Event: Stardom “World Big Summer In Tokyo”
Date: July 24th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 810

We are back to Stardom, as my quest to not miss any of the Korakuen Hall events in 2019 continues even if I am four months behind. I should be caught up by the end of the year. Stardom “World Big Summer In Tokyo” is Stardom’s marquee summer event and we have three titles on the line, including their top two singles titles. Here is the full card:

• Hina and Leo Onozaki vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire vs. Rina and Ruaka
• Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hazuki
• World Of Stardom Championship: Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe

I am watching the Samurai TV version of the show so some matches may be clipped. All the wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Hina and Leo Onozaki vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire vs. Rina and Ruaka

The match starts with all six brawling in the ring, Ruaka and Hina work together to get the early advantage but Natsuko slams them both into the corner and Natsu runs in with a Bronco Buster. Natsu picks up Hina and slams her in front of the corner, Ruaka is then stacked on top of her and Natsuko hits a diving bodypress on both of them for a two count. They go to Ruaka but Ruaka elbows them both back, double crossbody by Ruaka and she tags in Rina. Dropkick by Rina, Hina runs in and she hits a judo toss on her sister before tagging in Leo. Octopus Hold by Rina to Leo and she cradles her for a two count. Rina goes for a STO but Leo blocks it, Ruaka boots Leo in the chest and Rina covers her for two. Natsu comes in with her whip and hits everyone with it, Natsuko comes in too and she hits a legdrop on Leo for two. Rina and Ruaka come in and double team Leo, but Leo ducks Ruaka’s crossbody. Cutter by Leo to Rina, and she applies La Magistral for the three count! Leo Onozaki and Hina are the winners!

Not a whole lot to this one, and they didn’t always keep the teams straight. Not that it really mattered, with the loose tag rules and random interference, a structured match was not what they were going for. Too quick to be offensive but also too quick to be memorable, Natsu left an impression as she tends to do but otherwise not much here to get excited about.

Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita

Utami and Jamie shove each other to start while Saya watches, Saya tries to get involved but is shoved aside as the taller wrestlers want the ring to themselves. They eventually get rid of Saya, Jamie snapmares Utami and kicks her repeatedly in the back. Hard shoulderblock by Utami to Jamie, Saya returns but Utami scoop slams her onto Jamie before covering her for two. Utami picks up Jamie and charges her, but Jamie holds down the top rope and Utami lands on the apron. Jamie slaps her off the apron to the floor, she throws Utami back into the ring and kicks her in the corner. Uppercuts by Jamie to Utami but Utami avoids her charge, Jamie flips Utami out to the apron but Saya runs in and dropkicks Jamie. Another dropkick by Saya but Jamie fires back with a lariat, she goes back to Utami as Utami gets on the top turnbuckle and she joins her.

Saya tries to join in the fun but Jamie kicks her back, Utami pushes Jamie off the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Utami goes to cover Jamie but Saya knocks her out of the way and covers Jamie for two. Saya drop toeholds Utami onto Jamie, she bridges over both of them but it gets a two count. Saya throws Jamie and Utami into different corners and dropkicks both of them, she then stacks them into the same corner but Utami catches her with a judo toss. Utami gets Saya up in the backbreaker but Jamie boots Utami in the face, she hits a vertical suplex into the corner on Utami before slamming Saya repeatedly onto her knee. Jamie picks up Saya but Saya sneaks in an inside cradle for two, she goes for a backslide but that gets a two as well. High kick by Jamie to Saya but Saya gets away from her, German suplex by Utami to Jamie and she hits a dropkick on Jamie. Argentine Backbreaker by Utami, Jamie tries to break it up but Utami swings Saya’s legs into her before Saya submits to the submission! Utami Hayashishita is the winner.

I would have loved to see Jamie and Utami go at it one on one but the inclusion of Saya guaranteed that this wasn’t going to be an overly serious match with any long term implications. Saya isn’t a bad wrestler, she has a lot of spunk, but she had no chance of winning and was here just to be the wrestler to take the loss. That being said, the match was pretty well done and all their cute ‘triple threat’ spots went off without a hitch. All three were given a bit of a chance to shine, which is an accomplishment in such a short match, and everything clicked. Perfectly fine for an undercard match, just wish that Utami and Jamie had something more important to do on the show.

Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Lucas vs. Iwatani, Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Nakano

TCS attack before the bell because of course they did, Starlight Kid seems surprised by this and I have no idea why. TCS dominates for a moment as they focus on Starlight Kid, but STARS roars back and all four of them apply submission holds to their opponents. Starlight Kid and Hana stay in as the legal wrestlers as Hana gets to the ropes to break Starlight Kid’s hold, she goes off the ropes but Hana hits a drop toehold. Chinlock by Hana, she lets go after a moment and tosses down Starlight Kid by the mask. Hana tags in Zoe as Starlight Kid is triple teamed in the corner, Zoe snapmares Starlight Kid and sits down on the mat with her so she can stretch her (with Yama-san’s help). Zoe tags in Bobbi while she continues to choke Starlight Kid, Irish whip by Bobbi but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody and makes the hot tag to Saki. Bobbi throws Saki into the corner but she rebounds out of it with a bulldog, spinning headscissors by Saki but Bobbi avoids her boot attempt. Zoe comes in the ring but so does Tam, and STARS gets the in-ring advantage. Zoe and Bobbi take back over briefly but are thrown into each other before both eat dropkicks. Saki grabs Bobbi’s arm and snaps it against her foot, she tags in Mayu and Mayu dropkicks Bobbi in the chest. Elbows by Mayu but Bobbi comes back with the reverse STO from the ropes and makes the tag to Hana. Big boot by Hana to Mayu, she goes off the ropes and nails Mayu with a second one. Cover by Hana, but Mayu gets a shoulder up.

Hana picks up Mayu but Mayu blocks the suplex attempt, she goes off the ropes but Zoe grabs her so that Hana can boot Mayu in the face. Bobbi comes in and she helps Zoe toss Mayu to the mat, boot by Hana and she covers Mayu for a close two count. Hana picks up Mayu and puts her in a modified Ground Manjikatame but Mayu is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Hana charges Mayu in the corner but Mayu moves out of the way and kicks Hana in the face. Hana comes back with a vertical suplex, she picks up Mayu and elbows her, but Saki runs in and boots Hana in the chest. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and Tam hits a backdrop suplex on Hana, Mayu has recovered and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Frog Splash but Yama-san breaks up the cover. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Hana blocks it, Zoe kicks Mayu but Starlight Kid runs in and dropkicks Zoe. Both teams trade moves until everyone is down, Mayu and Hana are left alone in the ring and they trade elbows. Hana wins the battle and boots Mayu, but Mayu fires back with a superkick and both wrestlers are down again. They crawl to their respective corners to tag in Starlight Kid and Yama-san, Irish whip by Yama-san but Starlight Kid spins around her and the two trade flash pins. Back up, dropkick by Starlight Kid and they trade cradles until Starlight Kid holds down Yama-san for the three count! STARS win the match.

A fun mid-card tag match. As I mentioned above, a lot of quality wrestlers were jammed into this match so the action was really solid, with Hana being the main focus but others getting in their shots. Kaori Yoneyama and Tam Nakano mostly kept to the background as its hard for everyone to get in there in a ten minute eight woman tag, but not much one can do about that. I am not sure if Bobbi or Jamie is my favorite Gaijin in Stardom at the moment but I like them both a lot and hope they stay with the promotion for a long time to come, Bobbi fit in really well here. A fast paced entertaining match. Mildly Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Andras and Kyona start off and immediately try to knock each other over, with Kyona getting the best of the duel. Kyona shoulderblocks Andras over again, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu grabs her from the floor and pulls her out of the ring as things immediately break down. Andras and Kyona put on some hand sanitizer before getting into a Test of Strength, but Kyona breaks away and rubs it into Andras’ eyes. Andras gets back in control as they return to the ring, both wrestlers tag out as Konami and Kagetsu start trading kicks. Kagetsu catches one and hits a dragon screw, enzuigiri by Kagetsu and she tags in Andras. Elbows by Andras and she dropkicks Konami in the back of the head, Kyona runs in to help and Andras is double teamed as Kyona delivers the lariat. Kyona leaves the ring so that Konami can tag her in, snapmare by Kyona and she hits a sliding lariat for a two count. Kyona picks up Andras and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top but Andras avoids the diving body press and Kagetsu kicks her in the face. Konami comes in but Andras boots her back out, Oedo Tai kick Kyona and Andras hits a suplex. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, Andras follows with the Swanton Bomb but Konami breaks up the cover. They toss Andras into the ropes but Kagetsu hits a double springboard dropkick, Kyona and Konami fall out of the ring but they hit Oedo Tai with chairs when they go to do a dive. Release German by Konami to Andras, Kyona quickly goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press. Hammer Throw Powerbomb by Kyona, and she picks up the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad win and retain the championship.

This match was clipped to hell (about 50%), which is surprising for a title match since there were some more… lowly matches on the show they could have cut up. I guess they were just making sure the next two matches got the time they need. The match started a little goofy but got good after that, Kagetsu is so great that she shines through in every match she is in, even heavily clipped ones. Solid action for sure but its hard for me to recommend a match that so much is cut out of, just too incomplete.

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hazuki
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start and get into a Test of Strength, Arisa tosses Hazuki to the mat and hops on top of her but Hazuki quickly reverses places with her as they jockey on the mat for position. Snapmare by Arisa and she kicks Hazuki in the back, she goes off the ropes but Hazuki trips her and drags her out of the ring. Hazuki tosses Arisa into the chairs at ringside, she brings her up into the bleachers and slams Arisa’s head into the column a few times. Hazuki brings Arisa back into the ring but immediately throws her back out of it and throws her into the chairs again. Hazuki slams Arisa into the ring post before scoop slamming her on the floor, she rolls her into the ring and hits two more scoop slams for a two count cover. Hazuki picks up Arisa and tosses her down by the hair, she goes for bootscrapes but Arisa kicks her in the leg and connects with a series of kicks to Hazuki’s chest. Arisa kicks Hazuki into the corner, Irish whip by Arisa but Hazuki rebounds out of the corner with a dropkick. Half nelson slam onto her knee by Hazuki, she pushes Arisa against the ropes and hits a series of bootscrapes followed by a running boot.

Hazuki throws Arisa into the corner and hits a running back elbow, Backstabber by Hazuki and she transitions it into an armtrap crossface. Arisa gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Hazuki picks her up but Arisa pushes her off and the two trade elbows. Pump Kick by Hazuki, she picks up Arisa but Arisa gets away and delivers a jumping kick. Both wrestlers are down but Hazuki is up first, running boot by Hazuki and she goes out to the apron, but Arisa avoids her springboard attack and puts Hazuki in a sleeper hold. Hazuki gets to the ropes for the break, Arisa goes up top but Hazuki recovers and joins her. They trade elbows while on the top turnbuckle until Arisa headbutts Hazuki off, 1399 by Arisa and she covers Hazuki for a two count. ADAMAS by Arisa, but Arisa lifts Hazuki up before the three count so she can nail the Brazilian Kick. Cover by Arisa, but Hazuki barely gets her shoulder up. Arisa goes for a running knee but Hazuki ducks it and hits a DDT, Michinoku Driver by Hazuki but her cover gets two. Hazuki picks up Arisa but Arisa blocks a suplex attempt and they trade elbows. Hazuki throws Arisa into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, Arisa elbows her back but Hazuki sets up Arisa in the corner and hits a Codebreaker.

Hazuki goes to the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick to Arisa’s back, cover by Hazuki but it gets a two count. She transitions into an armtrap crossface, Arisa almost makes the ropes but Hazuki rolls her back and applies the Rings of Saturn. Again Arisa wiggles to the ropes and this time she makes it for the break, Hazuki goes off the ropes and nails a running boot to the side of Arisa’s head. Hazuki drags up Arisa and slams her in front of the corner, she goes up top but Arisa recovers and joins her. Hazuki knees Arisa and flips back to the mat, she boots Arisa in the head and then hits a neckbreaker. Hazuki goes up top but Arisa avoids the Bombs Away and hits a jumping knee, she connects with a second jumping knee and covers Hazuki for two. Arisa picks up Hazuki but Hazuki ducks the Brazilian Kick and applies La Magistral for two. Headbutt by Hazuki but Arisa kicks her in the head, Shining Impact by Arisa and she covers Hazuki for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki is the winner and still the champion.

I’m glad that Samurai TV didn’t clip this match as it was a hell of an encounter. Arisa has really grown on me, at first as she transitioned from midcard tag wrestler to suddenly a main event wrestler, I thought her offense was a bit repetitive and lacked creativity, but she is clearly over that hump as she was great here. All her strikes were snug and she is a lot of fun to watch. Hazuki also continues to improve as she showed a lot of fire, taking it hard to Arisa but never resorting to Oedo Tai Tactics as it was a pretty clean fight from start to finish. They mixed it up really well between strikes/power moves/submissions to keep things interesting and the ‘outside the ring’ portion was kept to the point. The near falls were convincing and the Shining Impact was the perfect way to end the match as it felt like a real exclamation point after a close back and forth battle. One of the better Stardom matches I have seen so far this year, just an exciting and well paced match between two wrestlers that keep getting better each time I watch them. Worth going out of your way to see.  Highly Recommended

(c) Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe
World of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Momo pushes Bea into the corner but quickly gives a clean break. Momo takes Bea to the mat and they trade holds, but neither gets the advantage and they return to their feet. Wristlock by Bea but Momo reverses it, snapmare by Bea and she applies a chinlock but Momo gets to the ropes for the break. They end up on the mat again with Momo in control, Bea returns to her feet and tosses Momo down before backing off. Headlock by Bea but Momo Irish whips out of it, elbow by Bea in the corner but Momo fires back with a dropkick and Bea rolls out of the ring to regroup. Momo goes to the apron and goes for a diving knee, but Bea moves out of the way and gets up on the apron to deliver a PK. Bea stomps on Momo’s arm and twists it around the ring post, she lets her go after a moment and returns to the ring. Momo doesn’t follow fast enough so Bea goes back out after her and throws her into the ring post. Bea kicks Momo in the arm and returns to the ring for good, Momo rolls in too but Bea immediately goes back to Momo’s arm.

Bea throws Momo into the corner but Momo rebounds out of it with a dropkick, another dropkick by Momo and she follows with a third. Momo picks up Bea and hits a snap vertical suplex, they slowly return to their feet and trade elbows. Bea takes Momo to the mat and applies a butterfly lock, Momo gets out of it but Bea cradles her for two. Running knee by Bea, she picks up Momo and hits a side suplex for another two count cover. Bea picks up Momo and gets her on her shoulders, but Momo reverses the Queen’s Landing and rolls Bea to the mat. Kick by Momo, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving Somato for a two count. Momo quickly puts Bea in the chickenwing, Bea gets out of it but Momo drops her with a half nelson suplex. Somato by Momo, but Bea grabs the bottom rope to force the break. Momo picks up Bea and sets her up for the B Driver, she climbs the turnbuckles with Bea on her back but Bea gets away and hits a powerbomb for a two count. Bea waits for Momo to get up and charges, but Momo kicks her back and gets on the top turnbuckle.

Bea kicks her in the head to send Momo to the apron, Bea quickly jumps up to the top turnbuckle and hits a double footstomp to Momo’s back. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, they manage to get onto the apron and the pair trade elbows. Bea goes for a suplex but Momo blocks it before hitting the B Driver on the apron. Momo pulls Bea back in the ring and hits a second B Driver, cover by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing, she nails the Tequila Sunrise but Bea gets a shoulder up. Momo gets Bea to her feet and delivers the Peach Sunrise, but again Bea manages to get a shoulder up. Momo pushes the referee before going back to Bea, she goes for another Peach Sunrise but Bea rolls out of it and drops Momo with a Peach Sunrise of her own for a two count. Both are slow to get up, they both kick each other in the head with Momo following with more kicks. Bea kicks her back, superkick by Bea and she nails a jumping knee. Trapped side suplex hold by Bea, but Momo kicks out at two. Bea drags Momo to her feet, she gets Momo onto her shoulders and delivers the Queen’s Landing for the three count! Bea Priestley wins and retains the championship.

From just a pure enjoyment standpoint, this match delivered, but if you scratch beneath the surface a bit there certainly were some issues. I’ll start with the good – Bea gets a lot of shit online, but she’s a very good wrestler and she showed it here as everything she did was on point. She can be rough around the edges sometimes but in this match she was at her best and delivered a great performance. Momo looked great too so just looking at their back-and-forths and execution, this was about as good as it could be. On the match layout side however, there were some issues. Bea did a good job on the arm of Momo for about five minutes, but as soon as she stopped it was immediately dropped from the match and never even got a callback spot later. So it was just wasted time, it had no impact on anything else in the match whatsoever. There were other smaller issues, like the ‘on the floor’ portion of the match felt too long with not a lot happening, but the arm offense was the biggest problem since it filled a large chunk of the match with meaningless offense. I’m not a big fan of wrestlers kicking out of their opponent’s big finisher, at least in this case Bea was mostly incapacitated for awhile so it wasn’t just blown off, but it is often a tip-off of the end result. Overall a really good match, it didn’t reach the level of the previous match but still worthy of a Korakuen Hall main event.  Recommended

The post Stardom World Big Summer In Tokyo on 7/24/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka
Date: July 20th, 2019
Location: Edion Arena Osaka #2 in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 563

This year for Stardom I have been focusing on their Korakuen Hall events, but I had to take a step away from that to take a look at this show. For Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka, Stardom put on a full (for them) six match card with three title matches, with a defense of the Artist of Stardom Championship in the main event. We also get some of the better Gaijin wrestlers joining us, with Bobbi Tyler, Jamie Hayter, Bea Priestley, and Zoe Lucas all on the show. Here is the full card:

• Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid
• Arisa Hoshiki and Saya Iida vs. Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter
• Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe, and Leo Onozaki vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Zoe Lucas
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. AZM vs. DEATH Yama-san
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire

Even though I prefer to watch the Samurai TV version of the bigger Stardom events, that wasn’t an option here so I am watching the show on Stardom World. All wrestlers on the card have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid

They tie-up to start, Bobbi pushes the smaller Starlight Kid into the ropes and gives her a clean break. They trade waistlocks, Starlight Kid gets Bobbi to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Bobbi kicks out of it and reverses the hold. They trade positions before reaching a stalemate, wristlock by Bobbi back on their feet but Starlight Kid uses the ropes to reverse it. Armdrag by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Bobbi out of the ring, she goes off the ropes but feints back into the ring instead of doing a dive. Bobbi gets back in, Starlight Kid goes for a slam but Bobbi reverses it and hits one of her own. Bobbi picks up Starlight Kid and stretches her in the ropes, stomps by Bobbi and she chokes Starlight Kid with her boot in the corner. Cover by Bobbi, but it gets two. Irish whip by Bobbi but Starlight Kid ducks her lariat and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors,

Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid goes for a cross-legged suplex but Bobbi blocks it, Starlight Kid elbows Bobbi into the corner but Bobbi avoids her dropkick. Elbows by Bobbi and she hits a running elbow followed by a cutter. Superkick by Bobbi, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Bobbi applies a choke before going off the ropes, but Starlight Kid ducks the pump kick and hits a springboard crossbody. Cross-legged bridging suplex by Starlight Kid, but Bobbi kicks out. Starlight Kid goes up top and delivers the swivel body press, but again Bobbi gets a shoulder up. Bobbi comes back with an enzuigiri and a superkick, cover by Bobbi but it gets a two count. Bobbi picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides away and schoolboys her for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Bobbi catches her with a rope-assisted reverse STO. Bobbi waits for Starlight Kid to get up and nails the Pump Kick, cover by Bobbi and she gets the three count! Bobbi Tyler is the winner.

It started a bit slow for a shortish match, but once they got rolling I enjoyed it. These two don’t have a lot of experience against each other (in a live setting anyway) but meshed up pretty well, and Starlight Kid continues to slowly grow her arsenal as she becomes a more complete wrestler. Certainly a fun match, with only four or five minutes of meaningful action its hard to give a strong recommendation but a solid way to open the show.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Hoshiki and Saya Iida vs. Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter

Natsuko and Saya kick things off, they go through some mat wrestling and trade holds until Saya gets a headscissors applied. Natsuko pushes out of it and they reach a stalemate, Saya goes to take out but Natsuko kicks her and rams her into the corner. Natsuko tags in Jamie, vertical suplex by Jamie and she mushes Saya in the face with her boot. Another suplex by Jamie, Natsuko comes in and they double team Saya in the corner. Natsuko stays in and tosses Saya by the hair a few times before hitting a scoop slam. Running body press by Natsuko, and she covers Saya for two. Natsuko kicks Saya in the head, Saya tries to fight back but Natsuko kicks her again before knocking Arisa off the apron. Natsuko picks up Saya but Saya ducks her lariat and dropkicks her in the knee. Another dropkick by Saya and she makes the hot tag to Arisa. Arisa boots Jamie off the apron and hits a jumping double knee on Natsuko, reverse diving kneedrop by Arisa to Natsuko and she kicks her in the head. More kicks by Arisa but Natsuko catches one and applies an ankle hold. And she appears to be biting her ankle as well. The referee gets her to stop, Arisa goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a spinebuster.

Headscissors by Natsuko but it gets broken up by Saya, Jamie gets rid of Saya and they both elbow Arisa. Natsuko picks up Arisa and gets her on her shoulders, but Arisa slides off and goes off the ropes. Natsuko goes off the ropes too and hits a spear, she tags in Jamie who kicks Arisa in the chest. Sidewalk Slam onto her knee by Jamie, and she covers Arisa for two. Jamie picks up Arisa and goes off the ropes, but Arisa drills her with a jumping knee. Arisa tags Saya, she stays in the ring as they take turns elbowing Jamie. Double dropkick to Jamie, Saya footstomps off her back and covers Jamie for two. Saya goes for a scoop slam but Jamie blocks it, boot by Saya and this time she successfully hits the scoop slam for two. Saya picks up Jamie, Arisa returns and they take turns with strikes, but Natsuko breaks up Saya’s cover. Saya and Arisa go off the ropes but Natsuko catches them with a double spear, elbow and a kick by Jamie to Saya but her cover gets a two count. Jamie picks up Saya but Saya sneaks in an inside cradle for two. She tries another flash pin but Natsuko breaks it up, Saya goes off the ropes but Jamie delivers a lariat. Short-range lariat by Jamie and she nails a brainbuster unto her knee for the three count pinfall! Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter are the winners.

A step down from the last match but still generally inoffensive. The chemistry wasn’t quite there on a few spots as not everything was smooth, but no one really stuck out as not fitting in which is a plus. Saya Iida can be a bit hit-and-miss but looked fine for a rookie here, the match was just void of anything particularly memorable aside from Arisa’s always fun jumping knee, which generally connects pretty well. For its spot on the card, perfectly acceptable wrestling but nothing memorable.

Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe, and Leo Onozaki vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami

Kyona and Leo are the first two in, Kyona works a headlock and shoulderblocks Leo when she finally gets out of it. Leo fights back with elbows by Kyona returns the favor, she goes off the ropes but Leo elbows her again. Leo tries to knock over Kyona with elbows and finally succeeds with a dropkick, she goes for a suplex but Kyona blocks it. All the wrestlers end up running in to set up a vertical suplex line, and TCS delivers a triple vertical suplex. Giant Swing by Kyona to Leo, she lets go and covers her but Momo breaks it up. Kyona throws Leo into Hana’s boot before tagging her in, Hana tosses Leo by the hair a few times and chokes her with her boot in the corner. Hana picks up Leo and hits a scoop slam, she throws Leo in the corner and tags in Konami. Konami snapmares Leo and kicks her in the back, stomps by Konami but Leo elbows her into the corner. A hard elbow by Leo sends Konami to the mat and she makes the tag to Bea, running elbow by Bea in the corner and she dropkicks Konami in the back for a two count cover. Strike combination by Konami but Bea avoids her charge in the corner and kicks her in the head. Northern Light Suplex by Bea, but Hana and Kyona both break it up.

Bea dropkicks both of them out of the ring, she picks up Konami but Konami hits an enzuigiri. Konami goes off the ropes but Bea drops her with a jumping knee and tags in Momo. Dropkicks by Momo to Konami in the corner, she goes for a uranage but Konami blocks it and hits a high kick. That gives her time to tag in Hana, running boot by Hana to Momo and she hits a second one. Hana picks up Momo but Momo kicks her in the chest, they trade kicks but Hana accidentally boots Kyona when she tries to help. That leads to Hana being triple teamed, ending with a Momo Somato for a two count cover. Momo applies a crossface chickenwing but Kyona breaks it up, Momo goes up top but Hana avoids her dive off and hits a dropkick. Momo lands near her corner and tags Leo, but Hana promptly boots her in the face for a two count. Hana goes for a suplex but Leo reverses it, she goes for a few flash pins but Hana kicks out of each one. Leo picks up Hana and hits a series of elbows, she goes off the ropes but Kyona runs in with a lariat. TCS take turns on Leo, Hana hits a big boot but her cover is broken up. Kyona and Konami clear the ring, Hana goes up top and nails a missile dropkick on Leo for the three count! TCS win!

I am shocked, shocked I say that Leo was the one that took the fall. A good match but the issue with six wrestler tag matches that don’t get a lot of time is some wrestlers simply don’t get the chance to do anything of note. Here that was mostly Bea, who had one short segment, and since I like Bea I wish I could have seen her do a bit more on the show. Leo was the focus of course but she was given some shine spots so she wasn’t completely dominated, but I do prefer these matches not have such an obvious loser. The wrestler quality in this one was high so the action was fine, it just didn’t get the time that these wrestlers generally deserve.

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Zoe Lucas
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

Tie-up to start, Utami pushes Zoe into the ropes but Zoe switches positions with her and slaps her in the face. Utami tackles Zoe and applies a stretch hold into a headlock, but Zoe quickly gets into the ropes. Irish whip by Utami but Zoe avoids her charge by sliding out to the apron and kicks her in the head. Scissors Kick by Zoe from the apron, she cradles Utami back in the ring but it gets a two count. Leg drop by Zoe to Utami’s leg and she slams her knee into the mat before twisting it in the ropes. Zoe gets Utami back to the middle of the ring and stretches her, another leg to Utami’s leg and she covers her for two. Zoe picks up Utami but Utami ducks a lariat, she goes for a dropkick but Zoe moves out of the way. Zoe picks up Utami and throws her into the corner to choke Utami with her boot. Zoe puts Utami’s leg across the second rope before kicking her and dropkicking Utami in the knee. Cover by Zoe, but it gets a two count. Zoe goes to the ropes and hits a slingshot splits legdrop, but Utami kicks out of the cover.  Zoe kicks at Utami, she picks up Utami but Utami fires back with elbows. Judo Throw by Utami and she hits a running elbow in the corner, STO by Utami and she covers Zoe for two.

Back up they trade elbows, Zoe kicks Utami in the knee and then in the head, she goes off the ropes and hits a bulldog. Cradle by Zoe, but Utami kicks out. Zoe applies a cross kneelock but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Zoe picks up Utami and puts her leg across the second rope in the corner, she charges her but Utami moves out of the way and hits a lariat. Utami goes up top but Zoe kicks her before she can jump off, Zoe joins her but Utami pushes her off. Zoe kicks her again and tosses Utami to the mat, cover by Zoe but it gets a two count. Zoe goes off the ropes and nails a splits legdrop to Utami’s head, but that gets a two count as well. Zoe picks up Utami, head kick by Zoe but Utami slides behind her back and applies a sleeper hold. Zoe gets to the ropes for the break, Utami picks her up but Zoe applies a sunset flip. PK by Zoe, she picks up Utami and they quickly trade holds. Utami gets Zoe’s back and hits a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

Even though I am the #1 Utami stan, I can still recognize when she has a match that isn’t very good, which is the case here. Even the structure itself seemed off, as I am surprised that the plan was for Zoe to dominate the match and for Utami to win with a ‘surprise’ German suplex without really any attempt to weaken Zoe first. Zoe’s offensive was fine, her leg work was done well and even though she spams the splits legdrop at least she hits it solidly, it was just odd that the champion won with only hitting a couple moves. Add in a miscommunication or two and overall the match was lacking, not a great title match and pretty skippable.

(c) Hazuki vs. AZM vs. DEATH Yama-san
High Speed Championship

AZM immediately charges Hazuki and all three end up running off the ropes before trading quick pin attempts. DEATH punches both of them but Hazuki trips her, slingshot footstomp by Hazuki and she gets into it. AZM hits a hurricanrana but Hazuki flips herself back to her feet and hits a dropkick. Hazuki picks up AZM and hits a scoop slam, she drop toeholds DEATH on top of her and hits a running senton on both. AZM ends up against the ropes, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits a running boot. Irish whip by Hazuki to the corner but AZM avoids her charge and headscissors Hazuki into the turnbuckle. Vertical suplex by AZM, and she overs Hazuki for two. AZM goes up top but DEATH runs in and puts Hazuki in a submission, but AZM come over and puts DEATH in a hanging armbar at the same time. Hazuki crawls to the rope and forces the break, AZM clubs on both of them but DEATH flips her out to the apron. AZM slides herself back in, all three go for quick pins but none have any success. Double Irish whip to Hazuki but she ducks under the lariat attempts and hits a double Codebreaker. Hazuki stacks them in the corner and hits a running elbow, Hazuki goes to the apron and hits a double swandive dropkick for a two count on DEATH. Hazuki goes to pick up DEATH but DEATH blocks it, she goes off the ropes but DEATH delivers a jumping back kick. Code Red by DEATH, but AZM breaks up the cover. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors into the Fujiwara Armbar by AZM, but DEATH cradles AZM from behind for two. Pump Kick by Hazuki to AZM, DEATH tries to roll up Hazuki but Hazuki reverses it into a La Magistral. AZM breaks that up, Hazuki goes out to the apron but DEATH pushes AZM into Hazuki to send her to the floor before cradling AZM for the three count! DEATH Yama-san is the new High Speed Champion!

For what they were going for, I thought the match was good but its a bit disappointing to see Hazuki drop the belt in this fashion. Hazuki has tried hard in the last seven months to make the title mean something after it kinda fell out of the spotlight during Mary Apache’s run, so her losing it without getting pinned feels like a cheap way to end things. While it was likely done to keep her “strong” as she goes for a bigger title, this was the easy way out and felt flat. The action itself was good, as good as a five minute match can be as it was smooth and fast paced as you’d expect. An entertaining match, and Hazuki looked great, just not what I’d consider an ideal conclusion to a eight month title reign for Hazuki.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire
Artist of Stardom Championship

Oedo Tai attack STARS before the bell rings, which STARS for some reason seem surprised about, and the action immediately spills to the outside with Oedo Tai maintaining control. Mayu and Tam are both tossed into the chairs at ringside before Kagetsu spits water in Mayu’s face and Tam is thrown into the ring post. Natsu eventually returns to the ring with Saki, and Natsu hits her repeatedly with a weapon while the referee isn’t looking. She tags in Andras, boots by Andras in the corner and she hits a scoop slam. More slams by Andras, she picks up Saki and throws her into the corner before tagging in Kagetsu. Kagetsu spits water in Saki’s face and then at Tam as well, scoop slam by Kagetsu to Saki and she tags Natsu back in. Irish whip by Natsu but Saki reverses it, Natsu hits an atomic drop on her and then gives Mayu the same. Tam tries to help but also gets an atomic drop, Natsu goes off the ropes but Saki ducks her boot and kicks Natsu in the leg. Saki goes off the ropes and boots Natsu in the head, giving her time to tag in Tam. Andras is also tagged in, she throws Tam into the corner but Tam kicks her back when she charges in and hits a diving neckbreaker. Running knee by Tam but Andras catches her kick, Tam slides away and drops Andras with a backdrop suplex. Cartwheel into a kneedrop by Tam and she tags in Mayu.

Mayu runs in but promptly eats a DDT for her trouble, giving Andras time to tag in Kagetsu. Kicks by Kagetsu, she throws Mayu into the corner and hits a jumping elbow. Mayu returns the favor with an elbow of her own before dropkicking Kagetsu squarely in the head. Northern Lights Suplex by Mayu, but Kagetsu kicks out. Kagetsu ends up against the ropes, dropkick by Mayu and she puts Kagetsu in a crab hold. She switches it to a guillotine but Kagetsu makes it to the ropes, Natsu whips Mayu from the apron and Andras runs in with a dropkick. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, and she covers Mayu for two. Kagetsu hits another one, she gets up on the top turnbuckle but Tam hits her from the apron. Saki comes in and hits a Frankensteiner, Frog Splash by Mayu but Kagetsu gets a shoulder up on the cover. Mayu picks up Kagetsu and goes for the dragon suplex, but Kagetsu blocks it. Boot by Andras as all six wrestlers get involved, leaving the ring cleared with just Mayu and Kagetsu. They both crawl to their corners and tags in Natsu and Saki, Natsu charges Saki and hits the Bronco Buster in the corner. Natsu gets on the top turnbuckle but Saki avoids her diving crossbody, face crusher by Saki but Natsu drives her foot into Saki’s face.

Boot by Saki but Natsu sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Kagetsu and Andras both come in but Saki and Tam take care of them, triple dropkicks by STARS and they all take turns superkicking Natsu. Mayu and Tam double team Natsu with an assisted German suplex, Saki goes up top and delivers a diving double kneedrop to Natsu, but Andras breaks up the cover. Double arm facebuster by Saki and she hits a butterfly suplex hold for two. Saki nails the Unprettier, but Andras breaks up her pin attempt. Oedo Tai clear the ring, Andras and Kagetsu double team Saki before Natsu hits a jumping lariat. Bridging suplex by Natsu, but it gets a two count. Natsu goes for a fisherman buster but Saki blocks it, so Natsu drills her with the Demon (Capture DDT) instead. Cover by Natsu, but everyone breaks it up. Kagetsu and Andras clear the extra STARS members, Shining Wizard by Natsu to Saki but Saki quickly applies a crucifix pin for two. Oedo Tai toss all the members of STARS out of the ring, Kagetsu and Andras both get running starts and sail out onto all three with tope suicidas. Saki is quickly rolled back in, Steel Ball Run by Andras to Saki and Kagetsu delivers the Oedo Coaster. Demon by Natsu to Saki, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai are the new champions!

A quality main event, really enjoyable. It won’t reach any MOTYC discussions but it was what you’d expect – a fun chaos-filled match with six wrestlers very comfortable with each other so everything seemed seamless. A more dominating victory than I would have expected, as Oedo Tai controlled the match and then pinned Saki decisively with minimal cheating (for them). All six got at least a bit of a chance to shine but Kagetsu always stands out to me, she’s just so polished and on point with both her in-ring work and her overall character. An entertaining way to end the show, and a moment for Natsu to remember as she wins the first title in her career.  Recommended

The post Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka on 7/20/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Shining Destiny 2019
Date: June 16th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 890

As I stated during my last Stardom review, even though in general I am behind in reviews I want to make sure all the Korakuen Hall Stardom events are covered in a timely manner. Stardom Shining Destiny 2019 was a big event for the promotion, with three championship matches! Here is the full card:

• Hina vs. Leo Onozaki
• Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, and Ruaka vs. Saki Kashima, Saya Iida, and Zoe Lucas
• AZM and Bea Priestley vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki and Natsuko Tora
• World Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Tam Nakano

All the wrestlers above have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it. I am reviewing the Samurai TV! version of this show, so some matches may be clipped.

Hina vs. Leo Onozaki

We join this one a bit in progress as they trade elbows, Leo goes off the ropes but Hina tosses her to the mat. STO by Hina, and she covers Leo for two. Scoop slam by Hina and she goes for a cross armbreaker, but Leo keeps her hands locked until she makes it into the ropes. Hina picks up Leo but Leo throws her into the corner, jumping elbow by Leo and she hits a cutter. Cover by Leo, but it gets two. Leo goes for a slam but Hina blocks it, Hina goes for a dropkick but Leo swats it out of the way. Hina doe the same to her and they trade flash pins until Leo holds down Hina for the three count! Leo Onozaki wins.

When you need a flash pin to beat a 12 year old, probably not a good sign for your long term career. This was a short match that was clipped even shorter, nothing wrong with it but too short and basic to get excited about. Not much to see here, unless you just really want to see their gradual improvement.

Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, and Ruaka vs. Kashima, Iida, and Zoe Lucas

TCS won’t shake hands before the match so they get jumped from behind, Yama-san is isolated in the ring and triple teamed. We jump ahead to Ruaka and Saya in the ring, dropkick by Saya and she tags in Saki. Saki boots Ruaka in the head, Bobbi and Yama-san run in but Saki beats up all three of them. Saki picks up Ruaka and hits a butterfly suplex for a two count. Irish whip by Saki but Ruaka hits a jumping crossbody, that gives her time to tag in Bobbi but Saki grabs her wrist and hits a springboard hurricanrana. She tags in Zoe, Zoe is elbowed into the corner and Bobbi hits a pair of running elbows. Zoe avoids the third and boots Bobbi in the corner, cover by Zoe but it gets two. Zoe picks up Bobbi but Bobbi hits an enzuigiri, Zoe kicks her back however and both wrestlers end up on the mat. They crawl to their corners as Yama-san and Saya are tagged in, dropkicks by Saya and she covers Yama-san for a two count. Saki comes in and she elbows Yama-san in the corner, Saya follows with a dropkick by Saki hits a face crusher. Dropkick by Saya, she goes off the ropes but Yama-san knees her in the stomach. Yama-san picks up Saya but Saya rolls her up and the two trade flash pins. Zoe kicks Saya in the head, schoolboy by Yama-san and she gets the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad are the winners.

I guess the swerve here is that Zoe Lucas joined Tokyo Cyber Squad, since Zoe wasn’t drafted she isn’t officially affiliated with STARS so this doesn’t break the draft mechanism. A short match slightly clipped to be even shorter and Saya Iida was the focus, which is fine but she obviously isn’t as good as most the other wrestlers. Even in this brief match she messed up a few times, she’s still learning. The match in general was pretty rough around the edges. Best to be forgotten, aside from Zoe Lucas’ heel turn.

AZM and Bea Priestley vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and AZM start the match, they go into a fast exchange until Starlight Kid dropkicks AZM to the mat. Mayu runs in and they Irish whip AZM, but Bea comes in and dropkicks both of them. Scoop slam by AZM to Starlight Kid and she stomps down on her arm before tagging in Bea. Armbreaker by Bea and she stomps down on Starlight Kid’s elbow, she tags AZM back in and AZM elbows Starlight Kid repeatedly in the chest. Irish whip by AZM but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody for two. She tags in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she throws AZM into the corner. Irish whip by Mayu, reversed, but rolls AZM to the mat before hitting a dropkick. Bea returns, double Irish whip to Mayu but Mayu grabs their wrists and hits a double springboard armdrag. Standing moonsaults by Starlight Kid and Mayu, cover by Mayu to AZM but it gets two. Elbows by Mayu to AZM, Irish whip to the corner but AZM hits a triple jump crossbody. AZM rolls to her corner and tags Bea, Irish whip by Bea to the corner, reversed by Mayu but Mayu jumps out of the corner and hits a jumping knee. She rolls Mayu to the mat and applies a scissored armbar, but Mayu wiggles to the ropes and gets there for the break.

Bea puts Mayu against the ropes but Mayu avoids the Bea-Trigger, kicks by Mayu but Bea kicks her in the head. Superkick by Mayu, she kicks Bea against and makes it to her corner to tag Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid dropkicks Bea in the corner, jumping lariat by Starlight Kid and she covers Bea for two. Starlight Kid picks up Bea but Bea swings away, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Bea blocks the tilt-a-whirl DDT. Mayu superkicks Bea, swinging neckbreaker by Starlight Kid and she goes up top, nailing a swivel body press. Cover by Starlight Kid, but Bea barely kicks out. Starlight Kid jumps on Bea’s back but Bea pushes her off, AZM tries to help but she kicks Bea by accident. Yoshi Tonic by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. A cradle by Starlight Kid gets the same result, she picks up Bea and goes off the ropes, but Bea nails her with the Bea-Trigger. Diving footstomp by AZM, Bea finishes with a PK but Starlight Kid kicks out of the cover. Bea picks up Starlight Kid and delivers the Regal-Plex, but Mayu breaks it up. AZM takes care of Mayu, Bea picks up Starlight Kid and goes goes the Queen’s Landing, but Starlight Kid reverses it into a cradle for two. High kick by Bea, she picks up Starlight Kid and delivers the Queen’s Landing for the three count! AZM and Bea Priestley win!

I know that the official Stardom account on Reddit has said that Starlight Kid’s place in the promotion is limited due to her height, but I think they’d be making a big mistake blocking her growth as she is already so smooth at the age of 17 or 18. She tends to be the highlight of any match she is in, which is saying something when Mayu and Bea are in the match as well. Aside from a moment or two of awkwardness, everything worked well here as both Mayu and Starlight Kid have offense that looks great and are capable of making other wrestler’s offense look great as well. There wasn’t much of a story here, just two teams wasting no time as there was constant action. A fun midcard match, and if Starlight Kid keeps wrestling after graduating and the promotion doesn’t hold her back, she could be a big star in just a few years.  Recommended

(c) Hana Kimura, Kyona, and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire
Artist of Stardom Championship

TCS attacks Oedo Tai before the match starts and the brawl is on, the action spills to the outside and both teams take turns being in control. Hana and Kyona get in the ring with Andras and double team her, Konami joins in the fun too and all three pose on her. Hana and Konami go off the ropes but are tripped from the floor, leaving Andras along in the ring with Kyona. Andras flings down Kyona by the hair and tags in Kagetsu, Natsu also comes in and they both lariat Kyona. Cover by Kagetsu, but it gets a two count. Kagetsu picks up Kyona and tags Natsu, Natsu has her whip and she hits Kyona with it. The referee gets rid of the whip, Natsu gets Kyona in the corner and she hits the Bronco Buster. We clip ahead to Andras being in the ring with Kyona, headbutt by Andras and she hits a front dropkick. Kyona fires back with a lariat and both wrestlers are down on the mat, they roll to their corners and tag in Kagetsu and Hana. Kagetsu and Hana trade elbows, kicks by Hana and she boots Kagetsu in the face. Kagetsu elbows Hana back but Hana starts to put her in the Ground Manjikatame. She reverts it into a seated armbar but Kagetsu wiggles to the ropes and gets the break.

Hana picks up Kagetsu but Andras spits water in her face, Natsu runs in and boots Hana before Kagetsu hits a vertical suplex. Hana stops Kagetsu from tagging out and tags in Konami, Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Kagetsu blocks it and tags in Natsu. Natsu comes in with a diving crossbody, Kyona runs in and lariats Natsu, allowing Konami to cover her for two. Natsu is triple teamed before Konami kicks her in the head, but Andras breaks up the cover. Konami applies the Triangle Lancer but Kagetsu and Andras both break it up, they stay in the ring and take turns striking Konami. Natsu ends it with a neck drop, bridging suplex by Natsu and she gets a two count. Natsu applies a dragon sleeper but Konami reverses it, Andras runs in and dropkicks Konami before Natsu hits her with a Shining Wizard, Natsu picks up Konami and nails the capture brainbuster, but Kyona breaks up the cover. Natsu picks up Konami and kicks at her, she goes off the ropes but Konami ducks her boot. Natsu ducks her anyway and goes for a cover, but she didn’t notice that Hana had tagged herself in (neither did I). Hana hits a front dropkick and boots Natsu while she is against the ropes, another boot by Hana and she covers Natsu for two.

Hana picks up Natsu but Natsu blocks the suplex attempt and schoolboys Hana for two. She tags in Kagetsu, but Hana doesn’t notice so she gets hit by Kagetsu from behind with a sign board. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, but Hana gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu picks up Hana and nails he chokeslam, but Kyona breaks up the pin. She drags her up again and hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner, she goes up top but Konami kicks her from the apron. Kyona comes in and powerbombs Kagetsu, running boot by Hana to Kagetsu but Andras breaks up the pin. Natsu and Andras take care of Konami and Kyona, they throw Hana out of the ring before Andras and Kagetsu both hit dives out of the ring. Kagetsu gets on the top rope while Hana is dragged back into the ring, Oedo Coaster by Kagetsu but Hana barely kicks out. Kagetsu drags up Hana but Hana slides off her shoulders, Kagetsu nails her with a big boot and covers her for two. Hana quickly applies the Ground Manjikatame, Kagetsu struggles but she has no choice but to submit! Tokyo Cyber Squad retains the titles!

This was really good but it didn’t blow me away. It was slightly clipped but nothing too excessive, I think we got the gist of it. The best thing about the match, oddly, is they seemed to go out of their way to put over Natsu which was a good idea as she appeared to be the weak link in the match. That gave her some legitimacy, which she needed since a lot of times she is a comedy act or fighting against the kids. Hana looked great and may be in line for a bigger push soon. I didn’t love the ending though, Kagetsu was in the submission for a really long time, much longer than you’d expect in a six woman match without having a partner break it up, I’d have preferred a faster tap-out. An entertaining fast paced match with a lot of action, it just didn’t do anything special to elevate itself to the next level.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki and Natsuko Tora
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Utami and Natsuko start the match, they tie-up until Utami gets Natsuko in the ropes, but Natsuko pushes her away. Natsuko gets Utami to the mat and they jockey for position, Natsuko applies a side headlock but Utami reverses it into a headscissors. Natsuko gets out of it and they return to their feet, both tag out and Hazuki immediately gets into it with Momo. Armdrag by Momo but Hazuki flings her to the mat, another armdrag by Momo but Natsuko kicks her from the apron and Hazuki delivers a dropkick. Elbows by Hazuki but Hazuki runs in and hits a judo toss, Somato by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing but Natsuko breaks it up, Utami throws Natsuko out of the ring while Momo picks up Hazuki, but Hazuki blocks the B Driver and hits a Somato for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Momo hits a high kick, half and half suplex by Momo but Hazuki lands on her feet and applies La Magistral for two. We jump ahead but Hazuki and Momo are still in the ring, pump kick by Hazuki and both wrestlers are hurt on the mat. Hazuki makes the tag to Natsuko and she cuts off Momo, hitting a spear. Another spear by Natsuko and she hits a third, getting a two count cover. Natsuko throws Momo into the corner but Momo jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hits a Diving Somato.

Utami comes in and slams Natsuko, running Somato by Momo but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Hazuki stays in and kicks Momo, Momo kicks them both but is caught by a Code Breaker by Hazuki and a spear by Natsuko. Natsuko goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Utami breaks up he cover. Utami throws Hazuki out of the ring, she goes to Natsuko but Hazuki hits a swandive dropkick on both Momo and Utami. Natsuko grabs Momo and slams her in front of the corner, Natsuko goes up top and hits another diving body press followed by another one before Hazuki drops Momo with a brainbuster. Natsuko goes up top again and hit a third diving body press, but Momo gets a shoulder up on the cover. Natsuko picks up Momo and hits a swinging side slam, but again Momo kicks out. Natsuko picks up Momo but Momo elbows her, Natsuko fires back with a spear and goes up top, hitting a diving leg drop for a two count when Utami breaks it up. Hazuki comes in but Utami drops her with a release German, she hits Natsuko with a lariat and then assists Momo in delivering the B Driver. Momo waits for Natsuko to get up and hits a high kick, half and half suplex hold by Momo but Hazuki breaks up the pin. Momo picks up Natsuko and nails the Peach Sunrise, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita are still the champions.

Samurai TV did us no favors here, as a good chunk of the match was missing. What they showed was perfectly fine, all four are good to great wrestlers and they aren’t going to ever put on a bad match. I didn’t like how repetitive Natsuko’s offense was, she really needs more than just diving body presses and spears, hopefully if she is going to start getting title matches she will diversify her portfolio. I wanted to see more of Utami so of course she did very little with Momo doing the brunt of the work. Between the clipping and Natsuko’s unoriginality I can’t really say this needs to be sought out, but it was the hard hitting action you would expect.

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Tam Nakano
World of Stardom Championship

They are slow to lockup as they size each other up, Tam gets Arisa to the mat and they trade positions back and forth. Tam gets a grounded necklock applied and then puts Arisa in a side headlock, but Arisa gets out of it. Tam goes for Arisa’s ankle but Arisa gets away and applies a crab hold, Tam gets to the ropes however and forces the break. Arisa puts Tam in the corner and charges her, but Tam kicks her back and applies a dragon sleeper from the top rope. Tam dumps Arisa out to the apron and kicks her out of the ring, Tam goes up top and dives out onto Arisa with a plancha. Tam slides Arisa back in and kicks her into the corner, she twists Arisa’s leg around the bottom rope and twists it until the referee gets her to stop. Scoop slam by Tam and she applies a modified figure four, but Arisa gets to the ropes for the break. Tam drops a knee on Arisa’s leg, Arisa fights back with elbows but Tam slaps her in the face. Tam goes off the ropes but Arisa kicks her in the chest, Arisa quickly gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving kneedrop for a two count.

Arisa goes off the ropes but Tam avoids her kick, she cartwheels Arisa to the mat and applies a cross kneelock. Arisa gets in the ropes for the break, running knee by Tam and she hits a backdrop suplex. Tam goes up top but Arisa recovers and joins her, Arisa and Tam trade elbows until Arisa knees Tam in the head, sending her to the apron. Arisa joins Tam on the apron and hits a running double knee, but Tam bridges away and drops Arisa on the apron with a German suplex. Tam returns to the ring with Arisa slowly following, Tam and Arisa trade elbows until delivers a jumping kick. Arisa picks up Tam and delivers the Diamond Buster, she goes up top but Tam avoids the ADAMAS. Spinning kick by Tam, she goes up top and nails the Destiny Hammer but Arisa grabs her when she goes off the ropes. Tam wiggles away and kicks Arisa in the head, another head kick by Tam and she covers Arisa for two. Tam goes for a tiger suplex but Arisa blocks it, high kick by Arisa and she goes up top, delivering the 1399.

Arisa picks up Tam and hits a jumping kick, she goes up top and nails the ADAMAS, but Tam kicks out of the cover. Arisa picks up Tam bu Tam ducks the Brazilian Kick and hits a high kick instead. Sliding knee by Tam, but Arisa grabs the ropes to break up the cover. Tam picks up Arisa and nails the tiger suplex hold, but Arisa gets a shoulder up. Tam drags Arisa to her feet and goes for an arm trapped German, but Arisa gets into the ropes before she ca hit the move. Tam goes off the ropes but Arisa nails her in the head with a jumping knee. Brazilian Kick by Arisa, but she is slow to make the cover and Tam gets a shoulder up before the three count. They slowly get to their knees and trade elbows, more elbows by Arisa as they are on their feet but Tam delivers a high kick. Tam picks up Arisa and kicks her repeatedly in the head, she goes off the ropes but Arisa plants her with a jumping knee. Running knee by Arisa and she drops Tam with a Brazilian Kick for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki retains the championship.

There were tiny issues here and there that would prevent this from being the MOTY for me, but this was a fantastic match. Arisa Hoshiki has improved so much just this year, she wasn’t spamming the same moves like she did in the Momo match and all her knees were on point. Tam wasn’t quite as tight with her strikes as Arisa was but still put on the best singles match of her career, her leg work was well done (even if forgotten) and they mixed in big spots well to pop the crowd at the right moments. A few issues – the apron German led to just a 50/50 elbow spot which felt off, the leg work was never sold by Arisa for even a second when she wasn’t in a hold, and some of the Tam’s kicks whiffed. Still, far more good than bad here and the overall package was an entertaining and hard hitting match between two wrestlers trying to show they belong in the top tier of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Shining Destiny 2019 on 6/16/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple”
Date: April 5th, 2019
Location: NYC Arena in Queens, NY, USA
Announced Attendance: Unknown

I did a preview of this event on Thursday, and since I am watching it live it only made sense to review it as quickly as possible as well. This is not Stardom’s first voyage to the United States, however it is the first show of theirs that really feels like a Stardom show and not a event that Stardom wrestlers just appear on. We get several big matches here, including the first ever singles match between Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita! Here is the full card:

• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette
• Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Dust
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Elimination Match: Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki

The bottom rope is broken in the ring, they tried to fix it for about 20 minutes but eventually gave up so this event will take place with a very loose bottom rope. The other two ropes seem fine however. If you want more details about any of the wrestlers above that are from Stardom or have wrestled in Stardom before, you can click on their names to go to their profile on Joshi City. Lets get to the review!

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

Jungle and Sonya start the match, they test each other’s strength with shoulderblock attempts until Sonya sends Jungle to the mat. Sonya tags Violette, Violette throws Jungle to the mat and puts her in a neck crank. Violette puts Natsuko in a grounded necklock but Jungle gets into the ropes for the break. Sonya returns and continues working over Jungle, Jungle fights back with chops as the two women trade blows. Hard shoulderblock by Jungle and she makes the hot tag to Natsuko, Natsuko tries to pick up Sonya but Sonya fights out of it. Violette comes in but Natsuko avoids her charge and she stacks both in the corner before hitting a running shoulder tackle. Natsuko goes for a splash on both but they move, double Irish whip to Natsuko but she delivers a double spear to them both. Natsuko picks up Sonya but Sonya dropkicks her and kicks her in the head. Cover by Sonya, but it gets a two count.

Violette is tagged in, dropkicks by Violette and she hits a spinning backfist, but Natsuko drops her with a spinebuster and tags Jungle. Jungle and Natsuko pick up Violette and throw her into the corner for the double team but Violette throws them into each other and hits a Codebreaker on Jungle. Cover by Violette, but Jungle barely gets the shoulder up. Sonya and Violette trade kicks to Jungle, cutter by Violette but it gets another two. Violette picks up Jungle but Jungle lariats both of them, sliding lariat to Violette but her pin attempt gets two. Sonya returns to attack Jungle but Natsuko dropkicks her, Violette and Sonya are thrown to opposite corners and hit with elbows. Jungle and Natsuko slam their opponents and go up to opposite turnbuckles, with both delivering a diving body press. Jungle grabs Violette around the waist and nails the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, and she picks up the three count! Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora win!

I am surprised they decided to kick off the show with a more grounded power battle, but the match was good. Sonya and Violette showed general competency here, there were some missed moves and clunkiness but I can chalk up some of that to being against Jungle and Natsuko for the first time. I was surprised Jungle was the original face in peril but the match generally felt dominated by Sonya and Violette, with the Stardom team getting their big spots in when needed. The crowd was quiet during some of the beatdown segments but got very vocal whenever Jungle was involved, as she was the clear star of the match. A fine match to start off the show and to ease the crowd into the action that is to come.

Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler

Baker, Hana, and Konami start the match, Hana gets the first advantage but Konami schoolboys her as they trade flash pins. They all tag out, Blake is tossed out of the way and Bea kicks Bobbi in the head. Konami comes in and they double team Bobbi, but Hana returns and hits a double dropkick on both of them. Hana stays in with Konami and throws her a few times by the hair, Bobbi comes back and they put Konami in a double Romero Special. Baker slides in and tries for a pin while the move is applied so they release it, Bea and Konami double team Hana and drill her with a double kick for two. Blake comes back in as legal and hits a bulldog on Bea, but her cover gets two. Hana tags kicks Blake and tags herself back in, she dropkicks Bea but Konami comes in and trades elbows with Hana. Kicks by Konami to Hana, she delivers a head kick and covers Hana for two. Grounded necklock by Konami to Hana but Hana muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex for two. Hana goes off the ropes and goes for the boot, but Konami moves and applies a kneelock over the top rope. We still only have two wrestlers since Bea has beat up everyone else at ringside, Ground Manjikatame by Hana but Bea quickly breaks it up. Bea remains and hits a backdrop suplex onto Hana, but Bobbi breaks up the cover. Bobbi also remains in the ring and she hits a Reverse STO off the ropes, she covers Bea but Baker breaks it up. Slide Blade by Baker, Blake comes in but she kicks Baker by accident. Missile dropkick by Hana to Blake, and she covers her for the three count! Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler win!

While I wouldn’t have minded if they got more time, the action we saw was entertaining. I know she wasn’t the focus but I really like Bobbi, she was a good selection by Stardom to bring in earlier this year and works really well with the wrestlers. All six looked good but Hana and Bobbi were the standouts, which made it fitting that they won the match. Blake isn’t quite on the level as everyone else here but hit her spots fine, and generally each of the Stardom wrestlers got a brief chance to get their shots in which is all the crowd wanted from this type of match. A solid match, just a bit shorter than I’d have liked.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

They waste no time as they go into a high speed exchange, as Hazuki’s recent matches tend to, but neither wrestler gets a clear advantage. Dropkick by Dust but Hazuki dropkicks her back, Hazuki knocks Dust down in the corner and hits some bootscrapes followed by a running kick. Scoop slam by Hazuki and she throws Dust into the corner, but Dust avoids her charge and hits a jumping elbow. Kick to the back by Dust and she hits a sliding kick, cover by Dust but it gets two. Dust goes off the ropes but Hazuki jumps off to the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick. Big boot by Hazuki and she covers Dust for a two count. Hazuki picks up Dust but Dust sneaks in a cradle for two, Hazuki hits Dust with hard elbows but Dust goes out to the apron and pulls Hazuki out with her, hitting a DDT onto the apron. Dust goes up top and connects with a diving crossbody, running knee to the back by Dust and she nails the Codebreaker for two. Dust goes up top but Hazuki recovers and joins her, they trade elbows but Dust knocks Hazuki back to the mat. Dust jumps off, Hazuki moves but Dust hits a Backstabber for two. Dust waits for Hazuki to get up but Hazuki avoids the kick and puts her in La Magistral for the three count! Hazuki is still the champion!

This match being shorter isn’t surprising as all of Hazuki’s titles matches are short, but again I still wish they got more time (the commentator mentioned it too and agrees with me, so I’m not just being difficult). An entertaining match for sure, Hazuki has really started putting all the pieces together and has a wide variety of quality offense, making her matches unique each time as she has quite a few moves that she can end a match with. Dust connected well on everything and I liked the general story of Dust being in control but losing to Hazuki’s “quick” move since it fits in with the name of the title. Didn’t get enough time to get too emotionally invested but a good match between two talented wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

This event is flying by, but we still have two big matches left.

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They start slow as they trade holds with neither getting the advantage, but Utami slaps Momo in the face which leads to the action picking up. Dropkick by Momo and she kicks Utami in the back, chest kick by Momo and she chokes Utami with her boot. More kicks by Momo, she kicks Utami out of the ring and goes out to the apron, delivering a PK as Utami stands back up. Momo goes out to get Utami and they trade strikes back in the ring, slap by Momo and she hits a scoop slam for two. Momo throws Utami to the corner, Utami reverses it as Momo goes for a dropkick, but Utami moves and puts Momo in the Camel Clutch. Momo gets a foot on the broken bottom rope for the break, scoop slam by Utami but Momo quickly kicks out of the cover. Crab hold by Utami, Momo gets out of it but Utami dropkicks her in the back. Momo briefly regains the advantage but Utami schoolboys her and re-applies the crab hold. Momo gets to the ropes for the break, Utami picks her up and goes for the Argentine Backbreaker, but Momo blocks it and delivers a head kick. Momo goes for a suplex, Utami blocks it but Momo rolls her up for two. Back up they trade elbows until both collapse to the mat, Momo is up first and throws Utami to the corner, dropkick by Momo but Utami fires back with a running elbow as they go back and forth.

Missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle by Momo, she picks up Utami and kicks her into the corner. Running dropkick by Momo, she then hits a Uranage followed by a Somato for a close tow count. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the diving Somato, she then goes all the way up and delivers another diving Somato but Utami barely gets a shoulder up. Momo applies the chickenwing, she goes for a kick but Utami catches it and flings Momo to the mat. Sleeper by Utami and she hits a sleeper takedown, giving the hold applied on the mat. Momo rolls towards the rope and reaches it for the break. Utami picks up Momo and puts her up in the Argentine Backbreaker before dropping her back with a Samoan Drop, she drags up Momo by the waist and nails a German suplex hold for a close two count. Utami picks up Momo and goes for the Argentine Backbreaker again but Momo rolls out of it, Utami goes off the ropes but Momo catches her with the B Driver for a two count. Momo puts Utami in the chickenwing before kicking her hard in the back of the head, Tequila Sunrise by Momo but Utami barely kicks out. Momo drags Utami up but Utami pushes her away and sneaks in a cradle for two. Utami goes off the ropes but Momo nails her with a high kick, Peach Sunrise by Momo, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe is the winner and retains the championship.

By any standard, this was a fantastic match, but when you consider their ages and experience levels it just goes to a different level. They work together so well and nothing they did felt wasted, there weren’t any time killing or meaningless spots as everything they did served some type of purpose. Both are so crisp with the transitions and there were so many small spots throughout designed to keep your eyeballs on the match. These two bring it all, from hard strikes to smart submissions to great looking suplexes, and their offensive variety keeps the action fresh. I will admit I am surprised Momo won, not that she doesn’t have the experience edge but since it wasn’t the main event it felt like they would go in a different direction, but it gives Utami a mountain to climb and quiets down the less intelligent fans that thought Utami was being pushed too hard (which isn’t true anyway). Utami never hit her biggest move so she still has that in her pocket, and Momo had to whip out a quality sequence of moves to keep the Big Rookie down so there is no shame in defeat for her. One of the better Joshi matches so far in 2019, just an exciting and entertaining match bell to bell that shows why Stardom fans are so high on Momo and Utami as future leaders of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki
Elimination Match (by pinfall, submission, or Over the Top Rope)

They immediately start brawling into the aisles and into the crowd, things settle down a bit with Mayu and Kagetsu in the ring as the legal wrestlers. Kagetsu tags in Jamie and suplexes Mayu into the turnbuckles, she tags in Martina and she suplexes Mayu for a two count. The quick tags continue as Mayu is weakened , Andras runs through her offense on Mayu but the cover is broken up. Andras goes to do a dive but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, giving her time to tag Saki. Jamie and Martina run in but are taken back out, spinning headscissors by Saki to Andras and she plants Kagetsu as well. Saki jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a face crusher, double underhook face crusher by Saki to Andras but Kagetsu stops Saki when she tries to dive off the top turnbuckle. All of Oedo Tai run in and hit running strikes on Saki, Andras grabs Saki and nails the Samoan Driver, but the cover only gets two. Andras picks up Saki but Saki blocks the piledriver and cradles Andras for a close two count. Saki goes off the ropes but Andras catches her with the spinning tombstone piledriver and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima is eliminated.

Arisa comes in as the legal wrestler with Martina, brainbuster by Martina but Arisa kicks out of the cover. Martina gets Arisa on her shoulders but she gets a little help from her friends, kicks by Arisa to Martina but Martina blocks the suplex attempt. Members of both teams run in as we get all seven in the vertical suplex attempt, with STARS winning the battle. All three remaining members of STARS work over Martina, ending with a triple dropkick for a two count. Arisa picks up Martina and with Tam connects with dual kicks, Brazilian Kick by Arisa and she covers Marina for the three count! Session Moth Martina is eliminated.

Kagetsu jumps Arisa from behind, Tam tags in and she trades elbows with Kagetsu. Cutter by Tam, she grabs Kagetsu from behind but Kagetsu elbows her off. High kick by Tam but Kagetsu kicks her back, she goes off the ropes but Tam nails another high kick followed by a German suplex hold for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits her with the Oedo Tai board, Andras slams Tam and Kagetsu goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but the cover is broken up. Kagetsu picks up Tam and hits the Death Valley Bomb, and this time she gets the three count! Tam Nakano is eliminated!

Mayu knocks Kagetsu back but Andras is tagged in and she hits a missile dropkick onto Mayu. Arisa tries to help but Andras dropkicks both of them and hits a backdrop suplex onto Mayu for a two count. Andras goes up top but Mayu joins her and delivers a Frankensteiner, sliding kick by Mayu and she covers Andras for two. Mayu goes off the ropes but Andras catches her and goes for a powerbomb, but Mayu slides out to the apron. Andras charges Mayu but Mayu gets a headscissors, sending Andras over the top rope to the floor! Andras is eliminated.

Kagetsu gets in the ring and she rakes Mayu in the eyes, suplex by Mayu and she tags in Arisa. Kagetsu grabs Arisa by the throat but Arisa pushes her off and the two trade kicks. Arisa goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her to the mat, Kagetsu charges Arisa but Arisa nails her with a knee for a two count. Arisa drives Kagetsu’s head into her knee, she goes up top but Jamie and Andras grab her from the apron. Springboard kick by Kagetsu but Arisa knocks her back, Kagetsu gets some water and spits it into Arisa’s face. Kagetsu gets Arisa on her shoulders and tries to toss her out of the ring, but Arisa hangs on. They struggle on the top rope but they both end up tumbling out, as both Kagetsu and Arisa Hoshiki are eliminated!

Jamie and Mayu are the last two remaining. Kagetsu tries to mist Mayu but hits Jamie by accident, buzzsaw kick by Mayu to Jamie and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the moonsault. Cover by Mayu, and she gets the three count! STARS win, with Mayu Iwatani being the sole survivor!

This match was exactly what I was expecting, if not a bit better. The eliminations did come fast but with eight wrestlers that was bound to happen, and most of the wrestlers got to show off before they got eliminated from the match. In a way this was almost like an exhibition in that it showed new fans what each wrestler had to offer, then getting rid of them so that the next wrestler could shine. While I was a bit concerned Martina may slow the match down just because she isn’t as familar with some of the wrestlers, she didn’t and everyone was on point with great moves executed throughout. Oedo Tai was their usual Oedo Tai self and I popped for the mist since that will always be one of my favorite wrestling “moves” ever. I wish that Jamie and Mayu got a bit more of a segment at the end but they were likely speeding things up since the show started late and they wanted time for the meet and greet before everyone had to go to their next show. Overall this was a really fun and action packed match and a fitting way to close the show, and I am glad aside from the feed dying during Momo/Utami that the action in the ring delivered to the level that I am sure Stardom was hoping it would.  Recommended

The post Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple on 4/5/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple”
Date and Time: April 5th at 4:00 PM EST
Location: NYC Arena in Queens, NY
Tickets: Eventbrite
Where to Watch on PPV: FITE

Even with the event set to take place on April 5th, Stardom waited until April 3rd to announce the card for the show. I highly suspect due to potential visa issues they were waiting until the wrestlers actually made it to the United States to announce the card so they wouldn’t falsely advertise, which may have hurt some of the buzz as the official Stardom Twitter was oddly silent on promoting tickets in the last week until the wrestlers landed. But arrive they all did and we finally have the full card! Even with the delay, Stardom did not disappoint. Before I dive into the details, here is a quick run-down of the announced matches:

• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette
• Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Dust
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Elimination Match: Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki

Five matches may seem low but this was announced from the start as a two hour show, so time was certainly a factor. Please note that the wrestlers will be meeting with fans after the show until 7 PM, so if you want a picture with the wrestlers be sure to hang around afterwards. If you want more details about any of the wrestlers above that are from Stardom or have wrestled in Stardom before, you can click on their names to go to their profile on Joshi City. Lets take a deeper look at the matches.

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki
Elimination Match

Even with it being a shorter show with only five matches, Stardom is doing their best to satisfy their current fans while also showing new fans exactly what Stardom has to offer. I’ll be watching the show live from the comfort of my home and will have a full show review completed by Friday night. At $9.99, I don’t think anyone will come away from this event thinking they didn’t get their money’s worth, this event has the chance to steal the weekend and any fan of women’s wrestling won’t want to miss it.

The post Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple on 4/5/19 Preview appeared first on Joshi City.

I haven’t done a review in quite awhile but with the excitement over Stardom I felt it was time to hop back into it. A lot has changed in Stardom since my last review back in September. Utami Hayashishita has officially made her presence felt in Stardom as she has won multiple championships and is already main eventing her 4th Korakuen Hall event. Oedo Tai has been teasing a new member who will debut on this show, plus Hazuki is well into her reign as High Speed Champion with her second defense tonight. Here is the full card:

• Hanan and Starlight Kid vs. Hina and Rina vs. Leo Onozaki and Saya Iida
• Alex Gracia and Saki Kashima vs. Bobbi Tyler and Hana Kimura
• Jamie Hayter vs. Konami
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. AZM
• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Kagetsu and X
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani

I am watching the show on Samurai TV which is a two hour program, so there may be clipping. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it (including X if you want to spoil the surprise). Let’s get to it.

Hanan and Starlight Kid vs. Hina and Rina vs. Leo Onozaki and Saya Iida

The first three in are Saya, Starlight Kid, and Hina, they do a triple knuckle lock and Saya ends up in a double wristlock. Starlight Kid and Hina knock down Saya and all three take turns schoolboying each other with no luck. Hanan, Leo, and Rina tag in, Leo is isolated in the corner and everyone come sin to dropkick her (except her teammate of course). Saya eventually comes in to help but gets tied up in the ropes instead with Leo, double STO by Hina and Rina and with Hanan they all put Leo in a submission hold. Saya recovers to help her partner break out of the holds, Leo and Rina trade strikes until Leo elbows Rina to the mat for two. She tags in Saya, Saya dropkicks Hanan and Rina before putting Rina in a crab hold, but Rina gets to the ropes for the break. Hanan comes in and trades elbows with Saya, but Hina helps her out and puts Saya in a camel clutch. Hanan goes off the ropes but dropkicks her sister, she tags in Starlight Kid and Starlight Kid hits a standing moonsault onto Hina. Saya breaks up her cover but Starlight Kid dropkicks her, Leo runs in and knocks Starlight Kid in the corner before hitting a cutter. Saya covers Starlight Kid, but the pin is broken up. Rina and Hina judo toss Leo and Saya, they grab Hanan but Hanan avoids their charge and Starlight Kid hits a diving crossbody off the top onto both of them. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid onto Saya, STO by Hanan and Starlight Kid nails a cyclone suplex, but her cover is broken up. Starlight Kid quickly goes up top and nails a swivel body press on Saya, and she picks up the three count! Hanan and Starlight Kid win.

My main thought going into this match is it was a waste of Starlight Kid, who has really turned it on the last six months, but at least she was featured and got to show off a bit. Rina and Hina at times cooperating with their sister made sense, although ultimately didn’t stick, and aside from a few minor hiccups everything went smoothly. This match could be reduced to just a long GIF and you’d get everything needed, but a perfectly fine opener to get some of the younger wrestlers some experience.

Alex Gracia and Saki Kashima vs. Bobbi Tyler and Hana Kimura

Saki and Hana start things off, they trade elbows in the ropes until Saki knocks down Hana with a dropkick. Alex comes in and they hit a double face crusher onto Hana, Saki goes off the ropes but Bobbi hits her from the apron and Hana delivers a dropkick. Slam by Hana, Bobbi gets in the ring and Saki is double teamed. Bobbi gets back on the apron so that Hana can tag her in, Bobbi slowly wears down Saki but Saki gets away and hits a tilt-a-whirl armdrag followed by a dropkick. That gives her time to tag in Alex, dropkicks by Alex but Bobbi avoids the Tiger Feint Kick, Bobbi charges Alex but Alex moves out of the way and hits a Backstabber for two. Shining Wizard by Alex, but Bobbi barely gets a shoulder up. Bobbi fires back with a superkick and tags in Hana while Saki is also tagged in, Saki ducks Hana’s boots and hits a dropkick, covering her for two. Saki goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, Alex runs in with a Tiger Feint Kick and Saki finishes Hana with a double arm suplex hold, but Bobbi breaks it up. Saki goes off the ropes but Hana catches her with a dropkick, running boot by Hana and she nails Saki with a second one. Hana picks up Saki but Saki sneaks in an inside cradle for two, Hana quickly grabs Saki again and hits a vertical suplex. Saki gets away and tags in Alex, neck snaps by Alex to Hana and she covers her for two. Alex goes off the ropes but Bobbi runs in with a ropes-assisted reverse STO, double vertical suplex to Alex and Hana boots her in the head. Hana goes up top and nails the missile dropkick, cover by Hana and she gets the three count! Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler win!

If this match is any indication it is understandable why Saki was knocked back down the card a bit, she just isn’t as fluid as most other Stardom wrestlers and at times felt a bit out of place. Generally the action was fine but uninspired, Bobbi and Alex both looked solid and Hana got her spots in, but outside of some fun moments there wasn’t anything memorable. For just casual undercard fodder it was good enough but no one really stood out which is usually all you can hope for in this situation.

Jamie Hayter vs. Konami

Jamie gets Konami to the mat first but can’t do anything meaningful as they return to their feet, snapmare by Konami and she kicks Jamie in the back. Jamie returns the favor but Konami does it to her again before connecting with a sliding kick for two. Konami goes off the ropes but Jamie catches her with an uppercut and a running knee, she puts Konami in a half camel clutch but lets her go and kicks stomps her against the ropes. Jamie tosses Konami to the mat and kicks her in the back, quick cover but it gets a two count. Jamie picks up Konami and knocks her into the corner, Jamie goes for a jumping knee but Konami moves and hits an elbow. Jamie suplexes Konami into the turnbuckles and nails a running knee, cover by Jamie but Konami kicks out. Jamie sits on Konami in the ropes, back in the middle of the ring she hits a few hard strikes but Konami comes back with a springboard kick to the chest. Konami picks up Jamie, kicks by Konami and she knocks Jamie to the mat. Sliding kick by Konami, she goes out to the apron and dropkicks Jamie while her head is hanging over the ropes. Cross armbreaker by Konami into a choke but Jamie buckle bombs out of it, Irish whip by Jamie but Konami hops on the top turnbuckle and applies a hanging armbar. Jamie powerbombs out of the hold again, Jamie charges Konami but Konami catches her arm and applies a cross armbreaker. Jamie fights off Konami and hits a side slam onto her knee, high kick by Jamie and she delivers a backdrop suplex hold for two. Knees by Jamie, she goes off the ropes and nails the sliding knee but Konami barely kicks out of the cover. Jamie picks up Konami but Konami slides away, she goes for a suplex but Jamie elbows out of it and hits a German suplex hold of her own for two. Knees by Jamie, she gets Konami on her shoulders but Konami slides off and puts Jamie in the Triangle Lancer, leading to the quick tap out! Konami is the winner.

It started slow as Jamie’s opening control segment wasn’t overly interesting, but once they got through that I enjoyed it. The build-up into the match was that the Triangle Lancer always wins matches for Konami, so her goal was to weaken Jamie enough to get it applied. Which worked out for her, helping put over both Konami and the move in the process. I really liked Jamie’s reversals to get out of sticky situations and her knees were on point, I haven’t seen a lot of her but she was impressive here. Konami still needs to show more in-ring charisma and presence but from a skill-level she is ready for a bigger push in Stardom, technically speaking this match was really well done and a fun watch.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki vs. AZM
High Speed Championship

Hazuki and AZM immediately get to it with a high speed exchange (fitting considering the title) which ends with an AZM dropkick and kip-up. AZM goes off the ropes but Hazuki trips her and hits a slingshot footstomp to her back. Irish whip by Hazuki, AZM goes for a dropkick but Hazuki shrugs it off and boots her in the chest. Bootscrapes by Hazuki against the ropes followed by a running boot, scoop slam by Hazuki but AZM kicks out of the cocky cover. AZM fires back with elbows but Hazuki knocks her back down, Irish whip by Hazuki but AZM applies a tilt-a-whirl armbar. AZM rolls Hazuki to the mat and hits a dropkick, kicks by AZM and she starts working on Hazuki’s arm. Short armbar by AZM but Hazuki gets to the ropes, back up they trade elbows until AZM sneaks in a few flash covers for two counts. Vertical suplex by AZM, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Dropkick by AZM in the corner, she goes all the way up this time and hits a diving footstomp, but Hazuki kicks out of the cover. AZM goes for a tilt-a-whirl armbar but Hazuki pushes her off, AZM rolls Hazuki to the mat and goes off the ropes again and this time applies La Mística, but she lets go after a moment when Hazuki doesn’t submit. AZM goes for the triple jump crossbody out of the corner but Hazuki kicks her before she can jump off and hits a running elbow in the corner. Sliding kick by Hazuki, but AZM kicks out of the cover. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki but AZM gets a foot on the ropes, Hazuki charges AZM but AZM snaps off a hurricanrana. AZM goes for a kick but Hazuki ducks it and delivers a Pump Kick, running boot by Hazuki and she hits a Michinoku Driver. Brainbuster by Hazuki, and she picks up the three count! Hazuki is still the High Speed Champion!

I didn’t love this as much as some but it was a decent mid-level title match. Hazuki wasn’t losing here so it was more about AZM putting up a fight to show she wasn’t just a throw-away defense, and while I liked the arm/shoulder work I wouldn’t have minded if Hazuki had shown more damage from it since it was such a focus of the match. They had one noticeable mistake with them slipping on the first La Mística attempt but they covered for it well which is all you can ask for, and Hazuki adding the Brainbuster to her list of deadly moves was a nice touch. More good than bad overall and a good effort by both.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Kagetsu and X (Andras Miyagi)

Kyona and Natsuko attack their opponents before the bell rings to get the upper hand, Kagetsu is isolated in the ring and double teamed by both members of the Jungle Assault Nation. Natsuko and Jungle are pulled out of the ring by other Oedo Tai members as the action spills out into the crowd, with Miyagi attacking Jungle with chairs. Kagetsu and Miyagi get back in the ring with Natsuko and double team her, Miyagi tags in as the legal wrestler and she scoop slams Natsuko near the corner. She tags in Kagetsu as they go back and forth on Natsuko, Kagetsu spits water in everyone’s face (except Miyagi of course) before Miyagi returns to the ring to choke Natsuko in the corner. Miyagi forces Natsuko to head bang with her before elbowing her in the corner and hitting a bulldog for a two count. Miyagi goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a spinebuster and tags in Jungle. Jungle and Miyagi trade shoulderblock attempts until Miyagi sends Jungle to the mat, Kagetsu comes in but Jungle blocks the double suplex attempt and suplexes both of her opponents instead. Sliding lariat by Jungle to Miyagi followed by a slingshot body splash for a two count. Jungle tags Natsuko back in, Natsuko slams Miyagi to the mat and applies a submission, but it gets broken up. Jungle returns and elbows Miyagi into the corner, Miyagi flips herself out to the apron and snaps Jungle’s neck on the top rope.

Miyagi jumps back into the ring and dropkicks Jungle before tagging in Kagetsu, Kagetsu charges Jungle but Jungle moves as Natsuko comes in. Kagetsu dropkicks both of them and hits a slingshot dropkick onto Jungle, picking up a two count. Kagetsu applies a submission on Jungle but Jungle gets out of it and hits a powerslam, sliding lariats by Jungle but Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. High kick by Kagetsu but Jungle fires back with a lariat and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Natsuko and Miyagi tag in, elbows by Natsuko but Miyagi boots her in the head. Natsuko goes for a spear but Miyagi blocks it and hits a DDT, Kagetsu comes in and Natsuko is double teamed. Miyagi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Miyagi but Jungle breaks it up. Miyagi goes off the ropes but Natsuko elbows her, Miyagi elbows her back but Jungle runs in and hits a lariat. Spear by Natsuko, Kagetsu tries to come in and help but Jungle elbows her in the face. Kagetsu and Miyagi are put in opposite corners and hit with strikes, Natsuko and Jungle go up to opposite corners and both hit diving body presses. Natsuko picks up Miyagi and hits a swinging side slam, but Kagetsu breaks up the cover. Jungle and Natsuko grab Miyagi and hit a double suplex, Natsuko goes up top and hits the body press before hitting a second one, but Kagetsu breaks it up by spitting green mist in her face. She spits it at Jungle as well before getting a sign and hitting Natsuko in the head with it, Samoan Driver by Miyagi to Natsuko but Natsuko barely gets a shoulder up. Miyagi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Senton Bomb, cover by Miyagi and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu and Andras Miyagi win!

Just considering the in-ring action itself, this was pretty standard, but for storyline reasons it was a necessary way to introduce Miyagi with a win in her debut with Oedo Tai. Natsuko Tora is still a bit clunky and at 28 years old has probably reached her height in the promotion, however she is fine in matches like this where there is no pressure for her to be memorable. Miyagi was solid, she’s not a high end technician but has impactful strikes and a great character. An exciting development for the promotion to be sure and a decent enough match to debut her to a new crowd.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. AMA (Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani)
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Momo and Arisa start things off, they exchange kicks until Arisa knocks Momo to the mat. Elbows by Arisa, Mayu runs in to stomp Momo and she cuts off Utami when she tries to help her partner. Momo and Utami eat dropkicks, Arisa tags in Mayu and Mayu kicks Momo in the back before hitting a standing body press. AMA stays in control on Momo until Momo slaps a kneelock on Arisa while Utami plays defense. Momo picks up Arisa but Arisa pushes her back and they trade elbows, they knock each other into their respective corners and both tag out. Mayu tries to shoulderblock Utami over but is unable to do so, hard shoulderblock by Utami but Mayu connects with a kick combination followed by a spinning elbow. Dropkick by Utami, Momo comes in and they drop Mayu with a double flapjack. Utami tags Momo back in, dropkicks by Momo in the corner and she hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle for two. Side slam by Momo and she delivers the Somato, but Mayu kicks out. Momo gets back on the second turnbuckle but Mayu recovers and joins her, hitting a Frankensteiner. Sliding Knee by Mayu, and she covers Momo for a two count. Scoop slam by Mayu in front of the corner, she goes up top but Utami hits her from behind.

Mayu kicks Utami in the head and hits a slingshot dropkick onto Momo, Momo and Mayu trade elbows until Mayu sneaks in a hurricanrana. Kick to the head by Mayu and she tags Arisa, Arisa boots Utami off the apron before nailing Momo with a jumping knee. Arisa goes up top but Momo avoids the 1399 and hits a diving Somato for two. Momo picks up Arisa, Arisa gets away but Utami runs in judo tosses her to the mat. Buzzsaw Kick by Momo, but Arisa kicks out. Utami goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, B Driver by Momo but Mayu breaks up the pin. Arisa recovers, Mayu runs in and superkicks Momo and Arisa pushes Momo out of the ring before hitting a jumping kick off the apron to the floor. Arisa gets Momo back in, Brazilian Kick by Arisa but Utami barely breaks up the cover. Arisa picks up Momo and hits a running double knee, but it only gets two. Mayu goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Momo, 1399 by Arisa but Momo barely kicks out again. Back up, Momo gets in a high kick and hits the Tequila Sunrise, but Mayu breaks it up. Utami runs in, she puts Mayu on her shoulders before spinning her around into a release German suplex. Momo picks Arisa up and nails the Peach Sunrise, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita are still the champions.

While this didn’t reach the levels I was hoping, it was still a really entertaining match. Mayu is just a bump machine, she makes all offense against her look deadly and if I was a wrestler I would love to have matches against her as I know win or lose I’d come out looking great. Arisa is a few steps above Saki Kashima so I am glad that she passed her on the STARS hierarchy, she still is the least smooth of the four in the match but didn’t hold anyone back either. My main complaint is that Utami was only the legal wrestler for less than two minutes, it was the Momo show and while I like Momo I wanted to see more of the Super Rookie. The ending was also really sudden, Arisa was kicking Momo’s ass and suddenly Momo hits a few moves and its over. I would have liked a longer end stretch, maybe a comeback attempt by Arisa to make it feel more fleshed out. The match was under 15 minutes so they still had some time to spare. Anyway, the action itself was great fun and these are four of the best that Stardom has to offer, it just didn’t have that epic feel you may hope for from a Korakuen Hall main event.  Recommended

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

Notable Matches in Japan:

• January 14th, 2019 with Hana Kimura and Sadie Gibbs vs. Hazuki, Jamie Hayter, and Natsu Sumire

Signature Moves:

• Enzuigiri
• Pump Kick
• Rope Assisted Reverse STO
• Superkick

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• None yet

In Action:

Pump Kick	Rope Assisted Reverse STO

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