So before I even get into it, a couple disclaimers. First, I am aware this is a small dojo event and that it wasn’t designed to be a high end show. Second, I am reviewing this on DVD, it did not air, so that is why you probably haven’t seen any of these matches. As part of my quest to review at least one event from the bigger promotions, I had to pick something from Ice Ribbon as their biggest event of the month (on the 29th) isn’t available yet and I didn’t want to get that far behind. And this show looked better than 1/3 which was the other show I was considering. Still, this show does have some potential, as all the stars of Ice Ribbon are doing something on the event. Here is the full card:

• Hiragi Kurumi and Tequila Saya vs. Kyuri and Matsuya Uno
• 235 vs. Mochi Miyagi vs. Tsukushi
• Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

See, an itty bitty show. But it will be shown in full, which is always nice. You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Hiragi Kurumi and Tequila Saya vs. Kyuri and Matsuya Uno

Saya and Matsuya kick things off, Matsuya pushes Saya into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Wristlock by Saya but Matsuya rolls out of it, kick to the chest by Matsuya and she tags in Kyuri. Body press by Kyuri, she sits up Saya and puts her in a stretch submission hold. Saya gets to the ropes for the break, crossbody by Saya and Kurumi comes in to pick up Saya and toss her into Kyuri. Elbow by Saya and she dropkicks Kyuri before making the tag to Kurumi. Dropkick by Kurumi and she puts Kyuri in a crab hold, but Kyuri gets into the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Kurumi but Kyuri ducks the lariat and hits a trio of neck drops for a two count cover. Short armbar by Kyuri and she reverts it into a double armbar, but Kurumi muscles out of it. Kyuri and Kurumi trade elbows, which goes better for Kurumi, and Kurumi hits a body avalanche in the corner. Cannonball by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton for a two count. Kurumi tags in Saya, dropkicks by Saya and she hits a scoop slam on Kyuri for a two count. Saya puts Kyuri in a stretch hold but Kyuri gets a foot on the ropes, Saya picks up Kyuri but Kyuri takes her to the mat. Backstabber by Kyuri and she makes the tag to Matsuya. Shoulderblock by Matsuya but Saya knees her in the stomach, she goes off the ropes but Matsuya hits a spear for a two count cover. Matsuya goes up top and hits a chopping chop to the head, but again her cover gets two. Matsuya goes off the ropes but Kurumi runs in and hits a lariat, dropkick by Saya and she covers Matsuya for two. Saya goes up top and hits a reverse diving crossbody, but Kyuri breaks up the pin. Saya goes up top again but Matsuya hits her from behind and schoolboys her for two. Matsuya tries a few more schoolboys with no luck, Matsuya picks up Saya and slams her to the mat but Kurumi breaks up the pin. After trading flash pins, Matsuya goes for a lariat but Saya catches it and applies Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Saya Tequila and Kurumi win!

For a rookie match, it was acceptable, as while there were a few iffy moments that is to be expected. This is my longest look at Matsuya Uno so far, she seems fine but at her age I doubt she’ll ever get much of a chance to progress too far up the card. But she has the basics down anyway. Kurumi continues to be the bright spot in most matches I see her in, she is embracing her inner hoss-ness and has really improved in the last year. A decent way to kick off the show, not everything was smooth but the effort was certainly there.

235 vs. Mochi Miyagi vs. Tsukushi
Triple Threat Match

Tsukushi and 235 double team Miyagi to start since she has the size advantage, but Tsukushi flies out of the ring on a missed dropkick and Miyagi easily takes over on the isolated 235. Tsukushi returns but now she attacks 235 as well, Miyagi boots 235 in the head but Tsukushi dropkicks her, Tsukushi then decides to be friends with Miyagi but Miyagi shoulderblocks her. Footstomp by Tsukushi to Miyagi and they trade elbows, Tsukushi goes for a bodyscissors but Miyagi catches her. Tsukushi wiggles away and gets Miyagi over, but 235 returns and breaks up the festivities. 235 sends Tsukushi out of the ring and hits a crossbody onto Miyagi, seven more crossbodies by 235 and she covers Miyagi for two. 235 jumps on the second turnbuckle but Miyagi slaps her and tosses her off, Raideen Drops by Miyagi and she covers 235 for a two count. Facebuster by Miyagi, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the reverse splash, but Tsukushi goes up top and hits a diving footstomp onto her back. Tsukushi charges 235 but 235 moves, diving crossbody by 235 but Tsukushi kicks out. Back up, elbows by Tsukushi and she dropkicks 235 while she is against the ropes. Unprettier by Tsukushi, but 235 barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Miyagi returns and hits a Lou Thesz Press onto Tsukushi, she picks up 235 and hits a body avalanche against the ropes. Hard elbow by Miyagi but 235 elbows her back, inside cradle by 235 but Miyagi kicks out. 235 goes for a suplex but Miyagi blocks it and hits a few Mongolian Chops. Miyagi goes for a suplex but 235 reverses it into rolling verticals with a bridge, but Tsukushi breaks it up. Miyagi lariats 235 and picks her up, but Tsukushi missile dropkicks her from behind. Jackknife hold by Tsukushi to 235, and she picks up the three count! Tsukushi is the winner.

Realistically speaking, there wasn’t really any way this match was going to be particular entertaining. A short triple threat match really can only succeed if there are cute three way spots to amuse everyone, but this match only had maybe two of those. The rest of it was just them taking turns while the other waited outside, and since Miyagi and 235 are good but not great wrestlers the action itself was pretty bland. I love Tsukushi but there wasn’t a lot here to work with, they just didn’t have the time or the structure to really do a whole lot. Skippable match.

Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

They get right into it when the bell rings, they trade Irish whips but Fujimoto gets Maruko on the mat first and kicks her hard in the back. She gets back up, wristlock by Fujimoto but Maruko reverses it. Fujimoto takes Maruko down and puts her in a leg submission hold, she lets it go after a moment and dropkicks Maruko in the corner. Cutter by Fujimoto, and she covers Maruko for a two count. Fujimoto picks up Maruko but Maruko cartwheels away and delivers a dropkick. Dropkick by Maruko and hits another one for a two count cover. Maruko goes for a cute handstand but Fujimoto has none of it and rolls her up for two. Maruko returns the favor but it has the same result, they get back up and trade elbows on their feet. Maruko rolls out to the apron and goes up top, but Fujimoto dropkicks her down onto the apron. Fujimoto goes up top and goes for a footstomp, but Maruko moves and runs around the ring on the apron. Fujimoto chases after her and catches her, she goes for a footstomp but Maruko moves and (mostly) hits a handstand body press on the apron. Fujimoto rolls back in the ring while Maruko goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Maruko picks up Fujimoto but Fujimoto gets her in a guillotine, Maruko flips out of it and she trips Fujimoto before covering her for two. Maruko goes for another dropkick but Fujimoto dodges it and they trade flash pins. Spear by Maruko, she goes for a pump handle move but Fujimoto gets out of it and hits a enzuigiri. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Fujimoto gets Maruko on her shoulders but Maruko slides away and rolls up Fujimoto for two. Maruko goes off the ropes but Fujimoto catches her with the High Angle Sunset Flip, getting her the three count pinfall! Tsukasa Fujimoto wins!

This pains me to type as Maruko gives it every ounce she has, but she isn’t there yet. Some of the ideas are good, but the execution just isn’t there. She’ll probably get it one day, hopefully, but as of January 2017 she still has a bit of work to do. For every good move this match had there was another move that just wasn’t hit right, and Fujimoto is borderline flawless so I know it wasn’t her fault. I still think its an above average match due to how good Fujimoto is and how hard Maruko was trying to impress, but it didn’t really click and it was too short to overcome the different issues. I think Maruko has a bright future but more practice is in order.

Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Hoshi and Matsumoto both attack as the match starts, they throw their opponents out of the ring and do fake dives before posing. Risa and Maya quickly return and beat down Matsumoto, as Risa stays in the ring with her and tosses down Matsumoto by the hair. Maya is tagged in and she keeps up the attack on Matsumoto, Risa returns and she puts Matsumoto in a crab hold. Back bodydrop by Risa, and she covers Matsumoto for two. Sera goes for a dropkick but Matsumoto avoids it and hits a footstomp, giving her time to tag in Hoshi. Maya comes in too but Hoshi shoulderblocks both of them, body avalanche by Hoshi to Risa and she hits a bulldog. Crab hold by Hoshi but Risa gets into the ropes, punches by Risa but Matsumoto knees her from the apron. Risa gets away and dropkicks Hoshi into Matsumoto, side slam by Risa and she covers Hoshi for two. Belly bump by Hoshi and she tags in Matsumoto and Matsumoto hits a face crusher onto Hoshi’s belly for a two count. Hoshi returns the favor by slamming Matsumoto onto Risa, Matsumoto jumps up on the second turnbuckle but Risa joins her. Risa puts Matsumoto on the apron but Matsumoto applies a hanging armbar, Risa gets out of it and she dropkicks Matsumoto out of the ring. Maya slides Matsumoto back in and gets in the ring as well, double running elbow to Matsumoto and Risa hits a running double knee strike for a two count. She tags in Maya, kicks by Maya and she hits a running knee.

Running boot by Maya but Hoshi breaks up the cover so Maya kicks Hoshi off the apron. Kicks to the back by Maya but Matsumoto ducks the PK, face crusher by Matsumoto and she covers Maya for two. Matsumoto goes up top and Hoshi helps her hit a somersault senton for a two count cover. Maya runs in and dropkicks Matsumoto, Maya puts Matsumoto in a modified STF but Hoshi breaks it up. PK by Maya, but again Hoshi breaks up the cover. Maya picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto kicks her back and hits a body press off the second turnbuckle. Matsumoto tags in Hoshi, chops by Hoshi and she shoulderblocks Maya over. Matsumoto comes in and hits a Shining Wizard, Shining Onaka by Hoshi but Maya bridges out of the cover. Hoshi goes up top and hits an assisted senton, but Risa runs in the ring and hits the Ayers Rock. Superkick by Maya, but Hoshi gets a shoulder up. Maya and Risa go for a double chokeslam but Hoshi ducks it and hits a double lariat. She goes off the ropes but Maya decks her with a kick to the head, they finally hit the double chokeslam but the cover is broken up. Maya picks up Hoshi but Hoshi wiggles away and hits a lariat. Northern Lights Suplex by Hoshi, Matsumoto goes up top and with the referee’s help hits a diving footstomp. Hoshi then goes up and delivers a diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto win!

For a smaller show main event, no major complaints. Maya Yukihi has improved quite a bit in the last six months, working in OZ Academy probably helped. Matsumoto and Hoshi did a bit of comedy but not an excessive amount, and the match kept the pace up so it never dragged. Of course I’d prefer the last match on a card to go longer than 13 minutes and it felt like they had more they could have done, but Ice Ribbon Dojo shows aren’t going to do but so much. A solid match and pretty entertaining, although ultimately nothing special.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #778” on 1/7/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are small shows and there are really small shows, and this one falls in the latter category. It is unusual as there is a title match, but it is only a four match card and they are in one of the smaller arenas that they wrestle in. The show is really all about the main event, pitting Fujimoto and Matsumoto against each other in both of their anniversaries, but all the other Ice Ribbon regulars are wrestling as well. Here is the full card:

• Maika Ozaki vs. Tsukushi
• 235 and Risa Sera vs. Hiragi Kurumi and Maruko Nagasaki
• Hamuko Hoshi and Kyuri vs. Maya Yukihi and Mochi Miyagi
• ICExInfinity Championship: Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

Remember you can click on the names above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Maika Ozaki vs. Tsukushi

Tsukushi and Ozaki circle each other to begin and trade wristlocks, Tsukushi kicks Ozaki to the mat and flings her down by the hair. Tsukushi runs on Ozaki’s back and puts her in a camel clutch, she then picks her up and rakes her face in the ropes. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Ozaki hits a series of shoulderblocks, cover by Ozaki but it gets two. Senton by Ozaki but Tsukushi blocks it when Ozaki tries to put her on her shoulders. Tsukushi applies a stretch hold but Ozaki gets a foot into the ropes to force a break, dropkick by Tsukushi but Ozaki hits a lariat. Ozaki gets Tsukushi on her shoulders and applies an Argentine Backbreaker, she throws her off and hits a trio of lariats but Tsukushi barely kicks out of the cover. Ozaki gets on the second turnbuckle but Tsukushi avoids the diving senton, footstomp by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Ozaki in the corner. Dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. Tsukushi goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, and she gets the three count cover! Tsukushi is the winner!

A pretty basic opener. I don’t think I have seen Ozaki before, she seems fine and does more power moves than I am used to seeing from the other Actress girl’Z wrestlers. Tsukushi has a lot of spunk but this was a more based match than I am used to seeing from her, they slowed it down a bit considering the match placement on the card. Not a bad way to start but nothing special.

235 and Risa Sera vs. Hiragi Kurumi and Maruko Nagasaki

Nagasaki and 235 start but Sera comes in with a water gun. Mio stops her from using it, Kurumi gets in the ring and Sera is double teamed in the corner. Kurumi throws Nagasaki onto 235 and then hits a footstomp, Nagasaki picks up 235 but 235 slams her and tags in Sera. Sera puts Nagasaki in a crab hold and then into the Rocking Horse, double knee drop by Sera and she covers Nagasaki for two. Nagasaki fights off Sera with elbows and they trade shots, Sera throws Nagasaki into the corner but Nagasaki blocks her charge and they fall to the mat. Sera puts Nagasaki in an elevated crab hold but Kurumi breaks it up, Nagasaki dropkicks Sera and she makes the hot tag to Kurumi. Shoulderblocks by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton, picking up a two count.

Hard shoulderblock by Kurumi, Sera tags in 235 but Kurumi catches her when she goes for a crossbody. Sera runs over and kicks Kurumi over, they throw Kurumi into the corner and they hit running strikes. Sera swings 235 into Kurumi, cover by 235 but Kurumi kicks out. 235 gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but the pin is broken up. Back up, elbows by 235 but Kurumi elbows her back, cannonball by Kurumi and she gets a two count cover. Kurumi picks up 235 but 235 sneaks in a sunset flip for two, 235 goes off the ropes but Kurumi hits a swinging side slam. Kurumi gets Sera and Nagasaki on her back, she walks over to 235 and she hits a body press, but 235 barely gets a shoulder up. Kurumi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving body press, picking up the three count cover! Kurumi and Nagasaki are the winners!

This wasn’t great for a number of reasons. For wrestlers that interact quite a bit they didn’t have great chemistry, and a few of the sections looked clunky. On top of that, 235 just looked off most of the match and several exchanges looked botched. Kurumi and Sera are both great and had their good spots, but overall very skippable.

Hamuko Hoshi and Kyuri vs. Maya Yukihi and Mochi Miyagi

Hoshi and Kyuri charge their opponents to start and double team Yukihi and Miyagi, Hoshi stays in with Yukihi and they trade wristlocks. Yukihi tags in Miyagi, Miyagi spins Hoshi around but just makes herself dizzy in the process. They pose a bit because that is what they do but Yukihi and Kyuri run in to break it up. Hoshi tags in Kyuri, dropkick by Kyuri to Miyagi and she kicks her repeatedly in the back before hitting a PK for two. Miyagi gets away and tags in Yukihi, kicks by Yukihi to Kyuri and she hits a scoop slam. Miyagi comes in and they dance around Kyuri, but Kyuri avoids the double body press attempt. Hoshi comes in and Yukihi is double teamed, Kyuri officially tags in Hoshi and Hoshi puts Yukihi in a crab hold. She gets out of it, waist lock by Yukihi and she puts Hoshi in a Cobra Twist. Miyagi puts Kyuri in one as well, Hoshi goes off the ropes but Yukihi catches her with a big kick to the head.

Yukihi tags in Miyagi, seated sentons by Miyagi to Hoshi but Hoshi elbows her and they trade elbows. DDT by Miyagi but Hoshi blocks the Shining Belly Block. Body Block by Hoshi, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Miyagi brings her back down and goes for a double underhook facebuster. Hoshi blocks it and tags in Kyuri, lariats by Kyuri to Miyagi and she puts Miyagi in a cross arm submission. Tiger Feint Kick by Kyuri to Miyagi, and she covers her for two. Kyuri goes up top but Yukihi grabs her from the apron, allowing Miyagi to throw Kyuri to the mat. Shining Wizard by Miyagi to Kyuri, but it only gets a two count. Miyagi goes up top but Hoshi hits her from the apron with a red ball. Kyuri hits Miyagi repeatedly with her red ball of doom, then Hoshi comes in and hits a lariat. Kyuri goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Miyagi, but the cover gets two. Kyuri goes off the ropes but Miyagi hits a Lou Thesz Press, Miyakoko Clutch by Miyagi and she gets the three count! Yukihi and Miyagi win!

Like the last match, some good and some bad with nothing being really memorable. Really none of these four are great wrestlers so expectations were already low. Kyuri and Yukihi are still young so I won’t hold it against them (although I don’t think Yukihi has shown much progress), while Miyagi and Hoshi are half comedy wrestlers so their matches tend to be oddly structured. Maybe an average match but that is about it.

(c) Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

They begin with intro submission trading and tie-ups, Matsumoto gets out of the ring and jumps on the microphone and whatever she said pissed off Fujimoto as she ran out after her. Matsumoto throws water at Fujimoto and the crowd, they put hats on and generally mess around with props at ringside. This is about what I was expecting on the serious-scale. Matsumoto does suplex Fujimoto in the stand which sounds like a real move but it was a super slow motion suplex that looked silly. They finally return to the ring after a few minutes and Fujimoto dropkicks Matsumoto in the ropes, but Matsumoto applies a hanging armbar. Face crusher by Matsumoto and she nails the Shining Wizard, but Fujimoto kicks out at two. Matsumoto gets on the top turnbuckle, but Fujimoto shakes the ropes to knock her off.

Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner and she hits another one, missile dropkick by Fujimoto and she puts Matsumoto in a facelock. Matsumoto gets into the ropes, Fujimoto puts Matsumoto on her shoulders but Matsumoto slides off and the pair trade elbows. Double underhook facebuster by Matsumoto, she picks up Fujimoto and but Fujimoto blocks the Rainmaker. Fujimoto goes off the ropes but Matsumoto ducks the elbow and hits the Rainmaker this time, but it only gets two. Double underhook side slam by Matsumoto, she goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls her up for two. Kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits two PKs, but Matsumoto gets a shoulder up. Fujimoto gets Matsumoto up on her shoulders but Matsumoto gets away and applies the Gedo Clutch for a two count. Enzuigiri by Fujimoto and she hits the Venus Shoot out of the corner. Fujimoto goes up to the top turnbuckle and she deliver the Mamamia Z for the three count! Fujimoto retains the championship.

Hmmm well, I will say that once they got the silliness out of the way, it was a ‘normal’ title match the last half of it with both doing their damnedest to win. I still couldn’t really buy Matsumoto as a threat, she has just been a midcard type half-comedy wrestler for too long and Fujimoto is the veteran ace of Ice Ribbon, so her losing here would have been quite the shock. They actually did work really well together and it never felt awkward/forced which is a plus, and if they had trimmed down the outside-the-ring portion it would have been a pretty solid match. Not a bad main event for a small house show, and Fujimoto is awesome, but overall not exactly a high end title match even though it had its entertaining sections.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #748” on 8/23/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are a few things of note about this event. First, it is quite short, with only four matches and no title matches. Second, the main event is shown with a commentary box at the bottom of the screen which may be great if you understand Japanese but to me it is just distracting. That all sounds negative, which it is, but we also get a Syuri singles match which is awesome, don’t get to see her in 1 vs. 1 situations very often. Here is the full match listing:

• 235, Makoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Akane Fujita, Kyuri, and Miyako Matsumoto
• Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka
• Syuri vs. Tsukushi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Remember you can click on any of the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile. Quick show, let’s get right to it.

235, Makoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Akane Fujita, Kyuri, and Miyako Matsumoto

Fujita and company charge their opponents to start but it doesn’t go well as Makoto and friends quickly take back over. Matsumoto ends up on the mat and all five of the other wrestlers dance around her, but Matsumoto moves as they all try to jump on her. Things settle down with Kyuri and 235 in the ring, Kyuri stretches 235 on the mat but Nagasaki breaks it up. Crossbodies by 235 to Kyuri but Kyuri applies a cross armbreaker, which is also broken up. 235 tags in Makoto and she works over young Kyuri, but Kyuri knocks Makoto to the mat. Backstabber by Kyuri and she rolls up Makoto, getting a two count cover. Makoto applies a sleeper but Kyuri gets out of it with a jawbreaker. Kyuri tags Fujita, elbow drop by Fujita to Makoto but Makoto hits a face crusher. Scoop slam by Makoto and she hits a cartwheel double knee drop for two.

Matsumoto runs in and hits a footstomp on Makoto, Fujita picks up Makoto but Makoto hits a butterfly suplex hold. Makoto tags Nagasaki, Nagasaki dropkicks Fujita but Fujita hits a scoop slam. Nagasaki wiggles away, thrust kick by Makoto to Fujita and 235 hits a diving crossbody. Uranage by Nagasaki to Fujita, but the pin is broken up. Over the shoulder slam by Fujita and she tags in Matsumoto, short armbar by Matsumoto and she applies a crossface, but Nagasaki gets to the ropes. Matsumoto and Fujita trade elbows, dropkick by Nagasaki and she goes up top, but Matsumoto avoids the missile dropkick. Fujita comes in and she slams Nagasaki, Matsumoto goes up top but Nagasaki gets her feet up when she dives off. Nagasaki goes for a few quick pins with no luck and all six wrestlers end up in the ring. Makoto spears both Fujita and Kyuri, Nagasaki grabs Matsumoto  but Matsumoto hits an extremely modified STO. Shining Wizard by Matsumoto and she gets the three count! Fujita, Kyuri, and Matsumoto are the winners.

Better than I was expecting, which I know is faint praise but at least it was pretty solid for an opener. Matsumoto’s comedy was kept really minimal which is fine with me as it gave Nagasaki and Fujita more time to work together. Makoto was really here just to hit a few spots and perhaps to help manage the match, she is on a different level than the other five so realistically there wasn’t a lot she was going to do within the match itself. Six wrestlers is a bit much for a sub-ten minute match as it makes it hard for any one wrestler to stand out but I thought that the rookie Nagasaki looked solid considering her experience level. Not a bad way to kick things off but nothing special either.

Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka

Miyagi and Yuuka are the first two in but their tag partners come in too, Nakamura and Yuuka get their opponents in the ropes and kick them in the chest. The Lovely Butchers make a comeback and hit double face crushers, Miyagi puts Yuuka in the corner and Yuuka gets the double belly smush. Yuuka DDTs Miyagi  but Miyagi puts Yuuka in an Argentine Backbreaker, running belly smash by Miyagi and she covers Yuuka for two. Dropkick by Yuuka and she hits a tornado DDT for a two count, she tags in Nakamori who kicks Miyagi in the chest before hitting a leg drop. Stretch
hold by Nakamori but Miyagi gets out of it and hits a swinging side slam for two. Dragon screw by Miyagi, she goes up top and hits a reverse splash for a two count cover.

Miyagi tags Hoshi, she trades elbows with Nakamori until Nakamori hits a backdrop suplex, but Hoshi blocks the Shining Wizard attempt. Running belly smash by Hoshi, and she gets a two. Hoshi goes up top but Nakamori throws her off, high kick by Nakamori and she hits the Shining Wizard. Nakamori tags Yuuka, Yuuka elbows Hoshi but Hoshi hits a running belly smash. Double belly smash by Hoshi and Miyagi but Yuuka blocks the double backdrop suplex. Nakamori goes up top as does Yuuka, and both hit missile dropkicks. Yuuka tries to pick up Hoshi but can’t, Lou Thesz Press by Miyagi and Hoshi rolls over Yuuka for two. Nakamori kicks Hoshi and Yuuka rolls her up, but Miyagi breaks up the pin. Yuuka goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but it gets only two. Hoshi lariats Yuuka, Samoan Drop by Hoshi but Yuuka kicks out of the cover. Miyagi goes up top and hits a diving body press, Hoshi then goes up and hits a diving body press as well, picking up the three count! The Lovely Butchers win the match.

This was a bit sloppy, with a number of moves just not being hit very smoothly. Most of them happened when Nakamori was in the ring, she just isn’t a very polished wrestler and a lot of what she does feels off. Hoshi and Miyagi aren’t my favorites anyway since they do stomach based offense… but they try to make it look serious instead of just being comedy so it comes across as odd. Yuuka I love but she wasn’t going to be able to save this match by herself. Limited redeeming qualities and a very skippable match.

Syuri vs. Tsukushi

They feel each other out to start, Syuri gets Tsukushi to the mat and twists on Tsukushi’s leg. They get back up and lock knuckles, Tsukushi takes Syuri down but Syuri quickly switches positions with her. Syuri works a headlock before kicking Tsukushi in the back, but Tsukushi returns to her feet and they circle each other again. Elbows by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Syuri through the ropes and to the floor. Back in, Stunner by Tsukushi and she runs on Syuri’s back before putting her in a stretch hold. Syuri slams Tsukushi and kicks her into the corner, running knee by Syuri and she covers Tsukushi for two. Sleeper by Syuri but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes, kicks by Syuri and she covers Tsukushi again for a two count. Syuri hits a jumping knee in the corner and hits a single arm suplex, Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Syuri stomps Tsukushi but Tsukushi ducks a lariat and hits a headscissors.

Dropkick by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Syuri in the back for a two count cover. Syuri and Tsukushi trade elbows, knee by Syuri and she hits the PK for two. Tsukushi quickly rolls up Syuri and hits a footstomp, missile dropkick by Tsukushi but Syuri kicks out of the pin. Release German by Syuri but Tsukushi comes back with one of her own, and both wrestlers are down. They trade elbows on their knees and as they get back up, Tsukushi charges Syuri but Syuri kicks her in the head. Syuri applies the short armbar but Tsukushi rolls out of it and hits a hard elbow. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Syuri shrugs her off and hits a German suplex hold for two. Running knee to the chest by Syuri but Tsukushi catches the next kick and puts Syuri in an ankle hold. Syuri gets into the ropes to break the hold, Tsukushi grabs Syuri and hits a scoop slam before going up top, delivering the diving footstomp for a two count. German suplex hold by Syuri and she nails a running knee, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

The best part of this match was just getting to see Syuri do her thing for 15 minutes, she is one of the best strike/submission wrestlers in Japan. Tsukushi kept up pretty well which is a credit to her and it was a really smooth match. Some of the transitions were a bit shaky however and I still am not a fan of draws unless there is a storyline reason for it. No reason for Syuri not to win here as there will likely never be a re-match anyway, but I guess they didn’t want their young star to lose to the outsider. A really solid match overall, but with a few small improvements it would have been really top notch.  Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Sera and Yukihi charge their opponents as soon as the bell rings but the veterans quickly take back over and double team Sera. Fujimoto kicks Sera in the back and applies a stretch hold before throwing her to the mat by her hair. Sera comes back with a dropkick and tags Yukihi, but Fujimoto promptly slams her and tags Nakajima. Nakajima tosses Yukihi around and hits a combination of strikes, she puts Yukihi in the ropes and hits a dropkick to the back. Yukihi fights back but Fujimoto dropkicks her, Irish whip by Fujimoto and she hits another dropkick for a two count. Nakajima returns and puts Yukihi in a crab hold, suplex by Nakajima and she covers Yukihi for two. Jumping knee by Nakajima in the corner and she hits a double underhook suplex. Knees by Nakajima and she boots Yukihi in the face. Another boot by Nakajima but Sera runs in, Yukihi hits a STO and tags Sera. Sera dropkicks Nakajima but Fujimoto runs in, Sera puts both her opponents in the corner and hits a running knee to the stomach. Sera puts Nakajima in a crab hold and then into the Rocking Horse. Double knee drops by Sera and she goes for a swinging side slam, but Nakajima reverses it. Fujimoto runs in and kicks Sera, Nakajima does the same and covers Sera for two. Back up they trade elbows, and Nakajima catches Sera with a bridging fallaway slam for two. Fujimoto is tagged in, Nakajima runs back into the ring and kicks Sera in the head. Double dropkick to Sera and they go up top, but Yukihi comes in the ring and they throw Best Friends off the top turnbuckles.

Nakajima and Fujimoto are thrown into the same corner and hit with running strikes, Fujimoto goes for a hurricanrana on Sera but Sera catches her and applies a crab hold. Sera kicks Fujimoto into the corner and hits a running knee, full nelson slam by Sera and she gets a two count. Enzuigiri by Fujimoto, Nakajima runs in and suplexes Sera and Fujimoto applies a Jackknife for two. Sera picks up Fujimoto and hits a reverse neckbreaker, she hits a reverse double knee drop and covers Fujimoto for two. Sera tags in Yukihi and hits a few shoulderblocks but Fujimoto knocks her back and they trade elbows. Sera runs in and Fujimoto eats a double dropkick. They go for a double chokeslam but Fujimoto flips out of it and hits a double dropkick. Nakajima comes in and Yukihi is double teamed in the corner, they both go up top and hit double missile dropkicks for a two count cover. Fujimoto puts Yukihi in a cross-arm submission, Nakajima goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody. Fujimoto goes up top but Sera catches her when she jumps up and nails Ayers Rock. Yukihi kicks Fujimoto in the head, Sera comes in and they hit a double chokeslam. Yukihi goes up top and hits a somersault senton, Fujimoto fights back with elbows but Yukihi nails her with a high kick. Double underhook suplex by Yukihi, but Fujimoto kicks out. Yukihi picks up Fujimoto but she slides away, Fujimoto rolls up Yukihi and she gets a two count. Fujimoto goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker to Yukihi, picking up a two. Fujimoto the Venus Shoot out of the corner, and she picks up the three count! Nakajima and Fujimoto win the match!

This was good but was missing something to take it to the next level. I don’t think that Yukihi is quite ready for this spot, there were several places that they didn’t seem to be on the same page and the match wasn’t the usual smoothness that I’ve come to expect from Joshi matches. There were also some really iffy transitions, for example towards the end when Fujimoto quickly recovered after Yukihi hit a combination of some of her better moves. I still enjoyed it as Nakajima and Fujimoto are top notch, but it was lacking in quite a few areas.  Mildly Recommended

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Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• December 31st, 2012 with Terada and Sera vs. Takeda, Wakamatsu, and Yamaguchi
• December 31st, 2013 with Kizuki vs. Kobayashi and Naito

Signature Moves:

• Dropkick

In Action:

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