SEAdLINNNG ~Sparkling d!! on 10/16/16 Review

Event: SEAdLINNNG ~Sparkling d!!!
Date: October 16th, 2016
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 399

This is a bit of an odd show for me to review, but since I have reviewed every event in SEAdLINNNG’s existence it would feel weird to skip one. Even a small show like this, which is their first event not at Korakuen Hall. The match listing reflects that lower importance, as there are four matches total with only the main event being a big one. But we also get Nanae Takahashi vs. Veda in a random TLC match, so that will definitely be different if nothing else. Here is the full card:

• Aoi Kizuki vs. Jenny Rose
• Command Bolshoi vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Leon vs. Sareee
• TLC Rules Match: Nanae Takahashi vs. Veda Scott
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Yoshiko

This will be interesting but the main event could really deliver.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Jenny Rose
We start off with Jenny Rose’s first match in SEAdLINNNG against popular Freelancer Aoi Kizuki. Jenny is a product of the ROH Dojo, she has done well in WXW out of Pennsylvania and has been touring regularly in Japan for Diana. This match is likely also related to SEAdLINNNG’s working relationship with ROH, where Jenny still wrestles as well. Aoi has still been struggling after a great 2015, as she has mostly been wrestling in matches like this as she has failed to win any titles yet this year. With the year almost over, Aoi now is just trying to build up momentum going into the new year.

Aoi and Jenny trade wristlocks to start, Jenny gets Aoi to the mat and applies a leg lock but Aoi reverses it with a bodyscissors. Rose stretches Aoi, they return to their feet and Jenny hits a headscissors. Jenny tries to throw Aoi but Aoi cartwheels out of it, Aoi goes for a crossbody but Jenny catches her and slams Aoi to the mat. Jenny puts Aoi in a chinlock on the mat, she throws Aoi into the corner and hits a lariat followed by a snap vertical suplex for a two count. Jenny goes back to stretching Aoi on the mat but Aoi spins out of it, Irish whip by Jenny to the corner but Aoi reverses it and hits a jumping elbow. Jenny regains the advantage and slams Aoi to the mat, half camel clutch by Jenny and she lets go so she can can put Aoi in a leg-hook headlock. Back up, Irish whip by Jenny but Aoi hits a jumping crossbody for two.

DDT by Jenny and she stomps on Aoi, they trade elbows as Jenny knocks Aoi back into the corner. Shoulder tackles by Rose and a snapmare, kick to the back by Jenny and she covers Aoi for a two count. Jenny picks up Aoi but Aoi chops her into the corner, Irish whip by Aoi but Jenny slides out onto the apron and hits a slingshot sunset flip for two. Jenny goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock, Scorpion Deathlock by Jenny but Aoi gets into the ropes. Aoi pushes Jenny off and applies a backbreaker over her knee followed by a STO. Running senton by Aoi, and she covers Jenny for a two count. Aoi picks up Jenny but Jenny blocks the double wrist-clutch armsault, spinning sidewalk slam by Jenny and she goes up top, hitting a diving lariat. Fisherman suplex hold by Jenny, but Aoi barely gets a shoulder up. Aoi sneaks in a small package for two, jumping lariat by Aoi and she gets another two count. Double wrist clutch armsault by Aoi, she goes up top and delivers the Snow Blow (Swivel Body Press) for the three count! Aoi Kizuki wins the match.

Aside from a few little awkward moments, this was generally a technically sound opener. Not very exciting as they kept it basic, which isn’t unusual in these types of openers with the wrestlers not being too familar with each other. Jenny Rose had some moments where she looked really good and other moments that were more rough, not that I would judge a wrestler from just one match. It could have used a bit more pep in its step, not a bad match but I wouldn’t call it particularly good either.

Command Bolshoi vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Leon vs. Sareee
This is a High Speed Four Way Match, which means that Natsuki Taiyo is the referee and she is bound to get involved at some point. Any time Taiyo is a referee in SEAdLINNNG, it is going to be at least partially a comedy match, so its good to know what you are getting into before the match starts. Bolshoi and Leon both hail from JWP while Fujimoto is from Ice Ribbon and Sareee is from Diana. So we have a nice variety of wrestlers here, although they are familar with each other since all three tend to ‘visit’ other promotions when their home base doesn’t have a show. There is no favorite due to the nature of the match, as anything can happen when Taiyo is in charge.

As one would expect, the match starts fast with everyone running off the ropes, they all put each other in headlocks until Bolshoi takes everyone over. They trade schoolboys with no luck, armdrag by Sareee to Fujimoto and she hits a dropkick. Sareee hides behind Taiyo, Fujimoto doesn’t appreciate that and throws Taiyo into the corner before dropkicking her. They all run around into the corners, armdrag by Sareee as a lot is happening while at the same time nothing is happening. Bolshoi and Fujimoto kick Leon in the chest but Leon hits a double spear on both of them in return. Sareee and Leon both apply submissions, Taiyo dropkicks Leon to help her apply more pressure to Fujimoto. Leon and Sareee trade pins while Fujimoto is still int he hold, Fujimoto gets up and smacks everyone, including Taiyo. Leon picks up Fujimoto and sits her on the top turnbuckle, Sareee then dropkicks Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a double DDT on Leon and Sareee. Fujimoto shockingly sells the leg in a crazy comedy match, giving Bolshoi a chance to recover as she suplexes Fujimoto. Double arm suplex by Leon to Fujimoto, she covers her but the pin is broken up. Sareee elbows Fujimoto but Fujimoto keeps getting up, jackknife by Sareee but it gets two. Fujimoto kicks all three of her opponents but they block her from doing her springboard kick, Fujimoto is pushed out onto the apron with Bolshoi, Leon and Sareee join them and all four run all the way around the ring while on the apron. Taiyo gets knocked off by accident which makes Fujimoto happy, they get back in the ring but Leon dropkicks all three of her opponents. Sareee dropkicks her back, they take turns doing pin attempts but all get two counts. Sareee, Leon, and Fujimoto all end up entangled in each other, Bolshoi pushes the blob over and she covers Leon for the three count! Command Bolshoi is the winner.

Sometimes I find the Taiyo comedy matches amusing, but this was a bit of a mess. Having a four-way just made it too hectic, even more so than usual. There was constant motion but nothing was happening, no one ever really got hurt or stayed down for long, it was just a bunch of running around and quick pin attempts that weren’t going to work. Very skippable, even if you are a fan of Taiyo she didn’t do enough here to make it worth watching.

Nanae Takahashi vs. Veda Scott
This is a TLC Rules Match. As far as random matches go, this one has to be at the top of the list somewhere. Veda Scott wrestled on SEAdLINNNG’s last event, as SEAdLINNNG entered into a working relationship with WOH (Women of Honor, a branch of Ring of Honor). Veda is WOH’s main representative when dealing with SEAdLINNNG, Veda is still a relatively new wrestler and this is a big opportunity here against SEAdLINNNG’s owner. Having weapons will help Veda even the odds a bit, as she’d stand no chance in a straight up wrestling match against someone of Takahashi’s stature.

The weapons are already in the ring, set up in different corners and ready to be used. They start simply with a knuckle lock-up and some mat work, not going straight for the weapons that are readily there for use. Veda lariats Takahashi in the corner but Nanae hits a shoulderblock, Takahashi picks up Veda but Veda hits a jawbreaker. Cartwheel kick by Veda, Nanae rolls out of the ring but Veda quickly goes out after her and they trade elbows on the floor. Veda gets a chair and hits Takahashi with it a few times in the head, Veda gets in the ring while Takahashi slides more chairs into the ring with her. They both get chairs and have a chair duel, Takahashi wins that and she hits Veda in the stomach with the chair. Takahashi sits Veda in a chair and hits a few boots before knocking Veda over. Takahashi puts a chair in the corner but Veda throws Takahashi into it, she gets a ladder and hits Takahashi in the stomach. Face crusher by Veda onto the ladder, and she covers Takahashi for two. Veda dropkicks a chair into Takahashi, she charges Takahashi but she misses and sails out of the ring. Takahashi goes off the ropes but Veda hits her in the head with a chair while she goes for a dive. Veda hits Takahashi with the chair again, they return to the ring and Veda chokes Takahashi with another chair. Veda chokes Takahashi on the second rope, she sets up the ladder and goes up top but Takahashi recovers and joins her.

They trade elbows on top of the ladder, Veda gets the better of it and chokes Takahashi with a rung of the ladder. Veda goes up the ladder again but Takahashi grabs her from behind and hits a German suplex. Takahashi elbows Veda and hits a series of lariats, sliding kick by Takahashi and she covers Veda for two. Takahashi puts the ladder on her head and spins it around a few times, hitting Veda repeatedly with the end of it. She puts the ladder in the corner but Veda hits a rebound lariat off the ladder for two. Veda puts two chairs on the mat and suplexes Takahashi onto them, cover by Veda but it gets two. Veda goes off the ropes but Takahashi hits her with a chair, jumping kick by Takahashi and she gets a two count of her own. Takahashi throws Veda into the table in the corner, lariat by Takahashi and she puts the table on top of Veda. Takahashi goes up top and hits a diving body press onto Veda with the table on top of her, cover by Takahashi but it gets two. Takahashi set up the table and put Veda on it, she put a chair onto Veda but Veda recovers and hits her with the chair. Veda grabs Takahashi and powerbombs her onto the table, which only partially breaks. Veda sets up a chair and puts Takahashi in it, sliding kick by Veda and she gets a two count. Veda put a chair on Takahashi’s chest before going up top, but Takahashi gets up and hits Veda with the chair. Superplex by Takahashi, and she gets a two count. Takahashi sets up a few chairs and drops Veda on them, she goes up the ladder and she nails the Refrigerator Bomb for the three count! Nanae Takahashi gets the victory.

There are many words I could use to describe this match but I don’t think that “good” is one of them. To say they were overly focused on the weapons would be an understatement, but they didn’t do anything interesting with them. TLC type matches have been done to death in the last 15 years, so it takes a little something special to make them memorable. There was nothing special here, just the most basic weapons spots that you’ll see with little excitement. Both were trying and no doubt they were sore the next day, but it just fell flat for a weapon’s match. Its fun to see Veda over in Japan, hopefully she’ll return to SEAdLINNNG soon and have a more traditional match.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Yoshiko
As Yoshiko attempts to prove that she is the Ace of SEAdLINNNG, she has been wrestling some of the best wrestlers available to show that she is worthy of the title. She has had mixed results, as she did defeat Nanae Takahashi but lost to Meiko Satomura and Aja Kong leading up to this match. Nakajima is not only the Ace of JWP but one of the best wrestlers in Japan, even though she came into the match without any titles she had held three different championships in 2016 alone. If Yoshiko can topple Nakajima, it would go a long way to show that she is one of the top wrestlers in Joshi Puroresu.

Nakajima and Yoshiko immediately charge each other but end up back at a stalemate, they have an intense stare-down before locking knuckles. Nakajima gets Yoshiko to the mat but Yoshiko gets her back and goes for a sleeper. Nakajima blocks it as they return to their feet, Yoshiko throws down Nakajima by the hair before scoop slamming her and hitting a body press. Nakajima bridges out of the cover and hits a jumping lariat, she pulls Yoshiko’s hair and slams her head repeatedly into the mat. Irish whip by Nakajima but Yoshiko hits a pair of hard shoulderblocks, kick to the chest by Yoshiko and she kicks Nakajima in the back. Yoshiko kicks at Nakajima but Nakajima fights back with elbows, double underhook by Nakajima but Yoshiko back bodydrops out of it. Nakajima applies a choke submission, she picks up Yoshiko and quickly applies a seated armbar. Nakajima throws Yoshiko into the corner and hits a dropkick, knees by Nakajima but Yoshiko fires back with a lariat. Scoop slam by Yoshiko and she sits on Nakajima, picking up a two count. Kicks by Yoshiko while Nakajima is against the ropes, running senton by Yoshiko and she applies a cross leg submission hold.

Yoshiko throws Nakajima into the corner and hits a lariat, face washes by Yoshiko and she delivers the running kick to Nakajima’s face. Yoshiko puts Nakajima in the ropes and kicks her from the apron, Nakajima fires back with elbows but Yoshiko throws her to the floor before hitting a footstomp off the apron. Yoshiko and Nakajima battle on the floor and into the stands, when they return to the ring it is Nakajima in control as Nakajima stomps on Yoshiko repeatedly. DDT by Nakajima and she goes up top to hit a missile dropkick, she hits a second one and covers Yoshiko for two. Nakajima goes for a German suplex but Yoshiko blocks it, kicks by Nakajima but Yoshiko rebounds out of the corner with a lariat. Running boot by Yoshiko, and she covers Nakajima for a two count. Yoshiko picks up Nakajima but Nakajima slides away, tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Yoshiko and she applies a single leg crab hold. Nakajima gets out of it and goes back to the seated armbar, but Yoshiko gets to the ropes. Running boot by Nakajima but Yoshiko gets up and they trade elbows, German suplex hold by Nakajima back it gets a two count. Nakajima goes up top but Yoshiko recovers and joins her, but Nakajima knocks her down into the Tree of Woe and hits a diving footstomp.

Nakajima goes back up top and hits another diving footstomp, but Yoshiko kicks out of the pin. Nakajima drags Yoshiko up and applies an armbar, kicks by Nakajima and she hits rolling Germans. Cross armbreaker by Nakajima but Yoshiko gets out of it, back up they trade elbows until Nakajima hits another German suplex. Yoshiko fires back with a lariat and puts Nakajima in a sleeper, she picks her up and slams Nakajima to the mat for a two count. Yoshiko goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, she goes all the way up the next time but Nakajima joins her. Yoshiko throws Nakajima back to the mat but Nakajima avoids the diving senton and both wrestlers are slow to recover. Nakajima and Yoshiko trade elbows, kick to the head by Nakajima and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Yoshiko lariats Nakajima, she goes off the ropes but Nakajima catches her with a package German for two. Nakajima picks up Yoshiko and hits a dragon suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Arisa Nakajima is the winner!

A quality match, but perhaps a touch longer than it needed to be. They had some pressure to put on a long classic since it was a slack card, but they probably went a bit too far with it. But it was still really good, both wrestlers specialize in bringing hate to matches, and both are very stiff which brings a level of realism that not all wrestlers bring. It just lacked some cohesion as since it went so long, at times it just felt like a back and forth to fill time. When they were trading bombs the match picked up and they had good chemistry with each other since both aren’t afraid to hit hard or be hit hard. For a smaller show, a fitting main event that delivered in most ways even if it didn’t need to be 30 minutes.  Recommended