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

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

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

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

I am doing something different this week. Since Stardom World launched in the spring, I have been watching and reviewing their version of the shows, which is shown in full and not professionally shot (multiple angles, replays, video recaps, etc.). A lot of times that wasn’t by choice as it was the only way to watch the events, but their Korakuen Hall shows are also shown on Samurai TV, which is how I decided to watch this event. The downside is that matches are clipped (particularly the early matches), but the upside is a crisper presentation. I figured I was overdue for a break from watching every minute of every opening-style match, this way I will get the highlights of them while still getting to enjoy the show. A big card from Stardom, with the return of Yoko Bito and a Goddesses of Stardom Championship defense! Here is the full card:

• Alex Lee, Azumi, and Kaori Yoneyama vs.  Arisu Nanase, Natsumi Maki, and Starlight Kid
• Diosa Atenea, Kris Wolf, and Leah Vaughan vs. Hiromi Mimura, Momo Watanabe, and Jungle Kyouna
• Chelsea vs. Shanna
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Saori Anou
• Kairi Hojo vs. Yoko Bito
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura

Let’s hop right to it.

Alex Lee, Azumi, and Kaori Yoneyama vs.  Nanase, Natsumi Maki, and Starlight Kid

Yoneyama and Starlight Kid kick things off, Yoneyama gets the advantage over the much smaller rookie but they trade quick trips before returning tot heir feet. Nanase and Natsumi jump Yoneyama from behind and all three attack her in the corner before connecting with a triple dropkick. Starlight Kid tags Natsumi but Yoneyama avoids her dropkick and she poses with her teammates on Natsumi in the corner. We clip ahead to Azumi and Nanase in the ring, suplex by Azumi but Lee kicks Azumi by accident when she tries to kick Nanase. Azumi is double teamed by Natsumi and Starlight Kid, but Yoneyama breaks up Nanase’s cover. Blockbuster by Nanase to Azumi, but Yoneyama breaks it up again and then hits a crossbody on both Natsumi and Starlight Kid. Yoneyama tags herself in but Nanase avoids her running senton and she is attacked by Starlight Kid and Natsumi. Nanase applies a submission to Yoneyama but Lee breaks it up, running senton by Yoneyama to Nanase and she gets the three count! Azumi Army wins!

A bit clipped and a run of the mill Stardom opener, but not a bad match. Yoneyama gave the youngsters some offense which is always nice to see, and of the little bit we saw there weren’t any issues. Decent way to start, even though I feel like I’ve seen this match 20 times already in 2016.

Diosa Atenea, Kris Wolf, and Leah Vaughan vs. Hiromi Mimura, Watanabe, and Kyouna

They start the match with a brawl, as it normal in Oedo Tai matches, but things settle down with Wolf and Momo in the ring. Atenea tries to help but Wolf dropkicks her by accident, and the rookies all attack Wolf while she is in the ropes. Everyone runs into the ring as Oedo Tai takes back over, suplex by Wolf to Momo and they stack all three rookies on top of each other. Wolf keeps the attack up on Momo as she hits a strike in the corner, then we clip ahead to Atenea in the ring with Kyouna. Atenea clubs Kyouna in the back of the head but Kyouna hits a powerslam for two. Leah and Mimura are tagged in and they trade elbows, Leah gets Mimura to the match and she hits the Lionsault for a two count. Mimura avoids Leah’s boot in the corner and rolls her up for two, she goes for a crossbody but Leah catches her. Momo dropkicks them over as she and Kyouna come into the ring, and Leah is double teamed. Kyouna then picks up Mimura and powerbombs her somewhat onto Leah, and Mimura covers Leah for two. Atenea and Wolf come in the ring, Momo tries to hit a missile dropkick on them but she accidentally hits Kyouna. Leah gets Mimura on her shoulders but Momo and Kyouna block Atenea and Wolf from doing whatever they had planned to do to her. Mimura sneaks in a quick pin on Leah for two, elbows by Mimura but Leah decks her with a spear for the three count! Oedo Tai win the match.

I like these types of opening-style matches, as it mixes a few different elements together. Leah continues to impress me, I hope that she comes back to Stardom one day as she really has her character down pat and works well in Oedo Tai. The rookies here are above what I’d consider your typical rookie tier, and wrestle as if they are on the same level as wrestlers much their senior which makes for a better match. A bit too clipped to get super excited about but a solid match and a good showcase for all six wrestlers.

Chelsea vs. Shanna

The match begins pretty politely with tie-ups and limb work (they have a lot of time to kill), some of the exchanges are a bit rough but they are trying. Shanna gets Chelsea to the mat but Chelsea hits a monkey flip and hits a running elbow in the corner. Shoulder tackles by Chelsea but Shanna returns fire and and downs Chelsea with a flipping neckbreaker for two. Shanna goes for a suplex but Chelsea mostly reverses it, kick by Chelsea but Shanna superkicks her back. Leg trip by Shanna and she punts Chelsea in the face for a two count. Shanna goes up top but Chelsea grabs her and hits a modified atomic drop followed by a bridging vertical suplex for two. They get back up and lariat each other, they both go for crossbodies and collide before flopping to the mat. Chelsea goes up top but Shanna recovers and joins her and pushes Chelsea to the mat. Diving footstomp to the back by Shanna but the bell rings, signifying time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Sadly, they did not surprise me. Half of this match was cut out of the Samurai TV broadcast and it still wasn’t a good match. Just lots of awkwardness… things ranging from armdrags to reversals just were not crisp at all and there were multiple times that the moves looked stiff and not smooth. Both were trying hard so I will give them that, but there wasn’t a lot to like here as they just didn’t have any chemistry to speak of. Not sure why they made people sit through 15 minutes of this, a cruel joke by someone for sure. Best to just skip this one.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Saori Anou

Anou tries to attack Matsumoto before the match starts but it quickly backfires as Matsumoto takes over and works the headlock. Anou gets out of it and hits a few elbows but Matsumoto sends her to the mat with a shoulderblock. Back up they trade strikes again until Matsumoto hits a DDT, running boot by Matsumoto and she covers Anou for two. Matsumoto goes for a lariat but Anou bridges down to avoid it and rolls up Matsumoto for two. Backslide with a bridge by Anou, but that gets a two count as well. Figure four by Anou but Matsumoto gets out of it and reverses it into her own figure four. Anou eventually gets to the ropes to force a break, Anou avoids Matsumoto’s charge in the corner but Matsumoto boots her to the mat anyway. Matsumoto gets on the second turnbuckle but Anou recovers and hits a fisherman suplex hold. Anou rolls Matsumoto up to go for another one but Matsumoto reverses it into a vertical suplex. Hard elbow by Matsumoto and she drops Anou with a backbreaker from her shoulders for a two. Matsumoto gets up on the second turnbuckle and nails the reverse diving double kneedrop, and she picks up the three count! Matsumoto is your winner.

I liked this match quite a bit, it was a lot of fun. Matsumoto gave Anou a lot of offense as it was far from a squash, but she still established herself as the veteran and constantly was cutting off Anou’s comebacks when the rookie looked like she may be turning the corner. Course then Matsumoto killed her with two moves to win the match in emphatic fashion. A predictable match but an entertaining one nonetheless.  Mildly Recommended

Kairi Hojo vs. Yoko Bito

After some armlocks as Bito works off some of the rust, things get serious as Bito shoves Hojo hard to the mat after a knuckle lockup. Kicks to the back and chest by Bito, Hojo goes off the ropes but Bito catches her with a high kick which sends Hojo out of the ring. She returns after a moment but Bito quickly puts her in a stretch hold before letting her go so she can kick Hojo hard in the back. Crab hold by Bito, but Hojo gets to the ropes to force a break. Back up they trade elbows until Hojo levels Bito with a spear for a two count. Chops by Hojo in the corner and she hits her jumping neckbreaker for another two. Leglock by Hojo, but Bito crawls to the ropes to get the break. Hojo goes off the ropes but Bito catches her with a lariat, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Suplex by Bito, she goes for a high kick but Hojo blocks it and delivers a backfist for two. She goes for the Sliding D but Bito catches her with a heel kick and the duo trade elbows as they return to their feet. Hojo wins the battle and hits the Sliding D, she goes up top but Bito gets her feet up when she goes for the diving elbow drop. Heel drop by Bito and she nails a high kick on Hojo for a nearfall. Bito gets Hojo on her back to go for a reverse piledriver, but Hojo gets out of it and goes for a Stretch Muffler. Bito kicks out of that and kicks Hojo some more, but Hojo catches her with a spear for a two count. Spinning chop by Hojo, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Bito recovers and hits a high kick. Bito joins Hojo up top but Hojo knocks her into the Tree of Woe and nails a diving footstomp. Hojo then goes back up top, she delivers her diving elbow drop but Bito barely gets a shoulder up. Hojo goes right back up top and hits a second diving elbow drop, and this time she gets the three count! Kairi Hojo is the winner.

I loved this one a lot, it really exceeded my expectations. I was worried that Bito may be rusty but her time in the dojo the last few months has done her a lot of good as she looked about the same as her last few matches in the summer of 2012. This was a pretty even match, Bito was on the defense quite a bit but did hit her big kicks that she used to win with so there was always that feeling that she could pull off the upset. Bito also kicked out of the first diving elbow drop, which is unheard of, further putting over Bito as a wrestler that is instantly being elevated back to where she used to be. Which is very exciting since Stardom needs more upper midcarders. A really entertaining match and one that showed that Bito really is back.  Recommended

(c) Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura

Iwatani and Kagetsu start the match for their respective teams, armdrags by Iwatani but neither gets a clear advantage as they are very familar with each other. They tag out, Kimura blows on Shirai so Iwatani tags herself back in. Kimura and Kagetsu take turns kicking Iwatani but Iwatani avoids one of their charges and hits a double split-legged armdrag which sends both her opponents out of the ring. Shirai goes to do a dive but Kimura hits her in the head with a pan while Wolf pulls Iwatani off the top turnbuckle to the floor. They battle around the ring but after they return, Shirai takes back over with a double crossbody. Kagetsu and Kimura fall out of the ring again, and this time Shirai jumps out onto them with an Asai Moonsault. She tags in Iwatani, Iwatani goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Kimura. Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, but Kimura reverses it into a grounded front facelock. Kagetsu keeps Shirai busy but Iwatani rolls to the ropes and forces a break. Kagetsu comes in with a parking sign and hits Iwatani in the head with it repeatedly, Shirai comes in but the referee has come to his senses and stops Kagetsu from hitting Shirai with it. Kimura hits the referee in the back with a chair, but Iwatani has the chair in her hands when he recovers so he thinks that Iwatani hit him. Kagetsu then hits the referee from behind with another sign, she then hits Shirai with the parking sign.

All of Oedo Tai come into the ring and attack Iwatani in the corner, big spear by Leah Vaughan and Oedo Tai celebrates while the referee is tended to outside the ring. Iwatani continues being assaulted by five wrestlers while Shirai and the referee are hurt outside the ring, Oedo Tai retrieve Shirai as a new referee comes down, he gets in the ring and restores order, kicking all the weapons out of the ring. Iwatani and Kagetsu trade strikes until Iwatani levels Kagetsu with a superkick, more kicks by Iwatani but Kimura kicks Iwatani from the apron. She gets in the ring and Kagetsu hits a swandive missile dropkick. Shirai comes into the ring with a swandive missile dropkick of her own before she sails out of the ring onto Kimura with a tope suicida. Kagetsu throws Iwatani into the corner but she springs up to the top turnbuckle and jumps down to the floor onto Kimura with a plancha. Shirai gets in the ring with Kagetsu while Iwatani goes up top and they hit the assisted piledriver, dragon suplex hold by Iwatani but Kimura hits the referee to break up the cover. Iwatani picks up Kagetsu and goes for the super dragon suplex, but Kagetsu blocks it and hits an Ebisu Drop for a two count. Shirai palm strikes everyone, she picks up Kimura to go for the assisted piledriver but Kimura reverses it while Kagetsu hits Iwatani with a parking sign. Kagetsu joins Iwatani up top and nails an avalanche Ebisu Drop, cover by Kagetsu and she gets the three count! Kagetsu and Kimura win the Goddesses of Stardom Championship!

This was the result I wanted but not necessarily the way I’d preferred it happen. I have no issue with Oedo Tai cheating occasionally in matches, they are the heel faction and that is what heel factions do. But it was just a bit overdone in this match, the wrestlers really never got into a flow as there was constantly something nefarious going on. Even in Stardom, the referee getting hit by weapons is generally a DQ, and they just really ramped it up to higher degree than I’d want to see in a title match. I can understand it storyline wise, after going 0-2, Oedo Tai was doing all they could to finally win a title. But I still would have enjoyed it better if it just had the normal level of Oedo Tai cheating, not it ramped up to ten. When it was just a straight match it was great as all four wrestlers have great chemistry together, and I loved that Kagetsu got the pin as she is one of my favorite wrestlers in Stardom. Overall it was good, but disappointing for a title match main event.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Premium Stars on 6/16/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are small shows, and there are really shows, and this certainly is the latter. Before the Stardom World days we would never seen a bit of this event as of six matches, five are rookie matches which is a high percentage even for Stardom. The main event is a title match, and while it does have three of the best wrestlers in Stardom in it (Shirai, Iwatani, and Kagetsu), it still is one of the lesser titles in Stardom. Still, the rookies can be fun to watch and Threedom will no doubt bring it in the main event. Here are the matches:

• Arisu Nanase vs. Kris Wolf
• Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Natsumi Maki
• Chelsea vs. Hiromi Mimura
• Jungle Kyouna vs. Leah Vaughan
• Momo Watanabe vs. Shanna
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, and Mayu Iwatani vs. Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Kyoko Kimura

As is usually the case, click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Arisu Nanase vs. Kris Wolf

Nanase starts the match fired up as she attacks Wolf from behind and knocks her into the corner, the kid works a headlock and a wristlock but Wolf reverses it and takes her to the mat. Wolf beats Arisu around the ring, the rookie fights back however and dropkicks Wolf in the corner. Kick to the chest by Wolf and she spanks Nanase before setting her up in the corner and hitting a double knee strike. Kick to the back by Wolf but Nanase avoids her dive and dropkicks Wolf in the chest. Blockbuster by Nanase, but Wolf manages to get a shoulder up. Wolf knees Nanase after she goes off the ropes, running knee to the head by Wolf but Nanase kicks out of the pin. Wolf waits for Nanase to sit up and kicks her in the chest, Wolf holds down Nanase and she picks up the three count! Kris Wolf wins.

This match was cute and fun in parts. Nanase still has a ways to go of course but shows potential, and Wolf is constant energy and excitement so it is hard to get bored watching her matches. A perfectly fine way to kick off the show.

Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Maki Natsumi

Azumi and Maki begin for their teams and trade holds, Azumi attacks Maki from behind and Yoneyama runs in to assist. They pose on Maki with arm submissions, Yoneyama twists Maki’s hair and she flings her to the mat. Maki cartwheels away from Yoneyama and kicks her, Eimi come sin and they both dropkick Yoneyama. Maki tags in Eimi, dropkick by Eimi but Yoneyama hits a scoop slam and tags in Azumi. Dropkicks by Azumi and she applies a rolling crab hold, but Eimi gets into the ropes. Face crusher by Eimi and she dropkicks Azumi before making the tag to Maki. Rolling neckbreaker by Maki and she puts Azumi in a stretch hold, she goes to run off the ropes but Yoneyama grabs her from the apron. DDT by Azumi, but Eimi breaks up the cover. Yoneyama elbows Azumi by accident, cyclone neckbreaker by Maki and she covers Azumi. Yoneyama tries to break it up but Maki moves and Yoneyama hits Azumi by accident, Maki picks up Azumi and hits another swinging neckbreaker but this time Yoneyama breaks it up successfully. Yoneyama drags Azumi to her corner so she can tag herself in, punch by Yoneyama to Maki but Maki avoids the senton. She tags in Eimi, Somato by Eimi but Yoneyama kicks out. Maki comes in and they both dropkick Yoneyama, but Yoneyama hits a crossbody on both of them. DDT by Azumi to Maki while Yoneyama rolls up Eimi for the three count! Azumi and Yoneyama are your winners.

The early card feud of Azumi vs. Maki is a unique one, usually you don’t see so much time dedicated to giving the rookies something to do so its a nice change of pace. The match itself was pretty basic, but Azumi hadn’t gotten a win in awhile so even though it was indirect it still helped her build some confidence. Definitely a match just for hardcore fans but not without some worth.

Chelsea vs. Hiromi Mimura

They lock knuckles and trade wristlocks, they did a cute spot where Chelsea did a big step over their arms to reverse the hold, but since Mimura is so small in order to duplicate the step she had to take out Chelsea’s legs first before stepping over. Hey I am trying to find things I like. Mimura gets Chelsea to the mat first but Chelsea quickly reverses things, dropkick by Mimura and she rolls up Chelsea for two. Rolling leglock by Mimura, she applies La Magistral but Chelsea kicks out. Chelsea applies a short armbar, they return to their feet and Mimura hits a rebound side headlock takedown. Mimura charges Chelsea but Chelsea catches her with a kick to the midsection, jumping heel drop by Chelsea and she covers Hiromi for two. Rolling Armbreaker by Chelsea, and Mimura has to submit! Chelsea is the winner of the match.

This was really short and just forgettable. Neither looked bad here, aside from Chelsea’s kicks, but there wasn’t really any substance here to get excited about. A lackluster way to kick off the series.

Jungle Kyouna vs. Leah Vaughan

Kyouna immediately rolls up Leah for two as she goes for quick win, shoulderblocks by Kyouna but Leah takes over and chokes the rookie in the corner before putting her in the camel clutch. A slightly intoxicated Wolf helps from ringside as Leah stays in control, and she puts Kyouna in a headscissors. Leah continues putting Kyouna in submission holds, they get back up and Kyouna finally hits a big lariat to get the gaijin off her feet. Backbreaker by Kyouna and she rams Leah into the corner before hitting a body avalanche. Kyouna gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving bodypress, picking up a two count. Crab hold by Kyouna but Leah gets to the ropes, Leah drops Kyouna on the top rope and hits quick suplex for a two count cover. Leah goes for a Lionsault but Kyouna gets her knees up, they trade strikes as they return to their feet until Kyouna hits a powerslam. Kyouna goes up top but Leah recovers in time and throws her off, Lionsault by Leah but Kyouna gets a shoulder up. Vertical suplex by Leah, she goes up top but Kyouna joins her, Leah elbows her off and she delivers the Tornado DDT. Leah applies the Leah Lock, and Kyouna quickly submits! Leah Vaughan is the winner.

I enjoyed this match quite a bit and by far the best match of the night so far. Leah looked pretty impressive here, I thought she showed she could have a place in Stardom as while there were a few awkward moments it generally flowed really well. Kyouna continues to impress also as she went over ten minutes with an invading Gaijin which is no small feat. Solid showing by both wrestlers and a good match overall, probably forgettable in the long run but for a smaller house show it delivered.  Mildly Recommended

Momo Watanabe vs. Shanna

Momo immediately dropkicks Shanna but Shanna dropkicks her back and they go back and forth with dropkicks. Momo wins the dropkick battle, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Momo goes for the Somato but Shanna moves and goes for Momo’s leg. Dropkicks by Momo in the corner but Shanna grabs the ropes when she goes for a cover. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle, it looks like Shanna tried to reverse it with a double knee but Momo overshoots her and lands on Shanna’s face. This opens a cut over Shanna’s eye and probably knocks her a bit loopy, the referee checks her and has the doctor look, and they decide to stop the match. Your winner by Doctor Stoppage is Momo Watanabe.

I don’t want to go on a rant in a review but this wasn’t a satisfying ending. In 25 years of watching wrestling I have never seen a wrestler request to be checked by the referee/doctor due to a cut. Most wrestlers are like Samoa Joe in his match against Finn Balor, trying to avoid the doctor at all costs, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a match stopped for a cut unless it was for storyline reasons (only possible exception being Joey Mercury but the match continued without him in it plus his face literally exploded). I am not judging Shanna too harshly, this was a house show mid-card match and she was hoping for a bandage rather than having the match stopped by the doctor, but it still wasn’t ideal and since it happened so early in the match we didn’t get to see much of it. So, disappointing overall.

Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, and Iwatani vs. Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Kimura

Old foes Kagetsu and Iwatani start the match but Kimura quickly runs in and they double team Iwatani. Iwatani falls out of the ring while Oedo Tai do a dance at ringside (still no Act Yasukawa but Wolf is out with them). Diosa and Hojo come in as the legal wrestlers and Diosa armdrags Hojo out of the ring, she goes to do a baseball slide but Hojo pulls her out of the ring with her. Shirai and Kagetsu get in the ring but Shirai armdrags her out of the ring, she goes to do a dive but Kimura hits her in the head with a metal sheet. Kimura takes Shirai around ringside before the match returns to ‘normal’ with Iwatani being isolated in the ring (she has been the legal wrestler all along). Oedo Tai takes turns on Iwatani as she plays Face in Peril for a significant amount of time, but Iwatani finally hits a double split legged moonsault armdrag on Kimura and Kagetsu followed by a double dropkick which gives her time to tag in Hojo.

Kimura immediately puts Hojo in a grounded necklock but Hojo gets into the ropes to force a break. Stomps by Kimura but Hojo comes back with a series of chops. Kagetsu comes in to assist as does Diosa, but Shirai has seen enough and comes in too. It temporarily backfires, but eventually the Threedom wrestlers get the better of Kimura and Kagetsu, Space Rolling Elbow by Shirai to Kimura and she dropkicks her in the head for a two count (not sure if she is legal, but what can ya do). Double knee by Shirai in the corner, she goes for the moonsault but Kimura moves out of the way. Kimura traps Shirai’s arms and blows in her face, which apparently is quite painful, Kagetsu comes in and they drop Shirai with an assisted Gory Bomb. Iwatani returns but Kagetsu dropkicks her in the face, superkicks by Iwatani but Kagetsu delivers a high kick. Diosa comes in the ring with a diving bodypress to Iwatani, and the referee counts the two count (I guess we are officially under Lucha Libre tag rules).

Shirai comes in, she gets Diosa on her shoulders while Hojo goes up top and hits a jumping elbow smash. Diving footstomp by Iwatani, but Kimura breaks up the cover. Kagetsu hits Iwatani and Hojo with the Parking Sign before bopping Shirai as well, and all three of Oedo Tai put Threedom in submission holds. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu to Iwatani, Diosa hits a diving senton but the cover is broken up. Big Match Io tries to clear the ring but Kimura drops her with a chokebomb, Wolf crawls in and tries to hit Iwatani but she hits Kagetsu on accident. Hurricanrana by Iwatani to Kagetsu, but the referee’s count is interrupted. Swandive dropkick by Shirai, Hojo runs in and they catapult Iwatani into Diosa. Assisted Tombstone Piledriver to Diosa, Shirai sails out of the ring onto Kimura and Kagetsu while Hojo hits a diving elbow drop onto Diosa. Iwatani then goes up top and hits a frog splash, cover by Iwatani and she gets the three count! Threedom are still the Artist of Stardom Champions.

A really fun match to end the show, as they got plenty of time and everyone got a chance to shine. Diosa was the clear weak link of the team so it was no surprise she got pinned here, although it took a few big moves to keep her down. I am not a huge fan of six wrestler tags as it usually has the same structure as this one – one wrestler isolated for a bit followed by random chaos until the match ends. For a smaller show though a suitable main event and an entertaining watch, even though it didn’t do much to set itself apart from other big Stardom matches.  Recommended

The post Stardom Shining Stars #3 on 6/11/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Even though this event is not at Korakuen, it is still a really big show for the promotion with 800+ in attendance and two high end matches. It is unusual for Stardom to have this many fans present outside of their bigger monthly events, so I’m excited for them. Here are the matches we will be watching:

• Alex Lee and Azumi vs. Eimi Nishina and Maki Natsumi
• Arisu Nanase and Momo Watanabe vs. Starlight Kid and Hiromi Mimura
• Chelsea, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Shanna vs. Diosa Atenea, Kris Wolf, and Leah Vaughan
• Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Jungle Kyouna
• High Speed Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu
• Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura and Mika Iwata

Per usual, click the names above to go to their profile. Lots of exciting stuff, let’s get to it.

Alex Lee and Azumi vs. Eimi Nishina and Natsumi Maki

Azumi and Natsumi (aka Grandma according to Azumi since she is ‘old’) start the match, but they reach a quick stalemate and tag out. Nishina is tossed to the mat by Lee but Nishina hits a quick drop toehold followed by a face crusher. Natsumi comes in and they both dropkick Lee, Natsumi puts Lee in a stretch hold before stomping her repeatedly. She tags Nishina back in but Lee slams Nishina before hitting a high knee in the corner. Another knee by Lee, and she covers Nishina for a two count. Azumi comes in to help work over Nishina, Lee covers Nishina with one foot but Nishina kicks out. Lee tags Azumi, dropkick by Azumi and she puts Nishina in a crab hold. Nishina gets out of it and goes for a Somato, but Azumi ducks it and rolls up Nishina for two. Nishina tags Natsumi, rolling neckbreakers by Natsumi but Azumi wiggles away and stomps on her. DDT by Azumi and she applies a cradle for a quick two count. Lee comes in but she superkicks Azumi by accident. Nishina hits the Somato on Azumi, swinging neckbreaker by Natsumi and she applies a bridge to get the three count! Nishina and Natsumi are the winners.

A fun opener, simple but effective. I hope that these rookies stick around for many years to come for how much time I am investing watching them develop, but all three looked good here while Lee was her usual self. A few little rough patches but not as many as one may expect with three inexperienced wrestlers, and it was too short to get dull. A fine way to start the show.

Arisu Nanase and Momo Watanabe vs. Starlight Kid and Hiromi Mimura

Mimura and Momo start the match at 100 as they run off the ropes back and forth, both hit armdrags until Momo dropkicks Mimura into the corner. Momo tags Arisa, Arisa starts working over Mimura but Mimura gets away and tags in Starlight Kid. Momo is tagged in too, and Starlight Kid drops her with a multiple rotation satellite headscissors but Momo slams her to the mat in return. Momo goes for a Tree of Woe dropkick but Starlight Kid gets out of it, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Arisu grabs her from the apron so she can’t jump off. Momo recovers and throws Starlight Kid back to the mat, kicks by Momo and Arisu kicks Starlight Kid from the ropes again. Satellite sunset flip by Starlight Kid and she makes the hot tag to Hiromi, dropkicks by Hiromi and she hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Starlight Kid and Hiromi both dropkick Mom in the corner, but Arisu runs in and evens the score. Momo hits a vertical suplex on Hiromi, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick. Momo tags Arisu, dropkicks by Arisu and she covers Hiromi for a two count. Hiromi comes back with her rolling leglock, but Momo quickly breaks it up. Arisu picks up Mimura and hits the Blockbuster Suplex, but Hiromi gets a shoulder up. She goes for another one but Hiromi blocks it this time, elbows by Hiromi but the rookie Arisu (I am assuming) gets confused on the next spot and they all look confused for about 15 seconds. Starlight Kid dropkicks Arisu, then Momo dropkicks Starlight Kid, Momo goes to do the Somato but Starlight Kid trips her from the apron. This leaves Hiromi with Arisu, La Magistral by Hiromi and she picks up the three count! The Dancing Stars win!

I am not going to eviscerate a bunch of rookies for getting lost in a match, obviously something like that would pretty unforgivable when dealing with veterans but there are no real veterans here so miscues like that are going to happen sometimes. Besides that awkward 15 seconds I thought they did pretty good here, with Starlight Kid being the standout with her smooth rotational moves that keep getting better. She is almost ready for her excursion to Mexico. Nothing to get excited about and a step down execution-wise from the last match, but there is something fun about watching the future stars of a promotion while they are still feeling things out.

Chelsea, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Shanna vs. Diosa Atenea, Kris Wolf, and Leah Vaughan

Team Freelancer tries to do a cute pose before the match but thankfully Oedo Tai has none of that and attacks them, leading to a big brawl which the Freelancers get the better of. Chelsea and Shanna dive off the apron onto their opponents, Matsumoto then picks up Wolf in the ring and tosses her out onto her two teammates. Wolf is rolled back in, Matsumoto slams her and covers the feisty creature for two. Chelsea is tagged in but she is tripped from the floor by Vaughan and Atenea. They come in the ring and triple team Chelsea in the ropes, Atenea is tagged in but Chelsea kicks her in the stomach. Chelsea is triple teamed again as Oedo Tai controls the action, but she gets away from Vaughan and hits a leg drop, which gives her time to tag in Matsumoto. Wolf is tagged in too and Oedo Tai handles Matsumoto in the corner, but Matsumoto regains the advantage and hits a missile dropkick on Atenea. Matsumoto tags Shanna, armdrag by Shanna but Atenea armdrags her back before both wrestlers lariat each other. Wolf comes in but Chelsea goes up top and hits a crossbody on both Wolf and Atenea, Vaughan comes in but Matsumoto puts her onto her shoulders, but Wolf bites her leg. They all put each other in submission holds in a unique but ultimately not effective train, they all get out of that and the Freelance team takes control of Oedo Tai. Wolf is isolated, Shanna and Chelsea get on Matsumoto’s back and Matsumoto hits a double kneedrop onto Wolf. Cover by Chelsea, but Vaughan breaks it up. Vaughan boots Matsumoto out of the ring, she get some spray but she sprays her own partner Wolf on accident. Chelsea puts Wolf in a headscissors headlock, and Wolf submits! Chelsea, Matsumoto, and Shanna win!

I enjoyed this probably more than I legally should have, as I really like Oedo Tai and the Freelancer team oddly worked quite well together. There were a lot of memorable spots, some better than others but at no point was the match boring for sure. Shanna and Chelsea wrestled similarly so they are a good pair, maybe they can become a regular tag team if Shanna stays in Stardom longer term. A good mixture of lighthearted fare and action and a fun midcard match.  Mildly Recommended

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Jungle Kyouna

Hashimoto grabs Kyouna right as the match starts but Kyouna gets away from her, Kyouna gets out of the ring to re-group but returns after a moment with extra fire. They struggle in a tie-up until Hashimoto gets Kyouna in the ropes, and she gives her fellow rookie a clean break. Hashimoto rolls Kyouna on the mat, wristlock by Hashimoto and she continues working over the Stardom wrestler. Kyouna finally fights back and hits mounted elbows, she puts Hashimoto in a crab hold but she crawls to the ropes to force a break. Hashimoto tosses Kyouna to the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker, but Kyouna blocks it and they return to their feet to trade elbows. Shoulderblocks by Hashimoto in the corner and she hits an elbow followed by a couple hip attacks for a two count cover. Another hip attack by Hashimoto but Kyouna avoids her charge and hits a body avalanche in the corner, face crusher by Kyouna and she covers Hashimoto for two. They take turns trying to knock each other over, a battle that Hashimoto wins, but Kyouna gets her to the mat and hits a diving body press off the second turnbuckle. Crab hold by Kyouna, but Hashimoto gets into the ropes. Kyouna tries to slam Hashimoto but Hashimoto blocks it, Kyouna goes off the ropes but Hashimoto slaps her in the face and hits a judo throw. Cross armbreaker by Hashimoto, but Kyouna wiggles to the ropes and gets there to force a break. Back up they exchange strikes, body avalanche by Hashimoto but Kyouna levels her with a lariat. Kyouna forces up Hashimoto and elbows her repeatedly before back bodydropping her to the mat. Kyouna goes up top but Hashimoto gets her knees up when Kyouna goes for the diving body press. Hashimoto tries to pick up Kyouna, Kyouna blocks it the first time but Hashimoto then gets her up and hits a Waterwheel Drop for a nearfall. Hashimoto picks up Kyouna, she hits the Waterwheel Drop with a bridge this time, and she picks up the three count! Hashimoto wins!

There was a lot to love here. For those that think that Joshi is just high speed and crazy dives, there are wrestlers that have a more ground-based offense as well. Hashimoto and Kyouna are both rookies so hopefully they will be around for a long time, and with their backgrounds they are both more strength/submission oriented than flying around and being constant motion. Both are really good already, I’ve been impressed the few times I have seen Hashimoto but Kyouna is not far behind her, and their styles matches up perfectly. A bit slower than you may be expecting but really well worked with no overkill and a logical ending. If you want to see some rookies that have a different style, definitely check this out.  Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu

Kagetsu doesn’t cheat right off the start, which shows some respect for the fact they are in a title match, and the two quickly trade armdrags before reaching a stalemate. Iwatani goes for her split-legged armdrag but Kagetsu blocks it, and Iwatani rolls out of the ring to ponder what to do next. She tries to return to the ring but Kagetsu knocks her back out and this time goes out with her to attack Iwatani around the floor. Kagetsu gets a chair and hits Iwatani in the head with it, she throws her into the ring post and hits Iwatani with the chair again. The rest of Oedo Tai attacks Iwatani before they return to the ring (Oedo Tai comes in too) and they all hit running strikes in the corner. Swandive missile dropkick by Kagetsu, she sets up a chair in the ring and dropkicks it into Iwatani’s head. Iwatani tries to hit a missile dropkick as a comeback move but Kagetsu sidesteps it, Kagetsu puts Iwatani in the ropes and all of Oedo Tai return again as Iwatani is heavily outnumbered. Iwatani finally hits an offensive move and she hits a spinning headscissors, dropkick by Iwatani while Kagetsu is against the ropes, Kagetsu falls out of the ring but Iwatani dives out onto her with a plancha suicida.

Back in the ring, bridging suplex by Iwatani but it gets two. Iwatani goes off the ropes but Kagetsu catches her with a pop-up Samoan Drop, Iwatani returns to her feet and the foes trade elbows. Big dropkick by Kagetsu and she hits a high kick, but Iwatani retorts with a high kick of her own. Kagetsu charges Iwatani but Iwatani hits a hip toss followed by a quick footstomp off the second turnbuckle. Iwatani goes all the way up this time but Kagetsu joins her and hits a superplex. Iwatani charges Kagetsu but Kagetsu hits a cross armbreaker takedown, but Iwatani gets to the ropes. Vertical suplex by Kagetsu and she hits the Ebisu Drop, but Iwatani barely gets a shoulder up. High kick by Kagetsu but Iwatani blocks the Yoshi Tonic. Quick roll-ups by Iwatani for two, she goes for a crucifix hold but that gets a two count as well. Kagetsu gets her Parking Sign but Iwatani ducks the blow and she hits Kris Wolf by accident. Hurricanrana by Iwatani, she gets the sign and she puts it onto Kagetsu’s chest before hitting a diving footstomp off the second turnbuckle. Superkicks by Iwatani, she picks up Kagetsu and she nails the enhanced Dragon Suplex Hold for the three count! Iwatani wins the match and retains the High Speed Championship.

Before I get into my slight annoyance with the booking, I thought this was a solid match. The shenanigans didn’t bother me here as on paper this is Stardom’s #3 singles title, plus Oedo Tai calmed down after the initial stretch and didn’t break up pinfalls which is the most annoying thing that heel factions do. Iwatani took a lot of offense but just because she never gets pinned I never really brought into any of the nearfalls, it would take a ‘super’ move to keep Iwatani down and I don’t know what move Kagetsu has in her arsenal that would do the trick. Which is the problem when you have a wrestler (or group of wrestlers) that seem unbeatable, some of the suspense is taken out of it, and I don’t know why Iwatani really needs three titles when Oedo Tai has none. Still, a fun match with some well done spots, wish it was a bit longer and that Kagetsu was more of a challenge but I still enjoyed it quite a bit as a change of pace from the typical Stardom title match.  Mildly Recommended

Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura and Mika Iwata

Iwata and Hojo begin the match and Iwata immediately hammers in the elbows, but Hojo has none of it and returns fire. Big hammer fist by Hojo to get Iwata down, Hojo works over the rookie with holds but Iwata dropkicks her to the mat and tags Satomura. Satomura knees Hojo against the ropes before rolling her to the mat and putting Hojo in a headlock. Satomura tags Iwata back in, PK by Iwata and she covers Hojo for two. Iwata tags Satomura as Hojo is officially the Face in Peril, she goes for her spear but Satomura blocks it and hits a bodyslam. Shirai comes in to help but Satomura slams Shirai onto Hojo for her trouble before throwing Shirai out of the ring. I just love sequences like that, one of my favorites. Satomura tags Iwata but Hojo levels her with a spear and tags in Shirai. Shirai goes up top and comes in the ring with a missile dropkick, she kicks Iwata out of the ring as Satomura come in, and Shirai back bodydrops Satomura to the floor. Shirai then gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down to the floor onto both the Sendai Girls’ wrestlers. Back in, cocky Ace Shirai takes over on Iwata before tagging Hojo back in. Hojo tosses Iwata by her hair before Shirai returns, and Shirai does her patented hand walk kneedrop. Shirai methodically attacks Iwata, Iwata slides away but Shirai stops her from making a tag. Superkick by Iwata and now she makes the tag, rebound elbow by Satomura to Shirai and she knocks Hojo off the apron just for good measure. Shirai and Satomura engage in a strike battle until Satomura slams Shirai to the mat and covers her for two.

Shirai comes back with the cartwheel dropkick, she goes off the ropes and dropkicks Satomura in the head. Shirai tags Hojo, chops by Hojo but Satomura kicks her in return. Irish whip by Satomura to the corner but Hojo hits the triple jump rebound elbow, Sliding D by Hojo and she covers Satomura for two. Submission hold by Hojo but Satomura gets out of it and hits a backdrop suplex. Kicks by Satomura, Shirai tries to help with a swandive move but Satomura smacks her before she can jump. Cartwheel into a kneedrop by Satomura to Hojo, she goes up top but Hojo hits a palm strike and throws Satomura into the mat. Pele Kick by Satomura but Hojo fights back with elbows before hitting a backfist. Kick to the head by Satomura and both wrestlers crawl to their own corners to tag out. Iwata kicks Shirai in the chest, high kick by Iwata and she hits a suplex for a two count. Enzuigiri by Iwata, Satomura comes in and she drops Shirai with a backdrop suplex. Iwata goes off the ropes but she dropkicks Satomura by accident, Shirai puts Satomura on her shoulders while Hojo goes up top and Hojo hits a jumping elbow smash. Shirai grabs Iwata and hits a double underhook facebuster, but she lifts Iwata before the three count to taunt Satomura. Satomura comes in but so does Hojo, and Satomura kills Hojo with a high kick. Pele Kick by Satomura to Shirai, and Iwata rolls up Shirai for a two count. Iwata goes for a bodyscissors but Shirai catches her and hits a German suplex. Shirai hits a dragon screw on Satomura, Iwata slaps Shirai and Irish whips her but Shirai sails out of the ring with a plancha suicida onto Satomura. Hojo comes in the ring and hits a diving elbow drop onto Iwata, Shirai returns and nails a moonsault for the three count! Io Shirai and Kairi Hojo are the winners!

This match did so much that I love. Satomura’s kicks, for starters, as she was blasting everyone that walked too close to her. I love when a wrestler comes in to help their partner and instead gets destroyed, one of my favorite wrestling things as its the opposite of what normally happens. Everyone looked good, Iwata did not look out of place even though she was the clear underdog in the match. Io was in full Cocky Champion mode here, toying with the young Iwata throughout and not minding who she took out with her crazy plancha suicida. Overall this was just a really fun hard hitting match, it would have been a touch better without one wrestler that ranked so much lower than the rest, but still top notch.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Premium Star Wars on 6/5/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I realize I said that I review way too much Stardom and I plan on mixing it up some more going forward, but I’ll be damned if Stardom didn’t put on back to back shows so here I am reviewing Stardom today once again. This is the second show in the Shining Stars tour, and also takes place away from their home in Tokyo. This is a small show but it does have an Io Shirai championship match as she defends one of her four titles. Here is the full card:

• Arisu Nanase vs. Natsumi Maki
• Azumi vs. Eimi Nishina vs. Starlight Kid
• Chelsea and Kairi Hojo vs. Alex Lee and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Elimination Match: Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, Kris Wolf, and Vaughan vs. Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe
• SWA Undisputed Championship: Io Shirai vs. Shanna

Lots of rookies and the return of big match Io! As always, click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile if I have one on the site.

Arisu Nanase vs. Natsumi Maki

Nanase and Maki trade holds, Maki keeps cutely doing cartwheels to reverse wristlocks but Nanase gets Maki to the mat. Back up they trade elbows, dropkick by Maki and she puts the super rookie into a crab hold. Nanase gets to the ropes, dropkick by Nanase and she slams Maki before putting her in a leg submission hold. Maki gets out of the hold and cartwheels out of a slam, bridging fallaway slam by Nanase but it gets two. Maki blocks the next one and applies a backslide, getting her own two count. Swinging neckbreaker by Maki, and she bridges over Nanase for the three count! Maki is the winner.

Maki was so surprised she won that she didn’t even apply the cover correctly. It is hard to hate a match like this, two young but well trained wrestlers putting on a short match but not one without some memorable moments. Both are a ways away from moving up the card, expect them both to be in a similar position to this for the rest of 2016, but still an enjoyable way to kick things off.

Azumi vs. Eimi Nishina vs. Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid go after each other first, Nishina  joins in after a moment but they both kick her down. Starlight Kid and Azumi reach a stalemate, Starlight Kid is thrown into the corner and both her opponents dropkick her. Starlight Kid dropkicks Azumi back, Nishina slams Azumi and puts her in a camel clutch, but Starlight Kid dropkicks Nishina. Nishina is briefly double teamed until Azumi applies an inside cradle to Starlight Kid. All three wrestlers return to their feet and they do the triple sleeper spot, Starlight Kid gets out of it first and dropkicks Azumi before trading elbows with Nishina. Face crusher by Nishina and she hits a Somato, but Azumi breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid flings Azumi to the apron, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Monkey flip by Azumi to Starlight Kid and she applies a wing clutch hold for two. Azumi goes for a suplex but Starlight Kid reverses it and hits her standing moonsault for the three count! Starlight Kid wins.

That is twice now that Starlight Kid has pinned Azumi, and I don’t think she likes it. Not as good as the last match as I think the three way battle structure is a hard one to make entertaining, but it was still fine. Nothing really interesting as it was too short but nothing offensive either.

Chelsea and Kairi Hojo vs. Alex Lee and Hiroyo Matsumoto

Lee and Chelsea begin the match and awkwardly trade holds, scoop slam by Lee and she kicks Chelsea in the chest for a two count. Matsumoto comes in as they double team Chelsea, Hojo finally comes in to help and Lee ends up being double teamed herself. Leg drop by Chelsea, and she covers Lee for two. Lee manages to tag in Matsumoto and Matsumoto flings Chelsea around the ring. Lee returns and puts Chelsea in a crab hold, jumping knee by Lee and she kicks Chelsea in the back before covering her for a two count. Matsumoto is tagged back in and she snaps Chelsea’s neck over the top rope, missile dropkick by Matsumoto and she covers Chelsea, but Hojo breaks it up. Chelsea finally slides away from Matsumoto and hits a standing guillotine legdrop, giving her time to make the hot tag to Hojo. Hojo chops Matsumoto into the corner but Matsumoto returns the favor, Hojo goes for a spear but Matsumoto blocks it and throws Hojo to the mat.

Hojo fights back and hits her triple jump elbow smash out of the corner, Matsumoto goes for a powerbomb but Hojo gets out of it. Roaring elbow by Matsumoto, she goes off the ropes but Hojo gets up and levels her with a spear. Back up they trade strikes, Matsumoto grabs Hojo and gets her onto her shoulders before dropping her with a gutbuster. Lee is tagged in and kicks Hojo into the corner, high kick by Lee and she hits a single arm suplex for a two count. Chelsea and Matsumoto both run in to help which Chelsea gets the better of, heel kick by Chelsea to Lee and Hojo hits the Sliding D. Hojo goes up top but Matsumoto runs over and joins her, hitting a superplex. Lee pick up Hojo and hits a backdrop suplex, but Chelsea breaks up the cover. Matsumoto elbows Lee by accident, Chelsea knocks Matsumoto over the top rope before sailing after her with a sloppy but effective plancha suicida. Superkick by Lee to Hojo but Hojo catches her with a spinning backfist, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Candy Crush win!

The most interesting thing in his match to me is that in a 15 minute match, Candy Crush had one tag. Almost unheard of. Anyway, this was not great but not bad either. Lee looked good here as she got the chance to mix it up with a great wrestler like Hojo, and I give Chelsea credit for putting in maximum effort even though skill-wise she lags behind most the other wrestlers in Stardom. The Matsumoto/Hojo segments were great, the match was just a little slow in a few parts. I liked it quite a bit but still with its flaws.  Mildly Recommended

Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, Kris Wolf, and Vaughan vs. Mimura, Kyouna, Iwatani, and Watanabe

Oedo Tai naturally attacks before the bell rings, because why wouldn’t they, but Team Stardom quickly recovers and isolates Vaughan. Vaughan isn’t wearing all green this week so she doesn’t look like Kellie Skater, which is a plus. A brawl ensues as the action spills out of the ring, with Atenea and Watanabe left inside. They all end up outside the ring as Oedo Tai throws their opponents into chairs at ringside, Mimura is eventually slid back in and is quadruple teamed in the ropes. Oedo Tai takes turns on Mimura, Mimura hits a DDT on Kagetsu which gives her time to tag in Momo. Atenea comes in too but Watanabe hits a crossbody on both, with Kyouna running in to help knock the duo over. Kagetsu is attacked by all the members of the Stardom team, Iwatani stays in with Kagetsu and armdrags her into the corner. Kagetsu comes back with a dropkick and they trade elbows, Iwatani gets the better of it and both tag out as Wolf and Kyouna come in. Kyouna gets Wolf on her shoulders but Wolf slides away, Vaughan runs in but she dropkicks Wolf by accident. Iwatani and Momo both kick Wolf, Kyouna goes up top and she nails a diving body press for the three count! Kris Wolf is eliminated.

Atenea replaces her, she can’t knock over Kyouna with a shoulderblock but she connects with a kick to the head. Kyouna tosses Atenea to the mat and tags Mimura, Mimura goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick on Atenea. Mimura and Atenea trade chops to the chest, Atenea puts Mimura in a fireman’s carry and tosses her to the mat. Mimura is kicked from the apron, Atenea puts Mimura in a unique bendy submission hold and Mimura submits! Hiromi Mimura is eliminated.

Kyouna comes in, she knocks Atenea out to the apron over the top rope but when she charges her to knock Atenea to the floor, she ends up on the apron as well. Wolf tugs on Kyouna from the floor while Kyouna hangs onto Atenea, Watanabe dropkicks Atenea from inside the ring and both Atenea and Kyouna flop to the floor. Both Diosa Atenea and Jungle Kyouna are eliminated.

All four remaining wrestlers stay in the ring and trade blows, Kagetsu grabs Iwatani but Iwatani blocks her kicks and hits her in the face. Iwatani and Kagetsu trade blows, Iwatani grabs Kagetsu’s arm and runs up the corner but Kagetsu pushes Iwatani to the apron. Kagetsu charges Iwatani to try to knock her to the floor, but Iwatani grabs Kagetsu and pulls her over the top rope. Both immediately fall to the floor in the process, and both Kagetsu and Mayu Iwatani are eliminated.

This leaves only Vaughan and Watanabe as the last two wrestlers. Watanabe quickly dropkicks Vaughan a few times until she is tripped from the floor and all of Oedo Tai come in to help. Watanabe is quadruple teamed in the corner until Team Stardom finally pulls the extra wrestlers out of the ring. Kagetsu gets her Parking Sign but Iwatani fights it from her, Watanabe dropkicks Kagetsu before turning her attention back to Vaughan. Missile dropkick by Watanabe and she hits a vertical suplex for a two count. Watanabe charges Vaughan in the corner but Vaughan moves and hits a fisherman suplex. Elbows by Watanabe, she goes off the ropes but Vaughan catches her with a big spear for the three count cover! Team Oedo Tai wins the Elimination Match!

A fun and fast paced match, although not much more than that. I am not a huge fan of the over-the-top elimination rule, its a staple in Stardom but most of the time it is just used as a cop-out for quick eliminations, as it was here. Having five wrestlers eliminated in under three minutes isn’t incredibly satisfying. But when they were given time to develop a rhythm it was entertaining, and I really like the Oedo Tai faction even if Stardom seems hell bent on not letting them win any titles. Not a bad co-main, just wish it had gotten more time and had a bit more beef to it.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs. Shanna

After the introductory feeling out process, Shanna gets Shirai to the mat and starts twisting on her arm. Shirai gets into the ropes to force a break, Shanna applies a headlock but Shirai gets out of the hold, both wrestlers go for dropkicks but both miss and return to their feet. Shirai dumps Shanna onto the apron and out of the ring, she goes to do a dive but flips back into the ring instead and poses. Shanna returns to the ring and twists Shirai awkwardly into a modified DDT of sorts, Shirai falls out of the ring and Shanna dives out after her with a tope suicida. Shanna throws Shirai around at ringside and wraps her head in a chair for extra measure before eventually returning to the ring with Shirai. Shanna stomps on Shirai and chokes her in the corner, cover by Shanna but it gets a two. Fisherman suplex hold by Shanna, but Shirai kicks out of that as well. Shirai recovers and hits a missile dropkick out of the corner, Shanna rolls out of the ring and Shirai sails after her with a plancha suicida. Shirai tosses Shanna back into the ring, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she hits a swandive missile dropkick for a two count.

Armtrap crossface by Shirai, but Shanna gets a hand on the bottom rope for a break. Shirai hits a running double knee in the corner, she sits up Shanna and goes up top, but Shanna recovers and tries to throw Shirai to the mat, but Shirai lands on her feet. Hurricanrana by Shanna but Shirai rolls through it and they trade quick pins. Enzuigiri by Shanna, she picks up Shirai and drapes her over the top rope before diving off the turnbuckle with a kick to the head. Shanna goes for a double underhook but Shirai blocks it, they trade holds until Shirai drops Shanna with the Schwein. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, but Shanna blocks the Package German and hits a Stunner. Shanna goes up top and delivers the diving body press, but Shirai kicks out. Shanna picks up Shirai and drops her with the double underhook side facebuster, but Shirai gets a shoulder up on the cover. Shanna drags up Shirai but Shirai ducks the enzuigiri and hits a deadlift German for two. They trade elbows as they slowly get up, back kick by Shanna but Shirai hits a palm strike. Tombstone Piledriver by Shirai, she goes up top and nails the moonsault for the three count! Shirai retains the championship.

I wouldn’t call this one of Shirai’s best singles matches but there was certainly no shortage of effort from either wrestler. Shanna appeared a bit sloppy at times, if not slightly unsafe, but being a little rough around the edges can enhance the match in some circumstances. Definitely not as smooth as most Io matches, however. I was surprised that Shanna hit the only move we have seen her win with, as once she hit that and Io kicked out, she really didn’t have anything else to go to that the crowd had seen before that could win her the match. Course if Shanna is a one and done in Stardom then it doesn’t really matter. A really good small show main event, probably forgettable in the long run but its always a pleasure to see Io in a championship-style match.  Recommended

The post Stardom Shining Stars #2 on 6/4/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

After a bit of a break, due mostly to the Europe tour, Stardom is finally back! A new tour has begun, Shining Stars, which means not only that we get new gaijins but also a new Stardom wrestler debuting as well. On top of that, Kris Wolf and Chelsea are back! So much going on. Here is the full card:

• Arisu Nanase vs. Momo Watanabe
• Kris Wolf vs. Starlight Kid
• Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Natsumi Maki
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Shanna
• Chelsea and Kairi Hojo vs. Haruka Kato and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Leah Vaughan vs. Io Shirai, Jungle Kyouna, and Mayu Iwatani

As is usually the case, you can click on the names above to go to that wrestler’s profile on Joshi City. Lots going on, let’s get to the action.

Arisu Nanase vs. Momo Watanabe

They start the match trading holds, Watanabe gets Nanase to the mat first but she picks her up and puts her in a guillotine. Watanabe stomps Nanase down in the corner, Nanase fights back with elbows, armbar by Nanase but Watanabe rolls her up for two. Crab hold by Watanabe but Nanase makes it to the ropes, Irish whip by Watanabe but Nanase avoids the dropkick. Dropkick by Nanase and she hits two more, but Watanabe takes back over and applies a cross arm submission. Watanabe goes for the Somato but Nanase ducks, kick to the stomach by Watanabe and she covers Nanase for two. Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle but Nanase avoids the missile dropkick and applies a bridging suplex hold for two. Nanase applies a leg submission hold, she lets it go after a moment and hits a bridging fallaway slam for two. Nanase goes off the ropes but Watanabe does too and hits a dropkick, dropkick by Watanabe in the corner and she hits another one for two. Suplex by Watanabe and she delivers the Somato, picking up the three count! Momo Watanabe is the winner.

Who was winning was never in doubt, but since Watanabe is still a kid herself, she was able to give Nanase a bit more offense than we are used to seeing in rookie matches. By that I mean that Nanase hit about four moves but two were nearfalls so it was still a successful debut. Nanase looked fine for a 14 year old in her first match, she sold well and has a nice bridge. Just the beginning of hopefully a successful career, but so far so good.

Kris Wolf vs. Starlight Kid

Wolf sniffs at Starlight Kid to start, which since she is a Wolf is ok to do even though usually smelling a 15 year old isn’t socially acceptable. She likes what she smells as Wolf bites Starlight Kid in the arm, she puts her into the ropes and then bites the kid in the ear. Wolf picks up Starlight Kid but the rookie slides behind her back and applies a sleeper. Wolf eventually gets her off and she puts Starlight Kid in a submission hold. Jumping knee by Wolf but Starlight Kid comes back with a pair of dropkicks. Another dropkick by Starlight Kid but Wolf blocks the Tiger Feint Kick and puts Starlight Kid in the Giant Swing. Starlight Kid reverses the crab hold attempt however, she goes off the ropes and hits a crossbody into a sunset flip for a two count. Shiranui by Starlight Kid, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Wolf avoids the diving body press. Knees by Wolf, she sets up Starlight Kid in the corner and she hits a running knee to the midsection. Starlight Kid avoids the diving double kneedrop, elbow by Starlight Kid and they trade shots back and forth. Buzzsaw Kick by Wolf, she pulls Starlight Kid in front of the corner and connects with the diving double kneedrop, but Starlight Kid reverses her cover into a roll-up. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Wolf grabs her with a small package, and Wolf picks up the three count! Kris Wolf is the winner.

This match was exactly what it was trying to be – a fun midcard match. Having Wolf back is great as she is an entertaining character and a bundle of joy, and these types of matches she excels in as she can be goofy fun without worrying about someone like Io ruining everything. Starlight Kid is still really young but has all the basics down pat and executes well. About all you could ask her, mindless entertainment.  Mildly Recommended

Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Natsumi Maki

Before the match, Maki gives Azumi a gift so they double team Yoneyama to start. Yoneyama hits a crossbody on both of them and goes to steal Azumi’s gift, but Azumi attacks her from behind. Maki dropkicks Yoneyama but Yoneyama throws her down by the hair before stomping her in the corner. Yoneyama tries to toss Maki but twice Maki cartwheels out of it, Azumi returns and Maki is double teamed against the ropes. Vertical suplex by Azumi and she focuses back on Yoneyama, Yoneyama and Azumi trade strikes until Maki recovers, but Maki just dances. Yoneyama and Azumi get annoyed with her and stomp on Maki, Maki jumps on Yoneyama’s back, Azumi goes to attack Maki but she is distracted by another gift. Maki suplexes Yoneyama but Azumi breaks up the pin, Azumi trades elbows with Maki until Azumi hits a DDT for two. Tilt-a-whirl roll-up by Azumi but Yoneyama rolls up Azumi and she gets the three count! Kaori Yoneyama wins!

Probably the least entertaining of the three “opening” matches. It was certainly cute in parts and I like Maki quite a bit, but it wasn’t as smooth and was mostly just random carnage as they didn’t have enough time to really tell a story so to speak (besides Azumi having gifts). The pre and post match was fun but the match itself was pretty pedestrian.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Shanna

Mimura starts the match fired up and elbows Shanna into the corner, she goes for a quick pin but Shanna blocks it and applies a pin of her own for two. Mimura slaps and dropkicks Shanna, crossbody by Mimura but it only gets a two. Discus Lariat by Shanna and she connects with a running kick to the face, snapmare by Shanna and she drops a leg across Mimura’s chest. Grounded necklock by Shanna but Mimura gets a foot onto the bottom rope, Shanna throws Mimura into the turnbuckles before hitting a cyclone neckbreaker for a two count. Double underhook by Shanna but Mimura gets out of it, roll-up by Mimura but Shanna kicks out. Rolling leglock by Mimura but Shanna gets to the ropes, elbows by Mimura but Shanna elbows her back. Enzuigiri by Shanna, she puts Mimura near the corner before going up top and delivering a diving body press for two. Double underhook facebuster by Shanna, and she gets the three count! Shanna is the winner!

For her first match in Stardom, I thought Shanna was pretty solid. Sometimes gaijins come in and it takes them some time to get used to wrestling different wrestlers in a different style (sometimes they never get used to it) but everything flowed well here and they seemed in sync throughout. Mimura may be a rookie but she can wrestle a basic match quite well, and while Mimura got in more offense than I was expecting, it was a pretty thorough win by Shanna. Too early to tell if Shanna will be around Stardom a lot or is just in town for one tour, but I like what I have seen of her so far.  Mildly Recommended

Chelsea and Kairi Hojo vs. Haruka Kato and Hiroyo Matsumoto

Hojo and Matsumoto start the match, elbows by Hojo but Matsumoto hits a hard shoulderblock. They get back up and do the Respect Stalemate before tagging in Chelsea and Kato. Kato and Chelsea trade wristlocks, Kato trades Matsumoto back in and Matsumoto chokes Chelsea against the ropes. Kato comes back in and stomp on Chelsea, but Chelsea slams Kato and tags in Hojo. Candy Crush double team Kato, and Chelsea gets so excited she jumps over Kato so she can hug Hojo. So cute. Hojo isn’t as playful and tosses Kato by her hair, Kato fights back but Hojo hits a hard elbow. She tags in Chelsea, Chelsea hits the dreaded Running Hug to soften up Kato before hitting a dropkick. She tags Hojo back in, hard elbows by Hojo but Kato applies a hanging armbar over the top rope. Chelsea tries to help but gets elbows for her trouble, face crusher by Kato on Hojo and she tags in Matsumoto. Hard shoulderblock by Matsumoto, Hojo comes back with chops but Matsumoto blocks the spear attempt and puts Hojo in a backbreaker. Matsumoto slams Hojo to the mat, she goes up top and hits the missile dropkick for a two count. Backbreaker by Matsumoto, she picks up Hojo, Hojo slides away but Matsumoto decks her with a hard elbow.

Spear by Hojo and she makes the tag to Chelsea, leg drop by Chelsea to Matsumoto and she then hits an elbow drop. Chelsea applies an armlock but Matsumoto gets out of it and applies a crab hold. Chelsea gets in the ropes, Matsumoto tags Kato and Chelsea is double teamed. Kato goes off the ropes but Chelsea hits a spinning heel kick, and she tags in Hojo. Hojo goes up top and hits a diving forearm shot on Kato, Chelsea lariats Kato and Hojo covers her for two. Heel drop to the back by Hojo, Matsumoto comes in and she hits a backdrop suplex on both Chelsea and Hojo. Hojo and Chelsea fall out of the ring, Matsumoto picks up Kato and throws her out of the ring and onto both of their opponents. Back in the ring, Matsumoto slams Kato onto Hojo a few times, diving crossbody by Kato but Chelsea breaks up the cover. Back up, Kato and Hojo trade strikes and Kato spins Hojo to the mat before applying a cross armbreaker. Hojo gets into the ropes, Chelsea kicks Kato from the apron and Hojo hits a spear on Kato. Hammerlock fisherman suplex hold by Hojo, but Matsumoto breaks up the cover. Hojo goes up top but Matsumoto joins her, Hojo elbows Matsumoto into the Tree of Woe and hits a diving footstomp. Kato avoids the Alabama Slam but Hojo catches her with a spinning backfist. Hojo goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop, picking up the three count! Candy Crush win!

It is very rare for me to say this but here it goes – this match was a bit too long. As a re-introduction to Candy Crush and with a known jobber in the match (no offense to the departing Kato), there was really no need for this one to go 18 minutes as some parts just dragged a bit. Chelsea, bless her heart, showed some ring rust for sure and the crowd didn’t react quite as much as I am used to for the team, it will be interesting to see where they go from here since Hojo now holds two titles. There was definitely some solid action, as Hojo and Matsumoto are top notch, but it was just a bit too slow and when Matsumoto and Hojo were on the apron the match suffered. Farewell to Kato, we will miss you!

Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Leah Vaughan vs. Io Shirai, Kyouna, and Iwatani

Oedo Tai attacks before the match starts and immediately isolate the rookie Kyouna. Shirai and Iwatani return and help turn the tide, they toss Oedo Tai out of the ring but Oedo Tai blocks them from doing a dive out (with an assist from Wolf). Kagetsu then does a cannonball off the apron, Atenea follows with a dive off the apron and Vaughan finishes with a plancha off the top turnbuckle. They battle around the ring and into the stands before Kagetsu and Iwatani return, and Iwatani is triple teamed in the ropes. Atenea stays in with Iwatani and stomps her in the apron, but Iwatani comes back with a crossbody. Iwatani tags in Shirai, Vaughan runs in too but Shirai crossbodies both of them with the help of Kyouna. Shirai and Kyouna clear the ring, Shirai grabs Atenea but Atenea gets away and hits a hurricanrana. Armdrag by Atenea and she jumps down on Shirai’s back before covering her for two. Vaughan is tagged in, chops by Vaughan and Kagetsu comes in to slam Shirai.

Moonsault off the ropes but Vaughan and she puts Shirai in a submission, but it broken up and Shirai hits a standing moonsault on Vaughan. She tags Iwatani but Vaughn boots her and hits a suplex. Vaughan tags Kagetsu, Iwatani grabs Kagetsu’s arm and hits a split legged armdrag off the ropes. Kagetsu comes back with a dropkick and elbows Iwatani in the corner, but Iwatani returns fire. Iwatani knocks down Kagetsu with a jumping forearm, Shirai comes in but Kagetsu spears her for her trouble. Kick to the head by Iwatani and she makes the tag to Kyouna. Shoulderblocks by Kyouna, Kagetsu temporarily gets away but Kyouna plans her with a powerslam. This leads to a brawl as everyone comes in the ring, Shirai hits a double missile dropkick on Vaughan and Atenea before hitting a running double knee on Kagetsu. Diving body press by Kyouna to Kagetsu, but the cover is broken up. Kagetsu throws the referee at Kyouna, she gets a bottle and hits everyone in the head with it. Wolf comes in too to help attack Kyouna, they all kick Kyouna but Shirai breaks up the cover. Kagetsu gets a parking sign, Iwatani takes it from her but Shirai accidentally spears the sign into Iwatani. Kagetsu gets the sign back and hits Kyouna with it, roll-up with a jackknife by Kagetsu and she gets the three count! Oedo Tai win!

This was a fun match event, and a perfectly acceptable one for a smaller show. I wish it was a little longer as it went under 13 minutes, but it was action packed and they did the best the could with the constraints. It wasn’t a great look at Vaughan since she didn’t have a ton of in-ring time but she seems solid, although from a distance she looks just like Kellie Skater as she has a similar outfit and hair. Kagetsu getting the win was nice as Oedo Tai keeps racking up victories, they worked together really well and are a cohesive team. Overall an entertaining match, but nothing to get too excited about.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Shining Stars #1 on 5/29/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Gold May”
Date: May 15th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 910

About once a month, Stardom has a big event at Korakuen Hall, and they always go all out to put on an entertaining show. Here we get two big title matches, with Hojo looking to take the belt away from the often vacant Santana Garrett and Shirai battling against her tag team partner Mayu Iwatani for the #1 championship in the promotion. Plus we get Matsumoto killing a rookie and two giant gaijins going toe to toe. Here is the full card:

• Alex Lee, Azumi, and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina, Haruka Kato, and Starlight Kid
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Natsumi Maki
• Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiromi Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, and Momo Watanabe
• Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Santana Garrett vs. Kairi Hojo
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani

You can click on the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City. As this event was shown on Stardom World (just on a ringside camera, so multi-camera setup) the matches will not be clipped.

Alex Lee, Azumi, and Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina, Kato, and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and Yoneyama begin for their teams and trade holds but neither gets a real advantage so they tag in Azumi and Nishina. Azumi immediately gets the upper hand, her teammates come in and Nishina is triple teamed. Nishina comes back with a pair of dropkicks and she puts Azumi in a crab hold, but Azumi rolls out of it and tags in Lee. Kicks by Lee to Nishina and she throws her down by her hair, but Nishina hits a face crusher and covers Lee for two. Starlight Kid and Kato come in and they all dropkick Lee, Kato stays in but Lee knees her in the gut. Kato gets Lee’s back and rolls her to the mat with a cross armbreaker, but it is quickly broken up. Lee superkicks Kato a few times and hits a double underhook suplex, but the cover is broken up. Lee tags Yoneyama and she attacks Kato, but Starlight Kid comes in and hits Yoneyama with the Shiranui. Kato hits a diving crossbody on Yoneyama and tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid rolls up Yoneyama and gets a two count. Yoneyama gets fed up and slams Starlight Kid, she tags in Azumi and they trade elbows. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits a diving body press off the second turnbuckle, but the cover is broken up. Azumi suplexes Starlight Kid and hits a trio of DDTs, but again the pin is interrupted. Yoneyama and Lee are pulled out of the ring while in the ring Azumi goes for a Wing Clutch Hold, but Starlight Kid rolls though it and hits a standing moonsault for the three count! Nishina, Kato, and Starlight Kid are your winners.

Starlight Kid finally gets the big win over her arch rival! Needless to say a six wrestler tag that goes seven minutes is going to have some issues really getting moving but it was still an easy watch. The kids seem to be progressing and the veterans did their part keeping the match together. A few rough patches here and there but not a bad way to kick things off.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Natsumi Maki

Maki wants Matsumoto to dance and do her pose as the match starts, which she does, but then Matsumoto kicks Maki in the gut. Maki applies a wristlock and poses again, giving Matsumoto time to knee her in the stomach. Matsumoto shrugs off a dropkick and throws down Maki by her hair, double kneedrop by Matsumoto and she rakes Maki’s face in the ropes. Chops by Matsumoto and she hits a scoop slam, cover by Maki but it gets two. Maki slides away from Matsumoto and applies a sleeper, but Matsumoto slams her into the corner to break it up. Armdrag by Maki and she applies a crucifix pin, Matsumoto kicks out and breaks Maki with a backbreaker. Body Avalanche by Matsumoto and she puts Maki in an Argentine Backbreaker, leading to Maki submitting! Matsumoto wins the match.

If I had to describe Maki as succinctly as possible, I would call her “full of energy but unpolished.” The crowd likes her, she has a bubbly personality and some bendy moves, but she is still early in her career in terms of some of the finer points of wrestling. Course she is still young and that is why she is wrestling early on the card, to gain some experience. Matsumoto is great of course and seemed to be having a great time also, but either way it was just a short opening-style match. A few cute spots though.

Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Kimura vs. Mimura, Kyouna, and Watanabe

Atenea refuses to shake hands with the rookies, and quickly regrets her decision as all three of the rookies jump her. Atenea gets hit with many dropkicks but Atenea regains the advantage on Momo and kicks her out of the ring. Oedo Tai beats the rookies around the ring while Atenea returns with Momo, elbow by Atenea and she tags Kimura. Kimura throws Watanabe around by her hair before tagging in Kagetsu, as Momo plays the role of Face in Peril. Watanabe dropkicks Kimura and makes the hot tag to Kyouna, and Kyouna shoulderblocks all the members of Oedo Tai. Crossbody by Mimura (with help from Kyouna), but Oedo Tai gets all the rookies into submission holds. Atenea stays in with Kyouna and they trade elbows, kicks by Atenea but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam. Momo returns but Atenea tags Kagetsu, she goes for a swandive dropkick but Watanabe runs under it. Watanabe hits an armdrag. Missile dropkick by Watanabe, and she makes the tag to Mimura. Dropkicks by Mimura and she hits a DDT, cover by Mimura but it gets two. Rolling leglock by Mimura but all of Oedo Tai runs in and breaks it up. They stay in to attack the rookies, Mimura is isolated and they slam her to the mat. Kyouna runs in and hits a triple crossbody, she goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody on Kagetsu. Kyouna picks up Mimura and drops her into Kagetsu, but Kimura breaks up the pin. Kagetsu gets a parking sign and hits all three of the rookies with it, Kimura returns and they both boot Mimura in the chest. Mimura fires back with elbows to Kagetsu but Kagetsu gets her on her shoulders and hits the Ebisu Drop for the three count! Oedo Tai win the match.

Its a good idea in these Oedo Tai matches for Kagetsu to get the final pin, since she is new to the promotion it helps put her over a bit as more than just a lackey. The match was fine, lots of solid action and the rookies continue to grow early in their careers. Since I adore Wolf and Act I don’t mind them cheating when applicable, and Kimura does a solid job of being the base of the group. Everyone got a bit of a chance to shine, no real memorable moments but a good midcard match that flowed well.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya

Alpha smashes Maya’s tiara before the match even starts to set the early tone, and Alpha immediately attacks Maya in the corner. They trade elbows until Alpha knocks Maya out of the ring, Maya gets a chair and sits down at ringside to re-group. Alpha grabs her by the hair but Maya hits Alpha in the head with the chair and covers her for two. Stomps by Maya and she clubs on Alpha’s chest, but Alpha finally blocks a shot and returns the favor. Big boot by Maya and she hits a second one, body avalanche by Maya and she hits an elbow drop for a two count. Maya goes to pick up Alpha but Alpha puts her in a triangle choke, but Maya gets a foot on the ropes. Vertical suplex by Alpha and she picks up Maya, but Maya slides away. Maya lariats Alpha out of the ring but Alpha pulls her out with her and throws her into the chairs at ringside. Alpha rams Maya into the apron, they battle up onto the stage and Female slams Maya onto the hard floor. Alpha gets Maya back into the ring but Maya blocks the Omega Slam and hits a lariat. DDT by Alpha, she picks up Maya but again Maya elbows herself free and hits a sidewalk slam for a two. Maya charges Alpha but Alpha levels her with a lariat, she picks up Maya and powerbombs her into the turnbuckles. Omega Plex by Alpha, and she picks up the three count! Alpha Female wins.

There were certainly some issues here, as Maya is limited and the pacing was off at times, but they did make up for it with some big moves. If this was the main event it would have been disappointing, but as a ‘special attraction’ monster gaijin collision and a change of pace match I thought it worked pretty well. Alpha is just so strong, I haven’t ever seen another wrestler hit moves to Maya like she does, and Maya was game for anything. A bit of a guilty pleasure match but definitely different from everything else on the card which is always a plus. I enjoyed it but no promises that you will, especially in a vacuum where it being a change of pace style match won’t matter as much.

(c) Santana Garrett vs. Kairi Hojo

They immediately start trading elbows and they take turns striking each other in the corner. Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett and she throws down Hojo by the hair, Hojo tosses Garrett out to the apron and slams Hojo into the turnbuckles, Garrett goes up top and flings Hojo out of the ring. Tope Suicida by Garrett, she pulls Hojo near the apron and puts her in a stretch hold while the referee tries to get her to let go. She eventually does and throws Hojo into the ring post before sliding her back into the ring. Garrett starts working on Hojo’s arm, Hojo goes up to the corner and goes to do her springboard move but she loses her balance and jumps out of the ring onto no one. That must have hurt. But she gets back into the ring like a trooper but Garrett kicks her in the face and covers Hojo for two. Shoulderblock and a neckbreaker by Hojo, she puts Garrett in a leg submission and then an arm submission before letting the hold go. Back up they trade elbows, Hojo goes off the ropes but Garrett catches her with a superkick. Enzuigiri by Garrett, but when get they back up Hojo levels her with a spear. Ikari by Hojo, she picks up Garrett and hits a Final Cut. Hojo goes up top but Garrett joins her, Hojo pushes Garrett into the Tree of Woe and hits a jumping footstomp to the chest. Hojo delivers the Sliding D and she covers Garrett for a two count. Hojo goes up top but Garrett blocks the Diving Elbow Drop and applies a short armbar. Garrett kicks Hojo in the head and drops her with a DDT, she nails the Shining Star Press but Hojo barely gets a shoulder up. After trading pin attempts, Garrett picks up Hojo and hits a handspring elbow, but Hojo catches her with a spinning double chop. Hojo picks up Garrett and hits a leg clutch bridging suplex, but Garrett kicks out. Hojo slams Garrett in front of the corner, she goes up top and delivers the Diving Elbow Drop for the three count! Kairi Hojo wins the match and the Wonder of Stardom Championship!

A very good match, not quite great in-ring wise but a necessary match to get the belt off of Garrett and continue Hojo’s storyline. I am not thrilled with every Stardom title (eight total) being held by three wrestlers but that is just where the promotion is right now, hopefully it gets resolved soon as the upper midcard is non-existent. The match itself was generally entertaining, Garrett doesn’t have a ton of chemistry with Hojo but they worked together pretty well and the crowd was into just about everything Hojo did. Good match with some emotional moments, but with some odd transitions and illogical decisions by both wrestlers that took it down a peg or two.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani

Before the match even starts, Iwatani asks that the match have no time limit, which Shirai agrees to. They go through an extended feeling out process as Iwatani is all business, Iwatani tries to elbow Shirai but Shirai has none of it and pulls her by the hair. Iwatani flips Shirai to the mat and kicks her repeatedly, Shirai gets back up and they run the ropes until Shirai dropkicks Iwatani out of the ring. Shirai gets a running start and then sails out onto Iwatani with a plancha suicida, she goes up top but Iwatani kicks her to send Shirai back to the floor. Diving plancha by Iwatani to the floor, she goes for a dragon suplex but Shirai reverses it and hits a German suplex onto the floor. Stiff kicks by Shirai before she rolls Iwatani back in and hits a slingshot footstomp. More kicks by Shirai and she dropkicks Iwatani in the head, dragon screw by Shirai and she hits a hard palm strike. Shirai stays in control on the mat and flings Iwatani in the corner before hitting a running double knee strike.

Iwatani comes back with an armdrag and a headscissors before drilling her with a dropkick. Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, she goes up top but Shirai throws her back down. Iwatani joins Shirai and guillotines her on the top rope, Shirai is leaned over the second rope and Iwatani hits a footstomp to her back. Iwatani goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, cover by Iwatani but it gets two. Iwatani goes for the dragon suplex but Shirai blocks it and she hits a German suplex of her own for a two count cover. Iwatani kicks Shirai but Shirai blocks the hurricanrana and applies a crab hold. Iwatani gets into the ropes, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she hits the swandive dropkick for two. Armtrap Crossface by Shirai, but Iwatani gets out of it and kicks her in the head. Palm strikes by Shirai but Iwatani catches her with a pair of superkicks, but Shirai catches her from behind and hits a big suplex. Texas Cloverleaf by Shirai, she picks up Iwatani and she delivers a tombstone piledriver.

Shirai goes up top but Iwatani avoids the moonsault, high kick by Iwatani and Shirai rolls to the apron. Iwatani joins her on the apron, she picks up Shirai and and nails a dragon suplex! Shirai flops to the floor and lands on her head for extra measure, Iwatani rolls back in the ring while Shirai slowly regains her bearing and barely makes the count. Iwatani hits a German suplex hold as soon as Shirai returns, but she gets a two count. Iwatani goes for the reverse hurricanrana but Shirai blocks it, frog splash by Iwatani but it gets a two as well. Dragon suplex hold by Iwatani, but Shirai barely gets a shoulder up. She goes for another one but Shirai blocks it and hits a tiger suplex. Package German suplex hold by Shirai, she goes up top and nails the moonsault for the three count! Io Shirai is still the champion!

Being the company ace has both its advantages and disadvantages. Io Shirai has to always be at the top of her game, luckily she is always up for the challenge as in the last year she has pretty much developed into the perfect character. She manages to still be pleasant but deadly serious and deadly accurate with her moves, she isn’t a heel but rather just really confident in her abilities and she pulls it off as well as anyone in wrestling. Iwatani was wrestling as the underdog all match, as her ‘big match’ moves couldn’t get her the win and she made a few miscues here and there. The only complaint about the match would just be that Io took so much damage and came back quickly to win but that is just who she is, if you are going to beat Io you will either have to sneak out a win or kill her, just normal moves aren’t going to do the trick. Mayu is still young, she’ll get more chances, so a loss here doesn’t hurt her or her story. An incredible match that had all the elements I look for in wrestling, just a must see.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Gold May on 5/15/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Golden Week Stars #2”
Date: May 8th, 2016
Location: Saitama Prefectural Industrial Center in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 235

The final event before Stardom’s big show at Korakuen Hall on May 15th! This is a particularly small offering by Stardom, with only four scheduled matches, but since it is the last event to help promote the upcoming title matches there is still some significance. In the last match, with future opponents teaming up I assume something interesting is bound to happen. Here is the full card:

• Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Starlight Kid
• Diosa Atenea and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett
• Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Kairi Hojo and Hiromi Mimura
• Alpha Female and Queen Maya vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani

A unique variety here with a main event that won’t go well, let’s see how it works out.

Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid begin the match and they go back and forth with armdrags, they trade elbows until Starlight Kid hits a monkey flip. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she kicks Azumi in the face, Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle but Azumi avoids her dive and puts her in La Magistral for a two count. Roll-up by Azumi but Starlight Kid reverses it and hits a standing moonsault for the three count! Starlight Kid gets the pin and a point.

Yoneyama enters the ring to face off with Starlight Kid, dropkicks by Starlight Kid and she puts Yoneyama in a crab hold. Starlight Kid stomps on Yoneyama and hits a standing moonsault, she hits a frog splash off the second turnbuckle but the pin attempt gets two. Yoneyama blocks the Shiranui  and hits an atomic drop, standing senton by Yoneyama and she puts Starlight Kid in a Giant Swing. Crab hold by Yoneyama and Starlight Kid submits! Yoneyama gets a point.

Azumi returns to square off with Yoneyama, Yoneyama chops Azumi but Azumi sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Crab hold by Azumi but Yoneyama gets to the ropes, senton by Azumi but Yoneyama hits a delayed scoop slam. Starlight Kid trips Yoneyama from the floor, dropkick by Azumi and she suplexes Yoneyama for a two count. Yoneyama blocks the La Magistral attempt and throws Azumi to the mat, but Starlight Kid grabs Yoneyama from the apron which gives Azumi time to apply a Wing Clutch Hold. Yoneyama rolls out of it however and she holds down Azumi for a three count! Yoneyama has two victories and wins the match!

A simple match, although Starlight Kid getting a pinfall is different since she typically doesn’t win anything. I did like that Starlight Kid was cheating for Azumi during the last fall, as if Azumi had pinned Yoneyama it would have given Starlight Kid a chance to win the match. Just a basic opener.

Diosa Atenea and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett

Atenea and Garrett start off, but Kimura immediately attacks Garrett from behind. Matsumoto comes in and helps Garrett even the odds, and Garrett hits the Space Rolling Elbow in the corner. Oedo Tai regains the advantage as the action spills out of the ring, and Atenea bites Garrett in the head. Atenea and Garrett get back in the ring, lariat by Garrett and she covers Atenea for two. Atenea elbows Garrett and tags Kimura, Kimura grabs Garrett and throws her around the ring by her hair. Kimura spanks Garrett in the ropes and then jumps down on her back before tagging in Atenea. Jumping lariat by Atenea and she puts Garrett in a wristlock before tagging Kimura back into the ring. Kimura works over Garrett’s arm but Garrett snaps off a hurricanrana and makes the hot tag to Matsumoto. Matsumoto clears the ring before throwing Oedo Tai in one corner and hitting a body avalanche.

Matsumoto goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Kimura gets away from Matsumoto and kicks her in the head, they trade running strikes until Kimura applies an Octopus Hold. Kimura tags Atenea and she armdrags Matsumoto, Matsumoto flips Atenea out to the apron but Atenea comes back in the ring with an diving armdrag. Matsumoto slams Atenea to the mat and tags Garrett, Garrett and Atenea trade blows until Garrett hits a flying headscissors. Superkick by Garrett but Kimura blocks the Shining Star Press, allowing Atenea to cover Garrett for a two. Kimura comes in with a rod and hits Garrett in the head with it, Atenea grabs Garrett with Kimura and they double team Garrett in the corner. Atenea puts Garrett in the Scorpion Deathlock but Matsumoto breaks it up. Garrett kicks Atenea, Garrett gets on Matsumoto’s back (with Kimura) and Matsumoto hits a double kneedrop on Atenea. Matsumoto powerbombs Atenea, Shining Star Press by Garrett and she gets the three count! Garrett and Matsumoto are the winners.

I have determined that Atenea isn’t gelling very well in Stardom. That isn’t to say she is a bad wrestler as it is a different style, but there were a few things here that didn’t quite line up correctly. Beyond that the match was fine, nothing special but nothing offensive. Garrett looked good, she seems to be getting more accustomed to the Stardom style which is a shame in a way as I don’t think she will be in Stardom much longer. Just a decent midcard match.

Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Kairi Hojo and Hiromi Mimura

The rookies Mimura and Kyouna kick things off and they trade holds until Mimura hits a dropkick, but she misses her next one and both wrestlers tag out. Hojo and Watanabe go off the ropes, Watanabe pancakes one too many times and Hojo hits a footstomp on her back. They trade quick pins with no luck before facing off again, Kyouna and Mimura both come in the ring but JKGReeeeN stack their opponents in the corner for some double teaming. Mimura is chopped by both wrestlers in the ropes, scoop slam by Watanabe and she tags Kyouna. Kyouna puts Mimura in a crab hold, Hojo throws her a rope to try to help her to the ropes but Kyouna has none of that and breaks it up. Mimura gets away and hits a low crossbody to Kyouna, giving her time to tag in Hojo. Hojo chops Kyouna in the chest, shoulderblock by Hojo and when Kyouna runs in she eats a springboard elbow smash. Mimura comes in and Hojo catapults off of her with an elbow strike. They bring in their rope and tie up Kyouna and Watanabe, they get free after a moment and Kyouna catches Hojo with a powerslam.

Kyouna picks up Hojo and puts her in the corner and hits a body avalanche, Kyouna stomps Hojo but Hojo catches her with a spear. Hojo tags Mimura, dropkick by Mimura and she connects with another one to Kyouna. Rolling leglock by Mimura but Kyouna eventually makes it to the ropes, big lariat by Kyouna and she covers Mimura for two. Kyouna tags Watanabe, stomps by Watanabe to Mimura and she dropkicks Mimura in the corner. Another dropkick and she hits a series of vertical suplexes, but Mimura quickly rolls her up for two. Watanabe and Mimura trade elbows, Mimura tries for a few more quick pinning situations but all get a two. Kyouna comes in when Hojo does and tosses her to the mat, Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle and hits Mimura with a missile dropkick. Watanabe gets on Kyouna’s shoulders and hits a double kneedrop, but Hojo breaks up the cover. Watanabe picks up Mimura but Mimura wiggles away and tags in Hojo. Diving elbow smash by Hojo and she hits a double chop to Watanabe’s chest for a two count. Kyouna kicks Hojo from the apron and then comes in to further help, double vertical suplex to Hojo and Watanabe covers her for two. Somato by Watanabe to Hojo, but Mimura breaks up the cover. Kyouna comes in, Mimura hits a crossbody and Hojo dropkicks them over. Spinning chop by Hojo to Watanabe, Mimura returns and Hojo nails Watanabe with a Sliding D. Mimura takes care of Kyouna while Hojo goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the Diving Elbow Drop for the three count! The Kai-Hiro Pirates win!

This match got a lot more time than I was expecting, and they used it pretty well. Since all four are familar with each other it was a pretty smooth match, a few very minor hiccups but nothing major which is all you can ask for with a group with so little experience. I love the teamwork in these matches, and Watanabe is really in her element in tag team matches as sometimes she loses her way a bit in longer singles matches. An entertaining match, and it gave Hojo something as she takes the older but less experienced Mimura under her wing.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female and Queen Maya vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani

Alpha and Iwatani begin the match for their respective teams, Alpha quickly gets the advantage which brings in Shirai and Maya. Maya gets Shirai on her back as they both apply backbreakers, Maya eventually lets Shirai go and Iwatani hits a headscissors on Alpha. Sunset flip by Iwatani and she rolls up Alpha again, but both times Alpha kicks out. Iwatani tags Shirai, and Alpha elbows Shirai hard in the chest. Maya tags herself in which pisses off Alpha so they are the first team to get annoyed with each other, which leads to Maya getting double teamed by Iwatani and Shirai in the corner. Iwatani charges Maya but Maya pulls Shirai in front of her, causing Shirai to hit Iwatani by accident. Shirai and Iwatani regain themselves and both dropkick Maya, but Maya avoids the next double team move. Alpha is still mad at Maya and comes in to elbow her, leading to them fighting in the corner. The referee has seen enough from them and calls the match off, leading to a No Contest.

Shirai gets on the microphone and says that is not a satisfactory ending, and since neither teams were in sync that they should re-start the match but with different partners. She picks Alpha (smart!), so now we are getting a new match!

Alpha Female and Io Shirai vs. Queen Maya and Mayu Iwatani

This gives her time to tag in Alpha while Maya is also tagged in, lariats by Alpha and she slams both Maya and Iwatani. Suplex by Alpha to Maya and then she suplexes Iwatani onto Maya. Alpha pounds on Iwatani’s chest and chokes her in the ropes, she puts Iwatani in a backbreaker before throwing her into the corner. Alpha tags Shirai, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she hits a swandive dropkick. Shirai hits a footstomp on Iwatani and hits a dragon screw, Iwatani goes for a dragon suplex but Shirai blocks it. Leglock by Shirai but Iwatani gets to the ropes, back up Iwatani slaps Shirai but Shirai slaps her back. Palm strikes by Shirai but Iwatani drops her with a Sling Blade. Kick to the head by Iwatani and she makes the hot tag to Maya. Maya knocks Alpha off the apron, she grabs Shirai but Shirai kicks Maya in the head. Running double knee by Shirai in the corner, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Maya elbows her and joins Shirai up top. Alpha comes in too and powerbombs Maya, Shirai hits a moonsault but Iwatani breaks up the cover. Maya tries to kick Shirai but boots Iwatani by accident, Maya chokeslams Shirai and covers her for two. Maya elbows Alpha and picks up Shirai, but Shirai slides away and Alpha lariats Maya. German suplex hold by Shirai, and she picks up the three count! Alpha Female and Io Shirai are the winners!

For a ‘storyline’ match this was fine, but for in-ring action it was probably the worst Stardom main event of 2016. Any match with Io Shirai and Iwatani is going to be good, and Alpha Female is a guilty pleasure of mine, but with such a strong focus on having the teammates turn on each other it took a bit of the rhythm out of the match. It was too foreshadowed what was going to happen so it didn’t come across as a surprise, and they should have just made the final pairing the original pairing. The Iwatani/Shirai parts were well done as they work really well together, it just wasn’t a very exciting main event. It served its general purpose but overall a bit disappointing.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Golden Week Stars #2 on 5/8/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Cinderella Tournament 2016”
Date: April 29th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1050

The Cinderella Tournament is a massive one day tournament in Stardom, with 16 participants. The tournament is single elimination, and every match has a ten minute time limit (except the Final, which is 30 minutes). If the time limit expires, both wrestlers are eliminated from the tournament. Also, wrestlers can win not only by pinfall and submission, but also by throwing their opponent over the top rope. Here are all the First Round matches:

• Dark Match: Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid (winner is inserted into the tournament vs. Kyoko Kimura)
• Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou
• Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett
• Kyoko Kimura vs. TBD (Dark Match Winner)
• Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu
• Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya
• Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai

Just as a warning, with a ten minute time limit and multiple matches in one night, some of these matches will be really short. Also, keep in mind that if both wrestlers in a match are eliminated, their opponent in the next round gets a Bye, so we may not get the full slate of matches as there will no doubt be a Draw or two along the way.

Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid begin and trade wristlocks, they then exchange elbows but both miss their dropkicks. They tag out, Yoneyama avoids Nishina’s charge as Azumi comes in and they double team Nishina. Nishina and Yoneyama trade elbows, Nishina avoids Yoneyama’s charge this time and she hits a dropkick. Face crusher by Nishina and she hits a dropkick, covering Yoneyama for two. Nishina tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid tries to dropkick Yoneyama over but is not successful. Drop toehold by Starlight Kid and she hits the Tiger Feint Kick, Shiranui by Starlight Kid to Yoneyama and she covers her for two. Starlight Kid tries to slam Yoneyama but Yoneyama reverses it and tags in Azumi. Azumi and Starlight Kid trade elbows until Azumi hits a dropkick, vertical suplex by Azumi and she gets a two count cover. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and Nishina runs in with a Somato to Azumi. Starlight Kid goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, but Yoneyama breaks up the pin. Yoneyama stacks Nishina and Starlight Kid on top of each other and drags Azumi to her corner so she can tag in. She does so, Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama to Starlight Kid and she gets the three count! Yoneyama wins the match and is in the Cinderella Tournament!

About as good as one can hope for from a four minute opening match. The concept made no sense, if only one wrestler could go on in the tournament, why would a wrestler ever tag out or even allow their own teammate to attempt a pin? Probably should have been a four way. But the action was fine and the ‘right’ wrestler won since Yoneyama probably deserved to be in the tournament in the first place.

 
Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou

Kyouna has a new outfit, so you know that she means business. She attacks Anou right from the start and stomps her into the corner, she goes for a body avalanche but Anou moves. Anou and Kyouna trade elbows, dropkick by Anou and she hits a shoulderblock. Anou starts working on Kyouna’s leg and puts her in a figure four leglock, but Kyouna makes it to the ropes. Sidewalk slam by Anou, but the cover gets two. Anou goes for the fisherman suplex but Anou blocks it, sunset flip by Anou but Kyouna kicks out. Anou goes off the ropes but Kyouna hits a shoulderblock, lariats by Kyouna and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but Anou recovers. Anou tries to push her off and over the top rope, but Kyouna blocks it so Anou hits her rolling fisherman suplexes instead for a near three count. Anou picks up Kyouna and slaps her, she goes off the ropes but Kyouna catches her with a lariat. Kyouna slams Anou, she goes up top and she nails the diving body press for the three count! Jungle Kyouna wins and advances in the tournament.

An issue we will see throughout the entire tournament is the time limit, but it didn’t matter too much here since rookie matches are generally short anyway. I thought this was a really solid match from these two, it was to the point but everything made sense and was hit well. These two have gotten pretty familar with each other, which is always a plus, and while Anou’s random leg work didn’t end up meaning anything it made sense she’d try to take out the larger wrestler’s base. Good way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett

After some quick limb work, armdrag by Garrett and she dropkicks Lee to the mat. Lee comes back with a superkick, she snapmares Garrett and kicks her hard in the back for a two count cover. Kicks by Lee in the corner and she hits a scoop slam, another slam by Lee but the pin gets another two. Lee applies a short armbar but Garrett gets to the ropes, Lee goes for a suplex but Garrett knees out of it and elbows Lee against the ropes. Irish whip by Garrett and she hits a lariat, another lariat by Garrett and she hits a side Russian leg sweep. Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett, Lee hits a few knees but Garrett kicks her back to the mat. Lee avoids the superkick and hits a high kick of her own, cover by Lee but it gets two. Lee gets on the second turnbuckle but Garrett avoids the missile dropkick, superkick by Garrett and she nails the Shining Star Press for the three count!  Garrett is the winner and advances in the tournament.

Not a whole lot to this one, they kept the pace up but since it was a sub-five minute match you would expect that. The action was fine and the right wrestler won, since Garrett holds a title they needed to get her out of the first round, and Lee was a safe person to beat since she is an opener wrestler. Not a bad watch but nothing exciting or memorable about it.

Kyoko Kimura vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Yoneyama attacks Kimura from behind and hits the Chaos Theory, but Kimura kicks out of the pin attempt. Yoneyama tries more quick pins with no luck, kick to the head by Yoneyama but Kimura catches her with a choke. Yoneyama gets out of it by pushing off the ropes but Kimura quickly applies a sleeper, Yoneyama rolls out of it and she knees Kimura in the back of the head. Knee to the face by Yoneyama, and she covers Kimura for a two count. Big boot by Kimura, she goes off the ropes and hits another big boot, but Yoneyama bridges out of the pin. Yoneyama goes off the ropes but Kimura catches her with another big boot and picks up the three count! Kimura wins the match and advances in the tournament.

I think I can say without much hesitation that this was the best two minute match I have ever seen. I mean sure you’d like to see them go longer, but from the Chaos Theory to the vicious boots at the end everything was really entertaining. While you hate to see a veteran like Yoneyama go down that quickly, at least it took some hard hits to knock her out, and they both hit their moves so crisply. A really fun match, wish it went a few more minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe

They both go for dropkicks to start the match with no luck, Hojo stomps Watanabe down in the corner but Watanabe comes back and connects with a dropkick. Camel Clutch by Watanabe, she picks up Hojo but Hojo blocks the suplex. Hojo and Watanabe trade elbows, Hojo chops Watanabe to the mat and she covers her for two. Hojo chops Watanabe into the corner and she hits a running shoulder tackle followed by a neckbreaker for a two count cover. Crab hold by Hojo, but Watanabe crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Hojo stomps on Watanabe’s back and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Watanabe shakes the ropes and dropkicks Hojo out of the corner. Missile dropkick by Watanabe but Hojo avoids the Somato, elbow by Hojo but Watanabe returns fire. Watanabe ducks the rolling chop and hits the rolling vertical suplexes, cover by Watanabe but it gets two. Somato by Watanabe, but Hojo barely kicks out of the pin. Hojo clubs Watanabe and connects with the spinning chop, Irish whip by Hojo and she delivers the spear for two. Backfist by Hojo, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Hojo is the winner and advances in the tournament.

I had to laugh at Watanabe missing the first time she tried to knock Hojo off the top, that type of mistake is easier to accept when you’re dealing with a 16 year old. This was a good match, fast paced and besides the aforementioned spot everything synced up well. Watanabe is easy to root for, being the underdog, but Hojo was just too much for her as Watanabe isn’t ready to pin someone on her level. I am surprised she made no attempt to throw Hojo over the top rope as that is really the only logical way she could have won this match. Overall a fun match between two high energy wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani

Mimura dropkicks Iwatani before the match starts to get the quick advantage, small package by Hiromi but it gets a two count. Iwatani briefly takes back over but Mimura rolls her up a few more times, but she isn’t able to secure a three count. Iwatani kicks Mimura but Mimura fires back with elbows, Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani but it gets two. Iwatani goes to the second turnbuckle but Mimura avoids the footstomp, roll-up by Mimura but it gets two. Elevated DDT by Mimura, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving crossbody for two. La Magistral gets a two as well, Mimura goes off the ropes but Iwatani catches her with another suplex. Hard superkick by Iwatani, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp for two. Iwatani goes all the way up this time, she hits the frog splash and she picks up the three count! Iwatani wins and moves on in the tournament.

Perhaps a step down from the last few matches, however part of that was by design. Mimura kept trying for quick pins, which is a smart way to go about it but isn’t quite as much fun to watch as a back and forth match. Iwatani was bringing the pain here, with a really stiff kick and the footstomp, so clearly she wasn’t messing around. A fun quick match, but it didn’t click as well as many of the others in the first round.

 
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu

Kagetsu attacks Matsumoto before the match (recurring theme for underdogs), she tries to throw her over the top rope but Matsumoto holds on. Matsumoto fights off Act while hanging there, she pulls Kagetsu onto the apron with her and gets back in the ring. Kagetsu hops back into the ring and applies a small package, but it gets two. Kagetsu and Matsumoto trade elbows, which Matsumoto gets the better of, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu delivers a dropkick. Kagetsu pushes Matsumoto into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, missile dropkick by Kagetsu and she puts Matsumoto in a cross arm submission. Matsumoto reverses it into an elevated crab hold, but Kagetsu gets into the ropes. Matsumoto gets Kagetsu on her shoulders but Act helps from the apron, Kagetsu applies a schoolboy but it gets a two count. Samoan Drop by Kagetsu, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto gets away and rolls up Kagetsu for two. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, but Kagetsu barely gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu gets a bat and tosses it to Matsumoto, the referee tries to take it from her which gives Kagetsu time to connect with a high kick. Kagetsu gets the bat but Matsumoto blocks it when she goes to hit her, Matsumoto throws the bat back at her and hits a body avalanche against the ropes. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, and she gets the three count! Matsumoto wins the match and advances in the tournament.

A liked the structuring of this one, Kagetsu had a clear plan on how to score the upset and tried her best to utilize it. This is much better than two wrestlers going at it with neither thinking in advance on how they are going to pick up the win, even in the wrestling-world preparation is always a good thing. There was very little downtime, which is good since the match was short, and overall it was pretty enjoyable. Plus it kept my prediction alive which I appreciate on a personal level.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya

They start with a shoving match, they go into a Test of Strength until Maya knees Alpha in the stomach. Snapmare by Alpha and she clubs Maya in the chest, cover by Alpha but it gets two. Maya goes for a lariat but Alpha doesn’t go down, boot by Maya but Alpha hits a vertical suplex. Alpha picks up Maya and slams her to the mat, she charges her but Maya holds down the top rope and Alpha lands on the apron. Maya boots her back into the ring and picks up Alpha, but when she swings her around the referee is accidentally knocked out. Alpha puts Maya in an armtrap crossface, Maya taps but the referee is still out. Alpha looks at the referee, Maya has time to recover and she lariats Alpha over the top rope to the floor! Queen Maya wins the match and moves on the tournament.

A flat match, partially intentionally because (spoiler!) these two are signed to have a match after this one happened so the feud isn’t over yet. I am never a big fan of the ref bump/wrestler doesn’t notice/loses due to being confused thing, I know they needed a way to get one of these two monsters to lose but it didn’t really work for me. Accomplished its goal of continuing their feud, but not a great match.

Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai

Shirai goes right at Atenea but Atenea kicks her off and hits a hurricanrana. Armdrag by Atenea but Shirai tosses her out to the apron, she tries to knock her to the floor but Atenea hits her back and flips into the ring. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Atenea and she drops a few elbows onto Shirai’s back. Atenea puts Shirai in a submission hold but Shirai gets out of it and hits a double footstomp onto Atenea’s midsection. Back up they trade elbows, Atenea throws Shirai into the corner and swings her legs over the second rope before dropping her with an elbow. Atenea gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a body press, but it gets a two count. Atenea goes up again but Shirai avoids the senton, La Magistral by Shirai but Atenea gets a shoulder up. Running double knee by Shirai in the corner and she delivers the double underhook facebuster for two. Shirai goes for a suplex but Atenea elbows her off, Shirai hits a palm strike and this time she hits the German suplex hold for the three count! Io Shirai wins and advances.

Not Io’s best match, but what I did enjoy was one small detail I thought was great – Shirai immediately tried to throw Atenea over the top rope to get the quick win. Everyone should have been doing that, but very wrestlers were, meanwhile the Ace that doesn’t have to was trying it to save her energy for the next two rounds. Sometimes it is the little things. Beyond that I thought the match wasn’t much above average, it never really felt like it got going as the shorter time wasn’t used as well here as it was in other matches. Not bad but it could have been better.

It is time for the Quarterfinals! The matches weren’t shown in the same order as the brackets, so it doesn’t line up with the order I reviewed them above. Here are the matches:

• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna
• Queen Maya vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett
• Io Shirai vs. Kyoko Kimura

Let’s get right to the next round in the Cinderella Tournament.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna attacks Matsumoto before she can even get into the ring, she leaves the ring herself (not over the top of course) and throws Matsumoto around on the floor. Kyouna throws Matsumoto into the ring post before hitting a body avalanche, she slides Matsumoto back in the ring and hits a series of elbows. Matsumoto comes back with her own elbows but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam for two. Kyouna goes up top and hits a diving body press, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto blocks the lariat. Both wrestlers go for lariats, but Matsumoto sends Kyouna to the mat first. Sliding lariat by Matsumoto, and she picks up the three count! Matsumoto advances!

Like Kimura/Yoneyama, this was a high quality two minute match. While I don’t like seeing any wrestler lose in just two minutes, at least Kyouna went all out and held nothing back the two minutes she got. Matsumoto hit hard and often and needless to say it was very high paced. A fun match that worked well, even though I naturally would have liked a few more minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Queen Maya vs. Mayu Iwatani

Maya wants to lock knuckles but Iwatani stomps on her foot instead, she slides away from Maya’s lariats but her elbows have no impact. Maya throws Iwatani against the ropes, Iwatani goes for a springboard move but Maya catches her and throws her to the mat. Maya goes for a chokeslam but Iwatani elbows out of it, slap by Maya and she tries to chokeslam Iwatani over the top rope but she lands on the apron. Iwatani kicks Maya over the top rope, she gets on the turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Iwatani, but Maya quickly kicks out. Iwatani applies a sleeper but Maya flings Iwatani over her head to get out of it. Big chokeslam by Maya, she covers Iwatani but she is too cocky with it and Iwatani gets a shoulder up. Maya is mad, she picks up Iwatani and goes for another one, but Iwatani rolls her up for a two count. Quick crucifix pin by Iwatani before Maya can get up, and she picks up the three count! Iwatani wins and moves on to the next round.

The best word I can use to describe this match is ‘effective.’ It did exactly what it was trying to do, the story was clear but it was told well, with Maya bringing the strength while Iwatani tried to find sneaky ways to win. Maya has a killer chokeslam and Iwatani sells everything like death anyway, I think if they had a bit more time they could put on a pretty solid match. It accomplished its goal, probably not a great match in a vacuum but it worked in a tournament setting.

Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett

Hojo stomps on Garrett instead of shaking hands, she elbows Garrett down in the corner and delivers a Sliding D, but Garrett kicks out of the cover. Hojo goes for the Alabama Slam but Garrett blocks it, they trade elbows but neither gets an advantage. Monkey flip by Garrett and she holds down Hojo’s arms, but Hojo bridges out of the pin. Garrett throws Hojo into the corner and hits the Space Rolling Elbow, bulldog by Garrett and she covers Hojo for a two. Hojo comes back with a big spear, superkicks by Garrett and Hojo rolls out of the ring (under the bottom rope). Garrett gets a running start and sails out onto Hojo with a tope suicida (between the top and middle rope), she slams Hojo into the apron and slides her back in the ring. Vertical suplex by Garrett and she applies the Muta Lock, but Hojo gets a foot on the ropes. Garrett charges Hojo but Hojo moves, kick by Garrett and Hojo tries to run up the corner, but she slips. Hojo knocks down Garrett and tries again with a better result, as she hits a springboard elbow for two. Hojo applies a stretch hold but Garrett gets out of it, Final Cut by Hojo and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but Garrett recovers and hits her in the chest. Garrett goes for a headscissors but Hojo catches her and tosses her back to the mat. Hojo charges Garrett but Garrett gets her in a headscissors and tries to toss Hojo out of the ring. Hojo lands on the apron, Garrett goes to the apron also but Hojo kicks her so she is lying down on the apron. Garrett blocks the Sliding D attempt and tries to superkick Hojo off the apron, but Hojo hangs onto the ropes. She manages to get back in the ring, Garrett kicks Hojo in the head and covers her for two. DDT by Garrett, she goes for the Shining Star Press but Hojo grabs her leg and applies the Ikari. Garrett gets to the ropes, Hojo goes up top but Garrett avoids the diving elbow drop. Garrett goes for the cross armbreaker but Hojo wiggles to the ropes and forces a break. Hojo is up first and hits the spinning backfists, but the bell rings as time as expired. Both Hojo and Garrett are Eliminated from the tournament.

I went into this round thinking this one could steal the show, but it was a bit of the opposite. Garrett and Hojo are both great wrestlers, no doubt about that, but they have no chemistry to speak of. Besides the obvious mistakes there were some other just really awkward moments where they didn’t appear to be on the same page at all. When they were in sync, the action was great, but they weren’t in sync the whole match and it is just more noticeable when a match isn’t terribly long. I think (and hope) they will have a better match next time, it wasn’t that the match was bad, it just wasn’t up to either’s normal standard and was overall a disappointment.

Io Shirai vs. Kyoko Kimura

They start slow with wristlocks but things go up a notch as Kimura flings around Shirai by her hair. Shirai quickly rolls up Kimura for two, she hits a German suplex hold but it gets the same result. Kimura rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope, Shirai goes to do a dive but Act spits Sake at her from the apron before he can complete the dive. Kimura pulls Shirai out of the ring and throws her into a row of chairs, as the other members of Oedo Tai help. Back in the ring, Kimura gets a metal rod while Kagetsu comes into the ring and throws Shirai at the referee when his back is turned. Kagetsu hits Shirai with a bat, they both go off the ropes and boot Shirai in the chest. Kagetsu goes up top while Kimura picks up Shirai, and they both slam Shirai to the mat as the referee finally recovers. He gets Kagetsu out of the ring before starting his count, and Shirai gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu returns but Shirai backflips past them and dropkicks both out of the ring. She then goes out to the apron, Act runs over but Shirai boots her to the floor before hitting a moonsault down onto Kimura and Kagetsu. Shirai rolls Kimura back in and hits the swandive missile dropkick, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she goes up top, nailing the Rider Kick! Cover, but Kimura gets a shoulder up. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, she goes for a moonsault but Kimura gets both feet up. Back up, elbows by Kimura but Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana for two. Big boot by Kimura and she headbutts Shirai, covering her for a two count. Kimura tries to throw Shirai over the top rope but they both end up on the apron, where someone has set up a table on the floor nearby. They both walk onto the table, Kimura chokebombs Shirai onto the table which causes it to break and both crash to the floor. Kimura tries not to touch the floor in the process, but the referee says they hit the floor at the same time. Shirai and Kimura are both Eliminated.

A lot of different things going on in this match but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ending spot was unique, but what Kimura should have done was toss Shirai off the table as by hitting the move each of them did hit the floor at just about the same time, so the referee ruling was correct. Shirai having to fight off Oedo Tai was fun, I have no issue with the Ace having to overcome the odds and nothing felt over the line since Oedo Tai doesn’t have top tier wrestlers in it at the moment (besides Kimura). Shirai busting out the Rider Kick showed the importance of winning and it was pretty hectic from bell to bell. The ending was a bit odd, but still a really fun match and a good way to end the second round.  Mildly Recommended

Because two of the last four matches ended with both wrestlers being eliminated, there is no Semifinals as only Iwatani and Matsumoto survived the Quarterfinals. So we are going straight to the Finals, with Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto!

Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Iwatani won’t shake Matsumoto’s hand before the match and attacks her from behind, looks like Iwatani isn’t in the mood to place nice today. Iwatani avoids Matsumoto in the corner and hits a high kick followed by a spinning headscissors and a dropkick while Matsumoto is against the ropes. Iwatani hits the dragon suplex hold, but Matsumoto barely gets a shoulder up and rolls out of the ring. Iwatani goes up to the top turnbuckle but Matsumoto throws a chair at her, she then gets up on the apron and powerbombs Iwatani onto the apron. Iwatani flops out to the floor (she had gone under the top rope to get to the turnbuckle, so this did not eliminate her), Matsumoto goes after her and tosses her around at ringside. Matsumoto takes Iwatani up onto the stage and hits a backbreaker, she picks up Iwatani and throws her off the stage onto some of the Stardom rookies. They finally return to the ring, Matsumoto puts the dinosaur mask on Iwatani’s head and hits a body avalanche in the corner. Hilarious visual. Matsumoto goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Matsumoto puts Iwatani on her shoulders and applies a backbreaker, but Iwatani gets out of it and elbows Matsumoto.

Kick by Iwatani but Matsumoto hits a hard elbow, crucifix bomb by Iwatani but Matsumoto kicks out. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp, she hits another one and covers Matsumoto for two. She goes up top a third time but this time Matsumoto recovers and joins her, as she goes to the well one too many times. Iwatani jumps off the top and grabs Matsumoto from behind, and she hits a release dragon suplex. Iwatani goes up top  and goes for a body press, but Matsumoto gets her knees up. Matsumoto is up first and nails a powerbomb before putting Iwatani in an elevated crab hold. Iwatani gets to the ropes, Matsumoto picks up Iwatani and drops her with a gutbuster. Knee by Matsumoto and she goes off the ropes, but Iwatani catches her with a superkick. Two more superkicks by Iwatani but Matsumoto turns her inside out with a lariat. Iwatani slowly gets up near the ropes, Matsumoto charges her and lariats Iwatani onto the apron. Matsumoto tries to kick her off to the floor but Iwatani hangs onto the ropes, Matsumoto charges Iwatani but Iwatani flips over the top rope and hurricanranas Matsumoto onto the apron with her. Both wrestlers get up on the apron, having both gone over the top rope so if either fall to the floor they lose. High kick by Iwatani but Matsumoto blocks the headscissors attempt. Iwatani gets back in the ring as Matsumoto tries to hang on, dropkick by Iwatani and Matsumoto falls to the floor! Iwatani has won the match and is the winner of the 2016 Cinderella Tournament for the second straight year!

Post match, Iwatani goes to the back and puts on the Cinderella dress. She gets on the microphone and announces she is using her wish to challenge Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship, which was expected. Io Shirai and other wrestlers take their turns on the microphone, then Yoko Bito comes down! Yoko Bito was a former Stardom wrestler that was forced to retire due to injuries back in 2012, you can read more about her here. She announces her return to Stardom as the crowd roars, so we end the event with two title matches set up for next month (Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani and Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett) and the return of Yoko Bito to Stardom.

This was by far the best match of the tournament but it still had its issues. I can’t say I like the Finals having the same over-the-top rules, it makes sense during the tournament itself but I wish the Finals was just a regular match. I also didn’t love Iwatani twice hitting the dragon suplex since it has been a really well protected move, but both times here not only did it not get a pin but Matsumoto was back on offense pretty quickly. Those two minor complaints aside, this was a great match. Matsomoto is so violent, and yet quirky at the same time, I loved both the apron and stage spots as well as putting the dinosaur head onto Iwatani. Iwatani as the fiery youngster worked well, and her starting the match by sneaking up behind Matsumoto underscored the importance of the match and showed her understanding that she needed every advantage she could get. Really fun, I wish it had ended with a pinfall or submission but still worth going out of your way to see.  Recommended

The post Stardom Cinderella Tournament on 4/29/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Grows Up Stars #7
Date: April 24th, 2016
Location: Minato Kumin Center in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 275

As I continue in my quest to keep up with Stardom, we are back with another Stardom review! Usually, Stardom does one show per weekend, but since they were on the road last weekend we are treated to two shows instead. This event does have a title match, but like the last one we are missing part of the roster as the younger children are not on the card. Here is the full match list:

• Hiromi Mimura vs. Lizzy Styles
• Alex Lee vs. Alpha Female
• Kyoko Kimura vs. Momo Watanabe
• High Speed Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Diosa Atenea
• Io Shirai and Jungle Kyouna vs. Kairi Hojo and Saori Anou

Another interesting card with new match-ups, let’s see how things go.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Lizzy Styles

Styles and Mimura work holds to start, Styles flings Mimura to the mat and she kicks her in the back. Running elbow by Styles in the corner and she puts Mimura in a crab hold, but Mimura makes it to the ropes. Back up they trade elbows, Irish whip by Mimura and she dropkicks Styles in the corner. Styles goes for her own dropkick but Mimura avoids it and rolls up Styles for two. Mimura goes for a slam but Styles blocks it and hits a slam of her own for a two count. Styles kicks Mimura in the head and hits a running elbow in the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick for another two. Mimura elbows Styles and applies the rolling cross kneelock, but Styles makes it to the ropes, Mimura goes off the ropes and hits a low crossbody. She hits a  second one, but Styles kicks out of the cover. Mimura goes off the ropes again but Styles catches her with a superkick, running knee by Styles but Mimura barely gets a shoulder up. Styles picks up Mimura and she hits a vertical suplex, and she picks up the three! Styles is your winner!

It feels like the ending got mixed up, as the running knee would have been a better finish than a vertical suplex. Styles is good at selling moves, I will give her that, but her strikes are weak and she isn’t very agile. I wish that Mimura’s leg lock would have gotten the win, it was applied perfectly in the middle of the ring and she needs to beat someone with it at some point. Pretty lackluster way to start the show.

Alex Lee vs. Alpha Female

Lee tries to shake hands before the match starts, which is a mistake as Alpha Female grabs her hand and hits a backdrop suplex. Mounted elbows by Alpha but Lee reverses it into a cross armbreaker. Alpha quickly gets a hand on the ropes, she throws Lee into the corner and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Alpha reverses the lariat until an armbar, she gets up and kicks Alpha in the head. Alpha rolls out of the ring to re-group, Lee goes after her but Alpha hits her with a chair. After throwing her around the ring, Alpha slides Lee back in and clubs her in the chest. Body slam by Alpha, we finally see that Alpha’s nose is bleeding a bit which is probably why she is so angry. Well angrier than usual. Lee quickly applies a short armbar, but Alpha gets a foot on the ropes. Neckbreaker by Alpha, she rolls out of the ring and she gets another chair, she goes to hit Lee with it but Lee ducks and superkicks the chair into Alpha’s face. Kicks by Lee, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Lee goes off the ropes, she kicks Alpha’s arm and hits a cross armbreaker takedown, but Alpha gets to the ropes. Lee goes for a dropkick but Alpha moves and hits a vertical suplex. Lariat by Alpha, she picks up Lee and nails the Omega Slam for the three count! Alpha Female is your winner.

I have seen quite a few Alex Lee matches in my day, and I can say without hesitation that this is the best one I have ever seen. I have mentioned it before, but Alpha Female is just so good at being hard hitting and scary that Lee had to step her game up, which she did a bit. Not a long match but entertaining, I love it when one wrestler can elevate another close to their own level, and it was fun to watch.  Mildly Recommended

Kyoko Kimura vs. Momo Watanabe

After trading hammerlocks and headlocks, Momo armdrags Kimura but Kimura quickly returns to her feet. They lock knuckles but Kimura pushes her off and throws down Watanabe by her hair. Scoop slam by Kimura and she puts Watanabe in a crab hold, she then puts her in a STF but Watanabe manages to make it to the ropes. Watanabe tries to fight back but Kimura brushes her off, Watanabe messes up a spot in the corner so Kimura just kicks her to the mat instead. Watanabe connects with a trio of dropkicks, she goes up top but jumps off when Kimura charges in. Diving crossbody by Watanabe and she hits a missile dropkick, but Kimura avoids the Somato and applies a rear naked choke. Watanabe gets to the ropes, Kimura waits for her to get to her knees and hits a few boots to the head. Watanabe finally ducks one and rolls up Kimura for a two count, running knee by Watanabe but the cover gets another two. Watanabe picks up Kimura but Kimura puts her in a front necklock, but Watanabe gets into the ropes. Big boot by Kimura, she covers Watanabe but Watanabe gets a shoulder up. Vertical suplex by Kimura and she puts Watanabe in a front necklock, and this time Watanabe has to submit! Kyoko Kimura is the winner.

This didn’t live up to what I was hoping it would be in my mind, but it was still not a bad match. I think wrestling so much with wrestlers she trains with every day makes Momo look smoother than she really is as there were a few mistakes here. Which isn’t unusual for a 16 year old still learning the ropes, but she usually is so good with the basics that it was more noticeable. Kimura didn’t give Watanabe much of a chance here as she was firmly in control, and it lacked some of the drama I was hoping for since Watanabe has had some back and forth encounters with high ranking wrestlers in the past. A decent midcard match but nothing more than that.

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Diosa Atenea

Iwatani and Atenea get right into it, springboard armdrag by Iwatani and she armdrags Atenea to the mat again. Iwatani takes Atenea to the mat but as they return to their feet they trade wristlocks. Atenea knocks Iwatani out of the ring where she is attacked by Oedo Tai, and Kimura throws Iwatani into the ring post. Back in the ring, Atenea throws down Iwatani by her hair a few times, but Iwatani avoids her charge and hits a high kick. Spinning headscissors by Iwatani and she dropkicks Atenea while she is against the ropes. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle but Atenea recovers and elbows Iwatani to the mat while she is hanging over the second rope. Elbows by Atenea and she hits a big boot, cover by Atenea but it gets two. Armdrag by Iwatani, she grabs Atenea’s wrist and runs up the corner before hitting a split-legged armdrag. Atenea falls out of the ring, Iwatani goes up top but Act spits Sake in her face. Now Atenea goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but it only gets two. Atenea hits the Atenea Destroyer, but Iwatani gets a shoulder up. Kimura trips Iwatani and holds her for Atenea, but Iwatani ducks and she hits Kimura by accident. Act runs in but she accidentally spits Sake in Atenea’s face. High kick by Iwatani, she goes up top and she hits a diving footstomp. She goes up top again and delivers a frog splash, and she picks up the three count! Iwatani retains the championship!

A solid match, its always fun to watch Iwatani. The outside interference was necessary as there was no other way that Atenea had any chance of winning, but it did bring the match down a bit as it almost turned into comedy relief by the end with the multiple interference miscues. Iwatani looked good though, she hit all her moves well and was her usual high speed self. A little short and a little silly at times, but not a bad quick defense by Iwatani to give this card some importance.  Mildly Recommended

Io Shirai and Jungle Kyouna vs. Kairi Hojo and Saori Anou

Anou and Kyouna are the first two in, Kyouna knocks Anou to the mat first but Anou gets back up and the two trade elbows. Shoulderblock by Anou but Kyouna kips up and they elbow each other again before tagging out. Shirai comes into the ring using the classic Keiji Mutoh entrance, just to make sure I love her even more than I already do. Anyway Shirai and Hojo trade armdrags, Hojo tags Anou back in but Shirai quickly takes over on the youngster and dropkicks her in the back. Shirai kicks Hojo for no reason before tagging in Kyouna, Kyouna slams Anou and tosses her back in the corner as Shirai returns as the legal wrestler. Handstand walk double knee by Shirai and she cockily covers Anou before knocking Hojo off the apron. Double knee by Shirai in the corner and she tags Kyouna, body avalanche by Kyouna but Anou snaps off a sidewalk slam and makes the hot tag to Hojo. Big spear by Hojo but Shirai jumps her from behind, double Irish whip to Hojo but Hojo fights them both off. Hojo and Kyouna trade chops, Hojo wins the battle but Kyouna comes back with a powerslam. Kyouna tags Shirai, dropkick by Shirai and she covers Hojo for two. Hojo throws Shirai into the corner but Shirai hits a heel drop from the second rope.

Hojo ducks the Tiger Feint Kick and hits a headscissors off the ropes, shoulder tackle by Hojo and she tags Anou. Shirai knees Anou but Anou avoids her charge in the corner, Shirai kicks Anou in the face anyway and Anou slowly rolls out of the ring while the referee checks on her. Shirai goes out after her and slides Anou back in, Hojo comes in too as does Kyouna, and Kyouna catapults Hojo so that Shirai can kick her in the midsection. Shirai goes to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault onto Anou and Hojo, back in the ring Shirai hits a missile dropkick on Anou and covers her for two. Shirai tags Kyouna, lariat by Kyouna but her multiple covers don’t get three. Kyouna gets on the second turnbuckle, Shirai stands on her shoulders and hits a footstomp down onto Anou. Kyouna then goes for a body press but Anou gets her feet up, but Kyouna stops her from making the tag. Lariats by Kyouna, she picks up Anou but Anou sneaks in a sunset flip. Hojo runs in and hits the Sliding D on Kyouna, Anou bridges over her but Shirai breaks up the cover. Hojo elbows Kyouna, fisherman suplex hold by Anou but Kyouna gets a shoulder up. Shirai comes in with a missile dropkick to Anou, she slams Anou in front of the corner as Kyouna goes up top, but Hojo runs in and elbows her. Anou recovers and grabs Kyouna and hits the rolling fisherman suplex hold for the three count! Anou and Hojo are your winners!

I know I have said it before, but Io Shirai really is the one that makes these matches so damn fun. That isn’t to say everyone else wasn’t good, but with her flashy moves and cocky attitude it is Shirai will that make you remember this match as she was just perfect in it. Both teams worked together really well which I wasn’t really expecting to see since they aren’t regular tag teams, and the 16 minutes just flew by as it was structured perfectly. Not a high end Stardom main event since they all tend to be excellent, but still worth a watch, mostly to see why Shirai is currently one of the best wrestlers in the world.  Recommended

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