Stardom has had quite a few shows since I last reviewed one of their events, but this was one I couldn’t miss. I love crazy gimmick matches so how couldn’t I review an exploding bat death match? Even beyond the main event this was a big show for Stardom, as they stacked it up for one of their largest recent attendances outside of Korakuen Hall. They had a total of nine matches, which is a crazy high amount for Stardom, so while match times will probably be short we get a lot of singles matches to give the wrestlers a chance to shine. Here is the full card:

• Hanan and Nao Yamaguchi vs. Leo Onozaki and Ruaka
• IPW:UK Women’s Championship: Xia Brookside vs. Konami
• Future Of Stardom Championship: AZM vs. Starlight Kid
• Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe
• Hana Kimura vs. HZK
• Faby Apache, Mary Apache, and Natsumi vs. Natsuko Tora, Saki Kashima, and Shiki Shibusawa
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Viper vs. Jungle Kyona
• World Of Stardom Championship: Toni Storm vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Current Blast Exploding Bat Death Match: Io Shirai and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu and Natsu Sumire

What a card. All the wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. I will be watching the Samurai TV Version of the event because I like the presentation and with a nine match card I figured some match clipping may help me get through it in a more timely fashion.

Hanan and Nao Yamaguchi vs. Leo Onozaki and Ruaka

Ruaka and Nao start off and try to knock each other over with no luck, body block by Nao against the ropes and she finally knocks down Ruaka with a lariat for two. Nao picks up Ruaka but Xia boots her in the chest, another boot by Ruaka and she covers her for two. Ruaka picks up Nao and delivers the fisherman suplex hold, picking up the three count! Ruaka and Leo are the winners.

Even without clipping this match was pretty damn short so we didn’t miss much. Hopefully next time I’ll get a chance to see Leo and Hanan participate, Ruaka is still pretty rough around the edges which was even evident in a clipped three minute matches. Nothing to see here.

(c) Xia Brookside vs. Konami
IPW:UK Women’s Championship

We join this one in progress as the pair trade strikes, dropkick by Xia and she knees Konami in the corner. Face crusher by Xia and she dropkicks Konami again, covering her for two. Head kick by Xia and she sits Konami on the top turnbuckle, but Konami kicks her away and applies a hanging armbar. Armdrag by Konami and she applies the cross armbreaker in the middle of the ring, back up Konami delivers a head kick and hits a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Konami goes off the ropes but Xia catches her with a Codebreaker, but Konami barely kicks out of the cover. Xia puts Konami in the Tree of Woe and hits a sliding kick, Xia flings Konami off the top turnbuckle and applies the Leg Roll Clutch for the three count! Xia retains the championship.

We only got to see half of this but what they showed was fine. Xia gets a bit better each time I see her, she is still a teenager but has shown some natural ability (not surprising) early in her career. And the crowd has taken to her quite a bit which is always a plus. Konami continues to be proficient but still hasn’t gotten anywhere in Stardom, we’ll see if that ever changes or if she’ll have to go elsewhere to find success. Too clipped to recommend but both are solid wrestlers.

AZM vs. Starlight Kid
Future of Stardom Championship

Starlight Kid charges AZM as the match starts, AZM goes for an armdrag but Starlight Kid lands on her feet. AZM connects with the next armdrag and they trade trips before reaching a stalemate back on their feet. AZM fakes a handshake and goes for a kick, Starlight Kid catches it and they take turns throwing each other to the mat by the head. They trade elbows and dropkicks, Starlight Kid kips up but AZM kicks her in the chest. Kicks to the back by AZM and she puts Starlight Kid in a camel clutch, after a moment she releases the hold and sets up Starlight Kid in the ropes. Dropkick to the back by AZM but Starlight Kid trips her when she goes for a second one, she goes for a Tiger Feint Kick but AZM ducks. Starlight Kid hits the move on the lower ropes instead, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and she covers AZM for two. Irish whip by Starlight Kid to the corner and she delivers a dropkick, but AZM dropkicks her back. Rebound crossbody by AZM but Starlight Kid dropkicks her, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Starlight Kid is up first, she trips AZM and puts her in a crab hold, but AZM rolls out of it and they trade flash pins. Back up, high kicks by AZM and she covers Starlight Kid for a two count. AZM runs to the corner and goes for a triple jump attack, but Starlight Kid kicks her in the stomach and hits the cyclone suplex. Starlight Kid goes up top and she nails the swivel body press, cover by Starlight Kid and she picks up the three count! Starlight Kid is the first Future of Stardom Champion!

For a short match, I thought this was good. AZM was pretty iffy the first few years of her career (to be fair, she is a child) but has gotten a lot better in the last year or so. Starlight Kid has always had the flashy moves but just didn’t always string them together well, here though she was pretty tight with everything and they played off each other well. I’m not sure if another title was really necessary just for the children but at least they got a good match out of it.  Mildly Recommended

Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe

We join this one in progress as they trade elbows while on their needs, they get to their feet and Momo hits a quick side slam followed by the Somato for a two count. Momo picks up Bea and goes for the B Driver, but Bea blocks it and superkicks Momo in the head. Bea traps Momo’s arm and elbows her repeatedly, she lets go and goes for a kick, but Momo catches her leg and delivers a head kick of her own. A second Somato by Momo, but Bea is too close to the ropes and grabs them when she goes for the cover. elbows by Momo but Bea grabs her and slams Momo into the mat. Bea steps off of Momo’s back and crushes her face into the mat with a double footstomp, cover by Bea and she picks up the three count! Bea Priestly is the winner.

This was way too clipped to really judge but everything they showed was solid. Momo stood no chance here, she is too far down on the totem pole to beat someone that Stardom will be building up to lose in more title matches down the road. All hope isn’t lost for Momo, she’ll be fine if she continues improving, but it isn’t her time yet.

Hana Kimura vs. HZK

Hana ducks a HZK boot early on and takes the time to pose to the crowd, which HZK doesn’t like as she dropkicks Hana in the back. Hana spits at HZK, HZK goes off the ropes and she hits an armdrag. Hana bails out of the ring, HZK follows her but Hana quickly slides back in. Armdrags by HZK but Hana sends her out of the ring, Hana follows her out and throws HZK into the ring post. Hana scoop slams HZK onto the floor and returns to the ring with HZK slowly following, stomps by Hana and she puts HZK in the Mexican Surfboard. Hana goes off the ropes but HZK catches her with a springboard dropkick, bootscrapes by HZK and she boots Hana in the face. HZK elbows Hana but Hana elbows her back as they trade blows, Hana grabs HZK and gets her in the Ground Manjikatame but HZK gets a toe on the ropes for the break. Hana goes off the ropes but HZK avoids her boot and drops her with the Codebreaker. HZK goes for a running senton but Hana moves and boots HZK while she is against the ropes, a second boot by Hana and she hits a series of elbows. Vertical suplex attempt by Hana but HZK blocks it, Hana delivers on her second attempt and she covers HZK for two. Back up, another boot by Hana but HZK decks her with the Pump Kick, she waits for Hana to get up and hits a running elbow in the corner. Tornado DDT by HZK and she covers Hana for a two count. Scoop slam by HZK, she goes up top and goes for the Bombs Away, but Hana moves. Hana quickly applies the Small Package to HZK, and she picks up the three count! Hana Kimura wins!

While there is no way to know what the future holds for these two, I can say that so early in their careers both are progressing well. They are getting a lot more crisp with their respective offense while expanding it, as I really love Hana’s Ground Manjikatame and HZK’s tornado DDT was on point. It wasn’t perfect as some of the bigger moves were recovered from a bit too quickly, and it was a little clipped, but overall a fun match between two of the rising stars in Stardom.  Mildly Recommended

Faby Apache, Mary Apache, and Natsumi vs. Natsuko Tora, Kashima, and Shibusawa

We join slightly in progress with Saki and Natsumi in the ring, stomps by Saki but Mary comes in help her daughter. Natsumi attempts a slam and eventually succeeds in hitting her, giving her time to tag in Mary. Boots by Mary to everyone, Faby comes in too with Natsumi and all three put their opponents in a submission hold. Team Apache all hit dropkicks before continuing their assault, the ring eventually clears expect for Saki and Mary and Mary tags in Faby. Saki hits a spinning headscissors on Faby and applies a cradle, but it only gets two. Saki grabs Faby and hits the Unprettier, but Mary breaks up the cover. Saki tags Shiki but Faby promptly kicks Shiki in the chest, Shiki comes back with a dropkick followed by a face crusher for a two count. Faby drives Shiki into the corner and she boots Shiki in the face, giving her time to tag in Mary. Natsuko tags in as well, knees by Natsuko but Mary hits a lariat followed by a scoop slam. Heel drop by Mari, she picks up Natsuko and with Faby they place Natsuko on the top turnbuckle. Double Muscle Buster to Natsuko, but Mary’s cover is broken up. Saki stays in to help and they hit a double face crusher, Natsuko runs in with a knee and she goes up top to hit a diving frog splash for two. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Mary blocks the spear, Natsuko gets away however and she cradles Mary for two. Another roll-up by Natsuko also gets a two, she goes off the ropes but Mary plants her with a lariat. Mary gets on the top turnbuckle and nails the diving kneel kick, cover by Mary and she gets the three count! Team Apache are your winners.

In a continued trend on this card, this was short but ok. One of the downsides of having so many matches on a card is they weren’t going to get a ton of time, but honestly I’m not sure I would have wanted this particular match to be any longer. The Apache sisters were fine but Natsumi and Shiki in particular are still pretty rough and Saki is still working things out after such a long layoff. So there were some issues with technique here. The youngsters still have a ways to go but having Mary and Faby in the match at least gave it some structure so it wasn’t a bad watch.

(c) Viper vs. Jungle Kyona
SWA Women’s Championship

Kyona tries to knock over Viper as the match begins without any luck, elbows by Kyona but Viper swipes her to the mat. Viper pushes Kyona into the ropes but she gives a clean break, hard shoulderblock by Viper but Kyona wiggles away and goes for the sliding lariat. Viper blocks it but Kyona trips her, quick cover by Kyona but it gets a two count. Kick by Kyona but Viper blocks the scoop slam and hits one of her own, running senton by Viper and Kyona rolls out of the ring to re-group. Viper goes out to the apron but Kyona knocks her legs out from under her, Kyona pulls Viper out of the ring but Viper throws Kyona into the ring post. Viper gets on the apron and dives down onto Kyona (and other wrestlers) with a cannonball, she returns to the ring with Kyona slowly following. Headbutts by Viper and she hits another cannonball in the corner, cover by Viper but Kyona kicks out. Viper gets on the second turnbuckle but Kyona recovers and elbows Viper before she can jump off. Kyona powerbombs Viper off the second turnbuckle to the mat, but Viper barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kyona elbows Viper but Viper elbows her back as they trade blows, Kyona goes for a lariat but Viper absorbs the blow. Kyona finally knocks down Viper with a lariat, she slowly makes the cover but it only gets a two count. Kyona picks up Viper but Viper knocks her down with a lariat, Reverse Splash by Viper but Kyona gets a hand on the rope to break up the cover. Viper picks up Kyona and hits the Michinoku Driver, but Kyona reverses the cover into a cradle of her own for two. Viper goes up top but Kyona avoids the diving body press, lariat to the back of the head by Kyona and she body slams Viper. Kyona goes up top and delivers the diving body press, but she only gets a two count. Kyona goes for a powerbomb but Viper blocks it, headbutt by Viper and she hits a backdrop suplex. Cannonball by Viper in the corner, she picks up Kyona and nails the Michinoku Driver for the three count! Viper is still the champion.

The layout of this match was predictable, but it was still an entertaining match. While for the bulk of it I felt that it was too lopsided to Viper and Kyona wasn’t getting enough in, they got the crowd into it a bit towards the end as Kyona had some quality near falls and even in defeat she didn’t look weak. Kyona wasn’t going to hit her finisher on Viper but she has enough in her arsenal that she could have won without it, and it helps keep the Hammerthrow Bomb stronger anyway that she didn’t do a finisher spam on the way to defeat. The match stayed pretty well paced and the Hoss vs. Hoss spots were fine, even if the Hossness between the two is lopsided. Overall I liked it, Kyona isn’t quite ready yet to take down someone like Viper but she is slowly getting there, and perhaps she will get another chance at her down the road.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Toni Storm vs. Mayu Iwatani
World of Stardom Championship

They circle each other to start, Toni gets Mayu to the mat but Mayu recovers and they end up back on their feet. Springboard armdrag by Mayu and she dropkicks Toni, she goes for another dropkick but Toni gets back up and boots Mayu in the head. Toni goes for a dropkick by Mayu moves, Toni feigns injury but rolls up Mayu before delivering a hip attack. Uppercut by Toni and she starts on Mayu’s previously injured arm, Toni knocks Mayu into the corner and chops her in the chest before covering her for two. Toni drags Mayu back up and sends her into the corner, but Mayu kicks her back and rolls Toni to the mat before kicking her in the face. Northern Lights Suplex by Mayu, but it gets a two count. Mayu knocks Toni against the ropes and delivers a hard dropkick, sending Toni out of the ring to the floor. Mayu goes up top and dives down onto Toni with a plancha suicida, she rolls Toni back in the ring and goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick. Hurricanrana by Mayu, but it gets two. Superkick by Mayu and she hits a diving footstomp, she goes up top again and delivers a diving body press, but Toni barely gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt.

Mayu goes for the dragon suplex but Toni elbows out of it, she then goes for the piledriver but Mayu blocks it and hits a super kick. German suplex hold by Mayu, but it gets two. Toni grabs Mayu and delivers a quick Strong Zero, but is too hurt to capitalize. They trade elbows on their knees as they recover, Mayu goes for a kick but Toni catches it and hits a snap release German Suplex. Hip attack by Toni in the corner and she hits the reverse neckbreaker, cover by Toni but Mayu kicks out. Toni quickly applies an armbar, but Mayu gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Toni picks up Mayu but Mayu cradles her for two, Mayu scoops up Toni and goes for the tombstone, but Toni reverses the hold. Mayu slides away from Toni and applies a quick backslide, but Toni gets out of it and delivers a Strong Zero for a two count. Toni goes to the top turnbuckle but Mayu hits her before she can jump off and joins her. Toni slides under Mayu and hits a Buckle Bomb, Strong Zero by Toni and she rolls Mayu into a second Strong Zero for the three count pinfall! Toni Storm retains the championship.

This was a really good match but something was missing from letting it hit that next level. Maybe just not being the main event/focus of the event alone hurt it, and it is a shame that such a big (on paper) title match got overshadowed by the Exploding Bat Death Match. Everything they did was great, I enjoyed the arm work as a throwback to how Toni won the title, it had lots of hard strikes and memorable spots and big moments. I wish it was longer of course, 13 minutes is a bit shot for a title match, and it just didn’t have the aura of a title grudge match. Which isn’t really their fault and I won’t take away from them that it was a really well executed and entertaining match. It just felt a bit flat, I hope they get a re-match in the future on a bigger stage where they can go all out and have the type of match I know they are capable of.  Recommended

Io Shirai and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu and Natsu Sumire
Exploding Bat Death Match

Oedo Tai attack before the bell rings and the action immediately spills to the floor, as they use chairs on both of their opponents. Tam is isolated in the ring, Kagetsu gets the exploding bat but Tam kicks her from behind and hits a series of elbows. Backdrop suplex by Tam, Io comes in but so does Natsu, Io dropkicks both of her opponents out of the ring before kipping back up to her feet. Io goes off the ropes and dives out onto both Kagetsu and Natsu with a tope suicida, Io slides Kagetsu back into the ring and delivers a dropkick. Io goes off the ropes and hits the Tiger Feint Kick, she goes for a swandive move but Kagetsu gets out of the way and kicks her to the mat. Kagetsu gets the exploding bat and waits for Io to get back up, but Io blocks it when Kagetsu tries to use it. Io gets the bat but gets distracted before she could use it, Kagetsu gets the back bat but Io ducks her swing and hits a palm strike. Tam runs in and hits a double kneedrop onto Kagetsu, dragon sleeper by Tam and she hits a Stunner. Tam goes off the ropes but Kagetsu catches her kick, Tam slides away however and kicks Kagetsu in the head anyway.

Tam grabs the exploding bat while Io knocks Natsu off the apron, Tam goes to hit Kagetsu with the bat but Kagetsu ducks. Kagetsu gets the bat but Io hits a swandive dropkick on her, running double knee by Io to Kagetsu in the corner and she hits a second one, cover by Io but it gets a two count. Io goes up top but Kagetsu knocks her to the apron, she superplexes Io back into the ring and covers her for two. Kicks by Kagetsu, she picks up Io and drops her with a chokeslam. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, she goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but Tam breaks up the cover. Kagetsu picks up Io and kicks her in the head, she gets the exploding bat and hits Io in the chest with it a few times before she hits the button to make it explosive. Kagetsu finally hits the button, she then hits Io in the chest again with the bat, sending sparks flying everywhere. Io rolls out of the ring and gets water poured on her before she is rushed to the back, temporarily leaving Tam alone. Natsu slides Tam into the ring, Kagetsu gets the bat again and gives it to Natsu, but Io is suddenly back and hits a missile dropkick onto Natsu. Io hits Natsu repeatedly in the chest with the bat (its not explosive at the moment), cover by Io but it gets a two count. Io goes for the double underhook facebuster but Natsu gets out of it and whips Io repeatedly. Natsu scoops up Io but Io slides away, waistlock by Io but Natsu gets into the ropes and Kagetsu hits Io with the bat. Roll-up by Natsu to Io, but Tam breaks it up.

Kagetsu gets the bat but hits Natsu with it by accident, Io and Tam take turns striking Kagetsu before taking care of Natsu as well. Diving senton by Tam to Natsu, but Natsu kicks out of the cover. Tam gets the bat and hits the trigger in the corner, she waits for Natsu to get up and hits her in the chest, causing another massive explosion. Io picks up Natsu and hits a double underhook facebuster, moonsault by Io but Kagetsu breaks up the cover by spitting red mist in her face. She tries the same with Tam but Tam kicks Kagetsu in the head, Kagetsu kicks her back however and hits the Ebisu Drop for two. Io and Kagetsu trade blows until Io hits a hurricanrana, Kagetsu falls out of the ring and Io dives out onto her with a moonsault from the top turnbuckle. Back in the ring, Natsu is up and knees Tam in the head, boot by Natsu but Tam boots her back. High kick by Tam and she nails a spinning heel kick, Violent Shooting (running knee strike) by Tam and she covers Natsu for the three count! Io Shirai and Tam Nakano are the winners!

Even though this had a few of the common pitfalls of wild gimmick matches, I still enjoyed it a lot. The main issue of course with the bat is for the middle chunk of the match they did a lot of the ‘one wrestler gets the bat, another steals it, another steals it’ etc. without a lot of actual action going on. But the explosions did not disappoint, the “exploding bat” is the gimmickiest of all gimmicks but its still fun as its so over the top, and seeing a different match style in Stardom was a treat. The last five minutes of the match was really hot as it became less about the gimmick and more about four talented wrestlers executing a really well done home stretch, and that really helped put over the match as more than just a big boom. There were a lot of little things here that were done well and only a few small annoyances, overall definitely a match worth a watch and probably one of the most ridiculous yet entertaining matches we will see in Joshi wrestling this year.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Dream Slam In Nagoya on 4/1/18 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: AAA Reina de Reinas Championship, AAA World Trios Championship, AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship, and the Sky High of ARSION Championship
Tournaments Won: Reina de Reinas (2008) and Sky High Of ARSION League (2001)
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches in Japan:

• October 27th, 2001 vs. noki-A
• December 9th, 2001 vs. Pika
• February 17th, 2002 vs. AKINO
• March 31st, 2018 with Mary Apache vs. Hana Kimura and Kagetsu

Signature Moves:

• Dragon Suplex
• Moonsault
• Tormenta Apache
• Tiger Suplex

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Gaijin Invaders

The post Faby Apache appeared first on Joshi City.

As I continue my journey of experiencing new wrestlers and new promotions, next up is Joshi promotion ARSION. ARSION was founded by Aja Kong in 1998 with Rossy Ogawa acting as President, a name many will recognize as the owner of Stardom. By 2001 things had changed a bit, as Aja Kong left the promotion after disagreements with management and Lioness Asuka took over the book. This lead to new wrestlers being pushed and a change in the overall feel of the promotion, which we are jumping right in the middle of with this review. The promotion had three titles, two of which will be defended on this show. Here is the full card:

• Ai Fujita vs. Yuu Yamagata
• Chaparita ASARI and Faby Apache vs. Rie Tamada and Rena Takase
• Bionic J vs. GAMI
• TWINSTAR OF ARSION Championship: Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda vs. PIKA and POKO
• Lioness Asuka vs. Mariko Yoshida
• QUEEN OF ARSION Championship: Ayako Hamada vs. Michiko Omukai

Since this was shown on TV in a two hour block, a few of the matches will be clipped.

Ai Fujita vs. Yuu Yamagata

We join in progress as Fujita scoop slams Yamagata before putting her in a crab hold. Yamagata makes it to the ropes, Irish whip by Fujita and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Fujita keeps it on the mat as she applies a sleeper, but Yamagata gets a foot on the ropes. Yamagata fights back with a pair of dropkicks but Fujita rocks her with an elbow and ducks Yamagata’s crossbody attempt. Fujita throws Yamagata in the corner and hits a Space Rolling Avalanche, standing moonsault by Fujita but it only gets two. Jumping lariat by Fujita, she picks up Yamagata but Yamagata rebounds out of the corner with a triple jump crossbody. Fujita levels her with another elbow, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for two. Fujita picks up Yamagata and hits a release German, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault for the three count! Fujita is your winner.

A short match clipped shorter, but not a bad opener. Yamagata showed flashes of ability, just from this I wouldn’t have known she’d be as good as she ended up being but I am not surprised either. Fujita was known for her high flying offense, she mostly stayed grounded here however she did hit a nice looking moonsault. Decent showcase for both wrestlers.

Chaparita ASARI and Faby Apache vs. Rie Tamada and Rena Takase

This match is also joined in progress, with Tamada in the ring with Faby. Takase randomly runs in and spears Faby but Faby avoids Tamada’s missile dropkick. Faby tags in ASARI but Tamada catches her with a Stunner, Tamada goes off the ropes but ASARI pushes her out of the ring. ASARI then goes up top and sails out of the ring down onto both Tamada and Takase, they return to the ring and both ASARI and Faby hit missile dropkicks. Tamada blocks a Northern Lights Suplex but Faby lariats Tamada, helping ASARI hit the move. Frankensteiner by ASARI to Tamada, but the cover gets two. ASARI goes up top but Tamada grabs her from behind and throws ASARI to the mat. German suplex by ASARI but Tamada is back up and hits a roaring elbow. That gives her time to tag in Takase while Faby is tagged in as well, and Faby puts Takase in a Mexican Surfboard. Tamada helps from the apron which allows Takase to apply a quick cross armbreaker, but Faby gets a toe on the ropes.

Takase knocks Faby out of the ring, she then goes up top and dives out of the ring onto ASARI and Faby. Takase gets a chair but the referee tries to get it from her, while the referee is distracted Tamada grabs another chair and whacks Faby with it. Tamada then sets up Faby near the ropes and props the chair against her before hitting a dropkick into the chair from the top turnbuckle. Takase grabs Faby and hits a German suplex hold, but Faby barely kicks out. Takase goes up top but hits a crossbody on Tamada on accident, Faby goes off the ropes but Tamada trips her from the apron. Faby recovers and hits a jumping heel kick on Takase, she goes up top but Takase avoids the diving headbutt. Missile dropkick by Tamada, Takase goes up top and hits a diving crossbody for two. Takase goes off the ropes but Faby levels her with a lariat, Takase sneaks in a backslide but Faby hits another heel kick. Liger Bomb by Faby, and she gets the three count! ASARI and Faby Apache win the match.

What an odd match. Now about four minutes were clipped which can hurt a match in regards to flow and it making sense, but even without that it was probably all over the place. Faby played such an odd role, she really didn’t sell anything long term and each time she hit a big move she would do the ‘cocky’ cover as if she had been winning the whole match. When Faby wasn’t driving me nuts, everything else was great though. Love Takase, she showed a lot of promise and ability for such a young wrestler, and Tamada was on point. ASARI must have been clipped out, as she wasn’t shown as much and played a bit role. Overall I still enjoyed it, lots of solid action, I just wish it was a bit tighter in presentation.  Mildly Recommended

Bionic J vs. GAMI

As we join the match, Bionic J is kneeing GAMI, Irish whip by Bionic J and she hits GAMI in the stomach with a nunchuck. GAMI takes it from her but Bionic J delivers a superkick, she goes for a shoulder tackle but GAMI catches her with a guillotine. GAMI gets Bionic J to the mat but she gets into the ropes, GAMI puts Bionic J on the top turnbuckle and she hits a Frankensteiner, but Bionic jumps to her feet and hits a lariat. Cutter by Bionic J but GAMI bounces up from that and hits a lariat followed by a STO. GAMI goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop, picking up a two count. Chokeslam by Bionic J and she applies a Texas Cloverleaf, but GAMI gets into the ropes. Bionic J throws GAMI into the corner but GAMI drop toeholds her when she charges in and kicks her in the face. GAMI goes for a pump handle but Bionic J blocks it and hits a double underhook facebuster. Bionic J gets on the second turnbuckle but GAMI avoids the diving leg drop and hits a lariat. Pump handle sitout slam by GAMI, but Bionic J kicks out of the cover. GAMI punches Bionic J in the face and puts her in a cross necklock, forcing Bionic J to submit! GAMI is your winner.

Not a whole lot to this one, some good power moves by both but also some random no-selling that didn’t really add anything to the match. It wasn’t a bad watch, as long as you don’t mind some of the more silly aspects of ‘fighting spirit’ cropping up.

(c) Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda vs. PIKA and POKO

PIKA and POKO start off with the advantage as they hit dives out of the ring, but one backfires as one of the clowns takes out the other clowns. Shimoda stays in the ring with with, we’ll say PIKA, and pokes her in the eyes, but the other two clowns come in the ring and confuse Shimoda on which one she had really poked in the eyes. Frankensteiner by POKO, then PIKA hits a sunset flip for a two count. PIKA goes for lariats and finally knocks Shimoda over, sunset flip by PIKA and she rolls her around the ring for a two count. Shimoda gets on the top turnbuckle but PIKA avoids her somersault and applies La Magistral for a two count. PIKA goes up top but Shimoda avoids the moonsault, kick by Shimoda and she covers PIKA for two. Shimoda tags in Mita but PIKA rolls her up for two. She gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a cannonball, picking up two again. She goes for another dive but Mita gets her feet up. POKO comes in the ring and distracts Mita, missile dropkick by… PIKA we will say but Mita hits a double chop to the chest. All three clowns pick up Mita but Mita gets out of it, La Magistral by… POKO but it gets a two count. Shimoda comes off the top with a double missile dropkick, Mita picks up POKO and hits a folding powerbomb for two. Mita goes for a powerbomb but she gets hit in the head with a fan, POKO goes for a hurricanrana but Mita blocks it and hits a Death Valley Bomb for the three count! LCO retain their championship.

This was a really odd way to use LCO. LCO are known for being brutal (they were generally heels) but here they are doing shtick. Not being overly cooperative but they still had to take part in it. A few cute spots but I can’t say I enjoyed it as I’d much rather see LCO in a real tag match and keep the clowning around more towards the bottom of the card. Not a good match at all.

Lioness Asuka vs. Mariko Yoshida

They jockey for position to start and end up on the mat, but after a moment they return to their feet. They return to the mat with Asuka on top, Yoshida goes for a triangle choke but Asuka gets out of it and they end up in the ropes. Yoshida goes for a cross armbreaker but Asuka blocks it and gets back up before kicking Yoshida. Asuka baseball slides Yoshida in the leg and drags her out of the ring, throwing Yoshida into a row of chairs forcefully. She goes for a suplex on the floor but Yoshida lands her her feet, snapmare by Asuka and she kicks Yoshida in the back. Asuka slides a table in the ring and then slides Yoshida back in as well, kicks by Asuka and she slaps Yoshida in the face. Asuka slams Yoshida into the table, she then puts the table across Yoshida’s chest and hits a footstomp off the top turnbuckle onto it. Liger Bomb by Asuka, but Yoshida barely gets her shoulder up. Asuka goes for a high kick but Yoshida catches her foot and applies an ankle hold, she then grabs Asuka around the neck before applying a cross armbreaker.

Asuka gets into the ropes, Yoshida picks her up but Asuka hits a lariat. Yoshida comes back with a German suplex but Asuka blocks the Spider Twist, Yoshida gets the triangle choke locked in but Asuka powerbombs out of it. Asuka gets on the top turnbuckle but jumps back off and stomps Yoshida, she goes up again but Yoshida punches her and joins Asuka up top. Superplex by Yoshida but Asuka hits a quick Blue Thunder Driver. Yoshida comes back and drops Asuka with the Air Raid Crash, but Asuka kicks out of the pin attempt. Cross armbreaker by Yoshida but Asuka gets a foot on the ropes, Yoshida hits another Air Raid Crash but again it gets a two count. Yoshida goes off the ropes but Asuka delivers a high kick, Asuka goes to pick up Yoshida but Yoshida slaps her in an armtrap crossface. La Magistral by Yoshida into the Spider Twist, but Asuka inches to the ropes to force the break. Yoshida goes for another Air Raid Crash but Asuka blocks it and hits the Towerhacker Bomb for a two count. Asuka slides Yoshida out of the ring and throws her into the crowd, she removes the mat at ringside and sets up her table. Asuka puts Yoshida on the table and goes up top, hitting a footstomp down to the floor and through the table. Yoshida is quickly slid back into the ring, Liger Bomb by Asuka but Yoshida barely gets a shoulder up. Heel kick by Asuka, she picks up Yoshida and drops her with the LSD II for the three count! Lioness Asuka is the winner!

It is hard to be mad about a match this entertaining but it certainly had its issues. First of all, the result is what it had to be if Asuka was going to be taken seriously, but she has a reputation as being a selfish worker for a reason as she survived every one of Yoshida’s normal signature moves and then sprinted around the ring like nothing happened to win the match. Asuka was feeling no ill effects during the home stretch, which is classic Asuka but made Yoshida look weak in the process. That being said I liked it anyway, Yoshida is so slick with her submissions and Asuka’s style is a bit different as it mixes in fast pace with brutality very effectively. Definitely worth the watch but better if you know what you are getting into, long-term selling is not Asuka’s strong suit.  Recommended

(c) Ayako Hamada vs. Michiko Omukai

Omukai dropkicks Hamada instead of shaking hands as they start with a bang, Hamada tosses Omukai out of the ring and then sails out onto her with an Asai Moonsault, but Omukai hits her with a chair as she jumps out. Hamada gets the chair from Omukai and hits her with it, Hamada slides Omukai back in the ring and she hits a swandive missile dropkick. Springboard crossbody by Hamada but Omukai rocks her with an elbow, Hamada elbows Omukai back and they exchange hard strikes. They finally slow down as Hamada hits a vertical suplex and she puts Omukai in a modified cloverleaf, but Omukai gets out of it and hits an armdrag. She applies a submission but Hamada gets to the ropes, kicks by Omukai to the head of Hamada and she hits a palm thrust to send Hamada to the mat. Omukai pounds on Hamada’s face in the mount position, busting open Hamada in the process. Omukai focuses on Hamada’s bleeding head, she goes for a powerbomb but Hamada pushes her off.

Suplex by Omukai but Hamada headbutts her, more headbutts by Hamada and she hits mounted headbutts until Omukai is bleeding too. Omukai is bleeding everywhere as they trade headbutts, hard elbow by Omukai and she covers Hamada for two. Hamada puts Omukai in an Octopus Hold, she takes it to the mat but Omukai gets a foot on the ropes. Bodyscissors into a submission by Hamada and they trade submissions until Omukai gets to the ropes. Hamada goes for a powerbomb, Omukai blocks it and goes for a cross armbreaker, but Hamada blocks that and puts Omukai on the top turnbuckle. Hamada then joins her and hits a face crusher to the mat, cover by Hamada but it gets two. Hamada charges Omukai but Omukai catches her in a triangle choke, Hamada struggles but manages to make it to the ropes. Omukai picks up Hamada but Hamada slides away and hits a palm strike. Shining Kick by Omukai, she covers Hamada but Hamada gets a foot on the ropes. Spinning backfists by Omukai but Hamada ducks one and slaps her. Spiral Bomb by Hamada, but Omukai barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Jumping heel kick by Hamada, and she picks up the three count! Your winner and still champion: Ayako Hamada!

Now this was a great match, I loved it. Omukai has great looking and convincing submissions, while Hamada brought lots of fire. The blood loss worked here as both wrestlers snapped a bit once they were busted open, particularly Hamada, and it helped the match go from trading spots to two trying to kill each other. The time went by quickly and nothing felt excessive or out of place. Considering how early Hamada was into her career, she clearly “got it” at a young age, if you are a Hamada fan you really need to track this match down. Perfect way to end the card, it started slow but definitely ended with a bang.  Highly Recommended

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