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

A flashback to 2015, and the event that had perhaps the best match of Kairi Hojo’s career up to this point. Here is the full card:

• Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen
• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe
• Reo Hazuki vs. Thunder Rosa
• Chelsea vs. Melissa
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Nikki Storm and Starfire
• World of Stardom Championship: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura

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

Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen

Kato dropkicks Kamen from behind to start the match and hits a few more dropkicks to Kamen’s arm, but Kamen hits a double chop to the chest. Kato footstomps Kamen’s arm and applies a cross armbreaker, seated armbar by Kato but Kamen gets to the ropes. Irish whip by Kato but Kamen hits a shoulderblock, slap by Kato but Kamen blocks the scoop slam. Kamen hits a scoop slam of her own followed by an elbow drop for two. Kamen picks up Kato but Kato sneaks in a backslide for two. Kato goes off the ropes but Kamen hits a big boot followed by another kick for a two count. Kamen goes for a delayed vertical suplex but Kato gets out of it and hits a tilt-a-whirl into a schoolboy for two. Cross armbreaker takedown by Kato and Kamen quickly taps out! Haruka Kato wins the match.

I liked the arm work by Kato in this match but not much else. Kamen is just really tentative at times so her strikes lack impact, and while Kato is great to look at she isn’t at the skill level to get a good match out of Kamen. A typical Stardom opener but skippable nonetheless.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe

Yoneyama kicks Watanabe as they all give each other side headlocks, shoulderblock by Yoneyama but Wolf hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Wolf knees Watanabe in the corner and hits a diving crossbody, they grab Yoneyama and hit a double vertical suplex. Double kneedrop by both Wolf and Watanabe to Yoneyama, Watanabe puts Yoneyama in the tree of woe and Watanabe hits a dropkick. Wolf grabs Watanabe and applies a choke before covering her for the three count! The winner is Kris Wolf.

Besides the awkward ending (which Wolf made up for by doing a well balanced dance on the top turnbuckle afterwards) this was just way too clipped up. Very little of the match was shown. But just skim to Wolf’s top rope dance and you’ll be fine.

Reo Hazuki vs. Thunder Rosa

They tie-up to start, wristlock by Hazuki but Rosa reverses it. Hazuki gets the hold re-applied as they trade the hold back and forth, takedown by Rosa but Hazuki gets out of it and they return to their feet. Hazuki kicks Rosa and throws her down by her hair, facewashes by Hazuki in the corner and she nails the running kick. Hazuki goes for an elbow in the corner but Rosa moves and hits a dropkick. Double knee by Rosa in the corner and Rosa elbows Hazuki in the midsection. Leg drop by Rosa and a cover, but it gets two. Rosa picks up Hazuki but Hazuki slides away and applies a sleeper. Elbows by Hazuki in the corner, Irish whip, and Hazuki hits a running elbow. Hazuki goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, but the cover only gets two. Hazuki goes all the way up top but Rosa slaps her and tosses her off. Rosa picks up Hazuki and she applies a hammerlock before dropping Hazuki to the mat. Back up, Rosa hits a wrist-clutch overhead suplex, cover by Rosa but Hazuki barely gets a shoulder up. Rosa looks annoyed, which gives Hazuki time to sneak in a schoolboy for the three count! Reo wins!

This was too clipped to recommend (about 40% was missing) but I liked what I saw. Rosa is fun to watch and Hazuki is coming along nicely, though its possible that any awkward parts were simply edited out. What was shown was perfectly fine wrestling though.

Chelsea vs. Melissa

Chelsea continues wrestling veterans, no better way to learn I guess. Armdrag by Chelsea to start but Melissa returns the favor. Chelsea kicks Melissa back and they face off again, waistlock by Chelsea but Melissa gets her back. Melissa picks up Chelsea and applies a front facelock and they trade holds until Melissa starts snapping Chelsea’s leg. Knees to the back by Melissa and she applies a bodyscissors but Chelsea gets out of it and applies a stretch hold. Side headlock by Chelsea but Melissa shoulderblocks her down and hits a scoop slam, Irish whip by Melissa but Chelsea hits a big boot. Roll-up by Chelsea but Melissa gets out of it and wraps up Chelsea’s legs into a modified crab hold. Chelsea gets to the ropes, Melissa picks her up and they trade elbows. Melissa goes off the ropes but Chelsea catches her with a heel kick for a two count. Lariat by Chelsea and she hits a back elbow, Chelsea charges Melissa and she gives her the monkey flip. Cover by Chelsea but it gets two. Chelsea goes up top but Melissa joins her. Chelsea pushes Melissa off but Melissa puts Chelsea on her shoulders, Chelsea slides off and goes for a sunset flip but Melissa sits on her for a two count. Irish whip by Chelsea, reversed, but Chelsea hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Chelsea goes off the ropes but Melissa hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Kondo Clutch by Melissa but Chelsea rolls close enough to the ropes to force the break. Curbstomp by Melissa, another cover, but Chelsea gets a hand on the ropes. Melissa grabs Chelsea but Chelsea gets away, Melissa goes off the ropes but Chelsea hits a full nelson slam. Cover by Chelsea but Melissa kicks out at two. Chelsea goes up top and goes for a diving crossbody, but Melissa ducks it. Melissa gets her up, spins around a few times and nails the Air Raid Crash for the three count! Melissa is the winner.

Let’s be honest, Chelsea isn’t a great wrestler. She may become one as she is young and training in Stardom, but currently she knows the basics and that’s about it. But she is cute as hell, is photogenic, and the crowd loves her so she has something going for her. Anyway this match was watchable but it never had any moment that stuck out or anything. It was a bit basic but it didn’t have any awkwardness which is a plus. I dunno, it wasn’t really a good match but it wasn’t bad either, just forgettable.

(c) Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Nikki Storm and Starfire

This match is for the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. Shirai and Starfire start off, Starfire armdrags Shirai into the corner but Shirai avoids her charge and elbows her in the chest. Starfire grabs Shirai’s arm and springboards off the ropes with a takedown, schoolboy by Shirai but it gets two. Iwatani runs in to help and Starfire is double teamed in the corner. Iwatani dropkicks Starfire in the corner and with Shirai they both apply armbars until the referee gets them to stop. Storm emerges in the ring but Shirai dropkicks them both back out of it. Shirai goes off the far ropes and sails out onto both of them with a plancha suicida. Shirai slides Storm back in the ring and she hits a double knee in the corner. Cover by Shirai, but it gets two. Irish whip by Shirai and she applies an Octopus Hold, Starfire runs in but Iwatani comes in too and she puts Starfire in a stretch hold as well. Shirai rolls up Storm from the hold but it gets two, she then applies an armtrap crossface but Storm gets to the ropes. Shirai goes for the tiger feint kick but Starfire kicks Shirai from the apron. Storm then grabs Shirai from inside the ring and hits the Cyclone Neckbreaker, but Iwatani breaks up the pin. Double Irish whip to Storm but she throws Iwatani into Shirai and hits a double neck breaker. Cyclone Neckbreaker by Storm to Shirai, cover, but it gets two. Storm tags in Starfire and Starfire hits a spinning DDT on Shirai, she picks her up and hits a wrist clutch suplex hold for a two count. Starfire drags Shirai up and elbows her but Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana. Head kick by Shirai, she goes up top but Starfire grabs her and shoves Shirai back to the mat. Now Starfire goes up to the second turnbuckle but Iwatani grabs her from the apron. Frankensteiner by Shirai, her and Iwatani go up to the same corner and hit a double missile dropkick. Cover, but Starfire kicks out. Shirai picks up Starfire but Starfire hits a wheelbarrow suplex. Back up they trade elbows, palm strike by Shirai but Starfire reverses the tombstone piledriver and hits a reverse DDT.

Package Piledriver by Starfire but she can’t make the cover, instead rolling to her corner and tagging in Storm. Iwatani is tagged in too, Iwatani trades elbows with Storm and Iwatani hits a crucifix hold for a two count. Wrist clutch Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, but Storm gets a shoulder up. Iwatani picks up Storm, she goes off the ropes but Storm levels her with a lariat. Storm picks up Iwatani and she hits a neckbreaker, she drags up Iwatani and she delivers the Cyclone Neckbreaker but Iwatani barely kicks out. Back up, Iwatani kicks Storm back but Storm uses the referee as a shield. Starfire comes in but Iwatani avoids her dropkick, Storm puts Iwatani’s legs on the top rope and nails the Cyclone Neckbreaker. Package Piledriver by Starfire, Storm grabs Iwatani and with Starfire they hit an assisted Cyclone Neckbreaker. Cover, but Iwatani again kicks out. Storm holds Iwatani but Starfire lariats Storm by accident, then Iwatani hits a reverse hurricanrana on Storm for a two count. Storm picks up Iwatani and hits the Perfect Storm, cover, but Iwatani still won’t stay down. Storm picks up Iwatani, they trade waistlocks as Shirai gets on the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick. Iwatani throws in a dropkick of her own and they also throw Starfire out of the ring. Iwatani and Shirai then spring up onto different corners and dive out of the ring onto Storm and Starfire. Iwatani slides Storm back in but Storm blocks the dragon suplex. Iwatani picks up Storm in a piledriver position, Shirai goes up top and they nail the spike piledriver. Dragon suplex hold by Iwatani, and she picks up the three count! Shirai and Iwatani are still your champions.

This one… I’m a bit torn. I enjoyed it, no doubt there. But I think the random clipping hurt the flow (about five minutes or so was cut total), the clips were rather obvious and it was almost like hitting reset on the match. That being said the match was fast paced and they both had some great moves without going into overkill. Iwatani was a beast here, just kicking out of everything, they are really building her up. It also felt like an important match, which I always appreciate in a title match. I still recommend to watch it, just don’t go in expecting a MOTYC, it fell quite a bit short of that due to the clipping and a few mistakes here and there.  Recommended

(c) Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura

This match is for the World of Stardom Championship. They jockey around to start, Hojo gets Satomura in the ropes and hits a spinning backfist before backing off. They lock knuckles, Satomura throws Hojo to the mat and she hits a scoop slam. Elbows by Satomura but Hojo hits a shoulder tackle. More shoulder tackles in the corner by Hojo, snapmare, and she dropkicks Satomura in the back. Hojo gets Satomura’s leg and applies a crab hold, but Satomura makes it to the ropes. Satomura slams Hojo to the mat and she goes for a crab hold, but Hojo slaps her. Kicks by Satomura as Hojo returns with elbows, but Satomura catches an elbow and applies a single leg crab hold. Hojo crawls to the ropes to force a break but Satomura quickly applies a stretch hold. Hojo rolls out of it but Satomura kicks Hojo in the back before hitting a hard knee to the chin. Satomura goes for a backdrop suplex but Hojo blocks it and applies a side headlock. Irish whip by Satomura but Hojo hits a really violent spear, she goes off the ropes again but Satomura nails a high kick. Hojo falls out of the ring to have her neck sprayed with the magic healing stuff only Japan has discovered before she rolls back in, but Satomura promptly kicks her in the chest. Irish whip by Satomura but Hojo reverses it, armdrag by Satomura and she applies a STF with a chinlock. Satomura picks up Hojo and hits a backdrop suplex. Kicks by Satomura in the corner, Irish whip, but Hojo collapses. Hard elbow by Satomura and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Satomura goes up top but Hojo avoids the body press, she picks up Satomura and chops her in the chest. Satomura fires back with elbows but Hojo holds down the rope when she charges, sending Satomura out to the apron. Hojo shoulder tackles her down to the floor, Hojo goes up top and she delivers a plancha suicida down to the floor. Hojo waits for Satomura to get up and from the apron hits a diving elbow smash, she slides Satomura back in the ring and goes up top, hitting another diving elbow smash.

Hojo charges Satomura and hits a shoulder tackle in the corner followed by a neckbreaker for a two count. Cross-armed submission hold by Hojo but Satomura wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Hojo hits a few footstomps to Satomura’s back and she stretches Satomura some more, but Satomura kicks her off. Satomura gets up and they trade elbows, back kick by Satomura and she nails the spinning kick to the head. Cartwheel knee drop by Satomura, she positions Hojo before going up top, but Hojo gets her feet up on the diving body press. Hojo puts Satomura in the tree of woe, she goes up top but Satomura goes up with her and goes for a death valley bomb. Hojo blocks it and pushes Satomura back into the tree of woe, hitting the diving footstomp. Cover by Hojo, but Satomura kicks out. Hojo stomps on Satomura in the stomach but Satomura gets back up and elbows her. Hojo elbows her back, she goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her hard in the face. Cross armbreaker by Satomura but Hojo manages to wiggle to the ropes. Satomura drags Hojo out and re-applies it, but again Hojo gets a toe on the ropes. Satomura kicks Hojo out of the ring, where Hojo gets more magic healing spray. Satomura goes out after her, she drags Hojo up to the entrance stage and drills her with a Death Valley Bomb! Satomura brings Hojo back to the ring, she picks up Hojo and drops her with a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two. Satomura applies a sleeper hold, cover by Satomura but Hojo kicks out. Satomura positions Hojo, she goes up top and she finally hits the frog splash, but Hojo barely gets a shoulder up. Satomura picks up Hojo but Hojo avoids the Death Valley Bomb by grabbing the top rope. Satomura shakes her free and nails it anyway, but she can’t keep Hojo down. Satomura goes for another one but Hojo slides down her back, elbow by Satomura but Hojo blocks the overhead kick.

Backfist by Hojo and she hits a series of elbows, but Satomura levels her with a high kick. Hojo ducks Satomura’s heel kick and finally knocks her down with a backfist, Hojo picks up Satomura and hits an Alabama Slam. Hojo goes up top and nails her beautiful diving elbow drop, she covers Satomura but it gets two. Hojo goes up top again but Satomura is up and she nails a Pele Kick. Satomura goes up with Hojo but Hojo elbows her off, she goes for another diving elbow drop but Satomura gets her legs up and quickly applies a cross armbreaker. Seated armbar by Satomura but Hojo rolls to the ropes to force a break. Satomura picks up Hojo and kicks her in the chest repeatedly, she picks up Hojo but Hojo rolls up Satomura for a two count. Satomura gets on the sleeper but Hojo is too close to the ropes and gets a foot on them. Satomura goes up top but Hojo punches her and joins her, hitting a superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hojo goes up top but Satomura avoids the diving elbow drop, Satomura picks up Hojo and hits a Death Valley Bomb before applying the cross armbreaker. Satomura traps her leg too, she then rolls over Hojo and applies an elevated single leg crab hold before rolling it back over, but Hojo gets free. Satomura kicks Hojo in the chest a few times and then drills her with a kick to the head. Satomura picks up Hojo but Hojo gets away and applies a guillotine choke. Satomura slams out of it and applies the cross armbreaker but Hojo gets her hands linked and gets out of it. Satomura picks up Hojo and hits another Death Valley Bomb, she covers Hojo but the bell rings signifying the match is a Draw. Kairi Hojo is still your champion!

Man what a match. To call this hard hitting would be an understatement, everything they did was brutal. Even something simple like a kick breakout or a spear was made to look extra violent, there was no holding back here at all. The time went quickly for a 30 minute match as they did a good job mixing in strikes, submissions, and big moves to pop the crowd. I didn’t mind the slight overkill since it was a title match, overall it was just great stuff. MOTYC right here.  Highly Recommended

event reviewed on 6/21/15

The post Stardom “Galaxy Stars 2015” on 6/14/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

As a fan of just about anything, you tend to get sad when someone you enjoy retires. That is true for actors, sports players, and of course in this case wrestlers. Generally you are happy for them as usually people retire to move on to something else they want to do, but we still miss them. This event is for the retirement of Natsuki*Taiyo, who had been wrestling for ten years. It is not uncommon in Joshi for wrestlers to retire when still in their 20s (Taiyo had just turned 30), a lot of them start young but burn out early, leaving either to pursue their career or to start a family. So we are happy to have had her, and sad to see her go. Here is the full card for the event:

• Stardom vs. Enemy Army Elimination Match: Yoshiko, Act Yasukawa, Kairi Hojo, and Koguma vs. Danshoku Dino, Kyoko Kimura, Alpha Female, and Nakagawa
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Miho Wakizawa, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Hatsuhinode Kamen, and Sayaka Obihiro
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Takumi Iroha
• Natsuki*Taiyo Retirement Match ~ Forever High Speed: Natsuki*Taiyo  vs. Nanae Takahashi

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

Yoshiko, Act Yasukawa, Kairi Hojo, and Koguma vs. Danshoku Dino, Kyoko Kimura, Alpha Female, and Nakagawa

This is an elimination tag team match, but you can also be eliminated by being thrown over the top rope. Dino and Yoshiko start things off. Yoshiko pushes Dino but Dino pushes her back. Another push by Dino but Yoshiko pushes him in return and they trade pushes. Dino goes off the ropes but he can’t shoulderblock Yoshiko down. Yoshiko goes off the ropes but she also has no luck. Dino goes off the ropes but Yoshiko stays on her feet, Yoshiko does the same but finally Dino shoulderblocks her down. Yasukawa comes in the ring but Dino punches her back out of it. Hojo comes in, she gets punched as well. Koguma comes in next, punches by Dino but she ducks one and hits a series of elbows. Dino blocks one however and hits a series of headbutts, Dino goes off the ropes but Koguma delivers a dropkick. Yoshiko returns and she hits a big boot onto Dino. Facewashes in the corner by Yoshiko followed by a running kick. Yoshiko picks up Dino but Dino punches her off, he goes for the Testicular Claw but he has nothing to grab. Punches by Dino as his teammates come in the ring, and everyone hits running strikes in the corner. Snap vertical suplex by Dino and he pulls down his pants, Hojo comes in the ring and she slaps Dino, forcing Dino to sit on Yoshiko for a two count. Punch by Dino and he kicks Yoshiko into the corner. She rebounds out of it and almost falls into Dino’s tights, but stops herself. Dino and Yoshiko trade punches, Dino goes to go off the ropes but Hojo is standing in the way. She snaps his neck over the top rope, Dino goes to yell at Hojo outside the ring, allowing Yoshiko to send Dino crashing out of it. Danshoku Dino is eliminated.

Nakagawa comes in the ring next as does Koguma, and Nakagawa avoids Koguma’s dropkick. Nakagawa throws Koguma in the corner but Koguma avoids the charge and hits a monkey flip. Sunset flip by Koguma, but Nakagawa is in the ropes. Tornado DDT attempt by Koguma but Nakagawa shrugs her off as everyone comes in the ring to beat up Koguma. Kimura holds Koguma for Nakagawa but Koguma moves out of the way, she covers both Kimura and Nakagawa but it gets a two count. Face crusher/dropkick combination to Koguma, cover, but it gets a two count. Nakagawa hits a Fisherman Suplex on Koguma and then locks in the CRB, and Koguma has no choice but to submit. Koguma is eliminated.

Nakagawa stomps on Hojo, she picks her up and throws her in the corner before tagging in Alpha Female. Snapmare by Alpha Female and she clubs Hojo repeatedly in the chest. Alpha Female tags in Kimura, Kimura puts Hojo in the ropes and all three wrestlers press their boots into her face. Kimura goes off the ropes and jumps down onto Hojo, cover by Kimura but it gets a two count. Hojo gets back up and clubs Kimura in the chest, but Kimura absorbs the blow. She does it again and a third time, but still with no luck. Repeated clubs by Hojo, she goes off the ropes and goes for a spear but Kimura catches her and applies a grounded facelock. Hojo eventually gets a foot on the ropes to force a break, cover by Kimura but it gets a two count. Hojo tags in Nakagawa, Nakagawa picks up Hojo but Hojo applies an inside cradle for a two count. Waistlock by Nakagawa, reversed, and Yasukawa runs in the ring to attack everyone. Yoshiko hits a senton onto Nakagawa, and she tosses Hojo onto Nakagawa. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hojo goes up to the top turnbuckle but Nakagawa has recovered and elbows her. Nakagawa goes for a high kick, but she misses and goes over the top rope and onto the apron. Hojo hops back down into the ring and kicks Nakagawa off the apron to the floor. Tomoka Nakagawa is eliminated.

Alpha Female comes in and knocks Hojo to the mat, she picks her up and hits a scoop slam. Alpha Female picks up Hojo, Irish whip, Alpha Female tosses Hojo out to the apron but Hojo ducks when she charges in and jumps off the top turnbuckle to get back in the ring. Alpha Female gets Hojo on her shoulders but Hojo hits an armdrag, then Yoshiko runs in with a senton. Hojo goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the diving elbow drop. Cover, but Kimura breaks it up. Yoshiko knocks Kimura out of the ring, Hojo goes off the ropes but Kimura kicks her from the apron and Alpha Female hits a lariat. Cover, but Hojo gets a shoulder up. Alpha Female picks up Hojo and nails the Alpha Plex Hold, picking up the three count. Kairi Hojo is eliminated.

Yoshiko and Yasukawa both run into the ring, and Kimura puts Yasukawa in a sleeper hold. Yoshiko eventually runs in to break it up, Alpha Female comes in as well and Alpha Female elbows Yoshiko. Yoshiko elbows her back but Kimura kicks Yoshiko from behind. They pick up Yoshiko, double Irish whip but Yoshiko hits a double lariat. Yoshiko positions Alpha Female in front of the corner, she goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits the reverse splash. Cover, but Alpha Female kicks out at two. Yoshiko goes up to the second turnbuckle but Alpha Female rolls out of the way of the senton and Kimura kicks her in the head. Double Irish whip to Yoshiko into the corner, Alpha Female hits a lariat and Kimura follows with an elbow. Lariat by Alpha Female, cover, but Yoshiko gets a shoulder up. Kimura picks up Yoshiko while Alpha Female goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Yoshiko gets away and punches Kimura into Alpha Female. Yoshiko joins Alpha Female on the top turnbuckle, and Alpha Female dumps Yoshiko out to the apron. Yoshiko quickly gets up and pulls Alpha Female onto the apron with her, and both wrestlers hit lariats. They do it again, but Yoshiko ducks one and she knocks Alpha Female off the apron. Alpha Female is eliminated.

Dino gets on the apron and holds Yoshiko for Kimura, Kimura goes off the ropes but Yasukawa trips her from the floor. Yasukawa gets on the apron and holds Kimura for Yoshiko, Yoshiko charges in but Kimura moves. Yoshiko almost knocks Yasukawa off the apron but she stops in time, Kimura gets a running start and goes for a big boot but both Yasukawa and Yoshiko move out of the way and Kimura tumbles out of the ring. Kyoko Kimura is eliminated. Your winners of the match: Yoshiko, Act Yasukawa, Kairi Hojo, and Koguma

For a 15 minute eight wrestler elimination tag match this was fine. My main complaint would simply be that this match had some of my favorite Stardom wrestlers (Hojo, Yasukawa, Kimura, and Alpha Female) but obviously in this style of match they really didn’t get much of a chance to shine. I’d rather have seen them get more time to do something. Having Dino in the match was fun since 80% of his offense is normally gay-based which doesn’t really work on women. But he was the first one eliminated and after that it was just your standard action in these types of matches. It was nothing bad since the wrestlers in the match were quality, it is just a limiting match stipulation that gave them more restrictions than I’d have preferred.

(c) Miho Wakizawa, Matsumoto, and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Hatsuhinode Kamen, and Obihiro
Artist of Stardom Championship

Yoneyama and company attack their opponents to start the match and they all attack Iwatani together before making a little pyramid with her. Matsumoto is having none of that and pelts all three with tawashis (see below for what the hell a tawashis is, y’all about to get educated), then they hit Kamen and Yoneyama with ribbons. Obihiro is put into the ropes so they can wrap the ribbons around her before running into the crowd to I assume try to kill her, but the ribbon snaps which sends everyone flying. This never works. Back in the ring Obihiro and Kamen hit running strikes on Iwatani in the corner, Obihiro goes up to the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving double chop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Obihiro chops Iwatani against the ropes, Irish whip, blocked, and Iwatani flips Obihiro to the mat. She applies a submission but it is quickly broken up, Iwatani goes off the ropes but Obihiro hits a sunset flip for a two count. Yoneyama grabs Iwatani and applies a leg submission but Wakizawa uses a rope to try to help Iwatani to the ropes. This doesn’t work of course, Irish whip by Yoneyama to Iwatani but Iwatani hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Kamen comes in the ring but Iwatani hits a springboard armdrag on both of them before tagging in Matsumoto. Matsumoto shoulderblocks all three of her opponents, Irish whip by Matsumoto to Yoneyama and she slams Yoneyama to the mat. Cover, but Yoneyama quickly gets out of it. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, but it only gets a two count. Matsumoto tags in Wakizawa, Matsumoto holds Yoneyama for Wakizawa but Yoneyama ducks and Wakizawa puts The Claw on Matsumoto.

Yoneyama rolls up Wakizawa from behind but it gets a two count. Yoneyama tags in Kamen, Wakizawa goes for The Claw on Kamen but it is blocked. Obihiro comes in the ring but Wakizawa bites her in the hand, Kamen kicks Wakizawa in the head but she only gets a two count. Kamen goes up to the top turnbuckle but Wakizawa recovers and joins her up top while Matsumoto dumps a box full of tawashis in the ring. Wakizawa hits a Frankensteiner into the pile, then Iwatani gets a big one and holds it against Kamen. Matsumoto charges in with a body avalanche, which hurts her just as much. Dropkick by Iwatani to Kamen, and Matsumoto puts the mega tawashi on her chest. Wakizawa and Iwatani get onto Matsumoto’s back and they all fall onto Kamen. Wakizawa goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving body press onto Kamen, cover, but Obihiro breaks it up. Wakizawa picks up Kamen and she goes for a Fisherman Buster but Kamen blocks it. Kamen goes for a vertical suplex onto the mega tawashi, but Iwatani slides in and moves it so that Kamen actually lands on it and not Wakizawa. Wakizawa picks it up but Yoneyama grabs the tawashi from behind. Obihiro runs in and chops Wakizawa in the throat, inside cradle by Kamen but it gets a two count. Yoneyama throws the tawashi out of the ring, while in the ring Kamen puts Wakizawa on her shoulders. Yoneyama goes up top but Matsumoto hits her from the apron with a different tawashi, Backslide with Venom by Wakizawa to Kamen and she picks up the three count. Your winners and still champions: Wakizawa, Matsumoto, and Iwatani!

True story – I have been wondering for the last year what those little brown balls they use in these matches were, but I looked online and no one seemed to reference what they were. I mean its not like there are tons of Stardom reviews in English on the Internet. So I finally figured I’d just ask one of the wrestlers and hope for a reply. I tweeted Kellie Skater, and within a few hours she advised that they are tawashis. A tawashi is a hard, rough scrubbing brush, so when they are rubbed against someone’s skin, as you can imagine that would hurt. So thanks to Kellie for answering this question that has been bothering Stardom fans for a long time. Anyway, as far as the match, it was pretty much the same as it always is, except at least now I know what is going on. I am glad these matches aren’t too long since they are generally comedy matches, and they did get a few chuckles out of me such as when Kamen accidentally landed on the tawashi when going for the vertical suplex. I think a few of these wrestlers actually are good but its so hard to tell in short comedy matches, all the action was crisp anyway. Exactly what you’d expect, I can’t score it low since it does what it is trying to do and it is funny at times, but it isn’t what I would consider high quality wrestling.

(c) Io Shirai vs. Takumi Iroha
World of Stardom Championship

Shirai slaps Iroha to start the match but Iroha slaps her back, she goes off the ropes and hits a heel kick. German suplex by Iroha and she hits a second one, she picks up Shirai but Shirai gets away. Kick by Iroha and she hits a vertical suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Iroha picks up Shirai but Shirai elbows her and they trade shots. Shirai goes off the ropes but Iroha hits a lariat, Iroha goes off the ropes but Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana for a two count. Kick to the head by Shirai, she picks up Iroha and hits a series of elbows. Iroha elbows Shirai as well and both wrestlers fall to their knees. Waistlock by Shirai, reversed by Iroha and Iroha applies a side headlock. Shirai eventually punches out of it and applies a side headlock of her own, Iroha gets out of it but Shirai hits a cartwheel dropkick. Iroha falls out of the ring, Shirai goes off the far ropes and sails between the ropes onto Iroha with a plancha suicida. Shirai slides Iroha back into the ring and applies a stretch hold before throwing Iroha to the mat. Kicks to the face by Shirai and she chokes Iroha with her boot. Shirai goes up to the top turnbuckle but Iroha runs over and dropkicks her off, sending Shirai to the apron. Iroha goes out to the apron as well and chops Shirai repeatedly in the chest. Waistlock by Iroha but Shirai slides through her legs and hits a reverse DDT on the apron. Shirai goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out to the floor with a plancha onto Iroha. Iroha recovers as she is pulled back to the ring and elbows Shirai before hitting a vertical suplex on the floor. Iroha slides Shirai back into the ring and applies a crab hold, but Shirai makes it to the ropes to force the break. Iroha stomps Shirai and charges her in the corner, but Shirai slides out to the apron and kicks her back. Shirai goes for a swandive move but Iroha uppercuts her mid-move and then hits a doublestomp to her back while Shirai is lying over the ropes. Cover, but it gets two. Iroha picks up Shirai and applies the Gory Special, she then releases the hold and goes for Shirai’s leg but Shirai kicks her back.

Spinning kick to the head by Shirai and she hits the Shinkansen Attack. Cover by Shirai but it gets a two count. Arm trap crossface by Shirai but Iroha inches to the ropes and gets there to get the break. Shirai picks up Iroha, she puts Iroha on the second rope and hits the Tiger Feint Kick. Swandive missile dropkick by Shirai, cover, but it gets a two count. Shirai positions Iroha in front of the corner, she goes up to the second turnbuckle but Iroha has recovered and hits her from behind. Slingshot suplex by Iroha and she holds on to Shirai to hit a second suplex, cover, but it gets a two count. Iroha picks up Shirai around the waist but Shirai elbows free, Shirai goes off the ropes and goes for a hurricanrana but Iroha blocks it and applies a crab hold. Shirai slowly inches to the ropes and eventually makes it there to force a break. Iroha positions Shirai, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Shirai has slid out to the apron. Shirai climbs up top with Iroha and they trade punches and elbows. High kick by Shirai, she slides back out to the apron and then springboards back up to the top to hit a Frankensteiner. Standing moonsault by Shirai, then she hits a moonsault off the second turnbuckle and finally one off the top turnbuckle. Cover, but Iroha gets a shoulder up. Shirai picks up Iroha and hits the Shining Wizard. Cover, but it gets a two count. Shirai goes for a swinging kick but Iroha ducks it and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Heel kick to the back of the head by Iroha, she picks up Shirai and she nails the powerbomb. Cover, but Shirai kicks out at two. Iroha goes for a Scorpion Deathlock but Shirai rolls through it and kicked Iroha in the face. La Magistral by Shirai, but Iroha kicks out at two. Elbow by Shirai but Iroha elbows her back and they trade shots back on their feet. Uppercut by Shirai but Iroha slaps her, but Shirai turns around and hits a running headbutt. Package German Suplex Hold by Shirai, and she picks up the three count. Your winner and still champion: Io Shirai

There must be some backstory on how Iroha got a title shot considering how young and inexperienced she is, but looking over the results I couldn’t get any clues. But it made for a good superstar vs. underdog dynamic, even if you knew that Iroha had no chance of winning. That hurt the crowd reactions a bit but it was still a really good match. From watching it you’d know that Iroha was an underdog but she didn’t act over-matched at all, she was exchanging strikes and getting nearfalls the same as any other challenger. Shirai didn’t take it easy either, which she could have done since this event already had a major attraction, as she was doing dives and spring boarding off of things just like she always does. Even with Iroha’s more limited experience the match was really crisp, I didn’t notice any awkward moments, and the match flowed really well with no real downtime. A predictable ending but a fun journey to get there for sure.  Recommended

Natsuki*Taiyo vs. Nanae Takahashi

This is Natsuki*Taiyo’s Retirement Match. They lock knuckles to start, side headlock by Taiyo but Takahashi gets out of it. Wristlock by Taiyo, Takahashi gets Taiyo to the mat but Taiyo wiggles away as they trade submission attempts. Both wrestlers return to their feet, tie-up, side headlock by Taiyo, Takahashi Irish whips out of it and hits a shoulderblock. Takahashi goes off the ropes and hits an armdrag, springboard by Taiyo and she hits an armdrag of her own. Takahashi falls out of the ring, Taiyo fakes a dive but ends up swinging herself back into the ring. Takahashi returns after a moment, elbows by Taiyo and she clubs Takahashi in the back. Taiyo and Takahashi trade elbows, armbar by Taiyo but Takahashi reverses it. Armdrag by Taiyo and she dropkicks Takahashi in the knee. Taiyo goes up to the top turnbuckle and kicks Takahashi in the arm. Knee to the arm by Taiyo and she yanks on Takahashi’s arm. Kicks to the arm by Taiyo and she twists it around her knee. Takahashi gets out of it and gets Taiyo’s ankle, applying an ankle hold. Taiyo flips out of the hold, elbow by Takahashi but Taiyo elbows her back. Taiyo throws Takahashi into the corner and elbows her some more, Irish whip by Taiyo, reversed, Taiyo moves when Takahashi charges in and hits a palm thrust. Two more by Taiyo but Takahashi grabs her by the hair and tosses her to the mat. Dropkick to the knee by Takahashi and she applies a knee lock. Takahashi applies a stretch hold before going back to the leg, and she eventually applies a figure four leg lock. Taiyo gets into the ropes to force a break, Takahashi grabs her leg and hops down on it while it is propped on the bottom rope. Kicks to the head by Takahashi, Taiyo fights back but Takahashi knocks her back to the mat. Taiyo gets back up and they trade elbows, an exchange that Takahashi gets the better of. Takahashi throws Taiyo into the corner and chops her in the chest before hitting a lariat. Takahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Taiyo quickly joins her, Takahashi catches Taiyo with a sleeper and tosses her back to the mat. Missile dropkick by Takahashi, cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi goes up to the top again but Taiyo jumps up with her and hits an armdrag. Springboard moonsault by Taiyo, cover, but it gets a two count. Waistlock by Taiyo but Takahashi elbows out of it. They trade elbows, Takahashi charges Taiyo in the corner but Taiyo kicks her back and flips out to the apron. Trip by Taiyo and she hits a slingshot double stomp before kicking Takahashi out of the ring.

Taiyo gets a running start and hits a triple jump springboard plancha out of the ring onto Takahashi. Irish whip by Taiyo, reversed, and Taiyo goes flying into a row of chairs. Takahashi throws her into some more chairs and a third time. Takahashi takes Taiyo to a different part of the arena and does the same thing, she then takes Taiyo up the aisle into the bleachers, but Taiyo starts fighting back. They trade elbows up in the crowd for a bit before Takahashi knocks Taiyo back down towards ringside, but Taiyo slaps Takahashi until she falls to the floor. Takahashi gets back up and they trade elbows again until both fall to ground. Takahashi gets back in the ring with Taiyo slowly following, Takahashi picks up Taiyo and elbows her, leading to another elbow exchange. Taiyo kicks Takahashi in the leg and then hits a dropkick, Taiyo goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the missile dropkick. Dropkick in the corner by Taiyo, cover, but it gets a two count. Taiyo goes up to the top turnbuckle but Takahashi rolls out of the way of the double stomp and hits a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ankle hold by Takahashi but Taiyo is able to make it to the ropes. Takahashi picks up Taiyo and chops her in the corner, Irish whip, but Taiyo rebounds out of the corner with a crossbody. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Taiyo and she applies an armbar to Takahashi. Takahashi makes it into the ropes for a break, Taiyo picks her up and goes for a powerbomb, but Takahashi blocks it. Taiyo goes off the ropes, leapfrog, she kicks Takahashi and hits the Iguchi Bomb. Kick to the head by Taiyo, cover, but it gets a two count. Taiyo goes off the ropes but Takahashi catches her with a powerbomb and hits a sliding kick. Cover, but it only gets a two. Takahashi picks up Taiyo but Taiyo gets into the ropes. Takahashi pulls her back and hits a backdrop suplex and then hits a second one. Lariat by Takahashi, cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi picks up Taiyo, Taiyo fights her off and she goes for the sunset flip powerbomb but Takahashi blocks it. Taiyo hits an armdrag before applying the Triple Taiyo☆Chan La Magistral for a two count.

Taiyo goes off the ropes and goes for a hurricanrana, but Takahashi catches her and sits down for a two count. Takahashi picks up Taiyo and hits the Nana☆Racka, cover, but Taiyo rolls through it for her own two count. Takahashi picks up Taiyo but Takahashi gets away and slams Takahashi to the mat. Taiyo goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the diving doublestomp, cover, but it gets a two count. Taiyo picks up Takahashi and hits the leg trap German suplex hold for a two count. Taiyo goes off the ropes but Takahashi catches her and hits a second Nana☆Racka for a two count cover. Takahashi drags Taiyo to her feet, Taiyo gets away and kicks Takahashi in the stomach, back kick by Taiyo and she hits another one. Taiyo goes off the ropes but Takahashi hits a jumping kick to the face. Takahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Taiyo rolls out of the way of the body press. Taiyo goes for the Taiyo☆Chan Bomb but Takahashi sits down for a two count. Takahashi picks up Taiyo but Taiyo gets away from her, knees by Taiyo and she hits a back kick. Taiyo☆Chan Bomb by Taiyo, but Takahashi barely gets a shoulder up. Momo☆Latch by Taiyo, but Takahashi kicks out again at two. Taiyo clubs Takahashi in the back and puts her up on the top turnbuckle, she joins her but Takahashi clubs her off. Diving body press by Takahashi, cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi picks up Taiyo and hits the Nana☆Racka, cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi slowly goes up to the top turnbuckle but Taiyo is up and knocks her to a seated position. Taiyo tries to join her, Takahashi knocks her back to the mat but Taiyo gets back up and jumps up to the top turnbuckle. Takahashi slides off however, Taiyo jumps off the top turnbuckle and hits the Momo☆Latch, but it gets a two count. Taiyo picks up Takahashi, slaps by Taiyo, and she kicks Takahashi in the ribs. Headbutt by Takahashi and they trade elbows, Takahashi goes off the ropes and she hits a lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Takahashi picks up Taiyo and she nails the One Second EX. Cover, but Taiyo gets a shoulder up. Takahashi charges Taiyo but Taiyo knocks her back, Taiyo gets up on the top turnbuckle but Takahashi grabs her and hits the Nanaracka☆100. Cover, and she picks up the three count. Your winner: Nanae Takahashi

The match was probably a little bit longer than it needed to be as some parts of the match did drag (such as the battling up in the crowd section), but overall it was still a really good match. I have no idea how Taiyo can even concentrate as retirement matches can be so emotional, but for the most part the action was very crisp and fluid. The early limb work was ultimately blown off, but the limbs weren’t really targeted long enough to expect them to sell it for the rest of the match, so I won’t hold it against them. Taiyo has so much energy, even after a 30 minute match she was still springboarding around, things like that is why everyone loved her… she just has more gears than most humans do. Even though she lost, Taiyo didn’t go down easy as she took most of Takahashi’s big moves, some of them twice. Overall it was a fitting ending, shame she couldn’t get the win but generally in Japan wrestlers lose in their official retirement matches, that is just the way it goes. An emotional and exciting ending to the career of the original High Speed Champion.  Recommended

Natsuki*Taiyo’s Retirement Ceremony

I am not going to do a play by play of a Retirement Ceremony, but if you’ve never watched a Joshi Retirement Ceremony you really should sometime. First of all, from start to finish it was over 40 minutes long. It had a bit of everything, first Taiyo talked for a bit, they did some dancing, then all the Stardom wrestlers came down and gave Taiyo flowers one by one. It is pretty emotional as everyone is crying, so if you are an emotional person like me, don’t watch this with anyone else in the room as it will be really hard to explain. Along with the Stardom wrestlers, many legends came down to wish her well also, including Bull Nakano and Momoe Nakanishi. Some just gave flowers, some playfully attacked her, it likely depended on her personal relationships with them. Animal Hamaguchi came out last which got Taiyo the most emotional as he helped train her, and he talked a bit before leading the crowd in a cheer. It ends with everyone leaving the ring as the lights go down, and Taiyo gets her final farewell. Its a much more… personal retirement than most wrestlers get but its normal for long-time (and well liked) Joshi wrestlers. Probably too long for the common fan to sit through, especially if you don’t speak Japanese, but it does show that they know how to send people out the right way. I can’t imagine trying to do a wrestling match knowing all of this is coming, but that is why they are professionals and I just watch them while politely judging everything they do. But it was a really nice ceremony and you could tell from the emotions how much people will miss Taiyo, she was the life of Stardom at times and she will be hard to replace.

event originally reviewed on 1/5/15

The post Stardom “Natsuki Taiyo Retirement ~ High Speed Forever” on 6/1/14 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

 

Championships Held: Artist of Stardom Championship and the NEO Tag Team Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• April 4th, 2007 with Ran Yu-Yu vs. Tanny Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki
• January 31st, 2010 vs. Ryo Mizunami
• November 13th, 2010 with Ryo Mizunami vs. Ayumi Kurihara and Yoshiko Tamura
• August 10th, 2014 with Kaori Yoneyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Mayu Iwatani, and Miho Wakizawa

Signature Moves:

• Shoulder Tackle
• STS

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Other Affiliated Wrestlers

The post Aya Yuuki (Hatsuhinode Kamen) appeared first on Joshi City.

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

After reviewing smaller events in the world of Joshi lately, it is nice to get a chance to review one of the bigger events of the year. Lots going on for Stardom on this show, as three titles are up for grabs. Also, we get Chelsea being accepted as a full member of the roster as she wrestles the legendary Meiko Satomura. Here is the full card:

– Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen
– Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe vs. Reo Hazuki
– High Speed Championship: Koguma vs. Starfire
– Chelsea vs. Meiko Satomura
– Wonder of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Nikki Storm
– World of Stardom Championship: Kairi Hojo vs. Mayu Iwatani

This is going to be fun, onto the matches!

Haruka Kato vs. Hatsuhinode Kamen

Kato attacks Kamen before the match starts and applies a sleeper into a cross armbreaker, she then applies a seated armbar but Kamen gets to the ropes. Shoulderblock by Kamen and she hits a couple more, but Kato avoids the elbow drop. Back up they trade strikes, Kamen gets Kato up on her shoulder and she rams her stomach-first into the turnbuckles. Body avalanche by Kamen, she picks up Kato but Kato dropkicks her in the knee and rolls her into a cross armbreaker. Kamen powerbombs out of the hold but Kato immediately re-applies it, face crusher by Kato and she hits a seated senton for two. High kick by Kamen and she delivers a boot. Vertical suplex by Kamen but Kato quickly rolls her up for two. Kato goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl horizontal cradle, but Kamen kicks out. Kato goes off the ropes but Kamen catches her with a vertical suplex. German suplex hold by Kamen and she picks up the three count!

This was probably the most ‘straight’ I have seen Kamen in a match and while I don’t think she is a great wrestler it did make the match easier to watch. Plus Kato is cute which never hurts. In-ring wise just average but not a bad way to open up the card.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe vs. Reo Hazuki

All four women are legal, first pinfall/submission wins the match. They start all applying wristlocks to each other, and Wolf bites Watanabe on the arm. Yoneyama is still holding Hazuki so Wolf bites her too, Irish whip to Hazuki but Yoneyama rolls up Wolf for a two count. Wolf is thrown to the ropes by all three and she eats a triple big boot, Yoneyama holds Wolf next so that Hazuki and Watanabe can both dropkick her. Yoneyama then dropkicks both Hazuki and Watanabe, but everyone fights back against her. Yoneyama is stomped down on the mat and then attacked by all three while he is tied up in the ropes. Face crusher by Hazuki and a kick by Wolf, cover by all three but Yoneyama kicks out. Yoneyama is thrown into the corner and all three of her opponents hit running strikes, but Wolf rolls up Hazuki from behind for a two count. Hazuki elbows Wolf but Wolf sneaks in a modified sunset flip for two. Kicks by Wolf to Hazuki, Hazuki applies a waistlock but Watanabe applies a waistlock to Hazuki. Yoneyama pushes all three against the ropes and rolls up Watanabe, but it gets two. Shoulderblock by Yoneyama to Hazuki, and Yoneyama slams Wolf on top of Hazuki. Yoneyama puts Watanabe near the pile and hits a senton on all three of them, she lays them next to each other on the mat but all three avoid the diving senton. Somato by Watanabe to Yoneyama but Hazuki breaks it up. Full nelson slam by Hazuki to Watanabe, but Wolf breaks that up, Wolf picks up Hazuki but Hazuki elbows her off. Wolf elbows her back, Yoneyama runs in as they trade elbows and grabs them but Wolf and Hazuki get her to the apron. Wolf and Hazuki kick Yoneyama and Watanabe out of the ring, then Wolf boots Hazuki for a two count cover. Wolf picks up Hazuki, she hits a suplex and picks up the three count!

The ending made me laugh as I think Hazuki was supposed to kick out of the boot but Wolf had such a ferocious cover that she couldn’t, so the referee just pretended like she did. A four way undercard match isn’t going to be great almost by design but it was fine. Ultimately meaningless of course, I’d rather have seen Wolf and Hazuki in a singles match as they have pretty good chemistry but in a four way no one really gets a chance to shine. But it was harmless fun and a good way to get three of the newer wrestlers on the card.

(c) Koguma vs. Starfire
High Speed Championship

Side headlock by Starfire to start but Koguma Irish whips out of it and hits a scoop slam. Irish whip by Starfire to the corner, reversed, and Koguma hits an armdrag. Wristlock by Starfire and she hits a leg drop on Koguma’s arm. Mexican Surfboard by Starfire, she lets go and charges Koguma but Koguma pulls down the rope and Starfire spills out of the ring. Koguma goes up to the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Starfire with a plancha suicida. Koguma slides Starfire back in, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. DDT by Koguma and she applies a sleeper hold on the mat. Starfire drives Koguma into the turnbuckles to get out of it but Koguma hits a cutter for another two. Koguma elbows Starfire into the corner, Irish whip, Koguma avoids Starfire in the corner and she applies a horizontal cradle for two. Koguma goes back to the sleeper but Starfire slams her off, waistlock by Koguma but Starfire pushes her off and hits an elbow in the corner. Koguma goes for a roll-up but Starfire reverses it into a pin of her own for two. Capture suplex hold by Starfire, but she gets a two count on that as well. Starfire goes up top but Koguma recovers and joins her and hits an avalanche cutter. Cover, but Starfire kicks out. German suplex hold by Koguma, but Starfire gets a shoulder up. Koguma throws Starfire into the corner and goes up top, but Starfire slides away and hits a bridging muscle buster hold for a two count. Elbows by Koguma, she goes off the ropes but Starfire hits a lariat. Starfire picks up Koguma and she hits a Michinoku Driver for a two count cover. Starfire positions Koguma, she goes up top but Koguma throws her off to the mat. Now Koguma goes up but Starfire grabs her from behind and hits the Splash Mountain! Package Piledriver by Starfire and she picks up the three count, Starfire is your new champion!

This one started slow, which is never a good thing in an eight minute match, but I really enjoyed the stretch run. Koguma is still a kid, literally, so losing the title won’t hurt her and Starfire has been looking really good lately. Loved the Splash Mountain straight to Package Piledriver finish, just felt really definitive, no question she earned the win. Overall a good match.  Mildly Recommended

Chelsea vs. Meiko Satomura

Chelsea asks to lock knuckles to start but Satomura kicks her in the leg and applies a wristlock. Chelsea reverses it but Satomura applies a hammerlock and they trade holds. Pancake by Satomura, Chelsea goes for an elbow drop by Satomura moves and hits one of her own. Knuckle lock by Satomura and she throws Chelsea to the mat before applying an armlock. Chelsea gets out of it and applies a leg lock into a single leg crab hold. Satomura quickly gets out of it and applies a cross kneelock, but Chelsea gets to the ropes. Chelsea pushes Satomura down and goes for a figure four, but Satomura kicks her in the chest. More kicks by Satomura, she kicks Chelsea in the leg and applies a kneelock. Shoulderblock by Satomura, she picks up Chelsea and goes off the ropes, but Chelsea hits an armdrag. Armlock by Chelsea but Satomura reverses it into a single leg crab hold, but Chelsea wiggles to the ropes and gets the break. Irish whip by Satomura and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner but Chelsea hits a rolling neckbreaker followed by a leg drop for two. Rolling vertical suplexes by Chelsea, she bridges the last one and she gets a two count. Chelsea goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody, but Satomura gets a shoulder up. Chelsea goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her, uppercut by Satomura and she hits a DDT. Satomura goes off the ropes and she drills Chelsea with the cartwheel knee drop, but the covers gets two. Satomura gets Chelsea on her shoulders but Chelsea elbows off, Satomura goes off the ropes but Chelsea hits a backbreaker for two. Uppercut by Satomura and she kicks Chelsea in the side of the head. Single leg crab hold by Satomura and Chelsea quickly taps out!

I will say this, for reasons unknown the crowd really loves Chelsea, I am guessing they are going to go the idol-route with her as she is extremely adorable and very photogenic. I was hoping Satomura would be more vicious in this as aside from the crab holds she wasn’t really doing much, and Chelsea’s offense is 50/50 on whether it looks solid or a bit awkward. A pretty average match, with Satomura in there to lead I was hoping for a bit more.

Post match Chelsea cuts a quick promo in Japanese that the crowd likes, and even though she has notes it is still fairly impressive as she hasn’t been in Japan very long. Chelsea is ‘officially’ now part of the Stardom roster.

Io Shirai vs. Nikki Storm
Wonder of Stardom Championship

This match is for the vacant championship. They tie-up to start but break cleanly, wristlock by Storm but Shirai quickly reverses it. Armbar by Storm on the mat but Shirai rolls away and both are back on their feet. Storm applies a stretch hold but Shirai wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Storm attacks Shirai in the corner, Irish whip, but Shirai hits a rebound missile dropkick. Storm falls out of the ring, Shirai goes out to the apron but Storm yanks her out of the ring with her. Storm removes the mat at ringside and she hits a neckbreaker on the floor. Shirai gets the special magic spray while Storm picks up Shirai and throws her into the ring post. Storm puts Shirai on the apron and she hits a dragon screw neck whip down to the floor. Damn. Storm rolls Shirai back in and slams her head into the mat. Storm slams her head into the mat again and applies a stretch hold followed by a choke, Storm picks up Shirai and she hits another neck breaker. Cover by Storm but Shirai kicks out. Storm picks up Shirai but Shirai applies a front facelock, which Storm promptly reverses into a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Storm picks up Shirai and she hits a snap leg clutch neckbreaker, but Shirai kicks out at two. Storm charges Shirai, Shirai moves but Storm avoids the tiger feint kick. Shirai and Storm trade elbows, Shirai goes for a swandive move but Storm catches her and snaps her neck over the top rope. Storm drags Shirai’s feet over the second rope and hits another dragon screw neckwhip, but Shirai gets a foot on the ropes.

Storm is pissed as she picks up Shirai, she puts her on the top turnbuckle but Shirai punches her back. Shirai goes off the ropes and she hits a cartwheel into a dropkick. Storm falls out of the ring, Shirai runs to the corner and hits a moonsault down to the floor. Shirai rolls Storm back in and hits a swandive missile dropkick followed by a tiger feint kick and another swandive missile dropkick for a two count. Crossface by Shirai but Storm gets to the ropes. Shirai positions Storm, she goes up top but Storm catches her from behind. Storm grabs Shirai and hits a sit-down powerbomb, Storm picks up Shirai and hits a spinning neckbreaker. TKO by Storm but Shirai barely gets a shoulder up. Storm picks up Shirai and elbows her, she sets up Shirai in the ropes and delivers a running neckbreaker. Storm puts Shirai up on the top turnbuckle, she grabs her and drops her with a dragon screw neck whip, but Shirai gets a shoulder up. Storm picks up Shirai but Shirai gets away and hits a tombstone piledriver. Shirai is up first, she picks up Storm but Storm elbows her back. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, cover, but Storm kicks out. Arm trap German suplex hold by Shirai, but it only gets a two. Shirai goes up top, she nails the moonsault and she gets the three count! Shirai is your new champion!

This was an awesome match, I hadn’t seen Storm until this most recent run in Stardom and she is so good in just about every way. The concentration on the neck/upper back was spot on from start to finish, this is one of the more enjoyable matches I have seen in awhile. My only complaint is that Storm did so well at killing Shirai, it didn’t feel right that Shirai came back and won the match. She should have been done. But still, find a way to watch this match, especially if you are already a fan of Io Shirai or Nikki Storm.  Highly Recommended

(c) Kairi Hojo vs. Mayu Iwatani
World of Stardom Championship

Wristlock by Hojo to start but Iwatani rolls out of it and reverses it. They trade hammerlocks and headlock takedowns, with neither getting an advantage. Hojo pushes Iwatani into the ropes but Iwatani elbows her in the chest. They both go for dropkicks with no luck, and they trade elbows back on their feet. Iwatani goes off the ropes but so does Hojo and she hits a spear. Hojo clubs Iwatani into the corner and she chokes Iwatani with her boot. Iwatani slides out of the ring and then under it, Iwatani goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Iwatani dropkicks Hojo in the chest while she is against the ropes, Hojo falls out of the ring but Iwatani sails out onto her with a plancha off the top turnbuckle. Back in the ring Iwatani snapmares Hojo and she stands on her arm. Iwatani wraps Hojo’s arm over the top rope before applying a wristlock. Seated armbar by Iwatani and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Hojo rolls out of it. Iwatani picks up Hojo and kicks her to the mat, Irish whip by Iwatani as Iwatani goes for a springboard move, but Hojo dropkicks her in mid-air. Hojo dives Iwatani a dropkick of her own, she goes up top and she hits a diving elbow smash. Running shoulderblock by Hojo in the corner and she hits a rolling neckbreaker for a two count. Single leg crab hold by Hojo but Iwatani makes it to the ropes for a break. Hojo quickly re-applies it but Iwatani gets to the ropes again, Hojo charges Iwatani in the corner but Iwatani kicks her right in the face. Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, but it gets a two count. Sling Blade by Iwatani, she picks up Hojo and hits a judo throw. Iwatani goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp to Hojo’s arm for a two count. Iwatani goes for the dragon suplex but Hojo blocks it, Hojo grabs Iwatani’s leg and she applies a submission hold.

Back up, Hojo picks up Iwatani but Iwatani wiggles away and rolls up Hojo for a two count. Hojo positions Iwatani near the corner, she goes up top but Iwatani recovers and joins her. Hojo and Iwatani trade elbows, Hojo hits Iwatani down in the tree of woe but Iwatani gets herself free. Iwatani re-joins Hojo up top and she suplexes her down to the mat. Iwatani hits a crucifix bomb, but Hojo gets a shoulder up. Iwatani drags Hojo up and goes for the dragon suplex, but Hojo blocks it. Iwatani pulls Hojo back and hits it anyway, but Hojo lands in the ropes so she has to break the hold. Hojo rolls out of the ring and gets the special cure spray (they are putting over Iwatani’s dragon suplex as a really big move), Iwatani rolls Hojo back in and she hits a diving footstomp. She goes up top again but Hojo has a second wind and joins her. Hojo puts Iwatani in the tree of woe, she goes up top and she hits a diving footstomp. Hojo puts Iwatani down on the mat, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the diving elbow drop. She is too hurt to cover right away however, and when she finally does Iwatani is able to kick out. Iwatani is up first and she elbows Hojo, but Hojo elbows her back. They both fall back to the mat again. Iwatani is up first and she goes for her dragon suplex, but Hojo gets away, roll-up by Iwatani but it gets a two count. Spinning backfist and a club to the face by Hojo, she picks up Iwatani and slams her in front of the corner. Hojo goes up top and she nails a second diving elbow drop, and this time she picks up the three count! Hojo is still your champion.

This was a great war. I say it like that because by the end both were exhausted, which says a lot because both have amazing cardio. I couldn’t even tell at times towards the end if they were just selling really well or legitimately not all there, it turned sloppy but in a good way. Hard to explain. Iwatani having her dragon suplex hold protected was great, and the offensive moves were on point. It also never went too far into being excessive, everything made sense. Just a great match between these two young Stardom stars.  Highly Recommended

event reviewed on 5/24/15

The post Stardom “Gold May 2015” on 5/17/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

NEO Ladies was a Joshi promotion that had many re-starts but was running in some form from 1998 to 2010. Originally it was a break-off promotion from All Japan Women, and the name was supposed to be Nippon Women’s Wrestling but they had a trademark issue with New Japan Pro Wrestling.  So they went with NEO Ladies instead. Kyoko Inoue was the Ace of the promotion, but over the years other wrestlers made their name in NEO including Natsuki Taiyo, Nanae Takahashi, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Ayako Hamada, and many others.

This show took place towards the end of NEO’s run, but they still had a great roster. A bit of everything is here, including a title match, some comedy, some legends, a debut, and Kenny Omega in an Intergender Match. Here is the card:

• Aya Yuki vs. Natsumi Kawano
• Fuka and Asami Kawasaki vs. Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Dump Matsumoto vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Kenny Omega vs. Natsuki*Taiyo
• Mima Shimoda, Kyoko Kimura, Atsuko Emoto, and Tomoka Nakagawa vs. Makoto, Mio Shirai, Io Shirai, and Yukari Ishino
• Emi Sakura vs. Kyoko Inoue
• NEO Tag Team Championship: Nanae Takahashi and Kana vs. Yoshiko Tamura and Ayumi Kurihara

I am skipping one match since it is a battle royal against West Gate Pro Wrestling, a promotion I am not overly familiar with and it was more of a comedy match anyway. Since the event was squeezed down to two hours, some matches will be clipped.

Aya Yuuki vs. Natsumi Kawano

Yuuki pushes Kawano to the ropes to start, Kawano fires back with an elbow but Yuuki throws her around by her hair. Kawano sneaks in a schoolboy but it doesn’t work, dropkicks by Kawano and she covers Yuuki for two. Scoop slam by Yuuki, she picks up Kawano and boots her in the chest before posing to the crowd. Shoulderblock by Yuuki and she hits a second one, a third shoulderblock by Yuuki and she covers the rookie for a two count. Running elbow drop by Yuuki, but again Kawano kicks out of the cover. Yuuki chokes Kawano and throws her to the mat, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Yuuki and she gets the three count! Aya Yuuki wins!

Even though it was short it was actually more even at the beginning than I was expecting. Either Yuuki is ranked even lower than I thought or they had some hopes for Kawano, as the veteran took it pretty easy on her. Kawano didn’t show anything here to make you think she’d be a star, her dropkicks wouldn’t have passed the Meiko Satomura Test, but it was only her first match after all. Nothing much to it.

Fuka and Asami Kawasaki vs. Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto
Super Dimension Encounter ~ Athtress vs. Muscle Venus

Kawasaki and Shida start off the match but both are promptly jumped from behind, Shida and Fujimoto isolate Fuka but Kawasaki returns to help her partner out. Fuka and Kawasaki both hit knees to the chest but things settle back down, judo throw by Shida to Kawasaki and she hits a second one. Kawasaki kicks Shida in the back but Shida ducks the PK, another judo throw by Shida and she tags in Fujimoto. Fujimoto hits a rebound crossbody on Kawasaki but Kawasaki levels her with a boot to the face. Northern Lights Suplex by Kawasaki, but it gets a two count. Fujimoto sends Kawasaki into the ropes but Fuka kicks her from the apron, giving Kawasaki time to recover. Kawasaki tags in Fuka, kicks by Fuka to Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Sunset flip by Fujimoto but Fuka reverses it and they go back and forth with quick pins. Tiger Feint Kick by Fujimoto, she covers Fujimoto but Fujimoto bridges out of the pin. We clip ahead to Shida being in the ring with Fuka, lariat by Shida and Fujimoto hits Fuka with a Tiger Feint Kick. Shida picks up Fuka but Fuka kicks her, Kawasaki comes in but Kawasaki kicks Fuka in the head by accident. Shida picks up Fuka and hits a delayed vertical suplex, but Fuka kicks out of the cover. Kawasaki walks over and hits Shida with a heel drop, Fuka picks up Shida and she delivers the Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Fujimoto breaks up the cover. Fuka picks up Shida and hits the F Crash for the three count! Fuka and Kawasaki are the winners.

I am not sure if this is a sacrilegious thing to say but I have never been really impressed with Fuka in-ring. Very attractive, apparently a solid trainer, but her strikes never had a lot of impact and the F Crash is not a good finisher since it looks weaker than what we expect from wrestlers in Japan. Its a WWE-looking finisher if you will. I am not too familar with Kawasaki but she looked good here, solid kicks, and Shida is always a treat. A short match made shorter by clipping, a few fun moments but that is about it.

Dump Matsumoto vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto
Matsumoto #1 Decision Match

Dump goes right after Miyako and levels her with a lariat, body press by Dump and she kicks Miyako out of the ring. She turns to Hiroyo, Hiroyo tries to knock over Dump but Dump absorbs her blows. Hiroyo tries to pick up Dump but can’t, Miyako returns and tries to help Dump but Dump shoulderblocks Miyako back to the mat. Dump flings Miyako by her hair and Hiroyo dropkicks Miyako, Miyako keeps sliding to the apron to escape but Dump pulls her back in so that Hiroyo can hit another dropkick. Hiroyo dropkicks Dump but it has no impact, release German by Dump to Hiroyo but Miyako has returned and tries to elbow Dump. Meanwhile Hiroyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Dump, finally knocking her to the mat. Miyako dances around while Hiroyo holds down Dump, Dump eventually gets up and gets her kendo stick, hitting both Hiroyo and Miyako. Miyako rolls out of the ring but Dump goes out after her and throws her into the stands. Miyako runs away from Dump and returns to the ring, she celebrates but Hiroyo grabs Miyako from behind and hits the backbreaker into a gutbuster for the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto wins and is the best Matsumoto.

As I mentioned this was more goofy filler than anything else, Dump Matsumoto does a lot of ‘comedy matches while still killing people with weapons’, it is almost one of her things these days. I always enjoy seeing Dump and Hiroyo is great, but just a short match with limited valuable aside from a few possible laughs.

Kenny Omega vs. Natsuki*Taiyo
High Speed Alternate World

Omega tosses Taiyo to the mat after the bell rings and poses, Omega applies a wristlock but Taiyo reverses it before Omega throws her to the mat again. Armdrag by Taiyo and she hits another one, Omega applies a front necklock but Taiyo gets onto the ropes to force a break. The referee tries to step in but Taiyo pushes him away, armdrag by Taiyo and she hits a dropkick. Taiyo kicks Omega into the corner, Irish whip but Omega flips away from her. Omega goes for a hurricanrana but Taiyo reverses it into a powerbomb for a two count. Kicks and slaps by Taiyo but Omega comes back with a jumping kick of his own, Aoi Shoudou by Omega but Taiyo kicks out of the cover. Headbutts and another jumping kick by Omega, he goes to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick to Taiyo’s back. Snap dragon suplex hold by Omega, but Taiyo gets a shoulder up. Omega picks up Taiyo, slaps by Taiyo but Omega hits a release snap dragon suplex. The referee starts a ten count, Taiyo tries to get up but he can’t, and she gets counted down. Kenny Omega wins by KO.

This was too clipped down to recommend, since the match went almost ten minutes I assume that Taiyo got in a bit more offense than this. As it was, the point was for Taiyo to show how tough she is and she did, kicking out of several of Omega’s moves and almost making the ten count at the end. Omega has never minded selling for much smaller wrestlers since he is one of the few that understands it helps everyone to make your opponent look good, and everything they showed was crisp. In full this may have been a match worth hunting down, but not so much in this abridged form.

Mima Shimoda, Kimura, Emoto, and Nakagawa vs. Makoto, Mio Shirai, Io Shirai, and Ishino
Shimoda and Amandora Blitz Union

Shimoda and company attack before the match starts and there are still streamers everywhere, Shimoda stays in with Io and she kicks her in the chest. Shimoda chokes Io in the ropes and throws her down by the hair, her teammates come in the ring and they all post on Io. We clip ahead to Io hitting a missile dropkick on Shimoda, giving her time to tag in Makoto. Armdrag by Makoto and she kicks Shimoda in the chest, jumping kick by Makoto and she covers Shimoda for two. Makoto goes for a double underhook but Shimoda gets out of it, roll-up by Makoto but it gets two. Shimoda’s teammates keep trying to help but it backfires each time, Io sails in with a missile dropkick on Shimoda and Nakagawa and they all stomp on Shimoda. The young underdogs take turns attacking Shimoda in the corner, handstand kneedrop by Makoto and she hits a second one for a two count. Makoto picks up Shimoda and nails the cross arm fisherman suplex hold, but Shimoda barely gets a shoulder up. Makoto’s friends return but they all miss dropkicks, then Shimoda kicks each one of them in the head. German suplex by Shimoda to Makoto and she hits a heel drop for a two count. Shimoda picks up Makoto and hits a tiger suplex hold, but Io breaks up the cover. Shimoda’s friends clear the ring while she puts Makoto on the top turnbuckle, avalanche suplex by Shimoda and she gets the three count! Shimoda and friends win the match.

As is a recurring theme on this show, it was just too clipped to get a real feel of the action. The only legal wrestlers we saw the entire match were Shimoda, Io, and Makoto, which is disappointing when there were five other wrestlers around (I am assuming in a 15 minute match that there were more tags than that). It was fun to watch, a few things were silly like everyone waiting for Shimoda’s heel drops and not everything was smooth, but I always enjoy seeing Joshi babies. Not great since Shimoda was the focus but not bad either.

Emi Sakura vs. Kyoko Inoue
Joshi Puroresu MVP

Sakura dropkicks Inoue right as the bell rings which sends Inoue to the floor, Sakura gets on the top turnbuckle and sails out onto her with a plancha suicida before sliding back into the ring and hitting a tope suicida. Sakura gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down to the floor, making three dives by Sakura in the first 20 seconds of the match. Sakura puts Inoue on a table at ringside and goes up to the top turnbuckle, she hits the Nyan Nyan Press but the table doesn’t break, probably making it even more painful for both. Sakura doesn’t care and gets back in the ring, Inoue joins her and Sakura hits a somersault senton for a two count. Sakura goes up top again but Inoue has had enough and clubs her in the head, Inoue joins Sakura but Sakura hits a sunset flip powerbomb for a two count. Sakura goes up top again but again Inoue joins her, and this time Inoue delivers a superplex. Lariat by Inoue, she picks up Sakura but Sakura chops her in the chest. Inoue absorbs the blows and floors Sakura with a hard elbow, Sakura gets back up but Inoue hits a lariat. Big powerbomb by Inoue, but Sakura kicks out of the cover. Inoue picks up Sakura but Sakura slides away and applies La Magistral for a two count. Lariat by Inoue, she waits for Sakura to get up but Sakura ducks the lariat attempt and hits a low flying crossbody for the three count! Emi Sakura wins!

This match wasn’t clipped, it was just a short match. Sakura sure knows how to get the most out of a match that goes less than five minutes, hitting half a dozen high spots within the first 30 seconds of action. It was an entertaining heavyweight sprint, a spotfest for sure but it came across as a special attraction match between two veterans. Inoue getting beaten like this shows the respect she had for Sakura, since technically she was the founder of a rival promotion. I actually enjoyed it for what it was, as I like seeing Sakura fly around the ring, but not long enough to get too excited about.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Nanae Takahashi and Kana vs. Yoshiko Tamura and Ayumi Kurihara
NEO Tag Team Championship Match

Kana and Kurihara begin the match and immediately trade strikes, Kana jumps on the second turnbuckle but Kurihara dropkicks her out of the ring. Kurihara goes up top and dives out of the ring onto both Kana and Takahashi, she slides Kana back in where Tamura is waiting and they both attack Kana in the corner. Double cutter to Kana but Kana avoids the double vertical suplex only to eat a STO. Takahashi has also come in the ring, they are tied together on the mat and both are dropkicked in the head. Tamura stays in with Kana and hits a bridging vertical suplex, picking up a two count. Kana fights back with elbows and kicks but Tamura blocks one and hits a DDT. Suplex by Tamura, she picks up Kana but Kana slaps her in the face and kicks her in the chest. Kick to the head by Kana, and she covers Tamura for two. Kana tags in Takahashi, lariat by Takahashi in the corner but Tamura avoids the next one and delivers a high kick. Kurihara runs in and dropkicks Takahashi, Takahashi lariats out of the ring while Kana knocks Tamura out as well. Kana hits a hip attack off the apron onto Tamura, Takahashi gets a running start in the ring and sails out onto both of her opponents with a tope suicida. Kana waits while Tamura is slid back in and hits a diving hip attack onto Tamura off the top. Takahashi then goes up top and hits the Refrigerator Bomb, but Tamura gets a shoulder up. Takahashi goes for a backdrop suplex but Tamura lands on top of her and then hits a backdrop suplex of her own. Takahashi quickly comes back with a backdrop suplex but Tamura then hits another one. A final backdrop suplex by Takahashi ends the series as both are slow to get up, both wrestlers elbow each other until Takahashi hits a lariat for a two count. Tamura blocks the next lariat attempt and rolls Takahashi to the mat, fancy inside cradle by Tamura but it gets a two count. Tamura picks up Takahashi but Takahashi drives her back into the corner, neckbreaker by Tamura and she goes up top, but Takahashi joins her. Avalanche side slam by Tamura, Kurihara goes up top and Tamura helps her hit a somersault senton. Cobra Clutch Suplex by Tamura and she covers Takahashi, but Kana breaks it up.

Tamura tags in Kurihara, Kurihara goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Double knee by Kurihara in the corner and she slaps Takahashi to the mat, dropkick by Kurihara but Takahashi kicks her back and slaps her hard in the face. Cutter by Takahashi, but Kurihara kicks out. Takahashi goes for the reverse splash but Kurihara gets her knees up and hits a Codebreaker. Dropkick by Kurihara while Takahashi is against the ropes, Kana runs in to kick Kurihara and she trips Kurihara while Takahashi hits a lariat. Takahashi goes off the ropes but Kurihara sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Kana comes in but she kicks Takahashi by accident, Tamura then comes in and she elbows Takahashi. Dropkick by Kurihara to Takahashi, but the cover gets two. Kurihara goes off the ropes but Takahashi levels her with a lariat, Takahashi kicks Kurihara in the head but Tamura breaks up the cover. Takahashi tags in Kana, Kana picks up Kurihara and kicks her into the corner. Kana kicks the shit out of Kurihara for a bit but Kurihara catches one and slaps Kana in the face. German suplex hold by Kana, but Kurihara gets a shoulder up. Takahashi comes in and they both hit running kicks to Kurihara, punt kick by Kana and she hits a second one, but Tamura breaks up the cover. Kana goes off the ropes but Tamura intercepts her with an elbow, Takahashi tries to help but she lariats Kana by accident. Uranage by Kurihara, but Takahashi breaks up the pin. Jumping kick to the back of the head by Takahashi to Kurihara, then she hits a Blue Thunder Driver on Tamura. Spinning backfist by Kana to Kurihara, but Kurihara barely kicks out of the cover. Kana goes for a high kick but Kurihara ducks it and hits a uranage, she then drops Takahashi with one as well. Kurihara picks up Kana and hits another uranage, Tamura comes in and they nail the Tamashii wo Hitotsu Ni (Kudo Driver/Back to Belly Piledriver) that I’ve never seen done in my life. Cover on Kana, but Takahashi breaks it up. Kurihara waits for Kana to get up and nails an elevated running double knee strike, and she picks up the three count pinfall! Your winners and new champions are Yoshiko Tamura and Ayumi Kurihara

I mentioned this match had to deliver, and God did they. This was just as stiff as you may imagine, but what was more impressive was that they just went non-stop from bell to bell while keeping the action smooth. I loved that the younger/less experienced wrestlers got the chance to shine by leading the final stretch of the match, and while Tamura was towards the end of her career here her skills had not diminished. The match had everything I could ask for – high flying, Kana kicks, suplexes, “Holy Shit” moments, and suspense. A high end tag match for sure, it is no surprise that Kurihara and Kana’s success and popularity continued to grow after this, both were great in this match. Definitely worth tracking down.  Highly Recommended

The post NEO Women’s Wrestling Carnival 2009 on 12/31/09 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana is an active Joshi promotion with over 150 events in the last five years, and yet I have never reviewed one of their events. Why is that? Because this debut show is the only solo Diana event to ever be televised (they have had other joint events with other promotions televised but under the other promotion’s slot). Not only are they not televised but I am not sure if they are even always taped, except for a big event once a year which they sell on their website in DVD form (clips from their events sometimes air on Battlemen as well). So Diana is by far the most underground active Joshi promotion, not counting itty bitty promotions like Tokyo Joshi and Actress girl’Z.

Anyway, I wanted to review a Diana event and it was the only one available so here we are! Diana is promoted by Joshi legend Kyoko Inoue, and even though they don’t record their shows they do actually have their own rookies and affiliated wrestlers. On this event, one of their current young stars makes her debut at only 15 years old – Sareee. Beyond that, most of the roster in Diana are wrestlers that made their mark back in the 1990s and 2000s, such as Kaoru Ito and Mariko Yoshida. Here is the full line-up for their debut event:

• Aya Yuuki vs. Ayako Sato
• Keiko Aono vs. Mariko Yoshida
• Nagisa Nozaki vs. Nanae Takahashi
• Meiko Satomura vs. Sareee
• Aya Yuuki and Kyoko Inoue vs. Ayako Sato and Kaoru Ito

Let’s get to the fun!

Aya Yuuki vs. Ayako Sato

After feeling each other out to start, Yuuki tosses Sato to the mat and kicks her hard in the head. Elbow by Yuuki in the corner and she scoop slams Sato, atomic drop by Yuuki but Sato blocks the next one as she lands on top of Yuuki. Yuuki scoops up Sato and hits another atomic drop. Irish whip by Yuuki but Sato hits an armdrag before dropkicking Yuuki in the back of the head. Double underhook suplex by Sato, she picks up Yuuki and the pair trade elbows. Yuuki chokes Sato before tossing her to the mat, cover by Yuuki but Sato gets a shoulder up. Scoop slam by Yuuki, she goes up top but Sato recovers and joins her. Yuuki elbows her back to the mat and goes for a diving elbow drop, but Sato avoids it and hits a series of dropkicks. Sato goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, she goes up top again and she hits a second one. Cover by Sato, but Yuuki kicks out. Sato charges Yuuki but Yuuki hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, Yuuki picks up Sato but Sato applies a bodyscissors into a front roll for a two count. Sato goes for it again but Yuuki catches her and hits a German suplex. Sato goes for a few quick pins with no luck, she goes up top but Yuuki slugs her and gets Sato on her shoulders. Sato slides away from her and applies a quick roll-up, German suplex hold by Sato but it only gets a two. Sato goes for a dragon suplex but Yuuki gets out of it and hits a German suplex hold of her own for a two count. Sato goes off the ropes but Yuuki hits a big boot, Death Valley Bomb by Yuuki and she gets the three count! Aya Yuuki is the winner!

Not a bad way to start the first ever Diana event. The match was pretty basic in a lot of ways but well worked, they stayed focused and the match was very clean. Sato kept trying to win with cute bridges and roll-ups, which works sometimes but not in this case and once Yuuki planted her with the Death Valley Bomb it was all over. Both of these wrestlers are also in the main event but they didn’t seem to be holding back here which is a plus, overall a pretty solid match even if it wasn’t too original or memorable.

Keiko Aono vs. Mariko Yoshida

Soon after the bell rings they end up on the mat, Yoshida applies a keylock but Aono get into the ropes. Yoshida goes off the ropes but Aono boots her in the chest, head kick by Aono and Yoshida is out on the mat. Aono picks up Yoshida and hits a Falcon Arrow, and she covers Yoshida for two. Yoshida quickly puts Aono in the Spider Twist, Aono almost goes out but she inches to the ropes and manages a break. Double underhook facebuster by Yoshida, but the cover gets a two. Aono blocks the next one and kicks Yoshida in the head, PK by Aono and she gets a two count cover. Cross armbreaker by Yoshida and then she applies an ankle hold, but Aono gets a hand on the ropes. Heel drop by Aono, she picks up Yoshida and she kicks her in the head again. Shining Kick by Aono, but Yoshida kicks out of the cover. Kicks to the chest by Aono and she knees Yoshida right in the head, another kick by Aono and she gets a two count. She goes off the ropes but Yoshida catches her with a boot, she charges Aono again but Aono hits a heel kick. Two more kicks to the head by Aono, and she covers Yoshida for the three count! The winner is Keiko Aono.

I loved some parts of this match. Yoshida’s submissions were really tight (that is her specialty) and some of Aono’s kicks really delivered. Not everything Aono did connected well however, whether it was age or not being as familiar with each other some of the strikes just looked a bit off. Yoshida was so smooth I am inclined to say it is worth watching, especially since it was one of her last matches, but don’t go in with too high of expectations.  Mildly Recommended

Nagisa Nozaki vs. Nanae Takahashi

Nozaki kicks Takahashi against the ropes early and stomps her down, Takahashi fights back with elbows and works a headlock before shoulderblocking Nozaki to the mat. Takahashi applies a backbreaker and rams Nozaki into the corner, body avalanche by Takahashi and she hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle. Takahashi slowly works over Nozaki’s arm, they then trade wristlocks before Nozaki gets a sleeper applied. Knees by Nozaki but Takahashi hits a vertical suplex, Takahashi goes for a lariat but Nozaki avoids it and applies a Cobra Twist. Takahashi gets to the ropes, boots by Nozaki and she dropkicks Takahashi in the head. High knee by Nozaki in the corner but Takahashi catches her leg when she goes for a PK. High kick by Takahashi, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Takahashi recovers first and hits a lariat followed by a backdrop suplex for two. Takahashi goes up top but Nozaki boots her before she can jump off and tosses her to the mat. Running boot by Nozaki, but Takahashi shoulderblocks her to the mat and covers her for two. Another boot by Nozaki, she goes off the ropes and… you guessed it, hits four more boots to the head for a tow count cover. Takahashi gets Nozaki to the mat and applies an arm trap crossface, but Nozaki gets out of it and applies a sleeper. Takahashi gets a hand on the ropes to break the hold, knee to the head by Nozaki and she covers Takahashi for two. Nozaki goes for a boot but Takahashi avoids it and hits a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle. Back up, slaps by Takahashi and she connects with a jumping kick to the head. She goes up top again, Takahashi delivers the Refrigerator Bomb and she picks up the three count! Nanae Takahashi is the winner.

I can’t say this was a good match. Takahashi didn’t seem very interested during the middle portion of the match, doing somewhat lazy submissions and winning exchanges in not overly exciting fashion. Nozaki seemed to be trying but did not have a very captivating moveset, with way too many running boots. Her knees were generally on point, but that is about the only thing she did offensively that looked impressive. Maybe it was just a chemistry issue, but the match just felt flat overall.

Meiko Satomura vs. Sareee

Satomura works the headlock to start the match until Sareee gets to the ropes, kicks by Sareee but Satomura kicks Sareee repeatedly in the leg. Armlock by Satomura, she picks up Sareee and delivers a scoop slam. Crab hold by Satomura, Sareee makes it to the ropes and she reverses Satomura’s backdrop suplex attempt. Sareee now puts Satomura in a crab hold but Satomura gets out of it, she picks up Sareee but Sareee sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Dropkicks by Sareee but Satomura stays on her feet, Irish whip by Sareee and she dropkicks Satomura in the corner. Satomura finally avoids a dropkick and she kicks Sareee hard in the chest, more hard strikes by Satomura and she kicks Sareee in the stomach. Jumping crossbody by Sareee but Satomura immediately rolls her over and applies an armtrap headlock. Satomura picks up Sareee and hits a hard elbow in the corner, she goes up top but Sareee recovers and tosses her off. Dropkicks by Sareee and she goes for a schoolboy, but Satomura grabs her arm and applies an armbreaker. Sareee gets to the ropes, Satomura charges her and destroys her with a cartwheel kneedrop. Cover by Satomura and she gets the three count! Meiko Satomura wins the match.

I hope that Sareee learned something from this as it hurt me just watching. Some of the kicks from Satomura were super stiff, which is what you’d expect from her, and she really cranked in a few of the submission holds. But it wasn’t a squash through and through, as Sareee did have a handful of successful moves and Satomura was respectful after the match. Sareee’s dropkicks were pretty weak, if they were filming a documentary for GAEA she may have been in trouble, but Satomura didn’t punish her for it. Overall I enjoyed it, maybe not for everyone but entertaining nonetheless.  Mildly Recommended

Aya Yuuki and Kyoko Inoue vs. Ayako Sato and Kaoru Ito

Sato immediately dropkicks Yuuki repeatedly as soon as the match starts, Ito tries to help by holding Yuuki but it backfires and Sato dropkicks Ito by accident. Inoue comes in but Ito trips both her opponents from the floor and pull them both out of the ring. Sato goes out top and dives out onto both her opponents, Ito then gets in the ring and hits a double baseball slide. We clip ahead to Sato and Inoue in the ring, and Sato hits a dropkick. Sato tags in Ito and the former AJW superstars trade lariat attempts until they both knock each other down. The action spills to the floor again and they battle around the floor with the older wrestlers trading elbows with each other. Sato hits a suplex on Yuuki on the floor while Ito hits Inoue with a chair until Inoue and Ito finally return to the ring. Running footstomps by Ito and she hits an elbow drop for a two count. Inoue regains the advantage and goes for a powerbomb, but Ito back bodydrops out of it. Ito goes up top but Inoue avoids the diving footstomp, missile dropkick from Sato to Inoue and she hits another after Ito puts Inoue on her shoulders. Cover by Ito, but Inoue kicks out.

Ito tags in Sato, lots of dropkicks by Sato but Inoue eventually catches her and hits a German suplex. She tags in Yuuki, fireman’s carry slam by Yuuki and she hits a vertical suplex. Yuuki goes up top and delivers a diving elbow drop, Inoue then goes up top and she hits a diving elbow drop as well. Death Valley Bomb by Yuuki, but Ito breaks up the cover. Sato snaps off a German suplex and tags in Ito, chokeslam by Ito to Yuuki but Yuuki quickly recovers and throws Ito to the mat. Saito Suplex by Ito, Yuuki slowly gets back up however and she boots Ito before hitting a quick suplex. Yuuki goes up top but Ito hits her, Sato comes in but so does Inoue. Ito is on the top turnbuckle but Inoue joins her and hits a big superplex. Diving elbow drop by Yuuki to Ito, but Sato breaks up the cover. Yuuki gets Ito on her shoulders and hits a Death Valley Bomb, cover by Yuuki but Sato barely breaks it up. Yuuki picks up Ito but Ito applies a short armbar, but Inoue stomps her so she releases the hold. Yuuki goes up top but Ito joins her and hits an avalanche Fisherman Buster, cover by Ito but Inoue breaks it up. Ito goes up top, Inoue tries to join her but Sato throws Inoue on top of Yuuki. Ito then hits a diving footstomp onto Inoue, she goes back up top and delivers one to Yuuki to pick up the three count pinfall. Ito and Sato win the first fall.

Yuuki and Ito stay in as the legal wrestlers as Ito hits a quick lariat, she goes for a powerbomb but Inoue lariats Ito. Inoue tosses Sato and Ito onto the ramp, Inoue fights off both of them and hits a double lariat. Ito returns to the ring after a moment, Yuuki boots her until Ito falls down to the mat. Yuuki eventually manages to get Ito on her shoulders, she hits the Death Valley Bomb but Sato breaks up the cover. Sato drops Yuuki with a release German suplex but Inoue comes in and hits a suplex on her. Ito had climbed on the top turnbuckle but Yuuki grabs her and gets Ito on her shoulders. Death Valley Bomb by Yuuki to Ito, and she gets a three count cover! Yuuki and Inoue win the second fall.

Yuuki and Sato remain in the ring, dropkicks by Sato to Yuuki and she hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle for a two count. Sato and Yuuki trade elbows, shoulderblock by Yuuki but Sato applies a sunset flip for two. Release German by Sato and she rolls up Yuuki with a bridge for another two count. Missile dropkick by Sato and she tags in Ito, Ito goes for a powerbomb but Yuuki drives her back into the corner. Lariat by Ito but Inoue hits her from the apron, Yuuki tags in Inoue but Ito plants Inoue with a lariat. Inoue goes for a powerbomb but Sato breaks it up with a missile dropkick, quick roll-up by Inoue but Sato breaks that up too. Inoue and Ito trade punches as they ascend to the top turnbuckle, Ito flips over Inoue’s back and she hits a powerbomb for a two count. Ito tags in Sato, double Irish whip to Inoue but Inoue knocks them both down with a lariat. Inoue goes for a powerbomb but Sato wiggles away, she goes off the ropes but Inoue flips her inside out with a lariat. Inoue goes for a powerbomb but Ito breaks it up with a lariat, Sato goes up top but Inoue gets her feet up when Sato dives off. Folding Powerbomb by Inoue, but Ito breaks up the cover. She goes for another one but Sato rolls flips behind her back and applies a sunset flip for the three count! Ito and Sato win the final fall and the match!

This was definitely a spectacle. It wasn’t always worked smartly, wrestlers would go up to the top turnbuckle for no reason, wrestlers no sold randomly for no reason, just all kinds of things that aren’t ideal in most matches. Still, I couldn’t help but be hooked into it, watching two aging former major stars still giving it everything they have and probably doing moves they shouldn’t be doing just to put on a good show. Ito put over the ‘younger’ wrestler better than Inoue did, but Inoue did get pinned which is a statement in of itself. Not the most logical match so you can’t go into it expecting a traditional back and forth, but not bad and a good example of what Diana would go on to be with the main story being older stars still looking for their turn in the spotlight.  Mildly Recommended

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