*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

Finally an Oz Academy event popped up on the Internet, so in order to have as many promotions represented as possible I had to review it as soon as possible. This event is a pretty big one for Oz Academy, as it has the return of Sonoko Kato as well as an Oz Academy Openweight Championship match. Here is the full card:

• AKINO vs. Sonoko Kato
• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Kyusei Sakura Hirota and Hamuko Hoshi vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Mio Shirai
• Dynamite Kansai, Aja Kong, and Manami Toyota vs. Hikaru Shida, Syuri, and Kaho Kobayashi
• OZ Academy Openweight Championship: Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Kagetsu

All of the Joshi wrestlers above profiles on the website, you can click on their names to go straight to it. This event aired on GAORA TV in a two hour block, so some matches will be clipped. 

AKINO vs. Sonoko Kato

AKINO starts off the match with a hurricanrana but it gets a two count. They trade elbows and then high kicks. Dragon screw by Kato and she kicks AKINO into the corner. Cannonball by Kato and she hits an avalanche cannonball for two. AKINO slaps on an armbar but Kato hits a neckbreaker and applies a Dragon Sleeper. Kato goes up top but AKINO hits a superplex. High kick by AKINO and she hits a backdrop suplex. Kato hits a dragon suplex hold, but it gets a two count. High kick by Kato and she boots AKINO in the head. Kicks by AKINO and they trade elbows as they slowly return to their feet. Kato picks up AKINO and hits the Kowloon’s Gate, but it only gets a two count. Kato goes for a kick but AKINO catches her with a powerbomb. They trade elbows, AKINO catches Kato with a running elbow smash and quickly covers her for the three count. AKINO is the winner!

The ending was a bit sudden as it felt like they still had a few more minutes in them, but it wasn’t a bad match. I guess since it was Kato’s return match from injury they wanted to just keep it simple. Not a bad way to open the show, it had some hard hitting action and no overkill.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Miyako Matsumoto

This match is Joined in Progress, proving that there is a God. We pick up as Matsumoto falls on top of Yoneyama and dances around the ring. Yoneyama then dances around and hits a back splash. Yoneyama goes to the second turnbuckle but Matsumoto moves and hits a Shining Wizard. Scoop slam by Matsumoto, she goes up top but Yoneyama gets her feet up when she jumps off. Northern Light Suplex by Yoneyama but it gets a two count. Yoneyama goes up top and hits a senton for another two. Yoneyama cradles Matsumoto from behind and she picks up the three count. Kaori Yoneyama wins.

This was painful but luckily it was really clipped.

Kyusei Sakura Hirota and Hamuko Hoshi vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Mio Shirai

This one is also Joined in Progress, with Shirai and Hirota in the ring. Ozaki is tagged in and she hits a senton onto Hirota for a two count. Hirota is whipped in the face and is literally attacked by everyone. Triple powerbomb to Hirota but Hirota slips away from Ozaki. DDT by Ozaki and she hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two. Chops by Hirota and she hits the Oil Check. Hirota kisses Ozaki and hits a suplex for a two count. Shirai accidentally hits her friends with her pole and Hirota hits a schoolboy on Ozaki for the three count. Hirota and Hoshi are the winners.

This match was equally not good, mid-card Oz can be brutal. I can’t believe this match was 18 minutes, that would have been the worst 18 minutes of my life if it had not been so heavily clipped.

Dynamite Kansai, Aja Kong, and Manami Toyota vs. Hikaru Shida, Syuri, and Kaho Kobayashi

We start the match with Kansai and Kobayashi in the ring, Kong is in the ring too and they take turns slamming Kobayashi. Scoop slam by Toyota as well and everyone slams Kobayashi over and over. Toyota hits a double underhook slam and applies a cross arm submission. Toyota tags in Kong and everyone attacks Kobayashi in the corner. Piledriver by Kong but the cover is broken up. Kobayashi dropkicks Toyota but Toyota boots her and hits a dropkick. Toyota goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Toyota goes for a slam but Kobayashi rolls her up. Oklahoma Roll by Toyota but Kobayashi hits a dropkick and tags in Syuri. Kicks by Syuri to Toyota, Kong comes in but both Syuri and Shida dropkick them. Toyota is thrown in the corner, knee by Shida and Syuri hits one as well. PK by Syuri, cover, but Toyota kicks out. Syuri and Toyota trade elbows, an Toyota hits a German suplex. Heel drop by Toyota but it gets two. Kansai is tagged in and she lariats Syuri in the corner. Syuri gets away from Kansai and hits a backstabber following by a running knee. Shida comes in to help but Kansai hits a double lariat. Syuri knees Kansai and slaps on a cross armbreaker, but Kansai gets to the ropes. Syuri tags in Shida and Shida hits a missile dropkick. Jumping knee by Shida in the corner but Kansai catches the second one and flings Shida to the mat. Shida applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Kong breaks it up. Armbreaker by Shida but Kansai catches her with a backdrop suplex.

Kansai tags in Kong and she trades elbows with Shida. German suplex by Kong and she kicks Shida in the head. Hurricanrana by Shida and she hits Kong with a kendo stick repeatedly. Enzuigiri by Shida but Kansai runs in and lariats her. Vertical suplex by Shida and she hits a running leg kick for two. Shida hits Toyota and Kansai with her kendo stick but Kong hits her with a metal box. Shida tags in Kobayashi, and Kobayashi dropkicks Kong. More dropkicks by Kobayashi, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Syuri comes in and kicks Kong but Toyota comes in and kicks Kobayashi. Kansai lariats Syuri and scoop slams Kobayashi. Kong and Kansai run into each other and Shida hits them both with kendo sticks. Kobayashi goes up top but Kong kicks her in the stomach. Lariat by Kong but the pin is broken up. Kong drops Kobayashi on her head with a backdrop suplex, she then hits a Brainbuster on Kobayashi for the three count. Kansai, Kong, and Toyota are the winners.

I am not going to lie, I really loved this match. Kobayashi is so feisty and easy to root for, and both teams made the match seem really important by constantly inferring, breaking up pins, etc. Really it was Kobayashi that made the match as she takes monster offense so well, but the whole match just clicked for me. The time flew by and unlike what the last match would have been it was a great way to spend 15+ minutes. Only knock was the first few minutes were cut out, wish I could have seen the whole thing.  Highly Recommended

(c) Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Kagetsu
Oz Academy Openweight Championship

Kuragaki pushes Kagetsu into the ropes and she hits a shoulderblock. Dropkick by Kagetsu but Kuragaki hits a lariat. Body press by Kuragaki and she hits a pair of lariats in the corner. Kuragaki gets Kagetsu on the mat but Kagetsu gets to the ropes. Dropkick by Kagetsu and she hits a vertical suplex. Lariat by Kuragaki and she hits an exploder. Kuragaki goes up top, Kagetsu joins her but Kagetsu slides out to the apron and kicks Kuragaki back to the mat. Kagetsu goes for a swandive move but Kuragaki hits her back out to the floor. They battle outside the ring and Kuragaki applies an Argentine Backbreaker. Kagetsu kicks Kuragaki and she grabs Kuragaki’s arm as she jumps off the second deck, snapping her arm over the railing. She then pulls Kuragaki back to the floor and slams her into the apron. Kagetsu kicks Kuragaki from the apron and Kagetsu hits a swandive plancha to the floor. Swandive dropkick back in the ring by Kagetsu but Kuragaki knocks Kagetsu to the mat. Kuragaki goes for a suplex but Kagetsu reverses it into a bulldog. Kicks by Kagetsu but Kuragaki slams Kagetsu to the mat.

Kuragaki goes up top but Kagetsu elbows her. Kuragaki throws Kagetsu to the floor and hits a missile dropkick. Scorpion Deathlock by Kuragaki but Kagetsu gets to the ropes. Kuragaki goes up top but Kagetsu rolls out of the way of the moonsault and kicks Kuragaki in the chest. Kagetsu goes up top and hits a diving double knee to Kuragaki’s arm. Armbar by Kagetsu but Kuragaki gets to the ropes. Kuragaki and Kagetsu trade elbows but Kagetsu hits a judo throw before applying the cross armbreaker. Kuragaki powerbombs out of it, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu rolls up Kuragaki for a two. Death valley bomb by Kagetsu and she hits a cross armbreaker takedown. La Magistral by Kagetsu but it gets a two count. High kick by Kagetsu but Kuragaki catches her with a backdrop suplex. Another backdrop suplex by Kuragaki and she hits a lariat. Kuragaki picks up Kagetsu and hits the Metal Wing. Kuragaki picks up Kagetsu and goes for it again but Kagetsu lands on her feet and kicked Kuragaki in the head. Lariat by Kuragaki, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu gets away. Kuragaki levels her with another lariat and she hits a Falcon Arrow for the three count! Tsubasa Kuragaki wins and retains the championship.

A really solid match and a fun back and forth. I wish Kuragaki had sold the arm a bit at some point but Kagetsu stayed on it at least, and it was a good ‘power offensive vs. submission holds’ match dynamic. The time of the match felt just right and it wasn’t clipped. The show started really slow but ended with two entertaining matches. Recommended

event reviewed on 2/9/15

The post Oz Academy “The Wizard of OZ” on 1/11/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

Finally I have made it to 1996! Attendance is up a bit for this one, maybe fans were excited for a new year of Joshi to begin. This event had a one night tag tournament but we will only be seeing the finals, as the bulk of the one hour taping focuses on the big 12 woman Captain Falls Elimination Match. We still have no titles in GAEA Japan at this point, so gimmicks such as big elimination matches and promotional wars is how they are maintaining fan interest. Here is the full card:

• Original Captain Fall Match: Chigusa Nagayo, Dynamite Kansai, Bomber Hikaru, Bolshoi Kid, Saburo, and Hiromi Sugo vs. Devil Masami, Mayumi Ozaki, KAORU, Cuty Suzuki, Hikari Fukuoka, and Makie Numao
• Hiromi Yagi vs. Toshie Uematsu
• Fight To The Last Young Generation One Night Tag Tournament Final: Sonoko Kato and Yuki Miyazaki vs. Tomoko Kuzumi and Chikayo Nagashima 

I had to make some more profiles but now everyone wrestling on the show has one, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. There will definitely be some clipping here, lets see how it goes.

Chigusa Nagayo, Dynamite Kansai, Bomber Hikaru, Bolshoi Kid, Saburo, and Hiromi Sugo vs. Devil Masami, Mayumi Ozaki, KAORU, Cuty Suzuki, Hikari Fukuoka, and Makie Numao
Original Captain Fall Match

As soon as the bell rings all 12 wrestlers start brawling, Saburo catches Makie Numao with a chokeslam and she covers her for the three count! Makie Numao is eliminated. Poor rookie. The match resets while they roll Makie out of the ring, Saburo and Fukuoka stay in as the legal wrestlers and Saburo throws Fukuoka in he corner before tagging in Bolshoi. Bolshoi walks the ropes while holding Fukuoka’s wrist before hitting an armdrag, another armdrag by Bolshoi and she hits a dropkick. Fukuoka dropkicks her back and tags Suzuki, tombstone by Suzuki and she covers Bolshoi for two. Dragon Sleeper by Suzuki, she lets go as Ozaki comes in and Ozaki also puts Bolshoi in a sleeper. Nagayo eventually breaks it up, Ozaki tags in Kaoru and Kaoru hits a vertical suplex. Sleeper by Kaoru but she eventually lets go and tags Ozaki back in, Bolshoi hits a trio of crossbodies on Ozaki until Ozaki catches her and swings Bolshoi around by her neck. Irish whip by Ozaki and she hits a powerbomb, but Bolshoi kicks out of the cover. Tequila Sunrise by Ozaki, her team runs in to block the other team and Ozaki picks up the three count! Bolshoi Kid is eliminated.

Ozaki stays in and powerbombs Sugo, a second powerbomb by Ozaki and she covers her for the three count! Hiromi Sugo is eliminated as we get rid of the lower ranked wrestlers. Saburo comes in but Ozaki DDTs her, she tags in Kaoru but Saburo hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep. Everyone takes turns headbutting Kaoru, Saburo goes up top but Masami grabs her from the apron and pulls her out of the ring. Kaoru goes off the ropes but Bomber hits her from the apron and then dives out of the ring onto Masami. The other wrestlers see this as a challenge as they all take turns doing dives out of the ring, moonsault by Kaoru out of the ring and Nagayo is the final one as she dives out with a crossbody onto Kaoru. Nagayo slides both Kaoru and Saburo back in the ring, swandive missile dropkick by Kaoru and she nails a tombstone piledriver. Swandive moonsault by Kaoru, and she covers Saburo for the three count! Saburo is eliminated. Things are not going well for Chigusa Nagayo’s team. The teams huddle before Masami and Nagayo come in, Masami boots Nagayo in her already injured shoulder before tagging in Kaoru. Kaoru focuses on the shoulder as well but Nagayo avoids her legdrop, kicks to the leg by Nagayo but Kaoru tags in Ozaki. Ozaki applies a seated armbar and then a Fujiwara Armbar, but it gets broken up. Suzuki is tagged in and she also applies an armbar, she tags Fukuoka and Fukuoka elbows Nagayo in the arm. Nagayo gets away and applies a sleeper, but Fukuoka gets a foot on the ropes for the break.

Nagayo tags in Kansai, headscissors by Fukuoka to Kansai and she tags in Ozaki. Kansai quickly drops Ozaki with a backdrop suplex, she pulls Ozaki off the turnbuckles but is overwhelmed by Ozaki’s teammates. Kansai is stomped by all five of them, German suplex by Ozaki but it gets a two count. Ozaki tags Masami but Kansai avoids her senton attempt, she tags in Nagayo and Bomber comes in too as they all stomp on Masami. Nagayo puts Masami in a sleeper but lets go after a moment and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Nagayo goes for a powerbomb but it gets interrupted, Kansai puts Masami on the top turnbuckle but Masami recovers and goes for a legdrop. Kansai moves out of the way, she goes for Splash Mountain and nails it, getting the three count! Devi Masami is eliminated. Kansai and Fukuoka are the next wrestlers in, piledriver by Kansai but it gets broken up. Kansai tags in Bomber, Bombs Away by Bomber and she hits the Reverse Splash, but her pin is broken up. Bomber picks up Fukuoka but Fukuoka slides away and they trade elbows. Fukuoka knocks Bomber off her feet and covers her for two, Fukuoka charges Bomber but Bomber hits a powerslam. Bomber goes up top, Kansai and Nagayo both come in and hit lariats on Fukuoka. Diving headbutt by Bomber, but her cover is broken up. Hard elbow by Bomber, she picks up Fukuoka as Nagayo and Kansai come in, but they elbow their own partner by accident. Ozaki and Suzuki run in to take care of Kansai and Nagayo, Rider Kick by Fukuoka to Bomber and she covers her for the three count! Bomber Hikaru is eliminated.

We are now at 4 vs. 2, Nagayo squares off with Fukuoka and hits a leg sweep. Fukuoka moonsaults over Nagayo and hits a headscissors, Kaoru comes in and hits a front dropkick on Nagayo but Nagayo fires back with a lariat on her. Backdrop suplex by Nagayo on Fukuoka but Kaoru tags in, Nagayo goes for a suplex on her as well but Kaoru blocks it and lands on top of her. Kaoru goes for a swandive move but Nagayo moves, leg sweep by Nagayo and she hits a powerbomb. She goes for another powerbomb but Kaoru reverses it into a hurricanrana for two. Kaoru tags in Suzuki but Nagayo catches her with a heel kick and tags in Kansai. Kansai picks up Suzuki but Suzuki applies a dragon sleeper, she lets go of it after a moment and hits a release German. Ozaki and Fukuoka both hit release Germans as well, dragon suplex by Suzuki to Kansai but Nagayo breaks it up. Suzuki goes up top but Kaoru kicks her as she jumps off, Ozaki comes in and powerbombs Kansai before Fukuoka hits a moonsault. Double footstomp by Suzuki and Ozaki, then Fukuoka goes back up top and nails the moonsault footstomp, but Nagayo breaks up Suzuki’s cover. Suzuki and Ozaki both go up top of one corner while Kaoru and Fukuoka go to a different corner and all four hit diving headbutts, but once again Nagayo breaks up the pin attempt. Suzuki and Ozaki go back up top again and hit a double jumping knee to the back but the cover is interrupted. They go up top AGAIN but this time accidentally hit their own partners, Kansai goes for Splash Mountain on Suzuki but Suzuki reverses into a cradle and picks up the three count! Dynamite Kansai is eliminated! And… the bell rings and the match is over! But who won?

Look, I don’t know what is going on. Once the bell rings, the referee raises Chigusa Nagayo’s hand as her team looks really happy, even though her partner just got pinned and she was the only one left on her team. My only theory, and its just a theory, is that there was a time limit and that at the end of the time if one team wasn’t completely eliminated, it defaulted to if the captain was eliminated, and if Devil Masami was the captain then that would mean her team lost (assuming Nagayo was also a captain). But I have no idea if that is true, they didn’t flash up a winner/match time after the match like they always do so I can’t say for sure, and I can’t understand Japanese to know if the commentators explained it.

Anyway. This was a really fun match, non-explainable ending aside. There were a few slower periods but generally the action was fast paced, especially at the end. They were just throwing bombs at each other, I’m not sure how Kansai survived everything being done to her. Obviously some of the wrestlers were focused on more than others, but that was generally based on rank and emphasizing the wrestlers that the fans came to see. The dive sequence was memorable and they kept the eliminations coming at a decent pace so it never felt like it was dragging. While I wish I had more details on the ending, still a really entertaining match with all the high flying chaos I was hoping for.  Recommended

Hiromi Yagi vs. Toshie Uematsu

Toshie dropkicks Hiromi from behind, she kicks off of her in the corner and hits an elbow. Another running elbow by Toshie but Hiromi applies a cradle and elbows Toshie in the head. Snapmares by Hiromi and she applies a headlock, Hiromi gets Toshie’s back and applies a bodyscissors. Hiromi switches it into a seated armbar and applies a cross armbreaker, but Toshie wiggles to the ropes before she can fully lock it in to get the break. Irish whip by Hiromi and she hits an armdrag, but Toshie switches positions with her and hits a snapmare before applying an armbar. Cross armbreaker by Toshie but Hiromi immediately rolls out of it, front necklock by Toshie but Hiromi slams out of it and covers Toshie for two. Irish whip by Hiromi but Toshie avoids her charge and rolls her up for two. Irish whip by Toshie and she hits a back elbow, another back elbow by Toshie and she covers Hiromi for two. Toshie applies a stretch submission before putting Hiromi in an Indian Deathlock, she goes back to a stretch hold but Hiromi gets out of it and hits a German suplex.

Hiromi picks up Toshie, Toshie throws Hiromi into the corner but Hiromi avoids her charge and applies a kneelock. Toshie gets in the ropes for the break, Irish whip by Hiromi but Toshie reverses it, she goes for a Leg Roll Clutch but Hiromi blocks it. Knee to the midsection by Hiromi but Toshie cradles her for a two count. Side headlock takedown by Toshie and she hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Toshie and she hits a scoop slam. Toshie goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she quickly goes up top again but Hiromi catches her with a Fujiwara Armbar when she jump off. Armdrag by Hiromi but Toshie rolls her up for two, Hiromi quickly gets Toshie to the mat and applies a kneelock. Back up, Toshie gets another quick roll-up but it gets two. Judo toss by Hiromi, she picks up Toshie and drops her on her head with a backdrop suplex. Hiromi goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, she goes up again but Toshie recovers and dropkicks her before she can jump off. Toshie joins Hiromi but Hiromi slides down her back and hits a sunset flip powerbomb for the three count! Hiromi Yagi wins!

This was a good match, but oddly structured which happens with younger wrestlers sometimes. It was basically just a random mesh of flash pins and submission holds, without a lot of transitions or method to get from one to another. The submissions never felt particularly deadly and didn’t play into the finish at all, even if it is clear from this match that Hiromi Yagi is a skilled submission machine. The backdrop suplex was very head drop-y so I am glad that Toshie was ok, not sure if they went to the end quicker because of it. Perfectly fine for a casual watch, nothing wrong with the action itself, it just didn’t have a clear direction so it was hard to get invested.

Sonoko Kato and Yuki Miyazaki and Tomoko Kuzumi and Chikayo Nagashima
Fight To The Last Young Generation One Night Tag Tournament Final

• Semi Final: Sonoko Kato and Yuki Miyazaki defeated Toshie Sato and Kanako Motoya
• Semi Final: Chikayo Nagashima and Tomoko Kuzumi defeated Chiharu Nakano and Reiko Amano

Which set up this match to end the event. All four of these wrestlers are basically rookies, with the JWP wrestlers being slightly more experienced as Miyazaki debuted in January 1995 and Kuzumi (better known today as Azumi Hyuga) debuted in December of 1994. The teams are mixed between promotions but that won’t matter here as they all are feisty and want to win the tournament. Not a lot of time is left on this broadcast so I assume this match will be very clipped.

We join this match in progress, with Sonoko being double teamed. Yuki comes in to help as Sonoko gets Tomoko up in an airplane spin, Chikayo cradles Sonoko from behind however and picks up a two count. Chikayo stomps on Sonoko and hits a cutter, scoop slam by Chikayo and she covers Sonoko for two. Irish whip by Chikayo but Sonoko reverses it and hits a bulldog. Tomoko runs in and dropkicks Sonoko, Chikayo tags Tomoko but Sonoko hits a hard elbow. Tomoko flips herself out to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick, cover by Tomoko but it gets two. Sonoko escapes Tomoko and hits a bulldog, giving her time to tag in Yuki. Hip attacks by Yuki to Tomoko, she picks her up but after a collision the advantage is regained by Tomoko. Swandive dropkick by Tomoko and she stomps at Yuki, Yuki goes for a leg clutch but Tomoko blocks it and tags Chikayo. Stunner by Chikayo and she hits a cutter for a two count. Chikayo picks up Yuki but Yuki hits a sunset flip for two. She tags in Sonoko but Chikayo catches Sonoko with the Corbata for two. Chikayo goes off the ropes but Sonoko pushes her off and hits four leg drops for a two count. Sonoko picks up Chikayo and hits a running bulldog, Acid Drop by Sonoko but Chikayo barely gets a shoulder up. Yuki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Chikayo, Sonoko then delivers a diving Lou Thesz Press but Tomoko breaks up the cover. Sonoko gets Chikayo on her shoulders but she wiggles off and rolls up Sonoko for the three count! Tomoko Kuzumi and Chikayo Nagashima win the match and the tournament.

This was too clipped to get a great feel of, only 5 of 17 minutes was shown, but what we did see was fine. Very fast paced, lots going on, no real downtime as these younger wrestlers haven’t really started working on “pacing” yet so its constant action. The fact three of these four are still active today is pretty cool (and rare), and its fun to see them back when they were still learning. Tomoko looked great as she always does but there were no real weak links here, everyone did their part well and it was the type of match you couldn’t look away or you’d miss something. I liked what I saw, just wish that I could have seen more.

The post GAEA Japan SPLASH J and RUNNING G II on 1/14/96 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

After a few long months we are returning to Oz! That might be a bad pun. Anyway this is an Oz Academy super show of sorts as it is a joint show with Pro Wrestling WAVE and Zuban (Zuban is the parent company of Pro Wrestling WAVE). So we get some matches from the Catch the Wave Tournament and other random matches as well as wrestlers from both promotions collide. Here is the full card:

• Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kana and Konami
• Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Rina Yamashita vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki, Hikaru Shida, and Sawako Shimono 
• CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Round 3: Cherry vs. Ryo Mizunami
• Aja Kong and Mei Lee vs. Dynamite Kansai and Fairy Nipponbashi
• Chikayo Nagashima and Ayako Hamada vs. Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata
• CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Round 3: “Kyusei” Sakura Hirota vs. Misaki Ohata
• Mayumi Ozaki, Miyako Matsumoto, Mio Shirai, and Yumi Ohka vs. Moeka Haruhi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hiroe Nagahama, and Mika Iida

Most of the Joshi wrestlers above profiles on the website, you can click on their names to go straight to it.

Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kana and Konami

Konami and Kagetsu start off the match and they trade holds on the mat, Kagetsu gets the better of it and she throws Konami into the corner because she wants Kana.  Kana tags in, Kana gets Kagetsu to the mat but Kagetsu applies a side headlock.  Kana Irish whips out of it but fails at the shoulderblock.  They trade elbows but Kana hits a hip attack.  Kana picks up Kagetsu, Irish whip, but Kagetsu hits a dropkick.  Kagetsu tags in Kobayashi, dropkick by Kobayashi and she hits another one, but Kana stays up.  Kobayashi dropkicks Kana in the knee and then in the head, but Kana elbows her and kicks Kobayashi in the back.  Kana tags in Konami, and Kagetsu kicks Kobayashi in the corner.  Snapmare by Konami and she kicks Kobayashi, but Kobayashi hits a scoop slam.  Crab hold by Kobayashi but Konami makes it to the ropes.  Kobayashi tags in Kagetsu, Kagetsu knocks Kana off the apron and they both kick Konami.  Face crusher by Kobayashi and Kagetsu dropkicks Konami in the face.  Senton by Kobayashi and Kagetsu drops Kobayashi onto Konami.  Double elbow drop to Konami, Kagetsu picks up Konami and drives her into the corner before hitting a jumping elbow.  Konami fights back with kicks and she hits a schoolboy for two.  Konami tags in Kana and she hits a missile dropkick on Kagetsu. Kana kicks Kagetsu in the chest repeatedly, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a hip attack. 

Elbows by Kana and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Kobayashi breaks it up.  Kagetsu hits a high kick to Kana and she goes for a suplex, but Kana blocks it and spins her down into a short armbar.  Front necklock by Kana but Kagetsu suplexes out of it.  Kagetsu tags in Kobayashi and they trade elbows, Kobayashi grabs Kana but Kana gets the cross armbreaker applied.  Kagetsu quickly breaks it up and she rolls up Kana for a two count.  Fisherman suplex hold by Kobayashi, but Kana kicks out.  Kobayashi goes off the ropes but Kana hits a back kick followed by a sliding kick before tagging in Konami.  Konami kicks Kobayashi in the chest and she nails a high kick, she wraps up Kobayashi in a submission hold but Kagetsu breaks it up.  Konami applies an Octopus Hold to Kobayashi while Kana takes care of Kagetsu, but Kagetsu gets away from Kana and breaks it up.  Kana and Konami Irish whip Kobayashi but Kobayashi gets away and Kagetsu hits a swandive crossbody on both of them.  Senton by Kobayashi, she goes up top but Konami avoids the missile dropkick.  Schoolboy by Konami, but it gets two, as does the backslide.  Kick by Konami, she goes off the ropes but Kobayashi catches her with the 120% School Boy for the three count! Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi win!

This is one of the best openers I have seen in a good while.  First of all this was serious Kana, not face paint Kana, and while I enjoy her no matter what it is always nice to see her ass kicking side.  Lots of smart submissions and hard strikes here and the young wrestlers really held their own.  The only thing that hurt it was the one hard camera as the action was on point throughout, great way to start the show.  Recommended

Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Yamashita vs. Kuragaki, Hikaru Shida, and Sawako Shimono

Yamashita and Shimono start off but AKINO promptly come in to help and Shimono is double teamed.  Yamashita clubs Shimono and she hits a running double chop for a one count.  Back up they trade shots, lariat by Shimono but Yamashita returns the favor.  Judo throw by Shimono and she hits a seated senton for two.  Shimono tags in Shida and Shida hits a hip attack.  Irish whip by Shida but Yamashita blocks the next hip attack, hurricanrana by Shida and this time she connects with the hip attack.  Knees by Shida but Yamashita boots her for a two.  Yamashita tags in Toyota, Toyota wraps up Shida in the ropes but Shimono intercepts her.  Toyota puts her in the ropes also, but Kuragaki intercepts her this time.  Toyota hits a crossbody on all three of them as AKINO and Yamashita come in the ring, and all three hit dropkicks.  Shida hits an enzuigiri on Toyota but Toyota catches the hip attack.  Shida hits a vertical suplex and she tags in Kuragaki.  Jawbreaker by Kuragaki and she throws Toyota to the mat.  Toyota is triple teamed in the corner and Kuragaki hits a hard lariat.  Toyota rolls Kuragaki around the mat and she covers her for two.  Toyota goes up top and kills both herself and Kuragaki with a moonsault and she tags in AKINO. 

Missile dropkick by AKINO, she picks up Kuragaki but Kuragaki hits a backdrop suplex.  AKINO hits one of her own and she hits a bulldog.  Superkick by Kuragaki but AKINO hits a kick combination.  Lariats by Kuragaki but AKINO delivers a high kick.  Big lariat by Kuragaki and she tags in Shimono.  Shida runs in too as Shimono hits shoulderblocks on AKINO, Shimono picks up AKINO and she hits a Samoan Drop for two.  AKINO kicks Shimono in the head and she hits a backdrop suplex.  Cover, but it gets two.  AKINO goes for a PK but Shimono ducks it, AKINO applies a stretch hold but Shida hits her with a kendo stick.  Yamashita knocks Shimono into Shida, Toyota boots AKINO and Shimono applies a schoolboy for a two count.  Shimono positions AKINO, she goes up top but AKINO joins her.  Kuragaki throws AKINO back to the mat and Shimono hits a seated senton for two.  Shimono picks up AKINO but AKINO delivers a high kick.  Another kick by AKINO but Kuragaki breaks up the cover, the ring finally clears out, Shida hits AKINO from the floor with the kendo stick but AKINO snaps off a hurricanrana on Shimono for the three count! Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Rina Yamashita win the match.

This match way exceeded my expectations.  The middle section with Kuragaki and AKINO was just awesome.  Everyone looked good, it was fast paced, and it felt important.  Could have used more time and it took a bit of time to get going but still an entertaining tag match.  Recommended

Cherry vs. Ryo Mizunami

This match is part of the CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Tournament.  Mizunami hits a spear right off the bat, she then hits a leg lariat but it gets a two count.  Mizunami picks up Cherry and she hits a lariat, but Cherry fights back and hits a STO.  Mizunami hits a back bodydrop followed by a pair of leg drops but Cherry avoids the third. Dragon sleeper by Cherry and she hits a Final Cut for two.  Cherry goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Mizunami and she hits an armdrag. Northern Lights Suplex hold by Cherry but it gets a two count.  Elbows by Mizunami and she hits a spear for a two count.  Cherry goes off the ropes and she kicks Mizunami in the head, powerslam by Mizunami but Cherry rolls her up for a two count.  Mizunami gets Cherry up on her shoulders and she hits the Argentine Facebuster, but Cherry rebounds and hits a series of chops.  Lariat by Mizunami and she hits a dragon suplex hold for two.  Diving Guillotine Leg Drop by Mizunami and she picks up the three count! Ryo Mizunami wins the match.

I won’t say this was a great match but a sprint was the right way to go.  Cherry doesn’t do much for me and if this was 15 minutes it wouldn’t have worked.  Mizunami is really good though and her moves were really on point. Too short to get excited about but still solid.

Aja Kong and Mei Lee vs. Dynamite Kansai and Fairy Nipponbashi

Kong and Nipponbashi start off but Kansai comes in the ring too and dancing around the ring. She gets Lee to dance too and it is Kong’s turn, but she leaves. They get her to come back but she won’t dance so Kansai kicks her.  Crossbody by Kong to Kansai and she pounds on Nipponbashi.  Kong tags in Lee so she can dance around with Nipponbashi.  Scoop slam by Nipponbashi and she hits a second one.  Nipponbashi tags in Kansai, and Lee and Kansai share a dance (this is not an overly serious match), but Lee punches her in the chest and tags in Kong.  Kong kicks at Kansai but Kansai takes off her mask and powers up.  Kansai and Kong trade lariats until Kansai knocks Kong off her feet.  Kansai picks up Kong and she delivers a high kick, but Nipponbashi gets her to put the mask back on.  Kansai covers Kong with the wand, but it gets two.  Kansai tags in Nipponbashi, Nipponbashi has the wand but Kong hits her and tags in Lee.  Nipponbashi throws around Lee with the wand so Lee tags Kong back in.  Nipponbashi tries the wand on Kong but Kong just shrugs.  Lee comes in, and she flies across the ring via wand wave.  It still doesn’t work on Kong but after a talking to, Kong finally is knocked over by the wand.  Kansai comes in and they all comfort Kong, and Nipponbashi gives Kong the wand to use.  Kong tries to use the wand but it doesn’t work for her, so she gets a metal box and hits them all in the head with it.  Kong hits a brainbuster on Nipponbashi, and she gets the three count! Aja Kong and Mei Lee win the match.

Ok so this was silly but Kong helped make this match by not playing along, finally doing it, and getting annoyed when no one else returned the favor.  So while it isn’t my thing it had a good story anyway, if you are a fan of Fairy’s comedy you’ll enjoy it.

Chikayo Nagashima and Ayako Hamada vs. Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata

Nagashima and Kato start off and they lock knuckles, kicks by Kato and she hits a shoulderblock.  Kato kicks Nagashima in the back, Yamagata comes in the ring and Nagashima is double teamed.  Kato tags in Yamagata, Yamagata elbows Nagashima and she kicks Nagashima in the head.  Yamagata throws Nagashima into the corner but Nagashima applies an armbar over the top rope.  Nagashima tags in Hamada, Hamada headbutts Yamagata and she locks knuckles with her before stomping on Yamagata’s hands.  Hamada picks up Yamagata but Yamagata chops her.  They go back and forth  until Hamada knocks Yamagata into the corner, Yamagata ducks the rolling chop as Kato runs in but Hamada knocks Kato back.  Hamada grabs Yamagata’s arm, she walks the ropes and flips both Yamagata and Kato to the mat.  Nagashima runs in and hits a double face crusher, enzuigiri by Hamada but Yamagata hits a headscissors.  Yamagata tags in Kato, kicks by Kato to Hamada and she knocks her to the mat.  Nagashima grabs Kato from the apron to help, Kato ducks Hamada’s heel kick and Yamagata hits a jawbreaker on Hamada.  Cannonball by Kato to Hamada, she goes up top and Kato hits a cannonball off the top turnbuckle for a two.  Kato picks up Hamada, kick by Kato but Hamada punches her back.  Hamada wins the kick battle, she picks up Kato and hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count.  Hamada tags in Nagashima, Nagashima goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets two.  Nagashima picks up Kato and knees her, she goes off the ropes but Kato catches her with a release German suplex.

Kato goes for a kick but Nagashima catches it and hits a quick leg whip.  Hamada runs in to help but she accidentally hits an enzuigiri on Nagashima.  Yamagata comes in and boots Nagashima, then Kato hits a rolling kick for two.  Kato goes to the second turnbuckle but Hamada rolls in and smacks her.  Nagashima climbs up with Kato and she hits a Frankensteiner.  Hamada goes up top and she hits a moonsault on Kato, Nagashima picks up Kato and she hits an uranage but the pin is broken up.  Nagashima goes off the ropes but Kato catches her with a powerbomb.  Head kick by Kato, cover, but it gets two.  Kato hits a dragon suplex hold by Nagashima, but the pin is broken up.  Yamagata is tagged in and she elbows Nagashima in the corner.  Yamagata goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick on Nagashima.  Nagashima catches Yamagata with an uranage, but Yamagata kicks out.  Nagashima picks up Yamagata, Hamada and Kato both run in, and Hamada helps Nagashima hit a tornado DDT.  Nagashima picks up Yamagata and she hits a fisherman buster, but Kato breaks it up.  Nagashima goes off the ropes and she hits a hurricanrana, but Kato breaks it up.  Head kick by Yamagata, she picks up Nagashima and she hits the Schwein, but Hamada breaks it up.  Enzuigiri by Yamagata to Nagashima but Nagashima rolls her up for two.  Kato goes up top and hits a diving leg drop on Nagashima, Yamagata picks up Nagashima and she delivers the La Ayakita for the three count! The winners are Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata.

This started slow but really picked up by the end.  Lots of fun back and forths and the end was just chaos but in a good way.  It could have used some tightening up but all four of these women can go, definitely a fun watch.  Mildly Recommended

“Kyusei” Sakura Hirota vs. Misaki Ohata

This match is part of the CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Tournament.  Hirota and Ohata shake hands to start, they go to the mat but neither can get an advantage.  Back up they lock knuckles and Ohata flings Hirota to the mat.  Ohata boots Hirota in the corner but Hirota applies a grounded necklock.  Crab hold by Ohata and she gives Hirota a curb stomp for a two count.  Irish whip by Ohata but Hirota hits a back splash off the ropes, wristlock by Hirota but Ohata shrugs her off.  Small package by Hirota but it gets two.  Face crusher by Hirota, she grabs Ohata’s arm and walks the ropes and hits a springboard armdrag.  Ohata goes off the ropes and hits a crossbody, back elbow by Ohata and she hits a running crossbody in the corner.  Ohata goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody.  Waistlock by Ohata but Hirota rolls her up for a two count.  Ohata elbows Hirota but Hirota hits a lariat.  Hirota and Ohata trade elbows but Hirota applies a small package for two.  Irish whip by Hirota and she hits a rebound elbow strike.  Hirota kicks Ohata, she picks her up and Ohata hits a series of elbows.  Release German by Ohata and she hits a second one.  Another one by Ohata, she goes for a crucifix roll-up but Hirota blocks it.  Hirota goes to the ropes and hits a quebrada, but it only gets a two count.  Hirota goes up top and does a handstand but Ohata powerbombs her.  Ohata gets Hirota’s back and hits a crucifix bomb, but it gets a two count.  Ohata grabs Hirota and hits a fisherman buster, but Hirota barely gets a shoulder up.  Hirota trips Ohata and she hits an Oil Check, La Magistral by Hirota but it gets two.  Ohata picks up Hirota but Hirota hits a one arm suplex hold for two.  Hirota goes off the ropes, Ohata goes for a fisherman buster but Hirota cuts it back and rolls up Hirota for the three count! Sakura Hirota wins!

This is probably the best Hirota singles match I’ve seen, Ohata is great.  Hirota still had her silly moments and I don’t think she is a good wrestler, but Ohata controlled this one very well.  I liked the ending, cutbacks are a good way for underdogs to win and Hirota got in enough offense that it didn’t seem fluky.  Solid match, better than I expected.  Mildly Recommended

Mayumi Ozaki, Miyako Matsumoto, Mio Shirai, and Yumi Ohka 
vs. Moeka Haruhi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hiroe Nagahama, and Mika Iida

Matsumoto and Iida start off and they trade some introductory holds until Iida hits a dropkick.  Armdrag by Iida but all her teammates come in to help.  The action spills outside the ring, chairs are thrown around but it’s hard to see with the lighting.  Iida and Matsumoto return to the ring and Iida hits a missile dropkick for two.  Iida tags in Nagahama but Matsumoto beats down Nagahama and hits a scoop slam.  Iida tags in Shirai, and Nagahama is quadruple teamed in the corner.  Shirai grabs Nagahama and hits a vertical suplex for a two count.  Shirai applies a crab hold but it is broken up, Ohka gets in the ring and they take turns booting Nagahama.  Big boot by Ohka, cover, but Haruhi breaks it up.  Ohka tags in Matsumoto but Nagahama rolls up Matsumoto for a two count.  Dropkick by Nagahama and she tags in Fujimoto.  Fujimoto dropkicks all her opponents, snapmare to Matsumoto and she kicks her in the back.  Fujimoto tags in Haruhi and Haruhi applies a camel clutch to Matsumoto.  Haruhi tags in Iida, and Iida throws Matsumoto down by her hair.  Iida scoop slams Matsumoto and he does it a second time for a two count.  Iida tags in Nagahama, Nagahama slams Matsumoto and she delivers a dropkick.  Nagahama tags Haruhi and Haruhi throws down Matsumoto by her hair.  Iida is tagged in but Matsumoto gets away with help from interference and tags in Shirai.  Shirai boots Iida and covers her for two.  Short armbar by Shirai but Iida hits a reverse STO.  Dropkick by Iida but Ozaki chokes her with her whip.  Shirai goes for a kick but Iida catches her leg and applies an ankle hold. 

Shirai gets to the ropes, Iida hits a capture suplex hold but it gets two.  Iida tags in Fujimoto and she dropkicks Shirai in the corner.  Fujimoto picks up Shirai but Shirai elbows her and they trade shots.  Dropkick by Fujimoto but Shirai boots her back and applies a necklock over the top rope.  Shirai goes for a missile dropkick but Fujimoto moves out of the way.  Kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits a PK for a two count.  Fujimoto applies a crossface but it is quickly broken up.  Shirai gets a stick and bops people with it, cover by Shirai but it gets two.  Shirai tags in Ohka, Ohka stomps on Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a dropkick.  Fujimoto applies a cross-arm submission but Ohka gets out of it.  Ohka swings Fujimoto around the ring, and Fujimoto is triple teamed against the ropes.  Diving Crossbody by Ohka, cover, but Fujimoto kicks out.  Ohka hits a heel drop but the pin is broken up.  Fujimoto fights back and tags in Haruhi, and Haruhi hits a diving crossbody on Ohka for a two count.  Haruhi hits a hurricanrana out of the corner and then she applies a headscissors into an armbar, but it is broken up.  Big boot by Ohka and she hits a backdrop suplex.  Ohka picks up Haruhi and she hits a brainbuster for another two.  Fujimoto runs in and hits a Shining Wizard, then Iida dropkicks Ohka against the ropes.  Haruhi hits a diving footstomp (lots of random stuff is happening, I’m keeping up the best I can), chaos ensues but things settle down with Haruhi and Ohka still in the ring.  Haruhi goes off the ropes but Ohka catches her with a chokebomb for two.  Big boot by Ohka, cover, and she gets the three count! Ozaki Army wins!

This was a bit crazy but it had to be as not all of these wrestlers are particularly great.  So it helped hide the flaws, even though the match did go so long that some of those flaws started peeking through anyway.  This could have been condensed but it is a very typical Oz main event, this is just the kind of match they enjoy.  Wrestling-wise it was pretty average but it kept my attention.

The post OZ Academy X ZABUN ~dagaya~ [ZEN] on 5/10/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

• Chikayo Nagashima vs. Risa Sera
• Hamuko Hoshi, Hiroshi Fukuda, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Misaki Ohata, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Aoi Kizuki vs. Cherry vs. Dynamite Kansai vs. Kaho Kobayashi
• Isami Kodaka vs. Yumi Ohka
• Aja Kong and SAGAT vs. Neko Nitta and Shuji Ishikawa
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai

Some potential here for goodness, let’s see how it goes. All the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it.

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Risa Sera

Sera attacks Nagashima from behind to start and she hits a shoulderblock, but Nagashima boots her in the head.  Nagashima applies an armbar over the top rope and she steps on both of Sera’s hands.  Nagashima mushes Sera in the face with her boot but Sera hits a scoop slam followed by some running double knee drops.  Sera goes for a monkey flip but Nagashima has none of it and hits a footstomp.  Another footstomp by Nagashima, she picks up Sera and they trade elbows until Sera hits a dropkick.  Crab hold by Sera, she picks up Nagashima and she hits a Schwein for a two count.  Nagashima goes off the ropes and she hits a spinning headscissors followed by a dropkick.  Nagashima goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover, but it gets two.  Knees by Nagashima but Sera picks up Nagashima and hits an Attitude Adjustment for another two count.  Sera hits a running double knee in the corner, reverse double knee drop off the turnbuckles by Sera but Nagashima kicks out.  Sera picks up Nagashima but Nagashima quickly rolls her up for two.  German suplex hold by Nagashima, but Sera kicks out at two.  Nagashima charges Sera but Sera hits a hard elbow.  Sera goes up top but Nagashima joins her and hits a Frankensteiner.  Cover, but Sera gets a shoulder up.  Back up, Sera goes off the ropes but Nagashima hits a big boot.  Fisherman Buster by Nagashima and she picks up the three count!

This was a really solid way to open up the show.  Nagashima and Sera are both good wrestlers and they put together a somewhat short but fast paced and to the point match with little wasted time.  Good way to start things off.  Mildly Recommended

Hamuko Hoshi, Fukuda, and Miyagi vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Misaki Ohata, and Tsukasa Fujimoto

Hoshi and Ohata start off, wristlock by Hoshi but Ohata reverses it.  Ohata tags in Fujimoto and they all triple team Hoshi while he is in the ropes.  Fujimoto throws Hoshi into the corner but Hoshi teammates run in and Fujimoto is triple teamed in the corner.  Hoshi tags in Miyagi and Miyagi hits a body avalanche in the corner.  Miyagi mounts Fujimoto in the corner and rubs her belly into Fujimoto’s face, but Fujimoto somehow survives and kicks out of the cover.  Fujimoto throws down Miyagi and she tags in Ozaki, and Ozaki whips Miyagi in the corner.  I mean literally whips her.  Miyagi sneaks in an inside cradle but Ozaki kicks out of it and tags in Ohata.  Irish whip by Ohata and she hits Miyagi with the whip.  Curb stomp by Ohata and she tags in Fujimoto.  Fujimoto kicks Miyagi in the back and twists her belly before tagging in Ozaki.  Ozaki throws Miyagi to the mat and she hits a corkscrew senton from the top for a two count.  Irish whip by Ozaki and she kicks Miyagi for another two count before applying a seated armbar. Ohata is brought back in as Miyagi plays face(?) in peril, until Miyagi finally hits a running belly bump and tags in Fukuda.  Fukuda shoulderblocks Ohata and kicks her, he goes up top but Ohata punches him in the stomach when he jumps off.  Fukuda rakes Ohata in the eyes, his teammates come in and all three of them hit body blocks on Ohata.  Lariat by Fukuda but Fujimoto breaks up the cover.  Tiger Feint Kick by Fujimoto, Ozaki grabs Fukuda and hits a release German suplex.  PK by Fujimoto, running body press by Ohata while Fukuda is sitting on the mat but it only gets a two count.  Ohata tags in Ozaki, Ozaki whips Fukuda in the corner and then chokes him, Ohata and Fujimoto come in and they all take turns whipping Fukuda.  Ozaki goes up top, Fukuda tries to convince her not to attack him so Ozaki climbs back down.  Everyone comes into the ring while Fukuda is still talking away and they take turns singing, but they can’t get Ozaki to do it.  Finally Ozaki does sing as everyone jumps around happy, Fukuda applies a small package to Ozaki but it gets a two count.  Quick kick by Ozaki, she gives Fukuda a small package of her own and she picks up the three count!

Just a bit too long and a bit too silly for me. There were some decent wrestlers hiding in this match, I love Ohata for sure, but this match just didn’t do a lot for me.  Very skippable.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Cherry vs. Dynamite Kansai vs. Kaho Kobayashi

Everyone attacks Kansai right off the bat, hitting rolling sentons and a triple falling headbutt.  They pick her up but Kansai elbows all three of them, Kansai throws all three in the corner and she lariats Cherry and Kobayashi because Kizuki moved.  Kansai scoop slams Cherry while Kizuki cheers her on, and Kizuki poses with Kansai.  Kizuki sneaks in a roll-up on Kansai for a two count, and Kansai kicks her in the ribs.  Kobayashi comes in and dropkicks Kansai in the head twice but Kansai blocks the fisherman suplex.  Lariat by Kansai and a cover, but it is broken up.  Cherry and Kizuki Irish whip Kansai but Kansai and Cherry end up elbowing Kizuki.  Cherry puts Kizuki in a figure four, then Kansai puts Kizuki in a necklock.  Kobayashi then puts Kansai in a necklock, Cherry runs over and puts Kobayashi in a necklock but releases the hold so she can put Kizuki in a crab hold (rolling them all over in the process).  Kizuki pushes Cherry off of her, both Kizuki and Kobayashi convince Kansai to go after Cherry but they all end up triple teaming Kansai in the corner.  Kansai starts booting them back, Cherry covers Kobayashi but Kizuki breaks it up.  Kizuki hits a jumping lariat on Kansai, double Irish whip to Kansai and Kansai eats a double dropkick.  Senton by Kizuki and Kobayashi back and forth, double cover by the duo but Kansai kicks out.  Kobayashi and Kizuki charge Kansai but Kansai puts them both in the claw.  Double lariat by Kansai and she lariats Cherry as well.  Kansai goes for Splash Mountain on Cherry but both Kobayashi and Kizuki break it up.  German suplex by Kizuki to Kansai and then the all hit dropkicks.  Triple dropkick to Kansai, Kansai goes for a crossbody on all three but they roll through it and pick up the three count!  Kizuki, Cherry and Kobayashi are declared the winners!

In theory this was not a tag match but they quickly realized that keeping down Kansai was the key to success.  I actually didn’t hate it even though it’s silly on paper, since Kizuki and Kobayashi are such high energy.  Kizuki almost was having too much fun, lots of smiles throughout from everyone but Kansai, almost as if she wasn’t in on the joke.  Definitely above average and a decent mid-card match.

Isami Kodaka vs. Yumi Ohka

They trade holds to start with Kodaka getting the first advantage, they then trade elbows but Kodaka throws Ohka into the corner. Punch to the stomach by Kodaka and he hits the baseball slide elbow smash (he was safe).  Ohka fakes she us running towards Kodaka but Kodaka cowers in the corner.  Ohka moves when Kodaka charges in and hits an elbow drop, stomps by Ohka but Kodaka regains the advantage and applies a chinlock.  Stomps by Kodaka but Ohka punches him before hitting a scoop slam.  Big boot by Ohka in the corner but Kodaka avoids the next one and hits a boot of his own.  Kodaka goes for a suplex but Ohka blocks it into a vertical suplex, she goes off the ropes and she boots Kodaka in the head.  She does it a second time and a third, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Kodaka lands on his feet and applies a submission hold.  Ohka gets out of it and they trade elbows, Ohka stomps on Kodaka’s foot and kicks him but Kodaka connects with the super kick. Back up Kodaka delivers a dropkick, he covers Ohka but it gets two.  Scoop slam by Kodaka in front of the corner, he goes up top but Ohka avoids the diving double knee.  Big boot by Ohka and she hits a backdrop suplex, but Kodaka avoids the next boot.  Chokebomb by Ohka, but Kodaka gets a shoulder up.  Heel drop by Ohka, she picks up Kodaka but he blocks the tiger suplex.  Roll-up cover by Kodaka for two and he kicks Ohka in the side of the head.  Kodaka picks up Ohka and drills her with a brainbuster, but she barely kicks out of the cover.  Kick to the back of the head by Kodaka and he nails the Isami-Ashi Zan for the three count cover!

This wasn’t as bad as I was expecting since I don’t think much of Ohka.  I thought it was smartly worked once we got through the beginning, it was a bit repetitious at times since Ohka is limited but they did the dynamic very well.  Kodaka didn’t hold back of course because Ohka is a woman which just helped make her look more legitimate, it never felt like a “gender” thing which is a plus.  Not great but certainly watchable.

Aja Kong and SAGAT vs. Neko Nitta and Shuji Ishikawa

Kong and Ishikawa start off, side headlock by Ishikawa but Kong Irish whips out of it.  They take turns failing at shoulderblocks  until Kong manages to shoulderblock Ishikawa down, but Ishikawa immediately returns the favor.  Nitta and SAGAT are tagged in and Nitta hits SAGAT with her tail, Ishikawa comes in and they hit a double shoulderblock.  Ishikawa and Nitta both scratch SAGAT and stand on him near the ropes.  Nitta tries to go off the ropes but SAGAT grabs her by the tail and tags in Kong.  Kong pulls around Nitta by the tail before tying her to the top rope with it.  Chops by Kong and she keeps hitting Nitta by the tail, scoop slam by Kong but Ishikawa runs in and scratches her back.  Kong tags in SAGAT and SAGAT chokes Nitta by her tail, Nitta sneaks in a bodyscissors roll-up but it gets two.  Nitta tags in Ishikawa and Ishikawa shoulderblocks both SAGAT and Kong.  Ishikawa lariats SAGAT in the corner and he hits a backdrop suplex for a two count cover.  Irish whip by Ishikawa but SAGAT kicks him back, they trade elbows and SAGAT hits a DDT.  Cover, but it gets two.  Knee to the stomach by Ishikawa and he hits a vertical suplex.  Ishikawa tags in Nitta and Nitta hits a dropkick off the second turnbuckle.  Nitta picks up SAGAT and goes for a suplex, but SAGAT blocks it.  Nitta goes off the ropes and hits a springboard elbow, Ishikawa comes in the ring and he slams SAGAT to the mat.  Ishikawa picks up Nitta and throws her into SAGAT, picking up a two count.  Nitta and Ishikawa both attack SAGAT in the corner, Ishikawa gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp.  Nitta hits (well not really) a corkscrew senton, but Kong breaks up the cover.  Ishikawa takes care of Kong but SAGAT hits a Samoan Drop on Nitta.  SAGAT tags in Kong, Kong picks up Nitta and she hits a lariat.  SAGAT returns but Ishikawa comes in the ring and lariats both of them.  SAGAT is thrown into Nitta, while Kong gets a metal bucket and hits Ishikawa with it.  Wheelbarrow suplex by Kong to Nitta but Ishikawa breaks it up.  Kong picks up Nitta and she nails the brainbuster, picking up the three count!

Another goofy match on the card, I guess no one wanted to upstage Mio in the main event. There were a few cute spots with Kong and Nitta, it was just the third match with some comedy type spots in it so I’d rather have seen something a bit different. Certainly nothing to get excited about.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai

Time for the reason I am watching this event in the first place, two of my favorites. They start slow, trading holds on the mat with neither having much luck. Back up Nakajima hits a big boot and throws Shirai into the corner before throwing her to the mat by her hair. She does it again, Irish whip by Nakajima and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Seated armbar by Nakajima and she applies a wristlock before kicking Shirai in the chest. Nakajima applies a stretch hold and then a bodyscissors, stomp by Nakajima and she puts Shirai in a sleeper. Shirai gets up and slams her way out of it, she goes for the cross armbreaker but Nakajima blocks it. Stretch Muffler by Nakajima but Shirai gets to the ropes. Shirai puts Nakajima in the ropes and boots her hard in the back of the head, crossface by Shirai and she kicks Nakajima in the face. Eye poke by Shirai, she puts Nakajima in the corner and kicks her in the chest. Snapmare by Shirai and she kicks Nakajima in the back, cover by Shirai but it gets two. Camel Clutch by Shirai but Nakajima gets out of it and they trade elbows back on their feet. DDT by Nakajima and she dropkicks Shirai in the head, Irish whip by Nakajima to the corner and she hits a high knee. Dropkick out of the corner by Nakajima, cover on Shirai but Shirai kicks out. Kick by Nakajima, she picks up Shirai but Shirai hits a leg sweep and applies the figure four necklock. Nakajima gets out of it, she pulls down the rope when Shirai charges her and Shirai lands out on the apron. Shirai and Nakajima trade elbows but Nakajima wins the battle and knocks Shirai down to the floor. Nakajima then gets up on the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Shirai with a plancha suicida. Nakajima throws Shirai around the floor and throws chairs on top of her before hitting a footstomp (I am assuming since it is off camera). Shirai fights back and throws Nakajima into the ring post before slamming her head into the apron. Shirai gets up on the apron and hits a jumping kick onto Nakajima, she then hits a vertical suplex out on the floor. Shirai hits Nakajima with a chair and chokes her, but the referee finally gets her to stop so Shirai elbows her instead.

Shirai finally rolls Nakajima back in the ring, she gets up on the top turnbuckle and applies a necklock over the top rope. Shirai goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Shirai but it gets a two count. Shirai gets a chair and sets it up in the middle of the ring, she puts Nakajima on it and boots it into Nakajima’s face. Shirai picks up Nakajima but Nakajima ducks the enzuigiri and hits a suplex. Running boots by Nakajima while Shirai is against the ropes, cover by Nakajima but it gets two. Nakajima gets a chair and she hits Shirai in the face with it, she then breaks it over Shirai’s head and Shirai rolls out of the ring. Shirai gets up out on the floor but Nakajima hits a baseball slide and goes after her, throwing Shirai into the ring post. Nakajima rolls Shirai back in and goes up top, and she hits the missile dropkick for a two count. German suplex hold by Nakajima but that gets a two count as well, rolling Germans by Nakajima and she holds the last one for another two count. Nakajima goes up top, but Shirai recovers and joins her, Nakajima pushes Shirai off but Shirai gets a chair and hits her with it. Back up Shirai goes and she hits an avalanche powerslam, kick to the head by Shirai but the cover gets two. Both wrestlers are slow to get up and they trade elbows as they return to their feet, and Nakajima knocks Shirai back to the mat. Shirai gets back up and hits a high kick, heel drop by Shirai and she covers Nakajima for a two count. Shisenkō by Shirai, she picks up Nakajima and she nails the double underhook facebuster. Running kick by Shirai, cover, but Nakajima barely gets a shoulder up. Shirai waits for Nakajima to get up but Nakajima catches the Egukeri and applies an ankle lock. Running knee by Nakajima, she picks up Shirai but Shirai applies a sleeper. Figure four necklock by Shirai but Nakajima manages to get a foot on the ropes. Shirai suplexes Nakajima back to the middle of the ring and re-applies the hold, but Nakajima gets to the ropes again. Nakajima snaps off a release German suplex, elbows by Nakajima and she hits the Dharma Style German, but the bell rings just as she does so and the match is a Draw.

Shirai agrees with me that draws are lame and does not want to end her show that way, so after a few minutes of discussion the match restarts! Shirai immediately hits a hurricanrana, but Nakajima kicks out. She goes for the Tsuchigumo but Nakajima blocks it, but Shirai applies the Jorōgumo into a roll-up for two. Shirai goes off the ropes but Nakajima elbows her, knee by Shirai but Nakajima hits a bridging fallaway slam for two. Kick to the side of the head by Nakajima, she picks up Shirai and hits a few elbows. Shirai fights back with a hard headbutt, Tsuchigumo but Shirai but Nakajima gets a shoulder up. Headbutt by Shirai to the now bleeding Nakajima, she goes for a kick but Nakajima ducks it and hits elbows. Nakajima punches Shirai in the face, she picks up Shirai and nails the Dharma Style German Suplex Hold, and this time she gets the three count!

This really was a great match, only hurt by the fact it was filmed on a hard camera. That was really only an issue because a good chunk of the match in the middle was out on the floor, and with the camera some things were hard to see and others were missed entirely. Also, even though it was a hard hitting match some of that is lost when the view is a bit far away. That being said, what a match by these two as it had everything you could ask for… hard strikes (Shirai even busted open Nakajima with a headbutt), suplexes, submissions, memorable moves, the works. For a 30+ minute match it never felt like it was dragging, and of course I love the match was re-started and they didn’t end things with a draw. Really a must-see match by these two, with the only downside being the action missed due to not having a multi-camera setup. Highly Recommended

event originally reviewed on 7/1/15

The post Mio Shirai Produce “M.I.O. 4” on 6/19/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using extensively to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

For the first time, I am reviewing a GAEA Japan COMM release! GAEA Japan generally aired on GAORA TV, but they also put out commercial tapes as well. Most of their later commercial tapes are compilations, but in 1995 and 1996 they released several that showed entire events. This isn’t their first commercial tape of 1995, however I decided to just review the TV broadcast of the other shows. This event was never shown on TV, however, and since I didn’t want to miss any events I tracked down the commercial DVD (you can get it too at the link above). The show featured a one night six woman tag team tournament, here is the full card:

• Super Scramble Six Women Tag Tournament: Chigusa Nagayo, Chikayo Nagashima, and Kobayashi vs. Hikari Fukuoka, Sonoko Kato, and Kanako Motoya
• Super Scramble Six Women Tag Tournament: Dynamite Kansai, Makie Numao, and Yasuko Kuragaki vs. KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Tomoko Kuzumi
• Battle Royal with Bolshoi Kid, Bomber Hikari, Chigusa Nagayo, Chihiro Nakano, Chikayo Nagashima, Cuty Suzuki, Devil Masami, Dynamite Kansai, Makie Numao, Mayumi Ozaki, Rieko Amano, Saburo, Tomoko Miyaguchi, Tomori Kobayashi, Toshie Sato, Toshie Uematsu, Yasuko Kuragaki, and Yuki Miyazaki
• Super Scramble Six Women Tag Final: Hikari Fukuoka, Sonoko Kato, and Kanako Motoya vs. KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Tomoko Kuzumi

Since this was shown on tape and not on TV, nothing will be clipped. You can click on the names above to go directly to that wrestler’s profile here on Joshi City.

Chigusa Nagayo, Chikayo, and Tomori Kobayashi vs. Hikari Fukuoka, Sonoko, and Kanako Motoya
Super Scramble Six Women Tag Tournament Semi Final

Chikayo and Kanako start the match but Tomori quickly tags in and they double team Kanako in the corner. Kanako swats them away when they go for a double dropkick and tags in Sonoko, Fukuoka comes in too but Nagayo gets in the ring and clears house. She starts working over Sonoko and hits a suplex, but Fukuoka breaks up the cover. Nagayo casually slaps Kanako before tagging in Tomori, Tomori works a headlock on Sonoko but Sonoko suplexes her to the mat and throws her into the corner. She tags in Fukuoka, Kanako comes in too and they both dropkick Tomori. Fukuoka whips Tomori around the ring while kicking her, stretch hold by Fukuoka but Chikayo eventually comes in to break it up. Fukuoka tags in Kanako, dropkick by Kanako and she covers Tomori for two. Kanako goes for a sleeper but Tomori quickly gets out of it and tags in Chikayo. Dropkick by Chikayo and she hits Kanako with two more, she picks up Kanako and applies a crossface before tagging in Nagayo. Nagayo throws Kanako into the opposite corner so that Fukuoka can tag in, kicks by Nagayo and she drills Fukuoka with a heel kick. Fukuoka catches the next kick attempt and apples a cross kneelock, but Tomori and Chikayo both run in to break it up.

Kanako and Sonoko take care of them, Kanako goes to help Fukuoka but Tomori and Chikayo run in again. They still can’t free Nagayo as Fukuoka and Kanako won’t let go, finally Nagayo reaches the ropes and both Kanako and Fukuoka release the hold. Fukuoka tags Sonoko, Sonoko applies a kneelock but Nagayo laughs it off (literally) and slaps Sonoko to get out of it. Nagayo tags Tomori, body blocks by Tomori to Sonoko and she covers her for two. Tomori wants Fukuoka so she tags in, Fukuoka elbows Tomori to the mat but Tomori keeps firing back. Tomori tosses Fukuoka to the mat and tags in Nagayo, piledriver by Nagayo but Kanako breaks up the cover. Giant Swing by Nagayo, Tomori comes in and she gives Fukuoka the Giant Swing as well. Tomori tags Chikayo and she does the same, as Fukuoka is probably pretty dizzy by now. Cover by Chikayo, but Kanako and Sonoko break it up. Kanako and Sonoko both put Chikayo in the Giant Swing now, which is easier since Chikayo is an itty bitty wrestler, Fukuoka returns to the ring and gives Chikayo one final Giant Swing before Kanako tags in and covers Chikayo for two. Chikayo bridges out of the next pin attempt and hits the front roll push, but Fukuoka hits her from behind with a missile dropkick.

Chikayo stumbles to her corner and tags in Tomori, Bubba Bomb by Tomori and Chikayo hits an assisted crossbody onto Kanako before Tomori covers her for two. Running kick by Kanako and she tags in Sonoko, bulldog by Sonoko to Tomori but Tomori blocks the next one. Fukuoka attacks Tomori from behind, but Nagayo kicks Sonoko in the head from the apron. Tomori tags in Nagayo, heel kick by Nagayo to Sonoko but the cover is broken up. Kicks by Nagayo, Fukuoka tags in and goes for a suplex, but Nagayo blocks it. Spinning headscissors by Fukuoka, she goes for a hurricanrana but Nagayo catches her and hits a powerbomb. Nagayo tags Chikayo, roll-up by Chikayo but Fukuoka kicks out. Fukuoka goes for a Space Rolling Elbow but Chikayo moves, Tomori tries to help with a missile dropkick but she hits Chikayo by accident. Moonsault by Fukuoka to Chikayo, but Nagayo breaks it up. Fukuoka picks up Chikayo and gives her an airplane spin, but again the cover is broken up by Chikayo’s friends. Powerbomb by Fukuoka to Chikayo, she goes up top and nails the Rider Kick to Chikayo’s chest for the three count! Hikari Fukuoka, Sonoko Kato, and Kanako Motoya win!

This was an incredibly fun match and a great way to kick things off. Everything clicked so well, the rookies were going 100% from bell to bell and Fukuoka/Nagayo did their bits when needed to support them. Nagayo was a bit of a dick but only towards her own trainees, as she generally respected Fukuoka’s offense and sold her injured leg for as long as one could expect. Everyone got a chance to shine and they kept up the pace to keep it interesting. Really solid six woman match to open the show.  Recommended

Dynamite Kansai, Makie Numao, and Yasuko Kuragaki vs. KAORU, Satomura, and Tomoko Kuzumi
Super Scramble Six Women Tag Tournament Semi Final

Kansai throws her rookie teammates at their opponents before the bell rings to give them an early advantage, they stack their opponents in the corner but KAORU quickly gains the advantage and hits a moonsault on Kansai for a two count. Kansai quickly gets back to her feet and hits a Northern Lights Suplex, KAORU and Kansai trade strikes until Makie and Yasuko come into the ring to help. Yasuko stays in as legal but KAORU quickly takes over and tags in Tomoko. Yasuko snapmares Tomoko around and tags in Makie, dropkicks by Makie and she covers Tomoko for two. Tomoko tags in Meiko, jumping shoulderblocks by Meiko and she covers Makie for a two count. Meiko applies a bodyscissors, she then puts Makie in a camel clutch but Yasuko breaks it up. Meiko tags in Tomoko, dropkicks by Tomoko but Makie slides around her and applies a schoolboy for two. Makie tags in Yasuko, Yasuko tosses Tomoko around the ring and hits a scoop slam. Headscissors by Yasuko and she drives Tomoko’s head into the mat, Kansai returns and she kicks Tomoko around the ring. Sleeper by Kansai, she throws Tomoko into the corner and tells KAORU to tag in. KAORU does, backdrop suplex by Kansai and she covers KAORU for two. Kansai puts KAORU in a Scorpion Deathlock, KAORU’s teammates try to break it up but Kansai doesn’t budge.

They finally get Kansai off, Kansai tags in Makie and Makie delivers a diving crossbody. KAORU slaps Makie and kicks her repeatedly before tagging in Meiko, Meiko applies a cross armbreaker, KAORU comes in and applies a cross armbreaker on the other arm too, but it gets broken up. Yasuko tags in while Meiko tags in KAORU, dropkick by KAORU and she covers Yasuko for two. KAORU applies a crab hold but Yasuko eventually gets to the ropes, KAORU tags in Tomoko and hits a jumping crossbody for a two count. Yasuko hits a dropkick and tags in Kansai, sunset flip by Tomoko to Kansai and she tags in KAORU. Lariat by Kansai in the corner but KAORU ducks the next one, KAORU tries to rebound out of the corner but can’t complete the move so she applies an ankle hold instead. Kansai gets to the ropes for the break, KAORU tags in Tomoko and Tomoko dropkicks Kansai repeatedly in the leg. Meiko comes in and they both dropkick Kansai, but Kansai falls in her own corner and tags in Makie. Tomoko elbows Makie but Makie puts her in a Dragon Sleeper, Meiko tries to break up the second one but Yasuko dropkicks her. Missile dropkick by Yasuko to Tomoko, and with Makie they slam Tomoko to the mat. Yasuko kicks Tomoko into the corner but Tomoko sneaks in a sunset flip for two.

Meiko is tagged in and she hits jumping shoulderblocks to Yasuko, Meiko goes up top but Yasuko avoids her dive and dropkicks her in the back of the head. Yasuko goes up top but KAORU grabs her from the apron, giving Meiko time to pull Yasuko off the top turnbuckle and apply a cross armbreaker. Short armbar by Meiko but Kansai breaks it up, things break down a bit with some of the action spilling to the floor. Yasuko and Meiko stay in the ring, Yasuko slams Meiko but KAORU breaks up the cover. Yasuko picks up Meiko but Meiko applies a short armbar, she lets go and charges Yasuko but Yasuko slaps her and tags in Makie. Irish whip by Makie and she hits a back bodydrop, cover by Makie but Meiko bridges out of it. KAORU hits Makie from the apron and Meiko tags in Tomoko, Tomoko stomps on Makie and she hits a swandive missile dropkick. Swandive crossbody by Tomoko, but her cover is broken up by both her other opponents. Meiko comes in and cradles Makie, but she isn’t legal so the referee just looks at her funny. Tomoko recovers, she goes out to the apron and hits a swandive sunset flip, picking up the three count! KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Tomoko Kuzumi are the winners and continue to the finals.

This wasn’t as smooth as the opening match, pretty clunky in parts. It wasn’t bad, but it went a bit too long and not enough really happened to justify its length. Tomoko looked really good and Meiko showed her usual fire, so the issue wasn’t with the wrestlers themselves, it just really didn’t tell a story and didn’t have the same exciting feeling that the opener had. Decent enough, and the rookies are really coming along nicely, but just too back-and-forth with not enough substance to really hold my attention.

18 Women Battle Royal

The match starts with Bolshoi Kid, Bomber Hikari, Chigusa Nagayo, Chihiro Nakano, Chikayo Nagashima, Cuty Suzuki, Devil Masami, Dynamite Kansai, Makie Numao, Mayumi Ozaki, Rieko Amano, Saburo, Tomoko Miyaguchi, Tomomi Kobayashi, Toshie Sato, Toshie Uematsu, Yasuko Kuragaki, and Yuki Miyazaki all in the ring. I am not going to do normal play by play for this since its chaotic, but the first part of the match is mostly ganging up on the veterans since that is the only way to pin someone like Nagayo or Devil Masami. Let’s jump ahead to the final three, which are Bolshoi Kid, Bomber Hikari, and Saburo. Bolshoi Kid is double teamed by Saburo and Bomber, Bomber goes up top but Bolshoi pushes her from behind. Bomber thinks that Saburo did it and fusses at her, Saburo charges Bolshoi but Bolshoi pushes Saburo into Bomber. This makes Bomber mad again, giving Bolshoi a chance to hit a missile dropkick to the back of Bomber’s head.

Bomber and Bolshoi end up double teaming Saburo, Bomber goes up top but she has to keep directing Bolshoi where to slam Saburo so she can dive onto her. Bolshoi finally does it right, diving double jump bodypress by Bomber, but Saburo kicks out. Saburo goes up top but Bomber slams her off, Bolshoi breaks up the pin for reasons unknown but Bomber drops Saburo with the Bombs Away. Bomber goes up top while Bolshoi positions Saburo, diving headbutt by Bomber but Bolshoi quickly covers Saburo for the three count behind Bomber’s back. Saburo is eliminated, leaving just Bolshoi and Bomber. Bolshoi wants to part of Bomber so she bails out of the ring, she finally gets back in and Bomber drops Bolshoi with the Bombs Away for a two count. Bomber goes for it again but Bolshoi reverses it into a cradle for two. Bolshoi goes off the ropes but Bomber catches her with a powerslam, rebound crossbody by Bolshoi out of the corner but Bomber kicks out of the cover. Scoop slam by Bomber but Bolshoi avoids her stomps, rebound elbow by Bolshoi and she covers Bomber for two. Bolshoi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, but that gets a two count as well. Bolshoi tries to slam Bomber but Bomber blocks it and puts Bolshoi in an airplane spin, but Bolshoi quickly recovers. Misteriorana by Bolshoi, and she picks up the three count! Bolshoi Kid wins the Battle Royal!

As I mentioned above, this type of match isn’t something you’d have high expectations for. The veterans had fun, allowing the young wrestlers to do well but it was all with a smile on their face as losing in these matches means nothing. Bolshoi Kid back in the mid-90s was mostly comedy, she could wrestle but stayed within her gimmick most of the time. Mindless fun but nothing more than that.

Hikari Fukuoka, Sonoko Kato, and Kanako vs. KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Tomoko Kuzumi
Super Scramble Six Women Tag Tournament Final

KAORU and Fukuoka start the match and waste no time getting right to it, as Fukuoka hits a lariat but KAORU follows with a dropkick. Fukuoka cartwheels away from KAORU and hits another dropkick, and both wrestlers return to their feet to face off again. Fukuoka tags in Sonoko while Meiko also tags in, and both wrestlers kick each other. Dropkicks by Sonoko and she hits a scoop slam, crab hold by Sonoko but Meiko gets to the ropes for the break. Kanako tags in and she bounces Meiko off the ropes, dropkick by Kanako and she covers Meiko for two. Meiko comes back with a hard elbow and tags in Tomoko, dropkicks by Tomoko and she slams Kanako. Sleeper by Tomoko and she then applies a bodyscissors, but Kanako gets to the ropes. Tomoko tags in KAORU, suplex by KAORU and she covers Kanako for two. Another suplex by KAORU and she applies a camel clutch until Sonoko breaks it up, Fukuoka comes in too and she puts KAORU in a figure four leglock. Meiko tries to break it up but Fukuoka keeps the hold on anyway, KAORU eventually gets out of it but Fukuoka slams her to the mat and tags in Sonoko. Kneelock by Sonoko and Kanako puts KAORU in a kneelock as well, then Fukuoka puts KAORU in a headscissors. Kanako stays in as legal, KAORU finally gets a move in and makes the tag to Tomoko. Crossbody by Tomoko, but Kanako bridges out of the pin. Tomoko grabs her to stop the bridge and puts Kanako in a crab hold, Kanako gets out of it and she boots Tomoko in the chest. Another boot by Kanako and she slams Tomoko in front of the corner before tagging in Fukuoka. Fukuoka comes in the ring with a missile dropkick, but Tomoko falls in her corner and tags in Meiko.

Meiko eats a dropkick too, cover by Fukuoka but it gets two. Double wrist-clutch armsault by Fukuoka, but the cover is broken up. Side headlock by Fukuoka, she picks up Meiko and chokes her before slamming Meiko to the mat. Fukuoka tags Sonoko and they both shoulderblock Meiko, Sonoko snapmares Meiko and puts her in a headscissors. Meiko fires back with elbows and hits a running elbow smash in the corner before tagging in KAORU. Scoop slam by KAORU and she puts Sonoko in a Mexican Surfboard until Fukuoka pushes them over, Irish whip by Meiko to Sonoko and she hits a jumping shoulderblock. Another one by Meiko and she hits a third, one final shoulderblock by Meiko and she covers Sonoko for two. Double swandive missile dropkick to Sonoko, but Sonoko bridges out of the pin. Cross armbreaker by Meiko, but Kanako breaks it up. Space Rolling Elbow by Fukuoka to Meiko but Meiko avoids the second one, cross armbreaker takedown by Meiko but Fukuoka gets a foot on the ropes. Meiko tags KAORU, KAORU goes up top but Fukuoka rolls out of the way of the moonsault. Sonoko comes up from behind and hits a bulldog, missile dropkick by Kanako to KAORU and she covers her for two. KAORU is put into the Tree of Woe and triple teamed, Kanako goes to pick up KAORU but KAORU blocks her and hits a piledriver.

Elbows by KAORU to Kanako but Kanako applies a wheelbarrow roll-up for a two count. Kanako tags in Sonoko, bulldog by Sonoko and she hits the Acid Drop out of the corner. Sonoko picks up KAORU and goes for a second one, but KAORU pushes her off and boots Sonoko in the face. She goes for another boot but Sonoko catches her leg, hard slap by KAORU but Sonoko rolls her up from behind. Sonoko tags Fukuoka, and Fukuoka comes in the ring with a diving crossbody. KAORU rolls through it and tags in Tomoko, Fukuoka gets Tomoko on her shoulders but Tomoko slides off and rolls her up for two. KAORU flies into the ring with a missile dropkick, Meiko goes up top and hits a diving bodypress before Tomoko hits one of her own. Moonsault by KAORU, but Fukuoka bridges out of the pin. KAORU picks up Fukuoka but Fukuoka avoids the brainbuster and hits an Aztec Suplex Hold for a two count. Sonoko and Kanako both hit diving bodypresses onto KAORU, moonsault by Fukuoka and she quickly hits two more moonsaults, but Meiko breaks up the cover. Sonoko and Kanako put KAORU on the top turnbuckle, Fukuoka then charges her and DDTs KAORU from the top turnbuckle to the mat. Rider Kick by Fukuoka, but again the cover is broken up. Fukuoka goes back up top and dives out of the ring onto Meiko and Tomoko, she returns to the ring and goes to the top turnbuckle, but KAORU avoids the moonsault footstomp and hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Fukuoka tries to go up top but is grabbed by Meiko and Tomoko, avalanche armdrag by KAORU to Fukuoka and she puts her in La Magistral, but they end up in the ropes. While all of this is happening there is constantly interference and action around the ring, Fukuoka goes up top but KAORU dropkicks her in the middle of her moonsault attempt. Brainbuster by KAORU to Fukuoka and she nails the swandive moonsault for the three count! KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Tomoko Kuzumi win the tournament!

This match took a bit to get going, but the last five minutes were crazy. It should be noted that even though they all had wrestled earlier, they still were going 100% full tilt the entire match, without any signs of being tired. Their cardio is insane. KAORU and Fukuoka provided the ‘veteran base’ really well and hit all their high spots, both were flying all over the place to keep the match excitement up. The double and triple team spots looked good and while I think the tag rules were pretty loose it didn’t hurt the match any since both sides were doing it. The ending stretch was just constantly something happening, and they hardly gave the viewer a chance to catch their breath with all the action going on. Maybe a smidge too long as it was almost 25 minutes, and we had already seen two similarly structured six woman tag matches, but still a fun match overall.  Mildly Recommended

The post GAEA Japan “Splash J & Running G” on 9/23/95 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using extensively to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

GAEA Japan continues to travel outside of Tokyo for this event, as it takes place in Osaka, Japan (which the name of the show gave away). Chigusa Nagayo’s battles with outsiders continues here, as she takes on Mayumi Ozaki from JWP in a Street Fight. Like the last show, only three matches from the event made the broadcast, so we are only seeing half of what the live audience saw. Here are the matches that made TV:

• Bomber Hikari and Saburo vs. Tomoko Miyaguchi and Sonoko Kato
• Devil Masami and Dynamite Kansai vs. Hikari Fukuoka and KAORU
• Street Fight: Chigusa Nagayo vs. Mayumi Ozaki

There will still be some heavy clipping as all three of these matches were quite long, we are going to find out how much clipping in just a moment. As always, all the wrestler’s above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go directly to it.

Bomber Hikari and Saburo vs. Tomoko Miyaguchi and Sonoko Kato

We join this match well in progress, with Bomber in the ring with Kato. Powerslam by Bomber, she picks up Kato and tosses her over her head, Miyaguchi comes in to break up the cover but Bomber throws Miyaguchi onto Kato. Body press by Bomber onto both of them, Saburo comes in and goes for her own body press, but both Miyaguchi and Kato move out of the way. Bomber gets Kato on her shoulders, Saburo then dives off and pushes Kato off of Bomber’s shoulders, but Miyaguchi breaks up Bomber’s cover. Bomber picks up Kato and hits the Over The Top, Miyaguchi and Saburo both come in the ring and Saburo slams both Miyaguchi and Kato. Diving headbutt by Bomber to Kato, and she picks up the three count! Bomber Hikari and Saburo are the winners.

This was clipped down to two minutes so not much to say. A dominating performance by Bomber as it was shown, as she is set to the be midcard enforcer for the extent of her run in GAEA Japan. But nothing special enough in what was shown.

Devil Masami and Dynamite Kansai vs. Hikari Fukuoka and KAORU

The match is joined in progress as Fukuoka hits a hurricanrana on Masami, she tags in KAORU who starts working on Kansai’s leg. KAORU puts Masami in a Surfboard, she lets go after a moment and applies a crab hold instead. After a moment she tags in Fukuoka, but Masami catches her with a Samoan Drop and then puts Fukuoka in the Surfboard. KAORU breaks it up but Kansai come sin too and tosses KAORU in to the corner, KAORU drops Kansai out of the ring however and then helps Fukuoka double team Masami. Tiger Driver by Fukuoka to Masami, but Kansai breaks it up. KAORU goes up top and delivers a moonsault, Fukuoka then hits a moonsault as well but Kansai again breaks up the pin. Fukuoka goes back up top but Masami avoids the moonstomp, she stacks KAORU and Fukuoka into the corner so that both she and Kansai can hit running strikes. Masami tags Kansai, backdrop suplex by Kansai to Fukuoka but KAORU breaks up the pin. Kansai hits a backdrop suplex on KAORU as well, Masami comes back and she powerbombs KAORU while Kansai powerbombs Fukuoka also. Cover by Kansai, but Fukuoka bridges out of the pin. Kansai kicks Fukuoka in the head and waits while the referee checks on her, Fukuoka slowly gets back up and Fukuoka goes for Splash Mountain, but Fukuoka reverses it with a hurricanrana for two.

Fukuoka tags KAORU, Kansai elbows KAORU back but KAORU boots her in the face. Fukuoka dropkicks Kansai to help KAORU hit a German Suplex Hold, but Masami breaks it up. Brainbuster by KAORU to Kansai, Fukuoka then dives off the top with a diving headbutt before KAORU hits her swandive moonsault, but Masami interrupts the pin. KAORU tags Fukuoka, Fukuoka goes up top while KAORU puts Kansai on her shoulders, Rider Kick by Fukuoka but Kansai barely kicks out. Fukuoka goes up top and nails the moonsault footstomp, but Masami breaks up the cover. KAORU goes up top but Masami grabs her from the apron, meanwhile joins KAORU up top but Fukuoka joins them too and DDTs Kansai to the mat. Moonsault by KAORU to Kansai, but Masami breaks it up. Fukuoka and KAORU both go up top together but Fukuoka avoids both of their moonsaults, Masami then comes off the top with diving leg drops on both of them. Masami and Kansai both go for powerbombs but Fukuoka and KAORU gets out of it, Kansai and Masami manage to powerbomb KAORU together and Kansai covers her for two. Kansai picks up KAORU and nails the Splash Mountain while Masami tosses Fukuoka out of the ring, cover by Kansai and she gets the three count! Devil Masami and Dynamite Kansai win the match.

While this match was joined about halfway in, the last ten minutes were just fantastic. Fukuoka sometimes was iffy with her move efficiency during this time period but that was no issue here, as she nailed everything including the moonsault footstomp and Rider Kick. Everyone looked 100% on point and they were just dropping bombs on each other. I liked that Masami was always around to break up the pin for Kansai, and then was smart enough to take out Fukuoka while Kansai hit the Splash Mountain on KAORU so that Kansai wouldn’t be interrupted. A smart, fast paced and really hard hitting match, since only half was shown I can’t give it my highest recommendation but still really entertaining.  Recommended

Chigusa Nagayo vs. Mayumi Ozaki

We join this one slightly in progress, as Nagayo puts Ozaki in a sleeper while using a rope for extra power. She lets go after a moment and hits mounted punches, she leads Ozaki around the ring with the rope while kicking her in the head before covering Ozaki for a two count. Ozaki makes a comeback and kicks Nagayo repeatedly in the head, she then goes off the ropes and hits Nagayo with the rope. Nagayo hits her back and hits a suplex, she wraps the rope around her knee and hits a kneedrop onto Ozaki’s head before slapping the sleeper back on. Nagayo Irish whips Ozaki but Ozaki collapses to the mat, running elbow by Nagayo and she waits while the referee checks on Ozaki. Ozaki returns to her feet and absorbs Nagayo’s headbutts, she knocks Nagayo to the mat and starts choking her with a chain. Ozaki stops choking her and starts hitting Nagayo with the chain instead, she puts the chain around Nagayo’s neck and pulls her out of the ring so she can toss Nagayo around the floor. She bring Nagayo back into the ring but Nagayo starts hitting her back with the chain, heel kick by Nagayo and she hits Ozaki with the chain again. Powerbomb by Nagayo, and she covers Ozaki for two. Nagayo picks up Ozaki and goes for the Running Three, but Ozaki slides away so Nagayo kicks her in the head instead. Nagayo goes up top but Ozaki recovers and joins her, she goes for a Frankensteiner but Nagayo blocks it and they both tumble out of the ring. Ozaki recovers first and takes Nagayo up into the crowd, she throws a table on top of Nagayo and starts chucking chairs at her. Ozaki returns to the ring with Nagayo slowly following, Nagayo gets on the apron but Ozaki hops over the top rope and powerbombs Nagayo to the floor. Ozaki then gets on the second turnbuckle and dives down onto Nagayo with a cannonball, she slides a table into the ring while Nagayo comes in with her rope.

Nagayo hits Ozaki with the rope and knocks her in the head, backdrop suplex onto the table by Nagayo and she then sets it up and brings Ozaki onto the table with her. Chigusa goes for a piledriver but Ozaki blocks it and hits a DDT. She goes for another DDT but Nagayo blocks it and puts Ozaki on the second turnbuckle, she tries to throw Ozaki onto the table but Ozaki blocks it and hits the Tequila Sunrise for a two count. Ozaki goes up top and hits a somersault down onto Nagayo, she goes off the ropes but Nagayo catches her and hits the Running Three. Nagayo picks up Ozaki and goes for a Running Three towards the table, but Ozaki reverses it into a roll-up for two. Nagayo finally powerbombs Ozaki onto the table but it doesn’t break, cover by Nagayo but it gets a two. Nagayo picks up Ozaki but Ozaki slides down her back and applies the sleeper. Tequila Sunrise by Ozaki and she hits another one, she delivers a third and a fourth but Nagayo gets a shoulder up on the final one. The referee starts a ten count on Nagayo but she makes it back up, Ozaki goes off the ropes but Nagayo catches her with a lariat. Wrist-trap suplex followed by a Tiger Suplex by Nagayo, she kicks Ozaki twice in the head and asks the referee to start a count. Ozaki makes it back up, Nagayo punches her against the ropes and the referee starts a count again. Ozaki returns to her feet but Nagayo hits a double underhook suplex, she sets the table back up but Ozaki recovers and hits a backfist. Ozaki gets on the table but Nagayo delivers a high kick, she then joins Ozaki on the table and powerbombs her off of it down to the mat. She signals for the referee to start a count, Ozaki doesn’t make it back to her feet in time and the referee calls for the bell! Chigusa Nagayo wins the match!

While far from perfect, this was a great chaotic brawl. Maybe because I am reviewing this in 2017 and not 20 years ago, but this type of match feels really fresh today since mainstream wrestling has gone away from bloody ‘through the crowd’ brawls with weapons and crazy spots throughout. Not every move was executed perfectly but other things they tried looked fantastic, and Nagayo is so good at the intangibles that I am always pulled into her matches. Ozaki really put up a fight, she wasn’t the top wrestler in JWP but Nagayo treated her as an equal with the weapons acting as a fair equalizer. Lots of excitement and drama, definitely worth the watch.  Highly Recommended

The post GAEA Japan “First Fight in Osaka” on 9/17/95 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using extensively to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

Welcome to the first ever GAEA Japan event! Even though GAEA Japan started with only three veteran roster members (Nagayo, KAORU, and Hikari), on this show they also had six (!!!) wrestlers debut as they began training them the year prior in preparation. A few JWP wrestlers are on the card also to fill in the main event, here are the televised matches:

• GAEA Neo Soul Battle: Chikayo Nagashima vs. Toshie Uematsu
• GAEA Neo Soul Battle: Meiko Satomura vs. Sonoko Kato
• Bomber Hikari vs. Sumiyo Toyama
• GAEA Neo Soul Battle: Maiko Narita vs. Toshie Sato
• Chigusa Nagayo and Dynamite Kansai vs. Devil Masami and Mayumi Ozaki

For all GAEA Japan reviews, you can click on their name above to go to their wrestler profile. KAORU had a match on the card, but for whatever reason it didn’t make the broadcast. The presentation is two hours long so there should be a minimal amount of clipping.

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Toshie Uematsu

Uematsu dropkicks Nagashima right off the start and dropkicks her again in the corner, but Nagashima pushes her away and goes off the ropes. Another dropkick by Uematsu but Nagashima hits a pair of fireman carry takeovers and applies a headlock on the mat. Uematsu gets to the ropes but Nagashima hits a trio of dropkicks, snapmare by Nagashima and she throws Uematsu towards the corner before dropkicking her again. Uematsu sneaks in an inside cradle to get back in control, she snapmares Nagashima around the ring before tossing her by the hair a few times. Headlock by Uematsu, she picks up Nagashima and dropkicks her in the chest for a two count. Now it is Nagashima that puts Uematsu in an inside cradle to take over, dropkick by Nagashima and she hits a scoop slam for two. More hair tossing by Uematsu follows and she applies a seated armbar, but Nagashima gets a toe on the ropes. Uematsu dropkicks Nagashima (lots of dropkicks) and hits a trio of back elbows, but the cover gets two.  Nagashima applies a headscissors but Uematsu gets out of it and hits a headscissors takedown. Nagashima flips out of a wristlock and hits a couple armdrags, Uematsu applies a bodyscissors but Nagashima gets into the ropes. Scoop slam by Nagashima but Uematsu reverses the second one, monkey flip by Nagashima and she covers Uematsu for two. Dropkicks by Uematsu and she hits a back elbow, another dropkick by Uematsu but Nagashima has a foot on the ropes before the cover attempt. Nagashima tosses Uematsu to the mat, monkey flip by Nagashima and she hits a front roll push for two. Nagashima gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Uematsu bridges out of the cover. Crab hold by Nagashima but Uematsu gets into the ropes, Nagashima goes for a running stomp but Uematsu catches it and applies a single leg crab hold. Nagashima gets to the ropes for the break, scoop slam by Uematsu and she hits a pair of dropkicks. Uematsu goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but the bell rings as 15 Minute Time Limit has expired.

But wait! We get an Overtime Period! They lock shoulders, Uematsu pushes Nagashima into the ropes and hits a series of hard elbows. Dropkick by Uematsu and she hits two more, but Nagashima bridges out of the pin. Nagashima trips Uematsu and hits a couple scoop slams, but her cover gets a two as well. Dropkicks by Nagashima, she covers Uematsu but it gets two. Uematsu schoolboys Nagashima, she tosses her into the corner and hits a back elbow. She tries again but Nagashima moves and hits a monkey flip, Nagashima picks up Uematsu and she hits a scoop slam. Nagashima picks up Uematsu and throws her by the hair, inside cradle by Uematsu but it gets two. Nagashima tries for a quick pin tto with no luck, and the bell rings again as the Three Minute Overtime has expired.

But wait! We get a second Overtime Period! Nagashima immediately rolls into Uematsu and pushes her over, she does it three more times before covering Uematsu for two. Uematsu comes back with running elbows, but Nagashima gets a foot on the ropes to break up the cover. Scoop slam by Uematsu, she picks up Nagashima but Nagashima applies an inside cradle for two. Scoop slam by Nagashima and she delivers a trio of dropkicks, but Uematsu gets to the ropes to stop the cover. More dropkicks by Nagashima, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Uematsu tosses her off. Uematsu picks up Nagashima and hits a dropkick of her own, she goes up top and she hits the diving crossbody, but again the bell rings as the Three Minute Overtime has expired. This time the referee decides that is enough, and the match is a Draw.

So I realize that isn’t the most interesting match description but I felt it was necessary to show how GAEA Japan kicked off their first ever event. Their first match didn’t feature anyone the crowd had seen before, but rather a 21 minute match between two wrestlers making their debut. Both definitely had the basics down pat, and I give them credit for how much stamina/guts they had to put on such a display as it was pretty well-worked. But its still two incredibly inexperienced wrestlers going a long time in front of a crowd that probably wanted a bit more. A risky decision by GAEA, it worked out OK because they did a decent job, but still a very unusual way to kick things off.

Meiko Satomura vs. Sonoko Kato

Sonoko slaps Meiko while she is against the ropes early in the match, which pisses off Meiko as she hammers on Sonoko with hard elbows. Dropkicks by Meiko but Sonoko grabs her head and hits a face crusher. Another one by Sonoko, but Meiko kicks out of the pin. Sonoko goes for Meiko’s arm but Meiko rolls out of it, she tries again but Meiko slides her arm out and hits a jumping shoulderblock. Another shoulderblock by Meiko and she hits another one, getting a two count. She goes for a fourth but Sonoko blocks it and dropkicks Meiko in the back of the head, Sonoko goes to pick up Meiko but Meiko schoolboys her for two. Meiko quickly puts Sonoko into a cross armbreaker, and Sonoko taps out! Meiko Satomura is the winner.

I don’t want to be that guys that says “even in her debut you could tell Meiko Satomura would be special,” but I will say that she instantly showed that intensity and passion that she became known for. For some people its a gift, others have to learn it, but Meiko clearly had “it” from the get-go. Sonoko didn’t get much of a chance here and it was a really short match, but it did help set up Meiko as the best of the class which she turned out to be. Quite fun to watch Meiko’s debut and seeing that even at a young age she had zero chill.  Mildly Recommended

Bomber Hikari vs. Sumiyo Toyama

This match is Joined in Progress, and was the only match on the broadcast not shown in full. Hikari gives Sumiyo a hard elbow and tosses Sumiyo over her head, covering her for a two count. Hikari goes for a lariat but Sumiyo ducks it and suplexes her, chokeslam by Sumiyo and she his a second one for a two count cover. Sumiyo gets Hikari in the corner and goes up top, she chokeslams Sumiyo while standing on the top rope but Hikari bridges out of the pin. Powerslam by Hikari, she goes up top and she delivers a Reverse Splash for a two count of her own. Hikari goes up top and hits a diving headbutt, Over The Top Bomb by Hikari and she picks up the three count! Bomber Hikari wins the match.

Very clipped, but it was definitely action packed. Both hit all their moves well and Hikari definitely had some strength to her as she tossed Sumiyo around the ring. Hikari retired due to injuries, I don’t think she ever would have been main-event level but she would have been a solid hand throughout just based on the few minutes I saw here. Too short to get excited about, but a fine two minutes of wrestling.

Maiko Narita vs. Toshie Sato

They start a bit slower than the last match as they feel each other out, Maiko gets Toshie to the mat and puts her in headlock. A backslide by Maiko gets two before she goes back to the headlock, dropkick by Toshie and she hits a scoop slam. Maiko bounces Toshie off the ropes as they go back and forth, scoop slam by Maiko but the cover gets two. Toshie gets back in control and hits a dropkick, she flings around Maiko by the hair before dropkicking her near the corner. Toshie applies a headscissors and rolls Maiko around the ring while keeping the hold applied, but Maiko eventually gets into the ropes for a break. Irish whip by Toshie and she hits a dropkick, scoop slam by Toshie and she covers Maiko for two. Toshie goes for a lariat but Maiko catches her arm and applies a short armbar, but Toshie gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Maiko keeps working on Toshie’s arm, she gets the short armbar re-applied but Toshie gets the break. Waistlock by Maiko and she rolls up Toshie with a wing clutch, but Toshie reverses it. Shoulderblocks by Toshie, and she covers Maiko for two. Toshie goes for another one but Maiko goes behind her back and sneaks in a schoolboy, one legged monkey flip by Maiko and she hits another one for a two count. Toshie gets away from her and hits a bulldog, she goes for a slam but Maiko gets away and hits an over-the-shoulder slam. Another slam by Maiko, but Toshie bridges out of the pin. Toshie reverses an Irish whip and hits a swinging neckbreaker, two more swinging neckbreakers by Toshie and she covers Maiko for the three count! Toshie Sato is the winner.

I have to say that all the rookies on this event looked beyond what you’d expect from someone debuting, and you could tell that Nagayo trained them well before throwing them out there. The match was basic, sure, but generally things were hit very smoothly and they did what they knew how to do quite well. Rookie matches will rarely blow anyone out of the water, but it was perfectly watchable and I think if you were there live than you would not have been disappointed. Nothing overly special, but solid for a rookie match.

Chigusa Nagayo and Dynamite Kansai vs. Devil Masami and Mayumi Ozaki

Kansai and Ozaki start off and immediately start swinging elbows until Kansai delivers a high kick. Ozaki rolls up Kansai but Kansai kicks her in the head again, so Ozaki tags in Masami. Masami lariats Kansai into the corner and Nagayo tags herself in, belly to belly suplex by Nagayo as Kansai stays in the ring to help. Double lariat to Masami but she stays on her feet, they finally kick her to the mat but Masami gets back up and Ozaki tags herself in. Nagayo and Kansai double team Ozaki and hit a double elbow drop, cover by Kansai but it gets two. Kansai applies a sleeper but Masami breaks it up, Kansai stomps on Ozaki and tags Nagayo back in. Heel kick by Nagayo and she applies a sleeper but Ozaki gets into the ropes, quick suplex by Nagayo but Ozaki kicks her and tags in Masami. Masami throws Nagayo in the corner and his a lariat, while also knocking Kansai off the apron in the process. Kansai picks up Nagayo and drops her with a piledriver, she slams Nagayo in front of the corner and Ozaki comes in the ring with a chain. Ozaki hits Nagayo with the chain repeatedly before choking her with it, Kansai comes in but she gets choked as well. Nagayo fights back with a chair as I think the match has officially broken down, Kansai and Ozaki fight over the chain before Kansai drops her with a backdrop suplex. Kansai tags Nagayo, sleeper by Nagayo to Ozaki while Kansai keeps Masami at bay but Nagayo lets her go after a moment. Ozaki is out but Nagayo lets go as she wants Masami (or Ozaki wasn’t the legal wrestler, who knows), Masami gets in the ring but Nagayo puts her in the sleeper as well. Ozaki tries to break it up but Nagayo ignores her, while Kansai runs in and takes care of Ozaki. Ozaki breaks free and finally helps her partner get to the ropes, Ozaki gets in but Nagayo gets in the mount and punches her face.

Ozaki regains control and hits a jumping lariat, German suplex hold by Ozaki but it gets a two count. Kansai comes in but Ozaki kicks her in the face, another kick by Ozaki and she puts Kansai in a short armbar. Ozaki tags in Masami since they suddenly started to use tags again, but Kansai promptly lariats her and both are down on the mat. Kansai manages to tag in Nagayo, kicks by Nagayo but Masami boots her in the corner. More kicks by Masami and Nagayo rolls out of the ring, which was a bad idea as Masami follows her out and chokes Nagayo with a chain. Masami hits Nagayo some with the chain on the floor, busting open Nagayo at some point during the melee. Masami drags Nagayo around the crowd with the chain as Nagayo has it hooked around her neck at this point, Masami hits Nagayo repeatedly in the head with chairs before finally bringing her back into the ring. Lariat by Masami, she drags up Nagayo and hits her with a second one before putting Nagayo in a sleeper. Nagayo backs Masami into her corner so that Kansai can help her break the hold, but Ozaki runs over and chokes Kansai with the chain. Nagayo grabs Ozaki and powerbombs her, she goes back to Masami and hits a scoop slam before tagging in Kansai. Kansai goes for the diving headbutt but Masami moves, powerbomb by Masami but Kansai kicks out of the cover. I think we just went 20 minutes before either team attempted a real pin. Masami goes up top but Kansai joins her, Masami puts her leg over Kansai’s chest and hits a diving legdrop to the mat. Sleeper by Masami, she picks up Kansai but Kansai hits a leg sweep and Nagayo runs in to punt Masami. Cover by Kansai, but it only gets a two. Kansai goes for Splash Mountain but Ozaki kicks her before she can hit the move.

Backdrop suplex by Kansai to Ozaki but Ozaki gets the chain and chokes Kansai with it. While being choked, Kansai inches to her corner and she makes the hot tag to Nagayo. Masami hits Nagayo in the back of the head with the chain and the action spills to the floor again, Masami throws Nagayo into the ring post but Nagayo comes back with a lariat. They trade lariats  until both fall to the mat, Masami recovers first and she throws Nagayo into the ring post. Ozaki brings a table into the ring while Nagayo and Masami get back in it, but Nagayo lariats her and pulls Ozaki onto the table. Nagayo goes for a powerbomb but Ozaki reverses it with a hurricanrana, dragon suplex hold by Ozaki but it gets a two count. Ozaki powerbombs Nagayo onto the table and Masami hits a diving legdrop, cover by Ozaki but Kansai breaks it up. Masami gets on the second turnbuckle but Kansai lariats her out of the ring, while Ozaki starts breaking down the ring so she can use the metal rod in the corner as a weapon. Outside the ring, Masami hits Kansai with a chair as Ozaki hits Nagayo with the metal rod in it, but Nagayo kicks it away from her and hits a suplex. Kansai apparently won her battle with Masami and gets in the ring, and with Nagayo they hit a powerbomb/face crusher combination on Ozaki, but Masami breaks up the cover. The ring ropes are down at this point due to Ozaki dismantling it, so tag rules are pretty much out. Kicks by Kansai to Ozaki, she picks up her up and nails Splash Mountain but Masami breaks it up by hitting Kansai with her metal rod. She hits Nagayo too before leaving the ring with Kansai, Nagayo picks up Ozaki and drops her with a powerbomb. Cover, but Masami hits her with the rod to break it up. Kansai grabs Masami while Nagayo picks up Ozaki, but Masami again from the floor hits Nagayo with the rod while allows Ozaki to reverse the powerbomb attempt into a Toyota Roll for the three count! Mayumi Ozaki and Devil Masami win!

Well that was a hell of a match. It clocked in at about 30 minutes but didn’t feel that long as the match had different phases. Devil Masami was doing her “Super Heel” gimmick here, which is kind of Undertaker-like, but she could still really work in 1995 and it didn’t really impact the match. I loved the chaos, and I also liked that they went a different way with hot tags as they rarely worked which is a nice change of pace. Nagayo bled as did Kansai, and the match really put over that GAEA Japan was going to be a bit crazy and unexpected at times, which is always a plus. Chains, chairs, tables, a broken ring, just a lot going on and four really talented wrestlers pulling it all together so it never felt sloppy or loose. I can see this not being everyone’s cup of tea, as it wasn’t always logical and the ending almost felt anti-climatic after all that came before it, but I still enjoyed it a lot and I think it was a fitting main event to show what GAEA Japan had to offer.  Highly Recommended

The post GAEA Japan “Memorial First Gong” on 4/15/95 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

  

Finally, I am ready to announce my Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2016! A bit delayed since I wanted to watch everything I could from 2015 first, but better late than never. This is clearly a subjective list of course, but I will try my best not to over-rank ‘personal favorites’. Unless it is Syuri. To make things easier, I will provide the criteria on how I evaluated each wrestler, the list is partly kayfabed as I do think if a wrestler held championships/won tournaments that should factor into how good of a year they had. In no particular order, the following criteria was used:

• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2016, or any championship that was held when 2016 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.
• Wrestler Status in a Promotion: Generally speaking, the Ace of one promotion will be ahead of the #3 wrestler in another promotion, since wrestling on top means bigger matches, longer matches, and more opportunities. There isn’t a direct correlation, but leading a promotion or being the ‘face’ of a promotion can help a wrestler’s rank as it increases the wrestler’s visibility and importance.
• Match Frequency/Availability: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 10 matches. Also, it is harder to ‘rate’ a wrestler if their matches rarely were distributed via TV or an online streaming service, so visibility is a factor.

One criteria I am not using, because I disagree with it, is ‘drawing power’. In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions may have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria (visibility being a major one), the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration.

1. Io Shirai (Stardom)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship (366 days), Artist of Stardom Championship (217 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (168 days), and the SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship (64 days)
Biggest Matches:  vs. Kairi Hojo on 1/17, with Iwatani vs. Hojo and Satomura on 3/21, vs. Iwatani on 5/15, vs. Satomura on 7/2, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 12/22
Best Match: vs. Mayu Iwatani in Stardom on 12/22

At times, ranking wrestlers can be very difficult as there are so many variables to take into consideration. This was not one of those times, as Io Shirai was well ahead of her competition in 2016. Not only do I think she is the most consistent in-ring wrestler in Joshi, but she was also one of the most popular and most successful. She held Stardom’s top title for the entire year, and held the promotion’s tag and trio titles for over half of the year. In total, she had 24 title matches in 2016, with the vast majority recorded and distributed so she wasn’t coasting through untelevised defenses. She had three of the top matches of the year (two vs. Iwatani, one vs. Meiko Satomura), and created the new top heel faction in December. There is a reason that Mark and I call her “Big Match Io” as she delivered all year long. An amazing year for an amazing wrestler.

2. Arisa Nakajima (JWP/Freelancer)

Championships Held: JWP Openweight Championship (244 days), International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (263 days), and the JWP Tag Team/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship (227 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 4/3, with Fujimoto vs. Emi Sakura and Takahashi on 5/4, vs. Yoshiko on 10/16, vs. Kyoko Kimura on 11/3
Best Match: with Fujimoto vs. Emi Sakura and Nanae Takahashi in Ice Ribbon on 5/4

The only ranking that was easy was #1, as many wrestlers have a claim to the #2 spot. What set Nakajima apart was the number of titles she held during the year (three), how long she held the JWP Openweight Championship (244), and total number of title matches (15). Also, in-ring she was one of the top wrestlers of the year, with several high end matches. She left JWP at the end of 2016 as a contracted wrestler and became a Freelancer, however in early January 2017 she joined SEAdLINNNG, so 2017 will certainly be a very different year for the veteran.

3. Kairi Hojo (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (231 days), Artist of Stardom Championship (217 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (10 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Io Shirai on 1/17, vs. Santana Garrett on 5/15, vs. Yoko Bito on 6/16, with Bito vs. Kagetsu and Kimura on 12/22
Best Match: vs. Io Shirai in Stardom on 1/17

Everyone’s favorite lovable wrestler, Kairi gets extra points for her ability to connect with the crowd and make every match seem important. But Kairi did have a lot of big matches in 2016, as while she never reached Io’s level she was able to maintain a strong grip on being the #2 wrestler. She held both the Wonder of Stardom Championship and Artist of Stardom Championship for over half the year, plus won the tag team championship right as the year ended. With Yoko Bito, she also won the the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League. In a year where every wrestler had areas of growth, Kairi stood out as a wrestler that continually grew as the year progressed, and ended 2016 on a high note as she goes into 2017 with two titles.

4. Sonoko Kato (OZ Academy)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Openweight Championship (223 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Arisa Nakajima on 1/10, vs. AKINO on 3/20, vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto on 4/24, vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 7/18, vs. Dynamite Kansai on 9/11
Best Match: vs. Mayu Ozaki on 7/18

This may surprise some people, but keep in mind that in 2016 Kato had singles wins over Arisa Nakajima, AKINO, Mayumi Ozaki, Dynamite Kansai, and Rina Yamashita. She was also on TV an impressive 23 times, so she was very visible, plus she lead the main face faction in OZ Academy. The only knock on Kato is that she pretty much stayed in OZ Academy, but they kept her pretty busy. Holding the OZ Academy Openweight Championship for over half the year and beating the other big contenders in the promotion, she was the clear leader in 2016.

5. Yuu Yamagata (Pro Wrestling WAVE)

Championships Held: Regina Di WAVE Championship (364 days) and the WAVE Tag Team Championship (220 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Shimono on 3/21, vs. Hikaru Shida on 7/6, vs. Ryo Mizunami on 9/25, vs. Ryo Mizunami on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Hikaru Shida on 7/6

Even though Pro Wrestling WAVE flies under the radar since they do not have a regular TV deal, Yamagata’s dominance in 2016 can not be ignored. Yamagata had four successful defenses of the Regina Di WAVE Championship, including wins over Hikaru Shida and Ryo Mizunami. Yamagata was 16-0-1 in singles matches until her loss to Mizunami on December 29th, giving her one of the successful runs of any wrestler in 2016. If her success was in a bigger promotion with better opponents she’d be even higher on the list, but she still had a great year.

6. Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: ICExInfinity Championship (123 days), International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (263 days), and the JWP Tag Team/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship (227 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Makoto on 3/25, with Nakajima vs. Takahashi and Sakura on 5/4, vs. Risa Sera on 7/3
Best Match: with Nakajima vs. Emi Sakura and Nanae Takahashi in Ice Ribbon on 5/4

Ice Ribbon was split during the year between a few different wrestlers on top, but overall Fujimoto had the best year of any wrestler in the promotion. Besides holding the ICExInfinity Championship for the last third of the year, she also held the tag team titles in Ice Ribbon and in JWP with her “Best Friends” partner Arisa Nakajima. The one thing missing from Fujimoto’s year was a memorable victory over a top level wrestler, and since she lost the ICExInfinity Championship at the end of the year she faces an uphill battle going into 2017 to become the Ace of Ice Ribbon.

7. Dynamite Kansai (OZ Academy)

Championships Held: None
Biggest Matches: vs. Matsumoto on 6/19, vs. Aja Kong on 8/21, vs. Hamada on 9/4, vs. Meiko Satomura on 11/3, vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 12/11
Best Match: vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 12/11

Needless to say, Dynamite Kansai got special consideration as she enjoyed her last year as a professional wrestler. She didn’t win any titles but went on a hell of a Retirement Road, showing the popularity that she still had even so many years after her heyday. And she didn’t take it easy; Kansai had singles matches against some of the best wrestlers available, including AKINO, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Hikaru Shida, Aja Kong, Ayako Hamada, Meiko Satomura, and Mayumi Ozaki. She retired on December 11th in front of a packed house of adoring fans, and she went out on top. It is hard to really put into a ranking a year like Dynamite Kansai’s, but it definitely deserves to be recognized.

8. Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls’)

Championships Held: Sendai Girls’ World Championship (290 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Syuri on 3/11, vs. Aja Kong on 4/8, vs. Io Shirai on 7/2, vs. Chihiro Hashimoto on 10/16
Best Match: vs. Aja Kong on 4/8

Meiko Satomura is more a victim of wrestling in a smaller promotion that makes air less than anything else, as her few big televised victories in 2016 were second to none. Meiko Satomura had singles wins in 2016 over Syuri, Io Shirai, Aja Kong, and Yoshiko and for much of the year she was the Sendai Girls’ World Champion. She did lose the title in November however, and the next month lost to Aja Kong for the #1 Contendership, ending the year of one of the best Joshi wrestlers on a bit of a downturn.

9. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom)

Championships Held: High Speed Championship (366 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (168 days), and the Artist of Stardom Championship (217 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. KLR on 1/17, with Kairi and Io vs. Hyper Destroyers on 2/28, vs. Io Shirai on 5/15, vs. Kagetsu on 6/5, vs. Io Shirai on 12/22
Best Match: vs. Io Shirai in Stardom on 12/22

Mayu Iwatani’s only crime in 2016 was being the third fiddle to Kairi Hojo and Io Shirai in Stardom. She did step up to win the Cinderella Tournament for the second time, but was never able to capture the World of Stardom Championship as instead she kept a death grip on the High Speed Championship. Which is arguably Stardom’s fifth most prestigious title as the promotion has a lot of titles. She was also a tag team and trio champions for much of the year. Mayu will get a chance in 2017 I am sure, she is still young, but she’ll need to overcome Io to cement herself as the ace of Stardom.

10. Kyoko Kimura (Freelancer)

Championships Held: JWP Openweight Championship (25 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (189 days), Artist of Stardom Championship (91 days), and the JWP Tag Team/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship (140 days)
Biggest Matches: with Kagetsu vs. Thunder Rock on 6/16, with Nakamori vs. Nakajima and Fujimoto on 8/14, vs. Arisa Nakajima on 10/9
Best Match: Oedo Tai vs. Three Daughters of Stardom in Stardom on 10/2

Like Dynamite Kansai, Kyoko Kimura had her last full year as a wrestler in 2016. Unlike Kansai, she did have some title success along the way. Kyoko held the JWP Openweight Championship (briefly), Goddesses of Stardom Championship, Artist of Stardom Championship, and the JWP Tag Team/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship in her final year. She didn’t really have any high end matches which is why she isn’t higher on the list, but still put in a quality body of work in her final year. She also blessed us with Hana Kimura, which is likely the greatest gift a retiring wrestler has ever given the Joshi community.

    

12. Risa Sera (Ice Ribbon) – Risa Sera held the ICExInfinity Championship for 105 days in 2016, and was in the main event of their biggest show of the year. That was the only title she held however, as she failed in both of her challenges for the tag team championship. Risa was the clear #2 in Ice Ribbon, however she did beat Tsukasa Fujimoto on 12/31/16 so she may be looking to make 2017 her year to shine.

13. Hiroyo Matsumoto (Freelancer) – Everyone’s favorite Freelancer, Hiroyo held both the Artist of Stardom Championship and the OZ Academy Championship in 2016, the latter of which she held for the last 49 days of the year. She also had a really fun Anniversary show, where she lost to Aja Kong, and reached the Finals of the Cinderella Tournament in Stardom.

14. Ryo Mizunami (Pro Wrestling WAVE) – Mizunami had a very similar year to Ohata, who I ranked a bit below her. But Mizunami not only held both the WAVE and Ice Ribbon Tag Team Championships with Ohata, she also won the Regina di WAVE Championship on December 29th which gave her a slight edge. She also won the Catch the WAVE Tournament in the spring, defeating Tsukasa Fujimoto in the Finals.

15. Syuri (Freelancer) – Syuri didn’t win any singles titles in 2016, but she did hold two tag team titles with Hikaru Shida and also is one of the best in-ring wrestlers in Joshi. With a legitimate MMA background she brings something a bit different to the table, making her matches unique and entertaining. It didn’t really factor into her rank, but she was also 3-0 in Pancrase in 2016.

16. Hanako Nakamori (JWP) – Hanako is fairly easily the least talented in-ring wrestler on this list, but she did hold the JWP Tag Team/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship for half the year and won the JWP Openweight Championship right as the year ended. She goes into 2017 as the leader of JWP, which should be interesting to watch.

17. Misaki Ohata (Pro Wrestling WAVE) – Ohata continued being a tag team specialist in 2016, holding tag team gold in both WAVE and Ice Ribbon. She was less successful in singles action however, lowering her in the rankings. But she is a very entertaining wrestler, and hopefully she’ll have more of a chance to shine next year.

18. Hikaru Shida (Freelancer) – With Syuri, Hikaru Shida won two tag titles in 2016 as they were an unstoppable force the last half of the year. Unfortunately, Hikaru suffered more losses than her friend Syuri and otherwise didn’t do a whole lot outside of her tag team success, besides being a fun wrestler to watch.

19. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls’) – I had to tip my hat a bit to Hashimoto, since she had one of the most successful rookie+ years in Joshi history. Just a year into her career, she defeated the great Meiko Satomura for the Sendai Girls’ World Championship in the main event of the promotion’s largest event of the year, and had one successful defense before the year ended. The sky is the limit for young Chihiro, and hopefully she’ll continue to grow.

20. Kagetsu (Freelancer) – Besides being a tag team and trio champion in Stardom, Kagetsu gets an extra nod for being in the lead ‘good guy’ faction in OZ Academy and also for being a really entertaining wrestler. 2017 looks to be a big year for Kagetsu, as she takes over as the leader of Oedo Tai and continues to have success in OZ Academy as well.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2016 appeared first on Joshi City.

Product: LADYS RING Volume 11
Release Date: January 20th, 2017
Pages: 93
Retail Cost in Japan: ¥ 1,200 (approximately $11.00)
Where to Buy: Puro Central Shop

LADYS RING is a popular Joshi magazine that is released every month or so in Japan. As is generally the issue with printed media, the information tends to be about a month behind, however they make up for that by having great pictures from a wide variety of Joshi promotions. Since Joshi is not as well covered in Weekly Pro, LADYS RING provides one of the best pictorial displays of the Joshi Scene.

LADYS RING Volume 11 has a feature article on Stardom wrestler Kairi Hojo, as well as her partner Yoko Bito. It includes an interview with both (in Japanese of course) and lots of pictures. Also featured in the magazine is an interview with Dynamite Kansai, with pictures from earlier in her career. On top of that, this edition of LADYS RING has their annual awards, with a panel of judges picking their top choice in a variety of categories. The following Joshi events are covered with pictures:

• Stardom on 12/22/16
• OZ Academy on 12/11/16
• Ice Ribbon on 12/31/16
• Ice Ribbon on 11/19/16
• RIZIN on 12/31/16
• Pro Wrestling WAVE on 12/15/16
• Pro Wrestling WAVE on 12/29/16
• Pro Wrestling WAVE on 11/27/16
• Gatoh Move on 12/24/16
• REINA on 11/19/16
• JWP on 12/28/16
• SEAdLINNNG on 12/21/16
• Diana on 12/18/16
• Memorial to Harley Saito

The post LADYS RING Joshi Magazine Vol. 11 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

After a 30 year career, the legendary Joshi wrestler Dynamite Kansai is hanging up her boots. This wasn’t a surprise, as she announced it early in the year and the last few months have had a variety of different farewell type events for her. But this is the final farewell, her last chance to say goodbye to all her fans. Korakuen Hall was packed for the event, and lots of both current and former wrestlers were on hand for the festivities. Here is the full card:

• Bolshoi Kid, Reika, and Bachiko vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Yuki Miyazaki, and Aoi Kizuki
• Manami Toyota and Hana Kimura vs. Yumi Ohka and Maya Yukihi
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita vs. Syuri and Hikaru Shida
• Aja Kong, Ayako Hamada, Kyoko Kimura, and Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Sonoko Kato, AKINO, Kaho Kobayashi, and Kagetsu
• Dynamite Kansai Retirement Match: Dynamite Kansai vs. Mayumi Ozaki

Per usual, you can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City if I have one. All the matches except the main event will be heavily clipped, as they needed time for Dynamite Kansai’s Retirement Ceremony at the conclusion of the show.

Bolshoi Kid, Reika, and Bachiko vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Yuki Miyazaki, and Aoi Kizuki

Manami Toyota and Hana Kimura vs. Yumi Ohka and Maya Yukihi

We join this one in progress, with Toyota in the ring with Ohka. Toyota goes up top and hits a moonsault, but Maya breaks up the cover. Toyota tags in Hana, jumping knee by Hana in the corner and she hits another one before dropkicking Ohka to the mat for a two count. Hana picks up Ohka and hits a vertical suplex, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, but Mio does the count really slow so that Hana can’t pick up the win. Hana goes off the ropes but Ohka catches her with a boot, Hana rolls up Ohka but Mio does another slow count. Ohka and Hana trade covers while Mio alternates if she counts fast or slow, Maya comes in with her whip and whips Toyota out of the ring. Big boot by Hana to Ohka, but Ohka barely gets a shoulder up. Hana goes off the ropes but Ohka spins her around and Maya whips her in the face. Big boot by Ohka, and she picks up the three count! Yumi Ohka and Maya Yukihi are the winners.

Obviously this was too clipped to get a feel of, with us joining the match 75% of the way into it, but I liked what I saw. I don’t normally like heel referees but I adore Mio, so that makes it more bearable. Maya is a beast with the whip, and Hana got a lot of offense in on Ohka before she went down to the big boot. Probably a pretty fun match in full.

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita vs. Syuri and Hikaru Shida

The clip starts with Hikaru alone in the ring with Hiroyo and Rina, and they hit her with a double lariat. Another lariat by Hiroyo, she covers Hikaru but Syuri breaks it up. Hiroyo picks up Hikaru but Hikaru hits an enzuigiri, she charges Hiroyo but Hiroyo delivers a discus lariat. Hikaru gets her kendo stick but Rina stops her from using it, Hiroyo goes to lariat Hikaru but she hits Rina by accident. Three Count by Hikaru to Hiroyo, she follows with the Soul of the Three Count for the three count cover! Syuri and Hikaru Shida are the winners.

Well this match was even more clipped than the last one. We barely got a taste of the action but what they showed was crisp, all four are quality wrestlers. Way too cut up but a fun one minute clip anyway.

Aja Kong, Hamada, Kyoko Kimura, and Kuragaki vs. Kato, AKINO, Kobayashi, and Kagetsu

Hamada and Kagetsu are battling as we join the match, Kagetsu rolls up Hamada before leveling her with a spear for a two count. She tags in Kato, kicks by Kato to Hamada but the pin attempt is broken up. Kato picks up Hamada but Hamada hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Hamada tags in Kyoko, Kyoko goes for a boot but Kato catches her leg and hits a dragon screw. Kato goes for a kick but Kyoko catches her leg and headbutts it, high kick by Kato but Kyoko absorbs the blow and hits a chokebomb for two. Kyoko picks up Kato but Kato nails the Dragon Valley, she tags in AKINO while Kuragaki is also tagged in. Jawbreaker by AKINO but Kuragaki kicks her in the head, lariat by Kuragaki in the corner and she goes up top, but Kaho grabs her from the apron. AKINO joins Kuragaki but Kuragaki blocks the superplex attempt and tosses AKINO back to the mat. Backdrop suplex by Kuragaki, Kaho comes in along with Kagetsu as things start to break down. High kick by Kato but Kong comes in with her metal paint can and hits everyone in the head with it. Kyoko hits a big boot on AKINO, heel kick by Hamada and Kong finishes her with a slap to the face. Metal Wing by Kuragaki, but the cover is broken up. Kuragaki picks up AKINO but AKINO gets away form her, Kong tries to lariat AKINO but she hits Kuragaki by accident. All their teammates run in but they cancel each other out, leaving AKINO and Kuragaki alone in the ring. Lariat by Kuragaki, and she covers AKINO for two. Kuragaki picks up AKINO and hits back and forth lariats, she goes off the ropes but AKINO catches her with a high kick. Frankensteiner by AKINO, and she picks up the three count! MISSION K4 are your winners!

A little more of this match was shown than the others, but it was still cut to a third. Kong got to take it easy in the portion that we saw, as Kuragaki did the bulk of the work. They are a bit older than what we have seen so far but everyone can still move to a decent degree, some stiff strikes and impressive power from Kuragaki. As is the common theme today, too clipped up but a decent watch.

Dynamite Kansai vs. Mayumi Ozaki
Dynamite Kansai’s Retirement Match

Before we even get started, you should know that Ozaki Army is at ringside and Kansai has lots of friends at ringside too, so it is going to be a crazy match. They lock knuckles, but Ozaki bites Kansai in the arm and applies a camel clutch before the Ozaki Army runs in to stomp on Kansai. Kansai is already bleeding above the ear so Ozaki rips at it, Kansai lariats her in the corner but Ozaki throws her out of the ring and Kansai is assaulted on the floor by Police. He gets a chain and chokes Kansai with it, they all get back into the ring and Kansai is chokes by all the members of the Ozaki Army. Chairs are piled up in the ring and Kansai is thrown onto the stack before getting hit with more chairs, as the Ozaki Army takes turns throwing chairs at Kansai. They then get the chain and choke Kansai with it, Kansai blocks the suplex attempt but Ozaki connects with a double chop to the face. Armlock takedown by Ozaki, but Kansai gets to the ropes to break the hold. Armbreakers by Ozaki but Kansai slaps on a sleeper, adding a bodyscissors, but Ozaki Army runs in to break it up. Finally MISSION K4 runs in to help and clears the ring so that Kansai can keep the hold locked on, but Ozaki gets into the ropes to force the break. Kansai picks up Ozaki, quick armdrag by Ozaki but Kansai fires back with a lariat. Back up, Kansai goes for a backdrop suplex, but Ozaki Army runs in to attack Kansai. MISSION K4 return to even the odds, other wrestlers such as Aoi Kizuki and Rina Yamashita come in too and everyone attacks Ozaki in the corner. Dynamite clearly doesn’t watch enough Joshi retirement matches, as she at first is excited for the help until she is turned on and everyone does the same to her in the other corner (in most modern Retirement matches, the wrestler retiring gets a series of running attacks in the corner by everyone as a way of saying “goodbye”.).

Ozaki goes last but Kansai lariats her, MISSION K4 stays in to help but after Kansai hits Splash Mountain the ring fills with Ozaki Army. Aja Kong makes a surprise appearance and tries to help, but she lariats Kansai by accident and Ozaki Army takes back over. They hang Kansai over the top rope before taking her into the crowd, and Kansai is attacked by the chain and chairs as she is led around the bleachers. They finally return to the ring but Ozaki continues attacking Kansai with the chain, but Kansai is eventually able to connect with a backdrop suplex. A second backdrop suplex by Kansai and two more, she hits another backdrop suplex as each one wears down Ozaki a bit more. She hits another one for good measure, one more backdrop suplex and she covers Ozaki for a two count. Kansai picks up Ozaki but Ozaki quickly rolls her up for two, Kansai retorts with a big boot but Police and company break up the pin. Kansai lariats Ohka and Yukihi, Police tries to lariat Kansai but she doesn’t go down. Ozaki tries to spit red mist at Kansai but she ducks, with Police being hit with it instead so the two legends are alone in the ring again. Kansai and Ozaki trade strikes, Ozaki gets the better of the battle and she covers Kansai for two. Ozakick by Ozaki, but AKINO from ringside breaks up the cover. Ozaki gets a table and lays it on top of Kansai, she goes up top and hits a somersault senton onto it for a two count. Ozaki sets up the table this time but Kansai hits a backdrop suplex when she goes to pick her up. She calls for MISSION K4 to come in and help her keep the Ozaki Army at bay, she goes up onto the table with Ozaki and piledrives her through it! Cover by Kansai, but Ozaki barely gets a shoulder up. Green Fall by Kansai, she goes up to the top turnbuckle  and she hits a diving footstomp, but the cover is broken up. MISSION K4 helps clear the ring, Kansai picks up Ozaki and she delivers one final Splash Mountain, picking up the three count! Dynamite Kansai wins!

After the match, they show Dynamite Kansai’s Retirement Ceremony, which includes old friends/foes coming to the ring to say goodbye, a speech, and of course some streamers. Very touching and emotional for everybody.

There are so many ways to look at a match like this. Purely in a vacuum, this is not my favorite style of match. I really don’t like the OZ Academy’s big match style with lots of interference, it just isn’t my cup of tea. Every time Kansai got an upper hand there were three or four people of Ozaki Army in the ring and it happened so much it just killed the flow of the match. Having MISSION K4 at ringside helped even things up, but it just made the entire 30 minute match a cluster. As a Retirement Match though it mostly worked, as the crowd was super hot throughout and Kansai was giving every ounce she had to put on her best. I mean you have two older broken down Joshi wrestlers going 30 minutes, and while I had my issues with the match structure it never felt slow or plodding, they were going all out. The mid-match “retirement” spot with everyone attacking Dynamite in the corner was really touching, especially when wrestlers like Manami Toyota took her turn, and moments like that really help these matches feel special. Kansai winning was nice too, doesn’t always happen in retirement matches but she overcame a lot here and deserved it. Looking at it as a spectacle and special moment, I enjoyed watching it overall, even though the constant interference didn’t do a lot for me. A recommended watch for long time Joshi fans, however newer fans that don’t have any emotional attachment to what is going on may not enjoy it.  Recommended

The post OZ Academy “Farewell, Dynamite Kansai!” on 12/11/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.