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

Notable Matches:

• July 23rd, 2016 vs. Rika Tatsumi
• August 13th, 2016 vs. Yuu
• November 20th, 2016 vs. Syoko Nakajima vs. Miyu Yamashita

Signature Moves:

• Canadian Backbreaker
• Lariat
• Powerslam

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Retired Wrestlers

The post Akane Miura appeared first on Joshi City.

Even though this is a small event, I want to represent a variety of promotions on the website, plus I may possibly have a crush on Mil Clown. This is one of their ‘house show’ events (as most of their shows are, they are a small promotion), however all of their stars are here and Saki Akai has stopped by as well. Here is the full card:

• Nodoka-oneesan vs. Syoko Nakajima
• Mil Clown and Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuu and Miyu Yamashita
• Akane Miura vs. Maho Kurone
• Saki-nami and Martha vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko

You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile if I have one for them on the website. Short show, let’s hop to it.

Nodoka-oneesan vs. Syoko Nakajima

Nodoka and Syoko trade holds to start, Syoko goes for shoulderblocks but Nodoka knocks her to the mat first. Syoko gets back up and kicks Nodoka, elbow by Syoko in the corner and she snapmares Nodoka to the mat. Syoko puts Nodoka in a headscissors and rams her head into the mat, she picks her back up and elbows Nodoka in the neck. Flipping neckbreaker by Syoko, and she covers Nodoka for two. More strikes by Syoko and she hits another neckbreaker, Nodoka gets away and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Running elbow by Nodoka and she scoop slams Syoko for a two count cover. Nodoka works a headlock, she lets go and goes off the ropes, but Syoko rams her head-first into the turnbuckles. Missile kick by Syoko, she picks up Nodoka and snapmares her face-first into the mat. She goes for a double arm DDT but Nodoka gets out of it with a back bodydrop, crossbody by Nodoka and she gets a two count. Nodoka picks up Syoko but Syoko gets away and drags her to the mat with a double arm grounded necklock. Nodoka gets out of it and hits a shoulderblock, she puts Syoko on her shoulders but Syoko gets away and hits a dropkick. Tiger Feint Kick by Syoko, she picks up Nodoka and hits the Northern Lights Suplex for the three count! Syoko Nakajima is the winner.

For a rookie-style opening match, they got enough time and Nodoka got in a few moves so it wasn’t too one-sided. Syoko has a lot of fun and unique offense, I enjoy watching her, it was a bit limited here of course but she was still impressive. Nodoka mostly does power-type offense and has the strength for it, she may have a future in wrestling but its too early to tell. Decent opener to the show.

Mil Clown and Rika Tatsumi vs. Yuu and Miyu Yamashita

Yuu and Rika start the match, Yuu gets Rika to the mat first before pulling Rika to her corner so she can tag in Miyu. Miyu works a headlock but Rika rolls out of it and reverses the hold, kick to the back by Rika and she tags in Mil Clown. Mil Clown flips Miyu to the mat and runs on her back for awhile, she pokes Miyu in the head before punching her into the corner. Hard shoulderblock by Mil Clown but Miyu hits an armdrag, Mil Clown returns the favor and they trade armdrags until Mil Clown hits a drop toehold. Mil Clown starts in Miyu’s leg and tags in Rika, Rika elbows Miyu and she hits an elbow drop for a two count. Mil Clown is tagged back in and she throws Miyu into the corner before bouncing her off the ropes. Mil Clown tags Rika, Rika elbows Miyu in the chest and twists her arm in the ropes. Mil Clown comes back in, Miyu tosses Mil Clown to the apron but Mil Clown goes up top and cartwheels back in the ring before hitting a dropkick. Mil Clown goes off the ropes but Miyu hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and makes the hot tag to Yuu. Shoulderblock by Yuu and she hits the Oklahoma Stampede on Mil Clown for a two count.

Chops by Yuu but Mil Clown kicks her and tags in Rika. Mil Clown stays in and helps Rika with Yuu, cover by Rika but it gets a two count. Rika goes for a hip attack but Yuu catches her and spins Rika to the mat. Yuu tags in Miyu, leg sweep by Miyu and she covers Rika for two. Knee by Miyu and she dropkicks Rika in the back. Rika elbows Miyu but Miyu knees her and hiptosses her to the mat. Anaconda Vice by Miyu, Mil Clown tries to break it up but Yuu intercepts her. Miyu switches it to a short armbar but Rika gets to the ropes for the break. Miyu goes for a kick but Rika catches it and hits a dragon screw, Rika goes for a Dragon Sleeper but Miyu gets out of it and kicks Rika in the back. Miyu throws Rika into the corner but she hits a hip attack, she goes off the ropes but Yuu runs in and hits a judo throw. Mil Clown headscissors Yuu and then hits an enzuigiri onto Miyu, Rika elbows Miyu but Miyu elbows her back and they trade shots. Kick to the chest by Miyu, she picks up Rika and nails a high kick in the corner. Another high kick by Miyu, she picks up Rika and hits the Attitude Adjustment for the three count! Miyu Yamashita and Yuu win!

This one started slow but it picked up by the end and turned out pretty enjoyable. Unlike some other matches in Tokyo Joshi Pro, really no comedy here as it was a pretty straight wrestling match. Mil Clown and Miyu are high end wrestlers/entertainers, both are a lot of fun to watch and work together well. Yuu is solid, I’m not completely sold on her but she is only a year into her career and does her power moves well. A good match with a quality home stretch, even though some of the beginning felt uninspired.  Mildly Recommended

Akane Miura vs. Maho Kurone

Akane won’t shake Maho’s hand, Maho chases after Akane but Akane knocks her down with a pair of shoulderblocks. Full nelson by Akane, she throws Maho in the corner and hits a running elbow followed by a lariat. Body press by Akane, and she covers Maho for two. Maho fights back and clubs on Akane, she puts her in a single leg crab hold but Akane makes it to the ropes. Maho throws Akane into the corner and hits a running elbow, she goes off the ropes but Akane hits a powerslam. Side slam by Akane, and she covers Maho for two. Akane elbows Maho a few times but Maho elbows her back, neckbreaker by Maho but Akane pushes her away and hits a shoulderblock. Powerslam by Akane, she nails a lariat and she covers Maho for the three count! Akane Miura wins the match.

Its hard to get excited about a match that goes under five minutes, especially when the dominating wrestler is leaving in a month anyway. Akane’s offense is fine, Maho generally doesn’t show a whole lot so I assume skill-wise she is still a bit behind many of the other wrestlers in the promotion. Nothing wrong with it, just short and not very memorable.

Saki-nami and Martha vs. Azusa Takigawa and Nonoko

Azusa and Martha start off and trade holds, Martha pushes Azusa to the mat so she tags in Nonoko. Nonoko makes Martha uncomfortable so she tags in Akai, Nonoko pulls her into her chest but Akai gets out of it. Akai pulls down Nonoko by the hair, Azusa gets on the microphone and taunts her, allowing Nonoko to attack Akai from behind. Nonoko tags in Azusa while she is still on the microphone, double elbow to Akai and Azusa covers her for two. Azusa stomps down Akai in the corner but Akai kicks her and chokes Azusa in the corner. Back elbow by Akai and she drops a knee onto Azusa for a two count. Akai tags in Martha, Martha elbows Azusa in the back of the head and stomps her. Scoop slam by Martha, Akai returns and Azusa plays the Face in Peril for several minutes (even though she isn’t a “face” I don’t think), she finally hits a Codebreaker on Akai and makes the hot tag to Nonoko. Nonoko chest bumps both Akai and Martha, double arm DDT of sorts by Nonoko and she hits a body press for two. Nonoko goes for the Boinmaker but Akai gets out of it, she goes off the ropes but Nonoko hits a Lou Thesz Press. She tags Azusa, Azusa gets on the second turnbuckle and puts on a wedding veil before hitting an ax handle for two.

She picks up Akai and kicks her but Akai catches her with a STO. She tags in Martha, Azusa rolls up Martha but it gets a two count. Face buster by Azusa but Akai breaks up the cover, Nonoko comes in too and she catapults Azusa into Akai. They try to do the same with Martha but Martha catches Azusa, Akai kicks Azusa in the chest and Martha covers her for two. Akai goes off the ropes but Azusa avoids her kick, Akai drives Azusa back into the corner and goes for an elbow, but she hits the referee by accident. Martha gets her mop but Nonoko takes it from her, lariat by Martha to Nonoko and she gets the mop again, but the recovered referee takes it from her. Martha attacks the referee and goes back to the mop, but Rika Tatsumi comes in to help. Azusa rolls up Akai, and Rika makes the count, but Akai kicks out at two. Big boot by Akai to Azusa, she picks up Azusa and Martha holds her from the apron, but Akai boots Martha in the face by accident. Superkick by Azusa to Akai, cover by Azusa and Rika makes the three count! Azusa and Nonoko win?

Well no they don’t win, as Rika is not an authorized referee. The referee recovers and returns to the ring, Akai boots Azusa in the face but Azusa hits another superkick for a two count. Azusa charges Akai but Akai grabs her and takes her to the mat. After struggling for a bit, Akai locks Azusa in a Foot Choke, and Azusa quickly submits! Saki-nami and Martha are the winners!

While storyline-wise it did a good job, this match was desperately missing someone that the in-ring skills to tie everything together. All four of these wrestlers are more style than substance so the match going over 15 minutes was a bit problematic. There were spurts of solid action, but overall there just wasn’t a lot of interesting stuff going on. From the character side of things it was fine, but the action itself for the bulk of the match was a bit lackluster.

The post Tokyo Joshi Pro “Girls Fight Out #3” on 2/18/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I know I said on Twitter that I was done reviewing 2016 events, but then I was alerted to a site online that shows Tokyo Joshi Pro events and my plans changed. Tokyo Joshi Pro is (well, was) one of the few promotions currently running that I had never seen a full show from, so I had to jump at the opportunity to review it as well. Tokyo Joshi Pro is a very small Joshi promotion that is affiliated with DDT. Their wrestlers rarely wrestle in other promotions outside of the DDT umbrella, so while I have seen some of the wrestlers on an “Offer” match on a big DDT show, I’ve never seen them in their home environment. Until now! Very exciting. Here is the card:

• Maho Kurone vs. Nonoko
• Mil Clown and Hyper Misao vs. Yuu and Nodoka-oneesan
• Azusa Takigawa vs. Rika Tatsumi
• Akane Miura vs. Syoko Nakajima vs. Miyu Yamashita

Not a long show but looks like nothing was clipped.

Maho Kurone vs. Nonoko

As a quasi-comedy match, this was fine. As mentioned, Nonoko uses her chest for almost all her moves, including her variations of the Cobra Clutch, Boma Ye, and Rainmaker. I couldn’t get a real feel if either are talented wrestlers without that style since the match was too short, but neither looked lost or confused either and the offense was hit smoothly. Decent opener.

Mil Clown and Hyper Misao vs. Yuu and Nodoka-oneesan

Mil Clown formally wrestled in Tokyo Joshi Pro as Yuka Sakazaki, she is a quality young wrestler. I wanted to love this one, because I love crazy gimmicks, but I can’t say that I did. There were a fair number of little mistakes, things that just weren’t hit as smoothly as you’d like which took me out of it a bit. No one thing was terrible, just small issues here and there. There were also some match-structure issues like with Mil Clown works on Nodoka’s leg, then Misao comes in and starts working on the arm instead. Misao doesn’t appear to be very good but Yuu and Mil Clown both looked solid. A pretty average match overall, with the high points being leveled out by the lower points.

Azusa Takigawa vs. Rika Tatsumi

I don’t mind a comedy match, or a match with comedic elements, but it has to work. Admittedly, whatever is said on the mic is going to go over my head since I don’t understand Japanese, but having multiple people trip (poorly) over a book was an odd way to go and it didn’t really work. The match wasn’t long enough to make up for that clumsiness, although I do think that Rika in particular looked good with her offense. Clearly Nonoko and Azusa have some comedic flair which isn’t surprising since Tokyo Joshi Pro is owned by DDT, but it wasn’t particularly entertaining in this match.

Akane Miura vs. Syoko Nakajima vs. Miyu Yamashita

This leaves Syoko and Miyu battling for the victory. Miyu elbows Syoko but Syoko elbows her back and they trade blows, kick to the chest by Miyu and she covers Syoko for two. Miyu picks up Syoko but Syoko gets away and hits a dropkick. Syoko goes for a double underhook but Miyu shrugs her off and nails a high kick in the corner. Miyu picks up Syoko and hits a judo toss while keeping on an Anaconda Vice, but Syoko gets into the ropes. Running lariat by Miyu, and she covers Syoko for two. Miyu goes for a high kick but Syoko ducks it, Syoko goes for a hurricanrana but Mayumi rolls through it and hits a buzzsaw kick for two. Miyu goes off the ropes but Syoko connects with the hurricanrana, Northern Lights Suplex by Syoko but Miyu gets a shoulder up. Elbows by Syoko but Mayumi connects with another high kick, she picks up Syoko but Syoko slides away and hits a double arm DDT. Syoko picks up Miyu and hits another Northern Lights Suplex Hold, this one while hooking the leg and she picks up the three count! Syoko Nakajima wins!

Maybe going in with low expectations made this match better than it was, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everyone played their parts perfectly, there are so many wrestlers today that have the size but don’t play ‘monster’ as good as Akane did here, while Miyu was great on her strikes while Syoko was perfect with her higher speed and suplex-based offense. For younger wrestlers they worked together so well, Triple Threat matches can feel like a cluster but this one never did. I loved Syoko ‘upgrading’ the Northern Lights Suplex to get the win, and the way both Akane and Miyu went out kept them protected. Fast paced, wide variety of offense and fun from bell to bell, I wish it was longer but about all you could ask for from a wrestling match.  Recommended

The post Tokyo Joshi Pro “Battle Mission 2016 Code.6” on 11/20/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Every now and then, there are Joshi matches on non-Joshi shows that sometimes fly under the radar. Promotions such as DDT, K-DOJO, Mr. Gannosuke, FMW, and FREEDOMS all either have Joshi wrestlers on their roster or frequently bring in Joshi wrestlers for special matches. Once a few Joshi matches have taken place in various non-Joshi promotions, I will review them to help get some exposure for some of the lesser-known wrestlers that don’t make TV as often. Plus you never know, there may be a hidden gem that is just waiting to be uncovered.

I am a bit behind in doing this, so I have a lot of recent matches to review today! I will be reviewing:

• June 21st, 2016 – Dump Matsumoto vs. Miss Mongol on FMW “June Blood”
• July 13th, 2016 – Ayako Hamada and Ryo Mizunami vs. GENTARO and The Winger on FREEDOMS “Tokyo Death Match Carnival 2016”
• July 19th, 2016 – Manami Kanda vs. Micro on GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016”
• July 19th, 2016 – Drake Morimatsu vs. Konaka = Pehlwan on GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016”
• July 21st, 2016 – Emi Sakura and Hibiscus Mii vs. Riho, Kotori, and Sayaka Obihiro on HEAT-UP “Dream-Up 2016”
• July 26th, 2016 – Koharu Hinata vs. Micro on Mr. Gannosuke Produce “Kishindo Returns 20”
• July 29th, 2016 – Hana Kimura vs. Reika Saiki on WRESTLE-1 “Symbol Tour”
• July 31st, 2016 – Alex Lee and Tiran Shisa vs. Ayumu Honda and Bambi on K-DOJO “Super In TKO Garden City Chiba”
• August 28th, 2016 – Akane Miura, Miyu Yamashita, and Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hyper Misao, Syoko Nakajima, and Yuu on DDT “Ryogoku Peter Pan 2016”

Lots of wrestling! Sleaze! Hardcore! Intergender! Babies! Everything you could ask for.

Dump Matsumoto vs. Miss Mongol
FMW “June Blood” on June 21st, 2016

Mongol attacks Matsumoto outside the ring before the match starts, which quickly backfires as Matsumoto hits Mongol with a kendo stick and stabs her repeatedly in the head with a spike. We clip ahead to them being in the ring and Mongol hitting Matsumoto with a metal pin, cover by Mongol but it gets two. We jump to Matsumoto trying to throw Mongol into the barbed wire, but Mongol slides down to stop her momentum. Matsumoto does care and rakes her into the barbed wire anyway before Irish whipping her into the barbed wire ropes on the other side. Koharu Hinata runs in to try to help Mongol but she elbows Mongol by accident, leading to Mongol kicking Hinata out of the ring while Matsumoto watches. Lariat by Matsumoto and she hits a body press, but Hinata breaks up the cover. Matsumoto gets mad and approaches Hinata, but Mongol sneaks up from behind and pushes her into the barbed wire ropes. Inside Cradle by Mongol, and she picks up the three count! Miss Mongol wins!

This was a six minute match clipped down to two minutes, so obviously not enough was shown to get excited about. It is always fun to see Matsumoto though, she moves slower than she used to but she still has that violent streak that we know and love. A few fun spots and both took a ride into the barbed wire so the pain felt evenly distributed. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Ayako Hamada and Ryo Mizunami vs. GENTARO and The Winger
FREEDOMS “Tokyo Death Match Carnival 2016” on July 13th, 2016

Hamada and Mizunami charge their opponents to start but the idea quickly backfires as they are both attacked with chairs. They set up chairs in the corners but Hamada and Mizunami throw them into the chairs, Hamada grabs Winger and tries walking the ropes, but she is knocked out of the ring. Mizunami is thrown out of the ring too but Hamada takes the chair from GENTARO and throws him into the ring post. Winger avenges GENTARO by doing the same to Hamada and then chokes her with a chair, while GENTARO gets another chair and hits Mizunami in the head with it. Hamada boots GENTARO and goes to check on Mizunami, while the men return to the ring to wait. Hamada gets in too and takes the chair from GENTARO, but she gets double teamed before GENTARO covers her for two. Mizunami gets in the ring, bleeding from the head, which GENTARO makes worse by biting her. Winger picks up Mizunami and he bites Mizunami in the head too, DDT by Winger onto a chair and he covers her for two. GENTARO returns and hits a splash on Mizunami, but he gets a two count as well. GENTARO goes for a piledriver but Mizunami blocks it with a back bodydrop. Mizunami hits GENTARO with a chair but Winger runs in and attacks her from behind.

GENTARO picks up Mizunami and goes for a chair shot, but Mizunami ducks it and spears him. Lariat by Mizunami in the corner, Hamada comes in with a chair while GENTARO is put in the Tree of Woe. Hamada throws the chair at Winger before hitting a baseball slide on GENTARO. They then use the chairs to hit Winger low before doing the same to GENTARO, Mizunami picks up GENTARO and slams him to the mat before going up top and deliver the diving leg drop for a two count. Lariat by Mizunami to Winger, they set up chairs in the ring and sit both GENTARO and Winger onto them, but when they charge them they are drop toeholed onto the chairs. GENTARO throws Mizunami out of the ring and picks up Hamada, hitting a brainbuster onto the chair for a two count. Double flapjack to Hamada onto a chair, cover by GENTARO but Mizunami breaks it up. Mizunami is thrown out of the ring while Winger breaks a lighttube into the ring, but Hamada takes it from him and hits Winger in the head. Hamada grabs a chair before going up top, and she nails a moonsault onto Winger with the chair. Cover by Hamada, but Winger gets a shoulder up. Hamada picks up Winger and she delivers the AP Cross on the chair, picking up the three count pinfall! Hamada and Mizunami are the winners.

That was definitely a crazy match. It was a little over ten minutes long but never slowed down for a second, there was constantly someone being hit with a chair or having some other act of violence done against them. Mizunami and Hamada are about the same size as GENTARO and Winger so it never felt like an uneven match, Hamada is more than capable of holding her own which she showed by easily putting away Winger. The amount of chairs used was due to it being GENTARO’s primary weapon of choice but it just made it all the more meaningful the one time a lighttube was used as it felt like something fresh. A chaotic and fun bloody brawl.  Recommended

Manami Kanda vs. Micro
GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016” on July 19th, 2016

They tie-up to start, Kanda kicks Micro and she bounces the little one off the ropes. Kanda throws down Micro by her hair and slams her head into the mat before applying a Camel Clutch. Irish whip by Kanda but Micro hits a trio of crossbodies for a quick two count. Micro throws Kanda into the corner and hits a dropkick, but Kanda comes back with a lariat and hits a scoop slam. Crab hold by Kanda but Micro gets into the ropes, scoop slam by Kanda but Micro rolls her up for a two count. Micro picks up Kanda but Kanda hits a scoop slam, she goes off the ropes and hits a bodypress for two. Kanda throws Micro into the corner and hits an elbow followed by a face crusher, Kanda gets on the second turnbuckle but Micro shakes the ropes to send her back to the mat. Now Micro goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Micro but Kanda gets a shoulder up. Kanda and Micro trade elbows, shoulderblock by Kanda and she covers Micro for two. Kanda picks up Micro but Micro applies an inside cradle for two. Micro tries a few more quick pins with no luck, hard shoulderblock by Kanda but Micro applies a crucifix pin for two. Micro tries more quick pins but can’t hold Kanda down, running footstomp by Kanda and she knocks down Micro with a lariat. Sliding lariat by Kanda, and she gets the three count! Manami Kanda wins!

All I can say is that this was an actively average and bland match. It was just not engaging or interesting in any way, there is probably a reason that they have stayed on smaller indies. Neither were bad, there weren’t any mistakes, but there was nothing really positive about it either. Thoroughly skippable.

Drake Morimatsu vs. Konaka = Pehlwan
GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016” on July 19th, 2016

The match starts really slow as they are in no rush to get started, Drake finally stops messing around and hits Konaka with a baseball bat. Chops by Drake and she chokes Konaka against the ropes before throwing him down into the corner. Drake starts on Konaka’s arm as I regret watching this match, chinlock by Drake but Konaka gets into the ropes. Now it is Konaka that works on Drake’s arm but Drake snapmares him and hits a leg drop. Konaka kicks Drake back and applies a necklock over the top rope, swandive chop to the head by Konaka and he does a quick post before going for the cross armbreaker. Drake gets into the ropes but Konaka quickly applies an armbar, Drake again inches to the ropes and she forces another break. Stomps by Konaka but Drake fires back with a lariat, Konaka rolls out of the ring but Drake goes out after him. Konaka attacks Drake from behind but Drake chops him and they battle into the stands. They return to the ring and Drake hits Konaka with a chair but Konaka takes it from her, Drake takes it back and tosses the chair out of the ring before hitting a lariat. Another lariat by Drake and she covers Konaka, but picks him up before the three count. Samoan Driver by Drake, she picks up Konaka and hits a Michinoku Driver, but Konaka grabs her arm when she goes for a cover and applies an armbar. Drake struggles for a moment before she taps out! Konaka = Pehlwan wins the match.

No lie, this match kinda bored me to tears. Konaka doesn’t show a lot of emotion and Drake is obviously limited so for a ten minute match not a whole hell of a lot happened. I am not sure who the target audience for this match is but it wasn’t me, just a flat mid-card match.

Emi Sakura and Hibiscus Mii vs. Riho, Kotori, and Sayaka Obihiro
HEAT-UP “Dream-Up 2016” on July 21st, 2016

Sakura is jumped before the match starts and is triple teamed, Mii comes in the ring to help but Kotori requests her to leave so she does. I bet being able to understand the pre-match talking would have helped. Sakura comes back and hits a crossbody on all three before tagging in Mii, Kotori stays in to face her and immediately puts Mii in the cross armbreaker. Mii gets into the ropes but Sakura runs up the corner and hits an armdrag before tagging in Obihiro. Obihiro floors Mii but Mii bridges out of the cover, elbow by Obihiro but Mii bridges out again. They go through this a few times until Mii collapses, Mii manages to hit a Stunner and she dropkicks Obihiro in the head. Sakura isn’t around for her to tag while Riho is also tagged in, Kotori comes in too and they all roll over Mii. Mii gets away and manages to tag Sakura this time, and they double team Riho. Riho dropkicks Mii out of the ring and tags in Kotori, Obihiro also comes in but Sakura rams them into each other and hits a crossbody in the corner on them both. Double underhook slam attempt by Sakura but Kotori slides down her back and applies a sleeper. Mii runs in but Riho grabs her, Obihiro comes in but Sakura kicks her away. Riho and Kotori get on the second turnbuckle and hit dual footstomps onto Sakura, cover by Kotori but it gets two. Kotori goes off the ropes but Sakura catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, giving her time to tags in Mii. Riho is also tagged in and slaps Mii, dropkick by Riho and she hits a jumping knee in the corner. Eye poke by Mii but Kotori hits a diving crossbody as does Riho for a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by Riho, but Mii kicks out again, Riho throws Mii in the corner but Mii slides out to the apron and hits a missile dropkick. Mii tags Sakura, she picks up Riho and hits the double underhook backbreaker. Sakura goes up top but Riho moves when she goes for a senton, tilt-a-whirl roll-up by Riho but Sakura kicks out. Kotori comes in and hits a judo throw on Sakura, Somato by Riho and she covers Sakura for the three count! Riho, Kotori, and Obihiro win!

This was a cute short little mid-card match. Kotori and Riho are a lot of fun to watch, I always enjoy it when I get a chance to watch them. Two young wrestlers with a lot of potential. Sakura and Mii are great too, and the match was really fluid for a crazy match with tons of interference and quick offense. Not a ton of substance but enjoyable.  Mildly Recommended

Koharu Hinata vs. Micro
Mr. Gannosuke Produce “Kishindo Returns 20” on July 26th, 2016

Unlike the last match, this one starts slowly as they feel each other out with Micro hitting the first move of the match with a bodyslam. She picks up Hinata and throws her down by her hair, but Hinata returns the favor and stomps down Micro in the corner. Scoop slam by Micro and she puts Hinata in a crab hold, but Hinata crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Micro at one point trapped Hinata’s arms too so she couldn’t grab the ropes, which is a smarter tactic than I am used to seeing in my pro wres. Hinata comes back with a kick, Micro scoops her up but Hinata falls on top of Micro for a two count. Now it is Hinata that puts Micro in the crab hold, she then lets it go only to put Micro in a Surfboard. Back up they trade elbows, Micro goes off the ropes but Hinata catches her with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Hinata, she picks up Micro and hits a few slaps before kicking her again. Scoop slam by Hinata and she covers Micro for a two. Knees by Hinata and she kicks Micro out of the corner, diving crossbody by Hinata but that gets a two as well. Bodyscissors into a roll-up by Hinata and she also tries an inside cradle as well as a backslide, but Micro kicks out each time. Micro charges Hinata and grabs her by the leg, she hits a unique leg sweep roll-up and she gets the three count! Micro wins!

I enjoyed this a bit more than I probably should have, it wasn’t anything special and wasn’t overly exciting, but Micro does so many little things that I had a good time watching it. Trapping the arms when putting on a crab hold is so smart but rarely done, and I loved the leg sweep pin which I have never seen before. Hinata was solid too, both wrestlers are itty bitty so they are limited in what they can do, but overall it was still a pretty solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Hana Kimura vs. Reika Saiki
WRESTLE-1 “Symbol Tour” on July 29th, 2016

They begin with a knuckle lock and a Test of Strength which Hana gets the better of. Hana applies a headlock on the mat before applying a leg submission, Hana then gets in the mount position and goes for an armbreaker but Reika gets to the ropes. Scoop slam by Hana and she applies a crab hold, but again Reika gets to the ropes to force a break. Back up they trade elbows, dropkick by Reika and she dropkicks Hana into the corner. Kicks to the chest by Reika and she hits a scoop slam, kicks by Reika to Hana’s leg and she hits another slam for a two count cover. Reika goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Hana bridges out of the pin. Hana applies a stretch hold before tossing Reika off and slams her into the corner. Double knee to the back by Hana and she dropkicks Reika for a two count cover. Hana picks up Reika but Reika sneaks in an inside cradle, kicks by Reika and she nails an enzuigiri for a two. Head kick by Reika, and she picks up the three count pinfall! The winner of the match is Reika Saiki.

This was a very rookiesque match. A little rough around the edges, pretty basic, and nothing incredibly exciting. Some moves were executed really well, Reika has nice kicks and Hana’s ground game is solid, but other moves looked a bit weaker and they seemed to get a bit lost at least once. A necessary match for their growth but not something I could recommend.

Alex Lee and Tiran Shisa vs. Ayumu Honda and Bambi
K-DOJO “Super In TKO Garden City Chiba” on July 31st, 2016

Shisa starts with Honda, they bounce off the ropes until Shisa hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick. Lee and Bambi are tagged in and trade wristlocks, they both go for shoulderblocks until Lee knocks Bambi to the mat. Lee tags in Shisa, he goes for a scoop slam but Bambi lands on top of him. Honda comes in the ring and they both boot Shisa, Bambi puts Shisa into the ropes and both she and Honda kick Shisa in the chest. Bambi tags in Honda, Honda dropkicks Shisa and hits an armbreaker followed by a body press onto Shisa’s arm. He tags Bambi back in, kicks by Bambi and she covers Shisa for a two count. Bambi gets her whip and chokes Shisa with it, she lets go just to whip him and makes the tag to Honda. Honda dropkicks Shisa in the corner, another dropkick by Honda and he tags Bambi. Shisa kicks Bambi when she charges her and delivers a dropkick, giving him time to tag in Lee. Lee knees Bambi but Honda hits her from the apron, he comes in the ring but Lee kicks them before hitting a double face crusher. Kick to the face by Lee, and she covers Bambi for two. Lee and Bambi trade elbows, Lee goes off the ropes but Bambi catches her with a boot. Another boot by Bambi, and she gets a two count cover. Bambi applies a double reverse armbar, but Lee gets a foot on the bottom rope. Bambi tags in Honda, armbreaker by Honda and he hits a hammerlock Backstabber. Lee kicks Honda in the chest and hits a high kick, she tags in Shisa and Shisa hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Running seated senton by Shisa in the corner and he hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Shisa goes off the ropes but Honda catches him with a kick, Northern Lights Suplex by Shisa but Honda kicks out. Shisa goes for a corkscrew quebrada but Honda avoids he, he knocks Lee off the apron as Bambi comes in the ring, and they double team Shisa. Bambi hits a running knee on Shisa, Honda gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick, but Lee breaks up the cover. Shisa sneaks in a schoolboy on Honda for a two count, he also tries a backslide and La Magistral but those get a two count as well. Shisa charges Honda but Honda hits a cross armbreaker takedown, and Shisa submits! Ayumu Honda and Bambi win the match!

As everyone that knows me is aware I have a natural liking of wrestlers in wrestling masks, so I naturally thought that Shisa was by far the most impressive wrestler in this match. Bambi and Lee are both pretty stiff/awkward, they are competent wrestlers but don’t really do anything to set themselves apart. Honda wasn’t impressing me until the cross armbreaker takedown, which I will admit looked really nice, but otherwise this was just a match on a small show that felt like it went a bit too long. Some solid moments but overall lackluster.

Akane Miura, Miyu Yamashita, and Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hyper Misao, Syoko Nakajima, and Yuu
DDT “Ryogoku Peter Pan 2016” on August 28th, 2016

Nakajima and Yamashita are the first two in, Nakajima takes Yamashita to the mat but Yamashita applies a headscissors. Nakajima bridges out of it, knee by Yamashita and she tags in Akane. Yuu tags in too, Yuu and Akane try to shoulderblock each other over which Yuu gets the better of. She tags in Misao but Akane catches her crossbody attempt and slams her to the mat. Akane tags in Sakazaki, spinning headscissors by Sakazaki but Misao chokes her with a handkerchief. Snapmare by Misao and she puts Sakazaki in the Rocking Horse, cover by Misao but it gets a two count. She tags in Yuu, Yuu chops Sakazaki and she hits a spinning side slam. She tags in Nakajima, flipping neckbreaker by Nakajima but Sakazaki elbows her away. Nakajima stops her from tagging out though, Sakazaki tries to shoot a streamer gun at Nakajima but Nakajima reverses it. Dropkick by Sakazaki and she makes the hot tag to Akane, Akane shoulderblocks everyone and hits a double lariat on Nakajima and Misao. Nakajima comes back with a springboard armdrag, Nakajima puts Akane in a few quick pins but Akane kicks out each time. Nakajima goes for a double underhook but Akane back bodydrops out of it, hurricanrana by Nakajima and she tags in Yuu. Yamashita tags in too, chops by Yuu and she hits the Oklahoma Stampede for a two count. High kick by Yamashita but Yuu catches her with a Judo Throw and tags in Misao. Jumping crossbody by Misao and she hits a few weak uppercuts, another crossbody by Misao and she slams Yamashita onto her knee for a two count. Misao gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but Yamashita rolls through it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick for two. Misao tags in Nakajima, Akane comes in and she blocks Nakajima’s Tiger Feint Kick. Akane holds Nakajima so that Yamashita can hit her Magical Girl Kick, jumping lariat by Yamashita to Misao and she nails the Attitude Adjustment for the three count! Akane Miura, Miyu Yamashita, and Yuka Sakazaki are the winners!

I really love the Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers, they all have unique characters and show a strong ability on the mat to go with their flashy moves to wow the crowd. Misao was the clear weak link of the teams as she got lost once and has weak strikes, but everyone else looked solid. Yamashita is someone that more Joshi fans would be talking about if she “made TV” more often, hopefully DDT will allow/encourage them to take bookings other places at some point so she can get out in the wild a bit more. A fun exhibition match with memorable spots and some quality wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

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