Event: Prominence Pre-Launch Round 1
Date: January 16th, 2022
Location: Akihabara Talk Live BAR From Scratch in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 56
Broadcast: Streamed on Wrestle Universe

In late 2021, the Joshi world was rocked when five wrestlers from Ice Ribbon announced they were leaving the promotion to form their own team called Prominence. Mochi Miyagi, Suzu Suzuki, Akane Fujita, Risa Sera, and Kurumi decided to follow their hearts and create a hardcore stable of wrestlers, with the intention of invading other promotions and putting on their own events as well. This event, as the name implies, is a pre-launch of their promotion with the bigger goal to raise awareness. They also had a talk show after the wrestling matches so this was more than just an in-ring affair. Here is the full card:

• Hardcore Match: Mochi Miyagi vs. Suzu Suzuki
• Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita vs. Risa Sera
• Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita and Mochi Miyagi vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. The event does not take place in a ring, rather near a small stage, so needless to say this will not be your typical wrestling presentation. Onto the show!

Mochi Miyagi vs. Suzu Suzuki
Hardcore Match

There are already various unusual weapons around the stage, as the two circle each other on the floor. They lock knuckles until Suzu stomps on Mochi, they trade holds but eventually reach a stalemate. Suzu gets a ball with plastic forks stuck in it while Mochi gets a whip, and Mochi whips the ball out of Suzu’s hands. Suzu avoids the next whip attempt and elbows Mochi, she gets a pot but Mochi takes it from her. After chatting, Mochi sits down on the stage and allows Suzu to whip her in the back, Suzu then sits and Mochi hits her with a metal ball. They repeat the process which Mochi gets the better of, and Mochi hits a scoop slam on the floor. Mochi puts the fork ball on Suzu and jumps off the stage, sitting down on the ball. This appears to hurt Mochi more than Suzu, which is logical, and Suzu cradles her for a two count. Waistlock by Suzu but Mochi elbows out of it, she gets the streamer gun but it jams. Suzu gets up on the stage and quickly rolls up Mochi, high kick by Suzu but Mochi blocks the German suplex. Mochi gets a board and hits Suzu in the head with it, cradle by Mochi and she picks up the three count! Mochi wins!

In this type of setting, the wrestlers aren’t going to be able to put on a high-end match, so the best they can hope for is to put on something fun. There wasn’t much to this, a couple painful looking spots but they were clearly limited by their surroundings. The ending was sudden, but since they have to wrestle again later there wasn’t any need to go all-out. A memorable spot or two, but hopefully the next couple matches use their environment a bit more creatively.

Akane Fujita vs. Risa Sera
Hardcore Match

Side headlock takeover by Risa to start the match but Akane quickly gets out of it, they circle each other on the floor before repeating the same process. Akane gets a bat with thumbtacks stuck to it and some baseballs, she gets up on the stage while Risa grabs her barbed wire-wrapped kendo stick and joins her. Akane throws Risa a pitch and Risa actually connects, sending the ball flying while she celebrates her success. They switch as Risa tosses Akane a pitch, but Akane misses. They try again but Akane misses again (by a lot, hopefully on purpose), they do it a third time before finally giving up. They switch again and this time Akane intentionally throws it too hard for Risa to hit it. She connects the second time however, but on the next toss she throws the barbed wire kendo stick, hitting Akane with it. Risa apologizes but Akane hits Risa repeatedly with the stick in retaliation before choking her. Akane drags Risa onto the stage, Kurumi holds Risa in place with the kendo stick while Akane throws baseballs at her. Akane then gets the thumb tack bat but Risa talks her out of using it, she gets free of Kurumi but Akane elbows her. Akane gets the kendo stick back and hits Risa with it, Akane gets Risa on her shoulder but Risa slides off and down to the floor.

Akane grabs her bat and jumps off the platform, ramming it into Risa’s chest. Risa quickly recovers and the two trade elbows, Samoan Drop by Akane and she covers Risa for two. Akane gets a chair and puts it on Risa’s chest, she gets up on the stage but Risa recovers and hits her with the chair before she can jump off. Risa pulls Akane back to the floor with her and hits the Schwein onto the chair for a two count. They both get back on the stage, Risa puts Akane on top of the kendo stick and puts her in a crab hold. She switches it to a grounded stretch hold while using the barbed wire kendo stick for extra leverage/pain, but Akane won’t submit. Risa lets go after a moment and throws the kendo stick at Akane, she gets Akane up on her shoulder but Akane wiggles away and headbutts her. Akane picks up Risa and gets a powerslam from the stage to the floor, cover by Akane but it gets two. Akane picks up Risa but Risa blocks the slam, elbows by Risa and she hits Akane with the kendo stick. Schwein by Risa, but Akane barely kicks out. Risa positions Akane and gets back on the stage, she sets up a little step ladder and dives off of it onto Akane with a double kneedrop. Cover by Risa, but the bell rings before the referee can complete the count. The match is a Draw.

One of my concerns for Prominence, just based on my own personal tastes in wrestling, is that it will occasionally go too far into the comedy genre. Comedy in wrestling is extremely hit and miss with me, usually miss, but regardless I generally prefer to have my comedy matches just be comedy matches. Them going from beating each other up, then a few minutes of goofy fun with baseballs, then back to beating each other up just breaks the match flow to me and I’d rather matches focus on one or the other. I really enjoyed the last few minutes of the match as they used their surroundings well and utilized the weapons in an intelligent manner without overdoing it. If I only looked at that portion this would have been a pretty entertaining match, but throwing in the comedy bits brought it down for me to just an “ok” match at best.

Akane Fujita and Miyagi vs. Risa Sera and Suzuki
Hardcore Match

They have some unique weapons with them, I’ll describe everything the best I can. Suzu and Risa charge their opponents to start the match, quickly getting the upper hand as they isolate Miyagi. Risa puts a chair on Miyagi’s back and hits a double kneedrop, she then puts the barbed wire kendo stick on her back and steps down on it. Another double kneedrop by Risa and she tags in Suzu, Suzu comes in with a pot full of… bands with tiny silver balls attached to them. Suzu picks up Miyagi but Miyagi slams her onto the bands for a two count. She tags in Fujita, Fujita puts the bucket over Suzu’s head and hits it with the kendo stick. Fujita picks up a metal bell and hits Suzu in the head with it, cover by Fujita but it gets two. She tags Miyagi, Miyagi puts the bucket back over Suzu’s head and hits it with her whip. She then removes the bucket so she can choke Suzu with the whip, using the stage for extra leverage. Cover by Miyagi, but it gets a two count. Fujita is tagged in, she brings her thumbtack bat into the match with her and rubs it into Suzu’s forehead. Fujita picks up Suzu who is now bleeding, while Miyagi keeps Risa at bay. Sleeper by Fujita, she lets go after a moment and hits Suzu in the head.

She tags Miyagi, Miyagi toys at Suzu with her whip but Suzu ducks out of the way and hits a spear. This gives her a chance to tag in Risa, Risa slams Miyagi and then drops Fujita on top of her. Risa throws the wrist bands at Miyagi before getting a steel chair, hitting Miyagi in the back with it. Cover by Risa, but Fujita breaks it up. They are sticking to the tag rules way more than I was expecting them to. Risa picks up Miyagi but Miyagi slides away and nails a DDT, Miyagi tags Fujita and Fujita lays a banner with small painful things stuck all over it onto Risa. Elbow drop by Fujita, but Risa kicks out of the cover. Miyagi runs in and sits on Risa, Fujita picks her up but Risa blocks Fujita from putting her on her shoulders. Risa gets her kendo stick and hits Fujita with it, Fujita slides away from Risa and holds her for Miyagi, but Miyagi accidentally shoots Fujita in the face with the streamer gun. Suzu dropkicks Fujita from behind while she fusses at Miyagi, Suzu sets up a chair and sits Fujita onto it. Suzu charges Fujita, Fujita gets up from the chair and goes for a slam, but Suzu wiggles away. Suzu ends up on the stage, Fujita joins her with the bat but Suzu ducks it and hits a cutter. Dropkick by Suzu, she lays the chair down on the floor but Fujita blocks the suplex attempt.

Miyagi lays the banner used earlier on the floor and tries to help Fujita suplex Suzu, but Suzu blocks it as Risa joins her side to help. Kurumi comes in to help Fujita and Miyagi, and they suplex Suzu and Risa onto the banner. Miyagi recovers first and gets onto the stage, jumping off with a seated senton for two. Miyagi picks up Suzu but Suzu elbows her as the two trade blows. Miyagi gets the advantage and hits a reverse splash off the stage, but Suzu kicks out. Miyagi picks up Suzu but Risa hits her in the head with a metal bell, Suzu gets on the stage while Risa helps her hits a backflip kneedrop. Suzu then jumps on Risa’s back before Risa hits a double kneedrop, but Fujita breaks up the cover. High kick by Suzu to Fujita and she throws her into Kurumi, Suzu picks up Miyagi but Miyagi hits a Lou Thesz Press for two. Miyagi gets up the stage but Suzu trips her and kicks Miyagi in the chest. Cover by Suzu, but Miyagi barely kicks out. German suplex hold by Suzu on the stage, and she picks up the three count! Suzu Suzuki and Risa Sera are the winners!

This match was the best one on the show, as they kept it mostly serious and had some unique plunder to use. Matches with random weird weapons can go off the rails, as they can become too focused on being unusual without being interesting, but for the most part I thought they avoided that here as they had normal weapons as well. They actually stuck to the tag rules which really surprised me in this setting, but the bulk of the match took place on the floor as they didn’t take full advantage of having a stage. It was hard to take the match too seriously just due to the bizarre setting, but they kept the action at a good pace and all four are good wrestlers. If this is a preview of what Prominence plans to present, it may be interesting but I hope they don’t lean too hard on having unorthodox weapons or the concept may wear thin.  Mildly Recommended

The post Prominence Pre-Launch Round 1 on 1/16/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1101 ~ Yokohama Ribbon 2021
Date: February 23rd, 2021
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 150
Broadcast Information: Streamed Live on Nico Nico PPV

It has been awhile since I checked in with Ice Ribbon, so let’s see what they are up to. Like with all promotions, 2020 was challenging for Ice Ribbon but they pushed through to still put on a lot of events and grew their International fan base in the process as they made most of their shows easily accessible. They continued that momentum in 2021 and started to have PPVs more often, which this event was, on Nico Nico. There is only one title on the line on this show, with Tsukushi Haruka taking on Thekla in the main event, but all the major wrestlers in the promotion are present. Here is the full card:

• Akane Fujita, Risa Sera, and Yappy vs. Banny Oikawa, Hiragi Kurumi, and Tae Honma
• Hamuko Hoshi vs. Miku Aono vs. Mochi Miyagi
• Rina Yamashita and Yuuki Mashiro vs. Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki
• Maika Ozaki, Maya Yukihi, and Ram Kaicho vs. Matsuya Uno, Totoro Satsuki, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• IW-19 Championship: Tsukushi Haruka vs. Thekla

All wrestlers have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. As this aired on PPV, all matches will be shown in full.

Akane Fujita, Risa Sera, and Yappy vs. Oikawa, Kurumi, and Honma

Team Yappy attacks before the match and triple team their opponents, as they all stack on Tae and Banny for a two count cover. Risa and Banny stay in as the legal wrestlers as Risa puts Banny in the Rocking Horse until Tae and Kurumi break it up. Double knee to the back by Risa and she covers Banny for two. Risa tags Akane, Akane throws Banny into the corner and hits a running shoulderblock. Elbow drop by Akane and she covers Banny for a two count. Akane tags Yappy but Banny throws Yappy into the corner, Banny charges Yappy but Yappy bumps her back and chokes her while sitting on the top turnbuckle. Yappy sits on Banny, but Banny kicks out of the cover. Irish whip by Yappy but Banny dropkicks her and makes the hot tag to Kurumi. Kurumi shoulderblocks Yappy, Akane and Risa come in to help but Kurumi throws them into each other. They try to knock over Kurumi but Kurumi hits a double lariat, she goes back to Yappy but Yappy blocks the powerbomb attempt and hits a back bodydrop. Leg drops by Yappy and she covers Kurumi for two. Yappy tags Risa, running elbow by Risa in the corner but Kurumi blocks the suplex attempt and the two trade elbows. Kurumi jumps on Risa’s back but Risa hits a Schwein for a two count cover. Risa picks up Kurumi but Kurumi throws her into the corner, body avalanche by Kurumi and she dropkicks Risa in the head.

Kurumi tags Tae, Banny comes in too and they double team Risa. Tae puts Risa in a kneelock but Risa gets to the ropes for the break, kicks to the leg by Tae and she dropkicks Risa in the knee. Risa gets away from her and puts Tae in an elevated crab hold, she flips Tae up and powerbombs her in the corner before hitting a running double knee strike. Reverse double knee drop by Risa out of the corner, Akane is tagged in and she joins Risa in shoulderblocking Tae. Akane slams Tae to the mat and covers her, but it gets two. Tae gets Akane down with a Fujiwara Armbar but Akane gets a foot on the ropes for the break, DDT by Tae and she covers Akane for a two count. Tae tags Banny, dropkick by Banny in the corner and she applies a modified armbar. Banny switches it to a cross armbreaker attempt but Akane gets into the ropes for the break. Banny goes up top but Risa hits her from the apron, giving Akane time to recover. Akane gets Banny on her shoulders but Banny slides off. Akane sits on her however, she goes for a cover but Tae dropkicks Akane to break it up. Armtrap crossface by Banny to Akane, but Yappy breaks it up. Banny goes off the ropes but Akane hits a shoulderblock, Yappy runs in with a seated senton before Risa hits a diving double knee drop off the second rope. Texas Cloverleaf by Akane, but Kurumi breaks it up with a superkick. Banny picks up Akane and kicks her in the head, Akane fires back with a shoulderblock however and covers Banny for two. Powerslam by Akane and she puts Banny in a cross-arm Camel Clutch, leading to the tap out! Risa Sera, Akane Fujita, and Yappy are the winners.

A generally inoffensive opener. Not everyone in this match is a great wrestler… not naming names so that Ice Ribbon Twitter doesn’t come after me but at times the action dragged a little bit and there were some awkward moments. Risa Sera shined the brightest, which is no surprise since she is so good, and Tae looked solid when she was in the ring. Nothing memorable in the slightest but not the worst way to begin an event.

Hamuko Hoshi vs. Miku Aono vs. Mochi Miyagi

All three circle to start, Miku is singled out first by the friends Mochi and Hamuko as they double team her in the corner. Double Irish whip to Miku but Miku rolls away and does the Hamuko pose on the mat. Mochi and Hamuko get on the mat and pose as well, they trade schoolboy covers but no one gets the three count and they end up posing again. Mochi and Hamuko go back to double teaming Miku before turning attention to each other, they both try to shoulderblock each other over until Hamuko finally sends Mochi to the mat. Crab hold by Hamuko but Miku interrupts things and trades strikes with Mochi. Dropkick by Miku in the corner and she kicks Mochi in the back a few times. Crab hold by Miku but Hamuko breaks it up, Hamuko throws Miku into the corner and rubs her belly on her. Miku goes for a scoop slam by Hamuko blocks it, Miku eventually delivers the slam anyway and applies a leg submission hold. Mochi helps as she rakes at Hamuko’s face, they both release Hamuko before Mochi attacks Miku from behind and covers both of them for two.

Hamuko recovers and she and Mochi both hit body avalanches on Miku, Mochi slams Hamuko onto Miku and both wrestlers try to cover Miku with no luck. Hamuko and Mochi push each other which gives Miku time to cover and hit a lariat on both of them. High kick by Miku on Hamuko and she lariats Mochi for a two count. Suplex by Miku to Mochi, but Hamuko breaks it up. Miku and Hamuko wait for Mochi to get up and both hit lariats, they go for a double vertical suplex but Mochi blocks it and DDTs both of them. Mochi positions Miku and Hamuko near the corner and goes for a Reverse Splash, but Hamuko moves and Mochi only ends up hitting Miku. Footstomp by Mochi to Miku, but Hamuko breaks up the cover. Body avalanche by Hamuko to Mochi and she nails the Shining Onaka for a two count. Hamuko goes off the ropes but Mochi hits the Lou Thesz Press, also getting a two count. Miku runs in but she gets a Lou Thesz Press as well, Mochi goes back to Hamuko but Hamuko reverses the press into a cradle for two. Onna no Shuunen (modified cradle) by Hamuko to Mochi, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi is the winner.

My issues with Hamuko have probably been stated enough – she’s a solid enough wrestler but the blurry line between comedy and non-comedy makes it hard for me to take her seriously. Mochi is a hair better but not by much, so the ceiling for their matches for me is “mindless fun.” This match didn’t even reach that level as with the three way match rules it was just random offense with some mixed in flash pins with little of substance. I wouldn’t necessarily say the match was “bad” but it definitely was meaningless.

Rina Yamashita and Mashiro vs. Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki

Rina and Suzu start the match, Suzu works a headlock but Rina Irish whips out of it and avoids Suzu’s dropkick. Headlock by Rina, Suzu gets out of it but Rina hits a hard shoulderblock. Rina poses which gives Suzu time to kick her from behind, and both wrestlers tag out. Saori and Mashiro circle each other, Mashiro asks for a knucklelock and gets it, which quickly backfires. Saori dances on Mashiro’s hands and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Saori and she elbows Mashiro in the corner. Rina runs in and attacks Saori from behind, Rina jumps on Mashiro’s back but Mashiro collapses. Saori stumps on Rina and goes back to Mashiro, putting her in a chinlock. Stretch hold by Saori, Rina comes in but Suzu takes care of her. Saori lets go of Mashiro and tags Suzu, dropkick to the back by Suzu and she covers Mashiro for two. Suzu slams Mashiro repeatedly in the corner before driving her into the mat, she picks up Mashiro but Mashiro blocks the German suplex and dropkicks her in the back. This gives her time to tag in Rina, Suzu kicks Rina as Saori runs in but Rina suplexes both of them. Rina stomps on Suzu and goes for a suplex, but Suzu blocks it and elbows Rina in the chest. Rina elbows her back as they trade shots, Suzu goes for a high kick but Rina blocks it. Rina kicks Suzu in the head, cover by Rina but it gets a two count. Rina picks up Suzu but Suzu hits a jawbreaker and dropkicks Rina in the face for a two count. Irish whip by Suzu and she hits a spear, but that gets a two as well.

Suzu tags in Saori, Saori goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Saori charges Rina but Rina moves, Rina ducks the enzuigiri but Saori lands on her feet when Rina goes for a backdrop suplex. Anou boots Rina in the head before Suzu connects with a sliding dropkick from the apron, cover by Saori but it gets two. Rina kicks Saori but Saori delivers the enzuigiri, Rina fires back with a hard lariat however and both are down on the mat. Rina manages to tag Mashiro, Mashiro dropkicks Saori a few times and covers her for two. Mashiro gets on the second turnbuckle but Saori hits her before she can jump off, Rina grabs Saori from behind but Suzu then grabs Rina. They all end up on the mat except for Mashiro, Mashiro jumps down and picks up Saori, delivering a series of elbows. Boot by Saori, she picks up Mashiro but Mashiro blocks the Fisherman Suplex attempt. Rina cuts off Saori, giving Mashiro time to recover and apply an armlock. Suzu breaks it up, Mashiro gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Mashiro goes off the ropes but Saori catches her with a sidewalk slam, but Mashiro barely kicks out. Saori goes up top but Rina runs in and joins her, hitting a superplex. Rina picks up Mashiro but Suzu dropkicks Rina from behind, double Irish whip to Rina and she gets booted in the chest. Saori goes back to Mashiro and Mashiro quickly applies a few flash pins for a two count. Saori finally grabs Mashiro and delivers the Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Mashiro kicks out. Saori quickly applies the Potering, and she gets the three count!  Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki are the winners.

It didn’t reach the heights I was hoping for, but a perfectly watchable midcard tag match. Really the main thing holding the match together was just the quality of the wrestlers themselves, as it was a bit disjointed at times and they didn’t seem to have a real structure planned. Part of that was Mashiro, who is obviously still a work in progress, but even when she wasn’t in the ring something really didn’t click. Some of the pairings were fun, particularly when Suzu squared off with Rina, and the ending was exciting. Still the best match on the card up to this point, but nothing they did really elevated it beyond just another midcard match.

Maika Ozaki, Yukihi, and Kaicho vs. Matsuya Uno, Satsuki, and Fujimoto

Maya and Tsukasa start the match, they trade wristlocks until Maya gets a headlock applied but Tsukasa Irish whips out of it. Back kick by Maya but Tsukasa hits an armdrag, Maya returns the favor and the two eventually reach a stalemate. Tsukasa dropkicks Maya in the corner and tags Totoro, Totoro goes for a slap but Maya blocks it and hits a drop toehold. Dropkick by Maya and she tags in Kaicho. Mounted elbows by Kaicho, Maya and Maika come in the ring and they triple team Totoro. Ram puts Totoro in a Camel Clutch with the help of Maika while Maya kicks Totoro in the face. Tsukasa eventually breaks things up, Kaicho goes off the ropes but Totoro catches her before dropping her to the mat. Totoro and her friends all stand on Kaicho’s back Totoro picks up Kaicho and slams her face into the mat. Totoro stands on Kaicho’s back before covering Kaicho for a two count. Totoro tags Matsuya and Matsuya puts Kaicho in a leglock, but Maya breaks it up. Matsuya grabs Kaicho and puts her in an abdominal stretch, but Kaicho gets into the ropes for the break. Kaicho chops Matsuya but Matsuya elbows her back and the two trade shots. Matsuya punches Kaicho into the corner, Irish whip by Matsuya but Kaicho kicks her back and hits a face crusher.

Kaicho can’t get to her corner as Matsuya puts her in an ankle hold, but Maika breaks it up. Dropkick by Kaicho and she finally makes it to her corner to tag Maya, kick to the chest by Maya and she puts Matsuya in an Anaconda Vice. Matsuya gets out of it and applies a Fujiwara Armbar, but Maya slides away. Matsuya re-applies the hold but Maya gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Matsuya goes off the ropes and hits a shoulder tackle but Maya trips her when she goes off the ropes again. Matsuya trips her back and applies an ankle hold, schoolboy by Matsuya but it gets two. Maya goes back to the ankle but Maika breaks it up, spear by Matsuya and she covers Maya for two. Matsuya tags Tsukasa, Tsukasa goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Dropkick by Tsukasa in the corner and she covers Maya for two. Maya and Tsukasa jockey for position until Tsukasa applies an Octopus Hold but Maya gets into the ropes. Tsukasa goes off the ropes but Maya hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, running knee by Maya and she delivers a PK. Maya picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa reverses the suplex attempt into guillotine choke. Maya muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex anyway, cover by Maya but it gets a two count. Tsukasa trips Maya and hits a PK, senton by Totoro and Tsukasa goes for the Infinity but Maya blocks it. Kaicho runs in and hits a Codebreaker on Tsukasa, hard shoulderblock by Maika and Maya delivers an enzuigiri to Tsukasa for a two count.

Maya picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa nails an elevated Infinity, leaving both on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out as Maika and Totoro come in, elbows by Totoro but Maika hits a body avalanche in the corner. Hard shoulderblock by Maika, she picks up Totoro and tries to get her on her shoulders, but Totoro blocks it. Totoro gets Maika up but Maika slides away, Kaicho runs in but Matsuya grabs her from the apron. Scoop slam by Totoro by Maika and Tsukasa hits a PK, body press by Totoro but Maika kicks out. Maika goes off the ropes but Maya runs in and boots her, Tiger Feint Kick by Kaicho and Maika gets Totoro up on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker. Matsuya breaks it up, Maika gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton to Totoro for a two count. Maika goes off the ropes but Totoro grabs her, Maika gets away however and hits a lariat for a two count. Maika goes up to the top turnbuckle but both Tsukasa and Matsuya run in to interrupt her, Totoro gets Maika on her shoulders and hits the Kamikaze for a nearfall. Matsuya hits a spear on Maika, Totoro gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving senton, but Maika gets a shoulder up on the cover. Totoro goes all the way up while Matsuya and Tsukasa hold her arms, helping her hit a somersault senton but the pin is broken up. Totoro scoops up Maika and drops her with a modified Samoan Driver and she picks up the three count! Tsukasa Fujimoto, Matsuya Uno, and Totoro Satsuki are the winners!

I have some mixed feelings about this match but definitely more good than bad. First the good – Totoro and Maika are both limited wrestlers but they stayed within their limits here and did what they do well, so they added to the match rather than taking away from it. Also, the segments with Maya and Tsukasa were really good as they have great chemistry. I didn’t love the inclusion of Matsuya, as she wrestles a completely different style and it didn’t mesh with everyone else. It felt like five of the wrestlers were on the same page while Matsuya was applying random submission holds that had no connection or meaning. Not that her style isn’t one that has a place in wrestling, of course it does, it just didn’t vibe here. Also, while I love Ram Kaicho, she seems to have lost some of her personality since wrestling regularly in Ice Ribbon, she’s talented but she feels more like ‘just another wrestler.’ No posing, flipping off anyone, etc. as she just blended in with everyone else. An enjoyable match overall, just with some flow issues due to Matsuya not fitting in.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Tsukushi Haruka vs. Thekla
IW-19 Championship

Thekla jumps off the top turnbuckle as the bell rings but Tsukushi greets her with a dropkick, Tsukushi works a headlock but Thekla Irish whips out of it and they go into a high speed exchange. Thekla hits an armdrag out of the corner but Tsukushi hits an armdrag of her own, Thekla goes off the ropes but Tsukushi avoids the dropkick as they eventually reach a stalemate. Thekla sits on the top turnbuckle but Tsukushi dropkicks her and throws her back to the mat. Tsukushi stomps on Thekla’s hand repeatedly and puts her in Camel Clutch, she lets go after a moment and ties up Thekla in the ropes. Dropkick to the back by Tsukushi and she covers Thekla for two. Tsukushi throws Thekla into the corner but Thekla avoids her charge and hits a hard dropkick. Monkey Flip by Thekla and she covers Tsukushi for two. Thekla stomps on Tsukushi and throws her face into the mat, eye rake by Thekla and she hits a few bootscrapes. Irish whip by Thekla but Tsukushi avoids her charge and slides to the apron, Thekla goes for a lariat but Tsukushi slides back in and elbows Thekla in the head. Knee to the midsection by Thekla and she kicks Tsukushi back, Thekla gets tied up in the ropes but she avoids Tsukushi’s dropkick and kicks her in the back for a two count. Thekla goes up top but Tsukushi joins her before she can jump off, she knocks Thekla off so she is hanging from the ropes over the apron and delivers a diving footstomp. Tsukushi quickly gets back into the ring and hits a running elbow on Thekla, cover by Tsukushi but it gets a two count.

Tsukushi goes up top but Thekla jumps up as well and suplexes Tsukushi down to the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up, head kick by Thekla but Tsukushi fires back with a release German Suplex. They elbow each other as they slowly return to their feet, Tsukushi knocks Thekla to the mat first and kicks her when she tries to bridge up. Thekla quickly hits a series of vertical suplexes, but Tsukushi kicks out of the cover. Spear by Thekla, but Tsukushi barely kicks out of the cover. Thekla applies a bridging leglock, but Tsukushi gets into the ropes for the break. Thekla applies a double underhook but Tsukushi gets away, head kick by Thekla and she follows with a Buzzsaw Kick. Elbows by Thekla and she toys with Tsukushi, but Tsukushi elbows her hard and attacks Thekla while she is on the mat. Thekla gets to the ropes to try to escape but Tsukushi keeps on her, she drags Thekla back into the ring and drills her with a dropkick. Tsukushi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Tsukushi but Thekla kicks out. Tsukushi goes up top again but Thekla avoids the diving footstomp and hits a chop block. Thekla now goes up top and hits a diving footstomp of her own, covering Tsukushi for two. Double underhook into a slam by Thekla, she goes up top but Tsukushi gets her knees up on the body press attempt. Tsukushi quickly cradles Thekla and then goes for a La Magistral, but her pin attempts are unsuccessful. Thekla goes for some flash pins as well with the same result, Tsukushi cradles Thekla to the mat and hits a series of footstomps. Double underhook facebuster by Tsukushi, she goes up top and nails a diving footstomp for a two count. Tsukushi drags up Thekla and delivers a Tiger Suplex Hold, and she picks up the three count! Tsukushi Haruka wins and retains the championship!

A solid match, nothing that will blow you away but entertaining. Tsukushi has been an underrated talent for many years, as due to her age and the fact she was generally stuck in the midcard she didn’t get a ton of notice. She’s been great for awhile though and continues to be, I can’t call her a murder child anymore as she is an adult now but she hasn’t lost her aggression. The match was pretty non-stop as Tsukushi only has one speed, and Thekla was able to keep up. This is the first long singles matches I’ve seen with Thekla, she isn’t as crisp as Tsukushi but has a quality move arsenal and didn’t do anything to slow the match down or hold it back. The match was about 15 minutes and felt like it ended at the right time, no need to stretch something out just because its the main event. A good outing and first defense by Tsukushi, hopefully she continues to impress this year and gets more chances in big matches.  Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon #1101 Yokohama Ribbon 2021 on 2/23/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1044
Date: May 31st, 2020
Location: Ice Ribbon Dojo in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 0

Let’s jump right back to Ice Ribbon and give them another chance to impress. This is a bigger show than the last one I reviewed, as it has twice as many matches and also has a title match as well. Here is the full card:

All matches were shown in full, you can click on the wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City. Let’s hop to it.

Ibuki Hoshi, Miyagi, and Yappy vs. Matsuya Uno, Ishikawa, and Tsukushi

Team Miyagi attacks before the bell rings, they isolate the rookie Nao and all attack her in the corner. The lights don’t seem to fully be on, hopefully they fix that at some point. They all pose on Nao until Tsukushi strolls in and breaks things up, Matsuya comes in too and they do the same thing to Ibuki that had been done to Nao. Things calm down with Nao and Ibuki in the ring as the legal wrestlers, Ibuki slams Nao’s face into the mat before putting her in a Camel Clutch. Miyagi and Yappy both come in to taunt Nao, Ibuki eventually lets go and hits a body press on Nao’s back for a two count cover. Ibuki tags in Miyagi, Nao tries to fight back but eats a hard elbow. cover by Miyagi but it gets two. Miyagi puts Nao in a side headlock, Nao gets to the ropes for the break but Yappy comes in to help get Nao back to the corner. Yappy tags in and hits a scoop slam, another slam by Yappy and she hits a third to Nao for a two count cover. Yappy tags in Ibuki and Ibuki throws down Nao by the hair, Irish whip by Ibuki but Nao hits a jumping crossbody for two. This gives her time to tag in Tsukushi, Tsukushi dropkicks Ibuki and Yappy but Miyagi ducks when she goes for her. Matsuya comes in to help as they hit a spear/dropkick combination on their opponents, Tsukushi sets up Ibuki in the ropes and rakes on her face before dropkicking her in the back. Cover by Tsukushi, but it gets a two count.

Tsukushi picks up Ibuki but Ibuki chops her repeatedly in the chest, Irish whip by Ibuki and she hits a body avalanche. Tsukushi blocks the cutter attempt and hits a footstomp, Matsuya and Nao come in and both strike Ibuki in the corner. Dropkick by Tsukushi, and she gets a two count cover. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Ibuki catches her with a hard shoulderblock, Ibuki throws Tsukushi into the corner and hits another body avalanche, face crusher by Ibuki and she covers Tsukushi for two. Ibuki tags in Yappy, hip attacks by Yappy but Tsukushi elbows her back and the two trade blows. Tsukushi goes for a crossbody but Yappy catches her and slams her to the mat, Yappy picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi reverses the chokeslam attempt into a cradle for two. Tsukushi quickly tags Matsuya, dropkick to the face by Matsuya but Yappy blocks the STO and hits one of her own. Yappy throws Matsuya to the corner and hits a lariat, she charges in but Matsuya moves and hits a footstomp to her chest. Cover by Matsuya, but it gets a two count. Matsuya jumps on Yappy’s back and applies a sleeper, but Yappy slams back into the corner to break it up. Miyagi comes in and they both chop Matsuya in the corner, Bronco Buster by Yappy and she covers Matsuya for a two count.

Miyagi is tagged in, Ibuki comes in too and they both jump down onto Matsuya. Miyagi picks up Matsuya but Matsuya elbows her off and sneaks in a schoolboy for two. Cross kneelock by Matsuya as they finally turn on the lights in the arena (that took them awhile), but Tsukushi breaks it up. Matsuya waits for Miyagi to get up to go for the spear, but Nao really wants the tag so Matsuya tags her in. Nao goes for shoulderblocks on Miyagi but Miyagi stays on her feet, Tsukushi kicks Miyagi from the apron which helps Nao finally knock Miyagi over. Scoop slam by Nao, but her cover only gets two. Stunner by Tsukushi to Miyagi and Matsuya hits the F Crash, Nao hits a diving crossbody off the second turnbuckle but her cover is broken up. Nao goes off the ropes but Ibuki intercepts her, belly bump by Miyagi to the back of Nao and she covers her for two. Face crusher by Miyagi, Yappy jumps in and they both hit leg drops on Nao. Miyagi drags Nao up but Nao hits a back bodydrop, rolling cradle by Nao but it only gets two. Nao goes off the ropes but Miyagi catches her with a swinging side slam, Ibuki slams Nao to the mat and Miyagi follows with a Reverse Splash for the three count! Ibuki Hoshi, Mochi Miyagi, and Yappy

The focus of the match was on the rookie, which isn’t unusual in openers, which made it predictable but the action was decent enough. Not everyone here is a great wrestler so some parts were clunky, and I wish Tsukushi would have been more involved but its still valuable experience for the newer wrestlers in the bunch. At least they found the lights, so that should make the rest of the show easier to watch. A pretty average opener but nothing offensive.

Akane Fujita vs. Suzu Suzuki

Akane pushes Suzu into the ropes off the start, and she slaps Suzu in the belly before backing off. Tie-up again, this time Suzu gets Akane into the ropes but Akane blocks her strike and smacks her in the belly again. Akane goes off the ropes and hits a hard shoulderblock, but Suzu hits a drop toehold and slaps her repeatedly in the butt. Akane picks up Suzu and puts her across the top turnbuckle before stretching her over it, Suzu flops back into the ring and Akane hits a scoop slam. Akane applies a chinlock but releases it after a moment, she toys with Suzu before throwing her into the corner. Irish whip by Akane but Suzu slides out to the apron and snaps Akane’s arm over the top rope. Knees by Suzu and she dropkicks Akane in the side of the head, cover by Suzu but it gets a two count. Akane pushes Suzu and hits an elbow but Suzu returns fire, dropkick by Suzu and she slams Akane to the mat for a two count cover. Suzu picks up Akane and chops her in the chest, Irish whip by Suzu but Akane blocks it and elbows her. Akane charges Suzu but Suzu moves and holds down the top rope, sending Akane out to the apron. Suzu goes off the ropes but Akane quickly gets back in the ring and slams her to the mat, Akane picks up Suzu and throws her into the corner.

Shoulderblock by Akane, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Suzu recovers and kicks her off the turnbuckle and onto the apron. Suzu goes up top but Akane grabs her, she gets Suzu on her shoulder but Suzu slides off as they both end up on the apron. Suzu tries to suplex Akane off the apron but Akane blocks it, she slides Suzu back in the ring but Suzu shouldertackles her down to the floor. Suzu goes out after her and slides Akane back in, spear by Suzu and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Suzu picks up Akane and knees her in the stomach, but Akane blocks her jumping kick and applies the Texas Cloverleaf. Suzu quickly gets to the ropes for the break, Akane chops Suzu in the chest and hits a shoulderblock. Akane gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving shoulderblock, cover by Akane but it gets a two count. Akane gets Suzu on her shoulders but Suzu wiggles away and cradles her for two. Jumping kick by Suzu and she hits a modified reverse STO, but Akane kicks out of the cover. Suzu picks up Akane but Akane gets her on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop. Suzu rolls out of the cover attempt and kicks Akane in the head, she goes for Akane’s waist but Akane grabs the ropes. Suzu gets her off of them and nails a German suplex hold, but the bell rings before Mio can finish the count as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

While this felt more like a preview than a full blown match, I still enjoyed it. Since they were going the Draw route, I liked that they gave Suzu the visual pin at the end to show that really she had bettered her veteran opponent, she just needed a little bit more time to get the job done. Akane isn’t a high end wrestler but she is very good and led Suzu well here, there were a few awkward moments based around the apron spots which happens but overall it was smooth. A solid match that I hope leads to a bigger match between the two down the road.  Mildly Recommended

Risa Sera and Satsuki Totoro vs. Thekla and Tsukasa Fujimoto

Thekla and Satsuki start the match, they trade holds until Satsuki knocks over Thekla with a hard shoulderblock. She throws Thekla out of the ring while Risa does the same to Tsukasa, all four end up on the floor as Risa snapmares Tsukasa on the floor and goes for a footstomp. Tsukasa moves and gets Risa on the floor, she also goes for a footstomp off the apron but Risa moves as well. Tsukasa it appears knocks Risa into the camera, which sends them into a portal, leading to them battling on top of the Tokyo Dome. We eventually get back to reality as Satsuki and Thekla battle in the ring, Satsuki stomps Thekla into the corner before tagging in the returned Risa. Snapmare by Risa and she kicks Thekla in the back, she puts Thekla in the Rocking Horse before dropping her back to the mat and tagging Satsuki in. Satsuki clubs Thekla and slams her face-first into the mat, she sits on Thekla and applies a stretch hold. She lets go after a moment and puts Thekla in a crab hold, Tsukasa finally gets back from the parallel universe and breaks up the hold. Irish whip by Satsuki to Thekla but Thekla cradles Satsuki for two. She makes the tag to Tsukasa, Tsukasa dropkicks Satsuki but then throws Satsuki into Risa. Tsukasa pushes Satsuki down onto Risa before jumping on their back, Risa rolls out of the ring and Tsukasa hits a PK on Satsuki for two.

Tsukasa picks up Satsuki and goes for a slam, but Satsuki lands on top of her for a two count. Satsuki tags Risa, running elbow by Risa in the corner but Tsukasa fires back with a dropkick. Dropkick by Tsukasa in the corner but Risa catches her with Schwein, Risa grabs Thekla and gets her on her shoulders while also giving Tsukasa a Giant Swing. Risa pushes Tsukasa out of the ring and goes out after her, they return to the portal and end up getting attacked by a dinosaur. I worry about Ice Ribbon sometimes. They end up fighting in front of the Eiffel Tower, they eventually make it back to the Ice Ribbon Dojo and Risa throws Tsukasa into the ring. Risa puts Tsukasa on her shoulders but Tsukasa slides away and delivers the Infinity. Tsukasa picks up Risa and hits an enzuigiri, but Risa catches her with a Samoan Driver and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, Thekla and Satsuki trade elbows until Thekla puts Satsuki a flying armbar. She lets go after a moment but Satsuki blocks her kick, Satsuki goes off the ropes but Tsukasa catches her with a dropkick. Thekla and Tsukasa both hit 619s, cover by Thekla but it gets a two count. Spear by Thekla, but Risa breaks up the cover. Satsuki picks up Thekla and slams her to the mat, diving double kneedrop by Risa and Satsuki delivers a running senton for two. Risa takes care of Tsukasa, Kamikaze by Satsuki to Thekla but Thekla barely bridges out of the cover. Satsuki goes up to the top turnbuckle but Thekla rolls out of the way of the diving senton, quick cradle by Thekla and she picks up the three count! Thekla and Tsukasa Fujimoto are the winners.

I can’t even get mad about Risa and Thekla teleporting around the world, it was so silly all you can really do is shake your head. Beyond that, this was a little disjointed without a real focus to it. I can’t pinpoint a moment where it was bad, but the opposite is also true as I can’t think of any particular moments that were great either. It just kinda hummed along for 13 minutes, watchable but unspectacular. Too meandering for my tastes but the action was generally fine anyway.

Hamuko Hoshi vs. Maya Yukihi
IW-19 Championship

They start slow as they lock knuckles, side headlock by Maya but Hoshi reverses it. Maya Irish whips out of the hold but Hoshi hits a hard shoulderblock, Maya drops down but Hoshi drops down next to her with a pose. They get back up and trade armdrags, both trip each other and Hoshi covers Maya for a two count before posing again. They both return to her feet and trade wristlocks, chinlock by Maya and she clubs Hoshi in the head. Maya knees Hoshi repeatedly in the ribs and then in the arm, she goes for a slam but Hoshi blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Running body press by Hoshi, but it only gets a two count. Hoshi puts Maya in a crab hold but Maya inches to the ropes to get the break. Knees by Maya and she hits a STO, she picks up Hoshi and throws her into the corner before hitting a jumping knee. Hoshi fires back with a hard shoulderblock, cutter by Hoshi and she covers Maya for two. Hoshi stands on Maya’s hands and stomps down on them, she sets up Maya in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back for a two count cover. Hoshi throws Maya into the corner and hits a body avalanche, butt bumps by Hoshi but Maya kicks Hoshi and spanks her.

Maya kicks Hoshi’s leg out from under her and kicks her some more while she is in a seated position, but Hoshi gets back up and hits a series of lariats. Hoshi lariats Maya over the top rope down to the floor, she goes out after her and throws Maya into the steel steps. Hoshi pushes Maya against the railing and rubs her belly in her face, but Maya hits her and throws her head-first into the steps. Maya jumps up on the apron and kicks Hoshi in the chest while she is still standing on the floor, she finally gets back into the ring and waits for Hoshi. Maya goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Maya but it gets two. Maya quickly applies a choke but Hoshi gets to the ropes for the break. Maya picks up Hoshi but Hoshi blocks the suplex attempt, Maya goes off the ropes but Hoshi knocks her over with a belly bump. Missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle by Hoshi and she puts Maya in a STF, but Maya gets to the ropes. Back up, elbow by Hoshi but Maya elbows her back and they trade blows. Leg lariat by Maya to Hoshi and she hits a jumping knee, but Hoshi ducks the enzuigiri and drops Maya with a German suplex. Lariat by Hoshi and both wrestlers are down on the mat, Maya recovers first and hits a series of elbows.

Hoshi comes back with belly bumps and hits the Shining Onaka, Hoshi goes up top but Maya recovers and joins her. Superplex by Maya, she goes off the ropes but Hoshi catches her with a Death Valley Bomb. Maya is up first but Hoshi blocks her kick, Hamu Roll by Hoshi but Maya fires back with a running knee. PK by Maya, but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Maya goes for the Tiger Driver but Hoshi blocks it and hits a lariat, another lariat by Hoshi and she covers Maya for two. Hoshi goes up top but Maya gets her feet up on the diving body press attempt, superkick by Maya and she hits a back kick. Another head kick by Maya, but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Maya goes for the Tiger Driver again and this time delivers it, but Hoshi kicks out again. Maya goes up top but Hoshi avoids the Swanton Bomb, but Maya quickly cradles Hoshi for two. Hoshi kicks Maya back and gets a quick cradle for her own two count, high kick by Maya but Hoshi cradles Maya for the three count! Hamuko Hoshi wins and is the new champion!

They were getting close to nineteen minutes at the end, which is why I think they both were going for flash pins. Anyway, this was a fun match. I’m biased as I adore Maya, I think she has both a great look and is a killer in the ring, the perfect combination. Hoshi can’t keep up with her but tried, they started slow but the last portion of the match was fast paced as both were going for the win. The match was hurt by the single cam set-up as it didn’t give the best angles on moves (such as Maya’s move on the steps, which desperately needed a camera cut), but they worked around that the best they could. Overall I enjoyed it as it was hard hitting and had very little downtime, but not a super high-end match.  Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1044 on 5/31/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Full Photobook Details

Title: Akane Fujita “Honey”
Release: September 14th, 2019
Pages: 60
Cost: ¥3,000
Where to Buy: Pro Wrestling JP Yahoo Shop

Akane Fujita has gained a bit of a following due to her willingness to do hardcore wrestling matches, but generally is still viewed as a midcarder in Ice Ribbon and has not won any major championships in her career. That makes her an unusual choice to have a solo photobook, however most of the bigger stars in the promotion have already gotten one so maybe it was just her turn to be featured.

The pictures in the photobook are about what you’d expect, but I would probably place “Honey” on the lower end if I was ranking Joshi photobooks from the last few years. There wasn’t a lot of variety (no pictures of Akane in her wrestling gear, for example), and even though the book is 60 pages a lot of the pictures felt similar to others. Akane wore different attires but the attires all followed a similar theme without a lot of different looks to mix it up. Just flipping through it, it felt very same-y which isn’t the feel you want from a photobook, some type of variance is ideal. For bigger fans of Akane Fujita, it is likely worth picking up, but for more casual fans of Akane or of Joshi in general this is probably a photobook that can be safely skipped. Here is a sample of photos from the photobook:

The post Akane Fujita Honey Photobook Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Since I am behind a few hundred events, I asked Twitter which event I should review next and this show won. So here we are! I am watching this event on NicoPro, a streaming service in Japan that streams wrestling events from a wide range of wrestling promotions (the show is no longer available on the service at the time of this review, since shows are only available for seven days). I have written a guide on how to sign up for NicoPro, highly recommended! Both the service and the guide. Ice Ribbon #1008 isn’t one of Ice Ribbon’s bigger events, however it does have two title matches so it is not your average house show either. Here is the full card:

• Asahi vs. Tequila Saya
• Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho vs. Nao Kakuta and Yappy
• Akane Fujita and Hiragi Kurumi vs. Miku Aono and Satsuki Totoro
• Ibuki Hoshi, Syuri, and Tae Honma vs. Risa Sera, Tsukasa Fujimoto, and Tsukushi
• Triangle Ribbon Championship: Matsuya Uno vs. Banny Oikawa vs. Cherry
• ICExInfinity Championship: Maya Yukihi vs. Suzu Suzuki

As this aired on NicoPro, the matches are unclipped. It also has that annoying commentary box in the corner, which I will tolerate. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Asahi vs. Tequila Saya

They circle other to start before trading wristlocks, Saya kicks Asahi and works a headlock, but Asahi reverses it. Snapmare by Saya and she slams Asahi’s head into the mat before hitting a kneedrop to the face for a two count. Saya puts Asahi in the ropes and presses her boot against her face, she lets go after a moment but Asahi quickly returns the favor and does the same to her. Saya throws Asahi into the corner and hits a running back elbow, another one by Saya but Asahi knocks her back with a dropkick. Saya throws Asahi into the corner but Asahi flips out onto the apron, she comes back in with a sunset flip before slamming Saya’s head repeatedly into the mat. Short armbar by Asahi but Saya gets into the ropes, Asahi goes for a Tiger Feint Kick but Saya moves out of the way and hits a crossbody. Scoop slam by Saya, she picks up Asahi but Asahi elbows her and the two trade shots. Asahi goes off the ropes but Saya catchers her with a knee, low crossbody by Saya and she drives Asahi’s face into the mat with her knees for a two count cover. Saya gets on the top turnbuckle but Asahi avoids her dive and connects with a series of dropkicks. Scoop slam by Asahi, and she covers Saya for two. Cross armbreaker by Asahi, but Saya quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Tiger Feint Kick by Asahi and she covers Saya for two. Asahi goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but that gets a two count as well. Asahi goes off the ropes but Saya avoids the dropkick, they trade flash pins but both get two counts. Both wrestlers get up, Saya quickly applies the Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Tequila Saya is the winner.

I am generally out of the loop with Ice Ribbon so I blame Ice Ribbon Twitter for me not knowing that Asahi is pretty damn solid for a 17 year old. She is in good condition so she had no issues keeping up with the slightly more veteran Saya, and she has a wide variety of moves that she does very smoothly. Since Saya is retiring they should have just had Asahi win, she doesn’t really have any big wins in the promotion and while this wouldn’t have counted as “big” it would have been something. Saya is who she is, perfectly capable but she wouldn’t blow anyone away with this match as she kept it basic. A good opener but I’d like to see Asahi in a more advanced match to see if she as good as she appeared to be here.

Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho vs. Nao Kakuta and Yappy

Maika and Yappy start off, Yappy gets Maika into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Yappy and Maika try to knock each other over with shoulderblocks until Maika wins the battle, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika clubs Yappy in the back a couple times, she goes for a shoulderblock but Yappy comes off the ropes with a shoulderblock of her own. This gives her time to tag in Nao, mounted elbows by Nao and she chokes Maika while the poor referee (Mio Shirai) tries to get her to stop. She finally does, she picks up Maika but Maika drops Nao with a scoop slam and tags in Kaicho. Kaicho ducks a lariat and flips off Nao, but Nao grabs her and they struggle for control. Kaicho stomps on Nao’s hands and hits a jumping crossbody, she throws Nao into the corner and hits a running elbow. Kaicho throws Nao into the other corner but Nao jumps on the second turnbuckle, she grabs Kaicho and applies a hanging necklock. Nao snaps Kaicho’s neck on the top rope, she gets back in the ring and hits a DDT for a two count. Nao tags Yappy, Yappy picks up Kaicho and applies a swinging front necklock slam. Cover by Yappy, but it only gets two. Back up, Yappy throws Kaicho into the corner and hits a lariat, Nao returns and boots Kaicho in the face.

Yappy picks up Kaicho and sets her up in the ropes but Kaicho avoids her charge and hits a Tiger Feint Kick. Irish whip by Kaicho and she hits a double chop to the chest, she crawls to Yappy and covers her for two. Kaicho tags in Maika, and both of them take turns stomping on on Yappy. Maika picks up Kaicho and slams her onto Yappy, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika puts Yappy in a crab hold but Yappy crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Maika picks up Yappy but Yappy elbows Maika off of her and delivers a backbreaker. Maika lands against the ropes, hip attacks by Yappy and she hits a seated senton for two. Yappy tags Nao, boot to the face by Nao and she boots her again for a two count. Yappy returns, side Russian leg sweep by Nao and Yappy hits a running leg drop. Nao goes off the ropes but Maika gets her on her shoulders, Nao slides off and applies a rolling cradle for two. Crossface by Nao, but Kaicho gets past Yappy and breaks it up. Nao tries to get Maika on her shoulders but can’t, Kaicho comes in and nails the Rainmaker on Nao. Diving senton by Maika, but Yappy barely breaks up the cover. Maika goes off the ropes and levels Nao with a lariat, but Nao barely kicks out. Maika drags up Nao and gets her on her shoulders, Argentine Buster by Maika and she picks up the three count! Maika Ozaki and Ram Kaicho win!

Another fun match. I love Kaicho so I am biased from the start, but all four here played their roles well and the time passed quickly. Not everyone in the match is a great wrestler and most (if not all) will never be main event wrestlers, but they stuck to what they knew how to do, kept the action fast enough, and kept the wrestlers fresh so no one was exposed. Another relatively simply laid out match but still a good one, so far this card is shaping up very well.

Akane Fujita and Hiragi Kurumi vs. Miku Aono and Satsuki Totoro

Kurumi and Satsuki start off, Miku immediately comes in to help but Kurumi shoulderblocks them both down. Akane comes in the ring as Kurumi gets Miku on her back, Akane jumps on her back as well as they go for a body press onto Satsuki but Satsuki moves out of the way. Satsuki puts Kurumi in a camel clutch but Akane breaks it up, footstomp by Kurumi to Satsuki and she tags in Akane. Akane puts Satsuki in the camel clutch, Kurumi returns to the ring and she dropkicks Satsuki in the face while she is still in the hold. Cover by Akane, but it gets two. Akane picks up Satsuki but Satsuki blocks the scoop slam, Kurumi holds Satsuki for Akane and she hits a running shoulderblock for two. Irish whip to the corner by Akane but Satsuki fires out of the corner with a shoulderblock and tags in Miku. Dropkicks by Miku to Akane, more kicks by Miku and she throws Akane into the corner. Miku charges at Akane but Kurumi intercepts her, Satsuki also is in the ring by now and Akane lariats her in the corner. Satsuki and Miku are stacked in the corner but Miku avoids their opponent’s charge, leading to Satsuki getting hit instead. Miku kicks Akane in the back repeatedly, cover by Miku but it gets two. Double underhook by Miku, she can’t pick up Akane up however and Akane chops her to the mat. Akane tags Kurumi, dropkick by Kurumi to Miku and she covers her for two.

Satsuki gets in the ring to help Miku hit a vertical suplex, cover by Miku but it gets a two count. Miku goes off the ropes but Kurumi hits a body avalanche, Miku comes back with a dropkick however and makes the tag to Satsuki. Satsuki goes off the ropes and hits a running senton on Kurumi, body press by Satsuki and she gets a two count. Satsuki goes for a seated senton but Kurumi moves, Kurumi hits a seated senton of her own and holds down Satsuki for two. Kurumi picks up Satsuki and kicks her in the head, jumping crossbody by Satsuki but it only gets two. Miku comes in and hits a fisherman suplex on Kurumi, Satsuki picks up Kurumi and hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Satsuki goes up to the top turnbuckle while Miku stands in the corner, Miku tries to assist Satsuki in hitting a senton but Kurumi moves. Kurumi and Satsuki trade elbows, Satsuki goes off the ropes but Akane runs in and drops her with a shoulderblock. Cannonball by Kurumi to Satsuki, but Satsuki barely kicks out of the cover. Akane gets Satsuki on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, footstomp by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton for two. Kurumi goes off the ropes and levels Satsuki with a lariat, but again Satsuki gets a shoulder up. Kurumi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Akane Fujita and Hiragi Kurumi are the winners.

Not unwatchable but a step down from the last two matches. With the wrestlers in this match one could only expect so much, Satsuki and Akane are pretty average wrestlers (although Akane can be fun in hardcore matches) and with this being Miku’s first Ice Ribbon match there was going to be some feeling things out. For a shorter match it took too long to get going, and then they went straight to Joshi Chaos which is fine but it was more fast-paced than really entertaining. Nothing really wrong with it but the definition of a match that is “just there.”

Ibuki Hoshi, Syuri, and Tae Honma vs. Risa Sera, Fujimoto, and Tsukushi

Team Tsukasa attacks before the bell rings, they stack their opponents in the corner and Tsukasa’s teammates kneel in front of them so she can catapult off their backs with a dropkick. Things calm down with Tsukasa and Ibuki staying in as the legal wrestlers, with Tsukasa putting Ibuki in a submission hold. Risa is tagged in and she takes over on Ibuki, putting her in the Rocking Horse while Tsukasa plays defense. Double kneedrop by Risa, and she covers Ibuki for two. Tsukushi is tagged next as Ibuki continues getting beat down, while Syuri finally gets free and breaks it up. Tsukasa returns, she puts Ibuki in the ropes and with Tsukushi they both dropkick her in the back. Irish whip by Tsukasa but Ibuki hits a quick crossbody, Tsukasa bridges out of the pin and kicks Ibuki to the mat. Tsukasa goes off the ropes and she elbows Ibuki in the chest, cover by Tsukasa but it gets two. Scoop slam attempt by Tsukasa but Ibuki reverses it into a slam of her own, giving her time to tag in Tae. Diving crossbody by Tae, Tsukushi and Risa come in but Tae dropkicks both of them. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Tae to Tsukasa, Tae goes for a strike but Tsukasa blocks it and applies in Octopus Hold. Tae slowly walks to the ropes and forces the break, snapmare by Tsukasa and she kicks Tae in the back. More kicks by Tsukasa, she goes for a PK but Tae blocks it and elbows Tsukasa in the knee. Tae goes off the ropes but so does Tsukasa and she cradles Tae to the mat before kicking her in the chest.

Tsukasa tags in Risa, Risa elbows Tae in the chest and the two trade blows. Tae applies a short armbar but Risa quickly rolls out of it, Irish whip by Tae to the corner and she hits a running elbow followed by a dropkick. Tae gets the short armbar re-applied, but Risa gets to the ropes for the break. Tae goes up top but she is grabbed from the apron by Tsukasa, Risa gets Tae on her shoulders while Tsukasa goes up to the top turnbuckle while Syuri runs in the ring. Tsukasa jumps off the top turnbuckle and catapults off Tae’s back to hit a diving crossbody on Syuri, Tae wiggles off Risa’s back however and puts her in a submission hold. Risa gets to the ropes for the break, Tae tags in Syuri as Tsukasa also comes in, but Syuri fights them both off. Knee by Syuri to Risa in the corner, cover by Syuri but it gets two. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Tsukushi quickly breaks it up, Syuri stomps on Risa’s back but Risa elbows her. The two trade elbows and knees, dropkick by Risa and she drops Syuri with the Schwein for a two count. Risa quickly gets a reverse double kneedrop off the ropes, but that gets a two as well. Risa tags in Tsukushi, dropkick by Tsukushi and Tsukasa comes in to slam Tsukushi onto Syuri. Tsukushi picks up Syuri, elbows by Tsukushi and she catches Syuri with a knee. Murder Dropkick by Tsukushi while Syuri is against the ropes, Tsukushi goes off the ropes again but she is kicked from ringside.

Double underhook suplex by Syuri, Tae dropkicks Tsukushi and Syuri connects with a kick to the chest for two. Syuri tags in Ibuki, Ibuki and Tsukushi trade elbows until Tsukushi knocks down Ibuki for a two count. Tsukushi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Ibuki avoids the diving footstomp, Tae runs in and drops Tsukushi with a DDT. Running knee by Syuri, Ibuki slams Tsukushi to the mat but her cover is broken up by both Tsukasa and Risa. Ibuki goes up top but Tsukushi avoids the diving body press, Tsukasa nails Ibuki with a missile dropkick and Risa hits a double knee strike in the corner. Tsukushi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she covers Ibuki but Syuri breaks it up. Tsukasa and Tsukushi both dropkick Syuri and then Tae out of the ring, Tsukushi knees Ibuki repeatedly in the head before stomping her. Tsukushi goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving footstomp, cover by Tsukushi but Ibuki barely bridges out of the cover. Tsukushi picks up Ibuki but Tae gets out of the double underhook, cradle by Tsukushi but Ibuki reverses it and the two trade flash pins. Jumping footstomp by Tsukushi and she goes for the Harukaze, but Ibuki rolls through it and holds down Tsukushi for the three count! Ibuki Hoshi, Syuri, and Tae Honma are the winners.

They took the easy way out by having Ibuki be the focus of the match, but this was still pretty damn good. Tsukasa is probably the best Joshi wrestler that Western fans don’t talk about much, she is fantastic at everything she does and all her segments were quality. Tsukushi has so much anger and fierceness, you’d have thought her opponents owed her money the way she fights, and she was fun to watch as well. Everyone else kind of blended in together, Syuri and Risa Sera both looked fine but mostly just came in for a few spots, same with Tae Honma. A match designed to have a rookie/child beatdown doesn’t need six wrestlers, but it did keep the action fast paced and everything was crisp. Even though I would have changed the format a bit, Tsukasa and Tsukushi alone made this match worth watching.  Recommended

(c) Matsuya Uno vs. Banny Oikawa vs. Cherry
Triangle Ribbon Championship

All three lock knuckles to start, they do a wristlock chain until the Ice Ribbon wrestlers stop to double team Cherry. It doesn’t work as Cherry fights them both off, Cherry and Matsuya have a chat until Cherry chokes Matsuya into the corner. Banny dropkicks Cherry and then Matsuya, another dropkick by Banny but Cherry covers her for two. Banny and Cherry argue, Matsuya breaks that up and they run through a sequence ending with Matsuya dropkicking both of her opponents. Matsuya puts both opponents in the ropes and takes turns chopping them, she picks up Banny and slams her head-first into the mat. She then puts Cherry on top of her and applies a submission to both, she lets go after a moment and stacks both in the corner. Matsuya charges in but Cherry moves, she still hits Banny but Cherry grabs her from behind and hits a monkey flip followed by mounted elbow strikes. Cherry goes for a scoop slam but Matsuya blocks it and hits one of her own, Cherry quickly goes for a Triangle Choke but Banny breaks it up. Banny dropkicks Cherry and Matsuya in different corners, she stacks them in one corner and hits a final dropkick.

Banny picks up Matsuya and kicks her in the chest a few times, jumping back kick by Banny but Cherry grabs her from the apron. Matsuya tries to dropkick Banny but Banny moves, cradle attempts by Banny but Matsuya kicks out of each. Banny goes up top as Cherry gets back in the ring, she eventually just falls off while Cherry beats down Matsuya. Cherry drop toeholds Banny onto Matsuya, Cherry covers her but it gets a two count. Cherry cradles Matsuya and hits mounted punches, but Banny picks her up from behind and they trade waistlocks. A double schoolboy attempt by Matsuya gets a two count, dropkick by Matsuya to Banny but Banny blocks the F Crash so Matsuya rolls her up instead for another two. Banny puts Matsuya in a crossface, she lets go and attempts a few flash pins, but Cherry breaks it up. Cherry tries to pin both Banny and Matsuya but can’t get the three count, she slams Banny in front of the corner and then slams Matsuya next to her. Cherry goes up top but both avoids the Swanton Bomb, Cherry is sent out of the ring and Banny schoolboys Matsuya for two. Matsuya quickly puts Banny in a cradle of her own, and she gets the three count! Matsuya Uno wins and retains the championship.

Since this title has been around forever there is clearly an audience for this style of match, but I am not the audience. I’m not a huge fan of triple threats and I’m not a huge fan of the vast majority of comedy matches, so if you combine those two together its not really my cup of tea. No one really got a chance to show off as the match was relatively short, although there weren’t any noticeable issues which is a plus. The match was exactly what I expected, if you enjoy these types of matches you’ll like it as there was nothing wrong with the action but skippable for me.

(c) Maya Yukihi vs. Suzu Suzuki
ICExInfinity Championship

Suzu dropkicks Maya right out of the gate but Maya dropkicks her back, running knee by Maya in the corner and she knees Suzu in the back. Backbreaker by Maya and she hits a few more knees before covering Suzu for two. Maya stretches Suzu for a moment, back up Suzu goes for a slam but Maya blocks it. Chops to the chest by Maya, Suzu goes for a dropkick but Maya sidesteps her. Maya picks up Suzu but Suzu reverses the scoop slam into one of her own, Suzu goes off the ropes and she hits a series of dropkicks. Irish whip by Suzu and she hits another dropkick, she charges Maya in the corner and hits a shoulder tackle. Suzu goes for a swandive move but Maya hits her before she can jump off, she grabs Suzu while she is still on the apron and brings her into the ring with a backbreaker. Maya knees Suzu while she is against the ropes and charges her, but Suzu moves out of the way and dropkicks Maya from the apron. Cover by Suzu, but it gets two. Suzu goes up top but Maya hits her before she can jump off, she tosses Suzu back in the ring but Suzu rolls to her feet and goes for a spear. Maya blocks it but Suzu slides behind her back and the two trade elbows. Suzu bridges to avoid an elbow and hits a spear, cover by Suzu but it gets a two count.

Suzu picks up Maya and goes for a suplex, but Maya blocks it and applies a Cobra Twist. Maya slams Suzu to the mat to end the hold before putting her in a Scorpion Deathlock, but Suzu crawls to the ropes for the break. Maya charges Suzu while she is against the ropes and nails a running knee, Maya goes up top but Suzu avoids the missile dropkick and hits a modified reverse STO. Suzu goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, cover by Suzu but it gets two. She goes out to the apron and delivers a swandive dropkick, cover by Suzu but it gets another two count. Suzu goes for the German Suplex but Maya grabs the ropes to block it, elbows by Suzu but Maya kicks Suzu in the chest. Suzu recovers and goes for a few flash pins, but Maya kicks out of each. Kicks to the chest by Maya and she hits a vertical suplex, Scorpion Deathlock by Maya, but Suzu makes it to the ropes. Maya picks up Suzu but Suzu slides away and she plants Maya with a release German Suplex. Suzu picks up Maya and nails the German Suplex Hold, but Maya gets a shoulder up. Strike combination by Maya, Suzu tries a cradle but Maya rolls through it and kicks Suzu in the head. Crystal of Snow by Maya, but Suzu gets a shoulder up on the cover. Maya picks up Suzu and delivers the Tiger Driver, and she picks up the three count! Maya Yukihi wins and retains the championship.

For a match with an obvious conclusion, still a pretty solid defense for Maya. As expected, Maya spent the bulk of the match on offense and focused on Suzu’s back, which was done well as she has a good variety of offense to stay on task. Suzu’s hope spots were few but solid, and when she finally hit the German Suplex Hold it was almost a believable nearfall. Sadly that was the climax for Suzu as she went down soon after, with Maya finishing her off without too much of an issue at that point. Both wrestlers are fun to watch and Maya looked good as she always does, it didn’t really feel like a championship match but it was enjoyable nonetheless and was probably a fitting main event for a smaller show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1008 on 11/23/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #962 ~ Osaka Ribbon 2019 II”
Date: May 25th, 2019
Location: Hirano Kumin Hall in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 286

I am finally reviewing my first Ice Ribbon event of 2019! I don’t intentionally neglect Ice Ribbon on the site. One of the reasons I watch less of them is that the main way they make “TV” is via Nico Pro, and they air their events with a little commentary box on the screen and it annoys me to no end. And its hard for me to watch a 2+ hour event that annoys me. At some point I’ll make a big Ice Ribbon DVD order and catch up. Anyway, I am putting up with the commentary box for this event because the matches are fire and I didn’t want to miss it. Here is the full card:

• Kyuri and Miyuki Takase vs. Makoto and Tsukushi
• Banny Oikawa vs. Matsuya Uno vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Akane Fujita, Hiragi Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hamuko Hoshi, Ibuki Hoshi, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Rina Yamashita vs. Satsuki Totoro
• Maika Ozaki and Tequila Saya vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki
• ICExInfinity Championship: Maya Yukihi vs. Giulia

I love 65% of these wrestlers so this has to be good. As this aired on Nico, all matches should be shown in full. Every wrestler above has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it.

Kyuri and Miyuki Takase vs. Makoto and Tsukushi

Kyuri and Miyuki attack before the bell rings, Makoto is isolated and attacked by both in the corner. They pose on Makoto until Tsukushi run in to even the odds, Makoto and Tsukushi take control and take turns doing front rolls over Kyuri’s body. Makoto stays in with Kyuri, Makoto chops Kyuri in the corner and hits a boot to the chest. Kyuri swats Makoto away and hits a Backstabber, but Makoto avoids her cartwheel kneedrop. Kyuri then avoids Makoto’s as well, she goes for a suplex but Makoto blocks it and applies an armbreaker. She switches it to an armbar but Kyuri wiggles to the ropes and forces the break. Makoto goes off the ropes but Kyuri hits a judo toss, Kyuri applies a submission before letting go and tags Miyuki. Miyuki picks up Makoto and dropkicks her in the corner, missile dropkick by Miyuki off the second turnbuckle and she hits a lariat. She gets Makoto on her shoulders but Makoto slides off, elbows and chops by Miyuki but Makoto catches her with a butterfly suplex.

Cartwheel into a double kneedrop by Makoto and she makes the tag to Tsukushi. Tsukushi dropkicks Miyuki in the corner and hits a second one,  cover by Tsukushi but it gets a two count. Tsukushi stomps on Miyuki’s foot but Miyuki catches her with a powerslam and tags Kyuri. Kyuri boots Tsukushi in the head and the two trade elbows, Makoto runs in and elbows Kyuri, with Tsukushi following with a dropkick. Tsukushi goes up top but Kyuri grabs her before she can jump off and drives Tsukushi chest-first into her knees. Miyuki connects on Tsukushi with a diving elbow, fisherman suplex hold by Kyuri but the cover is broken up. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi slides away, Makoto boots Kyuri and Tsukushi hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Tsukushi picks up Kyuri, she goes for the Denden Mushi but Kyuri rolls through it and cradles Tsukushi for two. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, Kyuri goes off the ropes but Tsukushi catches her with a lariat. Tsukushi goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! Makoto and Tsukushi are the winners!

A fun way to kick off the show. They didn’t get a lot of time so they did what wrestlers should do when there are time constraints – they got to the point. No feeling out process, just straight to the action. The teams worked well together but didn’t go overboard, which makes sense as neither are regular tag teams so they just did the best they could. Kyuri and Tsukushi have a very high ceiling and they got to show a few flashes of their skills here, a good way to open the event.  Mildly Recommended

Banny Oikawa vs. Matsuya Uno vs. Miyako Matsumoto

Triple lockup to start but they break cleanly, they create a headlock chain until they start trading armdrags and leg sweeps. After reaching a stalemate, Miyako is double teamed and eats a double dropkick. Matsuya holds Miyako while Banny goes off the ropes, but Banny dropkicks Miyako in the back. Banny throws Miyako into the corner but Miyako recovers and all three run at each other a few times in the corners. Banny goes for a cartwheel move but does it poorly, she goes for a crossbody on Matsuya but Matsuya catches her. Matsuya and Banny trade flash pins until Miyako comes in and puts them both in a submission hold at the same time. She lets go after a moment to focus on Banny, putting her in a Mexican Surfboard. Matsuya sneaks in to cover Miyako so she has to let go of it, she turns her attention to Matsuya but Banny recovers and Banny gets double teamed again. The union doesn’t last long as Banny dropkicks both her opponents, she covers them but she only gets two. Banny goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Miyako, but Matsuya breaks up the cover as she continually schoolboys Banny for two counts. Matsuya picks up Banny but still can’t keep her down, she goes for the F Crash but Banny blocks it and Miyako cradles her for two. Heel drop by Miyako, she puts Banny and Matsuya next to each other and goes up top, but Matsuya recovers first and scoop slams Banny for a two count. Miyako dives off the top but ends up hitting a footstomp on Banny, Matsuya slams Miyako onto Banny and then puts Miyako in a triangle choke while also having Banny in an armbreaker. Miyako gets into the ropes to force the break, Matsuya spears Miyako but Miyako jackknifes over both for two. Banny dropkicks Miyako out of the ring but Matsuya cradles her and gets the three count! Matsuya Uno is the winner.

This was pretty rough. It was doomed from the get go, as Miyako isn’t anywhere near good enough to keep this match together and triple threat matches are hard to pull off anyway. Banny didn’t do well, but its her first month of being in matches so I’ll cut her some slack. It had a couple cute spots but not enough to really justify the match happening at all, definitely skippable.

Akane Fujita, Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hamuko Hoshi, Ibuki Hoshi, and Fujimoto

Tsukasa and friends attack before the bell rings and attack their opponents in different corners before posing, triple bulldog and they isolate Mochi. Hamuko puts Mochi in a crab hold but Kurumi breaks it up, Hamuko picks up Mochi and tags in her daughter. Ibuki tries to slam Mochi but Mochi blocks it and hits a slam of her own. Mochi tags in Akane, Akane slams Ibuki and hits an elbow drop. Kurumi is tagged in as they work over the young Ibuki, Ibuki is put in the ropes and triple teamed by the Frank Sisters. Mochi returns and hits Ibuki with Mongolian Chops, but Ibuki hits a crossbody and makes the tag to Tsukasa. Tsukasa dropkicks everyone before focusing on Mochi, kicks to the back by Tsukasa but Mochi catches the PK account and hits a dragon screw. Bodyblock by Mochi, and she covers Tsukasa for two. Mochi knees Tsukasa but Tsukasa hits a dropkick, but Kurumi runs in and hits  hard shoulderblock. Triple body avalanche in the corner, face crusher by Mochi to Tsukasa and she covers her for two.

Mochi tags Kurumi, Kurumi goes off the ropes and dropkicks Tsukasa in the head. Seated sentons by Mochi and Kurumi, and Kurumi covers Tsukasa for two. Tsukasa recovers and applies an Octopus Hold, The Hoshis come in and apply submission holds as well. Kurumi gets out of the hold, step-up sunset flip by Tsukasa and she tags in Hamuko. Kurumi knocks over Hamuko with a hard lariat but Hamuko fires back with a lariat of her own. Hamuko is knocked down against the ropes and Kurumi hits a somersault senton before tagging in Akane. Shoulderblock by Akane, she picks up Hamuko but Hamuko blocks the slam. Hamuko hits a slam of her own, Tsukasa and Ibuki both come in and Ibuki is used as a weapon. Ibuki and Tsukasa pick up Hamuko but they can’t throw her onto Akane, but Tsukasa catapults off Hamuko’s back with a dropkick to Akane. Shining Onaka by Hamuko and she tags in Ibuki. Crossbody by Ibuki to Akane, Akane recovers and they trade elbows, Ibuki knocks down Akane with a rolling elbow before Tsukasa and Hamuko both come in to lend an extra hand.

Triple bodyblock to Akane, Ibuki scoop slams Akane and goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Mochi grabs her from the apron. Akane grabs Ibuki and hits a shoulder powerbomb, but Ibuki kicks out. Texas Cloverleaf by Akane but it gets broken up, Tsukasa and Hamuko go off the ropes but are intercepted by Mochi and Kurumi. Scoop slam by Akane to Ibuki, Akane and Mochi both get on Kurumi’s back and together they all hit a splash. Cover by Akane, but it gets broken up. Akane goes off the ropes but Ibuki slides between her legs and cradles Akane for two. Ibuki charges Akane but Akane gets her up, Ibuki slides off and both Tsukasa and Hamuko run in as all three roll over Akane. Cover by Ibuki, but Kurumi breaks it up. Mochi and Tsukasa take care of them, rotating Samoan Drop by Ibuki but Akane barely kicks out of the cover. Ibuki goes off the ropes but Akane catches her and delivers a modified Samoan Drop. Cover by Akane, but Ibuki barely kicks out. Akane picks up Ibuki and nails the Mikan de Pon, and she picks up the three count! Akane Fujita, Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi are the winners!

A pretty entertaining midcard match. It wasn’t perfect as there were some rough spots and transitions, but generally speaking the teams worked together really well. I haven’t seen much of Ibuki but she seems to have a good foundation, and Akane Fujita is solid. I’m not sure if Kurumi’s push is stalled or she just doesn’t have a storyline right now but I’d like to see her in bigger matches, she provides something a bit different than a lot of the other Ice Ribbon wrestlers. Fast paced and chaotic, with all the wrestlers getting a chance to shine. About all you can ask for from this spot on the show.  Mildly Recommended

Rina Yamashita vs. Satsuki Totoro

Rina and Satsuki immediately charge each other after the bell rings, colliding with both wrestlers staying up. They take turns trying to knock each other over until Rina sends Satsuki crashing to the mat. Rina kicks Satsuki out of the ring and cracks her with a water bottle, Rina gets a chair and sits Satsuki onto at ringside. Rina runs all the way around the ring but Satsuki has recovered and hits Rina with the chair, scoop slam by Satsuki on the floor and she slides Rina back. Scoop slam attempt by Satsuki but Rina blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Rina throws Satsuki in the corner and hits a lariat, another lariat by Rina and she covers Satsuki for two. Scorpion Deathlock by Rina, she lets go after a moment and knees Satsuki in the back. Rina picks up Satsuki and tosses her down, kick to the ribs by Rina but Satsuki gets back up and they trade strikes.

Satsuki pushes Rina into the corner and they go back and forth with elbows, Rina throws Satsuki into the corner but Satsuki fires out of it with a hard shoulderblock. Body press by Satsuki and she puts Rina in a crab hold, but Rina gets to the ropes for the break. Satsuki picks up Rina but Rina puts her in a sleeper, Satsuki wiggles to the ropes and makes it to force a break. Rina goes off the ropes but Satsuki hits a hard shoulderblock, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Satsuki but Rina kicks out of the cover. Satsuki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, she gets back on the second turnbuckle and delivers a second one, but Rina kicks out of the pin. Satsuki goes all the way up this time but Rina recovers and joins her, hitting a superplex. Rina and Satsuki slowly get up, trading strikes as they do so, until Satsuki hits a crossbody for two. Satsuki goes off the ropes but Rina catches her with a lariat, she goes for a cover but Satsuki cuts it back for her own two count. Back up, kicks by Rina and she delivers a sliding lariat for two. Rina picks up Satsuki and hits a final lariat, picking up the three count! Rina Yamashita wins!

This wasn’t perfect, but it was good. There were a few minutes in the middle that they seemed to not be on the same page, or someone got the breath knocked out of them, but generally this was a fun hoss battle. Both have the size and believably to have this style of match, and when they were on their feet slugging it out, everything worked. I still am not sure if Satsuki is really ready yet as at times she looked lost, but a good effort by Rina Yamashita to put her over some and pull her through the match successfully. Mildly Recommended

Maika Ozaki and Tequila Saya vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

Risa and Suzu attack before the match, they stack their opponents in the corner but Maika surprises them with a lariat. Risa and Suzu are stacked on top of each other and are posed on, but things eventually get to normal as Saya stays in with Suzu. Saya stretches Suzu before tagging Maika, stomps by Maika and she puts Suzu in a Camel Clutch. Saya puts Suzu in a crab hold at the same time while Risa just watches, they eventually let go and Maika stomps on Suzu before tagging Saya back in. She attacks Suzu in the corner with Maika, Risa keeps wanting to help but Maika knocks her off the apron. Saya comes in but Suzu dropkicks her and tags in Risa, Maika enters but Risa lariats both of them. Risa gets Maika on her shoulders and then grabs Saya’s legs, giving her the ‘ol Giant Swing. That spot made no sense but it kinda looked cool so I’ll let it slide. She gives Saya another Giant Swing, Risa picks up Saya but Saya hits a back elbow. Schwein by Risa and she tags Suzu, dropkicks by Suzu and she covers Saya for two.

Risa runs in and they take turns hitting running double knees on Saya, cover by Suzu but it gets a two count. Suzu throws Saya in the corner but Saya hits a running crossbody, Maika comes in and she slams Saya onto Suzu before hitting a senton. She leaves, Saya charges Suzu while she is against the ropes but Suzu avoids her charge and dropkicks her in the back. Cutter by Saya and she sits down on Suzu’s head before tagging Maika. Elbow drops by Maika, she picks up Suzu and puts her in a bear hug. Backbreaker by Maika and she applies a stretch hold, she picks up Suzu but Suzu elbows her. They trade elbows until Suzu hits a jumping crossbody for two. Suzu throws Maika in the corner, Risa comes and they both hit running strikes. Scoop slam by Suzu, she picks up Maika but Maika blocks the suplex attempt. Maika lariats Suzu in the back of the head and hits a Karelin Lift, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika goes off the ropes but Suzu hits a spear, Risa runs in to keep Saya away and Suzu goes for a few flash pins with no luck. Suzu clubs on Maika, she goes up top but Saya hits her from the apron. This gives Maika time to recover, she gets Suzu on her shoulders and tosses her to the mat while Saya hits a cutter. Saya gets on Maika’s back and they hit a senton, cover by Maika but it gets a two count.

Lariat by Maika but Risa breaks it up with a diving double knee. Suzu tags Risa, Risa picks up Maika but Maika slides away and cradles her for two. Boot to the head by Risa, she tries to toss Maika into the corner but Maika reverses it and both she and Saya hit running strikes. Maika throws Saya on top of Risa, she tries to get her up her shoulders but Risa elbows out of it and puts Maika in the Combine. Maika tries to get to the ropes but Risa picks her up and powerbombs her into the corner, running double knee by Risa and she hits a reverse double kneedrop for a two count. Suzu goes up top, she gets on Risa’s back and Risa hits a double kneedrop. Cover by Risa, but Saya breaks it up. Risa kicks at Maika, she goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a spinebuster. Maika gets Risa on her shoulders but Suzu runs in and breaks things up, Saya takes care of Suzu before powerbombing Risa. Suzu knocks Saya out of the ring but Maika shoulderblocks Suzu, she goes off the ropes but Risa catches her with a dropkick. Ayers Rock by Risa but Maika gets fired up and hits a lariat for two. Maika goes off the ropes but Risa gets Maika on her shoulders and delivers the Schwein for the three count! Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki are the winners.

Something felt a bit off with the ending but the journey to get there was enjoyable. Suzu may not be too experienced but you wouldn’t know it from watching this match, some wrestlers just “get it” quicker than others and she is clearly one of those that gets it as she fit right in. Maika on the other hand was a bit off a few times but nothing that really impacted the match, and Risa was her usual incredible self. The match didn’t really have a structure to it of note but they kept the action going and for a match with no deeper purpose it worked fine. The end felt really sudden as Maika blew off Ayers Rock, successfully hit a move/got a near fall and then promptly got pinned, after a long-ish match I was expecting a hotter and more complex end stretch. Still, lots of great action here and a solid match, looking forward to watching Suzu’s career grow as I am sure she’ll just get better and better.  Recommended

(c) Maya Yukihi vs. Giulia
ICExInfinity Championship

They circle each other and lock-up, Maya pushes Giulia into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Giulia gets Maya into the ropes next but she elbows Maya instead of breaking, Giulia gets Maya in the corner and hits more elbows. Running boot by Giulia in the corner but Maya delivers a high kick, snapmares by Maya and she applies a chinlock. Giulia gets into the ropes, Maya lets go but quickly puts Giulia in an armbar. Giulia gets out of it and applies a headscissors, Maya reverses it but Giulia bites her hand. Snapmare by Maya and she kicks Giulia in the back and chest before kicking Giulia out of the ring. Maya goes out after her but Giulia chops her and the two trade blows. Maya gets the better of it but Giulia spits water in her face, Maya goes for a high kick but Giulia ducks and Maya kicks the ring post. Giulia works over Maya’s leg on the floor before rolling her in, she pulls Maya’s leg to the ring post and rams it into the post. Giulia gets back into the ring and keeps on Maya’s leg, she boots Maya in the back of the head and covers her for two.

Irish whip by Giulia but Maya reverses it, Giulia boots Maya back and hits a diving crossbody. Giulia and Maya stay on the mat and jockey for position, Maya applies a seated armbar but Giulia gets out of it and goes back to Maya’s leg. Maya slides away and applies an armbar, but Giulia gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Maya picks up Giulia, slaps by Maya and she knees Giulia against the ropes. Maya charges Giulia but Giulia avoids her running knee, she goes for a boot but Maya ducks it and kicks Giulia in the head. Maya goes for another kick but Giulia catches her leg and applies a leglock. Maya wiggles to the ropes to force the break, big boot by Giulia and she hits two more. Cover by Giulia, but Maya kicks out. Back up they struggle for position, reverse DDT by Giulia but she only gets a two. Maya comes right back with a STO, she goes off the ropes and boots Giulia hard in the head. Elbows by Maya, Giulia elbows her back but Maya catches her with a kick and a knee. Maya knees Giulia again, she puts her against the ropes and destroys her face with a running knee. Maya goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Maya but it gets two.

Maya goes off the rope but Giulia boots her, Maya boots her back but Giulia delivers a pump kick. Giulia goes up top but Maya recovers and tosses her off, Maya then goes up but Giulia joins her and powerslams her to the mat. Hammerlock by Giulia but Maya armdrags her and hits a high kick. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, they exchange elbows until Giulia hits three big boots. Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Giulia but it gets a two count. Giulia picks up Maya and delivers the Glorious Buster, but Maya kicks out of the pin. STF by Giulia but Maya makes it to the ropes, bootscrapes by Giulia but Maya breaks away from her and kicks her repeatedly. Buzzsaw Kick by Maya, she picks up Giulia but Giulia drops her with the Glorious Driver! Cover by Giulia, but Maya barely kicks out. Giulia picks up Maya and goes for the Spider Nest, but Maya slams her way out of it. Crystal of Snow by Maya, she picks up Giulia and drills her with a sit-out Tiger Driver ’91 for the three count pinfall! Maya Yukihi wins and retains the championship!

This far exceeded my expectations, both really elevated beyond their usual level to put on something memorable. Giulia’s leg work was well done and she went back to it enough that it didn’t feel like just wasted time, she was more than satisfied to win with a kneelock or STF as she wore Maya down. Maya’s strikes were just killer and it is possible she really did knock Giulia loopy as by the last minute or so the wheels came off a little as things were a bit sloppy. I’m willing to overlook that after such a grueling 25 minute match, Giulia clearly gave all she had and then some. The Tiger Driver was sick but a fitting exclamation point, after all that they had done to each other they needed something special to get the three count. A great display by both, it may not end up on a MOTY list but for their experience/skill levels I thought this was a great match and effort by both. Worth watching for sure, as long as you can tolerate an occasional commentary box in the corner.  Highly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon #962 ~ Osaka Ribbon 2019 II on 5/25/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: ZERO1 18th Annual Midsummer Fire Festival 2018
Dates: July 22nd, 2018
Location: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2 in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 396

As everyone knows by now, I love me a quality gimmick match, but even though ZERO1 and/or Onita have been having a lot of “Blast” matches over the last couple years, they very rarely make TV. So you can imagine my excitement when not only one was televised, but it was for the Blast Queen Championship! That is the only match from this event I will be reviewing since I have no interest in ZERO1 under normal circumstances, here is the match we’ll be watching:

• Blast Queen Championship: Yoshiko and Risa Sera vs. Akane Fujita and Nanae Takahashi

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

(c) Yoshiko and Risa Sera vs. Akane Fujita and Nanae Takahashi 
Blast Queen Championship

Risa and Yoshiko argue before the match starts, allowing Akane and Nanae to attack them from behind. They throw their opponents into opposite corners and take turns hitting lariats, they target Yoshiko but Yoshiko gets away and sends Akane out of the ring. Yoshiko gets Nanae into the corner and hits facewashes, but Nanae catches the running kick attempt. Yoshiko goes off the ropes but Nanae backdrops her out of the ring to the floor, she then gets a running start in the ring and dives down onto both Yoshiko and Risa. They all battle around the floor using chairs and the stands, Risa gets a barbed wire kendo stick and hits Akane repeatedly with it. Meanwhile, Yoshiko is handling Nanae as she throws her into the crowd and tosses chairs at her, Akane manages to get back into the ring as blood creeps down her face. Risa returns as well but with a steel chair, and she hits Akane in the head with it. Cover by Risa, but it gets a two count. Risa clubs on Akane, she puts a chair on Akane’s back and hits a running kneedrop. Yoshiko is tagged in, scoop slam by Yoshiko and she hits a seated senton for two. Yoshiko puts Akane in a chinlock and knees her in the back, she throws Akane into the corner and Risa comes in as the legal wrestler. Risa picks up Akane and throws her into the corner, but Akane fires back with a shoulderblock and tags in Nanae.

Nanae shoulderblocks Risa and hits a lariat, she pulls Yoshiko into the ring and tries to suplex both of them, which she eventually is able to do so. Nanae kicks Risa in the head repeatedly, she goes off the ropes but Risa catches her with a dropkick. Elbow by Risa in the corner and she hits a running double knee, Reverse Double Knee by Risa and she covers Nanae for two. Risa gets her barbed wire kendo stick and hits Nanae with it, she then gets the barbed wire bat and hits the button to electrify it. Nanae ducks her shot however and she drops the bat, she goes off the ropes but Nanae hits her with the kendo stick. Yoshiko runs in, Nanae elbows her and hits a lariat, but Yoshiko lariats her back. They take turns back and forth until Nanae finally knocks down Yoshiko, but Yoshiko returns with a hard lariat of her own and hits a running senton. She gets a few chairs and puts them down in the ring, Yoshiko picks up Nanae but Nanae blocks the slam attempt. Yoshiko eventually slams Nanae onto the chairs and hits a senton, cover by Yoshiko but it gets a two count. Yoshiko gets the barbed wire bat again and electrifies it, but Akane runs over and turns the bat back off by hitting the button before Yoshiko can use it. Backdrop suplex by Nanae to Yoshiko, but Yoshiko kicks out of the cover. Double Irish whip to Yoshiko but Yoshiko lariats both of them, Yoshiko picks up Nanae but Nanae hits a back-to-belly piledriver. Nanae goes up top and nails the Refrigerator Bomb, but Risa throws the kendo stick at Nanae to break it up. Risa hits her with the kendo stick again, she gets the barbed wire bat and hits the button to give it the blast powers.

Nanae blocks bat shot attempt and grabs it, but Yoshiko runs in and takes the bat from both of them and hits both Nanae and Risa with the electrified bat, causing an explosion! Risa rolls out of the ring in pain, Akane comes in and she hits Yoshiko with a steel chair before hitting a hard shoulderblock. Akane puts the bat on the chair and picks up Yoshiko, but Yoshiko suplexes Akane onto the chair and barbed wire bat. Back up, Akane and Yoshiko trade elbows until Akane hits a headbutt, Samoan Drop by Akane and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Akane goes up top but Yoshiko recovers and smacks her, Yoshiko joins her and she hits an avalanche Samoan Drop. Yoshiko gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, but Akane barely gets a shoulder up. Yoshiko then goes all the way up top but Nanae has rolled back in and joins her, Yoshiko headbutts Nanae back to the mat and nails a top rope diving senton, but Risa breaks it up with a diving kneedrop. Akane gets the barbed wire bat and electrifies it, but Risa avoids her swing and gets a barbed bat of her own. Risa throws her bat at Akane to get her to drop hers, Risa then picks up the electrified bat that Akane had and hits her in the stomach with it, creating the blast! Ayers Rock by Risa, but Akane barely kicks out. Risa drags Akane to the corner and puts some chairs on her, she then goes up top and nails a diving double kneedrop, picking up the three count! Risa Sera wins the match and is the new Blast Queen Champion!

Even though in theory the teammates should be working against each other since only one title was up for grabs, they didn’t really focus on that aspect much and it generally felt like a legitimate tag team match. There were a lot of little sub-stories going on here, with Nanae and Yoshiko going after each other, Akane Fujita coming around slowly to the idea of being as violent as possible, and Risa being willing to do anything necessary to win the belt. Both of the ‘blasts’ were built up to slowly and were teased some first, so they didn’t go straight to the highlight but created some drama around it. Overall I thought the match was entertaining and well-worked, it had all the elements you’d expect in a Blast Match (weapons, blood, constant action, and of course a blast or two) and everything did their roles well. I wouldn’t want an event full of blast matches but for a special occasion it hits the spot, its a fun gimmick that is relatively harmless but everyone enjoys a big bang in their wrestling every now and then.  Recommended

The post Blast Queen Death Match in ZERO1 on 7/22/18 appeared first on Joshi City.

Since I am hellbent on Joshi City not becoming Stardom City, lets watch something else from 2018 – SEAdLINNNG! This was a big event for SEAdLINNNG, as not only is it at Korakuen Hall but the event aired on Samurai TV. Nanae Takahashi was not able to wrestle on the show due to an injury sustained at WAVE the week prior, and Sareee is gone, but they still have enough talent available to them from other promotions to put on a full show. SEAdLINNNG’s events are more “inter-promotional” than anything else since their roster has exactly two active wrestlers, as this event features four Ice Ribbon wrestlers, three Marvelous wrestlers, and six WAVE wrestlers. Anyway, here is the card:

• Rin Kadokura vs. Satsuki Totoro
• ASUKA vs. Mika Iida vs. SUGI
• Captain’s Fall Tag Match: Mio Momono, Akane Fujita, Nagahama, and Ryo Mizunami vs. Saki Akai, Kurumi, Takumi Iroha, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Misaki Ohata
• Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

All the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. I think all the matches are shown in full even though its on Samurai TV, but if any are too clipped I’ll make a note in the review.

Rin Kadokura vs. Satsuki Totoro

Satsuki immediately goes after Rin and hits a shoulderblock, but Rin gets back up and the two trade elbows. Dropkick by Rin and she hits two more, Satsuki ends up against the ropes and Rin dropkicks her two more times. Scoop slam by Rin, and she covers Satsuki for two. Rin goes up top but Satsuki recovers and elbows her, headbutt by Rin and she connects with the missile dropkick. Rin jumps on Satsuki’s back but Satsuki shakes her off, Rin flings Satsuki to the mat and covers her for two. Hurricanrana by Rin, but that gets a two as well. Satsuki knocks down Rin with a lariat, sentons by Satsuki and she covers Rin for a two count. Satsuki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, she then goes all the way up top but Rin jumps up and elbows her before she can jump off. Rin throws Satsuki to the mat and the two trade flash pins with neither getting the three. Sloppy La Magistral of sorts by Rin, and she gets the three count! Rin Kadokura is the winner.

My opinion of Satsuki remains unchanged. Just a really rough match, lots of mistakes, and a botched ending. Since Rin is generally pretty solid, I’ll assume most of the blame goes to Satsuki, this felt like a match with two debuting wrestlers which both are past by now. Sub-par way to start the show.

ASUKA vs. Mika Iida vs. SUGI

ASUKA boots Taiyo before the match even starts for reasons unknown while SUGI and Mika go at it, ASUKA comes over but SUGI flips away from both of them. Mika gets the better of things and puts ASUKA in a figure four, SUGI tries to break it up but he misses, leading to Mika putting him in a facelock while still maintaining the figure four. She lets go after a moment, SUGI and ASUKA both attack Mika and drop her with a double vertical suplex. ASUKA hits a body press on Mika, both she and SUGI bounce off the ropes until SUGI hits a swandive hurricanrana. ASUKA lands on out of the ring, SUGI goes off the ropes but does a fake dive instead of sailing out of the ring. Mika and ASUKA trade elbows on the floor, Mika gets on the apron and snaps SUGI’s arm over the top rope. ASUKA goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, dropkick by ASUKA and she chokes SUGI in the corner. SUGI throws ASUKA into the other corner but ASUKA springboards out of it with a moonsault, Space Rolling Elbow by ASUKA but Mika returns and knocks her to the mat. SUGI puts a submission on Mika over the top rope but ASUKA boots him, Mikai dropkicks ASUKA while she is against the ropes and she trade elbows with SUGI. SUGI wins the battle but Mika breaks up the cover, drop toehold by Mika and she dropkicks SUGI in the head. SUGI kips up but Mika hits him with a running uppercut, SUGI kips up again and he superkicks Mika in the head. SUGI goes off the ropes but Mika rolls him up for two, another cradle by Mika but SUGI reverses it and they go back and forth. ASUKA gets back in and dropkicks Mika, but Mika drops her and SUGI with a DDT/reverse STO combination. Octopus Hold by Mika but ASUKA breaks it up with a missile dropkick, ASUKA picks them up and goes for a double chokeslam, but they push her off. ASUKA superkicks SUGI before hitting a gutwrench suplex, she goes off the ropes but Taiyo trips her. Cradle by Mika to ASUKA but that gets two as well, victory roll by Mika to ASUKA and she gets the three count! Mika Iida wins!

Even by High Speed standards, this was pretty lackluster. It didn’t have the charm that most of the High Speed matches have, no real “sprint” moments and Taiyo was less a part of it than she usually is. While I enjoy seeing SUGI again, a disappointing match.

(c) Mio Momono, Akane Fujita, Nagahama, and Ryo Mizunami vs. (c) Saki Akai, Kurumi, Takumi Iroha, and Fujimoto
Captain’s Fall Match

Mio and Saki start the match but Mio immediately bails out of the ring and Saki is triple teamed by the rest of her team instead. After getting dropkicked repeatedly, Mio is brought back into the ring and Ryo throws Mio onto Saki for a two count cover. Mio goes off the ropes but Saki catches her with The Claw, Mio breaks free however and delivers a dropkick. Mio tries for multiple covers with no luck, Kurumi runs in and decks her, giving Fujimoto time to drag Saki to her corner so she can tag in. Hiroe also is tagged in and she dropkicks Fujimoto, another dropkick by Hiroe and she hits two more for a quick cover. A Northern Lights Suplex but Hiroe also gets a two, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Fujimoto lands on her feet and rolls up Hiroe before kicking her in the chest. Fujimoto goes up top but Hiroe avoids the diving body press, scoop slam by Hiroe and she tags in Akane. Akane hits a scoop slam as well, Ryo is then tagged in and she does the same. Mio tries a slam as well but Fujimoto cradles her for a two count, Mio is collected by her team as Ryo returns as the legal wrestler and chops Fujimoto into the corner. Fujimoto switches positions with her and hits chops of her own but Ryo takes back over, jumping elbow by Ryo in the corner and she hits a lariat. Cover by Ryo, but Fujimoto kicks out. Ryo tags in Hiroe, snap verticals by Hiroe and her team runs in to help, but Fujimoto dropkicks all of them and tags in Kurumi.

Shoulderblocks by Kurumi to Mio’s team but she can’t knock over Ryo as the two go back and forth with shoulderblock attempts. Kurumi wins the battle, body avalanche by Kurumi and she hits the somersault senton for a two count. Kurumi tries to pick up Ryo but Ryo slides away, hard elbow by Ryo but Kurumi catches her with a swinging side slam. Kurumi tags in Takumi, Saki comes in too and they both kick Ryo. Release German by Takumi but Ryo ducks the superkick and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Ryo but Takumi connects with a spinning heel kick, Takumi goes up top but Ryo joins her and hits an avalanche powerslam. Ryo picks up Takumi but Takumi elbows her off, kick by Takumi but Ryo hits an overhead suplex followed by a lariat. Uranage by Ryo and she tags in Akane, chops by Akane against the ropes and she tosses Takumi to the mat. Hiroe and Mio come in to help, elbow drop by Akane and she covers Takumi for two. Takumi delivers a kick combination, Fujimoto comes in and they double team Akane. Ryo tags in Saki and Saki boots Akane in the corner, the rest of her team also comes in to attack Akane in the corner before Saki kicks Akane in the head. Akane ducks the next kick attempt and hits a modified Samoan Drop, Akane picks her back up and hits an over-the-shoulder powerslam for two.

Akane puts Saki in a choke but Takumi breaks it up, things break down as both teams are in the ring trading blows. Takumi and Kurumi both go up top and hit body presses, Fujimoto dropkicks Mio in the corner but Mio takes down both Fujimoto and Saki. Mio is tagged in, she cradles Saki but it gets two. Mio goes off the ropes but Takumi grabs her from the apron, Saki goes for a boot but Mio moves out of the way. Mio goes up top but Kurumi grabs her from the apron, Hiroe tosses down Saki and helps Mio hit a senton for two. Knee by Mio but Takumi superkicks her when she goes for the Code Red, everyone jumps on Kurumi’s back as she hits a body press onto Mio, cover by Saki but Mio gets a shoulder up. Saki picks up Mio and hits a strike combination, she goes off the ropes but Akane runs in and chops her. Lariat by Ryo, Mio covers Saki but it gets broken up. Fujimoto goes up top but she dropkicks Saki by accident, roll-ups by Mio but Saki keeps kicking out. Mio goes off the ropes but Saki boots her in the face, pump kick by Saki as Mio gets up and she covers her for the three count! Team Saki Akai are the winners!

So I am not too sure what the point was of having this as a “Captain’s Fall” match since the first person pinned was a captain, but wrestling is weird sometimes. This match was a bit hit and miss but it had more highs than lows, as overall the story was well told. The action was constant with lots of interference, which I have no issue with in a match like this, as both teams were constantly helping when necessary. A bit chaotic but it kept things interesting. Kurumi and Takumi both looked great, the match would have been tighter if it was 3 vs. 3 as not everyone was really necessary but everyone still got a bit of a chance to shine. As a somewhat lighthearted midcard match, I enjoyed it, although in the grand scheme of things not something that will stick in your brain for very long.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Nakajima vs. Misaki Ohata

They feel each other out to start, Arisa gets Misaki to the mat first but Misaki switches positions with her as they jockey for position. They trade wristlocks until they end up on the mat again, they trade headlocks but reach a stalemate as they return to their feet. After trading elbows, Sling Blade by Arisa but Misaki shoves her to the mat and knees Arisa in the midsection before flinging her down by the hair. She does it again, stretch hold by Misaki and she delivers a curb stomp. Another curb stomp by Misaki, she kicks at Arisa as she returns to her feet and elbows her into the corner, Misaki knocks Arisa out to the apron but Arisa knocks her back and slingshots back into the ring. Dropkick by Arisa and she boots Misaki in the head, dropkick by Arisa and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. Cover by Arisa, but it gets a two count. Arisa knees Misaki but Misaki rolls her up for two, elbow by Misaki and she hits a low crossbody while Arisa is against the ropes. Misaki gets on the top turnbuckle but Arisa hits her before she can jump off and joins her, elbows by Arisa but Misaki elbows her back and crossbodies her down to the mat. German suplex hold by Misaki, she rolls Arisa up and hits two more, but Arisa gets a shoulder up on the last one.

Misaki picks up Arisa but Arisa delivers the Cutie Special, knees by Arisa but Misaki slides her to the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker. Arisa gets out of it, sunset flip by Arisa but Ohata reverses it. Arisa puts Misaki in a submission but lets go after a moment, running boot by Arisa and she connects with the double underhook facebuster. Arisa goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, cover by Arisa but it gets a two count. Arisa goes back up top and goes for a moonsault, but Misaki gets her feet up. Both wrestlers slowly get up and begin trading elbows, Package German by Nakajima but it gets two. Arisa goes for a full nelson suplex but Misaki blocks it and hits a full nelson suplex of her own, they get up and trade elbows again, Arisa goes off the ropes but Misaki catches her with a spinning backfist. Fisherman Buster by Misaki, but Arisa barely gets a shoulder up. Misaki picks up Arisa but Arisa slides away, Misaki cradles Arisa but Arisa kicks out. Misaki goes for a backfist but Arisa comes back with elbows, kick to the head by Arisa and she delivers he full nelson suplex for a two count. Arisa goes for the DxD but Misaki blocks it and hits the Schwein, she picks up Arisa but Arisa rolls away and kicks Misaki in the head. Release dragon suplex by Arisa and she nails the DxD Suplex for the three count! Arisa Nakajima wins the match!

The only real knock on this match is that I wish it was longer, as these are two great wrestlers with lots of chemistry. The match started a bit slow, as you’d expect if it was a much longer match, but once they got into it everything was nonstop. Every strike and suplex was so crisp, and they did a good job mixing it up so it always felt fresh. The last few minutes in particular were hot as both had convincing nearfalls leading to the conclusive ending. Misaki Ohata has flown under the radar due to the fact WAVE doesn’t make air very often, but she is one of the better Joshi wrestlers and deserves more attention. Entertaining match.  Recommended

Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

Yoshiko acts like she is going to shake Hamada’s hand but pulls her down to the mat instead, Hamada gets back up and they go into a Test of Strength. Hamada gets the better of it and applies a leg submission into a STF, but Yoshiko gets into the ropes. Irish whip by Hamada but Yoshiko springboards out of the corner with a lariat, she charges Hamada but Hamada moves and Yoshiko tumbles out of the ring. Hamada goes out after her and tosses Yoshiko into the crowd as they make a tour around the ringside area. Hamada takes Yoshiko up onto the stage but Yoshiko blocks the suplex attempt and hits a vertical suplex of her own. They eventually both make it back to the ring and trade elbows, kick by Hamada and both go for shoulderblocks with no success. Yoshiko finally knocks over Hamada with a shoulderblock, bootscrapes by Yoshiko and she boots Hamada in the face. Kick by Yoshiko and she hits a running senton, she picks up Hamada but Hamada applies a standing armbar. Yoshiko gets out of it and applies an abdominal stretch, but Hamada reverses the hold. Hamada reverts it to an Octopus Hold and rolls Yoshiko to the mat as she also applies a headscissors, Yoshiko gets out of the hold, Hamada goes off the ropes but Yoshiko catches her with a Samoan Drop. Running senton by Yoshiko, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Hamada avoids the diving senton. Kick by Hamada, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a moonsault. She then goes all the way up but Yoshiko recovers and tries to powerbomb her, but Hamada reverses it into a hurricanrana for two.

High kick by Hamada, Yoshiko falls out of the ring and Hamada goes up top, but Yoshiko pulls her down onto the apron. Hamada drops Yoshiko face-first onto the apron, she goes up top again but Yoshiko rolls back into the ring and joins her. Yoshiko gets Hamada on her shoulders and hits an Avalanche Samoan Drop, she quickly gets on the second turnbuckle but Hamada shakes the ropes so she doesn’t jump off. Hamada joins Yoshiko but Yoshiko headbutts her and flips over her before dropping Hamada with a powerbomb. Lariat by Yoshiko, she goes off the ropes and hits a sliding lariat, but Hamada kicks out of the cover. Yoshiko goes of the ropes but Hamada catches her with a heel kick, leaving both wrestlers down on the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up, high kick by Hamada and she delivers a lariat for a two count. Hamada picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko levels her with a lariat of her own, she picks up Hamada but Hamada catches her with a Liger Bomb for two. Hamada quickly drags up Yoshiko and hits another powerbomb, but Yoshiko again kicks out. Hamada drags Yoshiko to her feet but Yoshiko hits a chokebomb, lariat by Yoshiko but Hamada kicks out at one. Yoshiko drives Hamada to the mat with a fireman’s carry slam, she goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Hamada doesn’t go down. High kick by Hamada and she hits two more, with a final heel kick sending Yoshiko to the mat. Another jumping kick by Hamada and she nails the AP Cross for the three count! Ayako Hamada wins!

My main issue with matches like this, and perhaps it is because I watch too much wrestling, is it followed a predictable pattern. The brawling segment around the crowd wasn’t needed as it had nothing to do with the story – as soon as both got into the ring it was as if nothing happened and they continued on as usual. Both wrestlers were at fault of at times recovering way too quickly, whether it be from a long submission hold or power move, and it felt like they were just going back and forth with little story. That being said, the action itself was solid and both were putting in maximum effort, with lots of hard strikes and exciting moments. The end stretch felt a bit too stretched but was probably necessary to make sure Yoshiko looked strong even in defeat. Certainly not a bad match, but not as entertaining as the last few matches, as it felt like they were trying to put on an epic match that never fully clicked.

The post SEAdLINNNG “Now or Never” on 1/14/18 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I know that I haven’t reviewed Ice Ribbon in awhile, but there is a very good reason for that. All of their airings on Nico Nico they put a commentary box on the bottom side of the screen, showing the commentary as they discuss the event. Even if I did understand Japanese I’d find this incredibly annoying, imagine watching RAW and for the entire three hours the bottom side of the screen showed the commentators, its quite distracting. So I haven’t been watching their events. But, this show I got on DVD which means – no commentary box. Granted, it is a small show but at least we get to check out some of their newest rookies. Here is the card:

• Akane Fujita and Nori DATE vs. Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE
• Matsuya Uno and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro
• Kyuri vs. Tsukushi
• Risa Sera, Maya Yukihi, and Karen DATE vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE

Pretty small show, as always you can click on the wrestler’s names above to go to their roster page, including all the DATE wrestlers.

Akane Fujita and Nori DATE vs. Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE

Nori starts the match against her sister Nao, kicks by Nori but Nao kicks her back and hits a series of knees against the ropes. Nao and Nori jockey on the floor but neither gets the advantage so they tag in their teammates. Shoulderblock by Hoshi to Akane but Akane chops her in the chest, Hoshi chops her back but Akane knocks her to the mat and covers Hoshi for two. Akane tags in Nori but Hoshi clubs her, Hoshi rolls to the mat and she does her pose, which makes the rookie Nori laugh. Poor Nori isn’t used to Hoshi’s antics. Hoshi throws Nori in the corner and rubs her belly in her face, Nao comes in and they double team Nori in the ropes. Hoshi officially tags in Nao, Nao throws down Nori in the corner and Nori is attack by both her and Hoshi. Bulldog by Hoshi to Nori and she eats a double elbow drop for a two count. Nori fights back against Nao with an elbow and they trade strikes, thrust kick by Nori and she tags in Akane. Akane throws Nao in the corner and tosses her down by the hair, Akane throws Nao face-first into the mat and puts her in the camel clutch while Nori kicks her in the chest.

Senton by Akane, and she covers Nao for two. Nao comes back with a boot to Akane in the chest, cover by Nao but it gets a two count. Nao tags in Hoshi but Akane shoulderblocks her down, Nori runs in to hold back Nao while Akane puts Hoshi in a Scorpion Deathlock. Nori manages to break it up, Hoshi belly bumps Akane and hits the Shining Onaka for a two count. Hoshi gets on the second turnbuckle but Nori grabs her, Akane picks up Hoshi and slams her to the mat for two. Akane picks up Hoshi and tags in Nori, kick combination by Nori to Hoshi and she covers her for a two count. Hoshi grabs Nori but Nori hits a scoop slam, high kick by Nori to Hoshi but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Cartwheel kick by Nori to Hoshi, but Nao breaks up the pin. Nori goes off the ropes and kicks Hoshi in the chest, but Hoshi ducks the spinning kick and Nao kicks Nori into the corner. Hoshi and Nao pick up their opponents and hit Samoan Drops, scoop slam by Hoshi to Nori and she puts her in a crab hold. Akane eventually breaks it up, Hoshi goes off the ropes but Nori hits her with a kick to the chest. Nori goes off the ropes but Hoshi picks her up, Nori and Hoshi trade pins but both get two counts. Hoshi goes off the ropes and hits the Hamuroll, and Hoshi gets the three count! Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE win!

I was amused by this not necessarily because it was a great match, but just seeing wrestlers with MMA backgrounds in Joshi is nice since they bring something different to the table. I mean they are green as grass but its at least some variety. Nori laughing at Hoshi was funny, she just isn’t used to having to keep a straight face during such things, and no one looked bad. A decent way to kick things off.

Matsuya Uno and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro

Matsuya and Saya start the match, they trade wristlocks until Matsuya shoulderblocks Saya to the mat. Matsuya picks her up but Saya trips her and puts Matsuya in a camel clutch. Maruko runs in to help but Satsuki intercepts her and puts her in a camel clutch as well, but Matsuya makes it to the ropes to force the break. Irish whip by Saya but Matsuya hits a dropkick and makes the tag to Maruko. Maruko clubs Saya and stomps her into the corner, dropkick by Maruko and she puts Saya in a submission hold. Satsuki tries to break it up but Matsuya tosses her out of the ring, Maruko covers Saya but it gets a two count. Maruko goes for a slam but Saya blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Maruko delivers a dropkick. Maruko jumps over Saya in the corner but Saya connects with a rebound crossbody and makes the tag to Satsuki. Hard shoulderblock by Satsuki, she picks up Maruko and hits a scoop slam for two. Maruko pushes Satsuki off and elbows her in the chest, the two trade blows until Matsuya runs in to help. Maruko dropkicks Satsuki off her feet, she picks her up and throws her into the ropes, but Satsuki hits a double lariat on Matsuya and Maruko. Satsuki picks up Maruko, Maruko goes for a sunset flip but Satsuki sits on her.

Maruko dropkicks Satsuki and makes the tag to Matsuya, Matsuya goes up top but Satsuki blocks her diving chop and hits a shoulderblock. Two more shoulderblocks by Satsuki, and she covers Matsuya for two. Satsuki picks up Matsuya and hits a body avalanche in the corner, but Matsuya dodges the next one and schoolboys her for two. Matsuya tries multiple schoolboys with no luck, she picks up Satsuki but Satsuki hits a scoop slam and tags in Saya. Jumping crossbodies by Saya, she throws Matsuya into the corner before hitting a dropkick. Sunset flip by Saya from the second turnbuckle, but it gets a two count. Saya goes off the ropes but Matsuya catches her crossbody attempt and throws Saya to the mat. Springboard body press by Matsuya, but Saya gets a shoulder up. Matsuya goes off the ropes but Satsuki runs in and hits a shoulderblock, Saya goes up top and hits a diving crossbody but it only gets two. Saya picks up Matsuya but Matsuya grabs her legs and rolls her up for two. Matsuya tries a few more flash pins with no luck, Saya goes for Gran Maestro de Tequila but Matsuya blocks it. Satsuki comes in and lariats both Maruko and Matsuya, she goes up top and hits a somersault senton with Saya’s assistance. Saya now goes up top and hits a moonsault, she picks up Matsuya and delivers the Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro are the winners.

This certainly wasn’t good. Satsuki just debuted so I am not knocking her, but she really lagged behind here as she looked lost a few times and some of her strikes missed. Maruko is my favorite but did the least and some of the action was just disjointed. Everyone has to learn and practice makes perfect, but this wasn’t a good match.

Kyuri vs. Tsukushi

Kyuri and Tsukushi start by trading wristlocks, Tsukushi gets Kyuri to the mat and they jockey for position. Tsukushi applies a necklock and pulls Kyuri by the hair before tossing her down to the mat. Tsukushi runs on Kyuri’s back and goes for a stretch hold, but Kyuri gets into the ropes. Scoop slam by Kyuri and she stretches Tsukushi, she puts her into the ropes but Tsukushi switches positions with her and messes with Kyuri’s nose. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Kyuri catches her with a judo throw, neck drops by Kyuri and she covers Tsukushi for two. Kyuri starts on Tsukushi’s arm, tiger feint kick by Kyuri and she covers Tsukushi for another two count. Kyuri goes for a fisherman suplex but Tsukushi blocks it and applies a front guillotine, Kyuri gets out of the hold and hits the fisherman suplex hold for two. Kyuri goes up top and hits a diving body press, but that gets a two count as well. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi rolls her up and hits a footstomp. Tsukushi and Kyuri trade elbows until Tsukushi knocks Kyuri to the mat, Tsukushi picks up Kyuri and hits more elbows for two. Tsukushi gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Kyuri quickly applies a short armbar. Tsukushi gets into the ropes to force the break, Kyuri approaches Tsukushi but Tsukushi rolls her up for two. Kyuri goes for another flash cover with no luck, hard elbow by Tsukushi and she gets on the second turnbuckle. Kyuri gets her off the turnbuckles with a Codebreaker, Fisherman Driver by Kyuri but Tsukushi gets a shoulder up. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi and hits a cross armbreaker takedown, she reverts it into a seated armbar but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi and hits a Blockbuster Suplex Hold, but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Kyuri wraps up Tsukushi’s arms and applied a submission, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I think a Draw has to be done perfectly in order to not annoy me, and this match did a Draw about as perfect as possible. The story here was Kyuri trying to surpass her old friend and tag team partner, and she damn nearly almost did but couldn’t find the right combination to get the job done before the bell rang. Afterwards, Kyuri was mad and went back after Tsukushi, so she clearly was not satisfied with just a Draw. This match was about Kyuri’s growth and I think it told that story about as well as a ten minute match can. Really enjoyable match as they have great chemistry and Kyuri could be a future star in the promotion as I think she is almost ready.  Recommended

Risa Sera, Maya Yukihi, and Karen DATE vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE

Karen and Miyako start the match, Miyako goes to the mat and challenges Karen but Karen promptly puts her in a heel hook. She gets rescued, then Karen goes on the mat and challenges Miyako, leading to her promptly putting her back into a heel hook. Miyako gets out of it and rolls up Karen, but Karen puts her in a triangle choke. Miyako gets Karen into the corner while still in the hold and tags in Tsukasa, Tsukasa throws Karen into the corners but Karen returns the favor. Tsukasa rams her again and chokes Karen in the corner, Tsukasa stomps her foot and tags in Hana. Hana picks up Karen but Karen ducks all her kicks, Karen kicks down Hana in the corner and tags in Maya. Maya goes for a kick but Hana blocks it, Hana puts Maya in a camel clutch but she lets go after a moment and goes for a scoop slam. Maya blocks it and elbows Hana, the two trade elbows until Maya hits a jumping knee in the corner. Hana kicks Maya in the stomach and boots her to the mat, cover by Hana but it gets two. Hana tags Miyako back in, but Maya scoop slams her. Miyako trips Maya and rolls her around the ring before putting her in a submission, but Risa breaks it up. Miyako picks up Maya but Maya hits an STO and covers Miyako for two. Maya tags in Risa, Risa puts Miyako in the Rocking Horse before hitting a double knee drop for two. Risa picks up Miyako but Miyako hits a Sling Blade and puts Risa in an Octopus Hold. Hana and Tsukasa join in the fun, but Risa makes it to the ropes to force the break. Miyako snaps Sera’s neck over the top rope and tags in Tsukasa, missile dropkick by Tsukasa and she dropkicks Sera in the corner.

Tsukasa and Sera trade elbows, Maya runs in and knees Tsukasa and Karen comes in also and armdrags Tsukasa into the corner. Running double knee by Risa, she covers Tsukasa but it gets two. Reverse Double Knee by Sera, but that gets a two count as well. Risa goes up top but Hana grabs her from the apron, then Miyako runs in and tosses Risa off the top turnbuckle. Double kick by Tsukasa and Miyako to Sera, Tsukasa covers Sera but it gets two. Tsukasa goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker, she goes off the ropes but Sera catches her with a dropkick. TKO by Risa and she tags in Karen, dropkick by Karen but Tsukasa blocks the scoop slam. Tsukasa puts Karen in an armtrap crossface, but Karen gets into the ropes. Tsukasa puts Karen in the ropes and chokes her, but Maya comes in and hits a missile dropkick. Sera also comes in, they pick up Karen and ram her into Tsukasa. Scoop slam by Karen, and she covers Tsukasa for two. Tsukasa puts Karen in a crab hold but Risa breaks it up. Tsukasa dropkicks both Sera and Maya, then her teammates come in and triple team Karen in the corner. Hana comes in but she hits a crossbody on Tsukasa by accident, Miyako tries to help but she hits Tsukasa by accident as well. Sunset flip by Karen to Tsukasa, but Tsukasa gets a shoulder up. Karen goes off the ropes and rolls up Tsukasa, but that also gets two. Karen goes off the ropes but Tsukasa kicks her back with both feet, cradle by Tsukasa and she picks up the three count! Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE are your winners!

First, I have to give Miyako credit since she didn’t do any comedy here aside from the quick bit at the beginning, so kudos to her. Its wild to watch a 14 year old rookie  going toe to toe with Tsukasa, they definitely are pushing the DATE wrestlers. Which is fine with me, hopefully they will be regulars and put enough training in wrestling to continue to improve. The match was fast paced and entertaining, a few iffy moments which you’d expect with a match with two rookies, but the veterans were all solid. I am still a bit concerned about Maya, she is getting a decent push but still is a bit awkward at times, I like her but she needs to continue to improve if she is going to put on high end main event style matches. A fun main event, wish it was a bit longer but I enjoyed it for what it was.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #799” on 4/29/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are small shows, and then there are really small shows. This event would fall under the later category, with less than 50 fans in attendance. I have no idea why this show was filmed but I am not complaining at all, as this show focuses on the younger wrestlers that don’t usually get the spotlight. This should give us a good look at rookies Nagasaki, Kadokura, and Yuina, plus we get a rare main event match with Marvelous wrestler Takumi Iroha. Young wrestlers from a lot of different promotions participated, here is the full card:

• Maruko Nagasaki vs. Yuina
• Fairy Nihonbashi vs. Manami Katsu
• Akane Fujita and Rina Yamashita vs. Rin Kadokura and Yako Fujigasaki
• Kaho Kobayashi vs. Takumi Iroha

So many babies! I don’t have profiles for all the wrestlers but I will soon! You can click on the names above to go to their profiles if I do have one made.

Maruko Nagasaki vs. Yuina

Yuina’s posing confuses Nagasaki temporarily, but they then get down to business and start trading wristlocks. Dropkick by Nagasaki and she scoop slams Yuina a couple times before covering her for two. Crab hold by Nagasaki, but Yuina gets to the ropes to force a break. Elbows by Yuina but Nagasaki dropkicks her, Yuina dropkicks her right back and she covers Nagasaki for a two count. Crab hold by Yuina but Nagasaki gets into the ropes, scoop slam by Yuina and the pair trade elbows. Jumping crossbody by Yuina but Nagasaki avoids her legdrop, backslide by Yuina but it gets two. Yuina goes off the ropes but Nagasaki slams her to the mat, Marunage by Nagasaki and she gets the three count! Nagasaki is the winner.

Really basic, obviously, but both look trained and competent. I have been impressed the few times I have seen Nagasaki, she seems to be off to a good start and Ice Ribbon has a solid track record with younger wrestlers. Still too early to tell on Yuina, but no issues here, not a bad way to start off a card designed to highlight younger wrestlers.

Fairy Nihonbashi vs. Manami Katsu

Doing play by play on a Fairy Nihonbashi match is never easy or logical, since a bulk of the match is Nihonbashi dancing around and trying to get her opponent to play along. Nihonbashi tricks Katsu and applies an inside cradle while they are still playing around, leading to Katsu attacking Nihonbashi and throwing her into the corner. Nihonbashi gets her wand and demonstrates how it works by throwing the referee magically with it. Katsu doesn’t look impressed but eventually does flip for the wand, cover by Nihonbashi but it gets a two count. Nihonbashi slams Katsu’s head into the mat repeatedly but Katsu blocks the scoop slam and hits one of her own. Crab hold by Katsu but Nihonbashi gets to the ropes, Nihonbashi slides away from Katsu but Katsu hits a hard elbow. Crab hold by Katsu, but Nihonbashi gets into the ropes. Samoan Drop by Katsu, but Nihonbashi reverses it into a crucifix pin for two. Katsu fires up, she hits a backdrop suplex but Nihonbashi barely kicks out. Katsu gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers the Reverse Senton, picking up the three count! Manami Katsu is the winner!

I am not a huge fan of Fairy Nihonbashi, there is only some wrestling comedy I enjoy and I think her act has gotten a bit old since every match is basically the same. Katsu hit everything well here and looked solid, but it just took too long to get going. Not my thing, but if you like Nihonbashi then you may enjoy it.

Akane Fujita and Rina Yamashita vs. Rin Kadokura and Yako Fujigasaki

Yamashita and Kadokura start for their teams, scoop slam by Yamashita and she knocks Fujigasaki off the apron before tagging in Fujita. Yamashita immediately comes back in the ring as they double team the rookie, cover by Fujita but it gets two. Yamashita is tagged back in as they take turns on Kadokura, but she finally manages to make the hot tag to Fujigasaki. Fujigasaki has some luck for a moment but Fujita trades elbows with her and hits a suplex. Lariat by Fujita in the corner but Fujigasaki hits a missile dropkick and tags Kadokura back in. Dropkicks by Kadokura, and she covers Fujita for a two count. More dropkicks by Kadokura and she scoop slams Fujita, Fujigasaki returns but Fujita shoulderblocks both of them and slams Kadokura to the mat. She tags Yamashita, shoulderblocks by Yamashita and she covers Kadokura for two. Lariats by Yamashita in the corner, Kadokura fights back with elbows but Yamashita sends her back to the mat. Dropkicks by Kadokura but Yamashita fires back with elbows, Kadokura sneaks in a schoolboy but Yamashita kicks out. Scoop slam by Kadokura and she hits a Frankensteiner, but it only gets a two count. Fujigasaki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she then hits another one for a two count. Fujigasaki goes up top once again but Yamashita avoids the splash and kicks Fujigasaki in the chest. Dropkick by Fujigasaki, Kadokura runs in and she dropkicks Yamashita as well. Yamashita comes back with a backdrop suplex on Fujigasaki, dropkick by Fujigasaki and she hits rolling Northern Lights Suplexes. Fujigasaki goes up top and hits a swivel body press, but Fujita breaks up the cover. Fujigasaki goes off the ropes but Yamashita levels her with a lariat, sliding lariat by Yamashita and she gets the three count! Akane Fujita and Rina Yamashita win the match.

This one started really slow, like reaaaalllly slow and Kadokura is clearly a work in progress, but the last few minutes were entertaining as the pace picked up. Yamashita probably is too good to be in this type of match but since she is still early in her career I guess it still made sense, although she was better than everyone else by a significant margin. I did like Fujigasaki firing up a bit and showing some personality, and the match did get enough time as it was the longest match of the night. More good than bad, but just barely, even though I do like seeing wrestlers like Kadokura when they first start their career.

Kaho Kobayashi vs. Takumi Iroha

Iroha and Kobayashi trade a few holds to start but quickly get into it as they trade armdrags. Dropkick by Kobayashi but Iroha kicks out of the cover and they return to their feet. Bodyslam by Iroha and she puts Kobayashi in a crab hold, but she makes it to the ropes for a break. Kick by Iroha and she stretches Kobayashi, Irish whip to the corner by Iroha and she hits a backbreaker for two. Kobayashi quickly applies an ankle hold but Iroha kicks out of it, kick to the back by Iroha but Kobayashi elbow her and they trade blows. Kobayashi dropkicks Iroha in the leg to get her to the mat before dropkicking her in the face, leglock by Kobayashi and she slams Iroha’s knee into the mat. Kobayashi goes back to the ankle but Iroha gets out of it and hits a superkick. Butterfly suplex by Iroha, and she covers Kobayashi for two. Uppercut by Iroha but Kobayashi dropkicks her into the ropes and hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Ankle hold by Kobayashi with a grapevine, but Iroha gets in the ropes to force a break. Kobayashi charges Iroha but Iroha catches her with a kick combination before hitting a German suplex hold for two. Back up they trade elbows, Kobayashi goes for a hurricanrana but Iroha catches her and applies a single leg crab hold. Kaho gets to the ropes, she sneaks in a few quick pins but Iroha kicks out each time. Kobayashi goes off the rope but Iroha catches her with a jumping heel kick for two. Iroha gets Kobayashi up but Kobayashi slides down her back, Iroha connects with a high kick and drops Kobayashi with the Running Three. Cover by Iroha and she gets the three count! Takumi Iroha is the winner.

You can tell that Iroha has been trained by Nagayo, as she used her mentor’s signature finisher to pick up the win. I honestly am surprised that Iroha won, both wrestlers have similar experience but Kobayashi has such a big role in larger promotions that I thought she’d have the edge over the underground Iroha. It was a really good match though, Kobayashi and Iroha are a lot of fun to watch and are crisp with their moves while maintaining a fast pace. I wish the match was longer as it clocked in at under ten minutes, which doesn’t make a lot of sense as both can certainly go longer, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. Probably didn’t reach the level to excite the casual fan but since these are two of my favorite young wrestlers I liked it quite a bit.  Recommended

The post WAVE Young OH! OH! Vol. 30 on 6/22/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.