Event: Stardom X Stardom 2022 Nagoya MidSummer Encounter
Date: August 21st, 2022
Location: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,353
Broadcast: PPV and streamed on Stardom World

Stardom is easily my favorite Joshi promotion, but I don’t review their events very often for one primary reason – they are long. These reviews take a fair amount of time to do. Its not because of the play by play – I have to watch the matches anyway and I type super fast so no time lost there, but I do a fair amount of prep work to make the reviews as informative as possible. That means setting up the formatting, finding pictures, looking up why the match is happening, the stakes, the fallout, making GIFs, etc. and the more matches there are, the longer this takes. But occasionally I have to go back and review a Stardom event since I know a lot of Stardom fans visit the website.

Since I do not want to parachute into the middle of the FIVE STAR GP, which would require a lot of work, instead I am going to review their latest standalone show -Stardom X Stardom 2022. A pretty massive show with eight matches, all their stars are here and there are five title matches. They tend to stack their PPV events when they can. The downside is originally, KAIRI was on the event but missed it due to coming down with COVID. So I am sad I will miss out on seeing her, but the show still has a lot going for it, including Nanae Takahashi returning to take on Syuri! Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Miyu Amasaki
• Hina vs. Maika
• Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Giulia and Mai Sakurai vs. Rina and Ruaka
• Captain’s Fall: AZM, Lady C, and Utami Hayashishita vs. Saya Iida, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Kohgo
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima, and Starlight Kid vs. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, and SAKI
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Natsupoi and Tam Nakano
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka
• World Of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Onto the show!

(c) Hanan vs. Miyu Amasaki
Future of Stardom Championship

Miyu dropkicks Hanan as the bell rings, Miyu elbows Hanan in the corner and Irish whips her, hitting the Space Rolling Elbow. She goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a judo toss, Irish whip by Hanan but Miyu hits a dropkick. Hanan fires back with a dropkick of her own, trip by Hanan but Miyu rolls away and dropkicks Hanan in the knee. Miyu rolls Hanan to the mat and applies a knee submission, but Hanan gets to the ropes for the break. Miyu picks up Hanan and goes off the ropes, and she somewhat hits an overly ambitious springboard tornado DDT. She tries the spot again and nails it this time, cover by Miyu but it gets two. Double underhook by Miyu but Hanan spins away, she runs to the corner and rebounds out with a crossbody for two. Hanan picks up Miyu but Miyu gets out of the scoop slam, nailing a jumping DDT for two.

Miyu picks up Hanan and applies a double underhook, but Hanan gets away and hits a jumping knee. Hanan goes off the ropes but Miyu avoids her strike attempt and applies a kneelock. Hanan again makes the ropes for the break, Miyu picks up Hanan and delivers a double underhook facebuster, but Hanan barely kicks out. Elbows by Miyu to Hanan, she goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a Cutie Special. Hanan goes off the ropes and hits a Fameasser, double wrist-clutch suplex hold by Hanan but it only gets two. Hanan picks up Miyu but Miyu gets away, cradle by Miyu with a jackknife but it gets two. Miyu charges Hanan but Hanan hits a STO, Fameasser by Hanan but Miyu kicks out of the cover. Hanan drags Miyu up and knees her in the face, Blockbuster Hold by Hanan and she picks up the three count! Hanan wins the match and retains the championship.

Hmm this wasn’t very good. The match felt a lot longer than it was as they kept repeating spots, and Miyu probably isn’t quite ready yet to be trying some of the moves she is trying. In a way she reminds me of Saya Kamitani – Saya in her first year also tried a lot of moves with limited success, but she figured it out. Hopefully Miyu can figure it out as well, but she’s not there yet. Hanan is solid enough but isn’t able to carry a match, so this was pretty sloppy and not structured very well. I appreciate the effort from both, but this didn’t click.

Hina vs. Maika

Maika and Hina circle each other, they end up on the mat but neither can get a clear advantage. They return to their feet, Maika throws Hina into the corner and hits a hard shoulderblock. Maika goes off the ropes but Hina ducks her charge and hits a hip toss. STO by Hina, he quickly picks Maika back up and hits a second one for a two count. Hina goes for the cross armbreaker and gets it looked in, but Maika quickly gets to the ropes to force a break. Hina grabs Maika but Maika elbows off of her, she goes off the ropes but Hina does as well and she slams Maika to the mat. Hina picks up Maika and delivers a wrist-clutch side slam, cover by Hina but Maika kicks out. Hina goes for a slam but Maika blocks it, Hina goes off the ropes but Maika levels her with a lariat. Maika picks up Hina but Hina snaps off a quick STO, covering Maika for two. Hina goes for a scoop slam but Maika pushes her off and hits a powerslam. Maika picks up Hina and hits the cross-arm STO, but Hina barely gets a shoulder up. Maika drags Hina to her feet but Hina slides away, Gedo Clutch by Hina but it gets two. Lariat by Maika, but Hina sneaks in an small package when Maika goes to pick her up. Maika kicks out of it and hits another lariat, Enka Otoshi by Maika, and she picks up the three count! Maika is the winner.

This was a good short match. Hina has improved since her debut, which makes sense as she debuted when she was about 12 years old. She doesn’t have the most varied offense but she hits what she does well. Maika is great, I’d have liked to have seen her in a bigger match but she executed here and all her moves had impact. Solid way to kick off the show.

Ami Sourei and MIRAI vs. Giulia and Sakura vs. Rina and Ruaka

Under triple threat rules, all three teams have one legal wrestler at a time. Rina, Mai, and Ami start the match, Ami is double teamed right off the bat but she starts getting the better of things until Giulia and Ruaka run in to help. Ruaka and Ami end up in the ring as the legal wrestlers apparently, but Rina pulls Ami out of the ring as things break down quickly. Rina grabs MIRAI and throws her into Ami, Oedo Tai then do the same to the two DDM members. Mai is rolled into the ring and is double teamed by Oedo Tai, Rina stays in as the legal wrestler and she covers Mai for a two count. Mai fights back as Ruaka runs in, and she hits a reverse DDT/Stunner combination on both of them. Giulia comes in with Rina and MIRAI, she takes care of both of them before suplexing Rina to the mat. Giulia goes towards the ropes but Rina grabs her by the hair and throws her to the mat. Giulia grabs Rina by the throat but lets go, Rina offers her hand but she throws Giulia to the mat instead.

Rina goes for a slam but Giulia reverses it, Giulia applies a STF but Ruaka breaks it up. Mai also comes in but Ami lariats both DDM members, she gets into a shoulderblock contest with Ruaka which Ruaka gets the better of. Complete Shot by Ruaka, she goes for the cover but moves when Mai sails into the ring with a diving elbow drop. Mai then goes for the cover on Ami but Mai dives off the top turnbuckle with a double kneedrop. MIRAI goes to grab Rina but Giulia jumps off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick/senton combination. Giulia picks up Rina and hits a Falcon Arrow, but Ruaka breaks up the cover. Ami clubs on Ruaka but Ruaka blocks the scoop slam. Ami comes in to help but Ruaka punches them both, she goes off the ropes but eats a double lariat. Ami and MIRAI slam Rina on top of Ruaka, full nelson slam by MIRAI on Rina and she goes off the ropes, but Rina sneaks in a jackknife cover for two. Rina charges MIRAI but MIRAI levels her with a lariat, she applies the Miramare and Rina submits! MIRAI and Ami Sourei are the winners.

I am glad they just didn’t worry about having tag rules, who was keeping track of that anyway and it doesn’t really matter on an undercard match. With an eight minute match containing six wrestlers, not all of them were really able to stand out but on the positive side no one lagged behind either. There was always something going on, and Giulia looked great which is the most important thing. MIRAI was impressive with her power offense, and overall it clicked better than I was expecting. Nothing to get excited about, but an entertaining chaotic undercard match.

AZM, Lady C, and Hayashishita vs. Iida, Iwatani, and Kohgo
Captain’s Fall Match

Saya and Lady C start the match, Saya poses for the camera but is attacked from behind for her trouble. All of Queen’s Quest try to throw Saya over the top rope, which would make this a really quick match, but Momo and Mayu stop her from going over. They get in the ring and all three STARS wrestlers hit dropkicks, they isolate Lady C and triple team her. Saya sits up Lady C and she eats a triple dropkick, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Lady C and the two trade chops, Saya chops Lady C against the ropes but Lady C catches her with a side Russian leg sweep. Giant Swing by Lady C, she covers Saya but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Lady C from the corner and she hits a running elbow, jumping lariat by Lady C and she covers Saya for two. Lady C picks up Saya but Saya gets away, Mayu runs in and she hits a hurricanrana on Lady C for the three count! Lady C is eliminated.

AZM runs in and puts Mayu in the Azumi Sushi, but Momo breaks up the cover. Momo picks up AZM, double Irish whip and the STARS team double team her. Double 619 by Momo and Mayu, cover by Momo but it gets two. Momo throws AZM into the corner, Irish whip by Momo but AZM jumps onto the top turnbuckle. Momo elbows her down to the apron, she charges AZM but AZM holds down the top rope and both end up on the apron. AZM and Momo trade elbows while still on the apron, Momo trips AZM but AZM avoids her kick and slides back into the ring. Momo and AZM trade flash pins, AZM puts Momo in the Azumi Sushi and she picks up the three count! Momo Kohgo is eliminated.

Utami and Mayu come in the ring, Mayu grabs Utami and AZM but they knock her out to the apron. They go off the ropes but Saya re-appears to even the odds, with Mayu hitting a missile dropkick on both opponents. Saya goes up top and delivers a diving shoulderblock to Utami, cover by Saya but it gets two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the suplex attempt, Utami hits a Samoan Drop but Mayu cradles Utami from behind for two. Superkick by Mayu to AZM and Saya bridges AZM, but Utami breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Utami but she levels both opponents with a lariat, Utami picks up Saya and delivers the Air Raid Crash for two. Utami picks up Saya but Saya blocks the German suplex hold, Utami keeps the waistlock applied however and nails the German suplex hold anyway for the three count! Queen’s Quest wins the match!

A pretty typical Stardom midcard match – meaningless, but very watchable. Utami and Mayu were protected, maybe even too much as they put away their opponents pretty easily when they were in the ring. The chosen captains alone showed this wasn’t going to be a match with any real stakes, and it definitely came across as filler. Nothing offensive, but it just lacked any substance and its a match I’ll forget by the time the next one starts.

(c) Watanabe, Kashima, and Starlight Kid vs. Shirakawa, Sayaka, and SAKI
Artist of Stardom Championship

The Cosmic Angels charge to start the match, immediately isolating Kashima and triple teaming her. SAKI stays in as the legal wrestler, Kashima whips off a hurricanrana and boots SAKI while she is against the ropes. Face crusher by Kashima, and she covers SAKI for two. Kashima tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid picks up SAKI and elbows her in the chest. SAKI fires back with a big boot, she gets Starlight Kid on her shoulders and slams her to the mat for a two count. SAKI goes off the ropes but Unagi tags herself in, sitout face crusher by Unagi but Starlight Kid avoids the leg drop and hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Unagi but Unagi gets Starlight Kid on her back in the Gory Special. Momo breaks that up, Unagi hits a leg drop on Starlight Kid and covers her for two. Back up, Unagi throws Starlight Kid into the corner but Unagi avoids her charge and all three members of Oedo Tai attack her.

Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the swivel body press, but her pin attempt gets broken up. Starlight Kid picks up Unagi but Unagi spins out of her hold and hits a flapjack. Jumping kick by Starlight Kid but Unagi gets her arm and drops her face-first into the mat. Starlight Kid tags in Momo while Mina also tags in, kicks by Momo but Mina eventually catches one and hits a backfist. Kicks to the chest by Mina as she drives Momo into the corner and sends her down with a final kick to the midsection, cover by Mina but it gets two. She picks up Momo and goes off the ropes, but Kashima kicks her from the apron. SAKI runs in and slam Momo, Reverse DDT by Mina to Momo but Momo kicks out. SAKI, Mina, and Unagi all hit heel drops, Unagi gets Momo on her shoulders and with Mina’s help she drops her to the mat. Mina picks up Momo but Kashima runs in to help, striking Mina to the mat. Momo gets a wrench but Mina kicks it out of her hand, jumping kick by Mina to Momo and she delivers the jumping DDT, but Kashima breaks up the cover.

Things break down as all six wrestlers end up in the ring, with Starlight Kid and Kashima both hitting spinning headscissors. Starlight Kid sails out of the ring with a moonsault while Momo and Mina remain in the ring, roaring elbow by Mina but Momo kicks her in the head. B Driver by Momo, but Mina gets a shoulder up. Momo picks up Mina and delivers a cradle belly to belly piledriver, but SAKI breaks up the cover. Momo picks up Mina but Mina trips her and applies a crucifix pin for two. Starlight Kid stays in to help Momo deliver a side slam, Momo picks up Mina and punts her in the face. Peach Sunrise by Momo, and she gets the three count! Oedo Tai win and retain the championships.

The biggest surprise here is SAKI not taking the fall, she must have some political power I don’t know about. This match was definitely good, Starlight Kid is really great and everyone else here held up their ends. It was pretty short for a trios title match (under 12 minutes) and it felt like not everyone even got much in-ring time, I didn’t record the time splits but it didn’t feel even and the match left me wanting more. No one pairing was able to really get into a flow until the end stretch, which was really good from Momo and Mina. Fast paced and interesting, but it came across as more of an afterthought since the teams were lopsided and they simply didn’t get a lot a time considering the stakes of the match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Natsupoi and Tam Nakano
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Koguma and Natsupoi start the match, they take turns shoving each other until Hazuki grabs Natsupoi from the apron. Tam grabs Koguma as well, but Hazuki runs in the ring and dropkicks her while Koguma hits a body avalanche on Natsupoi. Hazuki stays in and they double team Natsupoi, cover by Koguma but it gets two. Scoop slam by Koguma, she picks up Natsupoi and tags Hazuki. Hazuki slaps Natsupoi in the back before throwing her down by the hair, she pushes Natsupoi against the ropes and nails the running boot. Cover by Hazuki, but it gets two. Scoop slam by Hazuki and she tags Koguma, crab hold by Koguma but Natsupoi makes it to the ropes for the break. Koguma puts Natsupoi in a Camel Clutch but Natsupoi breaks it up, Hazuki takes care of Tam while Koguma slams Natsupoi in front of the corner. Hazuki is tagged and comes into the ring with a slingshot footstomp, Hazuki kicks Natsupoi repeatedly in the face but Natsupoi gets Hazuki against the ropes and hits the Murder Dropkick. This gives her time to tag Tam, Koguma quickly comes in to help Hazuki but Tam avoids their lariat and hits a double dropkick. Running knee by Tam, she picks up Hazuki and kicks her in the midsection.

Tam charges Hazuki but Hazuki moves, Koguma shows back up and Tam eats a double dropkick. Running elbow by Hazuki, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki, Natsupoi tries to break it up but Koguma grabs her and throws her out of the ring. Hazuki charges Tam and kicks her hard in the face, she goes for a suplex but Tam lands on her feet and hits a head kick. She goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits a pump kick, she goes for another one but Tam swats her away and hits a backdrop suplex. Tam waits for Hazuki to get up and superkicks her in the head, Hazuki follows with a Codebreaker and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, scoop slam by Koguma to Natsupoi and she hits a footstomp to her midsection for a two count. Natsupoi elbows Koguma and goes off the ropes, Koguma applies a quick cradle but it gets two. Both wrestlers go off the ropes and go for jumping crossbodies, sending both crashing to the mat. They slowly get up, body avalanche by Koguma in the corner and she hits a cutter. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she applies a waistlock but Tam grabs Natsupoi to prevent the German suplex. Hazuki breaks her free (awkwardly) so Koguma can connect with the German suplex, Hazuki stays in the ring and they hit an assisted cutter on Natsupoi. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle but Natsupoi rolls out of the way of the diving body press. Hazuki dives in with a senton onto Natsupoi, but Tam hits a diving crossbody onto Hazuki.

Tam picks up Hazuki while Natsupoi grabs Koguma, but Hazuki and Koguma both get away and hit DDTs. They eat superkicks for their trouble but fire back with dropkicks, and all four wrestlers are down on the mat. Hazuki and Tam both roll out of the ring while Natsupoi and Koguma trade elbows on their knees, Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle but Koguma elbows her before she can jump off and joins her. Koguma drops Natsupoi throat-first onto the to rope which sends her out of the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Tam kicks her down to the floor. Hazuki sails out of the ring with a tope suicida but hits her own partner on accident, Tam and Natsupoi both go to the ropes and dive out with stereo springboard crossbodies. Tam slides Koguma back in the ring, both she and Natsupoi go to the same turnbuckle with Tam diving off first with the Takako Panic. Natsupoi follows with the swivel body press, but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Natsupoi and Tam both hit German suplexes on an opponent, with Natsupoi’s getting a two count. Natsupoi picks up Koguma again but Koguma spins away and applies the 120% Schoolboy for two. Koguma goes off the ropes but Natsupoi superkicks her, Tam is in too and they both connect with superkicks. Hazuki is back but Tam drops her with a release tiger suplex, they go back to Koguma and slam her to the mat. Natsupoi picks up Koguma and nails the Fairy Strain, and she picks up the three count! Cosmic Angels win and are the new champions!

Aside from one botched move, this was a really smooth and well worked tag match. I know they wrestle and train a lot together but it always amazes me how in sync Stardom wrestlers are. There are some advantages to being an isolated promotion, as it allows their stars to really gel. Koguma and Hazuki have worked off all their ring rust and the cardio of everyone involved is commendable as there was no slowdown whatsoever. They were firing on all cylinders from start to finish. The match also “felt” like a title match and not just another match (like the last one), with big moves and late saves to add to the drama. A really entertaining match, four really good wrestlers just going non-stop for 15 minutes.  Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Himeka
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They lock knuckles to start, Himeka pushes Saya to the mat but Saya bridges back up and they end up facing off again. Kick by Himeka but Saya throws her into the corner, Himeka fires out of it with a shoulderblock, Saya kips up but Himeka shoulderblocks her again. Himeka kicks Saya out of the ring and goes out after her, slamming Saya onto the floor. Another scoop slam by Himeka, she picks up Saya and rams her back-first into the ring post. Himeka slides Saya back in and hits a lariat in the corner followed by a backbreaker. Cover by Himeka, but it gets two. Himeka goes for a crab hold but Saya blocks it and hits a double footstomp, she goes off the ropes but Himeka catches her with another backbreaker. Himeka throws Saya out of the ring and goes out as well, but Saya slides back in as she does. They repeat these steps again, but this time Saya dropkicks Himeka back to the floor and hits a sliding headscissors under the bottom rope. Saya slides Himeka back in and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. Saya picks up Himeka but Himeka blocks the suplex attempt and elbows her. Saya elbows her back and they trade shots, Saya goes off the ropes but Himeka knees her in the midsection. Saya knees her back but Himeka blocks the big boot and they trade elbows again.

After a minute of trading elbows Saya finally sends Himeka crashing to the mat, more elbows by Saya but Himeka hulks up and returns to her feet to return the favor. More elbows from both until they both fall to the mat, holding their heads. They slowly get up at the same time, Saya charges in but Himeka drops her with a backdrop suplex. Single leg crab hold by Himeka, Saya crawls to the ropes and eventually makes it to force the break. Himeka picks up Saya and gets her on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, she throws her off after a moment and hits a lariat. Sliding lariat by Himeka, but her cover gets two. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders again and hits the JP Coaster, but again Saya kicks out. Himeka throws Saya into the corner and lariats her in the back, she puts her on the second turnbuckle to get her on her shoulders, but Saya slides off and hits a spinning heel kick. Saya hits a rolling fisherman suplex into a backslide, Himeka rolls through it but Saya boots her in the face. Saya positions Himeka and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Himeka rolls out of the way of the Firebird Splash. Kick to the head by Saya but Himeka levels her with a Rainmaker, but Saya plants Himeka with a pump kick. Saya picks up Himeka and hits the sitout fisherman driver, but it gets a two count. Saya goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Firebird Splash, but Himeka gets a shoulder up on the cover. Saya goes back up top and attempts the Phoenix Splash, but Himeka clubs her from behind before she can jump off and joins her.

Elbows by Himeka while they stand on the turnbuckles, but Saya jumps over Himeka’s back in an attempted powerbomb. Himeka blocks that so Saya dropkicks her instead, she re-joins Himeka on the turnbuckles but Himeka blocks the Frankensteiner with a powerbomb. Himeka waits for Saya to get up and nails the jumping knee, she picks up Saya and delivers the powerbomb but Saya barely kicks out. Himeka drags up Saya and throws her into the corner, lariat to the back by Himeka and she sits Saya on the second turnbuckle. Running powerbomb by Himeka, but Saya kicks out. Himeka picks up Saya and elbows her against the ropes, lariat by Himeka but Saya lands on her feet on the apron. Saya springboards back in the ring but Himeka catches her with a lariat, another lariat by Himeka and she picks up Saya. Himeka gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya snaps off a Fubuki Rana and picks up the three count! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship!

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this match. I love Himeka’s power based offense and it worked so well with Saya’s whacky high flying offense. Himeka was killing Saya with her backbreakers and lariats, but Saya would come back with something sneaky as their contrasting styles worked perfectly with each other. Himeka really wrestled as the “better” wrestler, with her hitting all her big moves and Saya needing to do a desperation move to win the match. I have one small quibble – I don’t think the long elbow strike battle wasn’t necessary, as it didn’t add anything to the match and it went against the theme of the rest of the match which was Himeka being the stronger wrestler. But if you take that out, everything else really hit the spot with me, a hard hitting and entertaining match with two of the brightest young stars of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi
World of Stardom Championship

The match starts slow as they jockey for position, Syuri gets Nanae into the ropes and she slaps Nanae before backing off. Nanae quickly pushes Syuri into the ropes on the other side and also gives a slap as she breaks, kick by Syuri but Nanae drops her with a release German. Syuri tackles Nanae and starts on her ground game, she gets the cross armbreaker locked in but Nanae gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Nanae rolls out of the ring to re-group, she gets up on the apron and catches Syuri leg when she goes for a kick. Lariat by Nanae, she pulls Syuri’s head over the apron and dropkicks her from the floor. Nanae picks up Syuri and suplexes her on the floor, she slides Syuri back in the ring and hits a backdrop suplex. Nanae applies a facelock but releases it after a moment to apply a neck crank. She throws Syuri into the corner and chops her in the chest, snapmare by Nanae and she kicks Syuri in the back. Syuri kicks her back, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Nanae again. Nanae returns to her feet and dropkicks Syuri, she picks up Syuri but Syuri dropkicks her into the corner. Knee by Syuri and she hits a single arm suplex for two.

Kicks to the head by Syuri and she delivers a running knee, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Nanae joins her. Superplex by Nanae, and she covers Syuri for two. Backdrop suplex by Nanae, she goes to the second turnbuckle and applies a choke to Syuri. She lets go after a moment but sits on the top turnbuckle too long so Syuri boots her off of it to the floor. Syuri gets on the second turnbuckle and dives out onto Nanae with a missile dropkick. Syuri slowly sits up Nanae and kicks her in the back before dropping her with a DDT on the floor. Syuri slides Nanae back into the ring, she gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving legdrop for two. Scoop slam attempt by Syuri but Nanae slides off, Syuri goes off the ropes but Nanae catches her with a release German. Sliding D by Nanae, but Syuri barely kicks out. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle but Syuri rolls out of the way of the refrigerator bomb, running knee by Syuri but Nanae kicks out. Syuri picks up Nanae but Nanae slaps her and the two trade strikes. Spinning backfist by Syuri but Nanae punches her right in the face, sending both hurt to the mat. Nanae is up first, Falcon Arrow by Nanae but it gets two. Nanae picks up and hits a short range lariat, Syuri slowly gets up but Nanae drops her with another lariat. A third lariat by Nanae but Syuri again gets back up, elbows by Syuri and they go back and forth. Mutual headbutts, they go off the ropes but Nanae hits the lariat for a two count cover.

Nanae picks up Syuri and hits the Nana Racka, but Syuri reverses the cover into a guillotine. Nanae gets into thee ropes for the break, Syuri picks her up and kicks Nanae in the chest. More kicks by Syuri but Nanae hits the cradle back to belly piledriver, she picks up Syuri but Syuri hits a jumping knee. Nanae fires back with a lariat, but her cover gets two. Nanae goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Refrigerator Bomb, but Syuri barely kicks out. Armtrap crossface by Nanae, she switches it into a double armbar but Syuri gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Scoop brainbuster by Nanae, but again Syuri kicks out of the cover. Nanae picks up Syuri but Syuri slides away and puts Nanae in a sleeper. Nanae rolls into the ropes to get a break, Syuri picks up Nanae and hits the Emerald Frosion for a two count. Syuri picks up Nanae and delivers a release German, but Nanae ends up on her feet and hits a lariat. One Second EX by Nanae, she covers Syuri but Syuri barely gets a shoulder up. Nanae headbutts Syuri repeatedly, she goes off the ropes but Syuri drills her with a head kick. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, both wrestlers slowly get up and Nanae hits a headbutt. Syuri punches Nanae in the face in return, she picks up Nanae and knees her in the midsection. Knee to the head by Syuri, she waits for Nanae to get up and kicks her in the head. Syuri gets Nanae on her shoulders before sliding her into a fireman’s carry position, Red World by Syuri and she picks up the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship.

Even though Nanae is no longer in her prime and has a lighter schedule, she can certainly still bring it when she needs to. This at times definitely felt like an old school Joshi match. Lots of strikes and suplexes, questionable selling, big moves. It was interesting that Syuri particularly at the beginning was doing more moves off the turnbuckles, which I don’t normally associate with her, but being in the main event of a Stardom PPV can bring out the “extra” in wrestlers. I will say that the nearfalls were very convincing – it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that Nanae would return and win the belt, so the drama was legitimate and it kept my attention for sure. It may have been a few minutes longer than it needed to be and not everything was perfectly smooth, but the action was hard hitting and generally they were on the same page. I don’t think it was quite as entertaining as the last match, but still pretty damn good and with the drama it was a suitable main event for Stardom’s big summer show.  Recommended

The post Stardom X Stardom 2022 Nagoya MidSummer Encounter on 8/21/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom World Climax 2022 ~ The Best
Date: March 26th, 2022
Location: Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan (Sumo Hall) in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,712
Broadcast: Streamed Live on PPV, later added to Stardom World

There are big events, and there are massive holy shit big events, and this show is the latter. Stardom really went all-out for their two day stint in Sumo Hall. There is a lot going on here to be excited about – Prominence continues their invasion, Syuri and Giulia collide, and we also have the return of Kairi Hojo! Wrestling now as KAIRI, this is her first match since leaving WWE back in 2020. There are three other title matches as well, with Kamitani vs. Hayashishita having a chance of stealing the whole show. Here is the full card:

• Future of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Rina
• MIRAI vs. Saya Iida
• Gauntlet Match: AZM, Lady C, and Miyu Amasaki vs. Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai vs. Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death, and Ruaka
• Maika and Thekla vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
• Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Utami Hayashishita
• World of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. Giulia

What a show. As this aired live on PPV, all matches will be shown in full. Every wrestler on the event has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. This is going to be a long one so let’s hop to it.

(c) Hanan vs. Rina
Future of Stardom Championship

They immediately trade elbows to start, with Rina getting the better of her older sister. Scoop slam by Rina and she covers Hanan for barely a two count. She quickly applies an armbar but Hanan inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Stomps by Rina, she picks up Hanan and twists her arm in the ropes. More stomps by Rina but Hanan tosses her with a judo throw, Rina rolls Hanan to the mat however and kicks her in the face. Rina charges Hanan but Hanan trips her and applies a kneelock. Rina gets to the ropes for the break, Hanan puts Rina’s leg in the ropes and dropkicks her in the knee. Double wrist-clutch armsault by Hanan, but it gets a two count. Hanan picks her up and elbows Rina into the corner, her Irish whip is reversed however and Rina kicks Hanan in the stomach when she goes for a crossbody.

Rina picks up Hanan and they trade elbows, with again Rina winning the dual. She goes off the ropes but Hanan catches her with a dropkick, Stretch Muffler by Hanan but Rina reaches the ropes. Hanan picks up Rina but Rina slips away and applies the Octopus Hold. She gets Hanan to the mat with the Ground Manjikatame but Hanan gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Rina throws Hanan into the corner and hits a running double knee, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving double kneedrop for a two count. Rina tries to get Hanan on her back but Hanan spins away and delivers a STO. Blockbuster by Hanan but Rina rolls through it, she gets Hanan on her back and slams her to the mat for a two count cover. Rina picks up Hanan but Hanan nails a jumping knee, Fameasser by Hanan and she covers Rina for a two count. Hanan picks up Rina and hits a backdrop suplex, she keeps the hold on and hits a second backdrop suplex, keeping Rina down for the three count! Hanan wins and retains the championship.

For an opener with two underage wrestlers, this was pretty decent. The match started a little slow as Rina on offense isn’t overly interesting (lots of stomps) but once her more talented sister took over it got more interesting. Hanan has had an off-and-on career due to injuries and taking time off, plus her schedule is limited due to still being in school, but if she decides to fully commit to wrestling once she graduates I think they may have something special with her. Good for what it was, Rina still has a bit of a ways to go to move up from being just the “other” wrestler in any match she is in, but she didn’t drag the match down and overall this was perfectly watchable wrestling.

MIRAI vs. Saya Iida

They lock-up to start but break cleanly, they lock knuckles as MIRAI gets Saya to her knees but Saya recovers and gets the advantage on MIRAI. MIRAI gets out of the hold and elbows Saya, Saya chops her back and the two trade shots for a solid minute. Saya chops MIRAI against the ropes but MIRAI ducks one, she goes off the ropes but Saya clubs her to the mat. Saya elbows MIRAI against the ropes but MIRAI elbows her back, she goes for a slam but Saya blocks it and hits one of her own. Saya picks up MIRAI and chops her in the chest some more, but MIRAI avoids one and puts Saya in a stretch hold. She lets go after a moment, MIRAI goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, but Saya stays on her feet. Saya hits a lariat with the same result as they go back and forth until MIRAI finally knocks Saya off her feet. Saya springs back up however and lariats MIRAI over, but MIRAI is back up as well as they keep at it. Eventually they lariat each other at the same time, and both collapse exhausted to the mat. MIRAI applies a sleeper but Saya slams MIRAI into the corner to get out of it, lariat by Saya and she goes to the top turnbuckle to hit a diving shoulderblock. Saya picks up MIRAI but MIRAI blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, slamming Saya face-first into the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up and hit lariats, they both block each other from hitting one until Saya levels MIRAI and covers her for two. Saya picks up MIRAI but MIRAI rolls her to the mat and applies the Miramare. Saya almost makes it to the ropes but MIRAI gets her back to the middle of the ring, and Saya has no choice but to tap out! MIRAI is the winner.

I understand what they were going for here, and I respect it even though I’m still not convinced on Saya Iida. Saya has a lot of Western fans and its easy to understand why, as she has the type of fighting spirit energy that pops off the screen. Its not her fault, but for me its a little hard to totally buy into her offense just because she is tiny. There is nothing wrong with being a smaller wrestler of course, but its tough to be both a powerhouse and 4’9″. MIRAI certainly gave her equal ground to put the idea over and like I said I respect what they are doing with her character, I’m just not sure it has long term potential. The fact MIRAI had to “escape” with a flash submission that wasn’t foreshadowed shows the effort to protect Saya even in defeat. I would say it was a pretty good hoss-style match, even if part of me is having trouble seeing Saya Iida as a true hoss.

AZM, Lady C, and Miyu Amasaki vs. Himeka, Natsupoi, and Mai Sakurai vs. Mina Shirakawa, Waka Tsukiyama, and Momo Kohgo vs. Saki Kashima, Fukigen Death, and Ruaka

Cosmic Angels and Oedo Tai are the first two teams in. Cosmic Angels charge before the match starts but it epically fails as Oedo Tai immediately takes control and triple teams Momo in the ring. Death stays in as the legal wrestler and throws down Momo by the hair before choking her in the corner with her boot. She tags in Ruaka, Irish whip by Ruaka to the corner but Momo slides out to the apron before springboarding back into the ring with a crossbody off the second rope. She tags in Mina, Mina elbows Rina and hits a dropkick. Mina goes off the ropes and does a tilt-a-whirl, Ruaka blocks the leg sweep but Momo helps out with a swandive dropkick. Mina picks up Ruaka but Ruaka pushes her into the ropes, Irish whip by Ruaka but Mina blocks it and hits an elbow. Hard shoulderblock by Ruaka and she tags Saki, but Mina dropkicks her in the knee. Mina puts Saki in a Mexican Surfboard, she lets her go after a moment and tags in Waka. Double Irish whip to Saki, Saki briefly gets the better of it but Momo runs in and hits a 619. Waka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Waka but Ruaka breaks it up. Uppercut by Saki to Waka and Death runs in with a senton. Body press by Ruaka, Saki picks up Waka and hits a double underhook suplex hold for two. Head kick by Saki, she picks up Waka and delivers the My Emblem for the three count! Oedo Tai wins.

The next team in is Queen’s Quest to take on Oedo Tai. Oedo Tai attacks as QQ gets in the ring, they isolate Miyu and boot her to the mat. Death stays in and throws Miyu into the corner, but Miyu boots her when she charges in. It happens two more times, Miyu goes off the ropes and delivers a jumping DDT. She tags AZM, dropkick by AZM but Ruaka grabs her from behind. AZM fights them both off as she hits an armdrag/headscissors combination. Double dropkick by AZM and she covers Death for two. AZM goes off the ropes but Death drop toeholds her and tags Saki. Saki goes off the ropes but Miyu dropkicks her, knee drop by Lady C and AZM drops Saki with a vertical suplex. Head kick by AZM, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Saki avoids the diving footstomp. Kishikaisei by Saki, but the cover is broken up. AZM goes for a kick but Saki ducks it, AZM quickly applies a Leg Roll Clutch Hold and she gets the three count! Queen’s Quest wins.

For the final pairing, DDM enters to face Queen’s Quest. AZM and Natsupoi start the match and immediately get into a fast paced exchange, they end up rolling around on the mat with AZM applying a cradle for a two count. They trade kick attempts and flash pins after with no success, sliding kick by AZM and she tags Lady C. Lady C boots Natsupoi against the ropes but Natsupoi avoids the next boot attempt and hits a dropkick. Cover by Natsupoi, but it gets two. Natsupoi tags Himeka, shoulderblock by Himeka and she throws Lady C into the corner. Lariat by Himeka but Lady C avoids her next charge, Miyu runs in and hits a Space Rolling Elbow and Lady C hits a jumping neck drop on Himeka. Lady C goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a brain chop, cover by Lady C but it is broken up. Lady C picks up Himeka but Himeka spins away from her and hits a lariat. Himeka picks up Lady C and gets her on her shoulders, but AZM hits a missile dropkick off the second rope to knock Himeka over. Natsupoi suplexes AZM but Miyu dropkicks Natsupoi, cutter by Mai to Miyu and the ring is cleared aside from the legal wrestlers. Lariat by Himeka to Lady C, but Lady C gets a shoulder up. Himeka picks up Lady C and gets her on her shoulders, JP Coaster by Himeka and she covers Lady C for the three count! DDM win the match!

They really ran through this match quick, as all three pairings combined lasted under ten minutes. Needless to say, this wasn’t really enough time for them to really get things going, and some wrestlers did virtually nothing at all (look at you, Mai). There was a ton of talent in this match so its not a knock on the wrestlers, AZM and Himeka are really enjoyable to watch and looked good here, but obviously they couldn’t really get anything cohesive going. Pretty good for a filler match, but ultimately forgettable the minute it was over.

Maika and Thekla vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

The DDM team attacks before the bell rings and the action quickly spills out to the floor, with Prominence soon regaining the advantage. Risa and Maika return to the ring as the legal wrestlers, crab hold by Risa and she puts Maika in the Rocking Horse. Risa lets go after a moment and picks up Maika, putting her into the ropes before tagging Suzu. Suzu hits a sliding kick from the floor to Maika, she enters the ring and kicks at Maika. Suzu goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a slam and tags in Thekla. Risa comes in too however, double Irish whip attempt to Thekla but Thekla fights them both off. Double spear by Thekla and she hits a running elbow on Suzu in the corner, monkey flip by Thekla but Suzu lands on her feet and knocks Thekla to the mat. She tags Risa, elbow by Risa in the corner but Thekla hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and tags Maika. She tags in as both she and Maika hit running strikes on Risa in the corner, boot by Thekla and Maika hits a lariat. Shoulderblock by Maika but Risa doesn’t go down, but she does on the second attempt. Maika picks up Risa but Risa blocks the slam, she picks up Maika and drops her with a Schwein.

Running double knee by Risa in the corner, she picks up Maika but Maika quickly hits a vertical suplex. Back up, Maika goes off the ropes but Risa catches her with a TKO. They trade elbows in the middle of the ring, Risa goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a lariat. A second lariat by Maika, but her cover gets two. Maika picks up Risa but Risa hits another Schwein, both wrestlers crawl to their corners and tag in their partners. Elbows by Thekla to Suzu, Suzu goes off the ropes but Thekla kicks her. She goes for a dropkick but Suzu swipes her aside, Thekla gets Suzu to the mat and puts her in a Sickle Hold. Risa breaks it up, Maika gets rid of her and picks up Suzu, hitting a suplex while Thekla also delivers a superkick. Double sliding attack by DDM to Suzu, but Suzu barely kicks out of the cover. Thekla picks up Suzu, Irish whip to the corner but its reversed. Suzu spins Thekla so she is sitting on the second rope and slides under her, while suplexing Thekla back into the ring. Risa jumps on the second turnbuckle, Suzu hops on her back and Risa comes down with a double kneedrop onto Thekla. Suzu picks up Thekla but Thekla elbows her, chops by Suzu and she delivers a jumping kick. Suzu tries to climb the turnbuckles but Thekla stops her, Suzu kicks Thekla in the head and proceeds to the top anyway. Thekla recovers and joins her but Suzu maintains the advantage and slams Thekla to the mat for a two count. Suzu drags up Thekla and nails a deadlift German suplex hold, picking up the three count! Prominence are the winners.

This was an interesting little match. Generally speaking I thought the action was really good, wide variety of violence was used and there was very little downtime so there was never a dull moment. Maybe too little downtime, as some of the selling (by all involved) was incredibly suspect, even more so than usual, meaning that even the bigger moves didn’t have a ton of impact. Suzu was my favorite wrestler in Ice Ribbon and the main reason I kept up with the promotion at all, so I am excited to see her in Stardom and where this storyline goes. The right team won, as they need Prominence to pick up some wins in front of a new audience if they are to be taken seriously. A good match with fresh pairings, I wouldn’t have minded if the match was a little longer and given some time to breath but still pretty solid.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Hazuki and Momo start the match, they jockey for position before Momo snapmares Hazuki to the mat. Hazuki blocks the kick attempt and dropkicks Momo against the bottom rope, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits a running boot. Hazuki tags Koguma and runs on Momo’s back, she picks up Momo but Starlight Kid runs in the ring and trips her. Starlight Kid pulls Koguma out of the ring while Momo goes after Hazuki as they battle around the floor. Starlight Kid slams Koguma to the floor and Momo slams Hazuki on top of her, as Oedo Tai pose on their opponents. Momo and Koguma return to the ring, stomp by Momo but Koguma elbows her to knock her back. Koguma hits more elbows while Momo shrugs them off, kick to the chest by Momo and she covers Koguma for two. Momo tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid stomps on Koguma and kicks her repeatedly in the head. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Koguma hits a drop toehold followed by a dropkick. This gives her time to tag Hazuki, elbow by Hazuki to Starlight Kid and she puts her in an armtrap crossface. Momo quickly breaks it up, double Irish whip by Oedo Tai but Hazuki hits a double springboard armdrag followed by a double dropkick.

Momo and Starlight Kid fall out of the ring, Hazuki gets a running start in it and sails out onto both with a tope suicida. Hazuki slides Starlight Kid back in and gets on the apron, hitting a swandive dropkick. Cover by Hazuki, but Starlight Kid kicks out. Starlight Kid throws Hazuki into the corner but Hazuki drops her onto the apron, Starlight Kid slams Hazuki’s head into the turnbuckles and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving crossbody. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki elbows her and the two trade strikes. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Momo cuts her off with a dropkick, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid picks up Hazuki but Hazuki blocks the suplex attempt, cradle by Starlight Kid but Hazuki reverses it before hitting a Codebreaker. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Starlight Kid hits a jumping kick, Hazuki quickly fires back with a boot and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, elbows by Koguma to Momo but Momo avoids her charge in the corner and hits a dropkick. Kick to the chest by Momo, she picks up Koguma and snaps off a uranage for two. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle but Koguma elbows her before she can jump off, Koguma joins her and hits a cutter down to the mat. Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Koguma but it gets two. Koguma goes for a suplex but Momo elbows out of it, snap half nelson suplex by Momo but Koguma ducks a head kick and drops Momo with a release German.

Both wrestlers slowly get up, DDT by Koguma but she is too hurt to take advantage. Starlight Kid slides in to attack Koguma but Hazuki quickly comes in too, both teams trade double team attempts until STARS win the exchange. Hazuki and Koguma deliver a slam/cutter combination to Momo, diving body press by Koguma but Starlight Kid breaks up the cover. Koguma picks up Momo but Momo gets her back with a crossface chickenwing. Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle as Momo lets go and hits a swivel body press, Momo picks up Koguma and drops her with the B Driver but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Momo and Starlight Kid pick up Koguma but Hazuki cuts them off, high kick by Momo to Koguma but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Hazuki but Hazuki fights them both off until Momo whacks her in the head with a chair. Momo goes back to Koguma and hits a modified tombstone, she picks Koguma back up but Koguma rolls away from her. Starlight Kid tosses the chair to Koguma and dropkicks it in her face, they pick up Koguma and deliver an assisted side slam. Momo picks up Koguma and nails the Peach Thunder, cover by Momo and she gets the three count. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid are the new champions!

Really enjoyable match, about everything one could ask for in this spot. Starlight Kid and Momo are just so good and have already built great chemistry as a team, really loved their constant cooperation and everything they did was fluid. I wouldn’t put Koguma on the level as the other three but she held her own here, and mostly let the others control the action. Very fast paced with something constantly happening to hold your attention, but it never felt excessive either as they’d slow down enough to let you catch your breath. They kept the big spots to a minimum due to their card placement but they sprinkled in enough, and the weapon violence was well done. I’m looking forward to seeing more Momo and Starlight Kid matches in the future, they are a great team. A fun match as we ramp up to the big matches on the event.  Recommended

Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI vs. Tam Nakano and Unagi Sayaka

Mayu and Tam start the match, they do some introductory trading of holds before trading armdrags. They end up in a stalemate after some missed kicks, Tam tags Unagi and Unagi calls for KAIRI to be tagged in. Mayu obliges, Unagi asks for a knuckle lock but KAIRI sweeps out her leg instead. They tie-up, KAIRI pushes Unagi into the ropes and gives a clean break after teasing a backfist. Elbows by Unagi and she slaps KAIRI, KAIRI get angry and rolls up Unagi before putting her in a stretch muffler. KAIRI tags in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and with KAIRI they double team Unagi. Mayu picks up Unagi, snapmare by Mayu and she kicks Unagi in the back. Another kick by Mayu and she covers Unagi for two. Mayu tags KAIRI back in, KAIRI puts Unagi in the ropes and chops her in the chest. Sliding elbow by KAIRI, Unagi falls out of the ring and KAIRI hits a footstomp while Unagi is bridged over the apron. KAIRI returns to the ring and waits for Unagi, Unagi eventually rolls back in and KAIRI covers her for two.

Dropkick by KAIRI and she tags Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she stomps on Unagi. Mayu applies a Camel Clutch but Tam quickly breaks it up, Mayu throws Tam out of the ring and tosses Unagi in the corner. Chop by Mayu and she tags KAIRI, Unagi elbows KAIRI but KAIRI blocks the scoop slam and applies an ankle hold. She lets go after a moment to knock Tam off the apron, KAIRI picks up Unagi but Unagi hits a Codebreaker. Unagi finally makes the hot tag to Tam, Tam goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody. Tam picks up KAIRI but Mayu hits her from behind, double Irish whip to Tam but Tam cartwheels past them and dropkicks them. Tam get on the mat and poses towards KAIRI, KAIRI poses back at her but the happy moment doesn’t last long as they grab each other by the hair and return to their feet. KAIRI and Tam trade elbows, they go at it for a minute until Tam floors KAIRI with a spinning head kick. KAIRI tags Mayu while Tam tags Unagi, Unagi and Mayu avoid each other’s kicks until Mayu kicks Unagi in the chest. Dropkick by Mayu, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving body press for two. She goes back up to attempt a moonsault but Tam grabs her from the apron, knocking her off.

Unagi grabs Mayu from inside the ring and drags her over the top rope, dropping her head-first into the mat for a two count. KAIRI comes in but so does Tam and they both slam KAIRI to the mat, kick by Tam to Mayu and Unagi hits a leg drop for two. Unagi picks up Mayu and hits a fisherman driver, but KAIRI breaks up the cover. Tam comes in but KAIRI spears her, spinning backfist by KAIRI to Unagi and both Cosmic Angels fall out of the ring. Mayu and KAIRI go to different corners and dive down onto Unagi and Tam, Mayu gets Unagi back into the ring and kicks her in the head. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Unagi gets out of it, superkick by Mayu and she drags Unagi near the corner. KAIRI goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Diving Elbow Drop, Mayu then goes up top and delivers a moonsault for the three count! Mayu Iwatani and KAIRI are the winners!

I don’t think I would have ever correctly guessed the structure of this match. Its interesting as while KAIRI was the draw, she wasn’t the focus. The first third of the match had Unagi playing the “face in peril,” with Tam getting the big hot tag to take on Mayu and KAIRI. Its not that I expected KAIRI to have that role in her re-debut but this was almost structured like a Southern Tag match with the focus being on the Cosmic Angels. In fact if I didn’t know this was KAIRI’s return match I wouldn’t have known from the action as she really was presented on the same level (at best) as Mayu and Tam. I assume this was by design to slowly integrate her back into the promotion, but if she is going to be a “special attraction” wrestler I think they missed the mark. The match was fairly entertaining and KAIRI looked good, but the weakest link (Unagi) being such a focus took it down a notch from what it could have been. It was great to see KAIRI again but as a match it was a little disappointing as far as general excitement goes, even if it still was a solid tag match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Utami pushes Saya into the ropes but gives her a clean break. They tie-up again and Utami pushes Saya again in the ropes but she lets her free. Side headlock by Utami, Saya Irish whips out of it but Utami hits a shoulderblock. Saya kips up, they go through an exchange off the ropes until Saya hits a hurricanrana which sends Utami out of the ring. Saya goes off the ropes but Utami charges back in the ring and shoulderblocks Saya to the mat. Stomps by Utami and she hits a scoop slam, Utami picks up Saya and slams her again, crab hold by Utami but Saya gets to the ropes for the break. Utami throws Saya into the corner, Irish whip by Utami and she whips Saya hard into the corner multiple times. Utami stomps at Saya and hits a double kneedrop to her back, camel clutch by Utami but she releases the hold to cover Saya for a two count. Saya fights back with elbows, Utami goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick. Saya picks up Utami, snapmare by Saya and she applies a facelock. Saya puts Utami in a headscissors but Utami gets a foot on the ropes. Saya pulls Utami’s head so its hanging over the ropes and kicks her in the head, heel drop by Saya and she dropkicks Utami. Back in the ring, Saya picks up Utami and delivers a jumping heel kick. Neckbreaker by Saya and she covers Utami for two.

Saya picks up Utami and the two trade elbows, which Utami gets the better of. Dropkick to the back by Utami, she charges Saya in the corner but Saya moves. Utami tosses Saya out to the apron, elbow by Saya but Utami blocks it when Saya goes for a swandive move and back bodydrops her into the ring. Sliding elbow by Utami and she covers Saya for two. Irish whip by Utami, but Saya flips herself out to the apron and nails a swandive hurricanrana. Utami falls out of the ring, Saya gets a running start and sails out onto her with a no hands tope con hilo. Saya slides Utami back in the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Saya picks up Utami but Utami blocks the hook attempt, elbows by Saya but Utami snaps off a dropkick. Saya dropkicks her back but Utami throws her against the ropes and tosses her to the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up and exchange elbows until Utami elbows Saya hard to the mat. Utami tries to go off the ropes but Saya grabs her and hits an elbow, Utami elbows Saya in the back in response and puts her in an Argentine Backbreaker before dropping Saya to the mat. Cover by Utami, but Saya kicks out. Utami picks up Saya but Saya grabs the ropes to block a suplex attempt, elbow to the back by Utami but Saya gets free and goes off the ropes. Utami gets Saya on her shoulders but Saya wiggles free, release German attempt by Utami but Saya lands on her feet and hits a moonsault side slam for two.

Saya goes to the top turnbuckle but Utami clubs her before she can jump off, sending Saya to the apron. Utami then lariats Saya, sending her crashing to the floor. Utami slides Saya onto the apron, she joins her and gets Saya on her shoulders, but Saya escapes and nails a hurricanrana down to the floor. Saya gets back into the ring with Utami slowly following, Saya goes for a pump kick but Utami catches it and hits an Air Raid Crash. Utami goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Saya and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Utami drags Saya to her feet and gets her on her shoulders, but Saya gets away and delivers a reverse hurricanrana. Heel kick by Saya and she quickly hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Saya positions Utami and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Utami recovers and elbows her in the back. Utami goes for a crucifix powerbomb but Saya reverses it into a hurricanrana, Saya charges Utami but Utami hits a sidewalk slam. Big lariat by Utami, she picks up Saya and goes for the Hijack Bomb, but again Saya reverses it with a hurricanrana. Pump kick by Saya, she cradles Utami before scooping her up with a suplex. Jumping heel kick by Saya, she picks up Utami and delivers a fisherman driver for a two count. Saya positions Utami and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing a Phoenix Splash for the three count cover! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship!

Even though the match wasn’t perfect, any claims that it was reckless or sloppy are very greatly exaggerated. Both wrestlers showed off their strengths here, as Utami was a beast and Saya stayed in the match with her quick moves and high flying expertise. With how many high risk moves Saya does, not every one is going to be hit perfectly, but she is still the most exciting wrestler in Stardom right now and just brings that unpredictability that is hard to find. While I really loved the bulk of the match as they meshed together well their two styles, I do think the end stretch was probably a couple minutes too long. There can be a point of excess and they may have crossed it, which isn’t really uncommon with big title matches and at least they didn’t let it go on for more than a few minutes. A really great match between two wrestlers that are only getting better, the fact they can do a match like this so early in their careers says so much about their potential down the road.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. Giulia
World of Stardom Championship

Giulia and Syuri quickly end up on the mat and trade holds, but they end up in a stalemate and back on their feet. Syuri works a headlock but Giulia Irish whips out of it, Giulia kicks Syuri in the leg but Syuri tackles her when she goes off the ropes and both wrestlers spill out of the ring. They jockey for position down on the floor and Syuri goes for an armbreaker, but Giulia blocks it so Syuri applies a seated armbar instead. The referee gets her to stop but Giulia grabs Syuri from behind and tries to suplex her into the ring post. Syuri blocks it and goes for a high kick, but Giulia ducks and she kicks the post by accident. Giulia throws Syuri into the post before sliding her back into the ring, Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri elbows her and they trade shots. Giulia trips Syuri and puts her in a STF, but Syuri gets to the ropes for the break. Giulia hits a running elbow in the corner, she sits Syuri on the top turnbuckle before picking her up and suplexes her to the mat. Giulia picks up Syuri but Syuri swats her away and hits a Backstabber. Syuri throws Giulia into the corner, knees by Syuri and she hits a suplex. Sleeper by Syuri but Giulia is too close to the ropes and quickly gets the break. Snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Giulia in the back a few times. Giulia crawls to the corner, Syuri charges her but Giulia slides out to the apron and dumps Syuri out of the ring. Kick from the apron by Giulia, she goes out after Syuri and puts her in a stretch submission hold on the floor.

The referee again has to tell them to knock it off, Giulia lets go and throws the referee into Syuri. Giulia then catapults off the referee’s back and dropkicks Syuri, she picks her up and drags Syuri up onto a table with her. Giulia grabs Syuri while standing on the table and nails a piledriver, breaking the table in the process. Giulia gets back in the ring while Syuri holds her head on the floor, the referee by now has recovered and he starts the count. Giulia goes back out after Syuri and brings her back to the ring, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Syuri falls back out of the ring so Giulia has to go after her, snapmare by Giulia and she kicks Syuri in the back. Another kick by Giulia, she gets a running start but Syuri hits her with a piece of plexiglass that the commentary table was using. Syuri picks up Giulia and hits a single arm suplex, she gets up on the apron and hits a dropkick down to the floor. Syuri gets Giulia back to the ring, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving Fameasser, but Giulia reverses her cover into a submission, but Syuri gets to the ropes. Giulia picks up Syuri, Syuri gets away and hits a release German. Giulia fires back with her own release German, Codebreaker by Syuri but Giulia catches her kick and delivers a capture suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up and face off from opposite corners, they charge each other and Giulia kicks Syuri in the head. Syuri fires back with a jumping knee, she picks up Giulia and hits a double knee gutbuster for two. Syuri goes for Giulia’s arm and applies an armbar, Giulia reaches for the ropes so Syuri traps that arm as well.

Giulia eventually manages to get a boot on the bottom rope, running knee by Syuri and she goes to the top turnbuckle. Giulia recovers and joins her, but Syuri knocks her back to the mat. Giulia slaps Syuri to the apron but Syuri kicks her in the head over the top rope, kick to the chest by Syuri and she returns to the turnbuckles. Giulia gets back up again and climbs the turnbuckles with her, hitting a double underhook suplex down to the mat. Giulia charges Syuri but Syuri spears her into the turnbuckles, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia wiggles away and the two trade cradles. Backdrop suplex by Giulia, she picks up Syuri but Syuri avoids the Glorious Driver and slams Giulia to the mat. Syuri picks up Giulia again but Giulia slides off and nails an Emerald Flowsion for a two count. Both wrestlers are slow to cover and trade slaps while still on their knees, Syuri kicks Giulia when they return to their feet which sends Giulia crashing back to the mat. More kicks by Syuri, but Giulia eventually ducks one and suplexes Syuri. Knee to the face by Giulia, but Syuri kicks out of the cover. Giulia picks up Syuri and nails the Glorious Driver II, but again Syuri gets a shoulder up. Giulia immediately gets Syuri to her feet and drops her with a Northern Lights Bomb, but they are too close to the ropes and Syuri grabs the bottom one to stop the count. Giulia drags Syuri up but Syuri blocks it when Giulia goes for another one, Giulia goes off the ropes but Syuri kicks her in the head. Another high kick by Syuri, she picks up Giulia and hits a modified Emerald Flowsion of her own for two. Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders but Giulia spins off and covers Syuri. Syuri gets out of it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick. Spinning backfist by Syuri and she hits a few more, Syuri gets Giulia on her shoulders and nails the Red World for the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship.

This match was great for a few different reasons. First, after a long show they put on a match that played out differently than everything we’ve seen so far. It was more grounded and strike-oriented, but with enough big spots spread around to keep the excitement up and make the match feel special. These two are both so fluid, everything was snug but not to the point of feeling reckless or dangerous, they just have really good chemistry for two wrestlers that don’t face off often. Its quite a contrast to the last match, as here the ending stretch felt just right (even though the matches had the same run time) and it felt like it ended at the precise right time within the match flow which is easier said than done. Syuri is one of the best strikers in wrestling but Giulia looked great as well, it felt like a real war between the two with both having convincing near falls. A well structured match with two of the best wrestlers in Joshi wrestling, a must-see match that delivers on every level.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom World Climax 2022 ~ The Best on 3/26/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Nagoya Supreme Fight
Date: January 29th, 2022
Location: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,306
Broadcast: PPV and Stardom World

For once I am reviewing a recent event! Few promotions can get me to stop what I am doing and watch their shows, but some of these big Stardom cards are too good to miss. Stardom has really elevated themselves to become the undisputed #1 Joshi promotion, its been the case for many years but now its undeniable as they’ve lapped all other promotions both in presentation and the quality of their wrestlers. This is a very complete show, with five title matches. We also get to see some of the new Stardom wrestlers in big matches, as both Thekla and MIRAI battle for championships. There is also a big surprise on this event, but I’ll get to that when it happens. Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Hanan vs. Lady C
• AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Mina Shirakawa vs. Thekla
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Hazuki and Koguma vs. Himeka and Maika
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Unagi Sayaka
• Giulia vs. Mayu Iwatani
• World Of Stardom Championship: Syuri vs. MIRAI

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. I will be reviewing the PPV version of the event, which I assume will be similar to the Stardom World version except that Samurai TV did not broadcast the pre-show match.

(c) Hanan vs. Lady C
Future of Stardom Championship

Maybe Lady C doesn’t have the size advantage, Hanan has gotten tall. They trade wristlocks to start, Hanan works a headlock but Lady C gets out of it and boots Hanan while she is against the ropes. Lady C goes off the ropes but Hanan hits a hip toss, chop by Lady C but Hanan elbows her as the two trade blows. Lady C chops Hanan into the corner, Irish whip by Lady C but Hanan rebounds out of the corner with a diving crossbody. Hanan picks up Lady C but Lady C blocks the double wrist suplex, she doesn’t block it for long however as Hanan hits it anyway for a two count. Chop to the head by Lady C, she picks up Hanan but Hanan blocks the backdrop suplex. Lady C hits a backbreaker instead, cobra clutch backbreaker by Lady C but Hanan gets into the ropes. Lady C goes for a chokeslam but Hanan reverses it into a cross armbreaker takedown. She lets go after a moment and drops Lady C with a STO, bridging fallaway slam by Hanan but Lady C kicks out of the cover. Hanan waits for Lady C to get up but Lady C boots her in the face, chokeslam by Lady C and she covers Hanan for two. Lady C picks up Hanan but Hanan spins away from her and hits a Fameasser. Hanan drags Lady C to her feet and nails a backdrop suplex hold, picking up the three count! Hanan wins and retains the championship.

For an opener involving a less experience wrestler and a child, it was pretty good. They did what they should do in these matches – kept it short with quick action, so the match never dragged or felt like it over-stayed its welcome. Things continue to not go great for Lady C as she is still at the bottom of the pecking order in Stardom, but maybe in 2022 she will finally turn the corner. A perfectly acceptable way to kick off the show.

Before the next match, we get a surprising development as the group Prominence walk down to the ring! Prominence are former Ice Ribbon wrestlers – Suzu Suzuki, Risa Sera, Akane Fujita, Harari Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi. They have beef with Giulia as Giulia also used to be in Ice Ribbon. Looks like we are getting more excitement in Stardom, this is a great development for Stardom fans (and a sad one for Ice Ribbon fans). Looking forward to see where it goes from here.

AZM and Utami Hayashishita vs. Watanabe and Starlight Kid

Queen’s Quest attacks before the match starts and isolate Momo, double teaming her while the referee looks unconcerned. AZM stays in as the legal wrestler, she grabs Momo’s hair but Momo returns the favor before elbowing her. Kick to the chest by Momo and she dropkicks AZM in the corner, Momo goes to charge in again but AZM catches her with a dropkick. Side slam by Momo but AZM avoids the Punt and kicks Momo in the head. AZM tags Utami, Utami picks up Momo and delivers a scoop slam. Stomps by Utami, she goes off the ropes but Momo hits a dropkick and tags Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid throws Utami into the corner but Utami fires out with a hard shoulderblock, Irish whip by Utami but Starlight Kid hits a spinning headscissors. AZM kicks Starlight Kid from the apron and comes in the ring to help, but Starlight Kid fights off the both of them, ending with a double dropkick. Starlight Kid goes back to Utami and hits a standing moonsault, picking up a two count. Starlight Kid tags Momo, kick by Momo to Utami but Utami elbows her. Momo elbows Utami back but Utami catches her kick and hits a Samoan Drop. Utami goes for a sliding lariat but Momo kicks her arm away and hits a Buzzsaw Kick.

Momo charges Utami but Utami drops her with a release German, Momo recovers quickly and plants Utami with a Tequila Sunrise. Both wrestlers slowly crawl to their corners and tag out, Starlight Kid dropkicks AZM and the two trade elbows. Utami runs in and dropkicks Starlight Kid but Ruaka gets involved from the floor, AZM gets rid of Ruaka before hitting a swandive dropkick on Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid gets away from AZM but Utami re-appears and they deliver the 3D. AZM goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving footstomp, but Momo breaks up the cover. AZM picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid avoids La Mistica and pushes AZM into the referee. Dropkick by AZM (into the referee again) and AZM applies the Azumi Sushi but the referee isn’t around to make the count. Rina runs in and elbows AZM, Death and Saki also come in and everyone attacks AZM. Fisherman Driver by Ruaka to AZM, Utami comes in to try to even the odds but eats a double dropkick. Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and hits the swivel body press, the referee is finally back but Utami breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid picks up AZM but AZM gets away and applies the Azumi Sushi, but Momo breaks it up. Momo picks up AZM and with Starlight Kid’s help she hits a side slam, Momo puts AZM on the top turnbuckle before Starlight Kid climbs up as well. Spanish Fly by Starlight Kid, and she covers AZM for the three count! Starlight Kid and Momo Watanabe are the winners!

For where it as on the card, the match layout made sense. I’m not a huge fan of referee bumps or one faction helping while the other does not, but at this point they are still just re-enforcing the feud. I suspect it is far from over. Starlight Kid continues to amaze, loved her using the Spanish Fly, and the match was very fast paced which kept it interesting. While the general match structure isn’t my personal favorite, there is no denying these four have great chemistry and will likely be battling against each other in some capacity for years to come.  Mildly Recommended

Mina Shirakawa vs. Thekla
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

Thekla mocks Mina to start, which Mina doesn’t like as she kicks Thekla in the chest. Thekla goes off the ropes, Mina rolls her to the mat but Thekla avoids her dropkick and they end up in a posing stalemate. Mina quickly delivers a sliding dropkick and kicks at Thekla, but Thekla twists herself in the ropes when Mina goes for an Irish whip. Thekla avoids Mina’s charge and jaws with her as Mina stands outside the ring. Thekla goes out after her but Mina slides back in and they reach another stalemate. Thekla kicks Mina in the chest, Mina returns to her feet and they trade elbows. Thekla chops Mina in the chest, Irish whip by Thekla but Mina ducks the lariat and hits a jumping double chop. Thekla is up first but Mina elbows her in the corner, jumping lariat by Mina and she covers Thekla for two. Mina picks up Thekla but Thekla drops her with a hammerlock DDT. Thekla applies a facelock but Mina gets into the ropes for the break.

Double underhook by Thekla but Mina blocks the suplex, Thekla goes off the ropes but Mina levels her with a roaring elbow. Suplex by Mina, and she covers Thekla for two. Mina goes up top and delivers a diving elbow strike, roaring elbow to the back by Mina and she puts Thekla’s feet on the top turnbuckle before hitting a DDT. Cover by Mina, but Thekla barely kicks out. Mina goes for an elevated DDT but Thekla blocks it, elbow by Mina but Thekla crawls under her next attack and hits a spear. Mina quickly returns with a Lou Thesz Press, but it gets two. Backfist to the back by Mina, she picks up Thekla and nails the elevated DDT, but Thekla gets a shoulder up on the pin. Mina picks up Thekla but Thekla gets away, high kick by Thekla and she delivers a double underhook slam for a two count. Thekla picks up Mina, Mina gets out of her grasp but Thekla kicks her in the head. Back up, Thekla sets up Mina and nails the Toxic Spider Death Drop for the three count! Thekla wins and is the new champion!

Not the longest title match, but it was pretty entertaining. A short match was probably the smart way to go, as Thekla continues to get used to her new surroundings and Mina isn’t known for twenty minute plus matches anyway. They did a little bit of ‘showmanship’ as that was part of the build-up for the match, but once they got down to it they didn’t let that distract from the match overall. Thekla has some unique high impact offense and brings something different to Stardom, hopefully since she now has a belt they will be featuring her on future events. A solid mid-card title match, not long enough to leave too much of an impression but fun to watch.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki and Koguma vs. Himeka and Maika
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Koguma does her cub poses to start the match, she gets Maika to join in but then schoolboys her for a two count. Himeka comes in the ring to help Maika get the advantage, Maika throws Koguma into the corner and chokes her with her boot. Maika tags Himeka and she does the same, scoop slam by Himeka and she hits a second one for a two count. Himeka tags Maika, scoop slam by Maika and she drops Koguma with another one. Himeka returns as the legal wrestler as she slams Koguma again before putting her in a Camel Clutch. Himeka lets go and goes off the ropes, but Koguma hits a drop toehold followed by a dropkick. This gives her time to tag Hazuki, Codebreaker by Hazuki and she knocks Maika off the apron. Back to Himeka, Hazuki hits a running elbow in the corner followed by a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle for a two count. Hazuki quickly transitions to crossface but Maika breaks it up, Hazuki fights off both of them before hitting Himeka with some bootscrapes. Running boot by Hazuki and she hits a running senton for a two count.

She applies an armtrap chinlock but Himeka wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Hazuki goes to the apron and goes for a swandive move, but Himeka blocks it and knocks her down with a shoulderblock. Himeka tags Maika, Maika hits a hard shoulderblock of her own but Koguma dropkicks her. Backstabber by Hazuki and she hits an assisted Codebreaker on Maika for a two count. They trade elbows once they return to their feet, Himeka runs in to cut off Hazuki and DDM hit her with a double sliding lariat. Himeka leaves while Maika dropkicks Hazuki, but Hazuki fires back with a pump kick and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Hazuki tags in Koguma, Koguma goes for a few cradle pins but each one gets a two count. Himeka gets Koguma on her shoulders but Koguma slides off, dropkick by Koguma and she stands on Himeka’s back near the ropes. Koguma puts Himeka in the corner but Himeka avoids her charge and hits a body avalanche. Backbreaker by Himeka and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Hazuki breaks it up. Himeka picks up Koguma and gets her on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker, but Hazuki re-appears and hits a swandive missile dropkick on Himeka.

Koguma kicks Himeka out of the ring, Hazuki then gets a running start in it and dives out onto both Himeka and Maika with a tope suicida. Hazuki slides Himeka back in while Koguma goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Waistlock by Koguma but Himeka spins out of it, release German by Koguma but Maika breaks up the cover. Hazuki picks up Himeka and with Koguma she hits an assisted cutter, both Koguma and Hazuki go to the top turnbuckle but Maika runs in and joins her. With Himeka’s help she superplexes them both down to the mat, Himeka goes off the ropes and hits a sliding lariat on Koguma for two. Himeka gets Koguma on her shoulders and drives her into the mat, but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Himeka goes off the ropes and turns Koguma inside out with a lariat, but when she goes for the cover, Koguma applies a small package hold for the three count! Hazuki and Koguma win and retain the championships.

This match was very very good but something didn’t click to make it feel like a title match. I am always a bit more… picky I guess with title matches, there should be something that elevates a match from “normal midcard tag match” to “title match” and this match really didn’t have that. Which isn’t to say it wasn’t well worked – Himeka and Maika are treasures and Hazuki hasn’t missed a beat. Koguma’s ring-style isn’t as serious and at times it didn’t mesh with what everyone else was doing, she didn’t seem fully out of place but I found myself enjoying the match more when Hazuki was the legal wrestler. That being said, DDM are so good at what they do that I found the action itself quite enjoyable, I could watch Himeka and Maika beat up people all day. Overall a solid match, even if it never really got to the next level before it suddenly ended.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Saya Kamitani vs. Unagi Sayaka
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Unagi wants to shake hands to start but Saya backs away from her instead, they tie-up and Saya gets Unagi into the ropes. She gives a clean break but slaps Unagi after Unagi charges in, kick by Saya and she works a headlock. Unagi Irish whips out of it and hits an armdrag, she goes for a leg drop but Saya moves. Back on their feet, big boot by Unagi but Saya returns to her feet and the two trade elbows. Headlock by Unagi but Saya drives her into the corner, Unagi avoids her charge however and hits a running elbow. Saya fires back with a dropkick, she picks up Unagi and clubs on her back. Snapmare by Saya and she applies a chinlock, but Unagi gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Saya picks up Unagi and puts her head over the second rope, she goes out to the apron and kicks Unagi repeatedly in the head. Saya returns to the ring and covers Unagi, but it gets a two count. Saya picks up Unagi, Saya challenges Unagi so Unagi hits her with a series of elbows. Saya absorbs them and knocks Unagi back to the mat, Saya goes off the ropes but Unagi drops her on the top rope with a Stun Gun.

Unagi goes out of the ring and pulls Saya’s head over the apron before hitting a cyclone DDT down to the floor. Unagi slides Saya back into the ring, jawbreaker by Unagi and she slams Saya face-first into the mat. Unagi tries to get Saya on her back but Saya blocks it, Unagi gets Saya in the corner but Saya avoids her charge and hits a hurricanrana. Unagi falls out of the ring, Saya goes to the ropes and dives down onto Unagi with a springboard plancha. Saya goes for a suplex out on the floor but Unagi reverses it into a DDT, Unagi waits for Saya to get up and they trade elbows. Unagi gets Saya up in the Gory Special (still on the floor) before dropping Saya onto the apron. Unagi returns to the ring with Saya following, Unagi applies a Dragon Sleeper but Saya inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Unagi goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a dropkick, Unagi catches Saya with an elbow but Saya delivers a spinning heel kick. Pump Kick by Saya and she connects with a second one for a two count cover. Saya goes to the top turnbuckle but Unagi recovers and elbows her off, sending Saya to the apron. Unagi drags Saya over the top rope and hits a cyclone DDT back into the ring, both wrestlers are slow to recover and start trading elbows while on their knees.

They keep it up as they return to their feet, Saya sends Unagi to the mat with a hard elbow before dropkicking her in the back of the head. Saya goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick to Unagi’s back. Saya picks up Unagi and delivers the fisherman suplex hold, but Unagi kicks out of the cover. Saya picks up Unagi but Unagi quickly hits the Sister Abigail for a two count. Unagi picks up Saya, boot by Unagi but Saya boots her back. Saya schoolboys Unagi and keeps the hold applied as she hits a bridging suplex hold for a two count. Saya tries to go to the turnbuckles but Unagi grabs her leg, Saya stomps herself free and starts climbing again but Unagi grabs her from behind and slams Saya to the mat. Unagi positions Saya and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing a diving body press for a two count. Unagi picks up Saya but Saya snaps off a hurricanrana, picking up two. Saya hits a spinning heel kick, she picks up Unagi and they struggle for control until Saya plants Unagi with a fisherman driver for a two count. Saya positions Unagi and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Phoenix Splash for the three count! Saya Kamitani wins and retains the championship.

Considering the participants and the length of the match, this probably went about as well as it could have. Both wrestlers are still relatively early in their careers in regards to in-ring minutes (especially in big singles matches), and if you look close you can sometimes tell as some of the transitions were iffy and there was more dead time here than in the last few matches. They struggled at times ending offensive strings with the right person getting the best of it (for example, Unagi knocking Saya to the mat but Saya being up first and on offense), as they had the match planned but maybe not every connection to all the dots. But the effort was certainly there, and unlike the last match this *felt* like a title match. Whether it was the big moves or the “fighting spirit” shown by both, they presented the match as high stakes which can make a match seem better than maybe it really was. This probably won’t end up being a highly remembered title defense by Saya, but likely an important one for her growth as she makes the shift to being a major player in the promotion. Mildly Recommended

Giulia vs. Mayu Iwatani

They trade holds to start, Mayu gets a guillotine choke applied but Giulia gets out of it and Mayu ends up rolling out of the ring to ponder things. She returns after a moment and they trade wristlocks, headlock by Giulia but Mayu Irish whips out of it. Hard shoulderblock by Giulia, she goes off the ropes but Mayu hits a side headlock takedown. They end up at a stalemate and reset, kick by Mayu and she hits a jumping back elbow. Mayu picks up Giulia and flings her by the hair, kick to the back by Mayu and she applies a headscissors. Giulia gets to the ropes for the break, Mayu picks up Giulia and drops her with a cutter. Cover by Mayu, but it gets two. Head kick by Mayu, she sets up Giulia in the ropes and yanks down on her hair. Dropkick by Mayu and she covers Giulia for two. Mayu throws Giulia into the corner, Irish whip by Mayu and she delivers a dropkick. Mayu goes off the ropes and drills Giulia in the chest with another dropkick, Giulia falls out of the ring and Mayu goes to do a dive but Mayu hits her in the head with an umbrella. Mayu ends up hanging from the second rope so Giulia takes advantage and applies a neck crank. Mayu elbows out of it but Giulia gets back in the ring and kicks Mayu in the head. Dropkick by Giulia and she puts Mayu in a STF.

She switches it to an armbar but Mayu gets to the ropes, Giulia picks up Mayu and elbows her in the arm. Giulia keeps working over Mayu’s arm with a variety of strikes and submissions, scoop slams by Giulia and she covers Mayu for two. Giulia mushes Mayu in the face with her boot before kicking her in the ribs, Giulia picks up Mayu and throws her into the corner. Irish whip by Giulia, reversed, but Giulia sits Mayu on the top turnbuckle and suplexes her to the mat for a two count. Giulia charges Mayu in the corner but Mayu moves and delivers a dropkick, both wrestlers are slow to recover and end up trading running elbows once they return to their feet. Superkick by Mayu and she delivers a double wrist armsault for two. Back up, superkick by Mayu and she goes to the top turnbuckle. Giulia avoids her dive, Mayu lands on her feet but Giulia puts her in an Octopus Hold. Mayu slams her way out of it and superkicks Giulia, sending Giulia out of the ring. Mayu gets a running start and tries to dive out onto Giulia with a tope suicida, but Giulia moves and Mayu ends up landing on her STARS teammates instead. Giulia grabs Mayu but Mayu punches her off and they trade elbows. Giulia gets the better of things, the referee tries to get her to stop but she pushes him to the ground and then catapults off his back with a dropkick. Giulia picks up Mayu and gets her on her shoulders for the Glorious Buster, but Mayu reverses positions with her and goes for a tombstone.

Giulia gets away but Mayu superkicks her, head kick by Mayu and she plants Giulia on the floor with the tombstone piledriver. Mayu gets back in the ring but Giulia grabs her from the floor and brings her back outside with a neckbreaker. Giulia and Mayu both barely make the count as they slide back in the ring, headbutts by Giulia but Mayu avoids her charge and goes for a schoolboy. Giulia blocks it and hits a release German, but Mayu springs up and hits a release German of her own. They both hit another German suplex before collapsing to the mat, they slowly return to their feet and Mayu drills Giulia with a jumping kick. Mayu gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Mayu but it gets two. Mayu picks up Giulia and delivers a dragon suplex hold, but Giulia gets a shoulder up. Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle but Giulia gets her feet up on the moonsault attempt, Giulia applies a triangle choke but Mayu gets her foot on the bottom rope. Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Giulia but it gets two.

Giulia puts Mayu in the Stealth Viper, but Mayu is too close to the ropes and makes it for the break. Giulia picks up Mayu and hits a Falcon Arrow, but Mayu rolls through it for a two count cradle. Giulia waits for Mayu to get to her knees and hits a sliding kick, she picks up Mayu and drops her with a wrist-clutch backdrop suplex. Giulia picks up Mayu and knees her right in the head, cover by Giulia but it gets two. Giulia picks up Mayu but Mayu reverses the Glorious Driver attempt into a Dodonpa for two. Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle but Mayu recovers and joins her, Giulia puts Mayu in a guillotine choke but has to let her go. Mayu re-joins Giulia before she can do anything, this time sending Giulia off with a Frankensteiner. Giulia falls out of the ring, Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her with a plancha suicida. Mayu slides Giulia back in, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a moonsault. She then goes all the way up top and delivers another moonsault, but Giulia kicks out of the cover. Blood is gushing from Giulia’s chin, she goes into a rage but Mayu is saved from her wrath as the bell rings as 30 minutes has expired. The match is a Draw.

Due to the Draw, both Giulia and Mayu will get a title shot, one on the 26th and one on the 27th. I imagine this was always the plan, for Giulia and Mayu to walk out with title challenges, they just had to go about it a different way than they thought. Anyway, this match was great. It had a few hiccups and Giulia’s early arm work was quickly forgotten, but considering they had to plan a 30 minute match with very little time I’m impressed with what they came up with. Giulia is an underrated suplex thrower as she was just planting Mayu, and Mayu is still one of the best sellers in wrestling as she made everything Giulia did look extra painful. The last ten minutes or so were fire, as they just traded big moves with barely taking a moment to catch their breath. Hard hitting and exciting, this won’t go down as a MOTYC due to the slow and at times somewhat awkward beginning but the end more than made up for it, a really entertaining match between two fantastic wrestlers.  Highly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. MIRAI
World of Stardom Championship

They start slow as they size each other up, Syuri gets MIRAI into the corner but MIRAI drives her back into the opposite corner before giving a clean break. Syuri quickly gets MIRAI to the mat and goes for an armbreaker, MIRAI gets out of it and they jockey for position. Syuri lets MIRAI up after a moment and they square off, drop toehold by Syuri and she applies a waistlock. MIRAI gets out of that too, Syuri goes for MIRAI’s leg but eventually they end up in another stalemate and return to their feet. Side headlock by Syuri, MIRAI Irish whips out of it and stands strong when Syuri goes for a shoulderblock. They trade shoulderblocks until Syuri kicks MIRAI, snapmare by Syuri but MIRAI ducks the PK and cradles Syuri for two. MIRAI bounces off the ropes a few times and knocks Syuri off her feet with a shoulderblock, leading to Syuri rolling out of the ring to regroup. MIRAI goes after Syuri but Syuri re-enters the ring, forcing MIRAI to come back to her. She does so, armdrag by Syuri and she applies an armbar but MIRAI gets to the ropes. Syuri picks up MIRAI and throws her into the corner, choking her with her boot. Irish whip by Syuri, reversed, but Syuri avoids her charge and knees MIRAI in the stomach. Running knee by Syuri and she covers MIRAI for two. Sleeper by Syuri but MIRAI wiggles to the ropes to force the break.

Suplex by Syuri, she sits up MIRAI and kicks her repeatedly in the back. Syuri nudges MIRAI with her foot and stomps her before picking her up, Syuri goes off the ropes but MIRAI catches her with a scoop slam. MIRAI goes off the ropes and hits a shoulderblock, two more shoulderblocks by MIRAI and she covers Syuri for two. MIRAI goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Syuri and trips her to get her to the mat. MIRAI applies a kneelock but Syuri kicks her off, Syuri applies a front necklock before putting MIRAI’s legs on the top rope and hitting a DDT. MIRAI rolls out of the ring, Syuri goes to the apron but MIRAI catches her kick attempt and pulls Syuri out with her. MIRAI picks up Syuri and gets her on her shoulder before slamming Syuri hard to the floor. MIRAI slides Syuri back into the ring, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a senton for a two count. MIRAI picks up Syuri but Syuri gets away, kicks by Syuri but MIRAI elbows her in the chest. Head kick by Syuri, MIRAI elbows her back and the two trade shots. Knees by Syuri, she goes off the ropes but MIRAI hits another elbow followed by a shoulderblock. Boot to the face by Syuri and she hits a Codebreaker, leading to both wrestlers being down on the mat. Syuri recovers first but MIRAI ducks her head kick, waistlock by MIRAI but Syuri elbows out of it. Mid-kick by Syuri and she kicks MIRAI in the chest a few more times, but MIRAI eventually catches one and elbows Syuri in the leg. Elbows by MIRAI but Syuri elbows her back, leading to another exchange. Syuri eventually boots MIRAI in the head to send her to the mat, stomps by Syuri but MIRAI fires back with elbows.

More elbows by MIRAI while in the mount and she goes for Syuri’s arm, but Syuri blocks it and gets MIRAI in a seated armbar. MIRAI is too close to the ropes and gets a boot on one for the break, Syuri gets MIRAI on her shoulders and delivers the double knee gutbuster for two. Syuri goes to the top turnbuckle but MIRAI recovers and joins her, suplexing Syuri back down to the mat. MIRAI picks up Syuri and slams her back down, she goes off the ropes and hits a hard lariat for a two count. MIRAI picks up Syuri and hits a hammerlock bridging suplex, she applies the Miramare but Syuri eventually gets to the ropes for the break. MIRAI gets Syuri on her shoulders but Syuri slides off, hitting a release German. MIRAI blocks Syuri’s next strike attempt, she lifts Syuri into a side slam and gets a two count cover. MIRAI gets Syuri on her back in a stretch submission before dropping her to the mat, lariat by MIRAI and she hits a Samoan Driver for a two count. MIRAI picks up Syuri and goes off the ropes, but Syuri catches her with a high kick. MIRAI fires back with a lariat but Syuri hits a running knee, Syuri kicks out of MIRAI’s flash pin and picks her up but MIRAI slides away and hits a series of elbows. Syuri connects with a kick to get back in control, Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri but MIRAI barely kicks out of the cover. Backfists by Syuri and she delivers a high kick, she gets MIRAI on her shoulders and nails the Red World (Death Valley Bomb) for the three count! Syuri wins and retains the championship!

I appreciate the effort here by both women but this really shouldn’t have been the main event of a PPV. I mentioned in the last event I reviewed that I really prefer main events not have such a skill/experience gap as while upsets do happen, its rarely one of this magnitude and it never really felt like MIRAI had a chance. The match was also too long which is another side effect of it being the main event, they could have told the same basic story and snipped ten minutes from it. MIRAI looked good and they had surprisingly good chemistry, which does speak well of her as Syuri matches can be a little awkward if the pairing doesn’t work. Very strike and submission based, both of which they executed well even if it went too long which forced them to repeat moves a lot. If this was in the Saya/Unagi spot and was more condensed, this could have been a high end match, however as presented it was entertaining but lacked the excitement one would hope for in the headlining spot. Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Nagoya Supreme Fight on 1/29/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “OSAKA SUPER WARS ~ OSAKA SUPER WOMEN’S WAR”
Date: December 18th, 2021
Location: Osaka Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,222
Broadcast: PPV and Stardom World

Even though I am a little behind (when am I not?), I still wanted to review this event just because its wacky. This show is very unique as Stardom isn’t generally known for crazy gimmick matches. Here though, several matches have a gimmick or an unusual quality to them, including a ladder match! Also we get a big elimination tag match, with the end result being either Momo Watanabe joining Oedo Tai or Starlight Kid being forced to unmask. Here is the full card:

• Gauntlet Match: Syuri vs Lady C, Mai Sakurai, and Waka Tsukiyama
• Artist of Stardom Championship and 10 Million Yen Prize Contest Unit Tournament Semi Final: Maika, Himeka, and Natsupoi vs. Takumi Iroha, Rin Kadokura, and Maria
• 10 Million Yen Prize Contest Unit Tournament Semi Final: Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, and Koguma vs. Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka, and Mina Shirakawa
• Captain’s Fall Match: Konami, Starlight Kid, Saki Kashima, and Ruaka vs. Utami Hayashishita, Momo Watanabe, Saya Kamitani, and AZM
• Artist of Stardom Championship and10 Million Yen Prize Contest Unit Tournament Final, Elimination Ladder Match: Maika, Himeka, and Natsupoi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, and Koguma

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Syuri vs Lady C, Mai Sakurai, and Waka Tsukiyama
Gauntlet Match
Syuri didn’t have anything to do on this event, so here she is in the opener in what will no doubt be a series of easy wins for her. In theory, a gauntlet match wouldn’t favor the wrestler that has to go against three different wrestlers in a row, but they made sure this was lopsided enough that we all know what is going to happen. Maybe this will be good experience for the newer wrestlers, but in the end I doubt this match will accomplish much.

Syuri vs. Waka Tsukiyama is the first match of the gauntlet. Syuri quickly takes down Waka and they trade holds on the mat, elbows by Waka but Syuri avoids the dropkick. Syuri gets Waka on her shoulders but Waka slides off, she tries a few flash pins but doesn’t have any luck. Waka gets Syuri’s back but Syuri flings her to the mat before kicking Waka in the back. Syuri throws Waka into the corner, Irish whip attempt by Syuri but Waka blocks it and slams her to the mat for two. Waka gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Syuri and hits a series of elbows. Waka goes off the ropes but Syuri nails her with a head kick, cover by Syuri and she gets the three count! Syuri wins!

Syuri vs. Mai Sakurai starts immediately, strikes by Mai and she hits a drop toehold. STF by Mai but Syuri crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break. Mai goes off the ropes but Syuri knees her in the midsection, snap suplex by Syuri and she covers Mai for two. Syuri gets on the second turnbuckle but Waka elbows her before she can jump off, cutter by Mai back to the mat and she hits a diving elbow drop from the second turnbuckle for a two count cover. Syuri catches Mai with a STO, sleeper by Syuri and Mai taps out! Syuri wins again!

Syuri vs. Lady C again starts with no delay, boot by Lady C but Syuri avoids the next attempt. The two trade elbows in the middle of the ring, boots by Lady C and she hits a jumping neckdrop for a two count. Lady C picks up Syuri but Syuri blocks the chokeslam, DDT by Syuri and she puts Lady C in a figure four leglock. Lady C makes it to the ropes for the break, stomps by Syuri but Lady C ducks a kick and chops Syuri in the head. Lady C gets Syuri up and nails the chokeslam, cover by Lady C but it gets a two count. Lady C applies a modified chokehold but Syuri gets out of it, running knee by Syuri and she covers Lady C for two. Syuri pulls Lady C to the middle of the ring and re-applies the figure four leglock, and this time Lady C taps out! Syuri wins the final match of the gauntlet!

This went about how you’d expect. Syuri gave all three a little bit of offense but not enough to be meaningful before putting them away with relative ease. Since this was a pre-show match, it didn’t hurt anything to have it exist, but it certainly didn’t really do anything for any of the wrestlers long term either. Really just an exhibition to show that Syuri is a danger to lower-end wrestlers.

Maika, Himeka, and Natsupoi vs. Takumi Iroha, Kadokura, and Maria
Artist of Stardom Championship and 10 Million Yen Prize Contest Unit Tournament Semi Final
Marvelous invades Stardom to not only get a title shot but to take part in the 10 Million Yen Contest tournament. Since the Trios champions are in the tournament, the titles are also on the line for each match so whichever team wins the tournament will also end up the champs as well. The champions come in representing DDM, led by Giulia. The challengers all hail from Marvelous, a promotion run by Chigusa Nagayo and includes their ace in Iroha along with young wrestlers Kadokura and Maria. The champions come in the favorites but it still should be a solid match as all six are quality wrestlers with various skill sets.

Rin and Maika start the match and tie-up, but end up breaking cleanly. They get back into it and trade holds but again end up in a stalemate so they tag out as Himeka and Takumi come in. Irish whip by Takumi as they both try to shoulderblock each other over, with Himeka eventually winning as she sends Takumi to the mat. Takumi fires back with an uppercut and stomps on Himeka, she tags in Maria and Maria dropkicks Himeka in the head. Maria goes for a scoop slam but Himeka blocks it, hitting one of her own before she tags in Natsupoi. Stomps by Natsupoi and she dropkicks Maria in the back, elbows by Natsupoi but Maria catches her with a dropkick. Bootscrapes by Maria and she hits a slingshot footstomp, kick to the ribs by Maria and she covers Natsupoi for two. Maria tags Takumi, Takumi kicks Natsupoi in the chest and drops her with a scoop slam. Body press by Takumi, but Natsupoi kicks out of the cover. Takumi chops Natsupoi in the corner but Natsupoi fires back with elbows, leg kick by Takumi and she tags Rin. Snapmare by Rin and she delivers a sliding kick to Natsupoi’s chest, cover by Rin but Natsupoi kicks out.

Jumping lariat by Rin, she picks up Natsupoi but Natsupoi flips away from her and delivers a dropkick. Natsupoi goes off the ropes but Rin avoids her dropkick, Rin then goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick of her own. She goes for a slam but Natsupoi blocks it, the two trade elbows until Natsupoi kicks Rin in the midsection and connects with a neckbreaker. This gives her time to tag in Maika, shoulderblocks by Maika to all her opponents and she lariats Rin in the corner. Another shoulderblock by Maika to Rin, and she covers her for two. Maika goes off the ropes but Rin catches her with a superkick, vertical suplex by Rin and she covers Maika for two. Maika elbows Rin but Takumi tags herself in and nails a jumping heel kick on Maika. She goes for a kick but Maika catches it, the two trade elbows until Takumi superkicks Maika in the back of the head. Irish whip by Takumi to the corner, reversed, but Rin and Maria both run in and all three attack Maika in the corner. Maika fires out of the corner with a shoulderblock on Takumi, kick combination by Takumi to Maika and she delivers a sliding kick. Takumi picks up Maika and hits a snap vertical suplex, Takumi goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a powerslam.

She tags in Himeka as they triple team Takumi, PK by Himeka to Takumi and she covers her for two. High kick by Takumi to Himeka, Rin goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. Assisted Fameasser by Rin to Himeka, cover by Takumi but it gets broken up. Takumi goes up top but Maika joins her and hits a superplex. Sliding lariat by Himeka, she goes off the ropes but Takumi grabs her arm and applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Himeka rolls out of it, Takumi drops her with a pair of head kicks and she tags in Maria. Dropkick by Maria and she applies a cross armbreaker, but it quickly gets broken up. Maria gets Himeka’s back but Himeka gets into the ropes to get a break, Himeka tries to get Maria on her shoulders but Maria slides off and applies a cradle for two. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, Maria goes off the ropes but Maika and Natsupoi both run in to attack her. Diving crossbody by Natsupoi to Maria, cover by Himeka but Takumi breaks it up. Sliding lariat by Himeka and she hits a second hard lariat, she sets up Maria in the turnbuckle and grabs her, nailing a powerbomb for the three count! DDM retain their titles advances in the tournament!

A perfectly fine match, although ultimately forgettable. The chemistry wasn’t an issue, although they didn’t have the more complex spots you see from Stardom sometimes since the Stardom wrestlers are so familiar with each other that it probably takes a bit of an adjustment when Marvelous comes to town. While I like all six of these wrestlers, Maika and Himeka are two of my favorites so I wish they could have done more – luckily they will be wrestling again in the main event. Time went by pretty quick and everything clicked well, this combination of wrestlers couldn’t have a bad match if they tried, but while the action was solid it was missing that something something to put it over the top. Still fun though.  Mildly Recommended

Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, and Koguma vs. Nakano, Sayaka, and Shirakawa
10 Million Yen Prize Contest Unit Tournament Semi Final
This is the other Semi Final of the tournament, as we get ready for the Finals later tonight. Here we see STARS vs. Cosmic Angels, two of the other factions in Stardom. The STARS team is pretty stacked, with The Icon teaming with the recently returned Hazuki and Koguma. On the other team, Tam Nakano leads the Cosmic Angels and is the most accomplished of the trio, as she is joined by Sayaka and Shirakawa. In terms of overall ability I’d give the edge to the STARS team but anything can happen in a six woman tag.

Koguma and Mina start the match, Mina gets cute and poses but Koguma quickly cradles her from behind for two. Mina gets the last laugh as she poses on top of Koguma, Tam and Sayaka come in and they triple team Koguma. Cover by Mina, but it gets two. Mina puts Koguma in the Romero Special but lets her go after a moment before tagging in Tam. Tam hits a running elbow in the corner, kick combination by Tam and she delivers a heel drop for a two count. Tam throws Koguma in the corner and tags Sayaka, snapmare by Sayaka and she puts Koguma in a camel clutch. Sayaka picks up Koguma and boots her in the face, running facebuster by Sayaka and she covers Koguma for two. Sayaka goes off the ropes but Koguma trips her, dropkick by Koguma and she makes the hot tag to Mayu. Dropkick by Mayu and she kicks Sayaka in the stomach, Irish whip by Mayu and she hits a bridging suplex for two. Mayu goes off the ropes but Sayaka catches her with a Codebreaker, she goes for a leg drop but Mayu rolls out of the way.

Sayaka gets Mayu on her back with the Gory Special, but Hazuki breaks it up. Hazuki stays in but Sayaka drops both of them before hitting a double legdrop. Sayaka tags in Tam, Tam comes in the ring with a diving crossbody to Mayu for a two count. Tam picks up Mayu and elbows her into the corner, Tam charges but Mayu moves and delivers a sliding kick to Tam’s face. Tam slides away from Mayu and both miss high kicks, mid-kick by Mayu and she superkicks Tam in the head. She goes off the ropes but Sayaka snaps her neck over the top rope from the apron, German Suplex Hold by Tam but it gets broken up. Irish whip by Tam but Mayu hits a Sling Blade, giving her time to tag Hazuki. Hazuki hits a swandive missile dropkick on Tam before applying an armtrap crossface, but Tam gets into the ropes for the break. Hazuki goes for the boot but Tam moves, Backstabber by Hazuki and Koguma hits a DDT. Running senton by Hazuki, but Tam kicks out at two. Hard elbow by Hazuki but Tam returns fire and the two trade blows. Tam eventually ducks a Hazuki lariat and cradles her for two, backdrop suplex by Tam and both wrestlers are hurt on the mat. Tam is up first and tags in Mina, running elbow by Mina in the corner and she delivers a sliding kick for two.

Mina goes for a slam but Hazuki blocks it, Mayu runs in and superkicks Mina before Koguma hits a cutter. Pump Kick by Hazuki to Mina and she slams Mina for a two count. Koguma picks up Mina but Mina reverses the suplex, head kick by Tam to Hazuki and Sayaka hits a leg drop. Assisted face crusher by Mina to Hazuki, but the cover is broken up. Tam and Sayaka take care of Mayu and Koguma, sending both out of the ring. Tam then gets on the top rope and with help dives out onto all three opponents with a plancha. Sayaka slides Hazuki back in while Mina goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving forearm smash on Hazuki for two. Mina gets Hazuki up but Hazuki blocks the DDT, spinning backfist by Mina and she nails the elevated DDT this time. Cover by Mina, but it barely gets broken up by Mayu. Tam and Sayaka get rid of Mayu and Koguma again, they all go to Hazuki and deliver heel drops. Mina picks up Hazuki but Hazuki slides away and quickly applies the Hazukistral for the three count! STARS win the match and advance to the Finals.

The structure of this one was unique, as they did very few tags. I’m too lazy to count but I believe that STARS only had two tags all match and the Cosmic Angels didn’t have many more than that. Probably made it easier for planning purposes but it almost felt like a series of singles matches except for the constant teamwork. That chaos did make the match more entertaining and was its saving grace, as much of the 1 vs. 1 action was nothing special. Mina and Sayaka continue to improve since joining Stardom in what they showed here, and Mayu always takes over any match she is in. I’m not a huge trios fan in general for the reason this match showed, as with under 15 minutes I didn’t feel like I got to really enjoy any one wrestler as there wasn’t enough time for everyone to show off. The chaotic cooperation within each team helped make the match pretty enjoyable, but I wish it felt more like a tag match with the general structure.  Mildly Recommended

Konami, Starlight Kid, Kashima, and Ruaka vs. Hayashishita, Watanabe, Kamitani, and AZM
Captain’s Fall Elimination and Unit Change Match
In a match heavily built-up leading into the show, one of the factions in Stardom is about to change and maybe we get to see Starlight Kid’s face. Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid have been feuding for months, climaxing with this match. There are several stipulations here – first, it is a Captain’s Fall Elimination Match, meaning the match can’t end until Momo or Starlight Kid are eliminated. Eliminations can take place via pinfall, submission, DQ, or Over The Top Rope. As this is also a Unit Change Match, the loser between Momo Watanabe and Starlight Kid will be forced to join the other faction. AND if Starlight Kid loses, she must unmask. So a lot going on! This match is pretty packed with talent, the edge goes to Queen’s Quest but Starlight Kid has been on a tear since joining Oedo Tai.

All eight wrestlers brawl to start the match, Queen’s Quest gets the early advantage as they isolate Starlight Kid. Utami stays in as the legal wrestler, she tries to throw Starlight Kid out of the ring but Starlight Kid gets out of it and rolls up Utami. Scoop slam by Utami and she tags AZM, AZM throws Starlight Kid into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Cover by AZM, but it gets two. AZM goes off the ropes but Konami cuts her off, Starlight Kid hits a springboard crossbody and tags Konami into the match. Snapmare by Konami and she kicks AZM in the back, Konami applies a stretch hold but it gets broken up. Konami throws AZM into the corner and chokes her with her boot, she tags in Ruaka and Ruaka kicks at AZM. Irish whip by Ruaka but AZM snaps off a hurricanrana, dropkick by AZM and she tags Utami. Dropkick by Utami but Saki comes in to help Ruaka, Utami throws Ruaka into Saki however and dropkicks her. Irish whip by Utami, reversed, and the two both try to shoulderblock over the other. Ruaka wins the exchange and tags in Konami, running knee by Konami and she delivers a sliding kick. Konami picks up Utami but Utami gets Konami on her shoulders, Konami slides off and applies a submission but it gets quickly broken up. Utami quickly picks up Konami and hits a Samoan Drop, the rest of her teammates come in and all four of Queen’s Quest dropkick Konami. Utami gets Konami up and tries to throw her out of the ring, but Konami hang onto her arm to block as she dangles over the top rope. Konami keeps tugging and eventually falls out of the ring after her, as both wrestlers crash to the floor. Utami Hayashishita and Konami are both eliminated via Over The Top.

Momo and Starlight Kid come in as the legal wrestlers, Momo goes for a slam but Starlight Kid blocks it and sends Momo to the mat. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, she goes off the ropes and hits a spinning headscissors. The rest of Oedo Tai run in and deliver strikes in the corner, Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and hits the Swivel Body Press but the pin is broken up. AZM dropkicks Starlight Kid, Momo follows with a Somato but it gets a two count. Momo goes for the B Driver and nails it, but Saki breaks up the cover. Momo tags Saya, knee by Saya in the corner to Starlight Kid and she delivers a dropkick. Saki tagged herself in from the apron and comes in with a headscissors on Saya, Irish whip by Saya to the corner but Saki flips her out to the apron. Saya goes for a springboard move but Saki pushes her back to the apron, she goes off the ropes but Saya recovers and hits a swandive crossbody. Northern Lights Suplex Hold by Saya, but it gets broken up. Momo and Saya both get up in the same turnbuckle and hit jumping knees, Saya picks up Saki but Saki blocks the fisherman suplex and puts Saya in the Kishikaisei for two. Saki goes off the ropes but Saya catches her with a jumping heel kick, Saya picks up Saki but Saki slides away and applies the Kishikaisei for the three count! Saya Kamitani is eliminated via pinfall.

AZM replaces Saya in the ring, she gets Saki to the mat and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Saki avoids the diving footstomp. Ruaka tags in and hits a hard shoulderblock, fisherman suplex attempt by Ruaka but AZM reverses it into a Fujiwara Armbar. Ruaka quickly gets to the ropes for the break, Momo comes in but Ruaka gets the better of things and hits a lariat on AZM. Cover by Ruaka, but Momo breaks it up. Ruaka goes to the top turnbuckle but AZM avoids the Freezer Bomb, dropkick by AZM and she goes up top to deliver a diving footstomp. Cover by AZM, but Ruaka barely gets a shoulder up. Momo comes back and they both dropkick Ruaka in the head, AZM goes off the ropes and puts Ruaka in the Numero Uno (modified armbar). Ruaka struggles for a moment but has to submit! Ruaka is eliminated.

Saki comes in as the new legal wrestler, she goes for the Kishikaisei but AZM blocks it and applies the Azumi Sushi for the three count! Saki Kashima is eliminated. The match is now Momo Watanabe and AZM vs. Starlight Kid.

Starlight Kid as the last wrestler left for Oedo Tai is the legal wrestler, and she is promptly double teamed by Momo and AZM. AZM goes up top but Konami gets on the apron to distract her, but that doesn’t stop Momo from hitting Starlight Kid with a PK. Ruaka trips Momo from the apron, giving Starlight Kid time to armdrag AZM off the top turnbuckle. AZM goes for the Azumi Sushi but Starlight Kid reverses it and the two trade flash pins with neither getting the three count. Momo returns and beats down Starlight Kid, she goes out to the apron so that AZM can tag her in. Kicks by Momo to Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid catches one and hits a dragon screw leg whip, she goes off the ropes but AZM kicks her from the apron. Assisted footstomp by AZM to Starlight Kid and she kicks her in the head, suplex by Momo to Starlight Kid but it only gets two. Momo drags on Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid blocks the Peach Sunrise, Momo then hits the Tequila Sunrise instead but the referee is pulled out of the ring while he tries to make the three count. Momo and AZM both kick Starlight Kid in the head, but Starlight Kid blocks the next attempt and AZM kicks Momo in the head by mistake. Victory roll by Starlight Kid, but it gets two. Starlight Kid picks up Momo and hits a side Russian leg sweep, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails a moonsault. Starlight Kid drags up Momo and hits a modified Tombstone, but her cover is broken up. Starlight Kid gets a Oedo Tai briefcase tossed to her, but the referee takes it before she can use it. She then gets a chair instead, she tosses it to Momo and then dropkicks the chair into her. Momo stands up with the chair however, she acts like she is going to hit Starlight Kid but she hits AZM instead! She then hits the referee as well, leading to her being disqualified. Momo Watanabe is eliminated via DQ, and Oedo Tai wins the match!

I’m going to not talk about the action itself (it was fine?) and rant (again!) about the stupidity of these types of matches in wrestling. Stardom didn’t invent wrestlers turning on their teammates mid-match but they certainly have embraced it, and it has to be one of my least favorite wrestling tropes. Besides the lack of logic in Momo attacking her future teammates for 19 minutes, you then have the issue where the match could have ended many many times before that. If a wrestler is going to turn on their own team it should be early in the match, like the first time they tag in, not at the end of it. I don’t mind Momo going to Oedo Tai but I didn’t need a convoluted match with stipulations that ended on meaning nothing as Momo wanted to join them anyway. I don’t think that Stardom will ever stop doing these “forced to change factions” or worse the “forced to change factions but wait they wanted to change factions” matches like they’ve done twice now in 2021, but I won’t ever like it. Starlight Kid looked great in the match, I will give her that, her future is bright even if this match was dumb and the action was disjointed.

(c) Maika, Himeka, and Natsupoi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Hazuki, and Koguma
Artist of Stardom Championship and10 Million Yen Prize Contest Unit Tournament Final, Elimination Ladder Match
More trios action, as we reach the Finals of the tournament in a ladder match! Not only is it a ladder match but its also a title match and an elimination match and a WINNER GETS 10 MILLION YEN match all wrapped into one. Stardom really went into gimmick overkill for this event and I am not really sure why, they have the best women’s roster of any promotion in the world and don’t have to fall back on such things to get attention. But I won’t deny it is fun to see a ladder match in Stardom, and both of these teams are really good. I hope they can adjust to the stipulation better than the last match did, I doubt they’d have the titles change hands on an overly gimmicky match but who knows what will happen on this event.

Koguma and Natsupoi start the match and immediately start climbing the ladder to get the briefcase, they get pulled off and all six wrestlers are already in the ring. Everyone clears out with Koguma and Natsupoi alone again, Natsupoi throws Koguma under the ladder before Koguma starts climbing it once again, but Natsupoi knocks her off and goes for the briefcase herself. Koguma pulls Natsupoi off the ladder, both wrestlers go off the ropes until Koguma tips the ladder on top of Natsupoi. Mayu and Hazuki come in the ring as they put the ladder down and triple team their opponent. Triple dropkick to Natsupoi, Koguma covers her (remember its also an elimination match) but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Koguma near the ropes and she runs on her back, footstomp by Koguma and she covers Natsupoi for two. Koguma tags in Mayu, chop by Mayu in the corner and she snapmares Natsupoi before kicking her in the back. Camel Clutch by Mayu but it gets broken up, Mayu throws Natsupoi into the corner and delivers a dropkick for two. Mayu tags Hazuki, scoop slam by Hazuki and she gives Natsupoi bootscrapes near the ropes followed by a big boot. Hazuki clubs on Natsupoi but Natsupoi flips out of the snapmare and hits a crossbody. She manages to tag in Himeka, shoulderblocks by Himeka but Koguma runs in to break up the Argentine Backbreaker. Himeka shoulderblocks both of them but Hazuki hits a Codebreaker before making the tag to Mayu.

Running strike by Mayu in the corner and she follows that with a sliding kick for a two count. Natsupoi and Maika come in to try to help but Mayu hits a springboard double armdrag on both of them, double dropkick by Mayu but Himeka attacks Mayu from behind. Himeka grabs the ladder and sets it up, she climbs it but Mayu climbs up the other side and the two trade blows at the top of it. Himeka jumps off and runs to Mayu’s side, she gets Mayu on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop. The referee gets the ladder out of the way while Maika is tagged in, lariat by Maika to Mayu in the corner and she hits the Fallaway Slam for two. Maika picks up Mayu but Mayu slides away and delivers two kicks for a quick cover. Mayu gets the ladder and sets it up near the corner, she goes to the top of the ladder but Maika recovers and joins her. Superplex by Maika off the ladder down to the mat, Maika slowly cover Mayu but Koguma breaks it up. Maika picks up Mayu and nails the cross-arm STO, but Mayu barely kicks out. Maika goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits her with a pump kick, cutter by Koguma and they throw Maika into the corner against the ladder. Catapult dropkick by Mayu, she then climbs up the ladder in the corner and nails the moonsault for the three count! Maika is eliminated.

Natsupoi comes in as the legal wrestler with a diving crossbody, she picks up Mayu but Mayu superkicks her into the corner with the ladder propped against it. She tags in Koguma, Koguma hits a body avalanche in the corner followed by a cutter for two. Koguma gets the ladder out of the corner and sets it up in the middle of the ring, she climbs it but Himeka grabs her from behind. All five wrestlers end up trying to climb the ladder at the same time, which naturally doesn’t work and all five end up back on the mat. The action spills out of the ring, Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out but accidentally lands on her own teammates. STARS quickly get back into the ring, they set up the ladder near the ropes and Koguma climbs to the top, diving down onto all three members of DDM. Hazuki and Mayu then get a running start in the ring and hit stereo tope suicidas, Natsupoi is rolled back into the ring while Koguma goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, but Himeka breaks up the cover. Koguma picks up Natsupoi but Natsupoi blocks the suplex attempt and hits a release German of her own. Natsupoi tags in Himeka, Himeka picks up Koguma but Koguma cradles her for two. Koguma goes off the ropes but Himeka levels her with a lariat, she gets Koguma on her shoulders before slamming her to the mat. Hazuki breaks up the cover with the ladder, Koguma recovers first and goes up top but Himeka runs over and grabs her before she can jump off. Koguma blocks the powerbomb attempt and goes for a slam, but Himeka gets out of it and clubs on Koguma’s back. Lariat by Himeka, and she covers Koguma for the three count! Koguma is eliminated.

Hazuki comes in and boots Himeka in the face, Himeka falls in her corner and tags in Natsupoi, who promptly dropkicks Hazuki. She goes for another one but Hazuki boots her in the face, Mayu comes in and they double team Natsupoi. Double boot to Natsupoi, Hazuki picks her up and hits the Michinoku Driver for a two count. Hazuki sets up the ladder and starts climbing it, but Natsupoi grabs her from being and drops her with a German suplex. Natsupoi starts climbing but Mayu grabs her, Himeka gets Mayu up in a powerbomb position and Natsupoi dives off the ladder with a crossbody onto Mayu. Natsupoi sets the ladder back up and climbs it, but Hazuki hits a swandive boot on the ladder to knock her off. Hazuki goes to get the ladder but Himeka comes up from behind and hits a backdrop suplex. Mayu comes in but Himeka plants her with a lariat, Himeka helps Natsupoi climb the ladder while Maika holds the ladder still, and Natsupoi gets the briefcase! DDM win the match, the money, and retain the championship!

This match just had way too much going on. It didn’t need to be both a ladder match and an elimination match and I don’t see what being an elimination match added to it except it gave the wrestlers an excuse to go for covers. The fact two were eliminated had no bearing on the results and it gave the match almost two halves, where for a bulk of it they wrestled it as just a straight match before remembering the ladder, which then was heavily featured in the second half. There were still positives though – the wrestlers have great chemistry and the “big” ladder spots all went off without a hitch. Since ladder matches are rare in Joshi, it does add a layer of excitement and I was impressed by Koguma’s fearlessness. I still mostly enjoyed myself watching this as they kept the action up and they are great wrestlers, but it was just over-gimmicked and had so much going on it distracted from the match.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom “OSAKA SUPER WARS” on 12/18/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “KAWASAKI SUPER WARS ~ KAWASAKI SUPER WOMEN’S WAR”
Date: November 3rd, 2021
Location: Todoroki Arena in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 906
Broadcast: Streamed on Stardom World and on PPV

It has been a long time since I’ve sat down and reviewed a Stardom event. Stardom has some of my favorite Joshi wrestlers and I’ve still been spot-watching matches, but due to time and other hobbies I haven’t been as focused on reviewing events lately. But with Utami Hayashishita and Hazuki in the main event of Stardom KAWASAKI SUPER WARS, I figured this was as good of an event as any to jump back into it. There are other fun things on the show as well, the winners of the big matches are fairly obvious but that doesn’t mean the matches won’t be entertaining. Here is the full card:

• Future Of Stardom Championship: Ruaka vs. Lady C
• Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League: Fukigen Death and Saki Kashima vs. Hanan and Rina
• Maika vs. Mina Shirakawa vs. Saya Kamitani
• Himeka and Natsupoi vs. Koguma and Mayu Iwatani
• High Speed Championship: Starlight Kid vs. Momo Watanabe
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship and 5STAR Grand Prix Contract: Syuri vs. AZM
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Tam Nakano vs. Unagi Sayaka
• World Of Stardom Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. I’m watching the live version of the show, which probably won’t be any different from the Stardom World version but wanted to note that just in case.

(c) Ruaka vs. Lady C
Future of Stardom Championship
We start the show with a title match. Ruaka has been in Stardom for several years but is only 17 years old, she isn’t a high end wrestler (yet) but seems to have embraced her Oedo Tai persona and the promotion is giving her a solid go at it as she nears adulthood. Lady C has been wrestling for a year and has struggled to find any success – she very rarely picks up wins and even though she is 27 she currently ranks near the bottom of the promotion. She has won exactly one singles match in her career and so far is 0-3 against Ruaka in singles matches, so needless to say the odds are stacked against her picking up the championship.

Lady C charges Ruaka to start the match and boots her, elbows by Lady C and she chops Ruaka in the chest. Lady C charges at Ruaka but Ruaka hits a shoulderblock, Ruaka kicks at Lady C and challenges her to get back up, chop but Lady C but Ruaka knocks her down with another shoulderblock. Ruaka goes for a running senton but Lady C moves, hip toss by Lady C and she hits a running boot to Ruaka’s face. Another boot by Lady C and she covers Ruaka for two. Lady C picks up Ruaka and puts her in a stretch hold, but Ruaka gets out of it and hits a shoulderblock. Ruaka picks up Lady C but Lady C blocks the fisherman suplex, Lady C clubs Ruaka and goes for a choke hold, but Ruaka quickly gets out of it. Crossbody by Ruaka, but it gets a two count. Ruaka goes to the top turnbuckle but Lady C recovers and elbows her before she can jump off. Ruaka knocks Lady C back but Lady C hits a boot before tossing Ruaka back to the mat. Running kneedrop by Lady C and she covers Ruaka for a two count. Lady C applies a cobra clutch but Ruaka spins out of it and hits a lariat. Running senton by Ruaka, she picks up Lady C and delivers a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Ruaka goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Freezer Bomb, picking up the three count! Ruaka wins and retains the championship.

A simple match, as one would expect. There is a reason that Lady C is struggling to move up the card – she is fundamentally coming along ok but she is a little awkward still and isn’t ready yet for a bigger role. Maybe one day. Ruaka isn’t great either but does enough to get by, so combining the two it wasn’t going to be a technical masterpiece. They were smart to keep the match short (under five minutes) as it allowed them to stay on point and get through the match with minimal downtime. Not a bad way to start the event, but hopefully the Future of Stardom Championship gets some better matches soon.

Fukigen Death and Saki Kashima vs. Hanan and Rina
Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League
As this event took place in the middle of the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League, they decided to put one filler match from the tournament onto this show. I say its a filler match as neither of these teams have any chance at winning the tournament as on one side is a clown and on the other side are two literal children. Really, its a case where these four probably would have had nothing to do on this show anyway so it made sense to go ahead and get their tag league match out of the way. Course, Rina is in Oedo Tai with Death and Saki Kashima, so this may not go well for Hanan either way. I’m not overly excited about it although I haven’t seen Hanan in awhile and I am curious to see how she is progressing based on the early promise she showed.

Saki and Death attack Hanan as the match starts with Rina (her own partner) watching as she is in Oedo Tai so she doesn’t actually like Hanan (in wrestling, I am sure IRL the sisters are good friends). Rina beats on Hanan before Saki hits a scoop slam, Saki chokes Hanan and tags in Death. Death grabs Hanan and throws her down by the hair but Hanan hits a judo toss and tags in Rina. Rina picks up Hanan and slams her onto Death, she then grabs Hanan and drop toeholds her onto Death for a two count cover. Rina puts Death in an Octopus Hold into a cradle, but Death kicks out at two. Irish whip by Rina, reversed, and Death pokes Rina in the eyes. Back elbow by Death, and she covers Rina for two. Death tags in Saki, she hesitates to hit Rina so Rina elbows her and hits a hip toss.

Hanan comes in and they Irish whip Saki, but Saki breaks through their arms and kicks Hanan out of the ring. Capture suplex by Rina to Saki, but it only gets two. She makes the tag to Hanan, dropkicks by Hanan but Saki blocks the suplex attempt. Face crusher out of the corner by Saki and she delivers a big boot for a two count. Rina comes in and they both toss Saki to the mat, Hanan picks up Saki and delivers a Cutie Special for a two count. Death comes in but Hanan dropkicks her, Hanan tries to dropkick Saki but kicks Rina by mistake. Rina isn’t happy about this and she helps Saki boot Hanan before all three hit running strikes in the corner. Double arm suplex by Saki, but Hanan barely gets a shoulder up. Saki drags up Hanan and delivers the My Emblem, and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima and Fukigen Death win and gets two points in the tournament.

While at least this had something resembling a story due to the Hanan/Rina dynamic, still not a whole lot here to get excited about. Faction wrestlers do frequently wrestle against each other (as we’ll see later tonight) so it wasn’t outside the realm of normal in Stardom for Rina to fight her own teammates to try to get the win, but she didn’t stay committed to that theory for very long. A short match that I guess showed that the Oedo Tai family is tighter to Rina than her real family.

Maika vs. Mina Shirakawa vs. Saya Kamitani
Business has picked up a little bit as we have a unique three way match. Three way matches by definition can struggle to find their footing, as it can be awkward with a third wheel, but these three are all pretty solid wrestlers. Saya Kamitani I wish had a bigger match on the event as she is one of the brighter young stars in the promotion, but Maika and Mina are no slouches so its not like she is wrestling too low on the card. The three way element makes the winner less predictable than most of the matches on the show, which is nice, and if the match is long enough to give the individuals a chance to shine it should be a solid match.

Mina goes on the offense to start as she armdrags both opponents, but gets kicked by both for her trouble. Mina briefly gets them to pose with her before Saya kicks Mina and she is double teamed. Saya and Maika face off, Saya flips away from Maika but Maika avoids the dropkick. Saya then avoids the sliding lariat and dropkicks Maika in the back, Saya throws Maika into the corner but Maika flips her out to the apron. Saya knocks back Maika and goes for a springboard crossbody, but Maika catches her and slams Saya to the mat for a two count. Maika picks up Saya but Saya blocks the suplex, she goes off the ropes but Maika re-appears and hits a jumping double chop on her. Dropkick by Mina, and she covers Saya for two. Mina asks Maika to help her so she does, as they put Saya in a double Mexican Surfboard. Saya rolls out of the ring as Mina and Maika face each other, Mina blocks the suplex and the two trade elbows.

Saya dives in with a combo springboard dropkick/crossbody to interrupt, Maika throws Saya into the corner and hits a lariat. Hard shoulderblock by Maika, she picks up Saya but Mina rolls up Maika from behind as all three trade flash pins. Mina grabs Maika but Maika levels her with a short-range lariat, Saya returns and dropkicks Maika but Maika knocks her back. Heel kick by Saya, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Maika recovers and joins her. Maika hits a superplex while Mina sneaks in and powerbombs Maika, sending both crashing to the mat. Mina elbows Saya in the back of the head, she props her legs up on the top rope and delivers a DDT for a two count. Mina picks up Saya but Saya blocks the DDT, Maika runs in and lariats Saya in the back. Rolling kick by Mina to Maika, she goes back to Saya and goes for the DDT again, but Saya blocks it and snaps off a hurricanrana for two. Saya charges Mina but Mina hits a Lou Thesz Press, she picks up Saya and this time nails the Implant DDT for the three count! Mina Shirakawa is the winner!

If I had to predict a winner, it would not have been “Mina pins Saya” but all three are on a similar level right now in Stardom. Mina has vastly improved since joining Stardom, similar to Maika – whatever they are doing in the dojo at Stardom is working as everyone they sign gets better. For a short chaotic three way match this wasn’t bad, Saya looked impressive with her high flying and Mina controlled the action well. Maika got lost in the shuffle here and wasn’t memorable, but that’s just the way that things go sometimes. A perfectly fine midcard match, but nothing you’ll really remember by the end of the event.

Himeka and Natsupoi vs. Koguma and Mayu Iwatani
Another match that ultimately means nothing but still could be a banger if they put the effort into it. I enjoyed Himeka in AgZ but she’s really stepped it up since joining Stardom, her partner Natsupoi has had some iffy moments in Stardom with execution however I still find her exciting to watch. On the other side, the Icon Mayu Iwatani teams with the recently returned Koguma, I haven’t seen much of Koguma since her comeback so I am interested to see how she is coming along. A fun combination of wrestlers so I’m expecting good things.

Natsupoi and Koguma start off and get right to it, getting into a fast exchange ending in a stalemate. Koguma slides out of the ring and pulls Himeka out with her, using Himeka as a distraction as she runs around the ring. She eventually slides back in as Natsupoi follows, she jumps out to the apron and slides back in with a sunset flip for two. She tags in Mayu, snapmare by Mayu and she kicks Natsupoi in the back. Chinlock by Mayu, Himeka tries to break it up but Koguma sends her out of the ring. Mayu lets go after a moment and throws down Natsupoi by the hair, she tosses Natsupoi into the corner and tags in Koguma. Stomps by Koguma and she hits a scoop slam, body press by Koguma but it only gets a two count. Mayu is tagged back in as Natsupoi continues being the Face In Peril, but she finally gets away and delivers a jumping crossbody which gives her time to tag in Himeka. Hard shoulderblocks by Himeka, she throws Mayu into the corner but Mayu avoids her charge and delivers a sliding kick. Mayu tags in Koguma, body avalanche by Koguma in the corner to Himeka but Natsupoi runs in to help her partner. She doesn’t help much as Koguma stacks them both in the corner and hits a body avalanche followed by a jumping crossbody for two. Koguma picks up Himeka but Himeka gets Koguma on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop.

She makes the tag to Natsupoi, dropkick by Natsupoi but Koguma avoids the next attempt and stands on Natsupoi’s back near the ropes. Natsupoi avoids the jumping footstomp and nails Koguma with the Murder Dropkick, cover by Natsupoi but it gets two. Natsupoi picks up Koguma and goes for a cradle, however Koguma reverses it for a two count of her own. Scoop slam by Koguma, she picks up Natsupoi but Himeka runs in with a knee. Neckbreaker by Natsupoi, she goes for a cover but Koguma cradles her for two. Koguma applies a sleeper and she swings her around before dropping her to the mat. Koguma goes off the ropes but Natsupoi ducks the lariat and drops Koguma with a release German. Koguma follows with a release German of her own, both wrestlers roll to their corners and tag in their partners. Kick by Mayu but Himeka fires out of the corner with a shoulderblock and she puts Mayu in an elevated crab hold. Mayu gets into the ropes for the break, Himeka gets Mayu on her shoulders but Mayu slides off and schoolboys Himeka for two. She quickly follows with a sliding kick, Mayu goes for a slam of some sort but Himeka blocks it. Koguma flies in over Mayu with a face crusher onto Himeka, Koguma stays in and helps double team Himeka but Natsupoi breaks up Mayu’s cover. Mayu goes to the top turnbuckle but Natsupoi hits her from the apron, Himeka joins Mayu on the turnbuckle and gets her on her shoulders, but Mayu slides off as she lands on the mat. Natsupoi dropkicks Mayu, double Irish whip to Mayu but Mayu grabs their hands and delivers a double springboard armdrag.

Koguma comes in and they both dropkick an opponent, sending them out of the ring. Mayu goes off the ropes and goes for a plancha suicida, but her opponents move and she ends up landing on her own partner and random ringside wrestlers instead. Natsupoi then goes up top and dives down onto Mayu and Koguma, Himeka slides Mayu back in and nails a big lariat for a two count. Himeka picks up Mayu and hits a backdrop suplex, sliding lariat by Himeka but again her cover only gets two. Himeka drags Mayu to her feet and throws her into the corner, Himeka sets up Mayu for a powerbomb while Natsupoi goes to the top turnbuckle, but Mayu ducks Natsupoi’s crossbody while hitting a hurricanrana on Himeka for a two count. Superkick by Mayu to Himeka with Koguma following with a missile dropkick. German Suplex Hold by Mayu to Himeka, but it gets a two count. Koguma is still in the ring as they both grab Himeka, but Himeka pushes them off before Natsupoi hits a diving crossbody on both. Himeka gets Mayu on her shoulders and nails the JP Coaster, but Mayu kicks out of the pin. Himeka lariats Mayu in the back and sets her up on the turnbuckle, she sets up Mayu for a powerbomb while Natsupoi dives off the top with a crossbody. Cover by Himeka, but Mayu barely gets a shoulder up. Himeka scoops up Mayu before nailing a powerbomb, but that gets a two as well. Lariat by Himeka as she gets Mayu up for a powerbomb again, she nails the running powerbomb but Koguma breaks up the cover. Before she can do anything else, the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Even though this was only a 15 minute match, they packed A LOT into it. They had no downtime whatsoever, it was pretty much go-go-go from bell to bell. Everyone looked really good here and the chemistry they have is off the charts, as the action was smooth and the teamwork was always on point. Himeka continues to really elevate herself in any match I see her in, she presents herself as a power wrestler really well and Stardom wrestlers are generally so tiny that she has no issue throwing them around and leveling them with hard lariats. Koguma appears to have knocked all the rust off as she kept up with the others without any issue, and the match just clicked. While having a Draw is a bit of a cop-out, its not a big deal on the midcard. A really well structured and entertaining match.  Recommended

(c) Starlight Kid vs. Momo Watanabe
High Speed Championship
This one is interesting as I think everyone (including myself) expected some type of shenanigans as neither of these two should be losing clean here. Starlight Kid has been on a tear since joining Oedo Tai and its way too early for her to be dropping a title while in her new persona. Momo hasn’t had as much success lately but she is a respected vet and is capable of going after a major title whenever she wants to, plus she’s one of the better in-ring wrestlers they have. Even though I went into this not expecting a legitimate ending, they have good chemistry so whatever they do should be entertaining.

Starlight Kid pushes Momo into the ropes but Momo knocks her down with a dropkick, another dropkick by Momo but Ruaka trips Momo from the floor to give Starlight Kid the upper hand. Starlight Kid grabs Momo by the hair before going to the apron and pulling her head through the ropes. All of Oedo Tai jump on the apron to pose on Momo, kicks to the head by Starlight Kid and she boots Momo in the face. Back in the ring, cover by Starlight Kid but it gets a two count. Stomps by Starlight Kid and she throws Momo into the corner, Momo jumps up on the turnbuckle but Starlight Kid quickly pulls her back off and stomps her again. Starlight Kid charges Momo but Momo catches her with a double knee strike, she throws Starlight Kid out of the ring and hits a PK from the apron. Momo picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid punches her and goes for a slam on the floor. Momo blocks it and eventually connects with a vertical suplex. Momo slides Starlight Kid back in, kick by Momo but Starlight Kid chops her back as the two trade blows. Momo delivers a series of kicks and goes for the B Driver, Starlight Kid blocks it but Momo kicks Starlight Kid in the shin. She goes for the Somato but Starlight Kid ducks it, Momo quickly recovers though and still hits the Somato anyway for a two count. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the diving Somato, but Starlight Kid gets a shoulder up on the cover.

Crossface chickenwing by Momo and she spins Starlight Kid around, dropping her with the B Driver for another two. Momo picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid blocks the Tequila Sunrise, she goes for a hurricanrana but Momo blocks it and kicks Starlight Kid in the head. Momo picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid quickly snaps off a Ki-chan Bomb for two. Starlight Kid picks up Momo and hits the cyclone neckbreaker, Starlight Kid goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault for a two count. Starlight Kid goes for a suplex but Momo blocks it, kick to the head by Momo and she charges Starlight Kid, but Starlight Kid holds down the top rope and Momo tumbles out of the ring. Starlight Kid goes out after her and they jockey for control out on the floor, hard head kick by Momo but Starlight Kid blocks the Tequila Sunrise and delivers a dropkick. Starlight Kid slides Momo back in but then pulls her right back out, as the rest of Oedo Tai come over to help. Starlight Kid sets up a chair on the ramp and Momo is sat on it, while Starlight Kid assaults her with food. Running boot by Starlight Kid but Momo hulks up and starts kicking everyone, she slams Starlight Kid’s head repeatedly into a chair and rips at her mask. Starlight Kid gets away and the two start trading elbows, Starlight Kid pushes Momo against the railing but Momo switches positions with her as they continue to brawl. The referee eventually has had enough and starts the count, and he reaches 20 while the two are still way down the ramp. The match is a Draw, Starlight Kid retains the championship.

A non-conclusive ending as was expected, but what they did was fun to watch. Momo is at her best when she’s an ass kicker and she kicked a bunch here, as she was in no mood for Starlight Kid’s attitude and showed off her more aggressive side as a result. She really came across as the better wrestler, but that’s ok as she is more accomplished than Starlight Kid, who is still building her career. The ending will lead to a bigger match down the road more than likely on a bigger event, so this was an entertaining taste of things to come. A little short, but overall still a good time.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Syuri vs. AZM
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship and 5STAR Grand Prix Contract
They really tried to build intrigue for this match, but it was a hard sell to Stardom fans. Syuri not only is popular but traditionally is extremely difficult to defeat. There is a reason she went to a Draw with Utami and won the 5STAR Grand Prix – she’s one of the toughest wrestlers in the promotion. AZM has been doing better in the last year but is still only 19 years old with one singles title run in her career. She’s feisty, but there is no way she was going to take down Syuri. Still, Syuri is a giving wrestler so AZM should put up a good fight before losing.

They trade waistlocks to start, Syuri gets AZM to the mat first but AZM switches positions with her as they jockey for position. They eventually return to their feet and lock knuckles, Syuri gets AZM’s back as they continue going back and forth. Hard shoulderblock by Syuri but AZM quickly returns to her feet and armdrags Syuri out of the ring. AZM gets on the apron but Syuri catches the PK and pulls AZM down to the floor with her. AZM whips off a hurricanrana, she gets back in the ring and dives out onto Syuri with a triple jump plancha from the corner. AZM returns to the ring, Syuri slowly gets on the apron and AZM hurricanranas her through the ropes for a two count cover. AZM picks up Syuri but Syuri scoops her up and drops AZM on her face. Syuri puts AZM in a crab hold but AZM makes it to the ropes for the break, stomps by Syuri but AZM slaps her in the face. More slaps by AZM and she goes off the ropes, but Syuri knees her in the midsection. AZM fires back with a vertical suplex, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Syuri recovers and joins her. AZM slides to the apron and kicks Syuri, sending her into the Tree of Woe, allowing AZM to quickly hit a diving kneedrop.

AZM whips Syuri to the mat and puts her in an armbar. She lets go after a moment to hit a diving footstomp to Syuri’s arm, she goes up top and nails a regular diving footstomp for a two count. AZM picks up Syuri but Syuri kicks her in the head, both slowly get up and AZM hits a series of elbows. Syuri blocks her slam attempt and hits a Final Cut, picking up a two. AZM avoids a Syuri kick and hits a high kick of her own, Syuri snaps off a German suplex however and dropkicks AZM into the corner. Running knee by Syuri and she drops AZM with a DDT for two. Syuri goes up top but AZM avoids her diving legdrop, La Mistica by AZM but Syuri gets a foot on the ropes. Kick to the leg by AZM and she delivers a head kick, Canadian Destroyer by AZM but it only gets two. AZM goes for a cradle but Syuri reverses it, AZM goes off the ropes and applies La Mistica again. She rolls it over into a seated armbar but Syuri gets out of it and hits a double knee gutbuster. Cover by Syuri, but it gets a two count. Syuri puts AZM in a Scorpion Deathlock but AZM crawls to the ropes and makes it for the break. Kicks to the chest by Syuri, she sits up AZM but AZM catches her kick and delivers a cross-legged suplex hold for two. Elbows by AZM and she goes for La Mistica again, but this time Syuri catches her and slams AZM to the mat. Syuri puts AZM in the White Tiger, and AZM has no choice but to submit! Syuri wins and retains her championship.

Just because the ending is known in advance doesn’t mean the match can’t be entertaining. AZM continues to grow in the ring every time I see her, and while her size may hold her back a bit, she certainly has the talent to be a major player in Stardom for years to come. She didn’t look out of place at all in the ring with Syuri, who traditionally has been known to sometimes have awkward matches with wrestlers that can’t match her style. AZM going for the La Mistica one too many times was a fitting mistake for a younger wrestler to make, and Syuri certainly capitalized in a very even match. Not a real long match but it felt like it went the right amount of time, really good match and an important stepping stone for AZM as her upward climb continues.  Recommended

(c) Tam Nakano vs. Unagi Sayaka
Wonder Of Stardom Championship
Like the last match, the winner here is clear. Tam Nakano is one of the most popular wrestlers in the promotion and has held the Wonder of Stardom Championship for 250 days. While no doubt she will drop the title sooner than later, it won’t be to Unagi, who is more of a B-Tier title challenger. Unagi briefly held the Future of Stardom Championship earlier this year but otherwise has had limited success as a singles wrestler and currently ranks 3rd in her own faction (behind Tam and Mina). If they are smart, they will keep this match relatively short as more of a sprint, but knowing Stardom that won’t happen as most title matches get stretched out. I hope that Unagi pulls something special out as on paper, this is the major title match I was most concerned about delivering.

The match starts slow as they trade holds on the mat, Tam applies a guillotine into a side headlock as they return to their feet as Unagi struggles to get out of it. She eventually does so and hits a hard shoulderblock, she goes for a lariat but Tam brides under it and cradles Unagi for two. Head kick by Tam, she picks up Unagi and snapmares her before kicking Unagi in the back for a two count. Irish whip by Tam from the corner and she hits a running elbow, she rolls Unagi to the mat and kicks her repeatedly for another two. Headscissors by Tam as she slams Unagi’s head into the mat, but Unagi makes it to the ropes for the break. Back up, Unagi fights back with elbows but Tam absorbs the blows and elbows her to the mat. Head kick by Tam but she lifts her up on the cover attempt, Tam goes off the ropes but Unagi drops her throat-first onto the top rope. Tam ends up half out of the ring, Unagi exits and grabs Tam’s head while it is hanging over the apron, delivering a corkscrew DDT down to the floor.

Unagi returns to the ring with Tam slowly following, Unagi clubs Tam and hits a jawbreaker. Leg drop by Unagi, and she covers Tam for two. Heel drop by Unagi, she goes up top but Tam recovers and joins her. They trade elbows while on the turnbuckles, slaps by Tam but Unagi hits a headbutt. Tam headbutts her back and Unagi falls down to the floor, Tam quickly returns to the top turnbuckle and dives out of the ring with a plancha. Back in the ring, running knee by Tam but Unagi kicks out of the cover. Tam picks up Unagi but Unagi slides away, she gets Tam to the mat and puts her in a Dragon Sleeper. Tam gets to the ropes for the break, Unagi picks her up but Tam gets away from her and hits a Tiger Driver. Both wrestlers are slow to recover as they trade elbows on their knees, Unagi knocks Tam over but Tam hits an up-kick. Back up, elbows by Unagi and she goes off the ropes, but Tam catches her with a superkick. Another head kick by Tam, she picks up Unagi but Unagi blocks the Tiger Suplex and drops her face-first into the mat.

Unagi waits for Tam to get up but Tam avoids her boot and hits a German suplex hold for two. Tam goes up top but Unagi boots her down to the apron, Unagi grabs Tam and hooks her feet on the top rope before driving her into the mat. Unagi puts Tam in the Gori Special before delivering a face buster, cover by Unagi but Tam kicks out. Unagi picks up Tam and nails the Taigi De Atta, but again Tam gets a shoulder up. Unagi kicks Tam into the corner and puts her onto the top turnbuckle, Unagi joins Tam but Tam elbows her off. Tam dives off the top but Unagi avoids her, Tiger Suplex by Tam and she nails a pair of head kicks. Sliding knee strike by Tam, and she covers Unagi for two. Tam drags up Unagi and hits the Tiger Suplex, she rolls Unagi back up and delivers the Twilight Dream for the three count! Tam Nakano wins and retains the championship.

This may have been a smidge longer than it needed to be but overall it was pretty good. Unagi has improved since joining Stardom but she still needs a slightly more varied offensive moveset, which will come with time. The only part of the match I didn’t like was Tam lifting Unagi on one of the covers instead of pinning her. This wasn’t a blood feud where two people really wanted to beat each other up, they are in the same faction so it didn’t make any logical sense that Tam would have a chance to win but not do it to inflict more violence. Plus it came way too early in the match to be a believable moment anyway. The fact I knew Unagi couldn’t win took out some of the drama but they tried hard to show them on the same footing and Unagi had some quality near-falls. A few moments I would have probably cut out, but overall it exceeded my expectations.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki
World of Stardom Championship
It is time for the main event and my primary motivation for watching this show. Hazuki shocked the Joshi world when in August she stepped back in a Stardom ring and announced she was returning to the promotion. She retired in December of 2019 and appeared to be on not the best terms with Stardom at the time, but things change and here she is back again for her third run in Stardom. This is just her 6th match since returning but is already challenging Utami for the top title in the promotion. Utami won the championship last November and this is her 8th defense as she has been a pretty active champion. The chances of Hazuki taking down Utami so soon after returning are slim, but I’m still excited to see her back and being put in such a big match for Stardom.

They lock knuckles before trading waistlocks, Hazuki gets Utami to the mat first but Utami eventually switches positions with her as they go back and forth. They reach a stalemate but tie back up, Hazuki goes off the ropes but Utami knocks her over with a shoulderblock. Stomps by Utami and Hazuki rolls out of the ring, but Utami quickly goes out and gets her before slamming her to the mat. Irish whip by Utami, Hazuki goes for a dropkick but Utami swats it away. Hazuki fights back with feeble elbows but Utami kicks her back down, Irish whip by Utami but Hazuki connects with the dropkick this time. Hazuki puts her boot on Utami but Utami stands back up and hits a dropkick of her own, scoop slam by Utami and she puts Hazuki in a crab hold. Hazuki gets to the ropes to force the break, Utami picks up Hazuki and slams her head into the mat for a two count. Utami puts Hazuki in the corner, Irish whip by Utami but Hazuki jumps up on the turnbuckles and hits a dropkick. Full nelson into a backbreaker by Hazuki and she hits a running senton, Utami ends up against the ropes so Hazuki gives her a series of bootscrapes. Running boot by Hazuki, she throws Utami into the corner and hits a running back elbow. Codebreaker by Hazuki, and she covers Utami for two.

Hazuki applies the armtrap crossface but Utami muscles out of it and drops her with the Air Raid Crash. Sliding kick by Utami and she covers Hazuki for two. Utami applies a sleeper but Hazuki gets out of it and snaps off a DDT. Running boot by Hazuki which sends Utami out of the ring, Hazuki gets a running start to do a dive but Utami gets back on the apron and elbows her. Utami gets Hazuki out on the apron with her and drops her with a modified Air Raid Crash, with Hazuki’s head bouncing off the apron. Utami slides Hazuki back into the ring, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Utami picks up Hazuki and gets her on her shoulders, but Hazuki quickly slides off and the two trade elbows. Utami wins the strike battle at first but Hazuki comes firing back, back elbow by Utami but Hazuki hits one as well. Sidewalk slam by Utami, Hazuki quickly gives her a boot but Utami drills her with a dropkick. Utami picks up Hazuki and gives her a hard elbow, she gets Hazuki on her shoulders but Hazuki spins off and hits a hurricanrana. Utami falls out of the ring, Hazuki goes off the ropes and flies out onto her with a tope suicida. Hazuki returns to the ring and hits a second one, she slides Utami back in the ring and gets on the apron as she delivers a swandive dropkick for a two count. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki, Utami almost makes it to the ropes so Hazuki switches to the Rings of Saturn.

Utami eventually gets a toe on the ropes for the break, Hazuki goes off the ropes and boots Utami in the face. Scoop slam by Hazuki in front of the corner, she goes up top but Utami elbows her before she can jump off. Utami gets Hazuki on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, sliding lariat by Utami and she covers Hazuki for two. Hazuki picks up Utami and hits the Air Raid Crash, but that gets a two as well. Utami gets Hazuki around the waist but Hazuki blocks the suplex as she cradles Utami for two. Hard shoulderblock by Utami and this time she connects with the German Suplex, picking up a two count. Utami gets Hazuki to her feet but Hazuki slides away and hits a Backstabber followed by a sliding kick for two. Running elbow by Hazuki and she hits a Codebreaker out of the corner, she puts Utami on the top turnbuckle and hits a second Codebreaker back down to the mat. Hazuki goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving senton, but Utami kicks out of the pin. Scoop slams by Hazuki and she hits a brainbuster for another two count. Hazuki picks up Utami and goes for a suplex, but Utami gets away and hits a German Suplex. Both wrestlers slowly get up in opposite corners, Hazuki goes foot but Utami ducks and drops Hazuki with a lariat. Utami picks up Hazuki and hits a series of short-range lariats for a two count. Utami picks up Hazuki and gets her in a crucifix, but Hazuki slides off and applies La Magistral for a nearfall. Lariat by Utami, she picks up Hazuki and hits a backdrop suplex. Hazuki charges Utami but Utami catches her and slams her to the mat, she picks up Hazuki and finally nails the Hijack Bomb for the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

This one took a bit to get going but once it did, it was a quality match. They were telling the story that Hazuki wasn’t ready for someone like Utami, which is a fine story to tell but it made the first five minutes or so a little slow as Utami was just handling Hazuki with offense that wasn’t always overly interesting. Once Hazuki started her comeback and worked her way up to standing toe to toe with Utami it got better, and while I think she showed a little bit of rust with some of her timing overall she hasn’t missed much of a step. I think the story could have been tightened up a bit, or the first chunk could have just been more interesting in general, but I really enjoyed the last half and just seeing Hazuki back in the ring again. This won’t make anyone’s MOYTC list, but a solid defense for Utami.  Recommended

The post Stardom “KAWASAKI SUPER WARS” on 11/3/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Hana Kimura Memorial “MATANE”
Date: May 23rd, 2021
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 714
Broadcast: Streamed on FITE TV

Reviewing wrestling events can bring many different emotions, but an emotion you never want to have is sadness. I knew, like many others, that watching this event was going to be hard. A year ago today, Hana Kimura tragically passed away, and her death impacted people across the globe. Hana had everything – she was a great wrestler, charismatic, had a great look, and had fans invested in everything she did. But more importantly she was a great, loving, and incredible person that had her whole life in front of her. Having her Memorial show on the one year anniversary is fitting, as it brought new attention to the circumstances of her death and gave her friends a way to publicly celebrate her life, which I 100% support. But its going to be hard, the hardest wrestling event I’ve watched in 30 years of being a wrestling fan. Here is the card:

• HUB, Shisao, and Eisa8 vs. Shota, FUMA, and Mil Mongoose
• Battle Royal with Menso-re Oyaji, Tsutomu Oosugi, Hagane Shinnou, Yuko Miyamoto, Shotaro Ashino, Banana Senga, Gabai Ji-chan, Lingerie Muto, Yusuke Kodama, Super Delfin, Fuminori Abe, Miyuki Takase, Mika Iwata, DASH Chisako, Chihiro Hashimoto, Hanako Nakamori, Ram Kaicho, Cherry, Moeka Haruhi, Yuki Miyazaki, Eiger, Andras Miyagi, Kyusei Hana Kimura (Sakura Hirota), Jun Kasai, Masato Tanaka, Jinsei Shinzaki, and CIMA
• Kagetsu, Konami, Hazuki, and DEATH Yama-san vs. Natsupoi, Syuri, ASUKA, and Mio Momono
• ASUKA vs. Kagetsu

As you can see, a very interesting cast but it is filled with wrestlers that had a real life connection with Hana Kimura or her mother Kyoko Kimura (or both) as this memorial event is as much for them as it is for us, to say their final goodbyes. You’ll note only a few active Stardom wrestlers make an appearance, which is at least partly because Stardom opted to run an event on the same day, but that’s another topic for another time. I’m not going to do my typical review for this one as I’m probably going to be too emotionally into the event to be typing constantly, but I hope to not only discuss the matches but help newer fans that may not watch a lot of Joshi matches with who all the wrestlers are. As always, you can click on the Joshi wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City.

After a musical and dance opening, the show began after a quick video montage of Hana Kimura.

HUB, Shisao, and Eisa8 vs. Shota, FUMA, and Mil Mongoose

I haven’t watched men’s promotions in Japan with any regularity in probably five or six years, so this was a fun throwback for me as I remember these guys from when I used to review every small underground indie promotion I could find. These six all are seasoned vets and know their way around the ring, and a six wrestler tag is a pretty straight-forward opener. Shota played the Face in Peril here which made sense – its not about the quality of wrestler but everyone loves wrestlers with masks and Shota probably had the least intimidating look of everyone in the match. So he got beaten for the first third of the match by HUB and Shisao in particular until the crowd finally spurred him to get out of the match.

They wrestled this under Lucha Tag Rules, meaning a wrestler didn’t have to make a tag to no longer be the legal wrestler, they just had to bail out of the ring and reach the floor. I wish the commentators had explained this as new fans were no doubt confused on why wrestlers weren’t always tagging, but in a laid back affair like this one I doubt anyone was too concerned. After five minutes they gave up with the “focus on one wrestler” plan which was for the best as all six of these guys have cool looking moves so no reason to not show off. HUB whipping everyone with his mask tail was entertaining as was HUB in general, Hana had good taste in wrestlers as HUB was always my favorite small-time indie wrestler. Great look, great wrestler. The match ended up being the HUB Show which was the way I would I gone too, honestly he at any point in his career could have been a player in a larger promotion. In the end, HUB planted Mil Mongoose into the mat and picked up the easy three count. The winners are HUB, Shisao, and Eisa8!

For an opener, I enjoyed it, but honestly they didn’t even need the first five minutes. The Shota beatdown segment was fine but was really just filler as once that was over, they just started quickly changing the legal wrestlers while everyone got a chance to hit their moves. That part of the match was quite enjoyable, the “lucharesu” style is entertaining with its quick speed and all six know the style well so there were no hiccups. HUB was and is great, so him being featured was a big plus not just for me personally but also considering his background with Hana Kimura. Overall a fun way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Battle Royal

A quick run-down of the Joshi wrestlers among the opening group:

• Miyuki Takase – The Ace of Actwres girl’Z, frequently wrestles in WAVE and Diana as well
• Mika Iwata – Young wrestler from Sendai Girls’, had a feud with Hana Kimura from 2017 to 2018 that led to several fun matches
• DASH Chisako – Veteran wrestler from Sendai Girls’
• Chihiro Hashimoto – The Ace of Sendai Girls’
• Ram Kaicho – Started as a child wrestler in Triple Six and went to school with Hana Kimura, she is still affiliated with Triple Six but also wrestles in Ice Ribbon
• Cherry – Long time veteran wrestler that wrestled most of her career in DDT, currently a Freelancer
• Yuki Miyazaki – Long time veteran wrestler from Pro Wrestling WAVE
• Hanako Nakamori – The Ace of PURE-J
• Moeka Haruhi – Long time Freelancer

With more wrestlers to come, it is assumed there would be some surprise entries from Hana and/or Kyoko’s past as the match progressed. In fact before the match could even start we got our first surprise, as Super Delfin makes his way down to the match. Super Delfin is a legend from indie wrestling’s past and also wrestled in New Japan, everyone knows and loves Super Delfin which I think is safe to assume includes Hana as well. The match starts pretty standard and playful, it should be noted that Battle Royals in Japan tend to be more lighthearted affairs than those in the US. But soon we get three new entries as Eiger, Andras Miyagi, and Yusuke Kodama come down! Quick recap of the Joshi wrestlers:

• Eiger (or Aiger) – A “ghost” wrestler who officially hails from LLPW-X but mostly wrestles in Sendai Girls’, likes to scare children
• Andras Miyagi – Also known as Cassandra Miyagi, current a Freelancer but known for her work in Sendai Girls’ and Stardom

They immediately go after Moeka, who is creeped out by the group and in short order is eliminated by them. Ram Kaicho appears to join them as they all pose together, they turn to Gabai Ji-chan but he outsmarts them and with help he pins Eiger and Yusuke Kodama, so they are eliminated as well. Ji-chan loses his cane and turns it on, as everyone in the match stands around and watches his brand of comedy. They help him eliminated Miyagi, and then hold down Ji-chan so that both are eliminated. Hana Kimura’s music starts playing as someone dressed as her comes down to the ring, and it turns out to be the cosplay legend Sakura Hirota! 

• Sakura Hirota – Veteran from WAVE, best known for being a comedy wrestler and sometimes cosplaying as her opponents

Once Sakura is in the ring, things settle down as we get the usual Battle Royal fare (big group moves, isolated strike-fests, and the like). We do get a Super Delfin Tornado DDT and Delfin Clutch though on Menso-re Oyaji to eliminate him, which is always a pleasure, before he is quickly pinned himself. Iwata and Hirota trade kicks which is fitting as Iwata is a wrestler that had a feud with Hana Kimura, but everyone breaks them up and Sakura is the next one eliminated (along with Lingerie Muto). While I definitely appreciate Sakura’s contribution to the match, eliminating her quickly was probably a good move as once she did her Hana tribute it may have felt a little too ‘off’ to have someone in Hana’s gear hanging around the match long term.

After Miyuki Takase is eliminated a minute later, some new music plays as Jun Kasai comes down to the ring! One of the biggest hardcore legends still active in Japan, Kasai comes in with his skewers (to jam in people’s heads) which leads to the ring clearing out. Mika Iwata returns first but asks him for an autograph, which he gives before he is attacked from behind. Chihiro Hashimoto and Shotaro Ashino pair up in a Hoss Battle, but the ring slowly fills back up as Chihiro and Shotaro slam everyone. Deadlift German by Chihiro but the blob covers both of them after the move, so both are eliminated! While this happens, more music plays as ZERO1 veteran Masato Tanaka comes down to the ring!

Tanaka cleans house a bit as he eliminates Shinnou and Kodama, Miyazaki puts him in the Shy Hold but it gets broken up. Cherry gets involved but she is covered by the wrestler blob and is eliminated. Music plays again, as another legend comes to the ring – Jinsei Shinzaki! Shinzaki is from Michinoku Pro but has wrestled in WWE and New Japan as well. He goes for one of his signature moves on the majority of the wrestlers at the same time, the rope walk, but gets pushed out of the ring for his trouble and is eliminated. No one appreciates Banana Senga and Tsutomu Oosugi eliminating Shinzaki so quickly everyone pins them, eliminating the tag team as well. We get music over the loudspeaker which means a new participant – CIMA!

That is all the wrestlers we are getting as CIMA goes after Abe and eliminates him. Miyazaki goes after CIMA but gets knocked out of the ring and eliminated, and then CIMA eliminates Nakamori. CIMA doing God’s work and clearing the ring a bit as we are down to seven wrestlers. Chisako appears with a chair but Miyamoto takes it from her, Tanaka then takes the chair from him but Kasai takes it from Tanaka. Chisako dropkicks the chair into Kasai but Mika Iwata saves him. Pearl Harbor Splash by Kasai to Chisako and he gets the three count! DASH Chisako is eliminated. Miyamoto hits Iwata and Kasai with the chair but Kasai takes it and hits Miyamoto in the head with it. Iwata cradles Miyamoto afterwards, and he is eliminated! Iwata high fives Kasai but then kicks him low and tosses him from the ring, as Jun Kasai is eliminated. CIMA and Tanaka dump Iwata out of the ring to eliminate her, leaving us with three wrestlers – CIMA, Masato Tanaka, and Ram Kaicho.

Kaicho steps right up to them while CIMA and Tanaka trade shoves, they push her out of the way and continue going at it. DDT by Tanaka but CIMA hits a Lung Blower, Tanaka gets CIMA onto the apron but Ram Kaicho pushes CIMA to the apron as well. Ram Kaicho gets a running start and she dropkicks them both to the floor! Ram Kaicho is the last woman standing and is the winner!

As I mentioned a few times, Battle Royals in Japan are not serious, as no one is really claiming that Ram Kaicho could beat CIMA or Masato Tanaka in a regular match. But there is no shame in being defeated in a Battle Royal, and giving Hana’s old childhood friend the win was a touching tribute. There were fun spots throughout the match (loved seeing Super Delfin and Jinsei Shinzaki), and the surprising Mika Iwata/Jun Kasai subplot was entertaining. These matches are a little too long for my taste considering the entertaining sections are so spread out, but there were many fun moments and for fans that are familar with the wrestlers I am sure there will be something here that fans will enjoy.

Up to this point, the event has been pretty lighthearted. We started with music and dancing, a lucharesu match, and a mostly comedic Battle Royal. The tone is going to change a bit, as while the next two matches won’t be ‘downers’ they will be more serious with wrestlers that have more of a recent connection with Hana Kimura. We knew going into the show that Kagetsu was making a one-time appearance after retiring over a year ago, but we didn’t know she was bringing a special friend with her to really honor Hana the best way they knew how.

Kagetsu, Konami, Hazuki, and DEATH vs. Natsupoi, Syuri, ASUKA, and Mio Momono

They are against four quality wrestlers with various connections to Hana. ASUKA was the closest to Hana, as they were also a tag team (when Hana wrestled outside of Stardom) and were friends. They are joined by Stardom wrestlers Natsupoi (formally Natsumi Maki) and Syuri, along with Mio Momono from Marvelous. All eight of these wrestlers are great and I am expecting a combination of tributes to Hana and the fast paced Joshi action that we are all accustomed to.

Kagetsu and Hazuki both have incorporated tie dye into their gear as a homage to Hana, giving them a fitting different look. One thing you should know about these wrestlers is that even though its a memorial match for Hana Kimura, and they are here for her, they are also incredibly competitive and no one was going to take it easy. While it is true that DEATH is more of a comedy gimmick and she did bring that to the table, at the end of the day she was far from the focus of the match as the others went in hard on each other. Seeing Hazuki again is such a treat as she was one of the most exciting wrestlers in Stardom, and the fact she seemed to have lost her passion for wrestling but still prepared for this event just really puts over how important it was to her to take part.

Kagetsu hasn’t missed a beat either and its kinda amazing that they are so good to not show an ounce of ring rust. If fans coming into the show didn’t know about the retirements, you’d have thought they were still active competitors. They didn’t go heavy with Hana-related spots, although Jungle Kyona did make a surprise appearance to pose with Konami and DEATH as she was in Tokyo Cyber Squad as well (she is currently unable to wrestle due to an injury). The fact they opted to not just make this a tribute match from bell to bell made the moments more special when they did honor Hana. Every segment was great – Kagetsu and Syuri had a quality exchange as did Mio Momono and Hazuki, and seeing Hazuki and Kagetsu do a final double tope suicida was an incredible moment. ASUKA being the wrestler that had to “overcome the odds” was a smart move due to their close connection to Hana Kimura, and their final exchange with Hazuki was well done. In the end, ASUKA took out everyone and made the cover on Hazuki, picking up the three count! Natsupoi, Syuri, ASUKA, and Mio Momono are the winners!

For fans of Stardom back in 2018, this really felt like an Oedo Tai throwback match with Kagetsu and Hazuki leading the way (with a little bit of cheating from Kyoko Kimura). I’ve said before that eight wrestler tags can make it hard for some wrestlers to shine and that was still the case here, as while Natsupoi and Syuri both hit their spots well and contributed, there are only so many opportunities and the match was simply laid out to make others shine. ASUKA, Hazuki, and Kagetsu all looked incredible and you’d have thought from watching this that these eight had wrestled many times before, due to the fluidity and pace they kept up. Mio Momono was the stealth star of the match, she not only is fierce but is sneakily charismatic and draws attention to whatever she is doing. While this may have been a bit better as a six wrestler tag due to the length of the match, the Oedo Tai/Tokyo Cyber Squad team needed four to really salute Hana Kimura so no complaints from me. This would have been an A+ match from me regardless just for the joy of seeing Kagetsu and Hazuki again, but when taking into account the meaning behind the match both for fans and the participants, its a no-breaker recommendation to watch.  Highly Recommended

On paper, that was the main event of the evening, but ASUKA had other plans. After the match, they challenged Kagetsu to a singles match, which needed approval from Kyoko Kimura and the crowd. All parties naturally agreed, so we are ending the show with a special first-time singles match between ASUKA and Kagetsu!

ASUKA vs. Kagetsu

ASUKA and Kagetsu clearly felt the best way to honor Hana Kimura was to put on a banger, and that is exactly what they did. Kagetsu was flying outside the ring like it was 2019 all over again, and ASUKA laid in the strikes hard. I have to respect their cardio as both were just in a match, then immediately jumped into a singles match without missing a beat. Kagetsu went out of her way to put over ASUKA, as ASUKA handled all of her offense while dishing out plenty in return. Which shows the level of unselfishness that Kagetsu has – she frequently put other wrestlers over even when she didn’t “have” to and knowing she is retired, she lost nothing by taking all of ASUKA’s offense. That’s not to say it was a one-side match as it was far from it – Kagetsu got to use the Oedo Tai board and nailed the Oedo Coaster for old time’s sake as they went back and forth, but once ASUKA got back in control the match was over. After a Blue Thunder Bomb, heel kick, chokeslam, and the Benibana Koromo, ASUKA was able to hold down Kagetsu for the three count. ASUKA is the winner!

A really entertaining sprint as they took their short time and did everything with it. ASUKA’s kiss to the sky before drilling Kagetsu with the Benibana Koromo was the perfect tribute, as they treated the match like a “regular” match but the meaning was always there – this was for Hana. Kagetsu returning from retirement to put on two great matches is pretty incredible, and she delivered everything in this match. The strikes, the pace, the heart, everything was there. And ASUKA was able to keep up, they have really been killing it the last couple years and hopefully this will give ASUKA more attention which is no doubt what Kagetsu wanted, and also what Hana Kimura would have wanted. A fantastic match to end a very memorable event.  Highly Recommended

After the main event, things got very emotional as Kagetsu spoke and a longer video package was shown with clips from Hana Kimura’s career. Once the video package was over, back to a live view of the ring, Kyoko Kimura was standing alone and holding a photo of Hana. Jungle Kyona performed the ten bell salute while the wrestlers stood at ringside, with their heads down as they no doubt were saying their own silent goodbyes. The video concluded with a video package with dozens of wrestlers from around the globe saying “Matane,” in memory of Hana.

The post Hana Kimura Memorial “MATANE” on 5/23/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Natsu Sumire Produce Forever
Date: December 15th, 2019
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 361

When this event was first announced, little did we know how special it would be. For her show, Natsu Sumire invited all her Oedo Tai buddies, which would end up being the last time they ever teamed together as Hazuki would retire later in the month. On top of that, Kagetsu retired not long afterwards too so it really was the end of an era. Unlike in Stardom, here Oedo Tai was given the send-off they deserved, as they battle random wrestlers from other promotions in unique match-ups in three different matches. That’s the main interest from the event but we also get Jamie Hayter teaming with CIMA, which seems wacky and fun. I’ll only be reviewing the Joshi matches, so here are the Joshi matches on the card:

• Aoki Itsuki and Miyuki Takase vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire
• Hazuki and Kagetsu vs. Kaho Kobayashi and Takumi Iroha
• CIMA and Jamie Hayter vs. Martina and Shigehiro Irie
• Hazuki, Kagetsu, Natsuko Tora, and Natsu Sumire vs. Makoto, Rina Yamashita, Syuri, and Yuu

As this event was only released on DVD, all matches will be shown in full. The Joshi wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Aoki Itsuki and Miyuki Takase vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire

Takase and Natsuko start the match, they lock up and Takase applies a headlock, and she works it down to the mat. Natsuko gets out of the hold after a moment and they return to their feet to trade elbows, hard shoulderblock by Natsuko but Takase fires back with a dropkick. Both wrestlers tag out as Natsu and Aoki come in, but Takase stays in as well as they double team Natsu. Aoki hits a body block to Natsu before Takase follows with a dropkick, Aoki jumps down on Natsu’s back and Takase then hops on her back to apply even more pressure. Takase finally leaves, Aoki Irish whips Natsu to the corner but Natsu reverses it. Natsu gets the microphone to cut a mid-match promo, I assume she is offering a bribe to Aoki, but its all a ruse as Natsu kicks Aoki in the back. Takase is apparently mad that Aoki was going to accept it and has walked most the way up the ramp, while Natsu and Natsuko double team Aoki while she is in the ropes. Big boot by Natsu to the back of Aoki’s head, cover by Natsu but it gets a two count. Natsu sits down Aoki in the corner and hits the gyrating Bronco Buster before tagging in Natsuko. Chops by Natsuko in the corner as Takase finally makes it back to the apron, cover by Natsuko but it gets two. Aoki fires back with an elbow and the two trade blows, scoop slam by Natsuko and she covers Aoki again for a two count. Natsu comes in the ring but Aoki hits shoulderblocks on both of them, she goes off the ropes and hits a double shoulderblock on both of them.

She tags in Takase, dropkick by Takase to Natsuko and she hits a second one. Takase chops and elbows Natsuko in the corner, Natsu tries to help but gets chopped for her trouble. Takase goes back to Natsuko and hits a dropkick out of the corner, lariat by Takase and she hits a diving elbow strike for a two count cover. Takase picks up Natsuko but Natsuko hits a spinning backfist, Samoan Drop by Natsuko and she gets a two count. Takase knocks Natsuko back but Natsuko catches her with an uppercut, she goes off the ropes and both wrestlers lariat each other without going down. Takase goes off the ropes and drops Natsuko with a lariat but Natsuko hits a spear and both are down on the mat. Natsu comes in and knocks Aoki off the apron, she makes it back in time for Natsuko to tag her and Natsu boots Takase while she is in the ropes. Cutie Special by Natsu, but Aoki breaks it up with a double kneedrop. Aoki picks up Natsu and hits a STO, Takase jumps on Aoki’s shoulders and she hits a falling body press. Leg drop by Takase, and she covers Natsu for two when Natsuko breaks it up. Backbreaker by Natsu to Takase before Natsuko hits a running leg drop, cover by Natsu but Aoki breaks it up. Double Irish whip to Aoki but Aoki hits a double lariat, Takase goes off the ropes but Natsu has gotten her whip and hits Takase with it. The referee stops her from using her again which gives Aoki time to run in and lariat her, Takase gets Natsu on her shoulders and hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam followed by a diving legdrop for two. Takase picks up Natsu and delivers a tornado vertical suplex, and she picks up the three count! Aoki Itsuki and Miyuki Takase are the winners.

This was an interesting mixture of comedy and seriousness, which is perfectly fine for an opening match. I haven’t seen much from Aoki Itsuki but she was really solid here and didn’t seem out of place, which can sometimes happen with wrestlers that mostly hover in smaller indies. Natsu is a treasure, as she doesn’t really have any issue transitioning from funny to serious and can hold her own even while playing around. They had enough time that everyone had a chance to shine, and they kept the pace up to keep it interesting. A solid opener.  Mildly Recommended

Hazuki and Kagetsu vs. Kaho Kobayashi and Takumi Iroha

After some false starts we finally get started with Kaho squaring off with Hazuki, they go into a fast paced exchange ending with a Kaho dropkick. Kaho goes off the ropes but Kagetsu trips her from the floor and pulls her out of the ring. Hazuki pulls Takumi out of the ring too as they battle around the floor, Kagetsu tosses Kaho back in and Hazuki greets her with a scoop slam. Kagetsu picks up Kaho, scoop slam by Kagetsu and she tags Hazuki back in. Hazuki slams Kaho again before Kagetsu returns to the ring, double drop toehold and and they kick Kaho in the back before hitting a double senton. Kagetsu covers Kaho, but it gets two. Snapmare by Kagetsu which lands Kaho in the ropes, she tags in Hazuki and Hazuki stands on Kaho’s back. Running boot to the back of the head by Hazuki, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits another running boot. Hazuki tags in Kagetsu who gets a drink of water, Irish whip by Kagetsu and she spits the water in Kaho’s face. She spits water in the face of Takumi and the referee too for good measure, she goes back to Kaho but Kaho fights back with elbows. Kaho goes off the ropes but Kagetsu slides out of the ring and trips her, Hazuki runs over and hits a slingshot footstomp to Kaho’s back. Swandive footstomp by Kagetsu, she elbows Kaho but again Kaho fights back.

Irish whip by Kagetsu but Kaho delivers a tilt-a-whirl headscissors followed by a dropkick. That gives her time to tag in Takumi, kick combination by Takumi and she hits a PK and a dropkick. Takumi picks up Kagetsu but Hazuki interrupts her, Takumi suplexes both of them and turns her attention back to Kagetsu. She goes off the ropes but Hazuki knees her from the apron, Kagetsu rolls up Takumi from behind but it gets a two count. Swandive missile dropkick by Hazuki, she throws Takumi in the corner and hits a running elbow. Codebreaker by Hazuki, and she covers Takumi for two. Armtrap crossface by Hazuki while Kagetsu keeps Kaho back, but Takumi gets into the ropes for the break. Hazuki slaps at Takumi and goes off the ropes, but Takumi kicks her in the chest. snap vertical suplex by Takumi and she covers Hazuki for two. Takumi picks up Hazuki but Hazuki elbows her and the two trade blows, kick combination by Takumi and she delivers a superkick. Hazuki fires back a big boot, DDT by Hazuki but Takumi blocks her hurricanrana attempt and plants her with a powerbomb for a two count. Boot by Hazuki but Takumi returns fire with a superkick, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They both manage to tag out, dropkick by Kaho but Kagetsu dropkicks her back. Another dropkick by Kaho and she hits a third, sending Kagetsu into the ropes.

Kaho goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Kaho but it gets two. Kaho goes for the fisherman suplex but Kagetsu blocks it, Hazuki boots Kaho and Kagetsu hits a Codebreaker. Backstabber by Hazuki to Kaho, Kagetsu nails the Ebisu Drop but Kaho gets her shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu picks up Kaho and hits another Ebisu Drop in front of the corner, she goes up top but Takumi runs in and joins her. Superplex by Takumi and Kaho hits an enzuigiri. Fisherman suplex hold by Kaho, but Kagetsu kicks out. Kaho twists up Kagetsu in a modified armbar but Kagetsu gets a toe on the ropes to force the break. Kaho goes up top but Hazuki grabs her from the apron, giving Kagetsu time to recover and dropkick to the floor. Takumi comes in but a double dropkick sends her right back out, Hazuki and Kagetsu go to do a dive but Takumi and Kaho interrupt them before they can finish it. Kaho gets in the ring and dives out on both opponents with a tope suicida, Kagetsu is slid back in the ring and Takumi slams her in front of the corner. Kaho goes for a corkscrew senton but Kagetsu moves out of the way and spits blue mist in her face. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu in front of the corner, she goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but Takumi barely breaks up the cover. Hazuki takes care of her, Kagetsu picks Kaho up but Kaho slides away and applies the 120% Schoolboy, but Hazuki breaks it up. Kaho goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits her from the apron with the Oedo Tai Board, Death Valley Bomb by Kagetsu and she covers Kaho for the three count! Kagetsu and Hazuki win the match!

I’m not sure if it is because I am already nostalgic for Hazuki and Kagetsu, but this match in my opinion was pretty much flawless. I have literally nothing bad to say about it. Hazuki and Kagetsu work so well together as a team with the constant support and assistance you’d expect to see, while Takumi and Kaho did so a lot less which is completely logical since they aren’t a regular team. The action was so fast that I barely even had time to get a sip of water, in fear I’d miss something. Kaho took a beating but she is so good at that, and when she was on offense she was super crisp and smooth, which is impressive since she doesn’t regularly wrestle Hazuki or Kagetsu. I loved the ending, as Kaho got a real hope spot after the mist instead of just going right down, and it took something extra for Kagetsu to get the pin. Just about the perfect match within this style and incredibly fun to watch, I can’t imagine how it could have been any better.  Highly Recommended

CIMA and Jamie Hayter vs. Martina and Shigehiro Irie

CIMA and Martina start the match, but Martina is too much for CIMA to handle so he tags in Jamie. Jamie and Martina lock up, Jamie pushes Martina into the ropes and gives a clean break. They lock up again, Jamie gets Martina to the mat in a headlock but Martina struggles back to her feet. Waistlock by Jamie but Martina dances her way out of it, hard elbow by Jamie but she hurt Martina more than she intended and asks for forgiveness. Martina elbows her back instead and the two trade blows, Irish whip by Jamie to the corner but Martina boots her as she charges in. Release German by Martina and she hits a back elbow in the corner. Another elbow by Martina but Jamie avoids the next one, Martina kicks Jamie and hits a Backstabber out of the corner. Snapmare by Martina and she kicks Jamie in the back, but Jamie snapmares her in return and kicks her in the back as well. On their feet, they block each other’s kicks and both elbow each other before deciding they’ve had enough and tags in their partners. CIMA and Irie tie-up, CIMA pushes Irie into the ropes and gives a clean break. Irish whip by CIMA but Irie delivers a hard shoulderblock, Irie throws CIMA into the corner but CIMA avoids his charge and dropkicks Irie in the knee. Enzuigiri by CIMA but Irie catches him with a powerslam.

Irie tags Martina, Martina goes to slam CIMA but CIMA blocks it. Irie comes over to help and with him she is able to hit the slam, body press by Irie to CIMA but CIMA moves when Martina goes for one. CIMA then hits a bulldog/dropkick combination on both opponents, she tags in Jamie and they both chop Martina in the chest. Lariat by Jamie to Martina and she hits a spinebuster before quickly applying a crab hold. Irie gives Martina a beer to help motivate her, and Martina makes it to the ropes for the break. Martina gets the advantage with a suplex and tags in Irie, Irie clubs Jamie in the back but Jamie fires back with elbows. Irie knocks Jamie to the mat, CIMA comes in to shield her but the referee gets him back to the apron. Irie throws Jamie into the corner and tags Martina, but Jamie elbows her as she charges in and suplexes her into the turnbuckles. Side slam onto her knee by Jamie, and she tags in CIMA while Martina also tags Irie. CIMA dropkicks Irie and knocks Martina off the apron, Irish whip by CIMA but Irie reverses it. CIMA kicks Irie before hitting a double knee in the corner, Martina runs in but CIMA scoop slams her. He then drop toeholds Irie onto Martina before hitting a splash, Jamie comes in and dives on top of the pile as well.

CIMA goes back to Irie, Irish whip by CIMA but Irie blocks it. Chop by CIMA but Irie catches him with a spinning side slam, giving him time to tag in Martina. Elbows by Martina but CIMA chops her back, tilt-a-whirl DDT by Martina into a vertical suplex and she covers CIMA for two. CIMA gets the advantage and tags Jamie, CIMA spanks Martina before leaving the ring so Jamie can take over. Martina dropkicks Jamie however and tags Irie, Irie gets Jamie on his shoulders but Jamie slides away. Lariat attempt by Jamie but Irie stays up, she goes for a suplex but Irie blocks it. Headbutt by Irie, he throws Jamie into the corner and delivers a running lariat. Cover by Irie, but Jamie gets a shoulder up. Irie goes off the ropes but Jamie kicks him, she lariats Irie but he stays on his feet. Scoop slam by Jamie and she hits a running senton, cover by Jamie but it gets a two count. Jamie picks up Irie but Irie snaps off a vertical suplex and tags Martina. Martina goes up top and hits a diving Codebreaker, cover by Martina but Jamie kicks out. Martina picks up Jamie and elbows her, Jamie goes off the ropes and knocks Martina over with a lariat. Jamie picks up Martina, Martina gets away but CIMA runs in and dropkicks her. Schwein by CIMA to Martina, Jamie lariats Martina in the back of the head and nails the Cow Killer for the three count! Jamie Hayter and CIMA are the winners!

This match had a similar mix of serious and playful as the first match, and while it didn’t hit as well with me it still wasn’t bad. Both of the male wrestlers seemed happy to take part in the playful bits but less excited to give the women much in the serious parts, and with the mixed genders the match had a lot of stop-and-go since the same genders seemed to prefer to be against each other. So some of the transitions weren’t great and it came across a bit clunky. The wrestlers themselves are all talented so when they got to it, the match was fun, but the structure was just all over the place. A unique match for sure which gives it some extra appeal, but a step down from the first two matches on the show.

Hazuki, Kagetsu, Tora, and Sumire vs. Makoto, Yamashita, Syuri, and Yuu

Oedo Tai start the fight during the pre-match handshake, and the ring quickly clears with Syuri and Natsu alone in the ring. Natsu doesn’t see Syuri at first but eventually does, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Natsu in the back. Kick to the chest by Syuri but Hazuki grabs her foot when she goes for a PK and pulls her out of the ring. Oedo Tai maintains the advantage on the floor while Natsu waits in the ring, Syuri is eventually rolled back in as Hazuki comes in as well. Natsuko and Kagetsu get in the ring as well and bring their opponents with them, Miyuki Takase and Aoki Itsuki are tossed in too as Jamie and Martina come in, and all six of Oedo Tai connect with running boots to one of their enemies. Rina is wrapped up in the ropes with a band wrapped near her mouth, Hazuki takes the other end of the band into the stands and snaps it back into Rina’s face. They put the band around her head again and this time Nao Yamaguchi takes it up into the crowd, but Natsuko accidentally lets go and snaps the band back into Nao. Martina checks on Nao while Natsu and Hazuki Irish whip Rina, with Hazuki hitting an assisted Codebreaker. Natsu puts Rina in the corner and delivers the gyrating Bronco Buster, but Rina picks her up and hits a powerbomb. Rina tags in Syuri, stomp by Syuri to Natsu and she snapmares her before connecting with a kick to the back. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Natsu quickly gets out of it, she puts Natsu’s arm in the ropes and stomps down on it before tagging in Yuu. Yuu throws Natsu into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, senton by Yuu and she covers Natsu for two. Makoto is tagged in, she throws Natsu in the middle of the ring and goes up top, hitting a diving body press. Running double kneedrop by Makoto, and she covers Natsu for two.

Makoto tags Rina, Rina comes in with a t-shirt and hits Natsu with it repeatedly. Giant Swing by Rina to Natsu while Syuri comes in to jump over her while she swings round and round before Rina drops Natsu to the mat. Natsu tries to tag out but crawls to the wrong corner due to her dizziness, while Rina tags in Makoto. Double underhook suplex attempt by Makoto but Natsu blocks it and elbows her, Natsuko hands Natsu her whip and she hits Makoto with it. She tries to hit Yuu but Yuu catches it, Natsu and Yuu talk for a bit, but Yuu knocks Natsu down with a lariat. Natsu knocks Yuu back and hits atomic drops on Syuri and Rina, Makoto runs in and she gets an atomic drop as well. This gives Natsu time to tag Hazuki, Hazuki rolls Makoto to the mat and chops her in the chest. Natsuko comes in and they both slam Makoto, they hit a double boot as well before Natsuko finally leaves. Hazuki picks up Makoto and the two trade elbows, pump kick by Hazuki but Makoto fires back with a boot of her own before hitting a double underhook suplex for two. Makoto tags in Yuu, hard shoulderblock by Yuu and Kagetsu and Natsu eat hard shoulderblocks as well. Natsuko comes in and Yuu can’t knock her over, they both charge at each other as they attempt to knock the other to the mat but neither can. Eye rake by Natsuko but Yuu drops her with a spinning side slam. Senton by Yuu, and she covers Natsuko for two. Yuu picks up Natsuko, chops by Yuu but Natsuko fires back with an elbow. They trade strikes until Yuu dropkicks Natsuko in the corner, Cannonball by Yuu and she covers Natsuko for two. Yuu gets on the second turnbuckle but Natsuko recovers and tosses her off, spear by Natsuko but Yuu tosses her to the mat when she charges in. Both wrestlers tags out as Kagetsu and Syuri become the legal wrestlers, they trade kicks to the chest until Syuri knocks Kagetsu to the mat. Cover by Syuri, but it gets two. Syuri quickly goes for the cross armbreaker while her team protects her, but Kagetsu rolls out of it and delivers a strike combination. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, but Syuri kicks out of the pin attempt.

Kagetsu picks up Syuri but Syuri snaps off a German suplex, Kagetsu returns to her feet and hits a head kick but Syuri returns the favor and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Syuri tags in Rina while Kagetsu tags in Natsu, Natsu goes for a knee but Rina blocks it and drives her into the corner. Lariats by Rina and she knees Natsu in the back, cover by Rina but it gets two. Rina picks up Natsu but Natsu elbows her and the two trade strikes. Hazuki, Natsu, and Kagetsu all run in as Rina is attacked by all four, Nao Yamaguchi gets in the ring too and she lariats Rina. Natsu suplexes Rina but the cover is broken up, Syuri grabs Natsu from behind and hits a Backstabber with Yuu following with a body press. Cartwheel double kneedrop by Makoto to Natsu, Rina goes off the ropes and hits a lariat but Natsuko grabs the referee to break up the cover. Rina goes off the ropes again but Natsu catches her with an inside cradle for two. Rina picks up Natsu but Jamie Hayter hits her in the head with the Oedo Tai board, big boot by Natsu to Rina but Yuu breaks up the cover with a senton. Hazuki pump kicks Yuu, Makoto then boots Hazuki but Kagetsu kicks Makoto out of the ring. Syuri takes care of Kagetsu and then kicks Natsuko in the head for good measure, leaving bodies everywhere. Rina and Natsu slowly recover and trade elbows, Natsu boots Rina while Rina returns fire with lariats. Rina finally knocks Natsuko off her feet with a lariat, she picks her up and kicks Natsu in the head. Another lariat by Rina, but Natsu barely kicks out of the cover. Rina picks up Natsu and goes for the Splash Mountain, she nails it but the rest of Oedo Tai break up the cover. Rina drags Natsu to her feet and goes for it again, but Martina spits water in her face. Spear by Natsuko to Rina, she falls out of the ring and Kagetsu and Hazuki dive out onto their opponents with stereo tope suicidas. Rina is rolled back in and Kagetsu hits her with an Ebisu Drop, then Natsuko goes up top and hits a guillotine legdrop on Rina. Hazuki follows with a diving senton, Natsu picks up Rina and nails the Demon for the three count! Oedo Tai are the winners!

While the number of wrestlers and different styles may have prevented the match from really getting into a good rhythm, its hard not to enjoy the final match with this version of Oedo Tai. There were some stretches where it felt like nothing was happening but they sprinkled in memorable and fun spots throughout to keep things interesting, whether it was Syuri playing jump rope over Natsu’s body or Yuu and Natsuko having their stand-off. The other Oedo Tai members getting in on the action felt appropriate and it was nice to see Nao Yamaguchi getting involved as well. With eight wrestlers in the match, none really got a chance to stand out but everyone did get their big moves in, and none looked out of place in this chaotic environment. A fun match and a fitting main event for Natsu Sumire’s show, it wouldn’t win any MOTY awards but delivered what they were going for.  Recommended

The post Natsu Sumire Produce Forever on 12/15/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Year End Climax 2019
Date: December 24th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,334

For the last Joshi event of 2019 I plan on reviewing, I couldn’t do a much bigger show than Stardom Year End Climax 2019. This is typically one of Stardom’s biggest events of the year and 2019 is no different, as three titles will be on the line tonight. Even more importantly, the retirement match and ceremony for Hazuki will take place as one of the more popular young wrestlers in the promotion is giving her farewell. Here is the portion of the card aired by Samurai TV!:

• Death Yama-san, Jungle Kyona, and Ruaka vs. Jamie Hayter, Martina, and Natsu Sumire
• Artist Of Stardom Championship: AZM, Momo Watanabe, and Utami Hayashishita vs. Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano
• Retirement Match: Hazuki vs. Natsuko Tora
• Hana Kimura vs. Giulia
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Konami
• World Of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu

Quite a stacked card. All wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. As I am watching the Samurai TV! version of the show, some matches will likely be clipped.

Death Yama-san, Kyona, and Ruaka vs. Hayter, Martina, and Natsu Sumire

The match is joined in progress, with Kyona being attacked in the ropes but all three members of Oedo Tai. It eventually gets broken up by her teammates but Oedo Tai clears the ring, all three get drinks in their mouth but Kyona gets an umbrella to block it when they try to spit the drinks at her. Kyona hammers on Jamie, she goes off the ropes and the two collide with both staying up. They both try to lariat each other over with Jamie winning the battle, she goes off the ropes but Kyona does as well and knocks down Jamie with a lariat of her own. Both wrestlers crawl to their own corners to tag in Yama-san and Natsu, Natsu boots Yama-san back a few times but Yama-san doesn’t go down and thrusts her in the throat. Running senton by Yama-san and she tags in Ruaka. Shoulderblocks by Ruaka to Natsu, she throws her into the corner but Natsu reverses it and hits a back elbow. Bronco Buster by Natsu, Martina comes in and she hits a Bronco Buster on Ruaka as well at the same time. They stay in position as Jamie comes in the ring to join them, but Kyona cuts her off with a dropkick before she can join the Bronco Buster party. Codebreaker by Martina to Ruaka, and Natsu delivers a brainbuster hold for the three count! Oedo Tai wins the match.

Beyond Natsu’s obsession with rubbing her crotch in the faces of children, there wasn’t a whole lot to this one. The clipping didn’t help of course as we only saw a few minutes, which mostly was Oedo Tai antics. I enjoy Oedo Tai and for where this was on the card, a more playful match is certainly fine, just not enough shown here to get excited about.

(c) AZM, Watanabe, and Hayashishita vs. Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Nakano
Artist of Stardom Championship

AZM and Starlight Kid begin the match, they go into a quick exchange with Starlight Kid dropkicking AZM at the end of it. Tam and Saki come in the ring and all three triple team AZM, with a triple dropkick as the final move. Footstomp by Starlight Kid, and she covers AZM for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Utami runs in and dropkicks her, Momo comes in too and they all connect with running strikes on Starlight Kid in the corner. Cover by AZM, but it gets a two count. AZM goes up to the top turnbuckle but Starlight Kid avoids the diving footstomp, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid on AZM and Tam plants AZM with a German Suplex Hold. Cover by Starlight Kid, but it gets broken up. She picks up AZM but AZM blocks the Yoshi Tonic attempt, Starlight Kid reverses the flying armbar and the two trade flash pins. Dropkick by Starlight Kid, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the swivel body press for a two count. Head kick by AZM, she goes up top and hits the diving footstomp for two. Starlight Kid is up quickly but AZM kicks her in the head, she goes for a vertical suplex but Starlight Kid reverses it into one of her own. Both wrestlers slowly crawl to the corners before tagging in Momo and Saki, kick by Saki but Momo throws her into the corner.

Saki jumps up on the second turnbuckle and kicks Momo as she charges in, she rolls Momo to the mat but Utami and AZM come in to help. Saki hits a double face crusher on them while also dropkicking Momo, Starlight Kid and Tam clear the ring before diving off the top turnbuckle to the floor onto their opponents. Back in the ring, diving crossbody by Saki to Momo and she goes back up top, this time hitting a diving footstomp for two. Saki picks up Momo but Momo kicks her in the head, crossface chickenwing by Momo but Saki blocks the suplex attempt and cradles Momo for two. Saki slaps Momo and goes off the ropes, but AZM kicks her from the apron. Utami runs in and hits an Argentine slam on Saki, Somato by Momo but Saki kicks out of the pin. AZM and Utami both get back in the ring and all three dropkick Saki, Momo picks up Saki and goes for the B Driver, but Saki blocks it and cradles Momo for two. Starlight Kid and Tam both get in the ring to help but Utami lariats both of them, she picks up Saki and hits a release German suplex. Momo grabs Saki and delivers the Peach Sunrise, and she picks up the three count! Queen’s Quest retains the championship.

A little clipped but this was a fun match. Starting off with a long AZM and Starlight Kid segment was smart as they have great chemistry, although I am surprised how long it lasted since it ate up a good portion of a six wrestler match. As tends to be the case in these matches, Utami didn’t do much (at least not in what we saw) but she looked great with what she did do, and everyone held up their own end. It didn’t have the feel of a title match just do the length/where it was on the card, but a solid midcard six wrestler tag match nonetheless.

Hazuki vs. Natsuko Tora
Retirement Match

They immediately get into it as they both go off the ropes, Hazuki gets the last move with the hurricanrana but Natsuko charges right back in. Hazuki tosses around Natsuko by her hair before throwing Natsuko against the ropes, facewashes by Hazuki and she delivers a running boot. Hazuki gives her some more facewashes and another running boot and catapults Natsuko into the second rope. Cover by Hazuki, but it gets a two count. Brainbuster by Hazuki, she covers Natsuko but that gets a two as well. Hazuki picks up Natsuko but Natsuko pushes her off, Hazuki boots Natsuko into the corner but Hazuki avoids her charge and other members of Oedo Tai come in to connect with running strikes in the corner. Codebreaker by Martina, Natsuko picks up Hazuki and hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Natsuko picks up Hazuki and delivers a swinging side slam, but again Hazuki gets a shoulder up. Natsuko goes off the ropes and knocks down Hazuki with a lariat, she goes for another swinging slide slam but Hazuki blocks it and applies La Magistral for a two count. Hazuki boots Natsuko in the head, she goes off the ropes but Natsuko does too and delivers a spear. Another spear by Natsuko, she slams Hazuki in front of the corner and goes up top. Diving leg drop by Natsuko, and she covers Hazuki for the three count! Natsuko Tora is the winner.

Next came Hazuki’s Retirement Ceremony, with Hazuki giving her farewell speech. We end with the bell count and streamers, before Hazuki is carried out of the ring for the last time in Stardom.

I had heard this match wasn’t great, so Samurai TV clipping it down may have been the best way to honor Hazuki’s final match. Natsuko can be a little awkward sometimes in her movements and transitions, but that wasn’t an issue here as with what they showed (less than half the match) everything was pretty smooth. I assume we missed a nice chunk of Hazuki offense as this ended up being almost a squash as it was presented, but it makes sense to focus on the wrestler staying in the promotion and not the one leaving it since Hazuki was going to get extra face time in the post-match. I wouldn’t consider this a great in-ring way to end Hazuki’s career, but her match against Kagetsu the week prior acted more as her in-ring farewell while this was more about the ceremony itself. I don’t know if we will ever see Hazuki again in the ring, but she was a lot of fun to watch and she will certainly be missed.

Hana Kimura vs. Giulia

They immediately get into it after the bell rings as they throw elbows back and forth, Hana gets the better of it as she keeps hammering Giulia on the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker, but Giulia blocks it. Giulia gets in the mount position and goes for a cross armbreaker of her own, but Hana gets to the ropes to force the break. They both return to their feet and Hana spits on Giulia, Giulia goes for a slap but Hana ducks it and hits a slap of her own. Giulia kicks Hana and throws her out of the ring, she goes out after her and throws Hana into the chairs at ringside. Giulia takes Hana up into the bleachers and slams her into the wall, she brings her back to ringside and throws her into the crowd again. Giulia takes Hana up onto the stage and puts her in the table, but Hana slides off of it to escape. Giulia returns to the ring with Hana slowly following, but Giulia immediately kicks Hana back out and slams Hana on the floor. Giulia gets a running start at Hana but Hana has grabbed a chair and she hits Giulia with it. Hana returns to the ring and waits for Giulia, she boots her in the head after she gets back in but Giulia kicks her back and hits a missile dropkick for two. Giulia picks up Hana but Hana pushes her off, neckbreaker by Giulia and she covers Hana for two. STF by Giulia but Hana wiggles to the ropes and forces a break. Giulia goes off the ropes but Hana catches her with a dropkick, heel drop by Hana and she deliver a delayed vertical suplex for a two count.

Hana boots at Giulia’s head but Giulia just gets mad and slaps her, Hana chokes Giulia but Giulia chokes her back. Headbutt by Hana but Giulia returns fire and both wrestlers end up on the mat. They both get up and go back to trading shots, Hana boots Giulia repeatedly against the ropes and they both hit running boots. Giulia knocks Hana to the mat, Hana quickly gets back up but Giulia puts her in the Stealth Viper. Hana gets to the ropes to force the break, Giulia picks her up and goes for the Glorious Buster, but Hana slides off her back and applies the Ground Manjikatame. Hana reverts it into an armbar but Giulia gets the break, Hana goes off the ropes and boots Giulia. Hana goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, Hana goes for a package piledriver but Giulia gets away and applies a small package for two. Glorious Buster by Giulia, but Hana reverses her cover into one of her own for two. Back up, headbutt by Hana and she puts Giulia in the Ground Manjikatame, but Giulia gets to the ropes. Package Piledriver attempt by Hana but its blocked again, Glorious Driver by Giulia and she covers Hana, but Hana is too close to the ropes and gets a foot on one to stop the pin. STF by Giulia and she switches it into the Stealth Viper, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Even though these two may not have the best chemistry yet, the effort was certainly there. They wrestled this as a hateful brawl even though it was their first match against each other ever, which is a tough feat. So the crowd wasn’t completely convinced but the work was solid and the last five minutes in particular were really good. I could have done without the crowd brawling which I think was mostly done to get it up to the time limit, since its not their strong suit, but once they got into the ring everything was much smoother. A good match with a hot end stretch, once they wrestle a bit more against each other I am sure they will have a great match down the line.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Konami
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Arisa and Konami circle each other to start as they look for early leverage, kicks to the leg by Arisa but Konami catches one and kicks Arisa back. Arisa goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her in the stomach, dropkick to the head by Konami and she covers Arisa for two. Konami picks up Arisa but Arisa connects with a strike combination, she charges Konami but Konami plants her with a release German suplex. Buzzsaw Kick by Konami, and Arisa rolls out of the ring to try to regain her senses. Konami goes out after her and hits a German suplex on the floor, she applies a Triangle Lancer while Arisa tries to tap out, but since they are outside of the ring it doesn’t count. Konami eventually lets go on her own and waits in the ring for Arisa, Arisa eventually rolls in and Konami goes for a tombstone piledriver, but Arisa blocks it. Konami goes off the ropes but Arisa puts her in a sleeper hold, Konami gets out of it and applies a sleeper hold of her own. Arisa snapmares out of it and kicks Konami in the back, running knee by Arisa and she hits a double knee strike in the corner. Reverse double kneedrop by Arisa, and she covers Konami for two. Arisa picks up Konami and she delivers a jumping kick, she waits for Konami to get up but when she charges Konami she is put in an armbar.

Double armbar by Konami, Arisa struggles in the hold but eventually gets a foot on the ropes to force the break. Konami goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding kick to Arisa, she picks up Arisa but Arisa pushes her off. Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Arisa blocks it and hits a quick cutter. Head kick by Arisa, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They slowly get up, jumping knee by Arisa and she hits a second one. She finishes Konami off with a head kick, cover by Arisa but Konami gets a shoulder up. Arisa goes up top and nails the 1399, she picks up Konami but Konami ducks the Brazilian Kick. Arisa kicks her in the head anyway, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Konami recovers and joins her. Konami suplexes Arisa back to the mat, she picks up Arisa and delivers another suplex. Buzzsaw Kick by Konami, she covers Arisa but it gets two. Hammerlock slam by Konami and she applies a keylock, she switches it to an armbar but Arisa gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Konami stomps at Arisa, she charges her but Arisa moves and kicks Konami in the back of the head. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Arisa rolls through it and hits a jumping knee. Shining Star Cutter by Arisa, she picks up Konami and nails the Brazilian Kick. Shining Impact by Arisa, and she covers Konami for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki wins and retains the championship.

This was pretty fantastic. Konami has been ready for a match like this for awhile, Stardom doesn’t give her a lot of chances but whenever they do she delivers. Arisa’s slow rise has been a lot of fun to watch in 2019, as she started slow as she transitioned back to being a full time wrestler but now really has her timing down and keeps adding to her move repertoire so that her matches don’t feel repetitive. Since they have the same style, they both stayed on the same page and the transitions worked well with only the Shining Star Cutter looking a bit out of place (which is a common issue with that move regardless who is doing it). A great strike and submission battle between these two, hopefully Konami will finally get her first singles title in 2020 as she is ready.  Highly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu
World of Stardom Championship

They shake hands to start and Mayu even gives Kagetsu a smile, perhaps hinting at the announcement that would come later from Kagetsu. They begin with trading wristlocks and headlocks but they reach a stalemate, Kagetsu goes off the ropes and Mayu drops down, but Kagetsu kicks Mayu in the back. Armdrag by Mayu, they both go off the ropes and Mayu ends up in the corner. Mayu kicks back Kagetsu and hits an armdrag, dropkick by Mayu and Kagetsu rolls out of the ring to re-group. Mayu fakes a dive but flips off Kagetsu instead, Kagetsu tries to get back in the ring but Mayu kicks her back out. Mayu goes do to a tope suicida but Kagetsu spits water in her face, Kagetsu quickly gets back in the ring and hits a tope suicida of her own. She follows up with another one before sliding Mayu back in, but Kagetsu promptly returns Mayu to the floor and hits a third tope suicida. Kagetsu carries Mayu up into the bleachers and slams her onto the stands, she climbs up the wall onto a ledge and jumps down on Mayu with a double footstomp (shades of Kyoko Kimura, but not quite as high). Kagetsu walks Mayu back to the ring, strike exchange by Kagetsu and she hits the Ebisu Drop for two. Kagetsu picks up Mayu and drops her with a chokeslam, cover by Kagetsu but it gets a two count. Kagetsu applies a keylock, but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break. Kagetsu goes up to the top turnbuckle but Mayu recovers and joins her, Frankensteiner by Mayu and she hits a footstomp off the second turnbuckle. Mayu goes up top again and hits the diving body press, cover by Mayu but it gets two.

Mayu goes up top yet again and calls for the moonsault, but Kagetsu rolls out of the way of it and plants Mayu with a running knee. Kagetsu picks up Mayu and puts her on the top turnbuckle, head kick by Kagetsu and she delivers an Avalanche Ebisu Drop for a nearfall. Kagetsu goes up top but Mayu slaps her before she can jump off, she gets Kagetsu on her shoulders and nails the Running Three! Mayu positions Kagetsu and goes up top but again she misses the moonsault, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she hits the Oedo Coaster, but Mayu barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu gets Mayu on her shoulders but Mayu gets off with a reverse hurricanrana, Dodonpa by Mayu but it gets two. Dragon Suplex Hold by Mayu, but that gets a two count as well. Mayu goes up top and this time she hits the moonsault, but Kagetsu kicks out at one. Mayu drags up Kagetsu but Kagetsu wiggles out of the dragon suplex, she pulls down the referee and spits Blue Mist in Mayu’s face. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, she goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster before dropping her with a Death Valley Bomb, but Mayu barely kicks out. Kagetsu gets Mayu up again but Mayu slides off and delivers her Dragon Suplex Hold for a two count. Mayu tombstones Kagetsu in front of the corner, she goes up top one final time and nails the moonsault for the three count! Mayu Iwatani wins and retains the championship.

To explain what I alluded to at the top, Kagetsu announced soon after the match that she was retiring soon and leaving Stardom in January, so this likely will be the last ever singles match between Kagetsu and Mayu. The end of an era. And they certainly wrestled like it, since both were kicking out of each other’s finishers like there was no tomorrow and the diving footstomp in the crowd was a sick exclamation point. I don’t mind the finisher kickouts since it was mutual, and they’ve wrestled so many times it is logical it would take a little something extra to put one down for the three count. These two are so fluid and smooth, as you’d expect by now, and the blood on Mayu’s face showed they weren’t exactly taking it easy on each other. Hard hitting and exciting from start to finish, about all you could ask for from a main event title match. Another must-watch on the show and a fitting conclusion to Stardom’s year.  Highly Recommended

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Full Photobook Details

Title: Hazuki “Wild Heart” Retirement Commemorative Photobook
Release: December 24th, 2019
Pages: 42
Cost: ¥2,500
Where to Buy: At live Stardom events

When Hazuki announced her pending retirement in November of 2019, it may have shocked wrestling fans but Stardom was clearly ready as a new photobook was released on the day of her retirement show. The Hazuki retirement photobook is full sized (A4) and all pages are in color. It has an added perk that all were signed on the cover by Hazuki, which we have seen before with Yoko Bito and Act Yasukawa as Stardom likes to have retirement photobooks with an autograph on the front. At 42 pages, it is not the biggest photobook but is almost twice as long as those released in the Stardom MyStar series.

As for the pictures, a few pages at the start of the book are new photos taken just for this release, while the rest are pictures are from throughout Hazuki’s career and from the various photobooks she has been in. This includes a wide variety of photo types, ranging from Oedo Tai pictures, modeling pictures, in-ring wrestling pictures, and pictures of Hazuki posing with titles she has won. They also included pictures from Hazuki’s first run in Stardom, when she wrestled as Reo Hazuki. Stardom didn’t break any new ground with this photobook but they really didn’t need to, as fans of her will enjoy the walk down memory lane as they cover different periods of Hazuki’s career in picture form. Clearly a must-have for any fans of Hazuki, if you can find it. Here is a sample of pictures from the photobook:

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This was certainly true in 2019, as only one wrestler that retired had what most would consider a long career. So we start with her, the legendary Command Bolshoi. Since sometimes wrestlers leave promotions without announcing a retirement, for the sake of this article I am only covering wrestlers that had official in-ring retirements or made an official retirement announcement through the promotion.

Command Bolshoi

Once a year or so, one of the legendary wrestlers that started in the 80s or 90s retires, and in 2019 that wrestler was Command Bolshoi. Bolshoi had a long and storied career that began in 1992, where she debuted in JWP. For many years, Bolshoi wrestled as a comedy wrestler as “Bolshoi Kid,” wrestling in a clown outfit and hovering towards the bottom of cards. Hiding behind the gimmick however was a talented wrestler, and she finally won her first championship in JWP in 1999. In 2000, she won the promotion’s top title as she defeated Ran YuYu for the JWP Openweight Championship. By then, she was more than just a wrestler in JWP, as she was also the President of the promotion and was one of the trainers. She continued to help lead the promotion until JWP dissolved in 2017, but Command Bolshoi started a new promotion called PURE-J that maintained most of the roster and two of the titles so that the JWP spirit would live on. In 2018, she announced due to lingering injuries she would retire in 2019, and she had her last series of matches on April 21st, 2019. She continues to lead PURE-J however, and for a foreseeable future will still be involved in wrestling. With over 15 championship wins in her career that spanned 27 years, Command Bolshoi had a long and successful career that will always be remembered by her fans and followers of JWP.

Hazuki

Hazuki’s career was much shorter than Command Bolshoi’s, but she still made an impact. Hazuki first debuted as Reo Hazuki in 2014 at age 16, and she stayed mostly under the radar until she suddenly left wrestling in 2015. Hazuki shocked Stardom fans when she returned in November of 2016, wrestling as HZK in Io Shirai’s Queen’s Quest stable. With a new look and a new attitude, Hazuki’s fan base began to grow and she won her first championship in 2017. She joined Oedo Tai in 2018 and frequently teamed with her good friend and trainer Kagetsu up until her retirement. Hazuki really took it up a notch in late 2018, as she won the High Speed Championship and defended the title frequently in the “high speed” style that the title was originally named for. In 2019, she got the opportunity to wrestle in Madison Square Garden, which she said was a career highlight. In November of 2019, she shocked Stardom fans once again by announcing she would retire the following month, and had her final match against stablemate Natsuko Tora. Hazuki’s 2018 and 2019 run in Stardom showed her potential, and the promotion certainly will miss Hazuki’s unique style of wrestling.

Tequila Saya

Tequila Saya is a rare case of someone that got into wrestling later in life, as she did not debut until she was 32 years old. In her 3.5 year career, she started slowly as she didn’t start being highlighted on cards regularly until 2018. While she failed in her three attempts to win the ICExInfinity Championship, in 2019 she did win the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship and the Triangle Ribbon Tag Team Championship, so she still had success. She may be best remembered for her tag team with Giulia called Burning Raw, both for their success in 2019 and their surprising breakup when Giulia left for Stardom, which actually delayed Saya’s retirement by several months due to the general confusion around the situation. Still, for someone in their 30s diving into wrestling for the first time, she had a respectable career and fit in very well during her time in Ice Ribbon.

Yuuka

Yuuka’s retirements is one of those that hurts more than it should considering the length of her career, as she had so much potential. Debuting at just 15 years old, she had her last wrestling match in 2016 before leaving Ice Ribbon for personal reasons. Ice Ribbon kept her on the roster page for years afterwards, but in March of 2019 they announced she would not be returning and Yuuka had an official retirement ceremony on March 31st, 2019. In her short career, Yuuka had several title chances and appeared to be positioned to become one of the stars of the promotion. Sadly, it was not to be.

Shiki Shibusawa

Even though Shiki wrestled for less than two years (her last match was on November 4th, 2018), due to Stardom’s packed schedule she still had over 100 matches in that time period. Shiki started later than most rookies as she debuted at age 27, and perhaps even more unusual is she had no background in athletics. This made her learning curve much steeper than most, and it took her longer to get fully caught up to speed. Shiki did have two title challenges in her career, but came up short both times, and left the promotion suddenly due to injury issues and possibly due to being impacted by criticism she received online. Shiki was a popular underdog and showed that regardless of your background, anyone can be a pro wrestler if they try hard enough.

Pinano PiPiPiPi

Pinano PiPiPiPi, originally debuting as Hinano, will best be remembered as part of the Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling). The Up Up Girls are a popular Idol group, while the Up Up Girls (Pro Wrestling) are a separate group that does both wrestling and singing. The group debuted in January of 2018 and mostly stayed in the lower to midcard, not getting serious in-ring pushes from Tokyo Joshi Pro. Pinano never had a title shot during her stay in wrestling and didn’t even pick up her first pinfall victory until February of 2019, but she was popular with the crowd nonetheless. While she didn’t have a long career, between her wrestling and singing she did her best to entertain, and at 21 years old she still has plenty of time to find her true calling.

Dorami Nagano

Like Yuuka, Dorami had not wrestled in Ice Ribbon for several years prior to her retirement announcement on March 25th, 2019. In fact, her last wrestling match was way back in 2012, so Ice Ribbon hung onto the chance she may come back for a long time. During her two year run in Ice Ribbon, Dorami mostly stayed in the midcard but did have two title challenges, failing to win in each. While it is unusual to have an official retirement announcement almost seven years after a wrestler’s last match, since the announcement happened in 2019 I didn’t want to exclude her from the list.

Nao Yamaguchi

Of the 2019 Joshi Retirees, Nao had the shortest career as she only had 15 matches. Nao is a former gravure model that at age 28 decided to give wrestling a chance. Unfortunately, Nao had bad luck with injuries and wrestled her last match on May 6th, 2018, just two months after debuting. She remained in the promotion as Oedo Tai’s manager, but officially retired from both wrestling and managing in March of 2019. Always enthusiastic, sadly we didn’t see enough of Nao to know what her future in wrestling could have been.

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