Keep in mind of course this ranking is purely subjective because it is based 95% on the quality of their matches, not accomplishments won or how many tours they were on. Please note this is based solely on the wrestler’s matches in Stardom and is not a ranking of the wrestler considering their career as a whole. The following wrestlers are excluded from the list: Cat Power (only had one match), Kris Wolf (contracted Stardom wrestler), and Alex Lee (Freelancer used by many Joshi promotions). Without any further ado, here is my Official List of Best Gaijins in Stardom, 2016 Edition:

1. Kay Lee Ray Stardom Matches in 2016: 15 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Matches in Stardom: vs. Iwatani on 1/17 and vs. Shirai on 9/22	2. Toni Storm Stardom Matches in 2016: 17 Titles Won in Stardom: SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 7/24	3. Evie Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: Artist of Stardom Best Match in Stardom: vs. Iwatani on 2/21
4. Kellie Skater Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: Artist of Stardom Best Match in Stardom: Hyper Destroyers vs. Three Daughters on 2/28	5. Alpha Female Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 3/26	6. Leah Vaughan Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: with Wolf vs. Oedo Tai on 8/5
7. Viper Stardom Matches in 2016: 17 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 2/21	8. Santana Garrett Stardom Matches in 2016: 8 Titles Won in Stardom: Wonder of Stardom Best Match in Stardom: vs. Hojo on 5/15	9. Chelsea Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Hojo on 8/5
10. Tessa Blanchard Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 9/4	11. Diosa Atenea Stardom Matches in 2016: 14 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: Oedo Tai vs. Three Daughters on 6/11	12. Kaitlin Diemond Stardom Matches in 2016: 13 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: Oedo Tai vs. Thunder Rock on 2/21
13. Shanna Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Storm on 8/5	14. Blue Nikita Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. KLR on 8/28	15. Courtney Stewart Stardom Matches in 2016: 5 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Hojo on 8/28
16. Chelsea Green Stardom Matches in 2016: 5 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: Elimination Tag on 2/7	17. Queen Maya Stardom Matches in 2016: 6 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Iwatani on 4/29	18. Lizzy Styles Stardom Matches in 2016: 3 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: n/a

And there we have it! I’ll have a more complete list with more details after the year has ended. By then, Stardom will have used over 20 different gaijin wrestlers, which is a lot of foreign talent for any promotion in the world, let alone a Joshi promotion. Some have worked out well, some have not, but either way it certainly adds something different to their cards. Hopefully in 2017 they will focus on the gaijins that performed well in the promotion as quality is better than quantity, but with new native wrestlers debuting soon they may not need to use as many gaijin talent in the future. I’ll check back in January to update a final list, since Chelsea Green has another tour coming up she in particular has an opportunity to move up the rankings if she has some bigger matches.

The post Stardom Gaijins in 2016 – A Complete Ranking appeared first on Joshi City.

And now we are jumping ahead to the final day of the tournament! I mentioned in my last review there was no way I was going to be able to review every show, just too much going on with the website and I don’t want Joshi City to become Stardom City. Still, I wasn’t going to skip this one, not only because it has the finals of the tournament but also has Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray, two of my favorite female wrestlers. Yoko Bito and Tessa Blanchard won their blocks and will be battling for the tournament crown, here is the full card:

• Arisu Nanase and Natsumi Maki vs. Saori Anou and Azumi
• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Kairi Hojo
• Kyoko Kimura, Kagetsu, and X vs. Mayu Iwatani, Momo Watanabe, and Jungle Kyouna
• SWA World Championship: Toni Storm vs. Blue Nikita
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray
• 5★Star Grand Prix Final: Tessa Blanchard vs. Yoko Bito

This aired live, so no clipping! Let’s get to the action.

Arisu Nanase and Natsumi Maki vs. Saori Anou and Azumi

Natsumi and Azumi start the match, they both go off the ropes and Natsumi dropkicks Azumi. Natsumi poses too much however and Azumi attacks her from behind and throws Natsumi into her career so she can tag in Arisu. Arisu and Azumi trade elbows, DDT by Azumi and she tags in Saori. Saori tries to slam Arisu but Arisu blocks it before putting Anou in a crab hold. She gets into the ropes but Arisu had already let her go by then and she stops the rookie in the back. Shoulderblocks by Anou and she applies a leg submission, she goes for a suplex but Arisu blocks it and applies a cross-leg submission hold. Arisu tags in Natsumi, Natsumi goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody on Anou. Dropkick by Arisu, swinging neckbreaker by Natsumi and she covers Anou for a two count. Elbows by Natsumi but Anou applies a backslide with a bridge, but that gets two as well. Azumi is tagged back in and she dropkicks Natsumi, Natsumi cartwheels away however and hits a body press. Monkey flip by Azumi and she kicks Natsumi in the back, vertical suplex by Azumi and she gets a two count. Azumi gets on the second turnbuckle but Natsumi tosses her off, she gets on the turnbuckle but Anou hits a Fisherman Suplex. DDT by Azumi, but Natsumi rolls out of the cover. Back Crash by Natsumi, and she picks up the three count! Arisu Nanase and Natsumi Maki are the winners.

This was a much more… ‘real’ match than I am used to seeing from the opener. By that I mean there was less goofiness or playing around, everyone acted like winning the match was their priority. Natsumi continues to improve, she already has the moves but just needs some experience to put it all together. A solid way to kick off the show.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf

Kris actually shakes hands, which is unusual for her, but she attacks Yoneyama anyway and hits a flying headscissors. Yoneyama bites Kris on the arm and hits Mongolian Chops, she goes for a German suplex but Kris gets out of it. Yoneyama gets Kris by the tail and twists it in the ropes, cross-leg hold by Yoneyama but Kris gets to the ropes. Yoneyama ties Kris to the bottom rope by her tail, she unties her and scoop slams Kris. Chinlock by Yoneyama but Kris gets to the ropes, Irish whip by Yoneyama but Kris hits a springboard crossbody for a two count. Kicks by Kris and she knees Yoneyama in the corner, high knee by Kris and she kicks Yoneyama in the back. Kris gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving double kneedrop, but Yoneyama barely kicks out of the cover. Kris goes all the way up this time but Yoneyama moves out of the way, knee to the back by Yoneyama and she hits a running senton. Yoneyama picks up Kris but Kris reverses the suplex attempt into a roll-up. Yoneyama picks up Kris and she nails the Chaos Theory, getting the three count cover! Kaori Yoneyama wins the match.

This was fun, Kris is a bundle of excitement and Yoneyama is a long time veteran that knows how to put on a good match. It was too short to recommend but for a five minute match it did about all it could. Yoneyama biting Kris showed that the veteran could do anything Kris could do, plus more, which is why she didn’t have too much difficulty winning. Always a pleasure to see Kris, never can go too wrong watching one of her matches.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Kairi Hojo

Hiromi is all business in her big chance against her friend, normally they are fun and games together but not today. They trade wristlocks to start, Kairi gets Hiromi to the mat but Hiromi gets away from her and they take turns having the advantage. Hiromi drives Kairi into the corner and hits a flurry of elbows, dropkick by Hiromi but Kairi stays on her feet. More dropkicks still can’t knock the champion over, and Kairi hits a double chop. Chops by Kairi in the corner and she hits a running shoulder tackle, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving forearm smash for a two count. Hiromi and Kairi trade elbows, Kairi goes off the ropes but Hiromi dropkicks her to the mat. Dropkicks by Hiromi in the corner and she rolls Kairi to the mat before applying a kneelock, but Kairi crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Hiromi goes off the ropes but Kairi levels her with a spear, spinning chop by Kairi and she covers Hiromi for two. Crab hold by Kairi, but Hiromi gets out of it and goes for a few flash pins with no success. Hiromi goes up top and hits a diving elbow strike, she goes up again but Kairi joins her this time and the two trade elbows while on the second rope. Kairi chops Hiromi in the throat and tosses her to the mat, Sliding D by Kairi and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Kairi Hojo wins!

The reason that everyone loves Kairi Hojo isn’t because she is the best wrestler in Stardom (that’s Io) or the best striker (Yoko) or the best bumper (Mayu), but because she always shows so much emotion and passion while wrestling. On paper this is a pretty simple mid-ard match, but Kairi wrestles at 100% regardless of the situation and its easy to get sucked into her matches. It helped that these two have solid chemistry, not only do they tag together but I am sure they train together too, and this was Hiromi’s best singles match since debuting. It wasn’t technically a high-end match, but Kairi’s natural charisma and intensity made it seem more special than it probably was even though the action itself was mostly simple.  Mildly Recommended

Kyoko Kimura, Kagetsu, and Hana Kimura vs. Iwatani, Momo Watanabe, and Kyouna

As predicted, Oedo Tai attacks before the match starts and while Mayu is still wrapped in streamers (she really should stop doing that), the action immediately spills out to the floor and Oedo Tai tosses their opponents around the stands. Things settle back down with Hana in the ring with Momo, Hana drags Momo around the ring before tagging in Kagetsu. Momo plays the Face in Peril while Oedo Tai takes turns attacking her, Momo finally hits a dropkick on Kyoko and make the hot tag to Mayu. Mayu clears the apron but kicks Kyouna in the head by accident, Kagetsu and Hana come in the ring but Mayu slides out of the ring and Kyouna hits a diving crossbody on all three. Missile dropkick by Mayu on Kyoko, then Kyouna slams Mayu into Kyoko. She does it again, cover by Mayu but it gets two. Momo wants to be tagged back in so Mayu tags her, but she promptly misses a missile dropkick. Kyoko tags Kagetsu, kicks by Kagetsu but Momo returns fire with kicks of her own. Momo hits a missile dropkick, cover by Momo but it gets two. She tags Mayu, armdrag by Mayu but Kagetsu hits an armdrag of her own and they reach a stalemate. Mayu gets Kagetsu’s arm and hits a triple jump split legged armdrag, dropkick by Mayu but Kagetsu kicks her in the head.

Iwatani comes back with a superkick, Kagetsu rolls to her corner and tags in Hana while Kyouna is also tagged in. Shoulderblock by Kyouna but Hana chokes her with a scarf, Kyoko and Kagetsu come in and everyone chokes Kyouna together. Kicks by Hana and Kyoko, and Hana covers Kyouna for two. Hana goes for a suplex but Kyouna reverses it, she tries to tag out but Hana schoolboys her and hits a vertical suplex. Hana tags her mom, Mayu and Momo run in and they both attack Kyoko. Kyoko kicks all three of them in the head repeatedly but when she goes off the ropes she eats a triple dropkick. Superkick by Mayu, knee by Momo and Kyouna ends with a diving body press, but Kris Wolf runs in and grabs the referee so he can’t count. Kagetsu gets a parking sign but the referee stops her from using it, Hana hits Kagetsu by accident as does Kyoko, but Hana dropkicks Mayu and Momo. Kagetsu dropkicks Kyouna and Mayu, spear by Kagetsu to Kyouna and Kyoko kicks her in the head for a two count. Kyoko picks up Kyouna but Kyouna slides away, Kagetsu hits Kyouna from the apron but Kyouna lariats Kyoko anyway for a two count. Kyoko blocks the gutwrench suplex and Kagetsu hits Kyouna with a sign, but Momo breaks up the cover. Assisted Gory Special by Kimura to Kyouna, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins!

I wouldn’t say I loved this match, it was a bit too ‘all over the place’ and it took about ten minutes before it really heated up. I do like Hana Kimura being in Oedo Tai, I think she has shown a lot of promise as a rookie and being with her mom will likely help her progress since Kyoko has a lot she can offer. None of the other wrestlers got much of a chance to shine since there was a lot of in-and-out, but no one looked bad. The Kagetsu/Mayu section was great though, they work really well together. An above average match, but overall not very memorable.

Toni Storm vs. Blue Nikita
SWA World Championship

After some polite trading of holds and mat work, the tide turns a bit when Storm hits Nikita a hard slap and kicks her in the head. More strikes by Storm but Nikita starts returning fire with elbows. Snapmare by Nikita and she kicks Storm before rolling her up in a crucifix for a two count. Scoop slam by Nikita and she hits a running senton, she knocks Storm into the corner and chokes her against the ropes. Nikita applies a bodyscissors but Storm gets into the ropes to force a break. Nikita chops Storm but Storm moves when Nikita charges in and Nikita falls out of the ring. Storm quickly sails out onto her with a tope suicida, she tries to throw Nikita into the ring post but Nikita reverses it. Nikita picks up Storm on the apron but Storm wiggles away, kick to the chest by Nikita but Storm drops her with a piledriver. Storm gets back in the ring first with Nikita slowly following, Storm charges Nikita in the corner but Nikita moves and hits a dropkick. Cannonball by Nikita, and she covers Storm for two. Big boots by Nikita and she dropkicks Storm, covering her for another two count. Nikita picks up Storm but Storm gets away, elbow by Nikita but Storm hits the Backstabber. Running butt smash by Storm, and she delivers a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Storm goes up top but Nikita has recovered and joins, Storm headbutts her but Nikita grabs her and hits a Death Valley Bomb. Nikita picks up Storm and hits two more Death Valley Bombs, but Storm kicks out of the cover at one and hits a release German. I can’t really justify that, and I am more lenient than most. Piledriver by Storm, and she hits the diving leg drop for the three count! Storm is still your champion.

There isn’t any way I could recommend a match that ended like that. Did they lose track of time and the referee told them they had to finish immediately? The Death Valley Bomb is Nikita’s finisher, not only did Storm practically no-sell being hit by three of them but she never returned the favor, she then quickly hit her three finishing moves and won the match. One of the worst finishing stretches I’ve seen. Course after being piledrove on the apron, Nikita hit the first offensive move back in the ring so maybe there were just trying to do crazy shit. Some fun moments but the action was just way too off, I like my pro wres at least 5% realistic.

Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray
World of Stardom Championship

Io and Kay Lee Ray feel each other out to begin, they trade elbows until Kay Lee Ray hits rolling Northern Light Suplexes for a two count. Io rolls out of the ring to re-group, Kay Lee Ray goes off the far ropes and sails out onto Io with a tope suicida. She goes for a second one but Io elbows her before she can dive out and pulls Kay Lee Ray back out of the ring. Io tries to throw Kay Lee Ray into the apron but Kay Lee Ray rebounds off of it with an attack on Io. Back in the ring, cover by Kay Lee Ray but it gets a two count. Kay Lee Ray puts Io in a stretch hold, she picks her up and kicks Io a few times before covering her for another two. Io and Kay Lee Ray trade elbows, cartwheel by Io and she dropkicks Kay Lee Ray near the corner. Running double knee by Io, she sits up Kay Lee Ray and dropkicks her in the head for two. Io goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, Kay Lee Ray kicks out but Io immediately puts her in an armtrap crossface. Kay Lee Ray gets to the ropes, Io charges her but Kay Lee Ray hits a pair of superkicks. Io falls out of the ring, Kay Lee Ray runs up the corner and she flips out of the ring onto Io and her friends. Io gets her arm sprayed, Kay Lee Ray rolls her back in but Io avoids the Gory Special. Io rolls to the apron and snaps Kay Lee Ray’s neck on the ropes, swandive missile dropkick by Io and she covers Kay Lee Ray for two. Io charges Kay Lee Ray but Kay Lee Ray slides out to the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick. Io elbows Kay Lee Ray but Kay Lee Ray kicks her back and hits the Gory Special for a two count cover. Kay Lee Ray goes up top but Io gets her knees up on the Swanton Bomb attempt, Io and Kay Lee Ray trade elbows on their knees and continue on their feet, Kay Lee Ray goes for a springboard off the ropes but Io catches her in midair with a German suplex. Swinging kick to the head by Io, package German by Io but Kay Lee Ray barely gets a shoulder up. Io goes up top and nails the moonsault, picking up the three count pinfall! Io Shirai wins and keeps her championship title.

While I wish they had gotten more time, they did the best they could under the constraints and it was a great match. Kay Lee Ray is only 24 years old but is so good, I love her high flying and she is crisp with her kicks. They had great chemistry considering they don’t have a lot of experience against each other, with some well done reversals and fluid exchanges. They also combined the high spots with based offense pretty well, although they were a bit rushed at times due to the time issues. Overall a really fun match though, definitely worth tracking down.  Recommended

Tessa Blanchard vs. Yoko Bito
5★Star Grand Prix Final

The match starts slow as they look for leverage, Tessa misses a dropkick but she avoids Bito’s kicks and hides in the corner. Dragon screw by Tessa and she twists Bito’s leg around the bottom rope, elbows by Tessa and she hits a running elbow in the corner. Tessa applies a headscissors but Bito gets to the ropes, elbows by Tessa and she knees Bito but comes back with a hard lariat for a two count cover. Tessa immediately takes back over and attacks Bito while she is in the ropes, she goes out to the apron with Bito and goes for a piledriver, but Bito blocks it. Tessa tosses Bito to the floor but Bito drags her down with her and kicks her against the apron. Tessa throws Bito into a chair at ringside before finally returning to the ring, and the pair trade elbows. Reverse STO by Tessa, but Bito gets a shoulder up. Vertical suplex by Bito and she kicks Tessa in the back, missile dropkick by Bito and she covers Tessa for two. Bito goes for a crossbody but Tessa moves, landing Bito hanging over the second rope. Tessa kicks Bito out of the ring but then brings her up onto the apron, elbows by Tessa until Bito nails a high kick. Bito goes for another kick but Tessa catches it and rams Bito’s leg into the apron. Both wrestlers slowly roll back in before the 20 Count, Tessa goes for the Tessa Attack but Bito blocks it and hits a German suplex hold for two. B-Driver by Bito, but Tessa barely gets a shoulder up, Bito goes for another one but Tessa reverses it with a Yoshi Tonic for a two count. High kick by Bito, she picks up Tessa and she hits a second B-Driver for another two count. Doll B by Bito, she picks up Tessa and hits a second Doll B for the three count! Yoko Bito is the winner of the FIVE STAR GP!

I really wanted to like this since I love tournaments and want to see Bito do well, but it was a really flat final. There were a number of issues with it, first with just who they picked to be in the final as the Tokyo crowd had virtually no idea who Tessa was which hurt the reactions. Then Tessa was in control most of the match, doing offense that wasn’t too captivating, which led to the place being pretty dead. Then they had some miscommunications, and the offense wasn’t very snug. This may have worked as an eight minute tournament match, but as the final on one of their biggest shows of the year it was just disappointing. The right person won for sure, it just wasn’t a great journey to get there.

The post Stardom 5★Star GP Final on 9/22/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I have accepted the fact that I am not going to review all of the FIVE STAR GP events due to time reasons, but I did want to review this one just for the main event if nothing else. Here are the standings going into the event:

As before, I will only be reviewing the tournament matches. These are the matches we will be watching today:

• Blue Block: Blue Nikita vs. Hiromi Mimura
• Red Block: Courtney Stewart vs. Momo Watanabe
• Red Block: Kris Wolf vs. Tessa Blanchard
• Blue Block: Natsumi Maki vs. Yoko Bito
• Blue Block: Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm
• Red Block: Io Shirai vs. Kairi Hojo

My favorites are all here so this should be fun, although many of the matches are unfortunately quite short.

Blue Nikita vs. Hiromi Mimura

Nikita tosses around Hiromi to start the match and kicks her in the stomach, more kicks by Nikita but Hiromi wiggles away and applies a few quick pins. Dropkick by Hiromi and she elbows Nikita against the ropes, but Nikita hits a cartwheel kick and applies a submission hold. Hiromi gets to the ropes to force a break, Nikita stomps on Hiromi but Hiromi rolls her to the mat and applies her cross kneelock. Nikita gets into the ropes, elbows by Hiromi but Nikita knocks her to the mat. La Magistral by Hiromi, she picks up Nikita but Nikita hits a vertical suplex. Death Valley Bomb by Nikita, and she picks up the three count! Blue Nikita wins and gets two points in the tournament.

Hiromi continued her attempt to win matches with quick pins and having no luck with it whatsoever. A pretty basic match, about what you’d expect from an opener but a decent showing by Nikita.

Courtney Stewart vs. Momo Watanabe

Momo attacks first with elbows and a dropkick, Courtney fights back and elbows Momo in the corner before twisting her up in the ropes. Courtney kicks Momo from the apron, cover by Courtney but it gets a two count. Backbreaker by Courtney but Momo elbows her and hits another dropkick. Dropkick by Momo in the corner and she hits a final one, cover by Momo but Courtney kicks out. Elbows by Courtney in the corner by Momo elbows her back, Momo slides away from Courtney but she gets out of the waistlock and throws Momo into the corner. Lariat by Courtney but Momo avoids her charge and hits a series of mid-kicks. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes for the Somato but Courtney rolls out of the way. Knee drop by Courtney, she picks up Momo but Momo rolls her up for two. Dropkick by Momo and she kicks Courtney to the mat, Somato by Momo and she gets the three count! Momo Watanabe gets the win and two points.

I have mentioned in the past that Momo looks great against seasoned veterans but a bit lost against people with similar experience as her. While the match was basic it also had a fair amount of iffy transitions and they looked a few times like they weren’t on the same page. Momo has shown a lot of potential but still has a ways to go before she can lead a match, which is understandable as she is still only 16 years old. Safe to skip this match though.

Kris Wolf vs. Tessa Blanchard

Tessa and Kris trade wristlocks to start, Kris gets the better of it and she shoulderblocks Tessa to the mat. Tessa knocks Kris out of the ring, she goes to do a dive but Kris hits her with a chair before she can. Kris keeps the assault up outside the ring and on the apron, she slams Tessa on a chair before hitting the chair into her. Kris rolls Tessa back in and hits mounted elbows, double kneedrop by Kris and she covers Tessa for two. Tessa comes back with a running cutter, elbows by Tessa and she hits a pair of neckbreakers before dropkicking Kris into the corner. Springboard bulldog by Tessa, but Kris gets a shoulder up on the cover. Wolf hits a rebound crossbody to get back on top, she gets up on the turnbuckle and kicks Tessa when she charges in. Suplex by Kris and she goes for a leg submission, but Tessa gets to the ropes before she can lock it on. Tessa drops Kris onto the second turnbuckle and hits a running elbow to the back, inside cradle by Kris but it gets two. Tessa grabs Kris and delivers the Tessa Attack, and she gets the three count! Tessa is the winner and she gets two points in the tournament.

My favorite match of the night so far, mostly because I adore Kris but it was a well structured match. Kris was only going to win with some shenanigans, so her using the chairs made sense, but once they got back into the ring it was the better wrestler that got the win. Tessa winning was necessary so that she didn’t fall behind in the Blocks, and since Kris was a late entry she didn’t really need a win. Although I hope she gets some points sometime. Fun match.  Mildly Recommended

Natsumi Maki vs. Yoko Bito

Natsumi gets the early advantage with elbows but Yoko fires back and the two trade blows. Natsumi and Yoko trade elbows, Natsumi does a cartwheel and armdrags Yoko to the mat. She does another cartwheel and rolls up Yoko, she goes for a few other quick pins but Yoko kicks out each time. Yoko has had enough and throws down Natsumi by her hair, scoop slam by Yoko and she delivers a second one. Natsumi goes for a crossbody but Yoko catches her, Natsumi dropkicks Yoko into the corner and she hits a swinging slam with a bridge for a two count. Natsumi slaps Yoko and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody for another two. Yoko delivers a jumping high kick and kicks Natsumi repeatedly in the back, Doll-B by Yoko and she picks up the three count! Yoko Bito wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

Even though it was short I think they accomplished what they were going for. Yoko Bito got the win she needed and won pretty easily, but Natsumi got her moves in too and looked good in the process as she didn’t mess up anything. Not all of Yoko’s high kicks hit flush, I guess she was taking it easy on the youngster, but in the end it didn’t really matter too much. Simple and a little rough around the edges, but not bad.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm

After some introductory limb work, Storm applies a headscissors but Kay Lee Ray does a handstand to get out of it. Shoulderblock by Kay Lee Ray but Storm trips her and rolls her up for two. Yoshi Tonic by Storm, but Kay Lee Ray gets a shoulder up and both wrestlers are back on their feet. Big kick by Storm and she uppercuts Kay Lee Ray, Storm throws Kay Lee Ray into the corner but Kay Lee Ray jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Storm goes for a Backstabber but Kay Lee Ray hangs onto the ropes to block it, kicks by Kay Lee Ray and she covers Storm for two. Kay Lee Ray chops Storm in the corner, float over DDT and she puts Storm in a grounded front necklock. Storm muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex, Storm knocks Kay Lee Ray into the corner but Kay Lee Ray avoids her charge and goes up top. Storm hits her before she can jump off, they trade reversals until Storm rolls up Kay Lee Ray for a two count. Both wrestlers go for headbutts, and they knock each other out in the process. Kay Lee Ray and Storm trade elbows, release German by Storm and she hits a running knee in the corner. Fisherman suplex by Storm, but Kay Lee Ray kicks out of the cover. Storm picks up Kay Lee Ray but Kay Lee Ray hits a front suplex, Northern Lights Suplex by Kay Lee Ray but Storm rolls through it and hits a DDT for two. Back up, kicks by Kay Lee Ray and she hits a Gory Special for a two count. Kay Lee Ray goes up top but Storm rolls out of the ring, so Kay Lee Ray jumps out onto Storm on the floor. Kay Lee Ray rolls Storm back in but Storm immediately dives onto her with a tope suicida. Both wrestlers are slow to recover, they get up on the apron, Storm goes for a piledriver but Kay Lee Ray gets out of it. High kick by Kay Lee Ray, she charges Storm but Storm pushes her away and nails a piledriver onto the apron! Storm drags Kay Lee Ray up and rolls her into the ring, she hits another piledriver but the time expires! The match is a Draw and both wrestlers get one point.

As I assumed, these two have great chemistry and the time really flew by. Lots of tight reversals with big strikes and suplexes mixed in, not to mention the killer apron spot. Kay Lee Ray is one of the best woman wrestlers in the world as far as I can tell, she mixes in her offense well and is convincing at selling Storm’s offense. The only knock on the match was the end, if Storm knew that time was ending she shouldn’t have gone for another piledriver, she should have been trying to quickly pin Kay Lee Ray before it was too late. Besides that, a great match, I really enjoyed it.  Recommended

Io Shirai vs. Kairi Hojo

Io gets the first advantage with elbows but Kairi hits a headscissors and rolls up Io for two. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, Kairi chops Io into the corner but Io retires fire and chops Kairi against the ropes. Io stomps down Kairi in the corner, she slides out to the apron and kicks Kairi in the head. Io goes for a swandive move but Kairi hits her mid-jump and hits a diving footstomp while Io is hanging over the top rope. Kairi hits a Sliding D to Io’s back, which sends Io out of the ring. Shoulder tackles by Kairi as she continuously knocks Io into the apron, Kairi then gets on the apron and hits a footstomp onto Io’s chest. Back in the ring, Kairi its a shoulder tackle to Io’s back before going up top, but Io dropkicks her as she jumps off. Io goes for a Tiger Feint Kick but Kairi avoids it, Kairi charges Io but Io moves and Kairi is left hanging over the second rope. Io gets on the apron and grabs Kairi, she gets her around the waist and piledrives her off the apron to the floor! Jesus, Kairi landed right on the back of the head.

She gets tended to with the magic healing spray while Io gets back in the ring to wait for her, assuming she can make the count. Kairi manages to get back in the ring, double knee by Io in the corner and she dropkicks Kairi in the head for a two count. Scoop slam by Io, she goes up top but Kairi fires up and joins Io. Kairi chops down Io so she is hanging with her back to the ring, Kairi elbows Io and Io falls down to the floor. Kairi gets up on the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Io, hitting a splash plancha. Back in the ring, elbows by Kairi and she hits the spinning backfist. Kairi goes up top but Io catches her arm when she goes for the diving elbow drop and applies a cross armbreaker. Kairi gets a foot on the ropes to force a break, punches by Io and she hits the package German for a two count. Io picks up Kairi and goes for the double underhook facebuster, but Kairi lands on her feet. Io blocks the Sliding D and applies La Magistral into a bridging pin, but Kairi kicks out. Kick to the head by Io, she goes for another one but Kairi catches her leg and applies Ikari. Io gets to the ropes for the break, palm thrust by Io but Kairi hits a spinning chop. Alabama Slam by Kairi, she goes up top and she nails a diving elbow drop to Io’s back. She goes up top and hits a second one, Kairi re-applies the Ikari and Io is forced to submit! Kairi Hojo wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

First, I have to say that I have been watching wrestling for 25 years and I am not sure I’ve seen a wrestler piledrive another wrestler off the apron without having something to break the fall before hitting the floor. So that was quite a moment, but even without that it was a great match. Like the last match, these two have fantastic chemistry and were very smooth with their reversals. It was also logical, as Hojo targeted Io’s back throughout the match and then won the match with a submission hold that hurts the back. Simple, but logical and intelligent. A great and memorable match, a must-see.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom 5★Star GP on 9/3/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I am continuing my quest to catch up on Stardom before the finals in a week. Which means I need to focus which isn’t my strong suit. Anyway, we are now onto Day 3, here are the current standings:

Per usual, I will only be reviewing the tournament matches. These are the matches we will be watching today:

• Red Block: Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe
• Blue Block: Hiromi Mimura vs. Toni Storm
• Red Block: Blue Nikita vs. Kay Lee Ray
• Red Block: Courtney Stewart vs. Kairi Hojo
• Red Block: Io Shirai vs. Jungle Kyouna
• Blue Block: Mayu Iwatani vs. Yoko Bito

These matches got a lot more time than the ones yesterday, so hopefully something here will stand out. Any card with Kay Lee Ray, Io, Kairi, and Mayu is bound to have something good.

Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe

Momo and Wolf tie-up but break cleanly, they trade wristlocks until Momo rolls Wolf to the mat and applies a grounded front facelock. Momo lets go and stomps on Wolf, but Wolf comes back with a rebound crossbody. Wolf snaps Momo’s leg in the bottom rope and dropkicks it, Wolf puts Momo in the corner and chops Momo in the stomach. Dropkick by Wolf and she stomps Momo into the corner but Momo comes back with a pair of dropkicks. Momo puts Wolf in a Tree of Woe and dropkicks her in the stomach, Momo picks up Wolf but Wolf kicks her in the chest after she bounces off the ropes. Jumping knee by Wolf and she kicks Momo in the back, picking up a two count. Momo and Wolf trade elbows, kick to the chest by Momo but Wolf avoids the Somato. Head kick by Wolf, she goes off the ropes and she knees Momo in the head. Suplex by Wolf, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving double kneedrop for a two count. Wolf goes all the way up but Momo rolls out of the way this time, missile dropkick by Momo and she hits rolling vertical suplexes for two. Momo goes off the ropes and nails the Somato, picking up the three count cover! Momo Watanabe wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

A fun opener. Wolf is always entertaining and Momo is continuing to slowly crawl her way up the card. The match was a bit basic, lots of stomps and what not, but the home stretch was spot on. Solid way to start off the show.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Toni Storm

Hiromi and Storm start with polite limb work as Storm targets Hiromi’s arm, Storm trips Hiromi and goes off the ropes but Hiromi ducks the big boot and rolls her up for two. An inside cradle by Hiromi gets the same result as does a sunset flip, clearly Hiromi came into the match with a game plan of securing a quick flash pin. But it doesn’t work as Storm boots her hard in the chest, uppercut by Storm and she covers Hiromi for two. Vertical suplex by Storm and she puts Hiromi in the Kondo Clutch, but Hiromi gets into the ropes to force a break. Dropkick by Hiromi and she hits another one, La Magistral by Hiromi but it gets a two count. They go back and forth with pins but none work, Hiromi picks up Storm and she hits a DDT. Hiromi goes off the ropes but Storm headbutts her, running butt smash by Storm and she hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Reverse Full Nelson by Storm, and Hiromi is forced to submit! Storm gets two points in the tournament.

I liked that both wrestlers had a plan going into the match, with Hiromi knowing the only real chance she had was quick a flash pin of sorts while Storm was just wearing Hiromi down with power moves. A short match and nothing too special, but well structured anyway since the winner was never really in doubt, Hiromi did all she could.

Blue Nikita vs. Kay Lee Ray

They tie-up to start, until Nikita throws Kay Lee Ray into the corner and stomps her down to the mat. Kay Lee Ray slides away and goes up top, but Nikita avoids her dive. Kay Lee Ray lands on her feet and hits a quick hurricanrana, but Nikita comes back with a knee to the stomach. Kay Lee Ray blocks the next knee but Nikita hits a scoop slam, knee drop by Nikita and she covers Kay Lee Ray for two. Jumping knee by Nikita in the corner but Kay Lee Ray avoids her next dive and hits a modified Yoshi Tonic. Kay Lee Ray chops Nikita into the corner, she goes for a rebound bulldog but Nikita catches her and hits a fallaway slam. Nikita slaps Kay Lee Ray in the back and hits a backbreaker, Kay Lee Ray fights back with kicks to the leg and she rolls Nikita to the mat before kicking her in the chest. Kay Lee Ray picks up Nikita but Nikita slaps her and hits a step-up reverse hurricanrana. Nikita rolls Kay Lee Ray back to the middle of the ring and covers her, but Kay Lee Ray kicks out. Nikita chokes Kay Lee Ray against the bottom rope and hits a snap vertical suplex, she goes off the ropes and boots Kay Lee Ray in the head, but Kay Lee Ray avoids one of her boots and hits a headbutt. Satellite rotation into a grounded front necklock by Kay Lee Ray, but Nikita muscles out of it and slams Kay Lee Ray to the mat. Back up, Kay Lee Ray kicks Nikita in the head but Nikita jumps out of the ring as she charges her. Kay Lee Ray is undeterred and dives out onto Nikita twice with tope suicidas, she goes for a third but Nikita blocks it and slams Kay Lee Ray onto the apron. Running boots by Nikita and she hits a sliding kick, but Kay Lee Ray gets a shoulder up. Nikita picks up Kay Lee Ray, Kay Lee Ray slides away but Nikita hits a leg trap slam for two. Nikita waits for Kay Lee Ray to get up and goes for a kick, Kay Lee Ray catches her leg but Nikita gets away from her and hits an uppercut. Kay Lee Ray blocks it and hits a modified Gory Bomb, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a Swanton Bomb or the three count! Kay Lee Ray wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

These two had great chemistry, I had to look it up but they just faced off last month in a title match while wrestling in RQW so they do have some experience together. A very back in forth match, lots of reversals and changes in momentum, as they were comfortable doing more than just a standard midcard match. Not everything worked perfectly, Nikita trying to catch Kay Lee Ray on a tope suicida was probably a bit overly ambitious, but they covered for it well and overall the match was pretty smooth. Kay Lee Ray continues to impress but Nikita is solid as well, a good match between the two, just wish it was a bit longer as it clocked in under ten minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Courtney Stewart vs. Kairi Hojo

Courtney attacks Kairi before the match starts, as the picture above implies, and also steals her mask. This wasn’t appreciated by Kairi as she elbows Courtney into the corner but Courtney fires back with a hard shoulderblock. Both wrestlers miss dropkicks and they return to their feet, Courtney asks for a Test of Strength but Kairi punches her in the stomach instead. Chops by Kairi and she goes for a crossbody, but Courtney catches her and hits a backbreaker. Courtney starts on Kairi’s arm and attacks it while it is twisted in the ropes, Courtney brings Kairi out of the ring and kicks her repeatedly in the chest. Courtney slides Kairi back in and slams her to the mat before hitting a jumping footstomp for a two count. More kicks to the chest by Courtney and she goes for a fisherman suplex, but Kairi gets out of it and the pair trade elbows. Kairi goes off the ropes and levels Courtney with a spear, Octopus Hold by Kairi but Courtney gets into the ropes to force a break. Running shoulder tackle by Kairi in the corner and she hits the Sliding D, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving forearm strike for a two count cover. Courtney avoids the Sliding D and hits a jumping knee, cover by Courtney but Kairi kicks out. Courtney goes for a cross armbreaker but Kairi gets into the ropes, fisherman suplex hold by Courtney but it gets a two count. Back up, spinning chop by Kairi and she goes for the Alabama Slam, but Courtney elbows out of it. High kicks by Courtney but Kairi blocks the half nelson suplex and puts Courtney in the Stretch Muffler. She can’t really lock it in since Courtney is so tall so she applies the Ikari instead, but Courtney is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Short range Sliding D by Kairi, she goes up top and she nails a diving elbow drop for the three count! Kairi Hojo wins and gets two points in the tournament.

I thought this was a step down from the last match but still pretty decent. The main issue is that it didn’t feel nearly as cohesive, Courtney targeted the arm for a bit but then stopped, she controled the action but Kairi won pretty easily with a couple moves to end the match after not really weakening Courtney up to any significant degree. Th action was good though, a little clunky at times but no miscommunications or anything like that. An easy watch but nothing memorable.

Io Shirai vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna pushes Io against the ropes to start, she goes to do a clean break but lariats Io over the top rope instead and then dives out onto her with a crossbody. Io blocks the slam on the floor and sends Kyouna into the ring post, Io gets on the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto the rookie. Her leg hits hard on a chair so she is just as hurt as Kyouna is, but they use the magic spray on Io’s shin which helps her slowly recover. Io clubs on Kyouna, perhaps harder than usual due to the failed catch, and she slides Kyouna back into the ring. Io kicks Kyouna into the corner and dropkicks her, kneedrop by Io and she covers Kyouna for two. Io puts Kyouna in a crossface, she releases her after a moment and elbows Kyouna against the ropes. Hard slap by Io and she hits a running elbow in the corner, Kyouna returns fire with her own elbow and she hits a shoulderblock. Kyouna gets Io on her shoulders to apply a backbreaker, she dumps the champion onto the top rope and hits a body avalanche to her back for a two count cover. Kyouna tries to Irish whip Io but Io collapses while holding her back, Kyouna goes for a lariat but Io catches her arm and applies an armtrap crossface. Kyouna gets into the ropes to force a break, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick. Io goes towards the turnbuckles but Kyouna grabs her leg, Io kicks her away and gets on the second turnbuckle but Kyouna hits her from behind and joins her. Avalanche powerslam by Kyouna, and she covers Io for a two count. Scoop slam by Kyouna, she goes up top and she delivers a diving body press, but Io rolls through it and holds down Kyouna for a two. Back up they trade strikes, big lariat by Kyouna and she gets a two count cover. Io ducks a lariat and hits the tombstone piledriver, but she is too hurt to capitalize. She slowly gets up and hits a running double knee in the corner, she picks up Kyouna but Kyouna blocks the double underhook facebuster. Io lands on her feet when Kyouna goes for a back bodydrop, and Shirai hits a German suplex hold for two. Buzzsaw Kick by Shirai, she picks up Kyouna and nails the package German for the three count! Io Shirai wins and gets two points.

I don’t think Io was just selling on the leg injury, but luckily she was able to shake it off and finish the match without any issue. This was great, as I figured it would be, as Io is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world while Kyouna already has so many of the intangibles in just her first year. The match was perfectly fluid and well paced, no miscues or awkward pauses, they were just full go. Kyouna had some convincing nearfalls as she hit all her big moves, while Io led her to one of the best performances of her young career. A high end non-title match for Stardom, Kyouna has a really bright future in wrestling if she continues improving at her current pace.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani vs. Yoko Bito

Mayu and Yoko go right at it trading elbow strikes, they go to trips and quick covers but after a moment they return to their feet. Yoko throws Mayo into the corner but Mayu avoids her charge and hits a dropkick, cover by Mayu but it gets two. Imagine Yoko Bito losing via an early match dropkick. High kick by Yoko and Iwatani flops out of the ring to regroup and get some magic spray, but she returns before the referee’s count gets to 20. Yoko kicks Mayu repeatedly in the corner and throws down Mayu by her hair before kicking her some more. Yoko sets up Mayu in the ropes and kicks her in the chest from the apron, back in the ring Yoko covers her but it gets a two. Yoko goes off the ropes but Iwatani dropkicks her, Yoko knees Mayu in return and applies the Cobra Twist. Yoko kicks Mayu in the head and applies a single leg crab hold, but Mayu slowly crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Yoko picks up Mayu and applies a sleeper, but Mayu quickly gets a foot onto the ropes.

Yoko goes for a suplex by Mayu blocks it, Yoko hits it anyway and she covers Mayu for a two count. Yoko goes for the high kick but Mayu ducks it and kicks Yoko in the head, Mayu goes up to the top turnbuckle but Yoko joins her and hits a superplex. Yoko picks up Mayu but Mayu sneaks in a sunset flip for two, Yoko goes off the ropes but Mayu kicks her in the stomach and hits the Sling Blade. Fujiwara Armbar by Mayu but she releases the hold and dropkicks Yoko while she is against the ropes. Yoko falls out of the ring but Mayu goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her with a plancha suicida. Mayu slides Yoko back in, she goes up top and hits the missile dropkick. She goes up again and hits the diving footstomp, cover by Mayu but Yoko gets a shoulder up. Mayu picks up Yoko and goes for the dragon suplex, but Yoko elbows out of it. German suplex by Mayu but Yoko gets back up and boots her in the face. Both wrestlers slowly get back up and trade elbows, they both go for kicks until Yoko delivers with the high kick. German suplex hold by Yoko, but it only gets a two count. Yoko picks up Mayu, Mayu gets her back but Yoko gets out of it and nails the B-Driver, but they are too close to the ropes and Mayu is able to reach out and grab the bottom one. The bell thing rings, as time has expired. The match is a Draw and both wrestlers get one point.

Not quite on the same level as the previous match, but still really good. The early portion of the match was a bit slow and meandering, even with a known time limit neither seemed to be in any rush, but the match really picked up about halfway through. There were a few timing issues, which isn’t surprising considering they don’t have a ton of experience against each other, but nothing too bad aside from the awkward ‘missed kick’ exchange towards the end. Yoko came out of the match looking stronger but just barely, and they did a good job giving both some nearfalls to make it suspenseful. Not perfect but lots of hard stiff shots and the last five minutes was entertaining, overall worth watching.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom 5★Star GP on 8/28/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

And we are back with more Stardom! I have a ways to go to catch up to the FIVE STAR GP, so lets see if I can get the whole tournament reviewed by the end of the month. This is a smaller event that took place outside of Tokyo, with a smaller attendance than we are used to seeing from the #1 Joshi promotion. Here are the standings going into the show:

Like last week, I will only be reviewing the tournament matches. These are the matches we will be watching today:

• Red Block: Jungle Kyouna vs. Kris Wolf
• Blue Block: Natsumi Maki vs. Toni Storm
• Red Block: Courtney Stewart vs. Tessa Blanchard
• Blue Block: Hiromi Mimura vs. Yoko Bito
• Blue Block: Blue Nikita vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Red Block: Io Shirai vs. Momo Watanabe

Let’s get to it.

Jungle Kyouna vs. Kris Wolf

Wolf shoves Kyouna into the corner to start but Kyouna returns the favor and chops Wolf. Kyouna takes Wolf to the mat and applies a front necklock but Wolf gets out of it and the pair trade wristlocks. Wolf gets Kyouna against the ropes but Kyouna moves when Wolf charges in, Wolf falls to the floor but Kyouna quickly goes out to get her. Wolf gets Kyouna’s leg and snaps it over the middle rope, she goes up top and delivers a double ax handle to Kyouna’s leg. Wolf twists Kyouna’s leg in the ropes and then hits a kneedrop onto it, getting a two count cover. Kyouna goes for a scoop slam but her leg gives out on her, but she recovers and hits a shoulderblock. Running body press by Kyouna and she tries to put Wolf in a crab hold, but Wolf keeps rolling out of it. Kyouna picks up Wolf and puts her in a backbreaker, Wolf slides away and she throws Kyouna into the corner. Jumping knee by Wolf followed by a snapmare and a kick to the back, cover by Wolf but it gets two. Wolf goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving double kneedrop, but Kyouna trips her and goes for a lariat, Wolf ducks that and she rolls up Kyouna for two. Elbows by Kyouna but Wolf hits a jumping knee, lariat by Kyouna and she covers Wolf for two. Short-range lariats by Kyouna, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she nails a diving body press for the three count! Kyouna wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

Even though this was only the opening match, I thought it was really good. Kyouna is one of the top rookies in Joshi, she has made great strides in the last year and has a lot of the intangibles that some wrestlers never quite figure out. Wolf has improved a lot this year as well, and it was a smooth and well-structured match. Really solid way to kick things off.  Mildly Recommended

Natsumi Maki vs. Toni Storm

Natsumi dropkicks Storm as soon as the match starts, but Storm quickly takes control with a kick to the chest. Uppercuts by Storm and she hits a backbreaker, covering Natsumi for two. Elbows by Storm and she hits an uppercut, but Natsumi hits a quick armdrag followed by a dropkick. Kick to the chest by Storm and she covers Natsumi for a two count cover. Storm twists Natsumi’s fingers and hits a hard elbow, but Natsumi fires back with elbows of her own. Inside cradle by Natsumi, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a sunset flip for a two count. Swinging leg hook slam by Natsumi with a bridge, but Storm kicks out of that as well. Natsumi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Storm recovers and drops her with a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Elbows by Natsumi and she sneaks in a backslide for two. German suplex by Storm and she hits a running butt smash in the corner, Air Raid Crash by Storm and she gets the three count! Storm wins the match and now has four points in the tournament.

There wasn’t really any doubt with who was winning this match, as Maki isn’t at the level yet to beat a champion in Stardom. She got in her moves though so it was far from a squash match, and the two worked together well. Not overly suspenseful but nothing wrong with it.

Courtney Stewart vs. Tessa Blanchard

After a quick handshake they go straight to wristlocks, Courtney works a headlock and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Dropkick by Courtney but Tessa ducks a high kick and delivers an elbow. They push each other before trading strikes, knee by Tessa but Courtney knees her back. Cutter by Tessa, and she covers Courtney for a two count. Sliding elbow to the back by Tessa, she gets on the apron but Courtney hits a shoulder tackle through the ropes. Kicks to the chest by Courtney and she hits a rope hanging DDT, picking up a two count cover. Modified dragon sleeper by Courtney but Tessa gets out of it and elbows Courtney in the back. DDT by Tessa, and she covers Courtney for two. High kick by Courtney, she picks up Tessa but Tessa blocks the half nelson suplex. Tessa goes off the ropes a hits a body scissors slam, she goes off the ropes and hits a sliding kick. Rebound bulldog by Tessa, and she picks up the three count! Tessa Blanchard wins and gets two more points in the tournament.

While I don’t think this match gave either enough time to make a strong impression, neither looked bad which sometimes in a midcard match on a small show is all you can ask for. They had pretty good chemistry, nothing looked too off, and they hit their bigger moves well. Courtney went down a little easier than I’d expect since they have similar experience levels, but that was likely more related to the size of the event. Pretty average but not offensive.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Yoko Bito

Hiromi runs up to Bito and rolls her up as the match starts, she does it a few more times but she can only get a two count. Bito pushes her off and asks for a Test of Strength, Hiromi elbows her but Bito elbows her back. Bito wins the elbow battle and shrugs off Hiromi’s dropkick, she throws Hiromi into the corner and delivers a series of kicks. Hiromi avoids her running kick and attacks Bito’s leg in the ropes, rolling leglock by Hiromi but Bito gets into the ropes to force a break. Hiromi goes off the ropes but Bito kicks her, schoolboy by Hiromi but it gets a two count. Hiromi waits for Bito to get up and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Bito hits her but Hiromi gets on her back with a sleeper. Bito rams Hiromi into the corner to shake her off, vertical suplex by Bito and she covers Hiromi for a two count. Bito kicks Hiromi in the back, she picks her up and nails a high kick. B-Driver by Bito, and she picks up the three count! Yoko Bito wins and gets two points in the tournament.

Hiromi didn’t have much of a chance here, since Bito is still freshly returned they are going to keep her protected against a lowly rookie. Hiromi did try anyway and hit all the moves she had, it just wasn’t enough. Just a standard little midcard match, nothing special.

Blue Nikita vs. Mayu Iwatani

They tie-up to start, Iwatani gets Nikita in the corner and she gives a clean break, but Nikita pushes her to the mat. Nikita clubs Iwatani and stomps her down in the corner, elbows by Nikita but Iwatani elbows her back and hits a headscissors. Dropkick by Iwatani, she picks up Nikita but Nikita elbows her in the head and chops Iwatani against the ropes. Knee by Nikita and she hits another one before kicking Iwatani in the back. After twisting up Iwatani on the mat, Nikita picks her up but Iwatani slides away and elbows Nikita in the back. Triple jump split-legged armdrag by Iwatani and she delivers the Sling Blade for a two count cover. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle but Nikita smacks her and brings her back to the mat with a Northern Lights Suplex. Nikita kicks Iwatani in the ropes and hits a heel drop, she hops out to the floor so she can kick Iwatani while her head is hanging over the second rope. Back in, Nikita goes for a cocky cover but Iwatani reverses it into a victory roll, hurricanrana by Iwatani and she rolls through it so she can kick Nikita in the head. Diving footstomp by Iwatani and she covers Nikita for a two count. Iwatani picks up Nikita but Nikita blocks the dragon suplex, she goes for it again but Nikita escapes with a low blow. Running boot to the head by Nikita and she hits two more, she picks up Iwatani but Iwatani reverses the Death Valley Bomb into a Victory Roll for the three count! Iwatani wins and gets two points in the tournament.

An entertaining match with the first surprise of the evening, as the less experienced Iwatani snuck out with a victory. It wasn’t a long match but it felt like they got enough time to do what they were going for, and the cocky gaijin vs. fan favorite native is a proven formula that works. Iwatani’s offensive spurts were fun and Nikita did a good job controlling the action. Nothing mind-blowing but solid all the way around.  Mildly Recommended

Io Shirai vs. Momo Watanabe

Momo immediately attacks with a dropkick, more dropkicks by Momo and she covers the champion for a one count. Io avoids the next dropkick but Momo rolls her up for two, stomps by Momo and she goes to kick Io in the back, but Io catches her leg and hits a palm thrust. Scoop slam by Io and she hits a double knee followed by a standing moonsault, Io puts Momo in the camel clutch before releasing it and stomping on Momo. Io taunts the youngster but Momo dropkicks her, Io charges Momo but she gets stuck in the ropes. Kicks by Momo, she gets up on the second turnbuckle but Io hits her and tosses her to the mat. Io goes up top but Momo dropkicks the ropes to shake her off, vertical suplex by Momo and she covers Io for a two count. Momo goes off the ropes but Io gets up and elbows her, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she hits a swandive missile dropkick. Momo falls out to the floor, Io goes out to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto Momo. Io picks up Momo and slides her back in, cover by Io but it gets a two count. Io goes for a German suplex but Momo reverses it with a Victory Roll, kick to the chest by Momo and she covers Io for two. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes all the way up the next time and hits the avalanche Somato, but Io barely kicks out of the cover. Momo goes off the ropes but Io avoids the next Somato and dropkicks Momo in the head. German suplex hold by Io, but it gets two. Io picks up Momo and throws her into the corner, dropkick by Io and she hits a running double knee. Io picks up Momo and hits the double underhook facebuster, Io goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the moonsault for the three count! Io Shirai is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

Even on a small show, Io always delivers. Momo is at that stage of her career where she can have really good matches against seasoned veterans but struggles in matches with people with her experience level – she is led very well but can have issues when she is on her own. I have no issue with Io kicking out of Momo’s new elevated finisher, since Momo is still a kid and Io is the champion, it would have worked against anyone else. I just wish it was longer so they had more time to show what they can do together, since its rare for Momo to get a singles match against a top veteran. A really solid small show main event, Io was her usual self and Momo was able to keep up, fun match.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom 5★Star GP on 8/27/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I finally bit the bullet and got the new Stardom World, so now I can review the the Stardom FIVE STAR GP. We have a very interesting assortment of wrestlers this year, with only eight of the wrestlers being part of Stardom’s regular roster (nine if you count Natsumi). The other five are foreigners, some of which have never wrestled in Stardom before so we are getting our first look at them in the big annual tournament. Here are the Blocks:

Here are the matches we will be watching today:

• Blue Block: Blue Nikita vs. Maki Natsumi
• Red Block: Courtney Stewart vs. Jungle Kyouna
• Red Block: Momo Watanabe vs. Tessa Blanchard
• Blue Block: Toni Storm vs. Yoko Bito
• Red Block: Kairi Hojo vs. Kris Wolf
• Blue Block: Kay Lee Ray vs. Mayu Iwatani

I am only reviewing the tournament matches, so no Azumi for us today. On the plus side, all the matches are shown in full which is one of the advantages of Stardom World. All matches in the tournament have a 15 minute time limit.

Blue Nikita vs. Natsumi Maki

Nikita promptly spins Natsumi around by her head before tossing her to the mat, Natsumi charges back at Nikita but Nikita pushes her into the corner and rakes her in the eyes. Armdrag by Natsumi and she goes for a few quick pins, but the veteran Nikita isn’t falling for it and knocks Natsumi back to the mat. Nikita hits a cartwheel kick (I am assuming on purpose) before hitting a side Russian leg sweep. Nikita goes off the ropes and hits a kneelift, Northern Lights Suplex by Nikita but it gets a two count. Nikita picks up Natsumi but Natsumi ducks her lariat and hits a flipping armdrag, sunset flip by Natsumi but it gets a two count. Nikita positions Natsumi and applies a stretch hold but Natsumi gets out of it, big boot by Nikita but Natsumi grabs the ropes. Nikita picks up Natsumi, Natsumi gets away but Nikita catches her with a back elbow. Running senton by Nikita, Nikita chokes Natsumi with her knee before hitting a trio of boots for a two count. Natsumi wiggles away and hits a series of elbows, dropkick by Natsumi and she hits her swinging slam with a bridge for a two count. Natsumi picks up Nikita and goes to the second turnbuckle, but Nikita catches her on her shoulders when she jumps off and hits a Death Valley Bomb for the three count! Blue Nikita wins and gets two points in the tournament.

Talk about rough around the edges. I give consideration of course to the fact that Natsumi has limited experience and these two had never wrestled before, but in a vacuum this wasn’t a good match. There were several noticeable miscommunications, they just weren’t always on the same page, and not everything made sense. I did love the ending, Nikita showed how strong she was and her heel tactics were fine as it will give her matches a little something different in Stardom. It just wasn’t long enough to overcome the mistakes, a few bright moments but overall disappointing.

Courtney Stewart vs. Jungle Kyouna

They lock up to start and trade holds, Kyouna gets Courtney into the corner and hits a series of shoulderblocks. Elbows by Kyouna but Courtney elbows her back, body avalanche by Kyouna and she hits a face crusher for a two count. Big knee by Courtney and she kicks Kyouna into the corner, Courtney gets Kyouna’s back and she applies a stretch hold. Courtney knees Kyouna against the ropes but Kyouna pulls her down by the hair and hits a series of hard shoulderblocks for a two count. Courtney quickly gets out of the crab hold but Kyouna hits a lariat, another lariat by Kyouna and she goes up top, but Courtney recovers and tosses her off. Kyouna picks up Courtney but Courtney slides away, elbows by Kyouna but Courtney deliver a kick combination before hitting a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Courtney goes for a suplex but Kyouna elbows her off, she goes off the ropes but Courtney catches her with a high kick. Half nelson suplex hold by Courtney, and she gets the three count! Courtney Stewart is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

I did like this one a touch better than the last match. There were still a few miscommunications but they were covered better, some shaky transitions but that isn’t unusual in a short match. Courtney generally hit her kicks well and Kyouna always looks solid. Not a long match and not overly fluid, average overall but watchable.

Momo Watanabe vs. Tessa Blanchard

Momo and Tessa go right into a Test of Strength, Tessa gets the better of it but Momo gains the advantage and snapmares Tessa to the mat. Kicks by Momo and she hits a few dropkicks, she goes for another one but Tessa bails out of the ring. Tessa elbows Momo from the apron and snaps her neck on the top rope, cover by Tessa but it gets two. Vertical suplex by Tessa and she hits a sliding elbow to Momo’s back, Tessa applies a stretch hold before letting go so she can knee Momo in the stomach. Momo gets away and kicks her in the midsection, they trade elbows on their knees until Momo hits a dropkick. Momo dropkicks Tessa in the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits…. a dropkick for a two count. Lots of dropkicks. Kicks by Momo but Tessa ducks a punch and hits a hammerlock DDT for two. Tessa picks up Momo but Momo elbows her off and hits a vertical suplex. Momo charges Tessa but Tessa trips her and hits a Slingshot Backdrop Suplex for the three count! Tessa Blanchard wins and gets two points in the tournament.

It is going to sound like I don’t like the new gaijins, and that isn’t the case at all. On this show thus far they paired them up against rookies/young wrestlers to give them an easy win in front of a new crowd, but the sacrifice here was match quality as there were going to be some issues. Like the previous matches it just wasn’t smooth, there were a few noticeable times that they weren’t on the same page and instead of looking fluid it was choppy. When a match is this short these things are more memorable, and it was just inconsistent. Tessa looked fine, I like her moves and have hope for her in the tournament, this just wasn’t a great match.

Toni Storm vs. Yoko Bito

Storm and Bito trade holds to begin, takedown by Storm but Bito applies a headscissors. Storm gets out of it as they return to their feet, they go back to holds before trading shoulderblocks. Bito wins the shoulderblock battle, kicks by Bito to the back and she covers Storm for two. Dropkick by Bito but Storm uppercuts her and hits a jumping knee. Storm starts on Bito’s arm and hits a few hip attacks, Bito crawls to the corner and Storm goes for a running butt smash, but Bito blocks it. Bito hip attacks Storm into the corner, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. They trade high kick attempts, lariat by Bito and she covers Storm for two. Knee by Bito and she puts Storm in a stretch hold, more kicks by Bito and she applies a single leg crab hold. Storm gets into the ropes, elbow by Storm but Bito delivers a high kick. Kicks by Bito in the corner but Storm avoids one and hits a Backstabber. Running butt smash by Storm and she hits a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Storm goes off the ropes but Bito nails a high kick, Bito picks up Storm but Storm wiggles away. Heel drops by Bito, she picks up Storm but Storm ducks her high kick and hits a release German. Bito comes right back with her own German suplex, she picks up Storm but Storm hits a piledriver. Storm goes up top and she nails the diving leg drop, picking up the three count pinfall! Toni Storm wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

I enjoyed this match the most of the ones we have seen so far. It wasn’t perfectly executed but they had the best chemistry that we have seen thus far and both are solid wrestlers. A little shaky in parts but overall a good match between the two, hopefully the show is now on an upswing.  Mildly Recommended

Kairi Hojo vs. Kris Wolf

Wolf locks up Kairi’s knuckles during the handshake in typical Wolf fashion, Wolf bites Kairi into the corner and kicks her in the chest repeatedly. Wolf mocks Kairi’s march but Kairi moves when she charges in and chops Wolf in the chest. Kairi goes for a spear but Wolf moves out of the way, she takes Kairi to the mat but Kairi quickly takes back control. Kairi ties up Wolf in the ropes and hits several elbows, dropkick by Kairi but Wolf snaps Kairi’s leg on the second rope. Wolf pulls Kairi down onto the apron and hits a running double knee, Kairi falls down to the floor while Wolf puts a chair on the apron. Wolf then stands on the chair and jumps down onto Kairi with a double kneedrop. Back in the ring, Wolf pours water onto Kairi and puts her in the Tree of Woe, kicks by Wolf but Kairi spears her when she charges in towards the corner.

Leg submission by Kairi but Wolf gets into the ropes, running shoulderblock by Kairi and she follows with a Sliding D. Kairi goes up top, Wolf is too far away so she jumps off the turnbuckle and elbows Wolf into the corner. Scoop slam by Kairi, she goes up to the top turnbuckle again but Wolf rolls too far away. Kairi jumps off and chops Wolf into the corner, double chop by Kairi and she hits an elbow drop for two. Wolf fights back with elbows, kick to the stomach by Wolf and she covers Kairi for a two count. Jumping knee by Wolf in the corner and she kicks Kairi in the back, cover by Wolf but Kairi kicks out. Wolf goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving double kneedrop, she goes all the way up but Kairi moves this time and goes for a roll-up, but Wolf reverses it for her own quick cover. Wolf goes off the ropes but Kairi does too and she hits a big spear. Spinning backfist by Kairi and she hits an elbow Final Cut, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Kairi Hojo wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

This is the first match on the card with two wrestlers that are familar with each other, and you could tell. Crisp action, no miscommunications and everything was fluid. It had a few seemingly out of place comedy spots, not that I mind them generally but in a tournament like this one it felt a bit out of place. But Wolf had a few convincing nearfalls and in these situations really anyone can win, so they kept up the suspense. Overall a solid tournament match. Mildly Recommended

Kay Lee Ray vs. Mayu Iwatani

As the picture above implies, the match didn’t start with a handshake, but with Kay Lee Ray kicking Iwatani in the head. Kay Lee Ray goes off the ropes but so does Iwatani, armdrag by Iwatani but Kay Lee Ray trips her back and both wrestlers return to their feet. Iwatani dropkicks Kay Lee Ray but Kay Lee Ray moves when she goes for a second one and Iwatani tumbles out of the ring. Kay Lee Ray goes to dive out after her but Iwatani grabs her by the end and pulls Kay Lee Ray out of the ring with her. Kay Lee Ray takes back over on the floor, she sits Iwatani in a chair but Iwatani moves when Kay Lee Ray charges in and Kay Lee Ray goes tumbling into a row of chairs. Kay Lee Ray comes back with a kick to Iwatani’s midsection and she kicks her around the ring post. Iwatani suplexes Kay Lee Ray into more chairs as they refuse to return to the ring, Iwatani pours water on Kay Lee Ray before finally rolling her back in. Irish whip by Iwatani but Kay Lee Ray moves when she charges her, Iwatani hits a high kick anyway and she dropkicks Kay Lee Ray against the ropes. Another dropkick by Iwatani, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Kay Lee Ray moves when she dives off. Kay Lee Ray rolls Iwatani to the mat and kicks her in the chest, back up Iwatani elbows Kay Lee Ray but Kay Lee Ray rolls her to the mat and applies a grounded necklock. Iwatani gets into the ropes, Kay Lee Ray picks her up and throws Iwatani into the corner.

Elbow by Kay Lee Ray and she applies a bodyscissors, she releases the hold but Iwatani knocks her down with a Sling Blade. Iwatani goes up top but Kay Lee Ray delivers a high kick, she then joins Iwatani but Iwatani slides off and suplexes Kay Lee Ray to the mat. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp, she then goes all the way up top and hits another diving footstomp for a two count cover. Iwatani throws Kay Lee Ray in to the corner and hits a body avalanche, she charges her again but Kay Lee Ray drops her over the top rope onto the floor. Kay Lee Ray gets a running start in the ring and sails out onto Iwatani with a tope suicida. Kay Lee Ray goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her and everyone standing at ringside with a Swanton Bomb, crushing everyone. Kay Lee Ray slides Iwatani back in, cover by Kay Lee Ray but it gets a two count. Kay Lee Ray picks up Iwatani but Iwatani wiggles away, she goes for a dragon suplex but Kay Lee Ray blocks it. Irish whip by Kay Lee Ray but Iwatani snaps off a hurricanrana for a two count. Iwatani goes for a kick to the stomach but Kay Lee Ray catches it and hits a Gory Bomb. Kay Lee Ray goes up top and she nails the Swanton Bomb, picking up the three count! Kay Lee Ray wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

So I am on record as loving Kay Lee Ray. I love her look, her wrestling abilities, her personality… just a total package. And of course Iwatani is great, she is the best bumper in wrestling right now as far as I am concerned, it may shorten her life but its fun to watch. So these two were going to have a good match even if they weren’t trying, they were a bit limited by the time constraints and the outside brawling went longer than I’d have preferred but it was still really entertaining. Kay Lee Ray does all her moves with controlled recklessness, she was flying over the ropes or into chairs every few minutes and it gave the match a feeling of importance. Great effort by both, not quite as good as their last match as there were some restrictions with the setting but still it was a high end main event.  Recommended

The post Stardom 5★Star GP on 8/21/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.