After watching New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom, I got inspired to watch and review one of the biggest Joshi show of the last decade. Joshi promotions rarely run Sumo Hall, one of the most famous venues for professional wrestling, due to the obvious reason that Sumo Hall is huge and most promotions in general struggle to fill it enough to make the venture profitable. Stardom decided to take a chance in 2013, however, as one of the most popular and “recognizable outside the wrestling bubble” Joshi stars was having her retirement match. Before she started wrestling, Yuzuki Aikawa was a famous model in Japan and was also in an idol group. She joined Stardom in 2010, and instantly gained an even bigger following as a combination of her looks, charisma, and fighting spirit made her the most visible new Joshi star of that (brief) time period. This is why after wrestling for less than three years, she was having her Retirement Match at Sumo Hall and not a smaller venue, she exploded onto the scene and left while she was still at the top of her game. Stardom stacked the entire show for the special occasion, here is the full card:

• Risa Sera and Rutsuko Yamaguchi vs. Yui Yokoo and Sumire Yoshino
• Manami Toyota vs. Miho Wakizawa
• Kota Ibushi, Gota Ihashi, Lin Byron, and Mayu Iwatani vs. Michael Nakazawa, Hikaru Sato, Makoto, and Eri Susa
• Meiko Satomura vs. Takumi Iroha
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Act Yasukawa vs. Dark Angel
• High Speed Championship: Natsuki*Taiyo vs. Yuhi
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Kyoko Kimura and Hailey Hatred vs. Kairi Hojo and Natsumi Showzuki
• Kaori Yoneyama, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, and Mika Nagano
• World of Stardom Championship: Alpha Female vs. Io Shirai
• Yuzuki Aikawa Retirement Match: Yuzuki Aikawa vs. Yoshiko

Big show! Let’s get to it.

Risa Sera and Rutsuko Yamaguchi vs. Yui Yokoo and Sumire Yoshino
Ryogoku Starting Over Stardom vs. Ice Ribbon

Risa and Sumire begin the match, they trade elbows against the ropes until Sera hits a dropkick. She tags in Rutsuko as Yui is also tagged in, Rutsuko boots Yui and she applies The Claw against the ropes until Sumire breaks it up. Yui and Rutsuko trade elbows, Rutsuko slams Yui into her knee but Yui returns the favor. Dropkick by Yui and she tags Sumire, Sumire goes for a cartwheel mule kick but Rutsuko moves out of the way and puts her in a crab hold. Sumire gets to the ropes to force a break, Rutsuko tags in Risa and Risa hits a series of dropkicks on Sumire. Schwein by Risa, she picks up Sumire but Sumire slides behind her and applies a sleeper. Sumire reverts the hold into a cross armbreaker but Sera gets a foot on the ropes. Cartwheel mule kick by Sumire and she tags in Yui, Yui goes for a chokeslam but Sera blocks it. RainSleeper by Yui but Rutsuko breaks it up, Risa picks up Yui and hits Ayers Rock but Sumire breaks up the cover. Risa goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, but Yui kicks out of the cover. Rutsuko comes in but she kicks Risa by accident, running elbow by Yui to Risa and she picks up the three count! Yui Yokoo and Sumire Yoshino are the winners.

I wouldn’t call this a good match, although it was generally inoffensive. Sumire was pretty rough around the edges, I am not terribly surprised she quit wrestling, and while Risa Sera is currently a really good wrestler she was still working out the kinks in 2013. Rutsuko stood out the most because she had the most personality, however Yui seemed like the most complete wrestler. A skippable opener, even if it is interesting to watch a match with young wrestlers from four years ago where three have already left the business.

Manami Toyota vs. Miho Wakizawa
All Japan Women’s Gold Tradition Ryogoku Advent

Wakizawa charges Toyota but Toyota hits a heel drop for a two count cover. Back up they trade slaps, a battle that Toyota wins, but Wakizawa fires back with elbows. Toyota bounces Wakizawa off the ropes and kicks her in the chest, Toyota charges Wakizawa but Wakizawa rolls her around the ring before covering Toyota for a two. Irish whip by Wakizawa but Toyota reverses it and gives Wakizawa a rolling cradle of her own. Toyota puts Wakizawa in the ropes but Wakizawa avoids the dropkick and kicks Toyota out of the ring. Wakizawa then goes up top and dives out onto Toyota with a plancha, she slides Toyota back into the ring and goes up top, connecting with a missile dropkick. Toyota gets back up but Wakizawa hits a Claw STO for a two count. Waistlock by Wakizawa but Toyota gets into the ropes, big boot by Toyota and she goes for the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex but Wakizawa rolls out of it and hits a German suplex hold. Wakizawa picks up Toyota but Toyota elbows her off, release German by Toyota and she goes for a moonsault, but Wakizawa gets her feet up. Fisherman suplex hold by Wakizawa, but Toyota kicks out.

Wakizawa goes up top and hits another missile dropkick, she returns to the top turnbuckle but Toyota boots her down to the floor. Toyota climbs the turnbuckle and dives out onto Wakizawa with her own plancha, taking out a random innocent on the floor in the process. Toyota rolls Wakizawa back in and hits a missile dropkick, another missile dropkick by Toyota and she covers Wakizawa for two. Toyota returns to the top but Wakizawa joins her, Toyota pushes her off and dropkicks Wakizawa in the back of the head. Moonsault by Toyota, but Wakizawa barely gets a shoulder up. Toyota picks up Wakizawa and hits a German suplex hold, she goes up top but Toyota joins her and hits a Frankensteiner, which Toyota rolls through for a two count. Straight Jacket German by Toyota, she goes up top but Wakizawa joins her and hits an avalanche fisherman buster for two. Another fisherman buster by Wakizawa, but again Toyota kicks out. Wakizawa picks up Toyota but Toyota kicks her and hits the Japanese Ocean Queen Bomb, she goes for the cover but lifts up Wakizawa before the three. Toyota then drags Wakizawa up and hits a release Japanese Ocean Cyclone Queen Bee Bomb. She goes for one final one, but Wakizawa slides down her back and applies the Backslide From Venom for the three count! Miho Wakizawa wins!

Afterwards, Wakizawa is in tears as she is overcome with emotion, and Toyota gives her a hug. Streamers are even thrown for Wakizawa, so to say this win meant a lot to her is an understatement.

It feels odd that a match that clearly meant so much to Wakizawa is just an undercard match. An undercard match on a stacked show, but still. Anyone that has never seen Toyota will be an awe at how any times she goes to the top turnbuckle, she always lived up there in her heyday and still does even though at the time of the match she was over 40 years old. I couldn’t say this was a great match but they definitely gave it their all, as both were dropping bombs and trying everything to get the win. Wakizawa kicked out of Toyota’s best offense, but at this stage of her career that just wasn’t really a big deal to Toyota as clearly the point here was for Wakizawa to overcome and get a win that meant a lot to her on a personal level. An interesting match that is worth watching, even if in a vacuum it seems out of place.  Mildly Recommended

Ibushi, Gota Ihashi, Lin Byron, and Iwatani vs. Nakazawa, Hikaru Sato, Makoto, and Eri Susa
Ryogoku Special MIX Eight Person Tag Match

Mayu and Eri are the first two in, wristlock by Eri but Mayu armdrags out of it. Eri tags in Nakazawa, Sato comes in too but Mayu grabs their wrists and hits a springboard split-legged double armdrag. Mayu dropkicks both of them but Nakazawa soon takes back over and he tags in Sato. Sato puts on his swim gear and starts working over Mayu in the corner. He tags in Makoto, Makoto snaps Mayu off the ropes before tagging in Eri. DDT by Eri and she hits a second one, Mayu fights back and they trade elbows. Elevated DDT by Eri, and she covers Mayu for two. She tags Nakazawa, Nakazawa straddles Mayu on the top rope and slides her uh crotch-first across the ropes. That’s as nice as I can put it. Sato comes in and puts Mayu in a crab hold, but Mayu gets into the ropes. Sato goes off the ropes but Mayu dropkicks him and she hits a vertical suplex for a two count. Mayu tags in Byron, Byron DDTs Sato but Nakazawa runs in and attacks her. Eri comes in too as does Makoto, but Byron fights them all off. Sato recovers but Bryon drops him on the second rope, she goes for the Tiger Feint Kick but Nakazawa jumps in the way. Bryon punches him in the balls and hits the Tiger Feint Kick anyway, she goes up top but Nakazawa grabs her before she can jump off. Backdrop suplex by Sato, he tags in Nakazawa while Ibushi is also tagged in.

Pele Kick by Ibushi and he connects with a kick combination, standing moonsault by Ibushi but Makoto breaks it up. DDT by Makoto to Ibushi, she then hits a footstomp followed by a cartwheel kneedrop. Nakazawa covers Ibushi but Ihashi breaks it up, kick to the chest by Ihashi to Nakazawa and he hits a cartwheel moonsault. Ibushi then follows with a running shooting star press and a moonsault off the second turnbuckle, but Nakazawa kicks out of the cover. He tags in Mayu, double wrist armsault by Mayu but it gets two. Mayu picks up Nakazawa and they trade elbows, Mayu slaps Nakazawa but he takes off his clothes and hits a spear. He takes off his underwear and goes for the Ultimate Venom Arm, Makoto tries to stop him so she gets it instead. He goes back to Mayu but Mayu blocks it, Sato tries to help Nakazawa get the hold applied but both teams run in and have a Test of Strength with the underwear. Makoto come sin but she goes against Nakazawa as does Eri, helping Mayu successfully block the hold. Makoto and Eri continue helping Mayu’s team, as all the women hit running strikes on Nakazawa in the corner. Mayu picks up Nakazawa, Eri chops Nakazawa in the chest and Mayu nails the dragon suplex hold for the three count! Kota Ibushi, Gota Ihashi, Lin Byron, and Mayu Iwatani are the winners.

This was a bit too DDT-y for me as their brand of comedy isn’t my favorite, but I did like Eri and Makoto switching teams as they agreed with me. Mayu was still a bit shaky but still learning, and everyone else looked fine. A bit longer than it needed to be but if you enjoy Nakazawa you may enjoy this match too.

Meiko Satomura vs. Takumi Iroha
Takumi Iroha Debut Match

The match starts slow but Iroha fires up Satomura by elbowing her against the ropes instead of giving a clean break. Iroha kicks Satomura when they lock knuckles but Satomura elbows her hard in the face and kicks Iroha into the corner. Jumping elbow by Satomura and she applies a front necklock, armbar by Satomura but Iroha gets into the ropes. Back up they trade elbows, uppercut by Satomura and she knocks Iroha into the corner. Iroha swats Satomura away and kicks her in the chest, uppercut by Iroha and she dropkicks her into the opposite corner. Iroha picks up Satomura and flips her into a cross armbreaker, she reverts it into a triangle choke before then changing it to an ankle hold when she can’t keep Satomura down. Satomura gets out of it with a jawbreaker, she attempts an Irish whip but Iroha blocks it and re-applies the triangle choke. Satomura gets into the ropes, Iroha slams Satomura to the mat and goes up top, and she hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Iroha picks up Satomura but Satomura elbows her off, she goes off the ropes but Iroha hits a powerslam for another two count. Backdrop suplex by Iroha, she picks up Satomura and goes off the ropes, but Satomura kicks her in the stomach and knocks her down with an uppercut. Kick to the head by Satomura, and Iroha rolls out of the ring hurt. Iroha is pretty out of it so Satomura goes to get her, she slides Iroha back in and covers her for two. Satomura picks up Iroha but Iroha dropkicks her, Satomura quickly kicks Iroha in the ribs and nails the cartwheel kneedrop. Seated armbar by Satomura, but Iroha quickly gets a hand on the ropes. DDT by Satomura, she goes up top and she hits the diving body press for a two count cover. Satomura goes for a Death Valley Bomb, Iroha gets out of it but Satomura kicks her in the ribs. Backdrop suplex by Satomura, she covers Iroha but lifts her head before the three count. Satomura puts Iroha in a sleeper hold, Iroha can’t get to the ropes and goes to sleep. Meiko Satomura wins!

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, perhaps with some benefit of hindsight. Iroha no longer wrestles in Stardom as she left the promotion to join Chigusa Nagayo’s Marvelous, however she has really developed into a solid wrestler. I wouldn’t say she was a complete natural as aside from a few cool submission moves she didn’t do anything to really stand out in this match, but she sold really well and nothing ever felt awkward. Satomura gave the rookie a fair amount of offense but this was before Satomura went full ass-kicker on Stardom, I doubt a wrestler today in their debut match would have as much luck. An above average match with an obvious result, but it was nice to see someone debut on such a big stage.

Act Yasukawa vs. Dark Angel
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They trade holds to start, Dark Angel gets Act to the mat but Act gets out of it and they return to their feet. Dark Angel gets Act to the mat again, she pushes Act into the corner and she delivers a dropkick. Snapmare by Dark Angel and she rolls up Act for a two count, Dark Angel goes for a lariat but Act ducks it and puts Dark Angel in the Stretch Muffler. Dark Angel gets to the ropes, Act hangs her upside down from the top rope before kicking her in the leg. Act continues on Dark Angel’s leg, Dark Angel jumps up on the top turnbuckle but Act pushes her down to the floor. Act then goes out to the apron and she hits a cannonball down onto Dark Angel, Act slides Dark Angel back in and hits the ACT Special for a two count. Act goes off the ropes and knees Dark Angel in the head, but again her cover gets two. Act goes for a neck swing but Dark Angel gets out of it and the pair trade elbows. Springboard dropkick by Dark Angel, Act rolls out of the ring but Dark Angel goes up top and dives out onto Act with a plancha suicida, completely flattening her.

Act looks incredibly hurt but after a minute she manages to get back into the ring, slingshot bodypress by Dark Angel and she gets a two count. Dark Angel goes for the La Reienera but Act gets out of it, dropkick by Act but Dark Angel gets out of the tombstone and puts Act in the double chickenwing armlock with a neckscissors, but Act is too close to the ropes and gets the break. Dark Angel picks up Act and hits the Stun Gun, suplex by Dark Angel but Act kicks out. Dark Angel picks up Act but Act blocks the pedigree, reverse STO by Act and she delivers the Senton Bomb off the second turnbuckle. Act goes up again but Dark Angel recovers and tosses her off, Dark Angel goes up but Act joins her and powerslams Act to the mat for a two count. Act goes up top but Dark Angel hits the rope to knock her off, Act rolls Dark Angel to the mat but Dark Angel kicks out of the cover. Grounded necklock by Act but Dark Angel suplexes out of it, La Reienera by Dark Angel and after Act can’t escape the referee calls for the bell! Dark Angel is the new champion.

I like both of these wrestlers but I felt the match fell a bit flat. Something seemed off, they weren’t always on the same page and some of the moves just weren’t hit very cleanly. Act is always a bundle of fun to watch as she has a wide variety of offense and the pacing/time felt right as Dark Angel knows how to lay out a match, it just never sucked me in as the story was never really there (the crowd also never really got into it either). Some quality spots, but overall it didn’t reach the level I was hoping for.

(c) Natsuki*Taiyo vs. Yuhi
NEO High Speed Championship

After some fast paced rope running, things calm down with wristlocks until Yuhi pushes Taiyo into the ropes and goes for a Tiger Feint Kick. Taiyo ducks that, Yuhi grabs her arm and she hits a diving armdrag out of the corner. Taiyo goes off the ropes and hits an elbow onto Yuhi, kicks to the ribs by Taiyo and she applies an armbar. She releases the hold after a moment, kicks by Taiyo but Yuhi fights back with elbows. Taiyo dropkicks Yuhi hard in the chest, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick. Running dropkick by Taiyo in the corner, and she covers Yuhi for two. Taiyo goes for the Iguchi Bomb but Yuhi hurricanranas out of it, quebrada by Yuhi but Taiyo kicks out of the cover. Yuhi goes up top but Taiyo quickly joins her and armdrags her to the mat, Iguchi Bomb by Yuhi but it gets a two. Kick by Taiyo but Yuhi blocks the Taiyo-chan☆Bomb, kicks by Yuhi but Taiyo catches one and pushes her to the mat.

Kick to the chest by Taiyo, she goes off the ropes but Yuhi slides away and kicks Taiyo in the chest. Ankle Hold by Yuhi but Taiyo gets to the ropes to force a break. Kicks by Yuhi and she hits a strike combination, handstand capoeira by Yuhi and she kicks Taiyo in the head for a two count. Yuhi goes up top but Taiyo avoids the Firebird Splash, Taiyo-chan☆Bomb by Taiyo but Yuhi gets a shoulder up. Hard elbow by Taiyo but Yuhi returns fire, knees by Taiyo but Yuhi gets into the ropes. Release German by Taiyo but Yuhi springs up and hits a German suplex hold for two. Taiyo goes for La Magistral but Yuhi blocks it, jumping kick by Yuhi and she delivers the Honey Flash, but Taiyo barely gets a shoulder up. Yuhi goes for a kick but Taiyo catches it and hits a leg trap suplex hold, but it gets two. Taiyo picks up Yuhi and puts her onto the top turnbuckle, Taiyo joins her and nails the Taiyo-chan*Spanish Fly, picking up the three count! Natsuki Taiyo is still the High Speed Champion!

This was a really fun match that delivered what it was aiming for – a fast paced entertaining midcard match that kept the fans engaged without overshadowing the bigger matches on the card. Yuhi was such a great young talent, she retired before she was even 18 so we’ll never know how great she could have been. This type of match was Taiyo’s specialty as she had a lot of different high speed offense, and even though the match was over ten minutes it flew by. I could watch this all day, far from a classic but just what the card needed to get the crowd back into it.  Recommended

(c) Kyoko Kimura and Hailey Hatred vs. Kairi Hojo and Natsumi Showzuki
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kairi and Natsumi try to attack before the bell, but it quickly backfires as Kimura Monster-gun takes over. Kairi stays in the ring with Hailey but Kyoko pulls Kairi out of the ring and they battle on the floor. Hailey throws Kairi into the ring post while Kyoko slides Natsumi into the ring, Kyoko puts Natsumi in the Tree of Woe and jumps down on her in the corner. Hailey comes in too as they double team Natsumi, Hailey stays in and works over Natsumi’s leg. Kyoko is tagged in and she puts Natsumi in a leglock, but Natsumi rolls up Kyoko for a quick two count. Kyoko goes back to the leg but Natsumi hits a crossbody and tags in Kairi. Kyoko and Hailey double team Kairi as they slam her into the mat, but Kairi gets away and hits a double spear. Another spear by Kairi onto Kyoko and she hits another one followed by a third. Kairi picks up Kyoko but Kyoko slides away and pushes Kairi to the mat. Kairi recovers and elbows Kyoko but Kyoko boots her in the face for a two count cover. Front necklock by Kairi but Kyoko reverses it, Kairi gets into the ropes but Kyoko slaps her in the face. Kyoko picks up Kairi and puts her in a sleeper, but Natsumi runs in and breaks it up.

Slaps by Natsumi to Kyoko, she goes back out to the apron and Kairi tags her in. Knees by Natsumi to Kyoko, running knee by Natsumi and she covers Kyoko for a two count. Natsumi goes off the ropes but Hailey hits her from the apron, Kyoko tags in Hailey and they kick Natsumi around the ring, Kairi comes in too but ultimately Kimura Monster-gun keeps the advantage. Natsumi kicks Kyoko in the head while Kairi spears Hailey, kick by Natsumi to Hailey and she tags in Kairi. Assisted kneedrop by Natsumi, she goes up top and hits a diving double kneedrop onto Hailey. Kairi then goes up top and nails the diving elbow drop, but Kyoko breaks up the pin. Hailey clears the ring, she picks up Kairi and snaps off a German suplex hold for two. Hailey picks up Kairi again and throws her into the corner, Kyoko returns and they double team Kairi. High kick by Hailey, and she covers Kairi for two. Hailey gets on the second turnbuckle and they hit an assisted Gory Special, but Natsumi breaks up the pin. Hailey picks up Kairi but Kairi spins away and applies the 4173 (Gedo Clutch) for the three count! Natsumi Showzuki and Kairi Hojo are your new champions!

I haven’t seen a ton of Hailey Hatred, and maybe I am just watching the wrong matches, but I have yet to see her in a match look good. Every spear by Kairi to Hailey just looked rough, as if Hailey had never sold a spear before, and so much of it felt awkward. Her German Suplex was nice but nothing else was smooth. To be fair, some of the Kyoko segments looked rough too, it just felt disjointed as hell. Natsumi and Kairi were spunky as you’d assume and there were some solid parts, but overall just too rough around the edges to recommend.

Kaori Yoneyama, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Syuri vs. Takahashi, Fujimoto, and Mika Nagano
Nanae Takahashi That’s Women’s Pro-Wrestling

Kaori and Fujimoto start off but they reach a stalemate and tag in Mika and Syuri. Mika takes down Syuri, kicks by Syuri but Mika slides away and hits mounted elbows. Mika goes for a cross armbreaker and gets it locked on, but Syuri gets a foot on the ropes. Nanae and Hiroyo are tagged in and they trade elbows, shoulderblock by Nanae and she throws down Hiroyo by the hair. Hiroyo returns the favor and hits a body avalanche before making the tag to Kaori. Abdominal Stretch by Kaori, she puts Nanae in the ropes so that her teammates can help her with the Stardom star. Syuri is tagged in next, Nanae slaps her but Syuri slaps her back and knees Nanae in the stomach. She goes off the ropes but Nanae delivers a lariat before making the hot tag to Fujimoto. Fujimoto kicks down all three of her opponents, Mika comes in and she dropkicks Syuri in the corner. Double catapult dropkick by Fujimoto to Syuri, she goes for a suplex but Syuri blocks it and hits a scoop slam. Syuri goes off the ropes but Fujimoto dropkicks her and tags in Mika, Mika and Syuri trade elbows, Syuri knees Mika into the corner and she hits a jumping knee. Suplex by Syuri, and she covers Mika for two. Mika goes for a cross armbreaker but it gets broken up, her teammates run in too however and Mika gets the hold re-applied. Mike gets out of it, knee by Mika but Syuri knees her back.

Syuri tags in Hiroyo and Hiroyo suplexes Mika with Kaori’s help. Hiroyo gets Mike on her back but Mika slides away and rolls up Hiroyo for two. Sleeper by Mika to Hiroyo, Nanae is tagged in and she lariats Hiroyo in the corner. Another lariat by Nanae, she goes for a suplex but Hiroyo blocks it. Hiroyo and Nanae trade elbows, Hiroyo slides to the apron and snaps Nanae’s neck over the top rope. Hiroyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she charges Nanae but Nanae kicks her back and they trade strikes. Roaring Elbow by Hiroyo, but Nanae gets a shoulder up. Reverse Double Kneedrop by Hiroyo, but Fujimoto breaks up the cover. Hiroyo tags in Kaori, diving senton by Kaori to Nanae and she gets a two count. Everyone stacks on Hiroyo so she can hit a heavy kneedrop, cover by Kaori but Nanae kicks out at two. Nanae is thrown into the corner but Nanae lariats all of her opponents, she goes up top and hits the Refrigerator Bomb for a two count. Nanae picks up Kaori but Kaori sneaks in a flash pin for two. German suplex by Nanae but Kaori knees her in the back of the head, she goes up top and delivers the Takako Panic for a two count. Kaori picks up Nanae, elbow by Nanae and she hits a lariat. Yoshi Tonic by Kaori, she picks up Nanae but Fujimoto hits the Venus Shoot on her. Nanae picks up Kaori and delivers the Falcon Arrow, but Hiroyo breaks up the pin. The ring clears, Nanae picks up Kaori and she nails the One Second EX for the three count! Team Nanae Takahashi wins!

While a match like this isn’t going to blow anyone away, it was a smartly worked match that kept at a decent pace while giving all the wrestlers a chance to shine. Its a shame that Mika stopped wrestling as I love me a good MMA gimmick (well not a gimmick in her case), and her pairing with Syuri was entertaining. Nanae Takahashi was the star of the match by design but looked good, and everyone played their role well with no mistakes or miscommunications. Nothing special in the long run but a solid match bell to bell and quality filler.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Alpha Female vs. Io Shirai
This match is for the World of Stardom Championship

After Alpha Female jaws with the crowd they tie-up, Io tries to shoulderblock Alpha Female over but it obviously fails. Chops by Io, she goes for a slam but Alpha Female blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Alpha Female throws Io into the corner but Io avoids her charge and hits a spinning headscissors followed by a standing moonsault for two. Io attempts to Irish whip Alpha Female but Alpha Female blocks it and hits a release German suplex. Alpha Female picks up Io and hits a German suplex hold, but Io kicks out at two. Clubs to the chest by Alpha Female and she hits a lariat, cobra clutch by Alpha Female but Io gets into the ropes for a break. Alpha Female picks up Io but Io lands on her feet on the suplex attempt and dropkicks Alpha Female into the corner. Space Rolling Elbow by Io but Alpha Female blocks the face crusher and delivers a release German. Alpha Female charges Io but Io ducks her lariat and applies the Tarantula in the ropes. Io releases it and goes for a swandive move, but Alpha Female grabs her before she can springboard and elbows her down to the floor. Alpha Female goes out after her and slams her into the apron, she puts Io against the ring post and goes for a lariat, but Io moves out of the way. Io then hits a Tiger Feint Kick around the ring post, she goes up top and delivers a moonsault down onto Alpha Female.

Alpha Female is rolled into the ring by Kyoko Kimura, Io gets on the apron and she hits a swandive dropkick to Alpha Female’s back. Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she hits another swandive dropkick, pinning Alpha Female for a two count. Armtrap Crossface by Io but Alpha Female muscles out of it, body avalanche by Io in the corner but Alpha Female elbows her in the other corner and they trade elbows. Palm strike by Io but Alpha Female elbows her hard in the face for a two count. Alpha Female charges Io but Io slides out to the apron, diving hurricanrana by Io and she hits a double knee strike in the corner. Alpha Female fires back with a lariat, she picks up Io and delivers a chokebomb, but Io barely gets a shoulder up. Cobra Clutch by Alpha Female but Io gets a foot on the ropes to force a break, Alpha Female picks up Io and goes off the ropes, but Io catches her with a Frankensteiner. Spinning kicks to the head by Io and she hits a standing moonsault followed by a moonsault off the second turnbuckle and top turnbuckle, but Alpha Female kicks out of the cover. Io goes for another hurricanrana but Alpha Female catches her and hits a Buckle Bomb. Alpha Female picks up Io and goes for a slam but Io blocks it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick. Io rains more Buzzsaw Kicks onto Alpha Female, rolling savate kick by Io and she hits a second one for a two count cover. They get up, kicks to the midsection by Io and she nails another rolling savate kick for the three count! Io Shirai is the new champion!

This match was good but weird. The ending felt… strange as while repeated kicks to the head is a solid way to win a match, it wasn’t one of Io’s regular ways and it would have been more impressive if she had won with a power move (like a bridging suplex). Odd ending aside, Alpha Female is one of the top female heels in all of wrestling and plays the part perfectly, she is strong enough to do just about anything but doesn’t mind taking the big bumps when needed to put over the ‘good guy.’ Watching the match four years after it happened, it didn’t really have an epic feel like you’d hope from the young local star defeating the evil gaijin for the promotion’s top championship, but it did show that Io is incredibly hard to beat, which is a theme that continues to this day. I liked it overall, but the ending was a bit flat and it didn’t feel as special as it was probably intended to be.  Mildly Recommended

Yuzuki Aikawa vs. Yoshiko
Yuzuki Aikawa Retirement Match

Aikawa and Yoshiko get right into it and end up on the mat, Yoshiko gets in the mount and holds down Aikawa. Aikawa hits an armdrag and kicks Yoshiko in the corner, figure four necklock by Aikawa and she rams Yoshiko’s head into the mat. Yoshiko kicks Aikawa into the corner and throws her down by the hair, bootscrapes by Yoshiko and she nails the running kick. Yoshiko puts Aikawa in the ropes and kicks her repeatedly in the chest, Irish whip by Yoshiko but Aikawa kicks her in the chest. Aikawa and Yoshiko trade elbow strikes, kicks to the leg by Aikawa but she poses for too long and Yoshiko bodyblocks her to the mat. Shoulderblocks by Yoshiko, she charges Aikawa in the corner but Aikawa hits a heel drop. Running body avalanche by Aikawa and she puts Yoshiko in a STF, but Yoshiko gets to the ropes. Aikawa goes for kicks but Yoshiko blocks them all and chokes Aikawa against the ropes. Aikawa goes for a fisherman suplex but Yoshiko gets out of it and hits a Codebreaker. Yoshiko applies a stretch hold before delivering a pump handle slam, she picks up Aikawa but Aikawa kicks her in the back. Fisherman suplex hold by Aikawa, but Yoshiko kicks out of the cover.

Hammerlock by Aikawa but Yoshiko slams her way out of it and hits a running senton. Another senton by Yoshiko and she hits one more for a two count. Yoshiko gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, cover by Yoshiko but Aikawa gets a shoulder up. Yoshiko goes up top again but Aikawa snaps her neck over the top rope. Yoshiko falls out of the ring, Aikawa goes up top and dives out onto her with a plancha suicida. Aikawa returns to the ring and waits for Yoshiko, Yoshiko eventually slides back in and Aikawa hits her with the Shining Yuzard. Yuzupon Kick Blue by Aikawa, but Yoshiko barely kicks out of the cover. Aikawa goes for the Tiger Suplex but Yoshiko gets out of it, Yuzupon Stunner by Aikawa but Yoshiko drops her with a fireman’s carry slam for two. Yoshiko goes for the Reverse Splash but Aikawa moves out of the way, jumping knee by Aikawa in the corner and she kicks Yoshiko in the head again. Another head kick by Aikawa, but again Yoshiko kicks out. Aikawa picks up Yoshiko and kicks her in the head, but Yoshiko comes back with a headbutt. They both slowly get up and trade slaps, kicks by Aikawa to Yoshiko’s back and she hits the Yuzupon Kick Red, but Yoshiko gets up and fires off lariats. Aikawa ducks one and hits the Tiger Suplex Hold, but Yoshiko kicks out. Another Yuzupon Kick Red, but Yoshiko still won’t stay down for three. Aikawa goes for another Tiger Suplex Hold but Yoshiko pushes her off and hits a lariat. Chokebomb by Yoshiko, she gets on the top turnbuckle and nails a diving senton for the three count! Yoshiko wins!

When you think about it, this result is really different and Stardom went ‘all in’ on Yoshiko by structuring the match this way. I mean Yoshiko was only 19, and not fully established. Aikawa very rarely got pinned once she was the star of the promotion, she never even lost her singles title and ended up forfeiting it when her retirement was planned. But on the biggest event in Stardom’s history, Yoshiko not only defeats the most popular wrestler in Stardom but takes literally every move that she has in the process. I mean Aikawa had nothing left, if you check her move list on wikipedia she did everything with no success. Then the first time Yoshiko hits the diving senton from the top, she gets the win. The crowd really didn’t react as they didn’t know how to, while Yoshiko was a rising star she wasn’t really on this level at this point and probably wasn’t expected to win. The crowd didn’t boo, they were just stunned. Anyway, the issue with the match was that it was just really back and forth with no real transitions at times. Aikawa would hit a few moves, Yoshiko would stand up and hit a few moves, and so on. It didn’t feel like either really had a plan, it was just both hitting moves randomly with little to tie it together. Aikawa never really got desperate or emotional, as even though it was a Retirement Match she had such a short career that it didn’t have that epic feel like the Dynamite Kansai Retirement Match I watched a few weeks ago.  The match was good, but nothing more than that, even though I admire Stardom’s balls for putting all their chips in one basket and really going for it.  Mildly Recommended

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When I am going through my catalog with hundreds of Joshi events, there are different reasons that I may pick any given event to review. Sometimes I want to review something quick, other times I want to review a show with Kana. This event I picked because of one move, a move you have probably seen a GIF of before and is one of the craziest spots of the last decade in wrestling. But besides that spot, this was one of JWP’s biggest events of the year and features three Championship matches plus other special matches. Here is the full card:

• JWP Jr. Championship and POP Championship: Misaki Ohata vs. Pinky Mayuka
• Over the Maximum Summer Bout: Atsuko Emoto, Tomoka Nakagawa, and Hailey Hatred vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki, Keito, and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Super Heel Uematsu 2nd Bout Special Tag Match: Super Heel Uematsu and KAZUKI vs. Ran Yu-Yu and Sachie Abe
• Best of Pure-Wrestling: Azumi Hyuga vs. Tojuki Leon
• JWP Tag Team and Daily Sports Women’s Tag Team Championship: Command Bolshoi and Yabushita vs. Yoneyama and Emi Sakura
• JWP Openweight Championship: Kayoko Haruyama vs. Kyoko Kimura

Lots to be excited about, the event was presented on a two hour telecast on Samurai! TV so there will be some clipping.

(c) Misaki Ohata vs. Pinky Mayuka
JWP Jr. Championship and POP Championship

They tie-up to start, Mayuka pushes Ohata into the ropes and the two trade elbows back and forth. Mayuka throws down Ohata by the hair but Ohata avoids the dropkick and returns the favor. Dropkick by Ohata, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Ohata goes to the top turnbuckle again and hits a diving body press, picking up a two count cover. Mayuka goes for a roll-up but Ohata blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Mayuka catches her with an arm trap dragon sleeper. Ohata inches to the ropes and gets her foot on them to force a break, Mayuka picks her up but Ohata sneaks in a backslide for two. Ohata applies an ankle hold but Mayuka gets to the ropes, Ohata goes back to the ankle but Mayuka blocks it this time and covers her for two. A schoolboy by Mayuka doesn’t work, Ohata grabs her and hits a German suplex hold for two. Low crossbody by Ohata, she picks up Mayuka and nails the Hanamaru Dokkan for the three count! Ohata is still the champion.

This was slightly clipped, which would explain the lack of match structure. But these were also two young wrestlers that still weren’t 100% sure what they were doing, in Joshi the “Jr.” title refers to age/experience, not size. So expectations were lower. Ohata showed a lot of promise though and I loved Mayuka’s dragon sleeper, so definitely a few bright points even if overall it was a bit flat.

Atsuko Emoto, Nakagawa, and Hailey Hatred vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki, Keito, and Matsumoto

Nakagawa and company attack their opponents before match starts and takes them out of the ring as both teams brawl around on the floor. Back in the ring, Emoto chokes Keito with a chair and kicks her into the corner, Hailey comes in and they hit Keito with a double lariat. Keito is triple teamed in the ropes, Kuragaki comes in but she is hit in the face with a chair before having the chair dropkicked into her head. Kuragaki gets busted open on the bridge of the nose during all this, Matsumoto grabs Emoto from ringside which helps Kuragaki recover. Backbreaker by Kuragaki, she then gets both Emoto and Nakagawa on her back but Hailey breaks it up. Kuragaki stays in with Emoto and hits her with a lariat before tagging in Keito, kicks by Keito but Emoto gets away and hits a springboard elbow.

Emoto goes up top but Matsumoto grabs her from the apron, Keito tosses Emoto to the mat and hits a PK for a two count. She goes off the ropes again but Emoto catches her with a heel kick, giving her time to tag in Nakagawa. Scoop slam by Nakagawa and she tags in Hailey, Nakagawa goes up top and Hailey helps her hit a diving footstomp. Nakagawa stays in, Matsumoto tries to help Emoto but Nakagawa rolls up Emoto for two. Falcon Arrow by Keito, but the pin is broken up when Emoto hits Keito with a chair. Nakagawa gets the chair but hits Emoto by accident, high kick by Keito to Nakagawa but Hailey runs in and elbow Keito. Crucifix cover by Nakagawa but it is broken up, she charges Keito but Keito hits a high kick. Kick by Keito, but Nakagawa barely gets a shoulder up. Keito drags up Nakagawa and hits another high kick, Schwein by Keito and she gets the three count! Kuragaki, Keito, and Matsumoto win!

A bit too much of this was clipped but what they showed was fine. The problem with having a six wrestler tagged trimmed down to seven minutes is it makes having so many wrestlers unnecessary. I don’t know if Hailey and Matsumoto did more, but in what they showed they did hardly anything and were non-essential to the match. Kuragaki was hit with some really hard chair shots and her face showed that, pretty brutal for a match so early on the card. Some entertaining parts but not enough substance was shown.

Super Heel Uematsu and KAZUKI vs. Ran Yu-Yu and Sachie Abe

Uematsu and Abe are the first two in, Abe kicks Uematsu around the ring until Uematsu bails and glares at the crowd. KAZUKI runs in to attack Abe, Uematsu then pulls Abe out of the ring and throws her into the crowd. Uematsu attacks Ran with chairs at ringside, she finally gets back into the ring and waits for Abe. Abe returns and hits a jumping seated senton onto Uematsu before making the tag to Ran. KAZUKI comes in to take Uematsu’s place, Uematsu gets a kendo stick and hits Ran with it. Running kick by Uematsu while Ran is against the ropes, she then pulls Abe off the apron and slams her into the floor. Uematsu pretends she is going to do a dive but instead slides out of the ring and hits Ran and Abe with her stick some more. Abe and Ran are double teamed at ringside until Ran and Abe fight back, Uematsu gets on the apron but Ran slides back into the ring before she can dive out. Uematsu returns also and they trade kick attempts, enzuigiri by Ran but Uematsu avoids the next attack and hit a missile dropkick. Uematsu goes for a moonsault but Ran moves, running knee by Ran and she covers Uematsu for two. Ran gets Uematsu on her back but Uematsu jumps off, dropkick by KAZUKI and Uematsu tags in KAZUKI. Running knee by KAZUKI but Abe snaps off a hurricanrana, KAZUKI reverses it but the referee is too hurt to make a cover.

Somato by KAZUKI, but Abe kicks out at two. KAZUKI tags in Uematsu, Uematsu picks up Abe but Abe drops her with a snap German. Uematsu returns to her feet, Abe lands her on feet when Uematsu goes for a dragon suplex but Uematsu dropkicks her. Missile dropkicks by Uematsu, she goes up top again but this time she dives out of the ring onto Ran. Uematsu gets back in and goes up top, Abe joins her but Uematsu chokes Abe and tosses her back to the mat. Ran comes in but Uematsu hits her with a lariat, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Abe avoids the corkscrew senton. Abe goes for a hurricanrana but Uematsu catches her and hits a powerbomb. Uematsu picks up Abe and hits a dragon suplex hold, but Ran breaks it up. Uematsu drops her with a dragon suplex also, but Ran gets back up and hits Uematsu when she gets on the second turnbuckle. Abe jumps up with Uematsu and hits a Frankensteiner, but the cover is broken up. Backdrop suplex hold by Abe, but Uematsu kicks out at two. Abe picks up Uematsu again and goes off the ropes, La Magistral by Abe but again the cover is broken up. Bodyscissors into a roll-up by Abe, Uematsu kicks out and KAZUKI hits Abe with a Codebreaker. Fisherman Driver by Uematsu, and she gets the three count! Uematsu and KAZUKI are the winners.

This was an interesting period in Uematsu’s career. She was getting a bit of a push in 2008 and 2009, and having two personas was part of her renewed interest. But like a lot of gimmicks, sometimes it doesn’t stick and resonate with the crowd, and I think that is why Uematsu isn’t really remembered today as one of the high end wrestlers of the last ten years. But she was quite good, her suplexes were all on point, she reminded me of a Cassandra Miyagi type character but one that has more wrestling skills. The match was mostly about her as KAZUKI didn’t do much, and five minutes or so were clipped, but Abe and Ran looked good as well. Too much was clipped but I actually did enjoy Uematsu’s style in this match, I thought it fit her well.  Mildly Recommended (for Uematsu)

Azumi Hyuga vs. Tojuki Leon

They start with some mat work, Hyuga gets Leon’s back and applies a chinlock before applying a leglock. Leon gets into the ropes, Hyuga slams Leon’s knee into the mat and puts her in a surfboard, she lets Leon go and hits a jumping knee in the corner. Leon jumps over Hyuga and hits a backbreaker, Leon tries to pick up Hyuga but Hyuga punches her away. Underhook into a backbreaker by Hyuga but Leon pushes Hyuga into the ropes, she charges her but Hyuga flips her onto the apron before kicking her in the head to send Leon to the floor. Hyuga goes up top but Leon jumps onto the apron and hits a springboard dropkick. Hyuga falls to the floor as Leon gets back into the ring and sails out onto her with a springboard dive off the top rope. Leon slides Hyuga back in and goes up top, hitting a rope walking dropkick followed by a spear in the corner. Leon goes to the top once again and hits the diving body press, but Hyuga kicks out of the cover. Leon picks up Hyuga but Hyuga gets her back and hits a suplex. Leon recovers and applies a backbreaker and slams Hyuga to the mat, Leon goes off the ropes but Hyuga dropkicks her in the head. Rolling Germans by Hyuga and she hits a backbreaker, Leon rolls her to the mat but Hyuga reverses it and delivers a head kick.

Leon falls out of the ring, Hyuga goes out to the apron and jumps off with a knee attack. Hyuga rolls Leon back in and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hyuga but it gets two. Armtrap Crossface by Hyuga, but Leon wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Hyuga picks up Leon but Leon blocks the Michinoku Driver and slams Hyuga into her knee. Big spinning slam by Leon, she goes up top and hits a somersault legdrop for a two count. Leon picks up Hyuga and goes off the ropes, but Hyuga elbows her in the chest and they trade shots. Hyuga catches Leon’s heel kick and hits a suplex, knee to the back of the head by Hyuga and she hits the Michinoku Driver, but Leon barely kicks out. Hyuga puts Leon on the top turnbuckle and joins her, Spider German by Hyuga but Leon lands on her feet. Leon goes for a spear while Hyuga is still hanging but Hyuga pulls herself up in time, Leon re-joins Hyuga and she hits an avalanche capture suplex. Hyuga and Leon slowly get up, half nelson suplex by Leon and she kicks Hyuga in the head. Leon goes out to the apron and hits a swandive heel kick, Leon picks up Hyuga and nails the Capture Buster, but Hyuga somehow kicks out. Leon drags Hyuga up and goes for another one, but Hyuga blocks it and rolls up Leon for two. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, Hyuga kicks Leon in the head and hits the Michinoku Driver, but it gets two. Hyuga goes up top and nails the Takako Panic, cover by Hyuga and she gets the three count! Azumi Hyuga is the winner.

I enjoyed this match quite a bit, both really brought their A game. Lots of big moves, ranging from dives to killer suplexes, and they really kept the match moving for the entire 15 minutes. Hyuga had a fair number of injuries in her career but could still go as you wouldn’t have known from watching this match, and this is one of the better Leon singles matches I’ve seen. Really fun and a pleasant surprise. Recommended

(c) Command Bolshoi and Megumi Yabushita vs. Kaori Yoneyama and Emi Sakura
JWP Tag Team and Daily Sports Women’s Tag Team Championship

Yoneyama and Sakura attack before the match starts, but Bolshoi and Yabushita throw them out of the ring and both teams battle on the floor. They return after a moment with Bolshoi and Yabushita in control, they both roll their opponents to the mat and apply submission holds. Bolshoi picks up Yoneyama and hits a vertical suplex before tagging Yabushita, scoop slam by Yabushita and she hits a double kneedrop near the ropes. Yabushita picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama rolls up Yabushita, she tries to tag Sakura but Yabushita grabs her leg and applies an ankle hold. She tags in Bolshoi, Bolshoi kicks Yoneyama but Yoneyama schoolboys her for two and makes the hot tag to Sakura. Mongolian Chops by Sakura and she attacks both Bolshoi and Yabushita in the corner, Yoneyama returns and they double team Bolshoi. Sakura picks up Bolshoi and hits a double underhook backbreaker, another backbreaker by Sakura but Yabushita grabs her from the apron. Yoneyama grabs Bolshoi too as Yabushita applies a hanging armbar to Sakura, Bolshoi runs over to Sakura but Sakura avoids the double dropkick attempt. Sakura crossbodies both Yabushita and Bolshoi off the apron, Yoneyama runs over and she dives out onto both of her opponents with a somersault attack. Bolshoi is rolled back in, footstomp by Sakura but Bolshoi blocks the second one and applies a triangle choke. Sakura gets out of it and elbows Bolshoi, Bolshoi applies a reverse armbar but Sakura gets into the ropes. Bolshoi tags Yabushita, Yabushita puts Sakura in a choke but Yoneyama comes in and breaks it up.

Senton by Yoneyama, Sakura rolls Yabushita to the mat and applies a submission, but Yabushita gets a foot in the ropes. Sakura tags in Yoneyama, Yoneyama comes in with a diving crossbody and she goes for a cover, but Yabushita blocks it and applies a triangle choke. Yabushita picks up Yoneyama and goes to the second turnbuckle, but Yoneyama gets away from her and tosses her off with a judo throw of sorts. Sakura comes in and hits a moonsault, Yoneyama follows with her own moonsault and both wrestlers hit another one, but Bolshoi breaks up Yoneyama’s cover. Cross armbreaker takedown by Yabushita while Bolshoi puts Sakura in an ankle hold, but Yoneyama manages to get into the ropes for a break. Yabushita tags in Bolshoi, chop by Bolshoi and she hits a Tiger Feint Kick, but Yoneyama hits the Chaos Theory for two. Yoneyama goes up top but Bolshoi smacks her before she can jump off, Bolshoi joins Yoneyama and hits an avalanche uranage for a two count. Bolshoi picks up Yoneyama and hits a tiger suplex hold, but that gets two as well. Bolshoi goes off the ropes but Yoneyama hits a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster, double Reverse Splash to Bolshoi and Yoneyama goes back up top to hit a diving senton, but Yabushita breaks up the cover. Yoneyama picks up Bolshoi but Bolshoi hits a way and hits a Shotei. Everyone is hurt, they slowly get up as Bolshoi goes for a flash pin, but Yoneyama reverses it. Sakura tosses Yabushita out of the ring but she comes back in with a springboard knee to Yoneyama’s arm, double reverse armbar by Bolshoi to Yoneyama but Sakura breaks it up. Reverse STO by Sakura to Bolshoi, Yoneyama delivers the Yone-ZOU and she picks up the three count! Yoneyama and Sakura are your new champions!

I’m not really sure what to say about this match. I liked it, but it just had no cohesion whatsoever. There wasn’t a structure or a feeling that either team had a plan, it was just random moves. One time in particular Yabushita had a solid submission locked in, but she just released it for no reason to go for something else, which no doubt didn’t work since neither team had a control segment worth mentioning. It was really fast paced and most things were hit really smooth, but it was a bit too unfocused for my personal preferences. Some good parts and exciting moves, it just didn’t feel like a championship match and was a step down from the match we just saw in terms of excitement and suspense.

(c) Kayoko Haruyama vs. Kyoko Kimura
JWP Openweight Championship

No pleasantries here as they start off trading hard elbows, they trade shoulderblock attempts until Haruyama knocks Kyoko to the mat. She goes off the ropes again but is pulled out of the ring by Emoto (Kyoko’s crew is Emoto, Hailey, and Nakagawa from the previous match), Kyoko goes out too and she throws Haruyama into the bleachers. She takes Haruyama into the bleachers and hits her with a weapon before bringing her back towards ringside, but instead of taking her into the ring she takes her up into the bleachers again and rams her head into the wall. Haruyama is bleeding at this point while Kyoko bites her in the head, she finally brings Haruyama back to the ring and stabs her in the head repeatedly with scissors. Kyoko gets her chain and chokes Haruyama with it, Kyoko charges Haruyama but Haruyama drops her onto the apron. Kyoko wraps the chain around Haruyama’s neck and gets a chair, Haruyama ducks the shot and goes off the ropes, but Kyoko doesn’t miss the second time as she hits Haruyama with the chair. She gets her scissors but Haruyama gets the chair and hits Kyoko with it, she throws the chair out of the ring and kicks Kyoko repeatedly while she kneels on the mat. Punches by Haruyama and she lariats Kyoko in the corner, mounted punches by Haruyama and she hits the double underhook facebuster. Haruyama hits a second one, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, but Kyoko avoids the diving guillotine legdrop. Kyoko then goes up top but Haruyama hits her before she can jump off and joins her, delivering an avalanche powerslam for a two count cover. Kyoko is slid her chain and she hits Haruyama in the head with it, she throws Haruyama out of the ring and Haruyama is attacked by Kyoko’s crew. JWP wrestler try to help to even the odds, but they ultimately get beaten down too. During all this, Kyoko has climbed all the way up to the high balcony at Korakuen (not the one that Io likes jumping off of, but on the other side), Kyoko is fed the chain and she hangs Haruyama from the balcony. Haruyama is freed, but she is laid down on the bleachers while Kyoko is perched above. Kyoko then dives off the balcony, hitting a diving footstomp over 20 feet down onto Haruyama’s midsection why she is lying on a wooden bleacher.

   

Kyoko goes back into the ring and sets up a barbed wire board across two chairs while she waits for Haruyama. Haruyama finally makes it back in, Kyoko puts Haruyama on the top turnbuckle and she superplexes Haruyama through the barbed wire board. Cover by Kyoko, but Haruyama barely kicks out. Running boot to the face by Kyoko, she goes up top but Haruyama gets a bundle of lighttubes and hits Kyoko in the head with it. Keene Hammer by Haruyama, but Kyoko gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kyoko and Haruyama trade elbows, they go off the ropes and Haruyama levels Kyoko with a lariat. Sliding lariat by Haruyama, but Kyoko grabs the ropes when Haruyama goes for the pin. Kyoko headbutts Haruyama and hits a big boot, another big boot by Kyoko and she covers Haruyama for two. Kyoko goes off the ropes, but Haruyama grabs her and slams Kyoko to the mat. A second Keene Hammer by Haruyama, and she picks up the three count! Kayoko Haruyama is still the champion!

Rating a match like this is hard, but I will say that it was very brutal and violent, one of the more violent matches you will see in a non-deathmatch promotion. I mean we had Haruyama hung by a chain, hit with a chain, put through barbed wire, stabbed with scissors, hit repeatedly with chairs, and on top of that a little balcony dive footstomp that no one else in the world is crazy enough to do. The only knock of sorts on the match is the ending, as after all that brutality they went though the usual ‘trade finishers’ conclusion that works fine in most matches but seemed a bit out of place here. Also, the brawling outside the ring by the two factions looked weak at times and didn’t really aid the match. But I still really enjoyed it, the match was a hell of a spectacle, even though I never want to see a match quite like it happen again. Once was the perfect number. Recommended

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