Sendai Girls’ on 9/29/16 Review

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: September 29th, 2016
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 380

At the beginning of the year, the Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship was vacated when Sendai Sachiko retired. Well Sendai Girls’ is finally getting around to crowning new champions, and they are having a four team tournament to determine the new champs. Those four teams battle on this event, with the finals taking place in a few weeks. Also on the show, Iwata pulls double duty and Hiroyo Matsumoto joins in the festivities. Here is the full card:

You can click on the wrestler’s name above if I have a profile for them on the website. Let’s hop to it.

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Mika Iwata vs. Sareee

We begin the show with the rookie Iwata against the young star from Diana. Sareee has been making the rounds and participates in a variety of promotions around the Joshi scene, she has shown a lot of potential in her young career. Iwata is still learning the ropes but has shown a lot of fire, she isn’t on Chihiro Hashimoto’s level in Sendai Girls’ in card placement but isn’t too far off as far as skills go. Sareee is the favorite here but it should be a fun opener.

sendaigirls9-29-1Iwata and Sareee start with a tie-up and knuckle lock, side headlock by Iwata and she hits a springboard armdrag out of the corner. Sareee throws Iwata into the corner and throws her down by the hair a few times. Scoop slams by Sareee and she applies a Muta Lock, stomps by Sareee and she applies a crab hold. Iwata gets into the ropes, dropkick by Sareee and she covers Iwata for two. Another crab hold by Sareee but Iwata wiggles out of it, dropkick by Iwata but Sareee dropkicks her back. Iwata hits another dropkick but Sareee hits a scoop slam, dropkick by Iwata but Sareee bridges out of the pin. Three more dropkicks by Iwata, she kicks Sareee in the face and goes up top to hit a diving crossbody. Wrist-clutch Armsault by Iwata, but Sareee kicks out and elbows Iwata hard in the face. Iwata get up but Sareee elbows her back and the two trade blows, Sareee throws down Iwata by the hair and goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick. Sareee goes up top again and hits another missile dropkick, cover by Sareee but it gets two. Sareee goes to suplex Iwata into the turnbuckles but Iwata blocks it and rolls up Sareee for a two count. Bodyscissors into a roll-up by Iwata, but Sareee gets a shoulder up. High kick by Iwata, she goes off the ropes but Sareee dropkicks her in the face. Another dropkick by Sareee and she hits a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Iwata is bleeding from the mouth at this point, could have been from any number of things, as Sareee hits a German suplex hold for the three count! Sareee is the winner.

A solid opener, Sareee put some extra effort into the match (which Iwata probably wasn’t happy about) and Iwata is great for a rookie. Lots of hard shots, sharp dropkicks, and a convincing victory. This is the kind of start I like to a show, two young hungry wrestlers getting enough time to show off a bit and taking advantage of it.  Mildly Recommended

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Aja Kong and Cassandra Miyagi vs. Hikaru Shida and Syuri
Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship Decision First Round

As I mentioned in the intro, after the titles being dormant for the last ten months, Sendai Girls’ is finally crowning new tag team champions. These are two fun teams, as the legend Kong is partnered with Sendai Girls’ craziest young wrestler. On the other side, Shida and Syuri are one of the top Freelancer tag teams in Joshi, they already have the OZ Academy Tag Team Championship and are looking here to add another one by winning the tournament.

Kong and Miyagi attack before the bell, Miyagi spits liquid into Shida’s face and rolls her up for two. Shida pokes Miyagi in the eyes, Syuri runs in but Miyagi dropkicks both of them. Double lariat by Kong, Miyagi goes back to Shida and throws her down by the hair. Scoop slam by Shida and she tags in Syuri, Syuri chokes Miyagi in the corner and kicks her hard in the back. Syuri applies a cross armbreaker but Miyagi fights it, she struggles back to her feet and Syuri tags in Shida. Shida twists Miyagi’s hair and throws her down by it, she kicks Miyagi out to the apron and hits a knee lift from the floor. Shida tags in Syuri, Syuri come sin with her giant bat but Miyagi avoids her until the referee notices and tells her to knock it off. Scoop slam by Miyagi but Syuri gets out of the cover and knees Miyagi into the corner. Irish whip by Syuri but Miyagi reverses it and hits a dropkick in the corner. Airplane Spin by Miyagi and she makes the tag to Kong, Kong lariats both Shida and Syuri, then sits down on Syuri when she goes for a sunset flip. Kong picks up Syuri but Syuri hits a spinning headscissors, bulldog by Syuri and she tags in Shida.

sendaigirls9-29-2Hip attacks by Shida but Kong hits her when she goes for one too many, Irish whip by Kong but Shida hits another hip attack to knock Kong off her feet. Shida goes for a suplex but Kong blocks it, enzuigiri by Shida but Kong hits a backdrop suplex. Kong tags Miyagi, running elbow by Miyagi and she hits a face crusher. Miyagi goes to the apron and hits a senton atomico, she picks up Shida and hits a suplex for a two count. Miyagi gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top the next time but Syuri grabs her from the apron. This gives Shida time to join Miyagi, but Kong runs in and throws Shida to the mat. Missile dropkick by Miyagi, but Syuri breaks up the cover. Shida puts Miyagi in the corner and suplexes Kong into Miyagi, vertical suplex by Shida and she covers Miyagi for two. Shida tags in Syuri, kicks by Syuri and she hits a PK for two. Double underhook suplex by Syuri and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Miyagi gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Kicks by Syuri but Kong runs in and hits her with a lariat. Shida comes in with the kendo stick but Miyagi takes it from her and hits both Shida and Syuri. Miyagi and Kong both hit suplexes, Miyagi picks up Syuri and hits a Samoan Driver, but Shida breaks it up. Kong comes in with her metal can but hits Miyagi by accident, high kick by Syuri to Kong and they both hit running knees on her. High kick/kendo stick shot combination on Miyagi, but she barely kicks out. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, and she picks up the three count! Shida and Syuri move on in the tournament.

I am openly biased here, as Syuri and Shida are two of my favorite women wrestlers in the world. So I enjoyed it, it took a few minutes to get going but the last five minutes or so were great. Miyagi is 90% character at this point but she does the character well, hopefully her wrestling skills will catch up to her personality as she has a good thing going. Kong was Kong, she came in and did what she was supposed to do, and Syuri looked top shelf as always. A pretty fun match, it lagged in a few sections but overall was entertaining.  Recommended

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DASH Chisako and KAORU vs. Kyoko Kimura and Hana Kimura
Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship Decision First Round

Sendai Girls’ made this card just for me, as Double Kimura is one of the most fun new tag teams on the Joshi scene and I watch them whenever they make tape. The favorites to win the tournament is the Chisako/KAORU team however, as DASH Chisako was the last person to hold the titles that is still an active wrestler. KAORU has been her mostly regular tag team partner since Sachiko retired in January, and they have formed a bond over the last ten months leading up to the point where now Chisako can re-claim the title she never lost. Hana Kimura just debuted last spring and is only 19 years old, putting her in a clear disadvantage in this match even if she is teaming with her mother.

Kyoko and Chisako start for their teams, Kyoko gets Chisako to the mat but Chisako quickly gets out of it and they return to their feet. KAORU comes in to help and they both boot Kyoko, dropkick by Chisako and they hit a couple more double team moves on Kyoko. Elbows by Chisako but Kyoko gets away and tags Hana, snapmare by Chisako and she dropkicks Hana in the back. Chisako tags in KAORU, KAORU stomps down Hana in the corner and twists her arm in the ropes with Chisako’s help. KAORU puts Hana in a crab hold but Hana crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Figure Four by KAORU but Hana again gets to the ropes, scoop slam by KAORU and she covers Hana for two. KAORU goes off the ropes and boots Hana in the face, she gets a piece of table and she hits Hana in the head with it. Vertical suplex onto the table piece by KAORU, but the referee won’t count the cover since KAORU keeps cheating. KAORU tries to drop it onto Hana from the second turnbuckle but Hana moves, Kyoko comes in but so does Chisako and both Kimuras are sent to the mat.

sendai9-29-3Double dropkick by Hana, Kyoko shoulderblocks KAORU and drops her with a DDT. Kyoko picks up KAORU and boots her, but KAORU boots her back and they trade shots. Hurricanrana by KAORU, she tags in Chisako and Chisako hits a missile dropkick. Running elbow by Chisako and she dropkicks Kyoko, another dropkick by Chisako and she covers Kyoko for two. Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but Kyoko blocks the second and applies a Octopus Hold. Kyoko tags in Hana, dropkick by Hana and she goes up top before hitting a missile dropkick for two. Chisako and Hana trade elbows, Kyoko runs in and boots Chisako, allowing Hana to hit a running kick to Chisako’s face. Sleeper by Hana, then Kyoko puts KAORU in a sleeper too to keep her away, but Chisako gets to the ropes. Vertical suplex by Hana, she goes up top but KAORU joins her and hits a superplex. Diving footstomp by Chisako, but Hana bridges out of the pin. Chisako goes up top again and hits an assisted senton, but Kyoko breaks up the cover. KAORU hits Hana with the table piece, but on the second swing she hits Chisako by accident. Elbows by Hana to Chisako and she nails a big boot, but KAORU breaks up the pin. KAORU slams Kyoko while Chisako does the same to Hana, they go up to opposite corners and while KAORU delivers the Valkyrie Splash, Chisako nails the Hormone Splash for the three count! KAORU and Chisako move on in the tournament.

Another fun match, one of the advantages of four match events is there isn’t really any filler. I liked that even though Hana was at a clear disadvantage she constantly was asking Kyoko for the tag, ultimately it didn’t help them but it shows she isn’t afraid of some action. KAORU and Chisako work well together and I loved the definitive ending. There were a few small mistakes which isn’t shocking considering Hana’s experience level, but it was still solid throughout and worth the watch.  Mildly Recommended

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Alex Lee, Chihiro Hashimoto, and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Ayako Hamada, Meiko Satomura, and Mika Iwata

We have reached the main event of the evening. This is an odd hodgepodge of wrestlers to put it mildly, how Alex Lee got into a main event I have no idea. Hashimoto and Satomura have a title match in a couple weeks which is why they are on opposite teams, but everything else is pretty random. Lee, Matsumoto, and Hamada are all Freelancers, while Iwata we just saw in the opener and is a rookie in Sendai Girls’. I am assuming that Hashimoto and Satomura will be the focus of this, while everyone else just fills in the gaps when needed.

Hashimoto and Hamada start the match, Hamada pushes Hashimoto into the ropes and smacks her before backing off. Hamada charges Hashimoto but Hashimoto blocks her, boot to the face by Hamada and she tags in Satomura. Hashimoto is back up and tackles Satomura, they jockey on the mat with Satomura getting a headlock applied before she puts Hashimoto in a stretch hold. Hashimoto gets out of it but Satomura stays in control with grounded knees, kicks to the chest by Satomura but Hashimoto catches one and rolls Satomura to the mat. Hamada eventually has seen enough of this and comes in to kick Hashimoto in the head, Satomura tags Hamada but Hashimoto slams her to the mat. Hamada quickly gets up and knees Hashimoto, headbutt by Hamada and she hits a rolling slap in the corner. Irish whip by Hamada but Hashimoto hits a hard shoulderblock and tags in Matsumoto. Matsumoto sets up Hashimoto in the corner and hits a body avalanche, knees by Matsumoto but Hamada snaps off a DDT and tags in Iwata. Kicks by Iwata to Matsumoto but Matsumoto blocks the slam and hits one of her own, slaps by Matsumoto to Iwata and she covers Iwata for two. Matsumoto tags in Lee and Lee applies a chinlock in the ropes, kicks by Lee but Iwata kicks her into the ropes. Jumping crossbody by Iwata, and she makes the hot tag to Hamada. Big boot by Hamada to Lee, she drags Matsumoto’s arm and hits an armdrag/headscissors combination.

sendai9-29-4Lee delivers a high kick to Hamada, kick to the chest and she covers Hamada for two. Lee goes up top and hits a diving footstomp before tagging in Matsumoto, reverse knee drop splash by Matsumoto to Lee but the cover is broken up. Matsumoto picks up Hamada but Hamada blocks the powerbomb, superkick by Hamada and she tags in Satomura. Heel kick by Satomura to Matsumoto and the two trade elbows, back elbow by Satomura but Matsumoto levels her with a lariat. Matsumoto tags in Hashimoto, high kick by Satomura and she hits the cartwheel knee drop. Backdrop suplex by Satomura, she picks up Hashimoto and hits a second one for a two count. Kicks by Satomura in the corner and she hits the spinning kick to the head, but Hashimoto gets a shoulder up on the cover. Hashimoto slides away from Satomura and hits a quick German suplex, Satomura lands close to her corner and makes the tag to Iwata. Iwata dropkicks Hashimoto repeatedly, she goes up top but Lee grabs her from the apron. Hashimoto joins Iwata but Iwata pushes her off and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Hamada and Matsumoto both get in and trade shots while Hashimoto rolls Iwata in front of the corner and hits a somersault senton off the second turnbuckle. Lariats by Hashimoto to Iwata, Satomura comes in but Hashimoto drops her with a release German. Hamada strolls in but Hashimoto spears her, she picks up Iwata and nails the Waterwheel Drop for the three count! Hashimoto, Matsumoto, and Lee win!

This is one of those situations where wrestling promotions put too many wrestlers in a main event and I don’t really understand why. Lee and Iwata could have been easily axed, and the bigger wrestlers would have gotten more time to entertain without the needless filler. Six wrestler tags unless they are crazy all out sprints always have some stretch where nothing meaningful is happening, as it is mostly about the end stretch. The early Hashimoto/Satomura segment was fine but basic, things heated up by the end but it never felt like they had a satisfying amount of interaction considering the big match they had coming up. It was a decent watch with some fun moments, but felt more like a midcard match than a main event even though it had Satomura in it.

Final Thoughts
2.3

 

Even though this event only had four matches, all four went at least 12 minutes so the total in-ring time was about what you’d expect from any smaller Joshi event. I thought both the tag tournament matches were quite good, and the opener was solid. The only disappointing was the main event, as even though the action was generally fine, it had unnecessary filler that brought the match down as a whole. Definitely more good than bad here overall, but still more of a ‘house show’ feel than a ‘must see’ event.