Sendai Girls’ on 3/11/17 Review

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: March 11th, 2017
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 516

Sendai Girls’ is a promotion that doesn’t make air very often, but when they do they tend to deliver. This is a packed show, no title matches but a big singles match between Syuri and Meiko Satomura, plus a main event with four high quality wrestlers. Here is the full card:

You can click on the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City for more information. This event was shown in full, lets hop to it.

sendai3-11-1
Hana Kimura vs. Mika Shirahime

Hana has fully recovered from her wrist injury, and is back wrestling in multiple promotions with multiple personalities. In Sendai Girls’, Hana is not the evil Oedo Tai member but rather a cute lovable rookie babyface. Hana has been so visible the last year that people forget she is still a rookie and is only 19 years old. Mika is a Rookie+ as she debuted in late 2015, she debuted as Mika Iwata and changed her name last fall. Mika is great but still is fighting her way up the card, however they gave her a pretty good match-up here to get a win.

sendai3-11-1They trade waistlocks and wristlocks to start, they end up on the mat with Hana in control. Hana locks in a headlock as she tries to get Mika back up but Mika reverses it, Hana gets in the mount and goes for a cross armbreaker but Mika blocks it and gets to the ropes. Stomps by Hana and they trade elbows, Hana puts Mika in a Camel Clutch before picking her up and hitting a scoop slam. Another slam by Hana and she hits a few more, crab hold by Hana but Mike gets into the ropes. Elbows by Hana and she throws Mika from the corner, but Mika reverses it and hits a dropkick. High kick attempt by Mika but Hana blocks it, dropkick by Mika and she covers Hana for two. Back up they trade elbows, Hana goes off the ropes but Mika kicks her in the midsection. Mika kicks Hana into the corner and hits a vertical suplex, cover by Mika but it gets two. Mika goes up top but Hana avoids her bodypress, Hana applies a sleeper but Mika gets into the ropes. Hana picks up Mika but Mika sneaks in a schoolboy for two. Kick to the head by Mika, she picks up Hana and kicks her in the stomach. Northern Lights Suplex by Mika which gets a two, she picks up Hana but Hana quickly hits a vertical suplex. Sleeper by Hana and she jumps on Mika’s back before getting her to the mat with it, but Mika again gets into the ropes for the break. Running boot by Hana while Mika is on the ropes, she covers Mika but Mika barely gets a shoulder up. Hana goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, she goes for the Big Boot but Mika blocks it and rolls up Hana with a bridge for two. High kicks by Mika, and she gets the three count! Mika Shirahime is the winner.

A really solid opening ‘rookie’ match. My only real complaint is the ending felt rushed, as Hana had been controlling the match, but I guess two kicks from Mika is enough to end the match at any moment. But they did protect Hana’s finisher (Big Boot) which was a nice touch in a low importance match. Hana’s move set is slowly expanding as she gets more experience so the match stayed interesting, and even though both are young they both show a lot of promise. Always a plus to see rookie-style matches get plenty of time, good way to start the show.  Mildly Recommended

sendai3-11-2
Chikayo Nagashima vs. Eiger vs. KAORU

As you probably assumed, this will not be an overly serious match. All three of these wrestlers are long time veterans and now mostly Freelance (KAORU and Eiger are technically affiliated with other promotions but wrestle wherever they want). Eiger of course will lead the charge since when under the gimmick there isn’t a lot of flexibility, so there will be some zombie ghost humor with KAORU and Nagashima happily playing along.

sendai3-11-2KAORU and Nagashima go at it first while Eiger watches and plays along, until all three face off again. Nagashima and KAORU both attack Eiger but Eiger hits a double lariat, Eiger gets KAORU’s back and all four (including the referee) eventually do the zombie walk.  KAORU ends up being the butt of the joke, which she doesn’t like, and she knocks Eiger out of the ring. Nagashima knocks over KAORU but KAORU bridges out of the pin, Nagashima dropkicks her into the corner but KAORU boots Nagashima when she charges in. KAORU puts Nagashima in the Surfboard but Eiger crawls in and covers KAORU while she still has Nagashima in the hold, causing her to release it. Eiger goes off the ropes but KAORU kicks her, Eiger applies The Claw to first KAORU and then also to Nagashima before hitting a DDT on KAORU. Eiger goes up top but trips, Nagashima is thrown into the corner but Eiger scares her. Eiger gets the table piece from KAORU but Rin takes it from her, Nagashima then gets the table piece but she is tripped from ringside before she can hit KAORU with it. Eiger gets KAORU up and hits a spinning crucifix sit-down powerbomb, but KAORU manages to get the piece of table and hit Eiger with it to break up the cover. Nagashima puts KAORU on top of Eiger and hits a footstomp onto KAORU’s back, double cover by Nagashima but it gets two. Nagashima grabs Eiger but KAORU hits her in the back with the table piece, KAORU and Eiger fight over it but Nagashima kicks it away. Eiger ends up hitting Nagashima with it by accident, she tosses the table piece to KAORU and spits dust in her face. Inside cradle by Eiger and she gets the three count! Eiger wins!

As far as comedy matches go, this was well done. Some of the spots were really well choreographed, they put a fair amount of effort into a short early-card match. Eiger is quite funny in small doses, not all comedy gimmicks do a lot for me but she is pretty amusing. A fun match with some memorable spots, about all you could hope for.

sendai3-11-3
Big Bang Nicole, Cassandra Miyagi, and Nyla Rose vs. Alex Lee, Shida, and Konami

Now this is a match. Shida and Konami are two of my favorites, both are Freelancers but stay very active in the bigger promotions (Konami has been a regular in Stardom all year so far). They team with Alex Lee, who is also a Freelancer and seems to wrestle in every promotion that exists. On the other side, Miyagi is a young/crazy Sendai Girls’ wrestler while Nicole wrestles mostly in Diana. Nyla Rose is a regular in Marvelous, both don’t make TV a whole lot so it will be fun to see how they are getting along in Japan.

Nyla and Nicole charge their opponents before the match starts, but they avoid their charge and both Nyla and Nicole end up out of the ring. Miyagi is isolated now and is triple teamed under her friends return and clear the ring. Now Konami is isolated and put in a double crab hold, dropkick by Miyagi to Konami and she covers her for two. Miyagi tags in Nyla, Nyla picks up Konami and she hits a vertical suplex. Nyla tags in Nicole as the beatdown on Konami continues, Miyagi returns and bulldogs her before stomping her in the back. Konami is triple teamed in the ropes, dropkick to the back by Miyagi and she tags in Nyla. Konami finally gets away after kicking Nyla in the head, making the hot tag to Shida, who comes in with her kendo stick. She hits Nicole and Miyagi but Nyla blocks her attempt and throws Shida to the mat. Shida recovers and hits her anyway, they trade elbows and Shida goes for a jumping knee, but Nyla blocks it. Hurricanrana by Shida but Nyla comes back with a side slam, she goes off the ropes and hits a running bodypress for a two count. Nyla tags in Nicole, lariat by Nicole and she covers Shida for two. Handstand press by Nicole, she picks up Shida but Shida pokes her in the eyes.

sendai3-11-3Shida tries to get her kendo stick but Nicole takes it, leading to Shida bailing out of the ring. She gets tosses back in but gets her kendo stick back, enzuigiri by Shida and she nails a running knee for a two count. Shida tags in Lee, running footstomps by Lee and Shida helps with a jumping knee. Double jumping knee to Nicole, Lee goes up top and hits a diving footstomp for a two count. Lee picks up Nicole but Nicole avoids her dropkick, Lee and Nicole trade strikes until Nicole hits a DDT. Nicole tags Miyagi, big boot by Miyagi and she hits a Samoan Drop for two. Lee comes back with a kick to the head, she rolls to her corner and tags in Konami. Miyagi and Konami trade elbows, rolling ankle hold by Konami but Miyagi gets into the ropes. High Kick by Konami and she hits a second one, Shida and Lee come in too and help attack Miyagi. Konami picks up Miyagi but Miyagi pushes her away, schoolboy by Konami but it gets two. Konami goes off the ropes but she gets grabbed by Nicole from the floor, Nicole and Nyla both come in and they take turns on Konami in the corner. Miyagi slams Konami to the mat, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Nicole and Nyla come in and hit Konami with a double lariat, SBR by Miyagi (Samoan Driver) and she gets the three count! Big Bang Nicole, Cassandra Miyagi, and Nyla Rose are your winners.

Better than I was expecting, as I wasn’t sure how these six would mesh. Really no issues with miscommunications or awkwardness, they tagged in and out enough that no one wrestler was relied on and everyone got a chance to do their thing. It was far from perfect as one of the issues with all the tagging in and out is the match never really had a rhythm, but it was still an above average match overall and not a bad watch.

sendai3-11-4
Meiko Satomura vs. Syuri

As far as co-main events go, this is about as big as it gets. Meiko Satomura needs no introduction – she is a legend and one of the best current Joshi wrestlers on the scene, plus is the leader of Sendai Girls’. Syuri is a Freelancer and also a legitimate MMA fighter, she hasn’t won any singles titles recently but does hold two tag team titles. Both of these wrestlers rarely get pinned, so something is going to have to give here.

Syuri quickly tackles Satomura to the mat but lets her back up, headlock by Satomura but Syuri gets in the mount position as they struggle for position. Kicks by Syuri to the chest but Satomura pushes her down and starts working on Syuri’s ankle. Back up, shoulderblock by Satomura but Syuri suplexes her, Syuri goes for a PK but Satomura ducks it and applies an ankle hold. Syuri reverses it but they both roll into the ropes and the referee forces a break. Kicks by Syuri but Satomura elbows her, jumping knee by Syuri and she kicks Satomura in the back. Running kick to the chest by Syuri and she goes for a cross armbreaker, but Satomura blocks it and delivers a few kicks. Knees by Satomura and she applies a crossface, slingshot footstomp by Satomura and she elbows Syuri in the face. Satomura goes off the ropes but Syuri hits a jumping knee, Irish whip by Syuri but Satomura nails her with a heel kick. Back up they trade kicks, Syuri goes for the cross armbreaker again but Satomura blocks it.

sendai3-11-4Knee to the chest by Satomura, she goes up top and hits a diving bodypress for a two count. Back up, headlock by Satomura and she goes off the ropes, but Syuri kicks her in the chest. Satomura comes back with her own strikes and delivers a backdrop suplex for two. High kick by Syuri, Satomura gets up and they trade elbows again until Syuri hits a high kick. Satomura retorts with a Pele Kick, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Satomura applies a sleeper before putting Syuri in a choke, she lets go after a moment and delivers the cartwheel kneedrop. Death Valley Bomb by Satomura, but Syuri gets a shoulder up on the cover. She goes for another one but Syuri slides off and applies a sleeper, cross armbreaker takedown by Syuri and she puts Satomura in a seated armbar. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, but Satomura kicks out of the pin. Syuri goes back to the seated armbar but Satomura gets to the ropes, high kick by Satomura but Syuri delivers a running knee. Kneelift by Syuri and she hits a Buzzsaw Kick, she nails a second one and she covers Satomura for the three count! Syuri is the winner!

If you enjoy watching two really crisp wrestlers in a tightly worked submission and striking match, this is the one for you. Both Syuri and Satomura are so good, which everyone knows, but they also work together really well. From Satomura being stubborn on Syuri’s cross armbreaker attempts to the smooth transitions on the mat, everything here worked. Mat wrestling to me is the hardest style to hold my attention, it has to be done almost perfectly and here it was, it always felt like both were actively doing something to try to win. Add in the on point strikes and the surprise (to me) ending, and the match really clicked. A high end match for sure between two of the best.  Highly Recommended

sendai3-11-5
Aja Kong and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Chihiro Hashimoto and DASH Chisako

Time for the main event! Kong and Matsumoto aren’t usually teammates but are long time veterans with lots of experience over the years both with and against each other. Hashimoto and Chisako aren’t a normal team either but are both Sendai Girls’ wrestlers so naturally they are familar with each other as well. Certainly a unique main event that is a bit random, but with four quality wrestlers it is sure to be an entertaining one as well.

Kong and Chihiro are the first two in, Chihiro gets Kong to the mat but Kong switches positions with her which lands them in the ropes. Stiff kicks by Kong, Chihiro gets back up, Kong slaps her against the ropes and makes the tag to Matsumoto. Chihiro and Matsumoto lock knuckles, Matsumoto pushes Chihiro to the mat and chops her in the corner. They trade waistlocks until Chihiro locks in cobra twist, Matsumoto hiptosses out of it but Chihiro gets Matsumoto to the mat. Chisako comes in and dropkicks Matsumoto while she is on the hold, Chihiro tags in Chisako and they double team Matsumoto in the corner. Chisako dropkicks Matsumoto in the corner, dropkick to the knee by Chisako and she applies a crucifix submission. Kong comes in and breaks it up, Chisako elbows Matsumoto but when Chihiro tries to help Chisako elbows her by accident. Chihiro falls to the floor, Matsumoto picks up Chisako and throws her over the top rope down onto Chihiro. Kong strolls over and attacks Chihiro around the floor, while Matsumoto does the same to Chisako. Matsumoto and Chisako return to the ring, Matsumoto goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Matsumoto tags in Kong and she scoop slams Chisako and hits an elbow drop. Kong puts Chisako in a camel clutch, Matsumoto comes in and she runs the ropes before slapping Chisako in the face.

sendai3-11-5Matsumoto puts Chisako in a camel clutch now, Kong points to Chihiro and she kicks Chisako in the chest. Cover by Kong, but it gets a two count. Kong picks up Chisako and drops her with a piledriver, but Chisako barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kong stomps Kong from tagging out but Chisako blocks the backdrop suplex, Chisako goes for a schoolboy but Kong sits on her. Chihiro runs in to help, double Irish whip to Kong and Chisako hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Chisako makes the tag to Chihiro, hip attacks by Chihiro but Kong levels her with a lariat. Kong picks up Chihiro but Chihiro hits a scoop slam, she goes for a somersault senton but Kong moves out of the way and kicks Chihiro in the chest. Snap backdrop suplex by Kong, she picks up Chihiro and Chihiro goes for a spear, but Kong knees her to block it and tags in Matsumoto. Body block by Matsumoto, she picks up Chihiro but Chisako runs in to try to help. It doesn’t work as Matsumoto hits a double Samoan Drop/Fallaway Slam on both of them, Kong jumps on Matsumoto’s back and Matsumoto hits a double kneedrop onto Chihiro. Matsumoto gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double kneedrop, but Chisako breaks up the pin. Matsumoto picks up Chihiro but Chihiro hits a back bodydrop, they trade short range lariats until Chihiro gets Matsumoto up and Chisako runs in to assist with a slam.

Chisako goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, Chihiro gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a somersault senton for a two count. Matsumoto hits a double backdrop suplex on both of them, Matsumoto picks up Chihiro but Chihiro snaps off a release German. Chihiro goes up top but Kong comes in and joins Chihiro, Chisako runs in too but Matsumoto has recovered by now and throws Chisako out of the ring. Kong tries to superplex Chihiro but can’t get her over, so Matsumoto helps by powerbombing Kong which lead to Chihiro getting superplexed. Sliding Lariat by Matsumoto, but it gets a two count. Matsumoto goes off the ropes but Chihiro levels her with a spear, waterwheel drop by Chihiro but the cover gets two. Roaring Elbow by Matsumoto and she hits a bodyblock in the corner, Matsumoto puts Chihiro on the second turnbuckle and nails a sit-down powerbomb, but Chisako breaks up the cover. Kong comes in with her metal paint can and hits Chisako in the head with it, Kong and Matsumoto measure up Chihiro but Chihiro moves and they hit each other by accident. Matsumoto comes back with a lariat to Matsumoto, Kong tries to backfist Chihiro but she hits Matsumoto by accident. Chisako runs in and dropkicks Kong, while Chihiro grabs Matsumoto and delivers the German Suplex Hold for the three count! Chihiro Hashimoto and DASH Chisako win!

Another really good match on the show and a fitting way to end it. Hiroyo Matsumoto is the secret MVP of Joshi, she has really stepped up the last year or so and constantly delivers. Kong is still great as well, she is limited but works within those limitations as well as any other wrestler I can think of. Chihiro got the big win here, assisted, but still a big one early in her career that continues to put her towards the top of Sendai Girls’. I don’t mean to exclude Chisako, she was her usual solid self, but the others stood out more. Even though the match was almost 20 minutes there was no wasted time/rest holds, and there were a number of memorable spots spread throughout the match. The stretch run is one of the best I’ve seen all year, the last minute or so of the match was perfect and the ending couldn’t have been better constructed. The match was mostly about Kong vs. Chihiro since they face off in a few weeks, but everyone brought their “A” game, definitely worth tracking down.  Highly Recommended

Final Thoughts
3.5

 

Even though it was only a five match card, all five matches delivered on some level. The rookie match was a solid opener, and the comedy match was well done. The midcard tag on paper looked lackluster but it was above average also, so nothing was bad on the card. The last two matches not only were great but were also different styles, so one didn’t overshadow the other. Syuri/Satomura was a high end strike/submission match, while the main event was mostly a power sprint with an all-star performance from Hiroyo Matsumoto. It wasn’t the longest show but they made the most of what they had, a great offering by Sendai Girls’ on one of their higher end “house show” events.