Event: Stardom New Years Stars 2020
Date: January 11th, 2020
Location: Osaka World Pavilion in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 221

This year I am going to try to balance the Stardom reviews so that I am not reviewing everything, but so that I am not only hitting the really big shows. I am still going to review all the Korakuen Hall events, but beyond that I am going to selectively review other shows of theirs if something catches my attention. For this show, two things caught my eye – Kagetsu vs. Giulia and Riho vs. Miyagi. That was enough to convince me to review the show, as some of the other matches look like fun too. Here is the full card:

• AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Itsuki Hoshino and Saya Iida
• Andras Miyagi vs. Riho
• High Speed Grand Prix: Leyla Hirsch vs. Starlight Kid
• Bea Priestley, Leo Onozaki, and Momo Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Saki Kashima, and Zoey Skye
• Kagetsu vs. Giulia
• Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, and Saya Kamitani vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami

As I am watching this event from Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. There were a few match changes due to the flu going around Japan, but none of the bigger matches had any modifications. Every wrestler on the card has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Itsuki Hoshino and Saya Iida

Utami starts the match with Saya but Itsuki immediately runs in too as they double team Utami. Dropkicks by Saya and Itsuki to Utami’s back while she is in the ropes, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the slam attempt and hits one of her own. She tries to tag in AZM but Itsuki cuts her off, Saya picks up Utami but again she fails on the slam attempt. Saya gets away from Utami, Itsuki comes in and they both dropkick Utami. Saya finally manages to scoop slam Utami, she covers her but AZM breaks it up. Saya throws Utami towards the corner but Utami reverses it, Saya avoids Utami’s charge and chops her repeatedly in the chest. Utami eventually ducks one and delivers a dropkick, but again Itsuki runs in and knocks AZM off the apron before Utami can make the tag. Saya tags in Itsuki, dropkicks by Itsuki and she covers Utami for two. Itsuki applies a sleeper but Utami quickly gets out of it and applies one of her own, but Itsuki gets into the ropes.

Itsuki goes for a hurricanrana but Utami blocks it, victory roll by Itsuki but Utami rolls through it for her own two count. Itsuki goes off the ropes but Utami catches her with a scoop slam and finally tags in AZM. AZM and Itsuki trade elbows until AZM knocks Itsuki to the mat, AZM goes off the ropes but Itsuki sneaks behind her and applies a sleeper hold. Utami breaks it up, Itsuki goes off the ropes but Utami armdrags her. PK by AZM, but Saya breaks up the pin. Utami takes care of her, Irish whip by AZM to Itsuki but Saya comes back and AZM eats a double dropkick. AZM ends up in the corner and gets dropkicked some more, cover by Itsuki but it gets two. Itsuki elbows AZM into the corner but AZM slides to the apron when she charges in, missile dropkick by AZM and she covers Itsuki, but Saya breaks it up. AZM goes back to the top turnbuckle but Itsuki avoids the diving footstomp, hurricanrana by Itsuki but AZM gets a shoulder up. Buzzsaw Kick by AZM, she goes up top and this time she nails the diving footstomp for the three count! AZM and Utami Hayashishita are the winners!

If you had told me that Utami would be the Face in Peril in this match and that Itsuki would get in so much offense, I’d have never believed you. It’s wild the way they structured this match, with the rookies basically dominating. Utami only hit a couple moves in the whole match and AZM didn’t fair much better. There was at least one pretty noticeable mistake (oddly enough, made by Utami and not one of the rookies) but otherwise it was pretty fluid and both teams worked together well. I don’t know if the match was good but it was definitely interesting and unexpected, so I’ll give them some credit for that considering it was a late addition to the card.

Andras Miyagi vs. Riho

They circle each other to start but quickly end up on the mat, Riho works a waistlock but Andras reverses it. Andras gets in the dominate position but Riho kicks her off as she returns to her feet, Andras pushes Riho into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Andras goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock, but Riho bridges out of the pin and headscissors Andras out of the ring. Riho goes after her and hits an ax handle, but Andras grabs her and hits a scoop slam on the floor. Andras slides Riho back into the ring and joins her, stomps by Andras and she chokes Riho with her boot. Snapmare by Andras and she applies a camel clutch, but Riho inches to the ropes and forces the break. Andras picks up Riho and hits a delayed scoop slam, cover by Andras but it gets two. Riho fights back but Andras boots her in the chest, Andras throws Riho into the corner and hits a running elbow.

Another elbow by Andras, she gets Riho up on her shoulders and spins her around before delivering a Liger Bomb for a two count. Riho rolls out of the ring to try to regroup but Andras goes out too and throws Riho into the ring post. Andras tries to ram her with a chair but Riho moves, Riho gets back in the ring to escape and hits Andras with a Tiger Feint Kick as she gets on the apron. Riho goes for a diving footstomp but Andras moves, dropkick by Riho and she puts Andras in a crossface. Andras inches to the ropes to get the break, quick footstomp off the second turnbuckle by Riho and she goes all the way up to deliver another diving footstomp for a two count cover. Riho picks up Andras but Andras quickly applies a crucifix pin, Riho gets out of it and knees Andras in the face. Riho goes off the ropes but Andras pushes the referee in front of her, Riho rolls Andras to the mat with a clutch hold and keeps her pinned for the three count! Riho is the winner.

I’m not really sure what they are doing with Andras and this match didn’t give me any clarity. It was a good enough match, about what you’d expect on the lower midcard of a smaller show, but Andras has just become a punching bag the last few months as she keeps getting slotted below new wrestlers coming into the promotion. Unlike Andras’ match with Giulia, these two had pretty good chemistry but some of the transitions were non-existent, and the ending didn’t really flow with everything else they had been doing. Not a bad match but ultimately forgettable, aside from the general confusion surrounding Andras Miyagi.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid tries going right into a fast exchange but Leyla shoulderblocks her down, they trade armdrags and leg trips before Starlight Kid hits a dropkick. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Leyla hits another hard shoulderblock, bodyscissors by Leyla and she lets go after a moment to stomp on Starlight Kid’s back. Irish whip by Leyla and she goes for a slam, but Starlight Kid reverses it with a DDT. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for a two count. Starlight Kid picks up Leyla, strikes by Leyla and she dropkicks Starlight Kid in the chest. Running double knee by Leyla in the corner, she covers Starlight Kid but it gets a two count. Leyla goes for a cross armbreaker but Starlight Kid quickly gets to the ropes, Leyla picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides down her back and hits a swinging fisherman neckbreaker for two. Starlight Kid goes up top and delivers a diving crossbody, she picks up Leyla and nails a leg clutch suplex hold, but Leyla gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes for the Yoshi Tonic but Leyla shrugs her off and drops her with a modified Samoan Drop. Running knee by Leyla, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Leyla gets Starlight Kid around the waist but Starlight Kid cradles her for a quick two count. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Leyla levels her with a lariat, Leyla applies the cross armbreaker and Starlight Kid has no choice but to submit! Leyla Hirsch is your winner.

I hope that Leyla sticks around in Stardom, as she offers something that the High Speed division doesn’t really have. She is short in stature but is a power wrestler, which is a fun dynamic that gives the wrestlers a lot more options to put on a unique match. This was too short to get excited about but I enjoyed it, it didn’t have the chemistry issues that one may expect and its too early in her run to know if Leyla winning with the armbreaker was just a cop out to get a quick win or if its a move she is going to use to win matches regularly. Starlight Kid continues to impress with her smoothness but really this was more about Leyla showing why even as a first time wrestler in the promotion she still could win the tournament. Wish it was a longer but fun while it lasted.  Mildly Recommended

Bea Priestley, Onozaki, and Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Kashima, and Zoey Skye

Oedo Tai attacks before the match with Saki staying in as the legal wrestler against Leo, scoop slam by Saki and she rubs Leo’s face along the top rope. Saki tags in Jamie and she rams Leo into the turnbuckle as Oedo Tai each take a turn beating up Leo, Leo makes a comeback against Zoey and makes the hot tag to Bea. Bea suplexes Zoey, they trade kick attempts until Bea lands with one but Zoey hits a Codebreaker for a two count. Zoey tags Jamie, Jamie knocks Bea into the corner but Bea blocks the suplex attempt and hits a high knee. Lariat by Jamie and both wrestlers are down, they both slowly crawl to their corners to tag in Saki and Momo. Momo kicks Saki in the chest, dropkick by Momo but Saki avoids her next attempt as Jamie and Zoey both run in to deliver running strikes. Side slam backbreaker by Jamie, Saki goes up top and hits a diving footstomp on Momo for the two count. Momo comes back with a side slam to Saki but Saki throws her to the mat by her hair. Saki cradles Mom but Bea kicks her in the head to break it up, Somato by Momo but it only gets a two count. Momo picks up Saki and goes for the Peach Sunrise but Saki blocks it, high kick by Momo but Saki pins down Momo with a crucifix hold for two. Momo goes for the B Driver but Saki blocks it and hits a double underhook facebuster. Momo immediately fires off a head kick and crawls to her corner to tag Leo, elbow to the back by Leo and she hits a cutter for two. Leo goes off the ropes but Saki kicks her in the chest, Saki slides out to the apron and kicks Leo between the ropes. Back in the ring, Bea runs in and knees Saki, suplex by Momo and Leo cradles Saki for two. Elbows by Leo, she goes off the ropes but Jamie hands Saki an Oedo Tai sign and she hits Leo with it. My Emblem by Saki to Leo, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins!

I don’t really like Stardom’s trend recently of having Leo Onozaki in these types of matches, as it makes the “fall guy” just way too obvious. When she is anywhere outside the opener there is a 90% chance she is going to be pinned, which is an issue since it kills some of the drama. Plus I’d rather see a high end wrestler in there with this group, not a wrestler that likely will never ‘make it’ past the midcard. Anyway, aside from that complaint I enjoyed the match, Bea looked great in the few things they let her actually do and Saki seems to be embracing her evil ways very well, a welcome change for her. An easy watch with some solid wrestling from some great wrestlers, just predictable and it could have been a few minutes longer.  Mildly Recommended

Kagetsu vs. Giulia

They lockup to start but end up in the corner, leading to a clean break. A Test of Strength with Kagetsu winning follows, but Giulia gets away from her and they return to their feet. They jockey for position on the mat, Kagetsu gets in the dominate position but Giulia makes it to the ropes for the break. Kagetsu kicks Giulia in the chest and chokes her in the corner, Irish whip by Kagetsu and she hits a running elbow. Dropkick to the knee by Kagetsu, she gets a drink of water and spits it in Giulia’s face. The referee complains so she spits water in his face as well, Kagetsu goes back to Giulia but Giulia fights back with elbows and they exchange blows. Big boot by Giulia but Kagetsu kicks her in the midsection, she jumps up to the top turnbuckle but Giulia elbows her down to the apron. Giulia snaps Kagetsu’s neck on the top rope, Kagetsu falls out of the ring and Giulia goes out after her, slamming Kagetsu on the floor. Curb Stomp by Giulia on the stage, she brings Kagetsu back to ringside and throws her into the ring post before finally back into the ring. Giulia sets up Kagetsu in the corner across the second rope and knees her in the midsection, she hangs Kagetsu over the side of the apron and boots her in the head. Back in the ring again, Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to the back of Kagetsu’s head. She goes up top again and hits another missile dropkick, cover by Giulia but it gets two.

Giulia applies a crossface, but Kagetsu gets to the ropes for the break. Falcon Arrow by Giulia, and she covers Kagetsu for two. Kagetsu recovers and gets Giulia on her shoulders, but Giulia slides away and stomps on Kagetsu. Strike combination by Kagetsu and she hits the Ebisu Drop, cover by Kagetsu but it gets a two count. Kagetsu goes up top but Giulia recovers and joins her, superplex by Giulia but Kagetsu comes back with a running knee strike. Big boot by Giulia, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Giulia picks up Kagetsu and nails the Glorious Buster, but Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. As she kicks out, Kagetsu puts Giulia in a hammerlock hold, but Giulia gets to the ropes. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu in front of the corner, she goes up top but again Giulia recovers and joins her on the turnbuckles. Elbows by Giulia, she pulls Kagetsu off the turnbuckles and hits a tombstone piledriver. Glorious Driver by Giulia, but Kagetsu barely kicks out of the pin. Giulia goes for a submission but Kagetsu quickly gets away and delivers a running knee, another knee by Kagetsu and she hits an Ebisu Drop near the corner. She goes up top and this time nails the Oedo Coaster, cover by Kagetsu but Giulia kicks out. Kagetsu picks up Giulia and gets her on her shoulders as the bell rings, signifying that time has expired. Kagetsu hits the Death Valley Bomb anyway, but the match is a Time Limit Draw.

This was fun but man there were issues with offensive transitions. There were several times that one wrestler would do a major move and the other just took over on offense for no explainable reasons seconds later, I normally give a lot of leeway for that but it shouldn’t be so obvious. Beyond that, this is the best I have seen of Giulia so far in Stardom as they looked like they had been wrestling against each other for years with how the match was structured and how it seamlessly flowed. There was a bit of time wasting outside the ring as it took a few minutes to get going, but once they got focused the action was fast paced and generally interesting. Even though it was a smaller show they weren’t holding back any, aside from the lack of Kagetsu Poison Mist, but maybe Giulia just didn’t want her face covered in green. Pretty solid, some definite issues that would keep it out of any MOTYC lists but entertaining nonetheless.  Recommended

Hoshiki, Iwatani, Nakano, and Kamitani vs. Yama-san, Kimura, Kyona, and Konami

Hana and Saya start the match for their respective teams, Saya fires away at Hana with elbows but Hana just invites her to throw more before eventually booting her to the mat. All of TCS attack/taunt Saya while she is in the ropes, Death comes in for a moment as Saya is double teamed. Hana tags in Kyona as she takes her turn on the rookie, with Konami helping from the apron as well. The rookie beatdown continues until Saya dropkicks Death and makes the hot tag to Mayu. Mayu rolls Death to the mat and stomps her in the head, Kyona and Hana come in but so do Tam and Arisa as the odds are evened up. STARS gets the better of the exchange, the ring clears leaving just Mayu and Death and Death thrusts Mayu in the throat. She tags in Hana, Hana goes off the ropes and she boots Mayu in the head. Another boot by Hana, she picks up Mayu but Mayu kicks her in the midsection. She goes off the ropes but is kicked by Konami from the apron, delayed vertical suplex by Hana to Mayu and she gets a two count cover. Hana picks up Mayu and applies the Ground Manjikatame, but Tam and Arisa quickly break it up. Hana goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, Mayu tags in Arisa and Arisa hits a double knee to Hana in the corner. Double kneedrop by Arisa, and she covers Hana for two. Arisa picks up Hana but Hana elbows her and the two trade blows. Jumping knee by Arisa but Death run in and DDTs her, running boot by Hana and she covers Arisa for two. Hana tags Konami, strike combination by Konami but Arisa fires back with a kick of her own and both wrestlers end up on the mat.

Arisa tags Tam, boot by Tam to Konami and she hits a cutter. Tam goes off the ropes but Konami catches her kick and applies an ankle hold. German suplex by Konami and she hits a buzzsaw kick, but Tam kicks out of the cover. Bridging Suplex by Konami, but Saya breaks up the count. This leads to all the wrestlers running in and hitting their signature moves, Konami and Tam crawl to their corners and tag in Kyona and Saya. Kyona kicks at Saya, she goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick. Konami kicks Saya from the apron, Hana comes in and helps Kyona hit an assisted face crusher. Sliding lariat by Kyona, she picks up Saya but Mayu runs in with Tam to help. They get cleared out of the ring, Kyona goes for a pescado but STARS move and she ends up landing on Tokyo Cyber Squad. Tam and Mayu both go up to different turnbuckles and dive out of the ring with dives onto their opponents, they rolls Kyona back into the ring and Tam, Arisa, and Mayu all superkick her. Saya goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, cover by Saya but the pin is broken up. Saya hits the handstand kneedrop but Kyona avoids the running Shooting Star Press, she goes for a cradle but Saya reverses it for one of her own for two. STARS get in the ring but Kyona moves when they all go for dropkicks, TCS come in and they dropkick the members of STARS. Hard elbow by Kyona, but Saya gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kyona grabs Saya around the waist and plants her with the Hammer Throw Bomb, and she picks up the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad win the match.

I don’t mind Saya being such a big part of this match as we saw earlier with Leo since at least Saya is being pushed as a future star, but for a main event this was still a bit lacking. It is hard for all eight wrestlers to get a chance to shine in an twelve minute match, I would have preferred that either they got more time or they trimmed a couple wrestlers. The plus here is that both teams work together really well, lots of fast paced exchanges and smart tag team work that made the match far more exciting than if they did just a traditional tag. Hana looked the best, probably by design, and if nothing else I can say that time flew by while I was watching this. While I’d like more from the main event, even for a smaller show, still a pretty enjoyable match.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom New Years Stars 2020 on 1/11/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

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

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

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

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

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

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

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

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

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

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

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

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

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

I try to check in with Stardom about once a month, so lets see what they are up to. This is the first event I have watched in a post-Io world, as Stardom has lost their Ace to greener pastures. Hana Kimura is also not around for this show as she is still globetrotting, so everyone else is going to have to pick up the slack. Even though this is not a Korakuen Hall event, there are still two title matches so the show is definitely more than just an average house show. Here is the full card:

• AZM vs. Leo Onozaki
• Elimination Tag Match: Jungle Kyona, Natsuko Tora, Kaori Yoneyama, and Ruaka vs. Tam Nakano, Starlight Kid, Shiki Shibusawa, and Hanan
• Dust and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Hazuki and Natsu Sumire
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima vs. Momo Watanabe and Konami
• World of Stardom Championship: Kagetsu vs. Viper

As this was shown on Stardom World, all matches are unclipped. As always, all wrestlers on the card have a profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Lets get to the matches!

AZM vs. Leo Onozaki

AZM kicks away Leo’s hand when she goes for a handshake but Leo elbows her into the corner. Leo goes for a scoop slam but AZM reverses it, snapmare by AZM and she kicks Leo repeatedly in the chest. AZM puts Leo in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back, cover by AZM but it gets a two count. AZM goes for a crab hold and gets it locked in, but Leo gets to the ropes for the break. AZM kicks Leo repeatedly in the head but Leo fights back with elbows, she knocks AZM to the mat but AZM keeps kipping up. Leo goes for an elbow drop but AZM moves and kicks her in the head, Irish whip by AZM but Leo elbows her hard in the face and covers her for two. Leo picks up AZM but AZM blocks the scoop slam, Leo elbows AZM into the corner and hits a jumping elbow strike followed by a cutter. Another cutter by Leo and she hits a third, she covers AZM but AZM gets a shoulder up. Leo goes off the ropes but AZM catches her with a dropkick, kick to the chest by AZM but her cover gets two. AZM hits rolling vertical suplexes but Leo sneaks in a cradle, Leo goes for a series of flash pins but AZM kicks out each time. Leo goes off the ropes but AZM kicks her in the head, another head kick by AZM and she puts Leo in a crab hold. Leo struggles for a second but soon taps out! AZM is the winner!

A few minor miscommunications but otherwise a fine rookie match. AZM has improved quite a bit in the last year but still being paired with a wrestler with just a few months under her belt isn’t going to give her the chance to show her entire range. They kept it short so it wasn’t offensive however, and Leo does show some potential. About what you’d expect from a Stardom opener.

Jungle Kyona, Tora, Yoneyama, and Ruaka vs. Nakano, Starlight Kid, Shibusawa, and Hanan

Starlight Kid and Kaori start the match, Kaori asks for a knuckle lock but stomps on Starlight Kid’s foot instead. Irish whip by Kaori but Starlight Kid hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, she goes off the ropes but Ruaka grabs her from the apron. Hanan returns the favor by grabbing Kaori, they both break free and Kaori’s teammates run in the ring to help triple team Starlight Kid. Kaori tags in Ruaka, scoop slams by Ruaka to Starlight Kid and she tags in Kyona. Starlight Kid elbows Kyona back but Kyona catches Starlight Kid and tries to throw her out of the ring, but Starlight Kid is saved by her teammates and ends up back in. Things break down with all eight in the ring and they end up in a ring while Kyona puts Starlight Kid in a Mexican Surfboard. Everyone leaves after a moment as Kyona stomps on Starlight Kid, Kyona tags in Natsuko but Starlight Kid rolls her up for two. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she tags in Shiki, dropkick by Shiki and she hits a second one. Kaori runs but Shiki slams her, Kyona tries to help but Shiki drop toeholds her onto Kaori. Tam helps some from the apron as Shiki maintains control on Natsuko, elbows by Shiki but Natsuko hits a hard shoulderblock and tags in Kaori. Chops by Kaori to Shiki but Shiki rolls her to the mat and hits a dropkick. Shiki tags in Tam and stays in the ring to help double team Kaori, but Kaori gets the better of both of them and slams Tam onto Shiki. Senton by Kaori onto both, she picks and Tam and slams her in front of the corner, but Tam kicks her when she gets on the top turnbuckle which lands Kaori on the apron. Everyone tries to knock Kaori off the apron to the floor with no success, she snaps Tam’s neck on the top rope and celebrates on the apron, but Tam kicks her from behind and sends Kaori to the floor! Kaori Yoneyama is eliminated!

Hanan and Natsuko come in as the legal wrestlers, shoulderblocks by Natsuko and she picks up Hanan, but Hanan slides away and elbows Natsuko in the back. Natsuko elbows her back but Hanan hits a judo throw on all three of her opponents, she goes for a STO and Tam helps her hit it with a superkick to Natsuko. Cover by Hanan, but it gets broken up. Ruaka and Kyona stay in and double team Hanan, spear by Natsuko to Hanan and she covers her for the three count! Hanan is eliminated!

Natsuko shoulderblocks Tam but Tam gets back up and the two trade elbows. They both miss kicks, knee by Natsuko but Tam nails her with a head kick. Tam picks p Natsuko and goes off the ropes, but Natsuko picks her up and tries to dump her over the top rope. In the process, both wrestlers tumble over the top rope and to the floor, so both Natsuko Tora and Tam Nakano are eliminated!

Shiki and Kyona charge into the ring, dropkicks by Shiki and Starlight Kid comes in too, but Kyona hits a shoulderblock as Ruaka runs in to even the score. Shiki throws both Kyona and Ruaka into the ropes, Starlight Kid hits a Tiger Feint Kick onto Kyona and Shiki dropkicks Kyona. Shiki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Shiki but Kyona kicks out. Elbows by Shiki, she goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a lariat. Ruaka runs in and boots Shiki, sliding lariat by Kyona and she covers Shiki for two. Kyona positions Shiki and goes to the second turnbuckle, but Shiki recovers and tries to knock her off. Kyona kicks Shiki back but Starlight Kid grabs Kyona from the apron, Ruaka runs in and boots Starlight Kid off the apron however and then hits a Fisherman Suplex onto Shiki. Diving Body Press by Kyona to Shiki, and she picks up the three count! Shiki Shibusawa is eliminated!

Starlight Kid runs in and quickly rolls up Kyona for two, she goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a body block. Boot by Ruaka, Kyona follows with a sliding lariat but Starlight Kid kicks out. Starlight Kid is thrown into the corner but she avoids Ruaka’s kick and hits a spinning headscissors onto Kyona. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her hurricanrana attempt, Kyona tries to powerbomb Starlight Kid out of the ring but Starlight Kid lands on the apron. Kyona gets a running start but Kyona pulls down the bottom rope, with Kyona landing on the apron with Starlight Kid. Kyona and Starlight Kid trade elbows, Ruaka tries to help by booting Starlight Kid but she boots Kyona by accident, sending her to the floor. Jungle Kyona is eliminated!

Starlight Kid and Ruaka are the last two left. They trade elbows, boots by Ruaka and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Ruaka goes for another boot but Starlight Kid rolls away and delivers a dropkick, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and she cover Ruaka for a two count. Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle, Ruaka recovers and tries to boot her off, but Starlight Kid catches the boot and knocks her back. Diving Body Press by Starlight Kid, but Ruaka gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes up top again but this time Ruaka successfully boots her, Fisherman Suplex by Ruaka but that gets a two as well. Ruaka picks up Starlight Kid and goes for another one, but Starlight Kid blocks it. Reverse STO by Ruaka and she cradles Starlight Kid, but Starlight Kid kicks out. Ruaka charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides behind her and delivers the Shiranui for two. Cyclone Suplex by Starlight Kid, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a moonsault for the three count cover! STARS picks up the win!

There is a lot to unravel here. First, if there was any doubt that Stardom thinks the world of Starlight Kid, her booking in the last few months should put that to rest. She not only was the last surviving member of her team but came back to win from being down 2-1, and looked really good in the process. Shiki still seems out of place compared to everyone else, she isn’t a natural athlete so she has a tougher road to success. The top rope elimination rule is necessary to give an easy out to eliminate people so that the match doesn’t go too long, so for a midcard match I have no issue with that stipulation. It still may have been a touch longer than it needed to be to accomplish its goal but overall it moved along well and there were a handful of memorable moments. Keep an eye out for Starlight Kid, she is only 17 but if she keeps with it she’ll be special.  Mildly Recommended

Dust and Stephanie Vaquer vs. Hazuki and Natsu Sumire

Natsu and Dust start the match, they tie-up and Natsu pushes Dust into the ropes before punching her in the gut. Dust elbows Natsu into the ropes, Irish whip, and Dust hits a leg lariat followed by a jumping elbow in the corner. Jumping stomp to the head by Dust, she trips Natsu and she covers her for two. Dust clubs Natsu repeatedly in the chest, she tags in Stephanie but Natsu elbows Stephanie in the corner. Stephanie fires back with her own elbow as they go back and forth, knee by Stephanie and she hits Natsu with an uppercut. Cover by Stephanie, but it gets a two count. Sliding kick by Stephanie, she picks up Natsu and elbows her in the back of the head. Stephanie takes Natsu to the mat and applies a crossface, but Hazuki comes in to break it up. Stephanie throws Natsu onto the apron but Natsu returns and boots Stephanie, Stephanie schoolboys Natsu however and puts her in a submission until Natsu whips her to get out of it. Bronco Buster by Natsu in the corner and she delivers the fisherman suplex hold, but Stephanie kicks out at two. Stephanie rolls to her corner and tags in Hazuki, knee by Hazuki and she hits a senton onto Stephanie for a two count. Natsu comes in, double Irish whip to Stephanie but Stephanie beats up both of them and tags in Dust.

Dust boots Hazuki and hits a DDT onto the apron, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick onto Hazuki for two. Dust puts Hazuki in a sleeper, but Hazuki crawls to the ropes and gets the break. Dust charges Hazuki, Hazuki knocks her back but Dust delivers a Backstabber. Dust goes up top again and hits a diving crossbody, but it only gets two. Dust picks up Hazuki and elbows her, but Hazuki elbows her back as they trade shots. Dust wins the battle with a pair of jumping lariats, she picks up Hazuki and drives her into the corner. Dust charges Hazuki but Hazuki slides to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick for a two count. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki but Stephanie breaks it up, Hazuki picks up Dust and throws her into the corner before hitting a running elbow strike. Elevated Codebreaker by Hazuki, but Dust gets a shoulder up on the cover. Pump Kick by Hazuki, she picks up Dust but Dust avoids the second Pump Kick attempt and hits a Backstabber. Stephanie dives into the ring with a crossbody, Dust follows with a diving kick to Hazuki but Natsu breaks up the pin attempt. Dust picks up Hazuki and goes off the ropes, but Hazuki nails the Pump Kick and covers Dust for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes and hits a sliding kick, but again Dust kicks out of the pin. Hazuki picks up Dust but Dust sneaks in a cradle for two, she goes off the ropes but Natsu knees her from the apron. Natsu comes in and with Hazuki they hit an assisted Codebreaker, Hazuki picks up Dust and delivers a Michinoku Driver for the three count! Oedo Tai wins!

This match was surprisingly solid. I always go into matches with the Gaijin Of The Month with low expectations, not because they are necessarily bad wrestlers but it can take time to get chemistry with wrestlers and adapt to the Stardom style. Dust and Stephanie are both new to me but I was impressed with how they both felt natural in there with Natsu and Hazuki, if there were any issues I didn’t see them. Not that it was 100% smooth, matches rarely are, but everything flowed well and the moves were hit crisply. I am all aboard the Hazuki Train, she looked great here and the match flew by. As far as midcard tag matches go, about all you could hope for, a fun match and a entertaining casual watch.   Mildly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani and Saki Kashima vs. Momo Watanabe and Konami
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Queen’s Quest attacks before the match officially starts, they stack the STARS team in the corner and both connect with running strikes. Momo stays in the ring with Saki, scoop slam by Momo and she covers Saki for two. Momo kicks Saki while she is against the ropes and chokes her in the corner, scoop slam by Momo and she tags in Konami. Snapmare by Konami and she applies a sleeper, but Saki gets to the ropes to force the break. Irish whip by Konami and she kicks Saki in the chest, but Saki kicks out of the cover. Konami tags Momo back in, Saki goes off the ropes but Konami trips her from the floor and pulls her head over the apron. Momo slides out of the ring and boots Saki, Konami then dropkicks Saki before Momo and Saki return to the ring. Momo continues kicking Saki until Saki catches one and hits a dragon screw, giving her time to tag in Mayu. Dropkick by Mayu, she picks up Momo and dropkicks her in the knee. Sliding Kick by Mayu, and she covers Momo for two. Mayu goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her from the apron, Konami comes in the ring but Mayu fights them both off and hits a springboard crossbody on both opponents. Saki returns and they both hit dropkicks, Mayu picks up Momo but Momo slides away. Dropkick by Momo and she makes the tag to Konami, kicks to the chest by Konami and she delivers a sliding kick while Mayu is against the ropes.

Konami rolls Mayu to the mat and applies the Calf Killer, she reverts it into a sleeper but Saki breaks it up. Konami applies a kneelock but Mayu quickly gets out of it with a kick to the head, Konami applies an ankle hold and delivers a German suplex while maintaining a hold on Mayu’s leg. Konami charges Mayu but Mayu catches her with a superkick and tags in Saki. Saki goes for a boot but Konami ducks and hits an enzuigiri, she tags in Momo who dropkicks Saki in the corner. Back up, Saki and Momo trade strikes until Saki hits a double underhook facebuster for two. High kick by Momo and she goes for the B Driver, Saki gets out of it but Momo hits a Somato for two. Momo applies a chickenwing but Mayu breaks it up, Saki and Mayu both kick Momo before Mayu goes up top and hits a diving body press. Saki follows with a diving footstomp, but Konami breaks up the cover. Saki goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her in the head, jumping knee by Momo but Saki reverses the cover as the pair trade flash pins. Konami returns and with Momo they both dropkick Saki, they both get on the second turnbuckle together and hit tandem jumping knees. B Driver by Momo to Saki, but Mayu breaks up the cover. Konami takes care of Mayu while Momo puts Saki in the crossface chickenwing, she goes for the Tequila Sunrise but Saki reverses it into a roll-up. Momo kicks out but Saki quickly puts her in a crucifix cover, and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima and Mayu Iwatani remain the champions!

Another fun match, although not without some minor flaws. I’m willing to give Saki a bit of a break since she just recently returned to wrestling but she still is not as crisp in execution as everyone else in this match so some of her segments lagged a bit. But Konami looked great, maybe now that she is signing with Stardom they will finally give her a bit more of a push, and Mayu/Momo were their usual solid selves. Even though it was a title match it didn’t really feel like one, not sure if it was the match time, lack of big moments or the flash pin ending but it felt more like a normal co-main than a match with a championship on the line. Still, it was a good match as you can’t really go wrong with Mayu and Momo, and with Konami stepping up I am looking forward to where they go going forward.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Kagetsu vs. Viper
World of Stardom Championship

They tie up to start, Viper pushes Kagetsu into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Kagetsu tries to knock over Viper with shoulderblocks but it naturally doesn’t work, Viper easily shoulderblocks Kagetsu to the mat but Kagetsu kips up and kicks Viper in the midsection. Viper blocks the snapmare attempt as they both grab each other’s hair, eye rake by Kagetsu and she kicks Viper in the back before applying a chinlock. Neck snap by Kagetsu but Viper quickly recovers and pounds Kagetsu into the mat. Viper charges Kagetsu but Kagetsu moves, and Viper falls out of the ring to the floor. Oedo Tai attacks Viper but Queen’s Quest runs them off, Kagetsu throws Viper into the chairs at ringside before bringing her to the other side of the ring to try it again, but Viper reverses it and Kagetsu goes into the stands. Viper returns to the ring with Kagetsu very slowly following, Viper puts Kagetsu in the cobra clutch before spinning her around and hitting a lariat, but Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. Backdrop suplex by Viper, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu gets away and slides to the apron. She goes for a swandive move but Viper catches her and tosses Kagetsu back into the ring. Running elbow drop by Viper followed by a low crossbody, but Kagetsu bridges out of the cover. Viper positions Kagetsu near the corner and goes up the turnbuckles, but Kagetsu recovers and dropkicks her out of the ring to the floor. Kagetsu goes off the ropes and sails out onto Viper with a tope suicida, she gets back in and immediately hits a second followed by a third. Kagetsu slides Viper back in, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick followed by a jumping elbow in the corner.

She tries to pick up Viper but Viper elbows her off, they trade attempts at various moves until Kagetsu scores with a cross armbreaker takedown. Viper inches to the ropes and gets there for the break, diving footstomp to the arm by Kagetsu and she puts Viper in a seated armbar. Viper gets to the ropes to break it up, kick by Kagetsu and she goes off the ropes, but Viper turns her inside out with a lariat. Cannonball by Viper in the corner, she covers Kagetsu but it gets two. Viper picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the Michinoku Driver and sneaks in a couple flash pins for two. She goes off the ropes but Viper catches her and hits the Michinoku Driver, cover by Viper but it gets two. Viper positions Kagetsu and goes for the Vader Bomb, but Kagetsu moves and hits the Ebisu Drop for two. Kagetsu goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but Viper barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu goes back up top but Viper hits her before she can jump off and joins her, avalanche Michinoku Driver by Viper but Kagetsu kicks out of the pin. Kagetsu slowly returns to her feet and elbows Viper, Viper elbows her back and the two trade strikes until Viper hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Viper puts Kagetsu in a kimura with a headscissors, but Kagetsu manages to get to the ropes for the break. The referee tries to keep Viper back so he can check on Kagetsu, but Viper pushes the ref to the mat and picks up Kagetsu anyway. Kagetsu takes advantage by spitting blue mist into Viper’s face and dropping Viper near the corner with a Death Valley Bomb, she goes up top and nails a second Oedo Coaster for the three count pinfall! Kagetsu wins and retains the championship!

A thoroughly entertaining main event. The beginning dragged a bit, if anything Kagetsu over-sold some of the early offense since it lead to her recovering too quickly as the match really picked up steam. From the middle portion onward though everything was quality, as Viper seemed more vicious and focused than she sometimes is and Kagetsu’s comeback spots were well timed. I think that Viper may be the first wrestler to kick out of the Oedo Coaster, but it made sense as up to that point, Viper didn’t have a lot of damage done to her and needed to be worn down more for it to work. Course I am always a fan of the mist and the ending was a convincing way to win for the champion. I may have trimmed off a few minutes towards the beginning (or just had less waiting around) but overall still a really fun match and a better-than-expected main event for a non-Korakuen Hall show.  Recommended

The post Stardom X Stardom 2018 in Osaka on 7/22/18 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: Heart of SHIMMER Championship and Guardians of RISE Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches in Japan:

• July 16th, 2018 with Britt Baker and Kylie Rae vs. Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama, and Natsuko Tora

Signature Moves:

• Backstabber
• DDT
• Dust in the Wind (Acid Drop)

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Gaijin Invaders

The post Dust appeared first on Joshi City.