock by Suzu but MIRAI grabs the ropes to block the suplex, Suzu pulls her back but MIRAI elbows herself free. Kick by MIRAI and she rolls Suzu to the mat in a cross armbreaker, but Suzu gets to the ropes just as the lock is applied. MIRAI picks up Suzu, her Irish whip is reversed but MIRAI knocks down Suzu with a hard shoulderblock. MIRAI puts Suzu in a wrist-clutch Scorpion Deathlock, she releases the hold after a moment and covers Suzu for two. MIRAI keeps on Suzu’s arm and slams Suzu in front of the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Suzu elbows her from behind and joins her. Headbutt by Suzu and she delivers a Frankensteiner, head kick by Suzu and she covers MIRAI for two. Suzu picks up MIRAI but MIRAI spins away and slams Suzu face-first into the mat. MIRAI picks up Suzu and hits a headbutt, Suzu headbutts her back and both wrestlers collapse to the mat. They slowly return to their feet and trade elbows, Suzu wins the battle and picks up MIRAI just to elbow her some more. MIRAI ducks the next elbow attempt and hits a lariat, mounted elbows by MIRAI and she hits a half nelson slam for two. MIRAI puts Suzu in an armlock, she picks up Suzu but Suzu gets away and hits a superkick. Another kick by Suzu, and she covers MIRAI for two. Suzu gets MIRAI up but MIRAI elbows free, lariat by MIRAI and she hits a second one for a two count. MIRAI picks up Suzu, Suzu gets away as the bell rings but Suzu hits a German suplex anyway. Still, the match is over and declared a Draw.

As expected, a damn good match. The Draw here wasn’t surprising, no need for either of them to drop a fall on a throwaway show as both have bigger things going on. This was a fairly even match but MIRAI generally felt more on control, as Suzu wasn’t able to hit the German until the match was over while MIRAI rocked Suzu on several occasions. The action was smooth and they mixed in different offensive methods to keep the match interesting. These two have a better match in them on a bigger stage, but still a good showcase for both, really looking forward to seeing more of Suzu in Stardom.  Recommended

Ram Kaicho vs. Waka Tsukiyama

Waka avoids Kaicho’s elbow to start and goes to flip her off, but Kaicho blocks her from doing so. Kaicho tries to then flip off Waka but she blocks it as well, trip by Kaicho and she goes off the ropes, but Waka delivers a dropkick. Waka picks up Kaicho but Kaicho kicks her in the knee, elbows by Waka and the two trade blows. Stomps by Kaicho and she gets Waka into the corner, kick by Kaicho and she drags Waka back to the middle of the ring to start working on her leg. Waka gets to the ropes for the break, Waka goes for an elbow by Kaicho moves and chokes Waka. Kaicho slams Waka’s head into the mat repeatedly, she picks up Waka but Waka jumps out to the apron and trips Kaicho when she charges at her. Dropkick to the back by Waka and she puts Kaicho in a stretch hold, but Kaicho gets to the ropes. Kaicho quickly hits a Codebreaker, she picks up Waka but Waka ducks the Rainmaker and hits a Complete Shot. Waka goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again and hits a second one for a two count. Waka argues with the referee so Kaicho dropkicks her from behind, she gets a hand full of powder and throws it into Waka’s face. Onryo Clutch by Kaicho, and she gets the three count! Ram Kaicho is the winner.

Just to address the elephant in the room – Waka came out with face paint that was meant to play mind games with Kaicho as it was basically the inverse of the face paint that Kaicho wears. Unfortunately the inverse looks like blackface, and while that was not the intent, it certainly upset some Western fans. Even though no offense was obviously intended, since Stardom does market to US fans its probably best if they were a little more aware of such things and err on the side of not offending part of their fanbase. Anyway, this match was pretty pedestrian. A fair bit of the action looked slightly off without being straight botched, it was like they were on different parts of the same page so they didn’t completely click. It was also short, but that may have been for the best. Not quite the spotlight I would have liked for Kaicho but she did her best, luckily this won’t be the last time we will see Kaicho in Stardom.

Haruka Umesaki, Rina, Ruaka, and Starlight Kid vs. Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Amikura, and Sakurai

Team Mostly Oedo Tai attack before the bell rings with general chaos taking place, eventually Unagi is isolated and quadruple teamed. Rina stays in as the legal wrestler, she puts Unagi in the ropes and she is attacked by all four of her opponents again. Rina throws down Unagi by the hair and stomps her in the corner, she tags in Ruaka but Unagi hits a Codebreaker and makes the tag to Amikura. Body avalanche by Amikura to Ruaka and she hits a running senton for a two count. Amikura goes off the ropes but Ruaka does go over with the shoulderblock attempt, they take turns trying to knock each other over until Amikura hits a crossbody. The rest of her team comes in the ring as they hit a double body press on Ruaka, Amikura picks up Ruaka but Ruaka shoulderblocks her over and reluctantly tags Haruka. Unagi tags in too, they both miss moves until Unagi hits a heel drop. Unagi picks up Haruka but Haruka elbows her, and the two trade shots. Kick by Unagi but Haruka hits a jumping neckdrop followed by a footstomp. Mina runs in and helps out, leg drop by Unagi but Haruka kicks out. Unagi tags Mina, Mina picks up Haruka and hits a series of elbows. Mina goes off the ropes but Haruka catches her with a dropkick, hard elbow by Mina and she hits a Reverse DDT for two. Mina picks up Haruka and applies a front headlock, Haruka gets away and Runa comes in and hits a hip toss.

Senton by Ruaka to Mina and Haruka follows with a neckbreaker for a two count. Mina sneaks in a cradle which also gets two, suplex by Haruka but Mina drops her with a backfist. Starlight Kid and Sakurai are tagged in, shoulderblock by Sakurai and she hits a dropkick. Elbows by Sakurai but Starlight Kid connects with a jumping forearm, kicks by Starlight Kid but Sakurai hits another shoulderblock. Sakurai charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid moves, the rest of her team runs in and everyone hits running strikes on Sakurai. Cover by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. Double Irish whip to Sakurai but Amikura comes in and they knock down Rina and Starlight Kid with shoulderblocks. They fall out of the ring, Mina goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto the Oedo Tai blob at ringside. Amikura rolls Starlight Kid back in where her teammates are waiting, and Haruka helps Amikura slam Starlight Kid. Elbow drop by Sakurai, but the cover is broken up. Dragon Sleeper by Sakurai but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes, Sakurai grabs her but Starlight Kid slides away and Haruka dropkicks Sakurai. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and hits a quebrada, but Mina breaks up the cover. Amikura and Mina go off the ropes but get tripped from ringside, Unagi knocks down Starlight Kid but she eats a dropkick from Haruka and Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid goes up top and hits the swivel body press on Sakurai, but Sakurai barely gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid picks up Sakurai but Sakurai sneaks in a small package for two. Dropkick to the knee by Starlight Kid and she puts Sakurai in the Kuro Tora Leg Killing, with Sakurai quickly tapping out! Starlight Kid, Rina, Ruaka, and Haruka Umesaki are the winners.

I was worried at first they were going to let everyone but Starlight Kid get a chance, luckily they were just saving her for last. Starlight Kid is a step above the others here in terms of general excitement to watch, but there were several other quality wrestlers (Haruka, Unagi, Mina in particular) to hold the match together. Much of it was too random without a real story, but that is what happens in an eight wrestler tag match that only goes eleven minutes. The COLOR’S wrestlers aren’t high end but are fine with the basics, but coming out of the match per usual I was focused on how crisp Starlight Kid is. She’s really good. Anyway, a perfectly fine match with a few good peaks, but nothing to get too excited about.  Mildly Recommended

Giulia vs. Miyu Amasaki

Giulia and Miyu lock-up, Giulia works a headlock and she gets Miyu into the ropes. Giulia gives a clean break, she blocks Miyu’s tackle attempt but they end up on the mat anyway with Giulia in the dominate position. Giulia goes for an armbreaker but Miyu quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Back up they lock-up, Miyu gets Giulia into the ropes this time but Giulia switches positions with her, she gives a clean break but Miyu elbows her in the chest. Giulia elbows her back which sends Miyu to her knees, she gets back up though and returns fire. Hard elbow by Giulia, Miyu connects with a few in return but Giulia tackles her and gets her back. Sleeper by Giulia but Miyu switches places with her, Giulia quickly rolls out of it however and Miyu grabs the ropes. Slam by Giulia and she gets in the mount position, Miyu tries to fight out of it and eventually rolls into the ropes to get the break. Giulia knocks Miyu into the corner and hits a dropkick, snapmare by Giulia and she applies a sleeper. Giulia picks up Miyu and hits a scoop slam, cover by Giulia but it gets two. Giulia picks up Miyu but Miyu snaps off a vertical suplex, she goes for the Space Rolling Elbow but Giulia moves. Miyu hits a dropkick anyway but Giulia doesn’t go down, a second dropkick doesn’t knock her over either.

Miyu runs at Giulia and this time hits a jumping DDT, cover by Miyu but it gets a two count. Miyu picks up Giulia and applies a double underhook, but Giulia gets out of it and hits a back bodydrop. Giulia goes for a cocky pin but Miyu grabs her leg and goes for a cross kneelock, she finally gets it locked in and Giulia gets to the ropes. Miyu stomps on Giulia’s leg and twists it in the second rope, dropkick to the knee by Miyu and she covers Giulia for two. Double underhook by Miyu but Giulia blocks it again, Giulia pushes Miyu off but Miyu delivers a dropkick. Miyu goes off the ropes but Giulia does too, Miyu spins Giulia around and nails a double underhook sit-out facebuster for a nearfall. Miyu elbows Giulia as they get up but Giulia hits a front dropkick, covering Miyu for two. STF by Giulia, but Miyu gets a hand on the ropes. Giulia picks up Miyu and drops her with a backdrop suplex, which Miyu is very slow to recover from. She eventually gets back up and is promptly dropkicked in the back for her trouble, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle but Miyu doesn’t get up for a bit. Giulia patiently waits and hits a missile dropkick when she finally does, cover by Giulia but Miyu gets a shoulder up. Giulia picks up Miyu but Miyu gets her back and quickly cradles Giulia with a jackknife for two. Giulia quickly recovers, Miyu elbows at Giulia but Giulia grabs her and nails the Glorious Driver for the three count! Giulia is the winner.

Either Miyu is the best seller in wrestling or she was in serious pain by the end of this match. Probably the latter. Giulia was very giving here but also clever in how she did it, with her cockiness directly leading to Miyu getting in control. First was the cocky cover, allowing Miyu to get her to the mat, but Giulia also didn’t take Miyu’s kneelock seriously until it was locked on and too late. That little segment helped lead to Miyu getting a minute or two to show off and get a close fall or two, not that anyone thought they’d work but it was far from a squash match or a traditional “Veteran vs. Rookie” match. Its hard to recommend a match too highly when the winner is clear and one of the wrestlers is still pretty basic, but Miyu looked good in defeat and Giulia showed why she isn’t your typical top star. Overall a pretty good match and a fitting main event for this type of show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3” on 7/8/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: NOMADS’ Freelance Summit
Date: May 20th, 2022
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 470
Broadcast: Streamed on Zaiko

One of the more interesting developments in the last six months or so in the world of Joshi is wrestlers creating Freelancer stables that also put on their own events. We have COLOR’S, PROMINANCE, Rebel X Enemy, and here we get to watch my personal favorite: NOMADS’. NOMADS’ comprises of four wrestlers: Natsu Sumire, Maya Yukihi, Rina Yamashita, and Miyuki Takase. All are great. Course, as Freelancers, they are welcome and encouraged to wrestle all around the world on their own schedule, but they work together behind the scenes and will occasionally put on their own Freelance shows. Like this one, which is the first! As all four are very respected on the scene, they have a fair amount of influence to bring in the top Freelancers for the event. Particularly special about this card, besides the surprise match from Natsu Sumire, is the return of Kaho Kobayashi! Kaho is my stealth favorite and has been out of action for a year, so its great to see her back. Here is the full card:

• Exhibition Match: Miyuki Takase vs. Natsu Sumire
• Momoka Hanazono vs. Tae Honma
• Hikari Shimizu, Rina Amikura, and Yuko Sakurai vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Maika Ozaki, and Makoto
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kaho Kobayashi
• ASUKA and Yuu vs. SAKI and Saori Anou
• Maya Yukihi and Rina Yamashita vs. Miyuki Takase and Ryo Mizunami

All wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Onto the show!

Miyuki Takase vs. Natsu Sumire
Exhibition Match

Natsu attacks Takase before the match starts and stomps on her, Natsu picks up Takase but Takase blocks the slam attempt and hits a snapmare. Another snapmare by Takase and a third, she puts Natsu in a bodyscissors and rolls her around the ring. She eventually lets go, scoop slam by Takase and she covers Natsu for two. Takase puts Natsu in the corner, she tries to pull her back out but Natsu holds on for dear life. Natsu asks for a breather and gets some water, the referee keeps Takase at bay while Natsu composes herself. Natsu finally recovers, she throws Takase into the opposite corner and hits a back elbow. Natsu calls for and attempts her famous Bronco Buster, but Takase slides under it and cradles Natsu for two. Takase stomps Natsu, Irish whip by Takase and Natsu collapses near the ropes. Dropkick by Takase, she gets Natsu on her shoulders but Natsu slides off and hits a jumping neckdrop. Natsu boots Takase in the face twice while she is against the ropes, cover by Natsu but it gets two. Natsu picks up Takase, Takase chops her and goes off the ropes but Natsu delivers a big boot. Natsu goes for the cover but the bell rings as she does so, as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

A five minute exhibition is clearly going to end in a Draw, but it was still great to see Natsu in the right place (both mind and body) to wrestle again. Natsu was never a high end wrestler and wouldn’t have beaten Takase anyway, but she is entertaining and has the charisma that not many wrestlers possess. Natsu has a lot of fans around the world that appreciate the qualities she brings to the table, as she is a fun change of pace that has comedic elements to her character but isn’t a full-blown comedy wrestler that is limited in what she can do. A fun way to kick off the show and it would be hard to complain about an unadvertised match anyway, nothing but positives to take away from a surprise Natsu Sumire match even if it was short with an obvious conclusion.

Momoka Hanazono vs. Tae Honma

They both hype the crowd before Momoka decides to attack Tae from behind, they circle each other before tying up. Momoka gets Tae to the mat and twists her hair before throwing her into the corner. She gets a… bubble maker and holds it into Tae’s face, spraying her with bubbles. Momoka picks up Tae and slams her face into the mat, she gets the bubble maker again along with her plastic flower and sits on Tae’s back while spraying bubbles everywhere and choking her. I’m not really sure how to describe it so that’s the best I got. Momoka puts her toys away and Irish whips her, the referee decides to help and assists Momoka in kicking Tae in the chest. Momoka throws the referee to the mat before jumping off his back, hitting a footstomp on Tae for a two count. Irish whip by Momoka but Tae avoids the dropkick attempt and hits one of her own. Tae snaps Momoka’s arm, she picks up Momoka but Momoka elbows her and the two trade blows. Momoka kicks Tae in the shin and flips off everyone, but Tae kicks her in the shin back. Gut punch by Momoka, they do some shenanigans around the referee before Momoka hits a big spear on Tae for a two count. Momoka goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but that gets two as well. Irish whip by Momoka but Tae blocks it, she flings Momoka to the mat and puts her in an armbar. Momoka tries to get a hand on the ropes but Tae captures that arm too, Momoka keeps inching however and gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Tae goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Tae but it gets two. Tae picks up Momoka and gets her back in the Fujiwara Armbar, she applies the Tae Lock and Momoka has no choice but to submit! Tae Honma is the winner.

I think this is the first full match I’ve seen of Momoka, I like her methods. She is a little goofy but she can wrestle, and she got serious when she needed to. Fun personality, solid wrestling skills, maybe one to keep an eye on if she finds a better opportunity to shine down the road. Tae is really good of course and for a sub-ten match this was pretty entertaining as they kept things interesting and Tae’s focus on the arm was consistent. Nothing that will blow you away, but for an opener not given a lot of time I think it delivered.  Mildly Recommended

Hikari Shimizu, Amikura, and Yuko Sakurai vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Ozaki, and Makoto

COLOR’S attack before the bell rings, they stack their opponents in the corner but the veterans soon take back over and isolate Amikura in the ring. They pose on Amikura, Shimizu and Yuko briefly pose with them before they help their tag partner out of the situation. Yoneyama is isolated in the ring as all three of COLOR’S run over her before hitting a triple body press. Things settle down with Yuko and Yoneyama as the legal wrestlers, Yoneyama grabs Yuko by the nose and chops it before tagging in Maika. Lariat by Maika in the corner and she hits an elbow drop for two. Maika puts Yuko in a camel clutch but it is quickly broken up, Yuko then puts Maika in a camel clutch but Maika muscles out of it. Irish whip by Maika but Yuko hits a dropkick and tags Amikura. Amikura and Maika take turns trying to shoulderblock each other over with no luck, kick by Maika but Amikura clubs her in the chest and finally shoulderblocks her to the mat. Amikura picks up Maika and chops her a few times, she gets Maika into the corner but Maika fires out of it with a hard shoulderblock, giving her time to tag Makoto.

Big boot by Makoto in the corner and she hits a double kneedrop for two. Makoto picks up Amikura, Amikura gets away but Amikura missing the senton attempt and Makoto is back on offense. Makoto goes off the ropes but Amikura clubs her and hits a twisting senton for two. She makes the tag to Shimizu, Shimizu comes in the ring with a diving crossbody which also gets a two count. Shimizu picks up Makoto, they go back and forth until Makoto blocks a Shimizu cradle attempt and hits a heel drop. Double underhook suplex by Makoto, but Shimizu kicks out of the cover. Makoto kicks Shimizu around but Amikura catches her with a powerslam, Shimizu then hits a footstomp off of Amikura’s back. Shimizu picks up Makoto, knee by Shimizu but Makoto drills her with a boot. Makoto picks up Shimizu but Shimizu slides away, superkick by Shimizu but Makoto delivers a spear. She goes off the ropes but Shimizu slams her, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They roll to their own corners and tag in Yuko and Yoneyama, shoulderblock by Yuko to Yoneyama but Yoneyama hits Mongolian Chops.

Yoneyama goes off the ropes but Yuko hits a scoop slam, she tries to go off the ropes but Maika hits her from the apron. Maika comes in, Yuko fights them off briefly but ultimately Maika and Yoneyama run through some double team moves successfully. Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle but hits her before she can jump off, Amikura gets Yoneyama on her shoulders and puts her upside down in the opposite corner. All three COLOR’S members attack Yoneyama, Yuko covers Yoneyama but it gets two. Yuko picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama cradles her, Yuko gets a Dragon Sleeper applied before hitting the Final Cut, but the cover is broken up. All six wrestlers end up in the ring, the veterans get the upper hand and Yoneyama cradles Yuko for the three count! Yoneyama, Ozaki, and Makoto are the winners.

This was a little rough around the edges but not actively bad. There were bound to be some issues here – the COLOR’S team are generally well trained and solid enough wrestlers, but they aren’t high end wrestlers either and sometimes there were some awkward moments. Facing off against new opponents no doubt didn’t help, as the chemistry wasn’t really there. The veteran team clearly had the experience edge but they didn’t really “control” the action as they probably should have, with the exception of Makoto who is pretty entertaining. The hot ending helped and it wasn’t long enough to be offensive, but if this match wasn’t on the show at all I don’t think it would have hurt anything as it just came across as midcard fodder.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kaho Kobayashi

Kaho kicks Hiroyo during the handshake and starts on Hiroyo’s wrist, headlock by Kaho but Hiroyo Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither going down. Hiroyo goes off the ropes as does Kaho, jumping shoulderblock by Kaho but Hiroyo stays up and knocks over Kaho with her own shoulderblock. Kaho kips up and hits an armdrag off the ropes, tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Kaho and Hiroyo falls out of the ring. Kaho goes off the ropes to do a dive but rolls back into the ring instead before posing to the crowd. Hiroyo seems annoyed as she returns to the ring, front necklock by Kaho but Hiroyo blocks the suplex attempt and hits one of her own. Hiroyo picks up Kaho and puts her across the second rope in the corner, she charges in and knees Kaho in the midsection. Double kneedrop by Hiroyo and she covers Kaho for two. Hiroyo stomps on Kaho and chops her in the corner, she chops Kaho around the ring as Kaho takes the abuse and asks for more. Kaho eventually Flair Flops, Hiroyo approaches Kaho but Kaho cradles her for two. Dropkick by Kaho and she stomps on Hiroyo’s foot repeatedly, Hiroyo blocks a slam attempt but Kaho wiggles away from her and dropkicks Hiroyo in the arm. Kaho gets Hiroyo on her shoulders but collapses under the weight, both wrestlers slowly get up and Kaho knocks over Hiroyo with a dropkick.

Another dropkick by Kaho and Hiroyo falls out of the ring, Kaho goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Hiroyo with a plancha suicida. Kaho slides Hiroyo into the ring and goes up top again, hitting a missile dropkick for two. Kaho picks up Hiroyo, she goes off the ropes but Hiroyo blocks the cradle and hits a backdrop suplex. Hiroyo picks up Kaho and the two trade elbows, Kaho goes to stomp on Hiroyo’s foot but Hiroyo does so first and slams Kaho face-first into the mat. Reverse double kneedrop out of the corner by Hiroyo, but Kaho kicks out of the cover. Kaho fires up but Hiroyo elbows her, she goes for the Liger Bomb but Kaho gets away from her and hits a hurricanrana for two. La Magistral by Kaho, but that gets a two as well. Kick to the face by Kaho and she hits a Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Hiroyo kicks out. Kaho goes off the ropes but Hiroyo levels her with a back elbow, but Kaho rolls through the cover. Kaho goes for the 120% Schoolboy but Hiroyo rolls through it, elbows by Kaho but Hiroyo elbows her back. Step-up Enzuigiri by Kaho and she goes off the ropes, but Hiroyo levels her with a lariat. Hiroyo picks up Kaho and nails the Liger Bomb, cover by Hiroyo and she gets the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto is the winner!

While the match wasn’t long, it certainly hit all the right notes. Kaho hasn’t lost a beat as she really brought it to Hiroyo, she couldn’t match her strength so instead she focused on speed and wit. In the end, Hiroyo’s power was too much and she put away the smaller wrestler, but Kaho had several close nearfalls so it was certainly not a lopsided affair. Kaho using the Flair Flop as a possum move was great as it made me go from “well that was kind of goofy” to respecting her methodology. I loved that even though she was the higher ranked wrestler that Hiroyo still respected Kaho’s finisher (120% Schoolboy) by not kicking out of it, leaving it as a move that Kaho still had in her back pocket up to the end to get a flash win. Fast paced and entertaining from bell to bell, a typical Kaho match that may not end up being the match everyone remembers from the show but a really fun contribution to the event as we roll onto the big matches.  Recommended

ASUKA and Yuu vs. SAKI and Saori Anou

ASUKA and Anou start the match, they do a pose off as they compete for the crowd’s attention, but that doesn’t last long as ASUKA hits Anou with a hard elbow. Anou elbows her back and they trade shots, headbutt by ASUKA but Anou avoids her boot and hits one of her own. Anou throws ASUKA into the corner but ASUKA hops on the top turnbuckle, leading to Anou backing off. She tags in SAKI while Yuu also tags in, Yuu and SAKI lock up and Yuu pushes SAKI into the corner. SAKI responds to her kindness with elbows, hard shoulderblock by Yuu but SAKI avoids her senton and hits a boot. She tags Anou but stays in the ring, they try to double team Yuu but Yuu hits a double crossbody on both of them. Yuu tags ASUKA, ASUKA chokes Anou with her boot in the corner with some help from Makoto who is at ringside. Sliding kick by ASUKA to Anou, and she covers her for two. ASUKA charges Anou but Anou catches her leg and hits a dragon screw. Anou starts on ASUKA’s leg but Yuu breaks things up, ASUKA picks up Anou and tags Yuu in. Yuu picks up Anou and hits a running elbow in the corner, cross armbreaker attempt by Yuu as SAKI tries to help her partner but ASUKA holds her back. Anou makes it to the ropes anyway, elbow drop by Yuu but Anou bridges out of the cover. Yuu tags ASUKA, ASUKA kicks Anou around the ring before putting her in Paradise Lock and posing on her.

Yuu sits on Anou which actually gets Anou out of the Paradise Lock, annoying ASUKA. ASUKA charges Anou but Anou rolls away and hits a step-up enzuigiri, giving her time to tag SAKI. SAKI kicks ASUKA and hits a vertical suplex, SAKI knees ASUKA in the corner and hits a Reverse Splash for two. SAKI picks up ASUKA but ASUKA pokes her in the eyes and delivers a dropkick. She tags in Yuu, shoulderblock by Yuu but SAKI lands in her corner and tags Anou. Missile dropkick by Anou, she goes for a slam but Yuu blocks it. SAKI comes in to help but Yuu hits a vertical suplex on both of them, Yuu puts Anou in a crab hold but Anou gets to the ropes for the break. Senton by Yuu and she covers Anou for a two count. Yuu gets up on the second turnbuckle but SAKI grabs her from the apron, running elbow by Anou and she joins Yuu. Frankensteiner attempt by Anou but Yuu catches her, Anou recovers and hits the Frankensteiner anyway followed by a sliding kick for two. Anou tags SAKI, SAKI goes to suplex Yuu but she can’t get her up. SAKI gets Yuu to the mat and puts her in an armtrap crossface, but Yuu gets a boot on the ropes for the break. SAKI goes off the ropes but Yuu tosses her to the mat, SAKI charges Yuu but Yuu hits a jumping crossbody. Yuu charges SAKI and delivers a cannonball, cover by Yuu but SAKI gets a shoulder up.

Yuu picks up SAKI but Anou runs in and boots her in the face, SAKI drives Yuu’s head into the mat and both wrestlers tag out. ASUKA and Anou trade boots, Anou gets ASUKA’s back and drops her with a release German. Anou picks up ASUKA and hits a step-up enzuigiri, superkick by ASUKA and she hits a second one for a two count. SAKI comes in but ASUKA hits a springboard moonsault off the ropes onto both opponents, with both falling out of the ring. Yuu gets in the ring, she drops down and rolls out onto both SAKI and Anou. ASUKA goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out with a moonsault, but SAKI and Anou both move out of the way. Anou and SAKI attempt to double team ASUKA but it backfires, and ASUKA hits Anou repeatedly with chairs. Anou regains the advantage as the brawl at ringside continues, ASUKA and Anou end up in the crowd while SAKI and Yuu follow. The referee eventually figures he has given them enough leeway returning to the ring and calls for the bell. The match is a Double Count Out.

While I am not a big fan of moderately random matches on shows like this not having a conclusive ending, this was still pretty good. I do think there are storyline reasons where count outs, draws, etc. are fine, but as a general rule if the match doesn’t have a *reason* for a non-ending I’d rather it have one, it just gives fans a more satisfying feeling. I am not sure if we’ll ever see a pay-off from this and if we don’t, what was the point? That aside, the action was solid but something was missing. There were multiple stories going on (ASUKA and Yuu not always getting along, Saori/ASUKA hating each other, random limb work?) but it didn’t really mesh into a cohesive tag match. The pieces were there, they just never really joined them together so the match didn’t have a lot of flow to it. Still a good match as these four couldn’t have a bad match if they tried, but a little disappointing as I feel it could have been even better.  Mildly Recommended

Maya Yukihi and Rina Yamashita vs. Miyuki Takase and Ryo Mizunami

Takase and Maya start the match and start off trading holds, snapmare by Maya and she kicks Takase in the back. Takase wants more so Maya kicks her again, more kicks by Maya but Takase ducks the PK. Irish whip by Maya and but Takase hits an armdrag, kick to the chest by Maya but Takase kips up and chops Maya in the chest. They end up in a stalemate and both tag out, bringing in Ryo and Rina. Ryo and Rina lock knuckles, headlock by Ryo and she gets Rina to the mat. Rina gets back up and reverses the hold, they try to knock each other over with shoulderblocks with Rina eventually sending Ryo down. Rina knocks Takase off the apron as Maya comes in the ring, and they both attack Ryo while she is tied up in the ropes. Rina tags in Maya, kicks by Maya but Ryo elbows her back and the two trade blows. Maya gets the better of things, Rina returns and they go for a suplex but Ryo blocks it. Ryo knocks over both of them and stacks her opponents in the corner, lots of chops by Ryo and she hits a lariat on Maya. Cover by Ryo, but it gets a two count. She tags Takase but Maya kicks Takase and hits a backbreaker. Bootscrapes by Maya and she kicks Takase in the back, they trade strikes until Takase gets Maya against the ropes.

Lariat by Takase but Maya ducks the next one and hits a kick combination. Trip by Maya and she delivers a sliding kick, she tags in Rina and Rina lariats Takase in the corner. Scoop slam by Rina, Takase gets back up and Rina hits a hard elbow. Takase chops her in return but Rina hits another elbow and goes for a Sleeper. Takase runs into the corner to get out of the hold, Rina goes off the ropes but Takase catches her with a DDT followed by a cutter. Irish whip by Takase out of the corner, reversed, but Takase rebounds off the turnbuckle with a missile dropkick for two. Takase goes for a suplex but Rina easily reverses it into one of her own, she goes off the ropes but Takase hits a powerslam for a two count. She tags in Ryo, Rina and Ryo both connect with strikes until Ryo drops Rina with an overhead suplex. Rina quickly comes back with a backdrop suplex, sliding lariat by Rina and she covers Takase for two. Lariat by Rina, and she covers Ryo for two. Rina picks up Ryo but Ryo slides away and both wrestlers lariat each other to the mat. Rina tags in Maya, Maya goes to the top turnbuckle and comes in the ring with a missile dropkick. Jumping knee by Maya and she kicks Ryo in the chest for a quick two count. Maya rolls Ryo to the mat and applies a submission hold, but Ryo gets a toe on the ropes to force a break. Maya goes off the ropes but Ryo avoids her boot and Takase levels Maya with a spear.

Dropkick by Takase and she assists Ryo with a side slam, Ryo gets on the second turnbuckle as Takase hits a Kamikaze. Diving legdrop by Ryo, but Rina breaks up the cover. All four wrestlers trade running strikes, Rina lariats Maya by accident but on the second attempt she successfully lariats Ryo and Takase (and knocks out Maya in the process). Maya recovers and hits a dual superkick to Ryo, Rina goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving body press. Running knee by Maya, but Takase breaks up the cover. Maya charges Ryo but Ryo moves, strike combination by Maya but Ryo hits a hard lariat. Maya pops up just to eat another lariat, Ryo charges Maya but Maya kicks her to the mat. Buzzsaw Kick by Maya, and she covers Ryo for two. Sliding knee by Maya, but again Takase breaks up the cover. Maya picks up Ryo but Ryo blocks the Tiger Driver, high kick by Maya but Ryo blocks it again. Uranage by Ryo and she hits a spear, picking up a two count. Ryo goes off the ropes and delivers a hard lariat, she drags Maya back to her feet and nails the Hot Limit for the three count! Ryo Mizunami and Miyuki Takase are the winners!

One can’t help but compare this match to the one that came before it, as both had Freelance tag teams and went about the same amount of time. This match was much better, and a number of things helped it. First, both of the teams wrestled like they were a real team, lots of team work and fluid setups that kept the match interesting. It also had a real ending, which I appreciate, and there was more of a sense of urgency with all four of them. It didn’t hurt that Maya really brought her A Game, she is really underappreciated as far as in-ring ability goes and she was firing on all cylinders here. Ryo was more grounded, which I liked, and both Rina and Miyuki looked great as well. Just four talented wrestlers beating the hell out of each other for twenty minutes, what is not to love? Easily the best match on the card and worth watching, its going to slot below other matches in 2022 that maybe had more of a backstory and emotion behind it but as far as in-ring action goes it doesn’t get much better than this.  Highly Recommended

The post NOMADS’ “Freelance Summit” on 5/20/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Marvelous 6th Anniversary
Date: May 1st, 2022
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: Streamed on Zaiko and Passmarket

I don’t get to watch a lot of Marvelous these days, which is a shame since they are a fun little promotion. Run by Chigusa Nagayo and led by Takumi Iroha, they have had a lot of issues the last few years with wrestlers leaving or getting injured, but they still plug along and put on entertaining events. This is a big show for them, as for their Anniversary event they are running Korakuen Hall. Its not a long event with only five matches (I’ll only be reviewing the Joshi matches, so four for our purposes), but that doesn’t mean it won’t deliver. Even though this is a Marvelous event, the titles for the revived GAEA Japan promotion will be defended, since Chigusa Nagayo is a big part of its occasional revival. Here is the Joshi portion of the card:

• An Chamu, Chikayo Nagashima, and Makoto vs. Ai Houzan, Miyako Matsumoto, and Yurika Oka
• Maria vs. Riko Kawahata
• AAAW Championship: Takumi Iroha vs. Yuu
• AAAW Tag Team Championship: Itsuki Aoki and Rin Kadokura vs. Kaoru Ito and Tomoko Watanabe

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Onto the show!

An Chamu, Nagashima, and Makoto vs. Ai Houzan, Matsumoto, and Yurika Oka

Team Matsumoto attack their opponents from behind to start the match, Chamu is isolated and triple teamed in the corner. Makoto and Nagashima eventually return to even the odds, and eventually Houzan stays in the ring with Chamu to become the legal wrestlers. Kick to the check by Chamu, she picks up Houzan while Nagashima comes in the ring so they can double team her. Chamu tags Makoto, kick by Makoto to Houzan and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Another shoulderblock by Makoto, and she covers Houzan for two. Makoto works a headlock, Houzan pushes her back into the corner and Makoto tags Nagashima and Nagashima keeps up the assault on Houzan, but Houzan eventually delivers a dropkick and tags Matsumoto. Matsumoto throws Nagashima into the corner but when she charges in, Nagashima puts her in a hanging armbar. She lets go and steps on Matsumoto’s hands, running kick by Nagashima and she covers Matsumoto for two. Nagashima goes for another kick but it gets blocked, Nagashima knocks Matsumoto to the mat but Matsumoto bridges out of the pin. Nagashima returns to the dominate position anyway, Complete Shot by Nagashima and she tags Chamu.

Chamu dropkicks Matsumoto before hitting a DDT for a two count. Schoolboy by Chamu and she applies a figure four, but Matsumoto gets to the ropes for the break. Chamu goes for a hip attack but Matsumoto moves, kick by Matsumoto and she delivers a Stunner followed by a Shining Wizard for two. Matsumoto tags Oka, lots of dropkicks by Oka and she covers Chamu for two. Face crusher by Oka, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Nagashima grabs her from the apron. This gives Chamu time to recover and she throws Oka back to the mat, hair toss by Chamu and she hits a running double knee in the corner. Chamu picks up Oka, Oka gets away from her but Chamu kicks Oka in the head. Fisherman suplex by Chamu, and she covers Oka for two. Makoto is tagged in, Makoto boots Oka in the corner and hits an armdrag. Makoto applies an armbar but it gets broken up, scoop slam by Oka and everyone on her team runs over Makoto’s stomach. Nagashima and Chamu eventually get in the ring to help their partner, spinning headscissors by Oka to Makoto and she hits a dropkick. Oka charges Makoto but Makoto drop toeholds her into the ropes and delivers a big boot for two. Drop toehold by Oka and she cradles Makoto for two. Dropkick by Oka and she tags Houzan, dropkicks by Houzan to Makoto and she covers her for two. Houzan picks up Makoto and hits a series of elbows, dropkick by Houzan but Makoto boots her in the throat.

Double kneedrop by Makoto, but it gets two. Makoto picks up Houzan but Houzan slides away, and the two trade flash pins for two counts. Double underhook suplex by Makoto and she tags Nagashima, boots by Nagashima to Houzan but Houzan gets away and delivers a few quick dropkicks. Houzan picks up Nagashima but Nagashima blocks her slam and hits one of her own. She goes off the ropes but Oka cuts her off with a dropkick, double dropkicks to Nagashima and Matsumoto kicks Nagashima in the back. Houzan goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Houzan but it gets two. Houzan goes back up top again with an assist from Oka, but Makoto boots Oka and tosses Houzan to the mat. Chamu kicks Houzan before Nagashima hits a suplex for two. Nagashima goes to the top turnbuckle but Houzan avoids the diving footstomp, Makoto tries to help but boots Nagashima by mistake. Cover by Houzan to Nagashima, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Nagashima but Houzan rolls her up for two. Houzan goes off the ropes but Nagashima boots her in the head, Nagashima picks up Houzan and nails a Fisherman Buster for the three count! Chikayo Nagashima, Makoto, and An Chamu are the winners!

A perfectly fine multi-wrestler tag match. I haven’t seen Oka in awhile, she looked really good and is coming along well, she flies under the radar due to Sendai Girls’ not being talked about much these days but she certainly has all the basics down. It is difficult in a sub-15 minutes six wrestler match for everyone to get some shine, but no one looked out of place as the veterans controlled things and the young wrestlers got their moments. Ultimately not a match that will stick in the brain but nothing wrong with it either, pretty solid work by all.

Maria vs. Riko Kawahata

They are making it obvious from the start that there is a ten minute time limit, which is an ominous sign. Maria immediately goes for a dropkick but Riko moves, boot by Maria and she kicks Riko into the ropes. Running boot by Maria, she goes to the apron and hits a slingshot footstomp. Kick to the ribs by Maria and she hits a heel drop, Riko recovers but Maria hits a dragon screw. Maria hits Riko in the knee before applying an ankle hold, she lets go after a moment and hits a sliding kick. Maria keeps on Riko’s knee and slams her into the mat, she puts Riko in an armtrap crossface but eventually lets go and picks Riko up. Riko snaps off an enzuigiri and delivers a sliding kick of her own, covering Maria for two. Maria quickly puts Riko in a kneelock but Riko gets to the ropes for the break, Maria charges Riko but Riko moves, sunset flip by Maria and the two trade cradle pin attempts. Maria gets Riko’s back and applies an Octopus Hold, they end up on the ground as Maria pulls on Riko’s arm but Riko doesn’t submit. Maria kicks at Riko but Riko nails her with a superkick, Northern Lights Suplex Hold by Riko but it gets two.

Riko picks up Maria and hits a high kick, knee by Riko and she puts Maria in a cross armbreaker. Maria wiggles to the ropes to get the break, Riko goes off the ropes but Maria hits a dropkick. Cross armbreaker takedown by Maria and she keeps it locked in, but Riko rolls out of it so Maria applies an ankle hold instead. She switches to a cross kneelock and then a figure four leglock, but Riko gets to the ropes. Maria goes off the ropes but Riko boots her, they trade strikes until Maria knocks Riko off her feet. Maria picks up Riko and hits a snap suplex, but Riko returns fire with a release German. Just one minute left in the match as they go into high gear, trading flash pins with no success. Kick by Maria and she goes for Riko’s arm, but Riko rolls away and kicks Maria in the stomach. Head kick by Riko, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Maria avoids the moonsault. Cradle by Maria, but Riko kicks out. Snap suplex by Maria, but the bell rings before she can do anything else as time expires. The match is a Draw.

For a match clearly designed to be a Draw (they kept the time up on the big screen and showed it throughout), this was really good. I’m a little behind in my Marvelous viewing but Maria is progressing really well, I don’t know why she isn’t getting more of a push somewhere but she has a lot of great moves and shows emotion. Her submission game is smooth, everything they did was fluid. Riko looked good as well but this felt more like a showcase for Maria, which makes sense as this is her home promotion. An entertaining match, would like to see these two get more time without a telegraphed end result.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Takumi Iroha vs. Yuu
AAAW Championship

They tie-up to start, Yuu pushes Takumi into the ropes but she allows Takumi to get back up. They end up on the mat and trade holds, Takumi spins away from Yuu and slaps her back before retreating. Side headlock by Takumi, Yuu Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither going down. Takumi tries to shoulderblock Yuu over with no luck, she tries again but Yuu shoulderblocks her down. Scoop slam by Yuu but Takumi avoids her running senton, successful shoulderblock by Takumi and she kicks Yuu in the chest. Cover by Takumi, but Yuu pushes her off with ease and returns to her feet. Snapmare by Takumi and she kicks Yuu in the back, but Yuu gets up and chops Takumi in the chest. Spinning sidewalk slam by Yuu and she hits a senton, Takumi quickly rolls out of the ring and tries to recover. She eventually does so and gets on the apron, but Yuu knocks her back down to the floor. Yuu drops down in the ring and rolls out of it and over the apron, landing on top of Takumi. Yuu returns to the ring as Takumi slowly follows, cover by Yuu but it gets a two count. Yuu picks up Takumi but Takumi kicks her, she goes for a suplex but Yuu pushes her away. Kick combination by Takumi and she hits a PK followed by a sliding kick. Snap vertical suplex by Takumi, she picks up Yuu and applies a sleeper hold. Yuu inches to the ropes and makes it to force a break, Takumi kicks Yuu in the corner and delivers a dropkick.

Another kick by Takumi but Yuu eventually catches one and chops Takumi in the chest. They trade blows until Yuu knocks Takumi to the mat, she picks her back up and hits a crossbody for a two count. Yuu gets on the second turnbuckle but Takumi recovers and hits an elbow, she joins Yuu and hits a superplex down to the mat. Takumi positions Yuu and goes to the top turnbuckle, diving senton by Takumi and she covers Yuu for two. Takumi throws Yuu into the corner and tries to pick her up, but Yuu won’t budge. Takumi charges Yuu but Yuu knocks her to the mat, cannonball by Yuu and she covers Takumi for two. Yuu goes for a powerbomb but Takumi blocks it, slaps by Yuu but Takumi blocks the powerbomb again. Takumi charges Yuu but Yuu slams her to the mat, Yuu goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a Reverse Splash for a two count. Yuu goes up top but Takumi elbows her, Takumi joins Yuu but Yuu chops her back to the mat and hits a diving crossbody for two. Yuu picks up Takumi but Takumi hits a back bodydrop, Yuu quickly hits a running senton though to stay in control. Yuu picks up Takumi but Takumi hits a heel kick, chops by Yuu and she slaps Takumi to the mat. Another chop by Yuu but Takumi elbows her, kicks by Takumi and she covers Yuu for two. Kick combination by Takumi, she goes for a powerbomb but Yuu shrugs her off. More kicks by Takumi, she puts Yuu in the corner and positions her for the Running Three. Yuu blocks it so Takumi superkicks her in the face, she tries again and this time nails the Running Three for the three count! Takumi Iroha wins and retains the championship.

This was a really fun match, however it may have gone a few minutes longer than it needed to based on the setup. The story of the match was simple – Yuu was bigger and stronger than Takumi so Takumi slowly cut her down with strikes until she was weak enough to get up for the Running Three. Its a good story but a heavyweight hoss/strike battle doesn’t necessarily need to be 20+ minutes to tell it as it did get a little repetitive at times. Takumi’s kicks always deliver and the match felt like hers to lose from the start as Yuu didn’t really have any convincing nearfalls – the story was always about Takumi. A match I enjoyed for sure, a safe defense for Takumi but still a solid one.  Recommended

Itsuki Aoki and Rin Kadokura vs. Kaoru Ito and Tomoko Watanabe
AAAW Tag Team Championship

The kids attack the vets before the match starts, Watanabe is then isolated and double teamed. Rin stays in as legal and snapmares Watanabe, hitting a sliding knee for a two count. Watanabe comes back with a suplex and hits a scoop slam, leg drop by Watanabe and she puts Rin in a crab hold. Rin gets out of it so Watanabe puts her in a Scorpion Deathlock instead, Ito comes in and stands on Rin’s hands before stomping on them. Watanabe lets go of the hold so she and Ito can drive Rin’s knees into the mat, Watanabe tags Ito and Ito lariats Watanabe in the corner. Crab hold by Ito, Itsuki tries to break it up but is unable to do so. Ito pulls on Rin’s hair but eventually stops and applies a chinlock, Itsuki tries to help again and eventually Ito lets go. Ito stands on Rin and applies a single leg crab hold, but Rin gets to the ropes for the break. Rin finally hits a move as she delivers a jumping neck drop, giving her time to tag Itsuki. Itsuki elbows Ito but Ito elbows her to the mat, Itsuki gets back up but promptly is elbowed down again. She keeps trying with no luck, but does manage to get Ito off her feet with a face crusher. Body press by Itsuki, but it gets two. Itsuki tries to pick up Ito but Ito blocks it, Irish whip by Ito and Itsuki tries to shoulderblock Ito over with no success. Hard shoulderblock by Ito and she hits a footstomp, running senton by Ito and she covers Itsuki for a two count. Ito tags Watanabe, Watanabe goes for a suplex but Rin attacks her from behind.

Double Irish whip to Watanabe but she hits a double rebound crossbody on both of her opponents, Itsuki manages to get Watanabe down with a drop toehold (with some help) and hits a sliding kick. Itsuki sets up Watanabe in the ropes and chargers in, but Ito grabs Itsuki from the apron and Watanabe hits a lariat. Watanabe goes off the ropes but Itsuki catches her with a STO for two. Itsuki tags Rin, they pick up Watanabe but Ito runs in with a double lariat. Itsuki and Rin recover and hit a double superkick to Watanabe, diving body press by Itsuki from the second turnbuckle and Rin follows with a double footstomp for a two count. Rin picks up Watanabe but Ito returns again and hits a lariat. Ito tries again to help but she hits Watanabe by accident, release German by Rin to Watanabe but Watanabe returns to her feet. Rin plants her again, this time with a release Dragon Suplex, she hits a Northern Lights Suplex Hold but Watanabe kicks out. Rin gets Watanabe’s back, Itsuki superkicks Watanabe and Rin hits a crucifix drop for two. Double superkick to Ito, Rin tries to superkick Watanabe but she hits Itsuki by accident. Lariat by Watanabe to Rin and she tags Ito. Lariat by Ito, and she covers Rin for two. Ito picks up Rin and nails a powerbomb, Itsuki runs in but Ito drops her with a uranage.

Rin and Itsuki end up outside the ring and Ito drills them both with a dropkick through the ropes, Watanabe throws Rin back in and Ito delivers a sit-out powerbomb but Itsuki breaks up the pin. Watanabe gets on the top turnbuckle, Ito feeds Rin to her and Watanabe hits a diving lariat. The cover is broken up again, Ito gets on the second turnbuckle but Itsuki elbows her before she can jump off. Watanabe takes care of Itsuki which allows Ito to hit a diving footstomp, but her cover is broken up. Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a body press to Rin, Ito goes all the way up but Itsuki grabs her from the apron. Itsuki distracts Ito until Rin can recover, Rin joins Ito and hits a Frankensteiner. Rin waits for Ito to get up and hits a jumping DDT, but she is too hurt to capitalize and Ito is up first. Ito picks up Rin as Watanabe runs in, but Watanabe lariats Ito by mistake. Itsuki gets Rin on her shoulders and helps her set up for the crucifix slam on Ito, Rin hits the move on Ito and holds her down for the three count! Rin Kadokura and Itsuki Aoki are the new champions!

Poorly done ending aside, with Ito not even willing to keep her shoulders on the mat for a big title win up for grabs, this was a VERY Veteran vs. Young Underdog match. The entire structure was just Itsuki and Rin doing their damnedest to just knock their opponents off their feet, let along get a nearfall. Its not necessarily a bad story, and with Ito and Watanabe definitely not a surprising one, as that has been their go-to match setup for probably the last 15 years. But it led to some problems, like some really iffy transitions (for example when Ito recovered first after being dropped by Rin’s DDT) and the win coming across as a fluke lucky win. Rin and Itsuki are both exciting young wrestlers, so giving them a tiny bit more of a rub wouldn’t have hurt anything, although its surprising enough that Watanabe and Ito lost so I guess we have to take what we can get. I give Itsuki and Rin credit for trying hard, and Ito/Watanabe for mostly rolling with the punches, but it still would be disingenuous to say the match was good even if they got the winners right. It wasn’t bad, and is perfectly watchable, but predictable in structure and for such a big match it would have been nice if they had gone a little outside the box to surprise us.

The post Marvelous 6th Anniversary on 5/1/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom World Climax 2022 ~ The Best
Date: March 26th, 2022
Location: Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall) in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,712
Broadcast: Streamed Live on PPV, later added to Stardom World

There are big events, and there are massive holy shit big events, and this show is the latter. Stardom really went all-out for their two day stint in Sumo Hall. There is a lot going on here to be excited about – Prominence continues their invasion, Syuri and Giulia collide, and we also have the return of Kairi Hojo! Wrestling now as KAIRI, this is her first match since leaving WWE back in 2020. There are three other title matches as well, with Kamitani vs. Hayashishita having a chance of stealing the whole show. Here is the full card:

• Future of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Rina
• MIRAI vs. Saya Iida
• Gauntlet Match: AZM, Lady C, and Miyu Amasaki vs. Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai vs. Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death, and Ruaka
• Maika and Thekla vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
• Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Utami Hayashishita
• World of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. Giulia

What a show. As this aired live on PPV, all matches will be shown in full. Every wrestler on the event has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. This is going to be a long one so let’s hop to it.

(c) Hanan vs. Rina
Future of Stardom Championship

They immediately trade elbows to start, with Rina getting the better of her older sister. Scoop slam by Rina and she covers Hanan for barely a two count. She quickly applies an armbar but Hanan inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Stomps by Rina, she picks up Hanan and twists her arm in the ropes. More stomps by Rina but Hanan tosses her with a judo throw, Rina rolls Hanan to the mat however and kicks her in the face. Rina charges Hanan but Hanan trips her and applies a kneelock. Rina gets to the ropes for the break, Hanan puts Rina’s leg in the ropes and dropkicks her in the knee. Double wrist-clutch armsault by Hanan, but it gets a two count. Hanan picks her up and elbows Rina into the corner, her Irish whip is reversed however and Rina kicks Hanan in the stomach when she goes for a crossbody.

Rina picks up Hanan and they trade elbows, with again Rina winning the dual. She goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a dropkick, Stretch Muffler by Hanan but Rina reaches the ropes. Hanan picks up Rina but Rina slips away and applies the Octopus Hold. She gets Hanan to the mat with the Ground Manjikatame but Hanan gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Rina throws Hanan into the corner and hits a running double knee, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving double kneedrop for a two count. Rina tries to get Hanan on her back but Hanan spins away and delivers a STO. Blockbuster by Hanan but Rina rolls through it, she gets Hanan on her back and slams her to the mat for a two count cover. Rina picks up Hanan but Hanan nails a jumping knee, Fameasser by Hanan and she covers Rina for a two count. Hanan picks up Rina and hits a backdrop suplex, she keeps the hold on and hits a second backdrop suplex, keeping Rina down for the three count! Hanan wins and retains the championship.

For an opener with two underage wrestlers, this was pretty decent. The match started a little slow as Rina on offense isn’t overly interesting (lots of stomps) but once her more talented sister took over it got more interesting. Hanan has had an off-and-on career due to injuries and taking time off, plus her schedule is limited due to still being in school, but if she decides to fully commit to wrestling once she graduates I think they may have something special with her. Good for what it was, Rina still has a bit of a ways to go to move up from being just the “other” wrestler in any match she is in, but she didn’t drag the match down and overall this was perfectly watchable wrestling.

MIRAI vs. Saya Iida

They lock-up to start but break cleanly, they lock knuckles as MIRAI gets Saya to her knees but Saya recovers and gets the advantage on MIRAI. MIRAI gets out of the hold and elbows Saya, Saya chops her back and the two trade shots for a solid minute. Saya chops MIRAI against the ropes but MIRAI ducks one, she goes off the ropes but Saya clubs her to the mat. Saya elbows MIRAI against the ropes but MIRAI elbows her back, she goes for a slam but Saya blocks it and hits one of her own. Saya picks up MIRAI and chops her in the chest some more, but MIRAI avoids one and puts Saya in a stretch hold. She lets go after a moment, MIRAI goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Saya stays on her feet. Saya hits a lariat with the same result as they go back and forth until MIRAI finally knocks Saya off her feet. Saya springs back up however and lariats MIRAI over, but MIRAI is back up as well as they keep at it. Eventually they lariat each other at the same time, and both collapse exhausted to the mat. MIRAI applies a sleeper but Saya slams MIRAI into the corner to get out of it, lariat by Saya and she goes to the top turnbuckle to hit a diving shoulderblock. Saya picks up MIRAI but MIRAI blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, slamming Saya face-first into the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up and hit lariats, they both block each other from hitting one until Saya levels MIRAI and covers her for two. Saya picks up MIRAI but MIRAI rolls her to the mat and applies the Miramare. Saya almost makes it to the ropes but MIRAI gets her back to the middle of the ring, and Saya has no choice but to tap out! MIRAI is the winner.

I understand what they were going for here, and I respect it even though I’m still not convinced on Saya Iida. Saya has a lot of Western fans and its easy to understand why, as she has the type of fighting spirit energy that pops off the screen. Its not her fault, but for me its a little hard to totally buy into her offense just because she is tiny. There is nothing wrong with being a smaller wrestler of course, but its tough to be both a powerhouse and 4’9″. MIRAI certainly gave her equal ground to put the idea over and like I said I respect what they are doing with her character, I’m just not sure it has long term potential. The fact MIRAI had to “escape” with a flash submission that wasn’t foreshadowed shows the effort to protect Saya even in defeat. I would say it was a pretty good hoss-style match, even if part of me is having trouble seeing Saya Iida as a true hoss.

AZM, Lady C, and Miyu Amasaki vs. Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai vs. Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death, and Ruaka

Cosmic Angels and Oedo Tai are the first two teams in. Cosmic Angels charge before the match starts but it epically fails as Oedo Tai immediately takes control and triple teams Momo in the ring. Death stays in as the legal wrestler and throws down Momo by the hair before choking her in the corner with her boot. She tags in Ruaka, Irish whip by Ruaka to the corner but Momo slides out to the apron before springboarding back into the ring with a crossbody off the second rope. She tags in Mina, Mina elbows Rina and hits a dropkick. Mina goes off the ropes and does a tilt-a-whirl, Ruaka blocks the leg sweep but Momo helps out with a swandive dropkick. Mina picks up Ruaka but Ruaka pushes her into the ropes, Irish whip by Ruaka but Mina blocks it and hits an elbow. Hard shoulderblock by Ruaka and she tags Saki, but Mina dropkicks her in the knee. Mina puts Saki in a Mexican Surfboard, she lets her go after a moment and tags in Waka. Double Irish whip to Saki, Saki briefly gets the better of it but Momo runs in and hits a 619. Waka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Waka but Ruaka breaks it up. Uppercut by Saki to Waka and Death runs in with a senton. Body press by Ruaka, Saki picks up Waka and hits a double underhook suplex hold for two. Head kick by Saki, she picks up Waka and delivers the My Emblem for the three count! Oedo Tai wins.

The next team in is Queen’s Quest to take on Oedo Tai. Oedo Tai attacks as QQ gets in the ring, they isolate Miyu and boot her to the mat. Death stays in and throws Miyu into the corner, but Miyu boots her when she charges in. It happens two more times, Miyu goes off the ropes and delivers a jumping DDT. She tags AZM, dropkick by AZM but Ruaka grabs her from behind. AZM fights them both off as she hits an armdrag/headscissors combination. Double dropkick by AZM and she covers Death for two. AZM goes off the ropes but Death drop toeholds her and tags Saki. Saki goes off the ropes but Miyu dropkicks her, knee drop by Lady C and AZM drops Saki with a vertical suplex. Head kick by AZM, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Saki avoids the diving footstomp. Kishikaisei by Saki, but the cover is broken up. AZM goes for a kick but Saki ducks it, AZM quickly applies a Leg Roll Clutch Hold and she gets the three count! Queen’s Quest wins.

For the final pairing, DDM enters to face Queen’s Quest. AZM and Natsupoi start the match and immediately get into a fast paced exchange, they end up rolling around on the mat with AZM applying a cradle for a two count. They trade kick attempts and flash pins after with no success, sliding kick by AZM and she tags Lady C. Lady C boots Natsupoi against the ropes but Natsupoi avoids the next boot attempt and hits a dropkick. Cover by Natsupoi, but it gets two. Natsupoi tags Himeka, shoulderblock by Himeka and she throws Lady C into the corner. Lariat by Himeka but Lady C avoids her next charge, Miyu runs in and hits a Space Rolling Elbow and Lady C hits a jumping neck drop on Himeka. Lady C goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a brain chop, cover by Lady C but it is broken up. Lady C picks up Himeka but Himeka spins away from her and hits a lariat. Himeka picks up Lady C and gets her on her shoulders, but AZM hits a missile dropkick off the second rope to knock Himeka over. Natsupoi suplexes AZM but Miyu dropkicks Natsupoi, cutter by Mai to Miyu and the ring is cleared aside from the legal wrestlers. Lariat by Himeka to Lady C, but Lady C gets a shoulder up. Himeka picks up Lady C and gets her on her shoulders, JP Coaster by Himeka and she covers Lady C for the three count! DDM win the match!

They really ran through this match quick, as all three pairings combined lasted under ten minutes. Needless to say, this wasn’t really enough time for them to really get things going, and some wrestlers did virtually nothing at all (look at you, Mai). There was a ton of talent in this match so its not a knock on the wrestlers, AZM and Himeka are really enjoyable to watch and looked good here, but obviously they couldn’t really get anything cohesive going. Pretty good for a filler match, but ultimately forgettable the minute it was over.

Maika and Thekla vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

The DDM team attacks before the bell rings and the action quickly spills out to the floor, with Prominence soon regaining the advantage. Risa and Maika return to the ring as the legal wrestlers, crab hold by Risa and she puts Maika in the Rocking Horse. Risa lets go after a moment and picks up Maika, putting her into the ropes before tagging Suzu. Suzu hits a sliding kick from the floor to Maika, she enters the ring and kicks at Maika. Suzu goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a slam and tags in Thekla. Risa comes in too however, double Irish whip attempt to Thekla but Thekla fights them both off. Double spear by Thekla and she hits a running elbow on Suzu in the corner, monkey flip by Thekla but Suzu lands on her feet and knocks Thekla to the mat. She tags Risa, elbow by Risa in the corner but Thekla hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and tags Maika. She tags in as both she and Maika hit running strikes on Risa in the corner, boot by Thekla and Maika hits a lariat. Shoulderblock by Maika but Risa doesn’t go down, but she does on the second attempt. Maika picks up Risa but Risa blocks the slam, she picks up Maika and drops her with a Schwein.

Running double knee by Risa in the corner, she picks up Maika but Maika quickly hits a vertical suplex. Back up, Maika goes off the ropes but Risa catches her with a TKO. They trade elbows in the middle of the ring, Risa goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a lariat. A second lariat by Maika, but her cover gets two. Maika picks up Risa but Risa hits another Schwein, both wrestlers crawl to their corners and tag in their partners. Elbows by Thekla to Suzu, Suzu goes off the ropes but Thekla kicks her. She goes for a dropkick but Suzu swipes her aside, Thekla gets Suzu to the mat and puts her in a Sickle Hold. Risa breaks it up, Maika gets rid of her and picks up Suzu, hitting a suplex while Thekla also delivers a superkick. Double sliding attack by DDM to Suzu, but Suzu barely kicks out of the cover. Thekla picks up Suzu, Irish whip to the corner but its reversed. Suzu spins Thekla so she is sitting on the second rope and slides under her, while suplexing Thekla back into the ring. Risa jumps on the second turnbuckle, Suzu hops on her back and Risa comes down with a double kneedrop onto Thekla. Suzu picks up Thekla but Thekla elbows her, chops by Suzu and she delivers a jumping kick. Suzu tries to climb the turnbuckles but Thekla stops her, Suzu kicks Thekla in the head and proceeds to the top anyway. Thekla recovers and joins her but Suzu maintains the advantage and slams Thekla to the mat for a two count. Suzu drags up Thekla and nails a deadlift German suplex hold, picking up the three count! Prominence are the winners.

This was an interesting little match. Generally speaking I thought the action was really good, wide variety of violence was used and there was very little downtime so there was never a dull moment. Maybe too little downtime, as some of the selling (by all involved) was incredibly suspect, even more so than usual, meaning that even the bigger moves didn’t have a ton of impact. Suzu was my favorite wrestler in Ice Ribbon and the main reason I kept up with the promotion at all, so I am excited to see her in Stardom and where this storyline goes. The right team won, as they need Prominence to pick up some wins in front of a new audience if they are to be taken seriously. A good match with fresh pairings, I wouldn’t have minded if the match was a little longer and given some time to breath but still pretty solid.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Hazuki and Momo start the match, they jockey for position before Momo snapmares Hazuki to the mat. Hazuki blocks the kick attempt and dropkicks Momo against the bottom rope, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits a running boot. Hazuki tags Koguma and runs on Momo’s back, she picks up Momo but Starlight Kid runs in the ring and trips her. Starlight Kid pulls Koguma out of the ring while Momo goes after Hazuki as they battle around the floor. Starlight Kid slams Koguma to the floor and Momo slams Hazuki on top of her, as Oedo Tai pose on their opponents. Momo and Koguma return to the ring, stomp by Momo but Koguma elbows her to knock her back. Koguma hits more elbows while Momo shrugs them off, kick to the chest by Momo and she covers Koguma for two. Momo tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid stomps on Koguma and kicks her repeatedly in the head. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Koguma hits a drop toehold followed by a dropkick. This gives her time to tag Hazuki, elbow by Hazuki to Starlight Kid and she puts her in an armtrap crossface. Momo quickly breaks it up, double Irish whip by Oedo Tai but Hazuki hits a double springboard armdrag followed by a double dropkick.

Momo and Starlight Kid fall out of the ring, Hazuki gets a running start in it and sails out onto both with a tope suicida. Hazuki slides Starlight Kid back in and gets on the apron, hitting a swandive dropkick. Cover by Hazuki, but Starlight Kid kicks out. Starlight Kid throws Hazuki into the corner but Hazuki drops her onto the apron, Starlight Kid slams Hazuki’s head into the turnbuckles and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving crossbody. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki elbows her and the two trade strikes. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Momo cuts her off with a dropkick, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki blocks the suplex attempt, cradle by Starlight Kid but Hazuki reverses it before hitting a Codebreaker. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Starlight Kid hits a jumping kick, Hazuki quickly fires back with a boot and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, elbows by Koguma to Momo but Momo avoids her charge in the corner and hits a dropkick. Kick to the chest by Momo, she picks up Koguma and snaps off a uranage for two. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle but Koguma elbows her before she can jump off, Koguma joins her and hits a cutter down to the mat. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Koguma but it gets two. Koguma goes for a suplex but Momo elbows out of it, snap half nelson suplex by Momo but Koguma ducks a head kick and drops Momo with a release German.

Both wrestlers slowly get up, DDT by Koguma but she is too hurt to take advantage. Starlight Kid slides in to attack Koguma but Hazuki quickly comes in too, both teams trade double team attempts until STARS win the exchange. Hazuki and Koguma deliver a slam/cutter combination to Momo, diving body press by Koguma but Starlight Kid breaks up the cover. Koguma picks up Momo but Momo gets her back with a crossface chickenwing. Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle as Momo lets go and hits a swivel body press, Momo picks up Koguma and drops her with the B Driver but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Momo and Starlight Kid pick up Koguma but Hazuki cuts them off, high kick by Momo to Koguma but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Hazuki but Hazuki fights them both off until Momo whacks her in the head with a chair. Momo goes back to Koguma and hits a modified tombstone, she picks Koguma back up but Koguma rolls away from her. Starlight Kid tosses the chair to Koguma and dropkicks it in her face, they pick up Koguma and deliver an assisted side slam. Momo picks up Koguma and nails the Peach Thunder, cover by Momo and she gets the three count. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid are the new champions!

Really enjoyable match, about everything one could ask for in this spot. Starlight Kid and Momo are just so good and have already built great chemistry as a team, really loved their constant cooperation and everything they did was fluid. I wouldn’t put Koguma on the level as the other three but she held her own here, and mostly let the others control the action. Very fast paced with something constantly happening to hold your attention, but it never felt excessive either as they’d slow down enough to let you catch your breath. They kept the big spots to a minimum due to their card placement but they sprinkled in enough, and the weapon violence was well done. I’m looking forward to seeing more Momo and Starlight Kid matches in the future, they are a great team. A fun match as we ramp up to the big matches on the event.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka

Mayu and Tam start the match, they do some introductory trading of holds before trading armdrags. They end up in a stalemate after some missed kicks, Tam tags Unagi and Unagi calls for KAIRI to be tagged in. Mayu obliges, Unagi asks for a knuckle lock but KAIRI sweeps out her leg instead. They tie-up, KAIRI pushes Unagi into the ropes and gives a clean break after teasing a backfist. Elbows by Unagi and she slaps KAIRI, KAIRI get angry and rolls up Unagi before putting her in a stretch muffler. KAIRI tags in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and with KAIRI they double team Unagi. Mayu picks up Unagi, snapmare by Mayu and she kicks Unagi in the back. Another kick by Mayu and she covers Unagi for two. Mayu tags KAIRI back in, KAIRI puts Unagi in the ropes and chops her in the chest. Sliding elbow by KAIRI, Unagi falls out of the ring and KAIRI hits a footstomp while Unagi is bridged over the apron. KAIRI returns to the ring and waits for Unagi, Unagi eventually rolls back in and KAIRI covers her for two.

Dropkick by KAIRI and she tags Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she stomps on Unagi. Mayu applies a Camel Clutch but Tam quickly breaks it up, Mayu throws Tam out of the ring and tosses Unagi in the corner. Chop by Mayu and she tags KAIRI, Unagi elbows KAIRI but KAIRI blocks the scoop slam and applies an ankle hold. She lets go after a moment to knock Tam off the apron, KAIRI picks up Unagi but Unagi hits a Codebreaker. Unagi finally makes the hot tag to Tam, Tam goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody. Tam picks up KAIRI but Mayu hits her from behind, double Irish whip to Tam but Tam cartwheels past them and dropkicks them. Tam get on the mat and poses towards KAIRI, KAIRI poses back at her but the happy moment doesn’t last long as they grab each other by the hair and return to their feet. KAIRI and Tam trade elbows, they go at it for a minute until Tam floors KAIRI with a spinning head kick. KAIRI tags Mayu while Tam tags Unagi, Unagi and Mayu avoid each other’s kicks until Mayu kicks Unagi in the chest. Dropkick by Mayu, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving body press for two. She goes back up to attempt a moonsault but Tam grabs her from the apron, knocking her off.

Unagi grabs Mayu from inside the ring and drags her over the top rope, dropping her head-first into the mat for a two count. KAIRI comes in but so does Tam and they both slam KAIRI to the mat, kick by Tam to Mayu and Unagi hits a leg drop for two. Unagi picks up Mayu and hits a fisherman driver, but KAIRI breaks up the cover. Tam comes in but KAIRI spears her, spinning backfist by KAIRI to Unagi and both Cosmic Angels fall out of the ring. Mayu and KAIRI go to different corners and dive down onto Unagi and Tam, Mayu gets Unagi back into the ring and kicks her in the head. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Unagi gets out of it, superkick by Mayu and she drags Unagi near the corner. KAIRI goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Diving Elbow Drop, Mayu then goes up top and delivers a moonsault for the three count! Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI are the winners!

I don’t think I would have ever correctly guessed the structure of this match. Its interesting as while KAIRI was the draw, she wasn’t the focus. The first third of the match had Unagi playing the “face in peril,” with Tam getting the big hot tag to take on Mayu and KAIRI. Its not that I expected KAIRI to have that role in her re-debut but this was almost structured like a Southern Tag match with the focus being on the Cosmic Angels. In fact if I didn’t know this was KAIRI’s return match I wouldn’t have known from the action as she really was presented on the same level (at best) as Mayu and Tam. I assume this was by design to slowly integrate her back into the promotion, but if she is going to be a “special attraction” wrestler I think they missed the mark. The match was fairly entertaining and KAIRI looked good, but the weakest link (Unagi) being such a focus took it down a notch from what it could have been. It was great to see KAIRI again but as a match it was a little disappointing as far as general excitement goes, even if it still was a solid tag match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Utami pushes Saya into the ropes but gives her a clean break. They tie-up again and Utami pushes Saya again in the ropes but she lets her free. Side headlock by Utami, Saya Irish whips out of it but Utami hits a shoulderblock. Saya kips up, they go through an exchange off the ropes until Saya hits a hurricanrana which sends Utami out of the ring. Saya goes off the ropes but Utami charges back in the ring and shoulderblocks Saya to the mat. Stomps by Utami and she hits a scoop slam, Utami picks up Saya and slams her again, crab hold by Utami but Saya gets to the ropes for the break. Utami throws Saya into the corner, Irish whip by Utami and she whips Saya hard into the corner multiple times. Utami stomps at Saya and hits a double kneedrop to her back, camel clutch by Utami but she releases the hold to cover Saya for a two count. Saya fights back with elbows, Utami goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick. Saya picks up Utami, snapmare by Saya and she applies a facelock. Saya puts Utami in a headscissors but Utami gets a foot on the ropes. Saya pulls Utami’s head so its hanging over the ropes and kicks her in the head, heel drop by Saya and she dropkicks Utami. Back in the ring, Saya picks up Utami and delivers a jumping heel kick. Neckbreaker by Saya and she covers Utami for two.

Saya picks up Utami and the two trade elbows, which Utami gets the better of. Dropkick to the back by Utami, she charges Saya in the corner but Saya moves. Utami tosses Saya out to the apron, elbow by Saya but Utami blocks it when Saya goes for a swandive move and back bodydrops her into the ring. Sliding elbow by Utami and she covers Saya for two. Irish whip by Utami, but Saya flips herself out to the apron and nails a swandive hurricanrana. Utami falls out of the ring, Saya gets a running start and sails out onto her with a no hands tope con hilo. Saya slides Utami back in the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the hook attempt, elbows by Saya but Utami snaps off a dropkick. Saya dropkicks her back but Utami throws her against the ropes and tosses her to the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up and exchange elbows until Utami elbows Saya hard to the mat. Utami tries to go off the ropes but Saya grabs her and hits an elbow, Utami elbows Saya in the back in response and puts her in an Argentine Backbreaker before dropping Saya to the mat. Cover by Utami, but Saya kicks out. Utami picks up Saya but Saya grabs the ropes to block a suplex attempt, elbow to the back by Utami but Saya gets free and goes off the ropes. Utami gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya wiggles free, release German attempt by Utami but Saya lands on her feet and hits a moonsault side slam for two.

Saya goes to the top turnbuckle but Utami clubs her before she can jump off, sending Saya to the apron. Utami then lariats Saya, sending her crashing to the floor. Utami slides Saya onto the apron, she joins her and gets Saya on her shoulders, but Saya escapes and nails a hurricanrana down to the floor. Saya gets back into the ring with Utami slowly following, Saya goes for a pump kick but Utami catches it and hits an Air Raid Crash. Utami goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Saya and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Utami drags Saya to her feet and gets her on her shoulders, but Saya gets away and delivers a reverse hurricanrana. Heel kick by Saya and she quickly hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Saya positions Utami and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Utami recovers and elbows her in the back. Utami goes for a crucifix powerbomb but Saya reverses it into a hurricanrana, Saya charges Utami but Utami hits a sidewalk slam. Big lariat by Utami, she picks up Saya and goes for the Hijack Bomb, but again Saya reverses it with a hurricanrana. Pump kick by Saya, she cradles Utami before scooping her up with a suplex. Jumping heel kick by Saya, she picks up Utami and delivers a fisherman driver for a two count. Saya positions Utami and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing a Phoenix Splash for the three count cover! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship!

Even though the match wasn’t perfect, any claims that it was reckless or sloppy are very greatly exaggerated. Both wrestlers showed off their strengths here, as Utami was a beast and Saya stayed in the match with her quick moves and high flying expertise. With how many high risk moves Saya does, not every one is going to be hit perfectly, but she is still the most exciting wrestler in Stardom right now and just brings that unpredictability that is hard to find. While I really loved the bulk of the match as they meshed together well their two styles, I do think the end stretch was probably a couple minutes too long. There can be a point of excess and they may have crossed it, which isn’t really uncommon with big title matches and at least they didn’t let it go on for more than a few minutes. A really great match between two wrestlers that are only getting better, the fact they can do a match like this so early in their careers says so much about their potential down the road.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Giulia
World of Stardom Championship

Giulia and Syuri quickly end up on the mat and trade holds, but they end up in a stalemate and back on their feet. Syuri works a headlock but Giulia Irish whips out of it, Giulia kicks Syuri in the leg but Syuri tackles her when she goes off the ropes and both wrestlers spill out of the ring. They jockey for position down on the floor and Syuri goes for an armbreaker, but Giulia blocks it so Syuri applies a seated armbar instead. The referee gets her to stop but Giulia grabs Syuri from behind and tries to suplex her into the ring post. Syuri blocks it and goes for a high kick, but Giulia ducks and she kicks the post by accident. Giulia throws Syuri into the post before sliding her back into the ring, Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri elbows her and they trade shots. Giulia trips Syuri and puts her in a STF, but Syuri gets to the ropes for the break. Giulia hits a running elbow in the corner, she sits Syuri on the top turnbuckle before picking her up and suplexes her to the mat. Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri swats her away and hits a Backstabber. Syuri throws Giulia into the corner, knees by Syuri and she hits a suplex. Sleeper by Syuri but Giulia is too close to the ropes and quickly gets the break. Snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Giulia in the back a few times. Giulia crawls to the corner, Syuri charges her but Giulia slides out to the apron and dumps Syuri out of the ring. Kick from the apron by Giulia, she goes out after Syuri and puts her in a stretch submission hold on the floor.

The referee again has to tell them to knock it off, Giulia lets go and throws the referee into Syuri. Giulia then catapults off the referee’s back and dropkicks Syuri, she picks her up and drags Syuri up onto a table with her. Giulia grabs Syuri while standing on the table and nails a piledriver, breaking the table in the process. Giulia gets back in the ring while Syuri holds her head on the floor, the referee by now has recovered and he starts the count. Giulia goes back out after Syuri and brings her back to the ring, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Syuri falls back out of the ring so Giulia has to go after her, snapmare by Giulia and she kicks Syuri in the back. Another kick by Giulia, she gets a running start but Syuri hits her with a piece of plexiglass that the commentary table was using. Syuri picks up Giulia and hits a single arm suplex, she gets up on the apron and hits a dropkick down to the floor. Syuri gets Giulia back to the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving Fameasser, but Giulia reverses her cover into a submission, but Syuri gets to the ropes. Giulia picks up Syuri, Syuri gets away and hits a release German. Giulia fires back with her own release German, Codebreaker by Syuri but Giulia catches her kick and delivers a capture suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up and face off from opposite corners, they charge each other and Giulia kicks Syuri in the head. Syuri fires back with a jumping knee, she picks up Giulia and hits a double knee gutbuster for two. Syuri goes for Giulia’s arm and applies an armbar, Giulia reaches for the ropes so Syuri traps that arm as well.

Giulia eventually manages to get a boot on the bottom rope, running knee by Syuri and she goes to the top turnbuckle. Giulia recovers and joins her, but Syuri knocks her back to the mat. Giulia slaps Syuri to the apron but Syuri kicks her in the head over the top rope, kick to the chest by Syuri and she returns to the turnbuckles. Giulia gets back up again and climbs the turnbuckles with her, hitting a double underhook suplex down to the mat. Giulia charges Syuri but Syuri spears her into the turnbuckles, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia wiggles away and the two trade cradles. Backdrop suplex by Giulia, she picks up Syuri but Syuri avoids the Glorious Driver and slams Giulia to the mat. Syuri picks up Giulia again but Giulia slides off and nails an Emerald Flowsion for a two count. Both wrestlers are slow to cover and trade slaps while still on their knees, Syuri kicks Giulia when they return to their feet which sends Giulia crashing back to the mat. More kicks by Syuri, but Giulia eventually ducks one and suplexes Syuri. Knee to the face by Giulia, but Syuri kicks out of the cover. Giulia picks up Syuri and nails the Glorious Driver II, but again Syuri gets a shoulder up. Giulia immediately gets Syuri to her feet and drops her with a Northern Lights Bomb, but they are too close to the ropes and Syuri grabs the bottom one to stop the count. Giulia drags Syuri up but Syuri blocks it when Giulia goes for another one, Giulia goes off the ropes but Syuri kicks her in the head. Another high kick by Syuri, she picks up Giulia and hits a modified Emerald Flowsion of her own for two. Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia spins off and covers Syuri. Syuri gets out of it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick. Spinning backfist by Syuri and she hits a few more, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders and nails the Red World for the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship.

This match was great for a few different reasons. First, after a long show they put on a match that played out differently than everything we’ve seen so far. It was more grounded and strike-oriented, but with enough big spots spread around to keep the excitement up and make the match feel special. These two are both so fluid, everything was snug but not to the point of feeling reckless or dangerous, they just have really good chemistry for two wrestlers that don’t face off often. Its quite a contrast to the last match, as here the ending stretch felt just right (even though the matches had the same run time) and it felt like it ended at the precise right time within the match flow which is easier said than done. Syuri is one of the best strikers in wrestling but Giulia looked great as well, it felt like a real war between the two with both having convincing near falls. A well structured match with two of the best wrestlers in Joshi wrestling, a must-see match that delivers on every level.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom World Climax 2022 ~ The Best on 3/26/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon #1183
Date: March 5th, 2022
Location: Ice Ribbon Dojo in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 38
Broadcast: Streamed Live on Club Ice Ribbon

Last month, Ice Ribbon launched a new streaming service – Club Ice Ribbon. Club Ice Ribbon shows different content than their Nico Pro channel, with its main ‘draw’ being they will air live all their dojo events. Other events will also be added on a delay, and there will be other special features, but the dojo events are the main attraction for people that just want to watch as much wrestling as possible. These are smaller shows, as the name implies, and likely will not have any title matches or big matches in general as those will be saved for non-dojo events. These are more designed to help get experience for the younger wrestlers while hopefully also putting on a good show. Here is the full card:

• Ibuki Hoshi and Kiku vs. Kaho Matsushita and Sumika Yanagawa
• Totoro Satsuki vs. Yuko Sakurai
• Asahi and Misa Kagura vs. Nao Ishikawa and Rina Amikura
• Banny Oikawa and Tsukushi Haruka vs. Saran and Tsukasa Fujimoto

Lots of young wrestlers here, should be fun to see how they are coming along. All wrestlers on the event have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Ibuki Hoshi and Kiku vs. Kaho Matsushita and Sumika Yanagawa

Ibuki and Kaho start the match, they trade wristlocks and hammerlocks until Ibuki gets Kaho to the mat. Kaho quickly gets out of it and hits a dropkick, she tags in Sumika and Sumika elbows Ibuki against the ropes. Irish whip by Sumika but Ibuki hits a hard shoulderblock and tags Kiku. Kiku goes for a slam but Sumika blocks it and hits one of her own, snapmares by Sumika and she applies a stretch hold. Ibuki comes in to help but Kaho cuts her off and puts her in a stretch hold as well, before both teammates let go. Sumika pushes Kiku near the ropes and stands on her back, knee to the back by Sumika and she works a headlock. Kaho tags in, Kaho throws down Kiku by the head and kicks her in the corner. Camel Clutch by Kaho but she lets go after a moment and hits a scoop slam. She tags Sumika, Irish whip by Sumika and she hits a drop toehold. Sickle Hold by Sumika, but Kiku inches to the ropes to get the break. Sumika picks up Kiku but Kiku elbows her off, headbutt by Sumika but Kiku schoolboys her for the two count. This gives her time to tag Ibuki, shoulderblock by Ibuki to Sumika as Kaho runs in, Kaho tries to help but Ibuki dropkicks both of them. Ibuki goes back to Sumika, chop by Ibuki but Sumika catches her with a boot. Snapmare by Sumika and she applies a full nelson, but Ibuki gets to the ropes. Sumika sets up Ibuki in the ropes and hits a knee to her back, cover by Sumika but it gets a two count.

Sumika picks up Ibuki and throws her into the corner, jumping knee by Sumika but Ibuki delivers a Codebreaker. Both wrestlers end up knocking each other out, Sumika gets to her corner first and tags in Kaho. Kaho dropkicks Ibuki, she picks her up and the two trade strikes. Ibuki ends the duel by hitting a side Russian leg sweep, she quickly applies a submission hold from it but it gets broken up. Kaho ducks an elbow and delivers a dropkick, hard shoulderblock by Kaho and she follows with another dropkick for two. Ibuki slams Kaho to the mat and makes the tag to Kiku, Kiku goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick. More dropkicks by Kiku but Kaho eventually stands toe to toe with her as they trade elbows. Schoolboy by Kiku but Kaho gets out of it and applies one of her own for a two count. Dropkick by Kiku and she applies a modified Scorpion Deathlock, but it gets quickly broken up. Kiku kicks Kaho in the corner and hits a neckbreaker, but Kaho kicks out of the cover. Shoulderblock by Kaho and she puts her in a kneelock, but Ibuki breaks it up. Sumika gets rid of Ibuki, Kaho drops Kiku onto the mat and covers her for two. Leg hook slam by Kaho, but the cover gets broken up. Vertical suplex by Kaho, she picks up Kiku and nails a wrist-clutch half nelson suplex for the three count! Kaho Matsushita and Sumika Yanagawa win!

That started ok but it really went off the rails the last couple minutes, not sure what happened there. I’m never going to be but so hard on rookies/young wrestlers as there is still learning going on, but the execution here was pretty hit and miss. Sumika and Kaho both looked good in general, Ibuki had her moments but Kiku has the worst showing of the foursome with some iffy dropkicks and strikes. The sequence between Kaho and Kiku towards the end while Sumika stayed in the ring seemingly thinking a spot was coming for her but never did was awkward, clearly a misunderstanding of some sort but pretty noticeable. Good experience for all involved and Kaho shows some early promise, but not the tightest match with rookies I have seen, may have benefited by being half the time it was.

Totoro Satsuki vs. Yuko Sakurai

Yuko starts the match trying to knock over Totoro but isn’t able to, as Totoro sends her crashing to the mat. Totoro picks up Yuko and throws her into the corner, Totoro mushes her with her foot but Yuko gets away and connects with an elbow. Yuko starts on Totoro’s back and puts her in a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and stomps her towards the ropes. Totoro stands up which sends Yuko flying, stomps Totoro and she stands on Yuko’s back. Totoro sits on Yuko’s back and stretches her, she lets go and picks up Yuko, leading to the two trading elbows. Yuko gets Totoro’s back but Totoro hiptosses her down, body press by Totoro and she covers Yuko for two. Totoro picks up Yuko but Yuko wiggles away and puts her in an abdominal stretch. Totoro gets to the ropes for the break, dropkick by Yuko and she covers Totoro for two. Lariat by Totoro but Yuko fires back with an elbow and shoulderblock. Yuko picks up Totoro and puts her in a dragon sleeper, but Totoro gets to the bottom rope. Yuko positions Totoro and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Totoro recovers and elbows her. Totoro gets Yuko on her shoulders but Yuko gets away and rolls her up for two. Yuko goes off the ropes but Totoro hits a crossbody for two. Kamikaze by Totoro, and she covers Yuko for two. Totoro goes to the second turnbuckle and nails a diving senton, and she picks up the three count! Totoro Satsuki is the winner!

A pretty standard bigger wrestler vs. smaller wrestler match. Totoro has improved over the years and works well within her limitations, although she didn’t have as much to work with here as they were really focused on the big vs. little storyline. As such, Yuko didn’t get a chance to show much, but she looked fine in what they did. A pretty basic match, nothing wrong with it but nothing particularly memorable either.

Asahi and Misa Kagura vs. Nao Ishikawa and Amikura

Nao and Misa start the match but Rina comes in too to give Nao some extra encouragement. She brings Asahi into the ring and both Rina and Nao hit shoulderblocks followed by body presses. They goof around with Asahi and Misa for a bit until things return to normally, hard shoulderblock by Nao to Misa and she tags Rina. Rina and Misa run into each other with neither going down, Rina finally knocks Misa over but Misa avoids the running senton and applies a side headlock. Drop toehold by Misa and she hits a senton, picking up a two count. Misa tags Asahi, Asahi picks up Rina and slams her head into the mat. Asahi boots Nao to the floor while Misa gets in the ring, as they double team Rina. Asahi picks up Rina but Rina chops her and the two trade blows, a battle that Asahi gets the better of. Asahi tosses Rina down by the head and pushes her down in the corner with her boot, Asahi picks up Rina but Rina catches her with a shoulderblock and a senton for two. Rina picks up Asahi and applies a backbreaker, she hangs Asahi upside down in the corner so that she and Nao can both hit running strikes. Cover by Rina, but Asahi kicks out. Rina gutwrenches Asahi but Asahi slides away and dropkicks Rina. Asahi goes off the ropes but Rina hits a rolling chop, giving her time to tag Nao. Cartwheel kneedrop followed by a body press by Nao, she picks up Asahi and hits a crossbody for two. Rina comes in, double Irish whip to Asahi and they hit a double shoulderblock. Misa runs in and hits a face crusher on both of them, but accidentally lands both on top of Asahi, so she causes more harm than good.

Nao picks up Asahi but Asahi avoids a strike and hits a Lou Thesz Press. Nao gets Asahi on her back before slamming her to the mat, cover by Nao but it gets two. Nao goes off the ropes but Asahi hits an armdrag, cradle by Asahi but Nao rolls through it and applies a leg submission hold. Asahi gets to the ropes to get out of the hold, Nao goes off the ropes but Asahi drop toeholds her into the second rope and hits the 619. Cover by Asahi, but Nao kicks out. Asahi tags Misa, stomps by Misa and she elbows Nao into the corner. Armdrags by Misa and she stomps on Misa some more, but Nao blocks the slam attempt and hits a scoop slam of her own. Nao sits down on Misa but Asahi kicks her in the head to break up the cover. Rina also comes in as Nao and Rina take back the advantage, shoulderblock by Nao to Misa and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Nao picks up Misa but Misa throws her into the corner, lariat by Misa and she jumps on Nao’s back with a standing submission hold. Rina makes it back in to break it up, Asahi gets rid of her while Misa puts Nao in a crab hold. Nao gets to the ropes to force a break, she goes off the ropes but Rina runs in and slams her. Jackknife cover by Nao, but Asahi breaks it up. Nao goes off the ropes but Misa catches her with a dropkick, Asahi goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick to Nao. Lariat by Misa, but Rina breaks up the pin. Misa picks up Nao and goes off the ropes, but Nao applies the Tachia Girl (cradle with a bridge) for the three count! Rina Amikura and Nao Ishikawa are the winners.

So if the main focus of these events is rookie/young wrestler evaluation and growth, looking at that is probably the most fair way to evaluate these matches. I’m not a huge fan of random mid-match goofiness, just a personal taste, so bell to bell not my general favorite match as they went to that “well” a few times with no real benefit. Asahi and Nao looked really good, they have all the basics down pat and have added a few intermediate moves to their arsenal as well. Misa and Rina were a step down from those two, nothing bad but a few moments that didn’t quite click right with Rina in particular at times looking a step behind. A perfectly acceptable basic match with a few bright points, but I’d like to see Nao and Asahi in a singles match to really see their potential.

Oikawa and Tsukushi Haruka vs. Saran and Fujimoto

Saran is dressed like Tsukushi, who recently announced she is retiring, making the young wrestler quite sad. If she stays in wrestling, she’ll eventually get used to the sudden retirements we see so often in Joshi. Fujimoto and Tsukushi start the match, Fujimoto pushes Tsukushi into the ropes and hits an armdrag. They trade armdrags and flash covers, but they eventually end up in a stalemate. Fujimoto tags Saran, Saran and Tsukushi tie-up before they trade wristlocks. They then trade hammerlocks as they jockey for the advantage, Saran stomps on Tsukushi’s foot repeatedly which just makes Tsukushi mad as she throws her into the corner. Tsukushi returns the favor by stomping on Saran’s foot, Irish whip by Tsukushi but Saran catches her with a dropkick. Scoop slam by Tsukushi and she knocks Fujimoto off the apron, she goes back to Saran and puts her in a Camel Clutch. Tsukushi lets go and tags Banny, Banny picks up Saran and throws her down by the head. She does it a second time before pushing her down in the corner with her boot, Banny picks up Saran and sets her up in the ropes. Kicks by Banny and she tags Tsukushi back in, Tsukushi puts Saran’s hands on the mat and stands on them.

Banny returns, she throws Saran into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Banny, she snapmares Saran and kicks her in the back before applying a submission hold. Fujimoto breaks it up, Banny goes for a crab hold but Saran quickly cradles her for two. This gives her time to tag Fujimoto, Banny briefly fights back but Fujimoto puts her in an Octopus Hold. Tsukushi breaks it up but Fujimoto delivers a dropkick to both of them, Banny kicks Fujimoto in the leg and delivers a heel drop to her back. Heel kick by Banny and she covers Fujimoto for two. Banny tags Tsukushi, Tsukushi goes for a roll into a footstomp but Fujimoto reverses it and kicks Tsukushi in the chest. Fujimoto picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi elbows her and the two trade shots. Tsukushi wins the battle as she applies a step-over cradle followed by a low hurricanrana. Missile dropkick by Tsukushi but Fujimoto springs back up and hits a dropkick of her own. Saran runs in and also hits a dropkick, Fujimoto goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Fujimoto picks up Saran but they can’t execute whatever move they were going for (confused), snapmare by Fujimoto to Tsukushi and she kicks her in the back. PK by Fujimoto and she covers Tsukushi for a two count. Fujimoto tags Saran, dropkicks by Saran but Tsukushi bridges out of the pin. Saran pulls her back to the mat and kicks Tsukushi into the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Banny grabs her from the apron.

That gives Tsukushi time to recover but Saran gets Tsukushi in a sleeper, while Fujimoto comes in and puts Banny in a dragon sleeper. Tsukushi gets to the ropes for the break, elbows by Saran to Tsukushi but Tsukushi elbows her back. Tsukushi elbows a lot harder than Saran so Saran is feeling each one, Irish whip by Saran and she hits a crossbody. Saran goes to the top turnbuckle but Tsukushi recovers and knocks her off.  Dropkick by Tsukushi but her cover gets two. Running elbow smash by Tsukushi, but that gets a two count as well. Banny comes in and both strike Saran, Tsukushi goes to the top turnbuckle but Saran avoids the footstomp and schoolboys Tsukushi for two. Irish whip by Saran, reversed, but Saran flips out of the corner and sunset flips Tsukushi for a two count. Saran quickly goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but Banny breaks it up. Saran goes off the ropes but Tsukushi catches her with a knee, low crossbody by Tsukushi but Saran rolls through the cover. Footstomp by Saran and she applies the Denden Mushi, but Banny breaks it up. Fujimoto dropkicks Banny out of the ring, Saran grabs Tsukushi’s arm but Tsukushi blocks whatever she was trying to do and applies the Tsuchigumo for the three count! Banny Oikawa and Tsukushi Haruka are the winners.

Aside from one really awkward spot towards the end, this match was pretty good. Saran is probably the smoothest young wrestler we’ve seen tonight, and even though I don’t love the idea of a new wrestler being a “clone” she did hit Tsukushi’s moves very smoothly. Obviously way too soon to say what her future holds but she seems to have a lot of potential. Fujimoto and Tsukushi acted as the vets you’d expect, looking sharp and keeping the match moving so it never wore out its welcome. Banny was just there but inoffensive, she didn’t add much to the match but she didn’t take away from it either. This mostly felt like an effort to spotlight Saran, which I think they did pretty well. A solid match and a fitting way to end a smaller dojo show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon #1183 Dojo Show on 3/5/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: SEAdLINNNG Shin-Kiba Night!
Date: February 21st, 2022
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 125
Broadcast: PPV Stream on seadlinnnglive.com

It has been awhile since I reviewed a SEAdLINNNG event, so let’s see what they are up to. A lot has changed in the last few months, as Nanae Takahashi has left the promotion but Yoshiko made her return from injury. The promotion currently only has three active contracted wrestlers, as Honori Hana retired last year to add to the loss of Nanae. So needless to say, they use a lot of Freelancers. This event has a big title match and a High Speed match that actually looks interesting, so there is some potential here for goodness. Here is the full card:

• Riko Kawahata vs. Yumiko Hotta
• Miyuki Takase vs. Rina Yamashita vs. Yoshiko
• Ayame Sasamura, Makoto, and Riko Kaiju vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Itsuki Aoki, and Yuki Mashiro
• SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship: Arisa Nakajima vs. Hanako Nakamori

All the wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. As this streamed online, all matches will be shown in full.

Riko Kawahata vs. Yumiko Hotta

Riko attacks Hotta as soon as she gets into the ring before the bell rings, elbows by Riko but Hotta shrugs it off and hits a lariat. Riko jumps back up and hits more elbows, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Hotta throws her jacket at her to knock her to the floor. Hotta goes out after Riko, Riko goes to the apron and goes for a PK but Hotta catches her leg and tosses her back to the floor again. Riko keeps fighting back but Hotta hits a hard elbow, more elbows by Riko but Hotta throws her into the ring post. Kicks to the chest by Hotta and she slides Riko into the ring, Riko pushes Hotta away and hits more elbows but Hotta rocks her with one elbow in return. Dropkick by Riko and she kicks Hotta in the leg, more kicks by Riko and she finally knocks Hotta off her feet. Riko knees Hotta against the ropes before picking her up, but Hotta trips her and applies a single leg crab hold. Riko gets to the ropes for the break, Riko ducks Hotta’s elbow and applies a sleeper hold. Hotta flings Riko off of her and kicks Riko in the back before applying a sleeper hold of her own. Riko almost goes out but Hotta releases the hold and kicks Riko out of the ring so that the people at ringside can revive her.

Hotta gets her chain and throws it at Riko, she then chokes Riko with the chain before finally letting go. Riko ducks the next chain shot attempt and returns the favor, hitting Hotta with the chain and delivering a series of mounted elbows to her chest. She gets on the apron and dives off with a footstomp to Hotta’s midsection, she goes to the apron while Hotta gets up and rolls back in the ring. Riko goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again and hits a second one for a one count. Riko applies a figure four leglock but Hotta quickly gets to the ropes, high kicks by Riko and she re-applies the figure four. Hotta manages to get to the ropes for the break, PK by Riko and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but Hotta gets her feet up on the moonsault attempt. Riko applies a quick cradle for two, head kick by Riko but that gets a two count as well. Riko picks up Hotta and goes off the ropes, but Hotta catches her with a heel kick. Sleeper by Hotta but Riko gets a foot on the ropes, lariat by Hotta and she hits a second one for a two count. Hotta picks up Riko and nails the Pyramid Driver, and she picks up the three count! Yumiko Hotta is the winner.

If this is how Hotta treats people she likes, imagine if she doesn’t like you. Hotta hasn’t lost a singles match to a younger wrestler lower than her on the totem pole in an eternity and she isn’t about to start now, but she gave Riko quite a bit of offense here even as she mostly stayed in control. I loved how feisty Riko was at the start even as Hotta shrugged her off, and the “put someone to sleep but they wake up super angry” spot isn’t done often so the old-school spin was fun. Riko really took it to Hotta for the middle portion and showed a lot of fight, and even though she lost this was certainly not a one-sided affair. A really entertaining match and how trainer/trainee matches should be done as Hotta elevated Riko by both being vicious but taking it right back from her.  Recommended

Miyuki Takase vs. Rina Yamashita vs. Yoshiko

I am still adjusting to Yoshiko’s weight loss, she looks like a totally difference person. As expected, Miyuki is targeted by all three (two opponents + referee) to start the match as she is beaten down in the corner. Running boot by Rina but she bumps Yoshiko in the process, Yoshiko doesn’t like that so she goes after Rina. Irish whip by Yoshiko but Rina reverses it, boot by Yoshiko and she hits a slingshot headlock takedown followed by a spinning headscissors. Yoshiko goes for an Octopus Hold but Miyuki jumps on her back, applying one of her own as they are all stacked on top of each other. Taiyo gets them apart, dropkick by Miyuki to Rina out of the corner and she applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Yoshiko breaks it up and stomps Miyuki out of the way, she goes to Rina and they for the moment work together again. Double vertical suplex to Miyuki but Yoshiko quickly rolls up Rina for a two count. Rina is naturally annoyed by this betrayal and kicks her, Rina puts Yoshiko in the corner and hits a lariat.

Chops by Rina as Miyuki joins in, but Rina chops Miyuki out of the ring. Rina scoop slams Yoshiko and puts Yoshiko in a crab hold. Miyuki joins her as she puts Yoshiko in a camel clutch, but Taiyo breaks it up. Miyuki kicks Taiyo out of the ring but Taiyo trips her and pulls Miyuki out to the floor. Rina and Yoshiko trade elbows, Yoshiko kicks Rina and delivers a running boot. Miyuki runs in with a senton but Yoshiko hits a senton as well on both of them. Taiyo puts Miyuki in the ropes but Rina attacks all three of them, she goes back to Miyuki and puts her in a leg submission. Yoshiko and Taiyo both return to the ring, Yoshiko elbows Rina and puts her in a stretch hold before letting go to hit a lariat. Yoshiko picks up Miyuki but Miyuki throws her into Taiyo and hits a cutter. Lariat by Miyuki to Rina in the corner, cradle by Miyuki but Rina reverses it. Lariat by Rina, she goes off the ropes but Miyuki is back up. Rina lariats her again but Miyuki recovers and cradles her for two. Kick by Rina and she gets Miyuki on her shoulders, but Miyuki slides off and Yoshiko hits Rina with a Codebreaker. Cradle by Miyuki to Yoshiko but Yoshiko gets out of it and applies La Magistral for the (quick) three count! Yoshiko is the winner.

I’m not the biggest fan of the “high speed” SEAdLINNNG gimmick but its been here since the beginning so clearly its something that Natsuki Taiyo really enjoys. Any combination of these two could have a banger match, so while this match was fine it was too chaotic and comedic to really let them show off their skills. If you enjoy these matches generally, you’ll probably like this one too, but to me its just a waste of three really talented wrestlers to play around with Taiyo, if Taiyo would just return to wrestling like she clearly misses the world would be a better place.

Ayame Sasamura, Makoto, and Kaiju vs. Matsumoto, Aoki, and Yuki Mashiro

Kaiju and Yuki start the match, they lock knuckles and trade wristlocks before going into a fast exchange which ends with a Yuki dropkick. She tags in Hiroyo, Hiroyo tosses around Kaiju by the hair and slaps her in the corner. Hiroyo lays Kaiju across the ropes in the corner and hits a running knee, cover by Hiroyo but it gets two. Hiroyo tags Yuki back in and she hits a dropkick, but Kaiju shrugs it off. Yuki hits a few more with more success, cover by Yuki but Kaiju kicks out. Yuki picks up Kaiju but Kaiju hits a dropkick of her own, three more dropkicks by Kaiju and she covers Yuki for two. She tags Makoto, Makoto drives Yuki into the turnbuckle and chokes her with her boot. Irish whip by Makoto and she delivers a big boot, but Yuki bridges out of the cover. Makoto picks up Yuki and goes for a slam, but Yuki blocks it and applies a submission hold. Makoto gets into the ropes for the break, kicks by Yuki but Makoto drop toeholds her into the second rope before kicking it. Sasamura and Kaiju both come in the ring as they mess with Yuki, putting her in a pretzel and posing on her. Double footstomp by Makoto and she tags in Sasamura, Yuki tries to fight back but Sasamura bops her in the back of the head.

Irish whip by Sasamura and with Kaiju they both hit elbows followed by a double kick to the head. Sasamura picks up Yuki, Yuki gets away but Makoto hits her form the apron. Yuki dropkicks Kaiju anyway and tags in Aoki, hard shoulderblock by Aoki and she elbows Sasamura in the corner. Bulldog by Aoki but Sasamura delivers a dropkick, Sasamura picks up Aoki and the two trade elbows. Back elbow by Aoki, she picks up Sasamura but Sasamura dropkicks her in the knee and hits a DDT. She rolls to her corner and tags Makoto, Makoto kicks Aoki in the corner before kicking her in the back, Makoto picks up Aoki and knees her in the midsection. Drop toehold by Aoki and she dropkicks Makoto, giving her time to tag Hiroyo. Body attack by Hiroyo to Makoto but Makoto boots her and the two trade blows. Eye poke by Makoto but Hiroyo levels her with a lariat, vertical suplex by Makoto but Hiroyo blocks the spear and hits a suplex of her own. Hiroyo picks up Makoto, knee by Makoto and she hits a heel drop. Head kick by Makoto, she goes off the ropes and delivers a spear for a two count. Makoto tags Kaiju, Kaiju goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Dropkick by Kaiju and she goes for a slam, but Hiroyo blocks it and hits one of her own. Sasamura runs in and helps Kaiju regain the advantage, roll-up by Kaiju but it gets two. Kaiju goes off the ropes but Hiroyo nails a back elbow for a two count.

Elbows by Kaiju but Hiroyo hits a hard lariat, she tags in Aoki and Aoki hits a running double knee to Kaiju’s back. Snap suplex with a bridge by Aoki to Kaiju, but it gets two. Aoki slams Kaiju in front of the corner but Sasamura elbows her from the apron, she climbs up with her with Kaiju and they both drive Aoki into the mat. Aoki elbows Kaiju but Kaiju elbows her back, Makoto boots Aoki and both Sasamura and Kaiju deliver sliding kicks to Aoki. Makoto goes for her cartwheel double kneedrop, but Yuki runs in and covers Aoki with her body to protect her. Once the ring clears, Kaiju hits a diving crossbody on Aoki but it gets two. Aoki slides behind Kaiju and drops her with a STP, she picks up Kaiju but Kaiju cradles her with a jackknife for two. Boot by Aoki but Sasamura distracts her from the floor, giving Kaiju a chance to roll-up Aoki for two. Kaiju goes for a suplex by Aoki blocks it, lariat by Aoki but her cover gets a two count. Yuki runs in and jumps on Aoki’s back to assist with a body press, but Kaiju moves out of the way and Sasamura returns as they both deliver dropkicks. Kaiju picks up Aoki and hits a Northern Lights Suplex Hold, but Hiroyo breaks it up. Kaiju and Sasamura go after Hiroyo but Hiroyo hits a backdrop suplex on both of them, Hiroyo goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double kneedrop on Kaiju. Aoki then gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a body press, but Makoto breaks it up. Aoki picks up Kaiju and nails the Daikoku Drop, cover by Aoki and she gets the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto, Itsuki Aoki, and Yuki Mashiro are the winners.

This was a pretty solid six wrestler tag leading to the main event to keep the show rolling. The match probably didn’t need six as Yuki did very little, this was the Aoki show and she really looked great. Itsuki Aoki is going to be a star if given the opportunity, she has the personality and the ability to hold your attention to whatever she is doing. Ayame and Riko looked good as well, while Makoto and Hiroyo did their spots but mostly gave the younger wrestlers the spotlight. Fast paced and entertaining, even though it didn’t have a lot of “meaning” it was still an impressive display by those involved. A good match in general but Aoki did her best to make it memorable.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Arisa Nakajima vs. Hanako Nakamori
SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Championship

They circle each other to start, they end up on the mat as they grapple for position with Hanako getting the early advantage. She goes for a cross armbreaker but Arisa blocks it, they end up back on their feet and trade holds. Irish whip by Hanako but Arisa boots her, Hanako returns the favor as they exchange boots to the face. Arisa knocks Hanako off her feet but Hanako snapmares Arisa and kicks her repeatedly in the back. PK by Hanako and she hits a leg drop for a two count. Hanako gets Arisa in the corner and chokes her with her knee, waistlock by Hanako but Arisa reverses it. Cradle by Arisa into a double footstomp, Arisa kicks at Hanako’s head before delivering a running boot. Snapmare by Arisa and she kicks Hanako in the back, dropkick by Arisa and she covers Hanako for two. Chinlock by Arisa, she lets go after a moment but Hanako throws her into the corner. Arisa avoids Hanako’s charge and slides out to the apron, but Hanako grabs her and slams her head repeatedly in the top turnbuckle. Hanako goes out to the apron but Arisa boots her down to the floor, she then gets a start on the apron and hits a missile dropkick down onto Hanako.

Arisa goes to the top turnbuckle and jumps off, but Hanako kicks her in the midsection while she is on the way down. Hanako slides Arisa back into the ring and applies an Octopus Hold in the ropes, she lets go and hits a running kick to Arisa’s back. Armbar by Hanako, she puts Arisa’s arm around the top rope and twists it. Arisa fires back with an elbow but Hanako trips her and applies an armbar, but Arisa gets to the ropes for the break. Hanako kicks Arisa in the chest while she is against the ropes, she charges Arisa but Arisa catches her kick and hits a Sling Blade. Arisa picks up Hanako and puts her in the ropes, she goes out to the apron and elbows Hanako repeatedly. Arisa kicks Hanako back and goes to the top turnbuckle, missile dropkick by Arisa and she covers Hanako for two. Waistlock by Arisa but Hanako elbows out of it, she goes off the ropes but Arisa avoids her and kicks Hanako in the back of the head. Knee by Arisa, and she covers Hanako for two. Ankle Hold by Arisa and she hits a release German, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Hanako elbows her before she can jump off. Hanako joins Arisa and hits a superplex, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Arisa also recovers in time and gets on the turnbuckle too. They trade elbows, Arisa knocks Hanako down in a Tree of Woe outside the ring before she jumps off with a footstomp.

Arisa returns to the top turnbuckle and dives down to the floor with a footstomp on Hanako, Arisa slides Hanako back in and hits another diving footstomp from the top. Cover by Arisa, but Hanako kicks out. Knees by Arisa and she kicks Hanako into the corner, running double knee by Arisa but Hanako blocks the suplex and kicks Arisa in the head. Hanako applies a seated armbar but Arisa gets a foot on the ropes, knees by Hanako but Arisa elbows her in the head. High kick by Hanako and she delivers a Shining Wizard, cover by Hanako but it gets a two count. Hanako scoops up Arisa and nails a tombstone piledriver, but that gets a two as well. Hanako goes to the top turnbuckle but Arisa rolls out of the way of the guillotine leg drop, Hanako still recovers first and hits a heel kick but Arisa returns with an elbow. The two trade shots until Arisa drops Hanako with a release German, but Hanako delivers a step-up kick. Unfazed, Arisa rocks Hanako with an elbow before they both knock each other to the mat. They both slowly get up, elbow combination by Arisa but Hanako ducks one and hits another kick. Hanako hits two Requiem Drivers but Arisa blocks the third and they trade flash covers for two. Head kick by Hanako and she hits a third Requiem Driver, but Arisa barely kicks out. Hanako drags Arisa up but Arisa blocks her next move attempt, Arisa blocks Hanako’s kicks and catches one to hit a Leg Capture German Suplex Hold for two. Arisa puts Hanako in a Dragon Sleeper, she lets go so she can hit a Dragon Suplex Hold but it only gets a two count. Hard elbow by Arisa and she nails the DxD Suplex for the three count! Arisa Nakajima wins and is still the champion.

Arisa Nakajima doesn’t wrestle as much as she used to, but when she does she certainly doesn’t hold back. Her style really hasn’t changed that much since her “prime” years in JWP – lots of suplexes, lots of jumping off the turnbuckles, and lots of hard elbows. Course, even though she debuted in 2006 she is only 32 years old, so she still can certainly bring it. Hanako was very game, I wouldn’t put her on Arisa’s level but these two know how to put a match together and have great chemistry. There were a few little things that weren’t needed, such as Hanako’s half-hearted arm work that went nowhere fast, but there was little filler here as Arisa only knows one speed. It felt like it ended at just the right time, so many promotions now think the main event has to have a super long ending sequence, while this one felt satisfying without being excessive. Hard hitting and captivating, not quite a MOTYC but not too far from it as Arisa Nakajima is still one of the best in the world and she showed it here. Very entertaining and a fitting main event in every aspect, worth tracking down for some old-school Joshi action.  Highly Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG Shin-Kiba Night! on 2/21/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.