I’ll provide context before each match if there is anything noteworthy I can find, although of course not all matches in wrestling have a set purpose (especially with Freelancers like Kana). All the matches below took place in Pro Wrestling WAVE and are from the first quarter of 2008.

• January 16th, 2008 – Kana vs. Kyoko Kimura
• February 2nd, 2008 – Kana, Shuu Shibutani, and Yumi Ohka vs. GAMI, KAORU, and Kyoko Kimura
• February 23rd, 2008 – Kana vs. Yumi Ohka
• March 1st, 2008 – Kana and Yumiko Hotta vs. Ran Yu-Yu and Shuu Shibutani
• March 12th, 2008 – Kana and Yumi Ohka vs. Shuu Shibutani and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• March 20th, 2008 – Kana and Shuu Shibutani vs. Hanako Kobayashi and Misaki Ohata

All wrestlers on the DVD have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to their profile for additional information.

Kana vs. Kyoko Kimura

I am not sure why Kana and Kyoko Kimura hated each other coming into the match, but they sure did start with the fire. This is their first in-ring encounter I could find, however Kyoko Kimura and Kana were both in NEO (once Kana returned) and Kyoko was a heel so that is likely where the bad blood started. Even though this was an itty bitty WAVE show that wasn’t taped for TV, Kyoko and Kana have no chill so they wrestled the same as if they were in front of a world wide audience.

Kana attacks Kyoko before the match starts, but Kyoko throws her out of the ring and they trade elbows out on the floor. Kyoko throws Kana into chairs at ringside, Kana fights back and clubs Kyoko but she is send into the chairs again for her trouble. Kyoko drags Kana back into the ring by her hair before flinging her down, but Kana gets back up and they trade elbows. Kana gets Kyoko to the mat but Kyoko applies a kneelock, she goes for Kana’s arm but Kana blocks the armbreaker attempt. Kyoko and Kana trade mounted elbows, slaps by Kyoko and she goes for the sleeper. Swinging sleeper by Kyoko and she locks on the hold on the mat, but Kana eventually gets a hand on the ropes for the break. Kyoko knees Kana and boots her in the head, she goes for a running boot but Kana blocks it. Kana goes for a hip attack but Kyoko gets a boot up, she headbutts Kana’s next attempt but Kana applies a German suplex hold for two. Boot to the head by Kyoko in return, and she covers Kana for her own two count. Kana gets up and hits elbows but Kyoko elbows her against the ropes, they trade slaps until Kyoko headbutts Kana, but Kana hits her own headbutt. Another headbutt by Kyoko and she applies a sleeper, and this time Kana can’t reach the ropes and goes to sleep! Kyoko Kimura is the winner!

Its fun to watch Kana on the wrong end of a this type of beatdown, since later in her career she was known more as the bully. Kyoko doesn’t mess around and all her offense looks so snug, it felt more like Kana trying to survive than anything else. Constant action and even though I still don’t know the basis of their hate, you could still feel it with every strike. Not a long match but very to the point and entertaining, these types of matches is what helped develop Kana into the ass-kicker she soon became known for being.  Recommended

Kana, Shuu Shibutani, and Yumi Ohka vs. GAMI, KAORU, and Kyoko Kimura

Warning: This Match Is Heavily Clipped. Finding old Pro Wrestling WAVE news/results is not the easiest thing in the world to do as in 2008 they were one of the smallest Joshi promotions (still are), so I can’t really explain the backstory behind the match. GAMI, KAORU, and Kyoko were clearly the heels here though as they refuse to shake hands before the match (and as we saw in the prior match, Kyoko is pretty vicious). The GAMI trio became a regular group in November of 2007 and since the match was billed as “Revenge WAVE” we can assume this match will bring some hate. It was also the main event of the evening, ramping up the pressure to put on a good show so the fans went home happy.

Kana and Kyoko immediately go to the floor trading elbows, while KAORU is singled out in the ring by Shuu and Ohka. We clip ahead to Kana in the ring with Kyoko, headbutt by Kyoko and she covers Kana for two. Boots by Kyoko and she tags in GAMI, pump-handle slam attempt by GAMI but Kana reverses it into a DDT. We jump ahead to GAMI hitting a German suplex onto Kana and GAMI rakes her eyes with her boots. Kyoko comes in to help as GAMI hits a lariat onto Kana, pump-handle slam by GAMI but the cover is broken up. GAMI goes up top but Kana avoids her dive, cradle by Kana but it gets a two count. Kyoko comes in but Kana swings Kyoko into GAMI, Kyoko and Kana trade elbows as GAMI comes over, but Kyoko headbutts GAMI by accident. German suplex hold by Kana to GAMI, but it gets a two count. Kana goes off the ropes and nails the Billiken, but that cover gets two as well. KAORU comes in and hits Kana with a piece of board, Shuu tries to help but KAORU catches her with a backbreaker. Fisherman Buster by GAMI to Kana, and she gets the three count! GAMI, KAORU, and Kyoko Kimura win!

Obviously this was too clipped up to get excited about. Kyoko and Kana continued their heated exchanges and everything they showed was fine, but with only 20% of the match shown, hard to really good a feel of it.

Kana vs. Yumi Ohka

Even though these two teamed just a few weeks prior, it was more of a “random team” situation than a bunch of friends getting together. Even though Ohka began wrestling in 2001, she was mostly an upper midcard gatekeeper at this point in her career and had never won any titles. She still outranked Kana however, as Kana was not only a Freelancer but had only recently returned from a long layoff and had to work her way back to bigger matches. This match was actually second from the bottom on the card, and while match order isn’t everything, it does show that both of them weren’t yet a major story in the promotion (which would change just a few years later).

Kana and Ohka lock up to start, Kana gets Ohka into the ropes and hits a few elbows, but Ohka comes back with a dropkick. Kana hits a dropkick of her own, snapmare by Kana and she puts Ohka in a bodyscissors. Ohka gets out of it and puts Kana in a stretch hold, rolling guillotine by Ohka but Kana gets out of it and applies a crab hold. Ohka gets into the ropes for a break, armdrag by Ohka and she puts Kana in a crucifix hold. Kana gets a foot on the ropes, Ohka chokes Kana but Kana sneaks in a sunset flip for two. Crab hold by Kana but Ohka gets to the ropes again, Ohka throws Kana into the corner but Kana hits a second turnbuckle hip attack. Another hip attack by Kana and she hits a third for a two count. Knees by Kana but Ohka hits a hip toss and puts Kana in a short armbar. Kana gets a foot on the ropes, Ohka chokes Kana and elbows her against the ropes. Ohka charges Kana but Kana holds down the top rope, sending Ohka to the floor. Ohka gets on the apron but Kana hip attacks her back down, Kana goes out to the apron and she hits a diving hip attack to the floor. Kana elbows Ohka but Ohka hits a hip toss on the floor, Ohka picks up Kana and slides her back into the ring.

Ohka throws Kana into the corner and hits a big boot, another big boot by Ohka and she covers Kana for two. Double underhook suplex by Ohka, she picks up Kana and they trade waistlocks. Reverse DDT by Kana, she goes up top but Ohka avoids the diving hip attack attempt. Ohka goes for a big boot but Kana ducks it and schoolboys Ohka for a two count. Kana applies a modified STF but Ohka crawls to the ropes for the break, hip attack by Kana in the corner but Ohka avoids the second one and applies a cross arm submission over the top rope. Ohka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Ohka but Kana kicks out. Ohka picks up Kana but Kana hits a DDT, German suplex hold by Kana but Ohka gets a shoulder up. Kana picks up Ohka but Ohka elbows her off, Ohka and Kana trade elbows until Ohka sends Kana to the mat. Kana quickly gets back up and hits a hard elbow of her own, she goes off the ropes and nails the Billiken, but her cover only gets two. She goes off the ropes again but Ohka delivers the big boot, Ohka goes up top but Kana slaps her before she can jump off and joins her. Avalanche DDT by Kana, but Ohka barely kicks out of the cover. Cutie Special by Kana, but that gets a two count as well. Kana goes off the ropes but Ohka catches her hip attack attempt and hits a German suplex, Ohka picks up Kana and she hits a vertical suplex. Ohka picks up Kana again and delivers the choke bomb, and she picks up the three count! Yumi Ohka wins the match.

For a random midcard match, these two really brought everything they had. Lots of excitement and big moves, and they mixed up the action as they had strike exchanges, submissions, suplexes, and aerial moves spread throughout. By early 2008 Kana was already pretty great, and her offense used to be a lot more varied before she got her style nailed down. Ohka was good here too though, probably one of my favorite singles matches of her. All things considered, this really over-delivered and was a really entertaining match.  Recommended

Kana and Yumiko Hotta vs. Ran Yu-Yu and Shuu Shibutani

Even though Kana and Yumiko Hotta would later be in Passion Red together, this match slightly pre-dates that as Passion Red wasn’t officially formed until a month after this show (and Hotta didn’t join the group until September 2008).  Like Kana, Hotta was a Freelancer at the time and wrestled in SUN, NEO, and many other places. Ran Yu-Yu was also a Freelancer, but best known for her work in OZ Academy, while Shuu Shibutani was a young WAVE wrestler.

Kana and Shuu start the match and get right into it with dropkicks and elbow strikes, Hotta comes in to help and they double team young Shuu. We clip ahead to Yu-Yu in the ring with Hotta, Hotta goes for Yu-Yu’s arm but Shuu quickly breaks things up. Hotta tags in Kana, hip attacks by Kana to Yu-Yu and Shuu and she hits Yu-Yu with a diving hip attack for a two count. Kana goes to run off the ropes but Yu-Yu grabs her from behind, knee by Yu-Yu and she kicks Kana in the ribs. Yu-Yu gets Kana on her shoulders and gives her the airplane spin, but Kana slides off and rolls her up for two. Modified STF by Kana, Shuu tries to break it up but Hotta stops her and puts Shuu in an ankle hold. Yu-Yu eventually gets into the ropes for the break, the match jumps to Shuu in the ring with Kana and she applies a cradle for two. A Northern Lights Suplex by Shuu gets a two count as well, Shuu goes off the ropes but Kana blocks her bodyscissors takedown and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. DDT by Shuu, she goes off the ropes but Kana catches her with a lariat. Kana picks up Shuu and hits the Cutie Special, but Yu-Yu breaks it up. Hotta wants the tag, Kana doesn’t want to tag her in so Hotta blind tags in herself. Billiken by Kana, Hotta picks up Shuu and she nails the Pyramid Driver for the three count! Kana and Yumiko Hotta are the winners!

One of the fun things about these matches is just seeing Kana with a different move set, as again she hit the Cutie Special which is a move she hasn’t done in a long time. This was pretty clipped up so impossible to get a feel for, but Kana looked great and Hotta being her usual stubborn self added an extra element to it. The full match was probably a lot of fun since their chemistry was solid, good for what they showed but too condensed to recommend.

Kana and Yumi Ohka vs. Shuu Shibutani and Hiroyo Matsumoto

In case you can’t tell from the attendances, WAVE wasn’t exactly the biggest Joshi promotion, but it was a good place for Kana to hone her craft against a variety of opponents. Here she teams with Ohka, who she wrestled the month before, as she faces Shuu Shibutani again. Hiroyo Matsumoto is the new element to this match, she was still early in her career but was being pushed stronger than most young wrestlers right out of the gate as she showed a lot of potential from the start.

Kana and Hiroyo start the match, they tie-up and Kana elbows Hiroyo into the ropes. Hiroyo elbows her back but Kana delivers a dropkick, Ohka comes in but Shuu hits a diving crossbody onto both of her opponents. Shuu and Hiroyo both attack Kana in the corner, senton by Shuu and Hiroyo hits a leg drop on Kana for a two count. Shuu stays in with Kana, she throws Kana into the ropes and delivers a sliding boot. Scoop slam by Shuu and she hits mounted elbows, she goes for a cross armbreaker but Ohka breaks it up. Shuu keeps on Kana’s arm but Kana rolls her up for two, Irish whip by Kana and she delivers a dropkick for two. Kana tags in Ohka, big boot by Ohka to Shuu and she hits two more for a quick cover. Scoop slam by Ohka and she puts Shuu in a crab hold, but Hiroyo breaks it up. Ohka puts Shuu in a bodyscissors and applies a sleeper hold, cross armbreaker attempt by Ohka but Shuu blocks it so she applies a triangle choke instead. Shuu gets a foot on the ropes to force the break, Ohka throws Shuu into the corner but Shuu rebounds out with a crossbody and tags in Hiroyo. Shoulderblocks by Hiroyo to Ohka, she goes off the ropes but Ohka tosses her to the mat. Ohka tags in Kana, stomps by Kana to Hiroyo but Hiroyo hits a hard shoulderblock. Kana hits a jumping hip attack in the corner and stomps on Hiroyo, but Hiroyo switches positions with her and returns the favor. Kana grabs Hiroyo from behind as they go back and forth with strikes, hip attack by Kana and she slaps Hiroyo in the face. Backbreaker by Hiroyo but Kana hits a reverse DDT before tagging in Ohka. Ohka boots Hiroyo in the face but Hiroyo catches her with a side slam, Hiroyo gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Hiroyo tries to get Ohka on her shoulders but Ohka blocks it, armdrag by Ohka and she puts Hiroyo in a crucifix armbar.

Shuu tries to break it off but Kana comes in too and trades elbows with her. Hiroyo eventually gets to the ropes for the break, big boot by Ohka to Hiroyo in the corner and Kana drops her with a face crusher. Springboard elbow drop by Ohka, but Hiroyo kicks out of the cover. Shuu comes in with a swandive dropkick to Ohka, double atomic drop to Ohka and Shuu hits a DDT. Hiroyo picks up Ohka and gets her on her shoulders, Kana comes in but Hiroyo throws Ohka onto her. Shuu returns but Ohka blocks the suplex attempt, she goes for a suplex but Shuu gets out of it and hits a DDT. Jumping DDT by Shuu, but Ohka gets a foot on the ropes on the cover. Ohka tosses down Shuu and nails a big boot, Hiroyo comes in and hits Ohka from behind, allowing Shuu to roll her up for two. DDT by Shuu, she goes off the ropes but Ohka catches her when she goes for a hurricanrana and hits a powerbomb. Ohka tags in Kana, Kana comes in the ring with a diving hip attack off the top turnbuckle, but her cover gets two. Kana picks up Shuu, Ohka boots her and Kana hits a German suplex hold for two. Kana goes off the ropes but Shuu ducks the Billiken and rolls up Kana for a two count. Kana picks up Shuu but Shuu avoids her charge and snaps Kana’s neck over the top rope. Shuu goes up top but Ohka grabs her from the apron, Kana joins Shuu and hits a couple hip attacks. Hiroyo tosses Kana back to the mat and Shuu delivers the missile dropkick, shoulderblock by Hiroyo and Shuu hits the Northern Lights Suplex for two. Shuu goes up top and nails the diving senton, but Ohka breaks up the pin. Shuu goes off the ropes but Ohka boots her, Ohka puts Shuu on the top turnbuckle and Kana hits an avalanche DDT. Reverse elbow drop by Ohka off the top turnbuckle, Kana picks up Shuu and hits the cross-legged Cutie Special, but Hiroyo breaks up the cover. Hiroyo lariats Kana, cradle by Shuu on Kana but that gets two also. Ohka boots Shuu, Hiroyo tries to help but she missile dropkicks Shuu by accident. Choke Bomb by Ohka to Shuu, Kana then nails her with the Billiken for the three count! Kana and Yumi Ohka are the winners!

Not quite as good as some of the other matches on this DVD, but still entertaining. It felt less organized and structured than I expected, these are small shows with thrown together teams and it never really felt like a cohesive tag match. The wrestlers all looked good, Shuu is probably better than she gets credit for since she never really got too high on the card and wrestled in smaller promotions most of her career. Kana and Hiroyo’s exchanges were fun, and Ohka is always willing to boot off someone’s head when needed. It didn’t have the heat that the matches with Kyoko Kimura had which hurt it a bit, but I enjoyed it just for the action.  Mildly Recommended

Kana and Shuu Shibutani vs. Hanako Kobayashi and Misaki Ohata

Pro Wrestling WAVE had two events on March 20th, and this was the opening match on the “bigger” show of the two. Misaki Ohata debuted in December 2006 while Hanako Kobayashi (better known today as Hanako Nakamori) debuted in July 2006, so both still were pretty early into their careers. After being on the wrong side against Shuu the last few months, here Kana is back teaming with her, just further showing that many of these tags teams are just randomly put together for our amusement.

Hanako and Misaki charge their opponents as the match starts, getting out to the early advantage. They isolate Kana, Kana tries to jump on the top turnbuckle but loses her balance. Luckily she grabs the rope so she doesn’t tumble out of the ring and they get back into a groove, as Kana dropkicks Hanako in the corner. Kana tags in Shuu, scoop slam by Shuu to Hanako and she covers her for two. Bodyscissors by Shuu and she goes for Hanako’s arm, but Hanako gets away and stomps on Shuu. Hanako tags in Misaki and Misaki throws down Shuu by the hair before dropkicking her. Chinlock by Misaki but Shuu gets out of it, Shuu tags in Kana and Kana drops Misaki with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Kana, and she covers Misaki for two. Kana puts Misaki in a stretch hold, but Hanako runs in to break it up. Misaki sneaks in a backslide which gives her time to tag in Hanako, Hanako flings Kana to the mat and hits a running crossbody for a two count. Irish whip by Hanako but Kana hits a dropkick, she tags in Shuu and Shuu scoop slams Hanako before putting her in a crab hold. Hanako gets into the ropes for the break, Shuu goes for a crossbody out of the corner but Hanako ducks it and they trade elbows. Misaki comes in but Shuu avoids their dropkick and hits a senton on Misaki while Kana hits an elbow drop onto Hanako. Kana stays in and with Misaki they hit a double atomic drop onto Hanako, elbow by Kana and Shuu drops Hanako with a DDT for a two count. Kana is tagged back in and she hits a hip attack, another hip attack by Kana and she covers Hanako for two. Kana boots back Hanako repeatedly but Hanako hits the neck drop followed by a jumping crossbody. Another crossbody by Hanako and one more, cover by Hanako but Kana gets a shoulder up. Kana tries to dropkick Hanako when she goes for a crossbody but the timing is off and she misses, Kana applies a Scorpion Deathlock but Misaki breaks it up.

Kana elbows Misaki as Shuu and Hanako come in, Kana and Shuu are stacked in the corner and Kana is repeatedly dropkicked. Hanako tags in Misaki, Irish whip by Misaki and she hits a crossbody onto Kana for a two count. Kana comes back with a hip attack in the corner, she then gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. She goes back up top and his a second missile dropkick, but Misaki bridges out of the pin. Misaki pushes Kana away and applies a cross armbreaker, but Shuu runs in to break it up. Hanako positions Kana while Misaki goes up top and hits a diving body press onto Kana’s arm, cross armbreaker takedown by Misaki but Kana gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Misaki goes off the ropes but Kana ducks her elbow, reverse DDT by Kana and she covers Misaki for two. Kana gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving hip attack, but Misaki barely kicks out of the pin. Kana tags in Shuu, DDT by Shuu but Hanako runs in to help Misaki regain control. Misaki goes off the ropes but Shuu avoids the lariat and drops Misaki with a DDT for two. Shuu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes off the ropes but Misaki catches her with an armdrag and applies an armbar. Shuu gets to the ropes for the break, Misaki picks up Shuu and applies a cradle for two. She goes for another one but Shuu sits down to block it, Hanako comes in and they both dropkick Shuu. Misaki goes up top and hits the diving body press, but Shuu barely gets a shoulder up. Misaki goes off the ropes but Shuu hits a Northern Lights Suplex, Shuu gets on the top turnbuckle but Hanako tosses her back to the mat. Now it is Misaki that goes up top but Shuu gets her feet up on the diving body press, Hanako boots Shuu while Kana runs in and hits the Billiken onto Misaki. Shuu goes to the top turnbuckle and she nails the diving senton, picking up the three count! Kana and Shuu Shibutani win!

The effort was there, but this was the first match that had some really noticeable mistakes. Kana was in on two of them (although with one spot it was hard to tell who was at fault), but it wasn’t just her as multiple parts just looked awkward or done poorly. This isn’t incredibly rare of course with young wrestlers that don’t face off too often against each other, but of all the matches on the DVD, this was the only match that so many issues. A decent match otherwise, but the occasional mistake really hurt the overall flow and brought it down a notch or two.

The post Kana Special #1 DVD Review appeared first on Joshi City.

In the last 10 years, since the fall of Joshi’s popularity in Japan, it has been rare for a Joshi event to air live on TV as usually it is shown either delayed on TV or live on niconico. It is even more rare for a promotion with no TV deal at all to get such a spot, but the retirement of Joshi legend Devil Masami was able to pull it off. MARVELOUS NIGHT V was shown live on GAORA in its entirety, with the show clocking in at almost three hours. Much of that was Masami’s retirement ceremony (approximately 45 minutes worth) but there was a full event as well as different promotions came together to send off Masami in style. Masami herself wrestled twice on the card, including in the opening against Nagayo, who come out of retirement (hold in your laughter) to take on her old foe. Here is the full card:

• Chigusa Nagayo, Yumiko Hotta, and Meiko Satomura vs. Devil Masami, Dump Matsumoto, and KAORU
• DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko vs. Ryo Mizunami and Yukari Ishino
• Ayako Sato and Hanako Kobayashi vs. Ray and Misaki Ohata
• Kana, Yumi Ohka, Cherry, and Moeka Haruhi vs. GAMI, Kyoko Kimura, Shuu Shibutani, and Bullfighter Sora
• Misae Genki vs. Yuki Miyazaki
• Azumi Hyuga, Leon, and Arisa Nakajima vs. Kayoko Haruyama, Command Bolshoi, and Kaori Yoneyama
• Noriyo Tateno vs. Takako Inoue
• Chikayo Nagashima and Sonoko Kato vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Manami Toyota
• Devil Masami Retirement Match: Devil Masami, Dynamite Kansai, and Carlos Amano vs. Aja Kong, Ran Yu-Yu, and Toshie Uematsu

Chigusa Nagayo, Hotta, and Satomura vs. Devil Masami, Dump Matsumoto, and KAORU

Nagayo and Masami start the match and they trade strikes, Masami shrugs off Nagayo’s strikes but Nagayo hits an armdrag. Masami goes all evil and scares Nagayo into the corner, she tags in Matsumoto who comes in with a kendo stick, which she uses to hit Nagayo repeatedly. Nagayo eventually grabs it and Hotta comes in and smacks Matsumoto in the face. Nagayo tags in Satomura but KAORU runs in and hits Satomura with a piece of table. Hotta returns and they double team Matsumoto, but Matsumoto comes back with a lariat to Satomura and tags in KAORU. KAORU hits Satomura with the table piece but Satomura hits a rebound elbow out of the corner followed by the Pele Kick. Hotta becomes legal somehow and elbows KAORU, Nagayo struts in and kicks KAORU in the head. Tiger Driver by Hotta to KAORU, but the pin is broken up when Matsumoto hits the referee with the kendo stick. Nagayo stays in with KAORU but Masami lariats her from the apron and comes in to hit a leg drop. Moonsault by KAORU, Masami picks up Nagayo but Nagayo uppercuts her, Nagayo goes off the ropes but KAORU hits her with the table piece. Matsumoto comes in while the crowd squeals, and Matsumoto stabs Nagayo in the head. She keeps stabbing Nagayo until she starts bleeding, Masami covers Nagayo but it gets a two count. Satomura comes in and they take turns kicking Masami, lariat by Nagayo but it gets a two count as Masami does a zombie kick out. Hotta tries to help but it backfires, KAORU comes in to spray mist at Nagayo but she misses and hits Masami by accident. Uppercut by Nagayo but Masami headbutts her, Fire Valley by Masami and she gets the three count! Masami, Matsumoto, and KAORU win!

After the match they all spoke and laughed with each other, so no hard feelings between the veterans. This is a really odd match as it was more of an exhibition, it was under eight minutes and the tag rules were rather loose to put it mildly. I really don’t think KAORU and Satomura were needed, the crowd was into anything with Nagayo, Masami, and Matsumoto and the rest were just filler to get the participant number up. Even watching it eight years later I completely get the fun of seeing Nagayo in there with Matsumoto and it was a unique way to start the show as it allowed Masami time to rest up before her real retirement match (plus a chance to retire the ‘gimmick’ character). I thought it was lighthearted and fun, but not much of a ‘real’ match in the traditional sense.  Mildly Recommended

DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko vs. Ryo Mizunami and Yukari Ishino

Chisako and Mizunami are the first two in, Chisako grabs Mizunami’s arm and Sachiko comes down off the top turnbuckle onto it. Mizunami puts Sachiko in a headlock and tags in Ishino, dropkicks by Ishino and she covers Sachiko for two. Back up they trade elbows, Sachiko wins the dual and she tags in her sister, who works over Ishino in the corner. Dropkicks by Chisako but Ishino quickly rolls her up for a two count before hitting a series of dropkicks. Ishino tags in Mizunami, scoop slam by Mizunami and she hits quick legdrops for a two count cover. Chisako comes back with dropkicks, Sachiko goes up top and hits a missile dropkick onto Mizunami. Even more dropkicks by Sachiko (lots of dropkicks in this match) and she hits a DDT, but Mizunami gets Sachiko up and hits a shoulder breaker. Mizunami tags in Ishino but Chisako runs in and dropkicks her, double dropkick to Ishino and Sachiko covers her for two. Sachiko jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hit a tornado DDT, Northern Lights Suplex by Sachiko but it gets a two count. Ishino gets Sachiko up on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, she picks her up again but this time Sachiko wiggles away and hits a DDT. Scoop slam by Sachiko, Chisako comes in and Sachiko suplexes Chisako onto Ishino. Somersault senton by Sachiko, but Ishino bridges out of the cover. Sachiko picks up Ishino, Chisako boots Ishino in the head and Sachiko delivers a German suplex hold for the three count! Chisako and Sachiko are the winners.

It is interesting that Sendai Girls’ sent their babies for the offer match, but considering the match they had to follow it was probably for the best. Lots of rookie-based offense here, meaning lots of dropkicks and the like, but occasionally they would throw in something different to show they weren’t complete novices. Chisako and Sachiko were already working well together, they teamed for seven more years after this match so you can imagine how much better they got. A fun easy to watch opener-style match.

Ayako Sato and Hanako Kobayashi vs. Ray and Misaki Ohata

Ray and Sato begin the match, hard shoulderblock by Ray and she hits a springboard armdrag. Ray cartwheels away from Sato and both wrestlers go for dropkicks, Ray gets Sato in the ropes and chops her in the chest. Ray tags in Ohata, Ohata goes for a cross armbreaker but Sato gets into the ropes. Dropkick by Sato as Kobayashi comes in, and Ohata is double teamed. Dropkicks by Sato, and she covers Ohata for a two count. Ohata starts her comeback but Sato slips away and tags in Kobayashi, missile dropkick by Kobayashi but Ray kicks her from the apron. Kobayashi is double teamed and covered by Ohata for a two count, armdrag by Ohata and she hits a low crossbody. Ray goes up top and hits a cartwheel kick off the ropes, she picks up Kobayashi and hits an enzuigiri. Ray goes up top as does Ohata, but both wrestlers miss moonsaults. Kobayashi hits a diving crossbody on Ray, then Sato follows with a missile dropkick. Kobayashi picks up Ray and hits a fisherman suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Kobayashi goes up top but Ohata hits her before she can jump off, Ray goes up with her but Kobayashi pushes Ray to the mat and hits a diving crossbody. Ray hits a German suplex on Kobayashi, jumping kick by Ray and she nails a moonsault for the three count! Ohata and Ray are the winners.

A simple match, nothing bad but utterly forgettable. Ray was a great flyer and got a few chances to show it here, but no one else made much of an impression. With only six minutes they didn’t have much time anyway, mostly just filler.

Kana, Yumi Ohka, Cherry, and Haruhi vs. GAMI, Kimura, Shibutani, and Bullfighter Sora

Sora and Haruhi start off, Cherry comes in too but Sora hits a crossbody on both of them. Kana runs in and starts hip attacking everyone, until Kimura boots her in the head. Ohka comes in to help but so does GAMI, and GAMI hits everyone in the head with a horn. She gets dropkicked, then Team Kana pose on Gama and Sora. Team GAMI end up back in control as they do the triple leg submission hold spot in a circle as they run through the indy wrestling cliche spots until things settle back down with Sora and Haruhi still the legal wrestlers. They tag in Kana and Kimura, they trade elbows until Kimura headbutts Kana to send her to the mat. Shibutani missile dropkicks Kana, but Kana falls into her corner and tags in Cherry. Cherry hits a jumping lariat on Shibutani and tags in Haruhi, jumping seated sentons by Haruhi and she covers Shibutani for two.

DDT by Shibutani and she dropkicks Cherry before tagging in GAMI. GAMI is reluctant to go up top but eventually does so, she walks the ropes while holding Haruhi’s arm but eventually falls and crotches herself. GAMI picks up Haruhi but Haruhi puts her in a hanging submission, but GAMI gets into the ropes. Ohka is tagged in but GAMI catches her with a side Russian leg sweep and GAMI tags in Sora. Ohka boots Sora in the face and then boots GAMI, backdrop suplex by Ohka to GAMI and she covers her for two. Ohka goes up top but Shibutani grabs her, giving GAMI time to recover, Frankensteiner by GAMI and she covers Ohka for two. Atomic drop by Ohka to GAMI but GAMI levels her with a lariat. Fisherman buster by GAMI, but the cover is broken up. GAMI picks up Ohka but Ohka gets away, Sora tries to help but she hits GAMI by accident. Kimura then headbutts GAMI by accident and Ohka boots GAMI in the head for a two count. Tiger Suplex Hold by Ohka, and she gets the three count! Team Kana win!

A bit sloppy and disjointed for a match with wrestlers that are in theory familar with each other. Lots of comedy spots although it wasn’t all comedy, as Kimura and Kana had a nice exchange that ended way too quickly. Some miscommunications and nothing that really popped out, maybe everyone was told to keep it mild to not upstage the purpose of the evening. Another not bad but not special match which may be a recurring theme.

Misae Genki vs. Yuki Miyazaki

Miyazaki starts the match with a springboard armdrag but Genki blocks her dropkick, trip by Miyazaki and she catches Genki with a dropkick on the second try. Scoop slam by Miyazaki and the pair trade strikes, Genki throws Miyazaki in the corner and hits a series of chops. Big boot by Genki, and she covers Miyazaki for a two count. Genki goes for a chokeslam but Miyazaki blocks it and hits a chokeslam of her own. Miyazaki goes up top but Genki grabs her and chokeslams Miyazaki to the mat for two. Miyazaki grabs Genki around the waist and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Tiger suplex hold by Miyazaki but that gets a two as well, Miyazaki goes up top but Genki avoids the moonsault attempt. Sliding Kick by Miyazaki but Genki levels her with a lariat. Another lariat by Genki, she picks up Miyazaki and she hits an Emerald Frosion. Genki picks up Miyazaki again and nails the G-Driller, picking up the three count cover! Misae Genki wins the match.

Too short to get excited about but the action itself was good. Genki was a quality power wrestler, never outstanding but really solid and everything was hit convincingly. The transitions were bad enough to be annoying, no real meaningful selling until the last few moves, but with a five minute match what else can ya do. Not bad but it didn’t leave much of an impression.

Azumi Hyuga, Leon, and Arisa Nakajima vs. Haruyama, Command Bolshoi, and Yoneyama

Bolshoi and Hyuga start for their teams and trade quick holds on the mat with neither getting a clean advantage. Nakajima and Yoneyama tag in, Hyuga stays in to help but Yoneyama armdrags them both out of the ring. Leon then gets a running start in the ring, jumps up to the top rope and sails out onto everyone with a plancha suicida. Back in the ring, Yoneyama is triple teamed in the corner before Nakajima hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakajima tags Leon, spear by Leon and she hits two more for a two count of her own. Leon goes for a suplex but Yoneyama slides away and hits the Chaos Theory. Yoneyama tags in Haruyama, Stunner by Haruyama but Leon catches her with a backbreaker slam. Nakajima and Hyuga run in while Leon goes up top and hits a diving body press for two. Leon tags Hyuga who hits a double underhook unto a backbreaker, she goes up top and knocks down Haruyama with a missile dropkick. Hyuga picks up Haruyama but Haruyama lariats her in the back of the head and tags in Bolshoi. Hurricanrana by Bolshoi to Hyuga, she picks her up and hits a drop toehold into the ropes so that Haruyama and Yoneyama can dropkick her. Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and she goes for a satellite headscissors, but Hyuga blocks it and hits a backbreaker.

Running knee to the back of the head by Hyuga and she hits rolling German suplexes for a two count. Yoneyama runs in and kicks Hyuga, La Mistica by Bolshoi to Hyuga but it is quickly broken up. Nakajima comes in but Bolshoi rolls her to the mat and applies a kneelock until Leon breaks it up. Bolshoi tags in Haruyama, kick by Haruyama but Nakajima catches her with a bridging fallaway suplex. Elbows by Nakajima but Haruyama blocks the German suplex. More elbows by Nakajima but Haruyama levels her with a lariat.  Haruyama goes up top but Leon grabs her, giving Nakajima time to join Haruyama. Nakajima suplexes Haruyama off the top turnbuckle, Leon then hits a Swanton Bomb and Nakajima finishes with a diving footstomp for a two count cover. German suplex hold by Nakajima to Haruyama, but that gets a two as well. Nakajima goes up top but Yoneyama joins her and suplexes her back off. Haruyama picks up Nakajima and deliver the Keene Hammer but Leon breaks it up. Yoneyama goes up top and is fed Leon’s legs by Haruyama, they together hit an assisted double underhook facebuster on Leon while Yoneyama also sentons Leon. Haruyama goes back up and hits a diving legdrop, but Hyuga breaks up the pin. The bell rings just as she does so, and the time limit has expired. The match is a Draw.

This was definitely the best match on the card we’ve seen as far as wrestling goes, all six of them brought their A Game and were flying around the ring in impressive fashion. They seemed to always be on the same page and worked well together, nothing felt off or forced. With a ten minute time limit I don’t think six wrestlers were needed, four would have been fine as there wasn’t really time to showcase all the wrestlers, but everything they did was well done. It felt more like an exhibition which in a way it was, but it was still fun to watch.  Mildly Recommended

Noriyo Tateno vs. Takako Inoue

Takako kicks Tateno into the corner right off the bat, kick to the chest by Takako and she hits a DDT. More kicks by Takako but Tateno fights back with elbows, Mexican Surfboard by Tateno and she applies a facelock. Tateno stomps down on Takako’s hands and sends her off the ropes, but Takako snaps off a DDT. STF by Takako, she grabs Tateno by the hair but Tateno gets her back and goes for a suplex. Takako grabs the ropes to break it up, lariat by Tateno and she hits two more, German suplex hold by Tateno but it gets a two count. Tateno goes up top but Takako recovers and joins her, hitting an avalanche armdrag for two. Takako goes up top but Tateno avoids the Takako Panic, lariat by Tateno and she hits a diving body press for two. Tateno picks up Takako but Takako slides away and hits a backfist. Tateno blocks the next one however and drops Takako with a Death Valley Bomb, she picks Takako up but Takako slides away and rolls her up for the three count! Takako Inoue is the winner.

Another shorter match and probably the worst one on the show. It was pretty slow with some longer submissions for a match that wasn’t really long enough to sustain it. The match also ended really suddenly, it never felt like it really got going before it was suddenly over. A couple good moves and they worked well together, just not a very exciting match.

Chikayo Nagashima and Sonoko Kato vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Manami Toyota

Like any Ozaki match, the action quickly spills out to the floor as Toyota takes Nagashima up into the crowd. Both teams battle up near the entrance way and in the bleachers, they get back near ringside and Toyota dives off the top turnbuckle onto both Nagashima and Kato. They finally get back into the ring, Ozaki gets a chair and she hits Kato, Toyota then goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Ozaki gets a chain and hits Kato with that as well, but Kato ducks the next attempt and hits a release German suplex. She tags in Nagashima but Nagashima is tripped from the floor, Toyota comes in but Nagashima hits a double springboard armdrag on both of them. Kato slams Ozaki in front of the corner and Nagashima delivers a diving footstomp for a two count cover. Ozaki slaps Nagashima and tags in Toyota, Toyota goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick. She hits another one before putting Nagashima in the ropes so she can be attacked by the entire Ozaki Army. Toyota gets Nagashima on her shoulders but she wiggles away and hits a release German suplex. Diving leg drop by Kato, and she covers Toyota for a two count.

Kato goes for the dragon suplex but Toyota blocks it and rolls Kato around the ring. Toyota goes up top but Kato grabs her from behind and hits a release German. Dragon suplex hold by Kato to Toyota, but it only gets a two count. Toyota gets away from Kato as Ozaki throws a chain at Kato, German suplex hold by Toyota but it gets two. Toyota goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kato avoids her moonsault and hits a punt. She tags in Nagashima but Ozaki is also tagged in, sit-down powerbomb by Ozaki but it gets two. Ozaki gets on the second turnbuckle but Nagashima catapults up there and hits a Frankensteiner. Fisherman buster by Nagashima, but Toyota breaks up the cover. Toyota missile dropkicks Nagashima and Ozaki drops her with a dragon suplex hold for two. Ozaki goes for a Shining Wizard, Nagashima blocks it but Ozaki delivers the spinning backfist for a two count. Ozaki picks up Nagashima but Nagashima rolls her up for two. Hurricanrana by Nagashima, but Ozaki rolls through it, fisherman buster by Nagashima but Toyota breaks up the cover. The bell then rings, as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Well this was definitely action packed, they used every minute as best they could to put on an entertaining show. Not the type of match for people that are fans of long term selling, but it had tons of big moves and brutality like you would expect from an Ozaki match. All four got a chance to shine, with Toyota in particular looking really impressive as always. A really solid match, I wish it could have gotten more time so it could have had a real conclusion but still an enjoyable heavyweight sprint.  Recommended

Devil Masami, Dynamite Kansai, and Carlos Amano vs. Aja Kong, Ran Yu-Yu, and Toshie Uematsu

Masami and Yu-Yu start the match off, they start off politely until Uematsu comes in to help her partner. Masami shrugs off their chops and headbutts both of them, but Kong comes in and lariats Masami to the mat. Kong takes Masami out of the ring and chucks a chair at her, as all six wrestlers brawl at ringside. Kansai and Uematsu end up in the aisle near the balcony while Kong throws the steel plate from the barricade at Amano while somehow Masami made it back into the ring with Yu-Yu and puts her in a sleeper. Masami tags in Kansai, vertical suplex by Kansai to Yu-Yu and she covers her for two. Scorpion Deathlock by Kansai but Yu-Yu crawls to the ropes and she forces the break. Kansai tags in Amano and they hit Yu-Yu with a double shoulderblock, but Yu-Yu pushes back to her corner and tags in Kong. Kong chops Amano against the ropes and hits a lariat in the corner, cover by Kong but it gets two. Amano tries to fight back with headbutts but Kong smacks her to the mat and tags in Uematsu. Uematsu rakes Amano’s face and stomps her down in the corner, Irish whip by Uematsu but Amano hits a jumping lariat and tags in Kansai. Kansai grabs Uematsu and hits a lariat in the corner, but Uematsu dropkicks her in the knee and Yu-Yu runs in too so they can hit a double dropkick. Uematsu stays in but Kansai puts them both in the claw, she slams Yu-Yu to the mat but Uematsu blocks her slam and hits a suplex. Kansai fires back with a suplex of her own, Uematsu tags in Kong but Masami is tagged in as well. Kong kicks Masami in the mouth and hits a back bodydrop, but Masami avoid the elbow drop.

Kansai comes in but Kong lariats both of them. Kong tags in Yu-Yu, jumping elbow of sorts by Yu-Yu to Masami and she hits her with a knee. Yu-Yu tries to pick up Masami but Masami blocks it, knee by Yu-Yu but Masami throws her to the mat. Kong runs over and lariats Masami, Uematsu comes in and kicks Masami in the head which swings the advantage back to Yu-Yu, kick out of the corner by Yu-Yu and she covers Masami for two. Amano jumps off the top turnbuckle with a lariat to Yu-Yu, Uematsu comes in but Masami suplexes Uematsu onto Yu-Yu. Amano stays in and kicks Yu-Yu but Yu-Yu returns fire with an elbow and knocks Amano to the mat. Yu-Yu goes off the ropes but Amano hits a roaring elbow, she picks up Yu-Yu and hits a jumping lariat, but Yu-Yu knees her when she goes off the ropes again. Another knee by Yu-Yu and she hits a release German suplex, picking up a two count. Yu-Yu tags in Kong, Kong punches Amano to the mat but Amano fights back with headbutts. Kong has none of that and hits a hard lariat, she picks up Amano and delivers the brainbuster but the cover is broken up. Kong slams Amano in front of the corner, she goes up top but Masami pushes her back to the mat. Jumping lariat by Amano to Kong and she tags in Kansai. Kansai kicks Kong but Kong catches her with a backdrop suplex, but Kansai kicks out of the cover. Kansai goes up top, Kong goes to join her but Kansai slides out to the apron and kicks Kong in the head.

Splash Mountain by Kansai, but Yu-Yu breaks it up. Kansai goes up top but Kong avoids the footstomp and Uematsu comes off the top with a missile dropkick. Shining Wizard by Kong to Kansai, but the cover gets two. Kong goes up top but Kansai avoids the elbow drop, Kansai goes up again and this time she hits the diving footstomp, but Uematsu breaks up the cover. Masami is tagged in, she picks up Kong as Amano goes for a missile dropkick, but she hits Masami on accident. Kong tags in Uematsu, dragon suplex hold by Uematsu but Masami gets a shoulder up. Hard elbow by Yu-Yu to Masami but Masami fires up and lariats all three of her opponents. Masami picks up Uematsu but Uematsu slides away and Kong lariats Masami. Uematsu gets on Yu-Yu’s shoulders and hits a diving body press on Masami, but the cover gets two. Uematsu goes up top but Masami hits her before she can jump off, Yu-Yu runs in and grabs Masami however and Uematsu hits a missile dropkick. Masami pops up and lariats both of them, Kansai comes in and starts kicking people as Masami picks up Uematsu and hits a Liger Bomb for a two count. Yu-Yu has recovered but Masami scoops her up and nails the Fire Valley. She then hits it on Uematsu, but Yu-Yu breaks it up. Kong picks up Masami and hits her with a backfist, Uematsu gets behind Masami and nails a dragon suplex hold for the three count! Kong, Yu-Yu, and Uematsu are your winners!

After the match, Devil Masami had a Retirement Ceremony that lasted 45 minutes. It included wrestlers saying farewell with flowers, testimonials, and of course the streamers at the end. Masami couldn’t have looked happier, and it was a fitting end to a long and storied career.

It is really really hard to evaluate a match like this with star ratings. It isn’t designed to be a ‘great’ match in the traditional sense of the word, as the retiring wrestler generally has her friends or people she enjoyed working with in the match to make it enjoyable for them. I will say that the wrestlers were putting in maximum effort to send off their friend in style, we still had Splash Mountains and Diving Footstomps and everything between, they were in no way coasting. And it was nice that Masami got the loss as that is normal tradition, giving the win to the younger Uematsu. Overall I liked it due to not just the emotion but the effort level, not a high end match work-wise but still fun to watch and a match I am sure Masami was proud of.  Recommended

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