It is time for Stardom’s last big event of 2016, the Year End Climax. After treading water for much of the year, the last two months we have seen a lot of changes for Stardom. Io turned evil and took young Momo and the returning HZK with her to the dark side, which completely shook things up since it meant both Mayu and Kyona lost their friends and tag partners. More new wrestlers debuted, with Ruaka and Tora beginning their in-ring career. Kairi and Yoko are friends now and have created a new team, while young Hana Kimura continues to find success. Also on this show, Kana’s protégé Konami has her first match in Stardom as well. So a lot is going on! Here is the full card:

• Arisu Nanase vs. Azumi vs. Ruaka
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Konami
• Kaori Yoneyama and Saori Anou vs. Kris Wolf and Hana Kimura vs. Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora
• NWA Western States Tag Team Championship: Thunder Rosa and Holidead vs. HZK and Momo Watanabe
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu vs. Kairi Hojo and Yoko Bito
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani

You can click on the wrestler’s names above to go to their profile if I have one here on Joshi City. Please note I am watching the Samurai TV version of the show, so some matches may be clipped to fit the show into two hours. There were two additional dark matches, however neither were shown on Stardom World nor the Samurai TV broadcast since they were filmed for an Asahi show.

Arisu Nanase vs. Azumi vs. Ruaka

Arisu fakes a handshake to start but rolls up Azumi instead, leading to Arisu being double teamed. Ruaka boots Arisu in the corner with Azumi following with a dropkick, but Ruaka knocks Azumi out of the way and covers Arisu for two. Azumi throws Ruaka out of the ring and trades wristlocks with Arisu before Azumi hits a dropkick, but Ruaka returns and rolls up Azumi. They all trade roll-ups with no one getting the pin before returning to their feet, DDT by Azumi to Arisu and she dropkicks her repeatedly. Arisu gets away from Azumi and dropkicks her, double wrist armsault by Arisu but Azumi kicks out. Arisu picks up Azumi and hits the Blockbuster, but Ruaka breaks up the pin. Ruaka slams Azumi and puts her in a crab hold, but Arisu rolls out of it and applies a jackknife for the three count! Arisu Nanase is the winner.

This is about what you’d expect. I think Arisu has shown some promise for a 15 year old rookie, she hits moves crisply, but too early to figure out much from Ruaka. With three children wrestling you can’t take it too seriously, there is a loose storyline here of Azumi being passed by the newer rookies like Arisu but not much more than that. A typical Stardom opening match.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Konami

Konami immediately slaps on a kneelock onto the unsuspecting Hiromi, but Hiromi gets into the ropes for the break. Konami takes Hiromi back to the mat and they jockey for position, Konami applies a keylock but they end up back on their feet. Dropkick by Hiromi but Konami connects with a kick combination, she goes off the ropes but Hiromi ducks the PK and rolls her up for two. Dropkick to the knee by Hiromi and she goes for La Magistral, but Konami reverses it into an ankle hold. Hiromi gets to the ropes so Konami releases the hold, kick to the knee by Konami and she dropkicks Hiromi in the other knee. Konami charges Hiromi but Hiromi moves, Konami’s leg gets stuck in the ropes and Hiromi snaps it. Running low crossbody by Hiromi, but it gets a two. Running knee by Konami and she hits a fisherman suplex hold, but Hiromi kicks out. High kick by Konami but Hiromi comes back with a DDT and applies La Magistral for a two count. Hiromi goes off the ropes but Konami kicks her in the head, Konami applies a kneelock and Hiromi has to submit! Konami wins the match.

I am on record as loving Konami. She isn’t a literal Kana clone as she her move set is mostly different, but the attitude is there as well as the focus on strikes and submissions. She is different than most other wrestlers in Stardom, the closest comparison would be Yoko Bito but Konami is a bit less clunky. Hiromi was fine here, she’s low on the totem pole for a reason but she kept up with Konami and didn’t look out of place. A fun short match and a good way to introduce Konami to a new crowd, hopefully she sticks around.  Mildly Recommended

Yoneyama and Saori Anou vs. Kris Wolf and Hana Kimura vs. Kyona and Natsuko Tora

Kris, Natsuko, and Kaori start off for their respective teams and do a triple knuckle lock, Kris kicks them away and they trade quick pins but no one has any luck so they tag out. Hana dances around the ring and then challenges Saori to do the same, Saori dances too and then challenges Kyona. Kyona dances but the crowd boos while Hana tells her to go away, hurting her feelings. Hana and Saori continue their dance off until Hana is double teamed and knocked over with a double shoulderblock. Saori and Kyona then go at it until Hana dropkicks them both, Natsuko comes in but Hana puts her in a leg lock. She dances for too long so Kaori comes in, so does Kris and Kris squares off with Saori. There is a lot going on here as the wrestlers are all just running in at will, I have no idea who is legal at this point. Kaori and Saori both put Natsuko in a submission hold but it is broken up, Hana and Kyona trade elbows until Kyona applies a backbreaker. Hana gets out of it and rolls up Kyona, but Kaori comes in and rolls up Hana. Kaori then covers both of them, but Kris runs in to break it up. Natsuko kicks Kris and she along with Kyona put their opponents in an airplane spin, but Oedo Tai fights back and dropkicks their opponents. Hana and Kris go up top but are knocked off, they fall to the floor while Saori applies a fisherman suplex hold to Kyona for two. Kyona comes back with a double lariat on Kaori and Saori, running senton by Natsuko to Saori but Hana runs in and boots both Natsuko and Kyona in the face. Kris runs in and covers Natsuko, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai win!

Rating a match like this isn’t really possible or fair since it wasn’t trying to be a high end match. It had some quality dancing from Hana, lots of high speed action from all six of them, and some clever spots which is about all you can hope for. I enjoyed it as midcard fodder, anytime I get to see Hana I am not going to complain, but it was 99% style and 1% substance. An easy fun watch but nothing more than that.

(c) Thunder Rosa and Holidead vs. HZK and Momo Watanabe
NWA Western States Tag Team Championship

HZK and Momo attack before the bell rings but the veterans quickly regain the advantage as HZK is isolated. Holidead stays in with HZK and rams her into the turnbuckles, but HZK gets her leg and applies a Figure Four. Holidead gets into the ropes to force the break, Momo is tagged in and she hits a missile dropkick off the turnbuckles. Momo and HZK both kick on Holidead before hitting a double dropkick, senton by HZK and Momo hits the Somato for a two count. Momo goes up top but Rosa grabs her, giving Holidead time to recover and toss her off. Sit-down spinebuster by Holidead, but Momo kicks out at two. Holidead tags in Rosa, Rosa and Momo trade strikes until Rosa hits a DDT. Rosa picks up Momo and hits a sit-down hammerlock drop for a cocky two count cover. Rosa goes up top and hits a footstomp to Momo’s back, cover by Rosa but HZK breaks it up. Rosa goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the stomach, snap vertical suplex by Momo and she covers Rosa for two. Momo tags HZK, double chop by HZK but Rosa avoids her charge in the corner. Holidead comes in to help and they double team HZK, Rosa gets HZK across her back and slams her stomach-first into the mat for a two count. Rosa goes off the ropes but HZK catches her with a bicycle kick, Momo comes in and she hits the F Crash. HZK goes up top and delivers the diving senton, cover by HZK but Holidead breaks it up. HZK goes off the ropes and applies quick roll up, she goes for a bicycle kick but Rosa blocks it and rolls up HZK for the three count! Holidead and Thunder Rosa retain the championship.

This was probably the most clipped match of the show, which is understandable since it had a non-Stardom title and not particularly high ranked wrestlers. This was the most I’ve gotten to see from HZK, even in clipped form, and I think she looked solid even if I am not sure having her get pinned in a fluky manner does a lot for her short term. Rosa and Holidead were hitting a fair number of power moves, I just wish one of them had ended the match instead of it being a flash pin. Too clipped up to recommend, definitely some solid action by the younger Stardom team though and overall a solid match even if I didn’t love the ending.

(c) Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu vs. Kairi Hojo and Yoko Bito
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kyoko and Kairi begin the match but Kyoko immediately jumps out of the ring to play with the crowd. She returns after a moment, Kairi knocks Kagetsu off the apron when she tries to help and Yoko runs in to boot Kyoko while Kairi dives out of the ring onto Kagetsu. Kyoko gets out of the ring, Yoko thinks about doing a dive but Kyoko pulls Yoko out of the ring with her. They battle up into the stands and around the ring, Oedo Tai brings Kairi back into the ring and all the members of Oedo Tai pose around her. Kyoko stays in with Kairi and hits a backbreaker, kick to the butt by Kyoko and she hits a backbreaker on her while also DDTing Yoko. Kyoko applies a crab hold to Kairi while Kagetsu stands guard, Kyoko releases her after a moment and chops Kairi to the mat. Kairi fights back with her own chops but Kyoko returns fire, Kyoko goes off the ropes but Kairi catches her with a double chop to the chest and makes the hot tag to Yoko. Kicks to the chest by Yoko but Kagetsu pokes Yoko in the eyes, Yoko kicks both Kyoko and Kagetsu before hitting Kyoko with a PK for a two count. Kyoko gets away from Yoko and applies a Cobra Twist, she goes off the ropes but Yoko catches her with a lariat. Kairi is tagged back in, she goes up top and hits Kyoko with a diving elbow smash. She goes up top again but this time Kagetsu joins her, elbows by Kagetsu but Kairi blocks the superplex attempt and knocks Kagetsu into the Tree of Woe.

Kyoko runs over and boots Kairi before she can do anything, Kagetsu slides out to the apron and Kyoko goes up top with Kairi and Kagetsu they hit an avalanche Gory Special/face crusher onto Kairi down to the mat. Kyoko picks up Kairi but Kairi rolls out of the Gory Special this time, elbow by Kairi but Kyoko headbutts her and both wrestlers crumble to the mat. Kairi tags in Yoko while Kagetsu is also tagged in, Kagetsu and Yoko trade elbows until Kagetsu hits two jumping elbows in the corners and follows that with a big spear. Kagetsu goes off the ropes but Yoko elbows her, Kyoko runs in and boots Yoko and Yoko is double teamed. Double chokeslam to Yoko, cover by Kagetsu but Kairi breaks it up. Kyoko and Kagetsu hit another assisted Gory Special, but Kairi breaks up Kagetsu’s cover. Kagetsu goes for a high kick but Kairi pulls down Yoko to prevent her from getting hit, Kairi gets control of the situation and hits Kagetsu with a pair of Sliding Ds. Yoko recovers and hits a German suplex hold on Kagetsu, but it gets a two count. Bicycle Kick by Yoko, Kairi goes for a Sliding D but Kagetsu holds up a metal briefcase. All hell breaks loose as the briefcase assault continues, until Kagetsu hits Kyoko by accident. High Kick by Yoko to Kagetsu, but Kagetsu quickly hits an Ebisu Drop for a two count. Kyoko returns but eats a Kairi spear, Kagetsu spears Kairi in return but Yoko drills Kagetsu with the Doll B. Kairi goes up top and delivers a diving elbow drop onto Kagetsu, B Driver by Yoko and she picks up the three count! Yoko Bito and Kairi Hojo are the new champions!

A really entertaining tag team match with two veteran teams that know how to keep things interesting. I appreciate when wrestlers don’t waste time on limb work if the limb work isn’t going to mean anything, this match just stayed high impact and fast paced from bell to bell. The outside-the-ring stuff doesn’t really contribute but is a staple of Oedo Tai matches and isn’t going away, and they kept it pretty brief. Yoko still looks a bit stiff at times (as in non-graceful, not as in actually hurting people), but Kairi makes up for that by being one of the best wrestlers in the world in making you care about her and her matches. The end came when Kairi and Yoko were on the same page while Kyoko and Kagetsu were the ones that made the mistake, and the end stretch worked well as if it lasted any longer than Kyoko would have recovered to come to her teammates aid. A fun match that felt like it got just the right amount of time and stayed engaging throughout.  Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani
World of Stardom Championship

Io offers a handshake to start the match but Mayu slaps her and goes for a dragon suplex. Io elbows out of it, both wrestlers go off the ropes until Mayu hits a spinning headscissors, but Io lands on her feet. Irish whip by Io but Mayu hits a springboard back elbow, running elbow by Mayu in the corner but Io slides out of the ring and trips Mayu before ramming her knee into the ring post. Mayu falls out of the ring, Io removes part of the mat at ringside and goes for a suplex, but Mayu slips away. Mayu goes for a crossbody but Io catches her and slams her onto the exposed floor, Io gets back in the ring and goes to do a dive but Mayu ducks. Io does a baseball slide instead, she jumps back out of the ring and gets a chair, setting it up at ringside. Io puts Mayu’s leg into the chair and dropkicks it, she slides Mayu back in and starts twisting on her knee. Dropkick by Io, and she covers Mayu for a two count. Irish whip by Io from the corner but Mayu kicks her back when she charges in and hits a spinning headscissors. Dropkick by Mayu while Io is against the ropes, she springboards over the top rope and jumps down repeatedly onto Io’s back. Io flops out of the ring, Mayu goes up top and dives out onto Io with a plancha. Mayu picks up Io and goes for the dragon suplex, Io tries to block it but Mayu hits it anyway, slamming Io hard onto the floor.

Mayu gets back into the ring with Io slowly following, missile dropkick by Mayu and she hits the crucifix slam for a two count. Elbows by Mayu, she goes off the ropes but Io trips her and hits a slingshot dropkick. Running double knee in the corner by Io but she is too banged up to capitalize, Mayu goes for a kick but Io catches her leg and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Io goes for a dragon suplex but Mayu blocks it, Mayu goes for the move but Io blocks her attempt as well and hits a package German for a two count. Io applies an armtrap crossface but Mayu gets into the ropes, Io goes for a Tiger Feint Kick but Mayu catches her legs and hangs Io over the top rope. A dropkick by Mayu sends Io crashing onto the apron, Mayu joins her on the apron and nails a dragon suplex! Mayu slides Io back into the ring, dragon suplex hold by Mayu but Io somehow gets a shoulder up. Mayu goes for another quick pin with no luck, she goes off the ropes and hits a reverse hurricanrana for another two count. Mayu gets on the second turnbuckle but Io hits her from behind and suplexes her down to the mat. Io goes up top but Mayu springs up and joins her, she goes for an avalanche dragon suplex, but Io lands on her feet and hits Mayu with rolling German suplexes for a two count. Io picks up Mayu and hits a dragon suplex hold, but Mayu kicks out at two. Io positions Mayu and goes up top and she nails the moonsault, but Mayu kicks out at one and superkicks Io in the face. Dragon suplex hold by Mayu, but Io gets a shoulder up. Mayu goes for a tombstone but Io reverses it into her own tombstone piledriver. Io goes up and hits a second moonsault, instead of covering Mayu she delivers a third moonsault, and this time she picks up the three count! Io Shirai is still the champion.

I am not sure where to even begin with a match like this. If you are new to Stardom it is important to note that Io Shirai is notoriously difficult to pin, you have to kill her to get her to stay down, and while Mayu hit her with many different dragon suplexes she never hit her with the version that gets her wins in her bigger matches. The amount of brutality in this match was off the charts, ranging from the dragon suplex on the apron, or on the floor, or even just a simple headscissors where Io lands on her head. The early limb work by Io didn’t go anywhere but I thought Mayu sold it the right amount, she limped for a bit but shook it off when Io wasn’t really able to capitalize on it due to being tossed around the ring like a rag doll. Perhaps most importantly, the match felt epic and important, which to me is a requirement for a quality championship match. Non-stop offensive and the definition of an Io Main Event Match, and perhaps one of the best Stardom matches of the year just based off emotion and how far both were willing to go to pick up the win against their former best friend.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Year End Climax 2016 on 12/22/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

When it comes to reviewing Stardom, I am generally torn between reviewing the newest show or the biggest show, since we established I am not reviewing every single Stardom event as they have so many. Well this is a bit in the middle but it is the most recent Joshi show I have readily available, plus it has six matches so its more beefy than the usual Stardom house show. This event has a Rookie of Stardom Tournament as well as a Goddesses of Stardom Championship match and a big six woman main event. Here is the full card:

• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Arisu Nanase vs. Ruaka
• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Natsuko Tora vs. Azumi
• Hiromi Mimura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Hana Kimura and Kris Wolf vs. Taya and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Yoko Bito and Saori Anou
• Rookie of Stardom Final: Arisu Nanase vs. Natsuko Tora
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu vs. Thunder Rosa and Holidead
• Io Shirai, Momo Watanabe, and HZK vs. Mayu Iwatani, Kairi Hojo, and Jungle Kyona

This is a Nico Nico presentation, but looks like it was shown in full. So we get pro-shot and no clipping. Win-win.

Arisu Nanase vs. Ruaka

They tie-up, Arisu gets Ruaka into the ropes and they take turns elbowing each other in the chest. Ruaka takes Arisu to the mat but Arisu gets a foot on the ropes, dropkick by Ruaka and they trade elbows again. Ruaka stomps on Arisu but Arisu avoids her charge in the corner and hits a dropkick. Jumping crossbody for Ruaka for two, she picks up Arisu but Arisu scoop slams her. Another scoop slam by Arisu and she puts Ruaka in a crab hold, but Ruaka gets a hand to the ropes. Arisu goes for another slam but Ruaka lands on top of her, running boot by Ruaka in the corner but Arisu delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Arisu and she puts Ruaka in a crab hold, and this time Ruaka submits! Arisu wins the match and reaches the Finals of the tournament.

A really basic match, which is what you’d expect when a match has a 12 year old that debuted just a couple weeks prior. All things considered it was well-worked, not all the strikes looked strong but neither looked lost at any point. Not a bad match between two youngsters with very little experience.

Natsuko Tora vs. Azumi

No-nonsense Azumi doesn’t shake Natsuko’s hand before the match, both wrestlers trade dropkick attempts before Azumi applies a few La Magistrals for two. Natsuko drives Azumi back into the corner but Azumi hits a dropkick, she goes for a scoop slam but Natsuko blocks it. Natsuko and Azumi trade elbows until Azumi hits a DDT, kick to the back by Azumi but Natsuko shoulderblocks her to the mat for a two count. Natsuko picks up Azumi and hits a scoop slam, she goes to run off the ropes but Azumi trips her and hits a dropkick. More dropkicks by Azumi and she elbows Natsuko in the chest, but Natsuko grabs her and hit a side Russian leg sweep. Natsuko applies an armtrap necklock but releases it after a moment, she goes off the ropes but Azumi avoids the senton and applies a crucifix pin for two. Tilt-a-whirl roll-up by Azumi for two, Natsuko goes off the ropes but Azumi kicks her in the stomach and they trade quick roll-ups. Azumi goes for La Magistral but Natsuko blocks it and holds down Azumi for the three count! Natsuko continues on in the tournament!

Simple, but Natsuko already shows some promise. She has been training in Stardom since the beginning of the year and is 25, so it makes sense that she is quite capable of having short-ish matches without looking confused. Azumi wore a new outfit but still lost anyway, she is a great character but didn’t look like the better wrestler here even though she has a couple years experience. A fun little match between the young wrestler and the newbie.

Hiromi Mimura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Hana Kimura and Kris Wolf
vs. Taya and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Yoko Bito and Saori Anou

As an Elimination Match, two teams are legal at a time and if one partner is pinned the team is eliminated. Bito and Yoneyama start the match, kicks by Bito but Yoneyama avoids the next few and rolls her up for two. Saori and Hana are tagged in, Hana does a dance around the ring and challenges Saori to do the same. Saori does but Hana rolls her up from behind, Saori elbows Hana and the two trade blows. Lariat by Hana but Anou hits a hard shoulderblock, Hiromi attacks her from behind but Taya comes in too and they become the legal wrestlers. Taya asks for a knuckle lock even though the much smaller Hiromi can’t reach her, Yoneyama comes in and puts Hiromi on her shoulders to even the odds but Taya Irish whips them and pushes them over. Everyone else comes in as Hiroyo and Taya stack their opponents in the corner, cannonball by Taya and Hiroyo stays in with Hiromi. Hiroyo tries to throw Hiromi out of the ring but Hiromi slides out onto the apron.

Hana dropkicks Hiroyo into Hiromi to knock her off the apron, elbows by Hana but Hiroyo elbows her to the mat. Hana gets up and hits more elbows but Hiroyo snapmares her and hits a double knee drop. Hana takes off her belt and chokes Hiroyo with it, running double knee by Hana in the corner and she hits a dropkick for two. Hana goes for a suplex but Hiroyo blocks it and hits a backbreaker, Kris runs in but she gets a backbreaker too. Hiroyo puts them both in a crab hold, Bito and Anou ‘help’ by pulling on Hiroyo’s hair, which leads to Hiroyo breaking the hold. Hiromi and Yoneyama run in and clear the ring, Taya gets on the apron and dives down on the whole bunch. Hiromi tries to do the same but she gets caught, until Yoneyama runs over and helps knock them over. Yoneyama rolls Kris into the ring and hits a diving senton off the second turnbuckle, but Kris gets a shoulder up. Hiromi goes for an assisted senton but Kris moves, big boot by Hana and Kris jackknifes Hiromi for the three count! Hiromi Mimura and Kaori Yoneyama are eliminated. Saori and Bito quickly run in and double team Kris, B-Driver by Bito and she covers Kris for three! Kris Wolf and Hana Kimura are eliminated.

This leaves Taya/Hiroyo and Bito/Saori as the remaining teams. Hiroyo and Bito trade elbows, Saori hits Hiroyo from the apron which allows Bito to hit a big boot. Back bodydrop by Bito and she kicks Hiroyo in the back, more kicks by Bito but Hiroyo hits a body block followed by a big lariat. Taya comes in and jumps on Hiroyo’s back before hitting a double kneedrop. Reverse double kneedrop by Hiroyo out of the corner to Bito, but Saori runs in and breaks up the cover. Taya jumps on Hiroyo’s back again and they do a double kneedrop on Saori, Taya throws Saori into the corner and she hits a back elbow. Lariat by Taya but Saori avoids her charge in the corner. Dropkick by Taya, Hiroyo comes back in but so does Bito and she hits a double lariat. Bito kicks Taya in the head, Saori covers her with a bridge but the pin is broken up. Hiroyo lariats Bito, double knee strike by Taya to Saori and she hits a Northern Lights Suplex. Taya bridges out of the suplex and hits a double footstomp, cover by Taya and she gets the three count! Taya and Hiroyo Matsumoto are the winners!

I am not sure if Stardom plans on using Taya much going forward as she does have a lot of commitments in the US and Mexico, but I think she added quite a bit to this match. No one wrestler stood out in terms of in-ring prowess, there just wasn’t enough time, but everyone worked together well and their personalities really were on display. Hana did a “sexy dancer” thing to trick Anou, Hiromi was in her usual cute underdog role, and the veterans brought the bulk of the pain. It feels like a low match on the card for Bito but its just the way the dice were rolled on this show, she’ll back back up towards the main event next time. A really fun mid-card event, no big spots or anything like that but everyone worked together well and it had a fair number of entertaining stretches.  Mildly Recommended

Arisu Nanase vs. Natsuko Tora

A solid ending to the mini-tournament. It may say a lot that Arisu won the tournament (or it could mean nothing and they will all be in the opener for the next year regardless). Arisu is already showing some attitude, the only thing holding her back at this point is her age as Stardom isn’t going to push her by so hard until she is at least 16. But both showed here they are well trained and prepared rookies as both stayed on target and focused without any miscommunications. Stardom builds up wrestlers slow so it may be awhile until either move too far up the card, but it was a fun rookie match.

(c) Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu vs. Thunder Rosa and Holidead

Kagetsu starts with Rosa and actually shakes her hand beforehand. See, they are friends. They bounce off the ropes and Rosa hits a spinning headscissors, Kagetsu falls out of the ring but she quickly rolls back in when Rosa goes out after her. They tag out, Holidead and Kyoko lock knuckles but Kyoko pokes Holidead in the eyes and hits a shoulderblock. Holidead returns the favor with her own shoulderblock before tagging in Rosa, Kyoko is back up by now and the two trade chops. Rosa goes for a springboard move but Kyoko sidesteps it and tags Kagetsu, Kagetsu elbows Rosa in the head and hits a scoop slam for two. Headlock by Kagetsu, she picks up Rosa and clubs on her until she tags Kyoko back in. Kyoko puts Rosa in a Figure Four but Rosa gets into the ropes, Kagetsu is tagged in and she continues the work on Rosa. Rosa flings Kagetsu to the mat with a hurricanrana and makes the hot tag to Holidead, Kyoko comes in too however and she blows in Holidead’s face.

Holidead lariats both of her opponents but Kagetsu comes back with a missile dropkick, Samoan Drop by Holidead and she tags in Rosa, Rosa elbows Kagetsu but Kagetsu returns with elbows of her own. Hard dropkicks by Rosa and she hits a STO for a two count cover. Rosa kicks Kagetsu in the back but Kagetsu retorts with a kick to the head, and both wrestlers crawl to their corners to tag out. Big boot by Holidead but Kyoko blocks the second attempt and kicks Holidead in the leg. Kick to the head by Kyoko, Kagetsu comes in and they both boot Holidead for a two count. Kyoko picks up Holidead and puts her in a stretch hold, but Holidead muscles out of it and hits an Air Raid Crash. Kyoko goes off the ropes but Holidead hits a sit-down spinebuster, picking up a two. Kyoko is thrown a briefcase but Holidead pushes it away and Rosa hits both Kyoko and Kagetsu with it. Double underhook facebuster by Holidead, diving footstomp by Rosa and Holidead hits a diving legdrop but Kagetsu breaks up the cover. Kris Wolf jumps on the apron and hits Holidead in the head, Holidead goes for a chokeslam but Kyoko rolls her up for the three count! Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu retain the championship.

I can’t say that I loved this match. The wrestlers are all fine and all have had quality matches in the last month in Stardom, but something didn’t mesh here. Time may have been an issue but they struggled to tell a story to get the audience into it as it went from trading spots to brief leg work to “Oedo Tai” finish without anything to tie it together. Both teams are heels so the hot tag wasn’t too hot, and it didn’t have the excitement you’d hope from an Oedo Tai match or a title match. It was technically sound but just felt flat, not one of the better Kyoko and Kagetsu matches I have seen in Stardom recently.

Io Shirai, Momo Watanabe, and HZK vs. Mayu Iwatani, Kairi Hojo, and Kyona

They start with a brawl and immediately go outside the ring, Kyona and Kairi return with Io but Io quickly turns the tables and dispatches both of them. Mayu comes in but the rest of Queen’s Quest also comes in and all three triple team Mayu. Momo kicks down Mayu in the corner as Queen’s Quest takes turns on poor Mayu as they tag in and out, but Mayu eventually hits a missile dropkick on Momo and makes the hot tag to Kyona. Kyona shoulderblocks Momo before knocking both Io and HZK off the apron, she goes back to Momo but Momo dropkicks her. Another hard shoulderblock by Kyona, she picks up Momo but Io and HZK both run in to help. Kyona is thrown in the corner but Kyona gets away and hits a crossbody on all three of them. Kyona hits more shoulderblocks on Momo but Momo fires back with kicks, elbows by Kyona but Momo slaps her. Running boot by Momo, Kairi tags in and goes up top, hitting a diving elbow smash. She grabs some water and splashes Kyona with it to fire her up, Mayu comes in too and Momo is knocked over with a catapult dropkick. Kairi picks up Momo but Momo floats over her back with a sunset flip. Dropkick by Momo and she tags HZK, chop to the chest by HZK and she applies an armtrap crossface to Kairi. Kairi gets a foot on the ropes to force the break, HZK picks her up and elbows Kairi in the ropes. Kairi switches positions with her and returns the favor, HZK slides out to the apron and snaps Kairi’s neck on the top rope. Raideen Drop by HZK off the second rope, she picks up Kairi but Kairi hits a spear. Punch to the gut by HZK but Kairi hits a double chop to the chest for a two count.

Both wrestlers tag out as Io and Mayu come in, elbows by Mayu but Io trips her and hits a slingshot dropkick from the apron. Io kicks at Mayu’s head, Mayu goes for a springboard move but stops herself on the ropes as Io had moved out of the way. When Io turns around, Mayu then springboards off with a dropkick and follows up with another dropkick while Io is against the ropes. Cover by Mayu, but it gets a two count. Kairi and Kyona come in and go for the catapult dropkick, but Io dropkicks Mayu and palm strikes both her teammates. Running double knee by Io in the corner, HZK comes in and kicks Mayu in the head before Momo connects with the avalanche Somato. Io goes for a moonsault, Mayu moves but Io lands on her feet and hits a palm strike. Package German by Io, but Mayu gets a shoulder up. Io picks up Mayu but Kyona grabs Mayu from the apron to help, Kairi comes in too but Io throws Kairi into both of them. German Suplex by Io to Mayu, but it only gets a two count. Io goes towards the turnbuckle but Mayu grabs her foot, stomps by Io and she goes up top anyway but Kyouna clubs her leg out from under her. Io lands in the Tree of Woe, diving footstomp by Kairi and now it is Mayu that goes up top. Diving Footstomp by Mayu, but Io kicks out of the pin. Superkick by Mayu and she applies a crucifix pin, but Momo breaks it up. Kyona lariats Momo and HZK, they knock Io into the corner and this time connect with the catapult dropkick. Mayu goes for the dragon suplex, Io blocks it and rolls up Mayu, but Mayu reverses the roll-up and applies a cradle of her own for the three count! Mayu, Momo, and Kairi win!

The issue here isn’t the match quality itself, it is just putting so many quality wrestlers in a short six wrestler tag so that less get a chance to shine. Kairi wasn’t needed here, I love her to death but she just got lost in the shuffle since everyone else had a purpose. Momo and Kyona are friends turned enemies so their pairing had meaning, obviously Mayu and Io have their issues, while HZK is the “new” wrestler (she also wasn’t really necessary). But aside from the fact I thought the match had too many wrestlers, I loved the interactions between Io and Mayu, everything was perfect. Io has always been a bit cocky in the ring but has stepped it up a notch, everything she does has purpose and its so captivating watching her. Mayu bumps like she wants to die so everything done to her looks impactful, and anytime they were in the ring together it worked so well. The build to their big match later this match was the important theme and they did a great job putting that over. If you don’t mind that not all the wrestlers were used to their full abilities, a really fun house show main event, with Io showing again why she is one of the best wrestlers in the world.  Recommended

The post Stardom Goddesses of Stars on 12/4/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

We are skipping ahead a bit, as if I reviewed every Stardom show my head would probably explode. Since we last checked in with Stardom, not a lot has happened except that Io Shirai turned on her long time friend Mayu Iwatani to turn heel. This is the first time Stardom has had a true heel since Yoshiko left (Oedo Tai is too cute and funny to be considered true heels), giving the main events a different dynamic. When she turned on Mayu, Io also brought in a new partner, the mysterious HZK (formally known as Reo Hazuki). This is Stardom’s first event since Io shocked the Stardom World, as Mayu looks for her revenge. Here is the full card:

• Azumi and Natsuko Tora vs. Arisu Nanase and Ruaka
• Kris Wolf vs. Thea Trinidad
• Kairi Hojo and Hiromi Mimura vs. Thunder Rosa and Holidead
• Jungle Kyouna vs. Yoko Bito
• Io Shirai and HZK vs. Mayu Iwatani and Momo Watanabe
  

Since this is a house show I have low expectations, but hopefully it will be fun.

Azumi and Natsuko Tora vs. Arisu Nanase and Ruaka

Ruaka attacks Natsuko from behind before the match starts, perhaps showing she is more than just your average rookie, slap to the chest by Ruaka and she hits another dropkick for a one count cover. She goes off the ropes again but this time Natsuko kicks her and hits a scoop slam. Ruaka elbows Natsuko but Natsuko elbows her hard back and makes the tag to Azumi. Snapmares by Azumi and she throws down Ruaka by her hair, Ruaka lands in her own corner and makes the tag to Arisu. Natsuko comes in the ring and with Azumi they hit a leapfrog footstomp, running body press by Natsuko and she hits a shoulderblock. Arisu pushes Natsuko away and they trade elbows, side Russian leg sweep by Natsuko and she covers Arisu for two. Natsuko elbows Arisu into the corner but Arisu dropkicks Natsuko, another dropkick by Arisu and she gets a two count cover. Ruaka is tagged back in but Natsuko chokes her to the mat, body press by Natsuko but Ruaka avoids the senton. Jumping crossbody by Ruaka, Arisu comes in and they hit a leapfrog footstomp of their own. Roll-up by Ruaka, but Azumi breaks up the cover. Natsuko puts Ruaka in a crab hold, but Ruaka gets to the ropes to force the break. Natsuko tags Azumi, dropkicks by Azumi and she covers her for two. Vertical suplex by Azumi, she applies a waistlock but Ruaka blocks it, Natsuko comes in but she kicks her partner by accident. Arisu also enters the ring but eats a DDT from Azumi, modified STO by Ruaka to Azumi and she covers her for a two count. Ruaka goes off the ropes but Azumi kicks her, sunset flip by Azumi but it gets two. La Magistral by Azumi, and this time she gets the three count! Azumi and Natsuko Tora are the winners.

While you can’t expect high-end wrestling in an opening rookie match, I can say that there weren’t any serious miscues and the action stayed at a decent pace. Some of the strikes weren’t hit very crisp and they were a few moments where the action didn’t click, but Arisu and Natsuko both looked good and Ruaka is already bigger than the other four even though she is only 12 so she didn’t seem out of place. Slightly different than usual since there were more new wrestlers, obviously nothing great but a watchable opener.

Kris Wolf vs. Thea Trinidad

Kris has no interest in the pre-match handshake and puts Thea in a headlock instead, Kris bails out to the apron but Thea elbows her and bites Kris in the arm. Kris rams Thea’s head into the turnbuckle before jumping back into the ring, they both trade kick attempts but neither can connect. Kick to the stomach by Thea and she hits a spinning headscissors, she charges Kris but Kris moves out of the way and Thea ends up in the ropes. Kris spanks Thea before applying a leglock around the bottom rope, kick to the leg by Kris and she connects with a kneedrop. Running dropkick to the leg by Kris in the corner and she chokes Thea with her tail, she picks up Thea but Thea wiggles away and hits a series of kicks. Thea applies a choke in the ropes, she then climbs the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Kris kicks Thea away but Thea kicks her back, Thea charges Kris but Kris quickly suplexes her. Kris gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a somersault senton, but it gets a two count. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, Backstabber by Kris and she kicks Thea in the back for a two count. Swinging neckbreaker by Thea, she goes up top and she nails a moonsault for the three count! Thea Trinidad is your winner.

I sometimes affectionately refer to these matches as ‘card fillers’, but at least in this case it was also used to introduce Thea Trinidad to a new crowd in a safe match. This is a lot easier than debuting a new wrestler against someone like Io, as the expectations can become way too high. Six minutes isn’t long enough to get much of a match but there was nothing wrong with it, Thea generally hit her moves fine and Kris was her usual consistent self. Not overly memorable but effective in what it was going for.

Kairi Hojo and Hiromi Mimura vs. Thunder Rosa and Holidead

Kairi and Rosa kick things off, Kairi armdrags Rosa into the corner but Rosa flips her out onto the apron when she charges in. Kairi slides under the bottom rope and rolls up Rosa, but Rosa gets out of it and they return to their feet. Hiromi and Holidead tag in, Hiromi comes in with her knife (a fake knife of course) but Holidead isn’t intimidated as she takes it form her before “stabbing” Hiromi in the stomach. Holidead mocks Kairi’s pose but Hiromi reverses a suplex attempt into a few flash pins. The trick doesn’t work on Holidead who chokes Hiromi until Kairi comes in to break it up, crossbody attempt by Hiromi but Holidead catches her and throws Hiromi at Kairi. Rosa comes in as they choke the Kaihiro Pirates in the ropes, double elbow to Hiromi and they apply a double crab hold. Kairi tries to help Hiromi by throwing her a rope, but Holidead intercepts it and attacks Hiromi with it. Backbreakers by Holidead to Hiromi, and she covers her for two. Holidead tags in Rosa, Rosa puts Hiromi across the ropes in the corner and jumps down onto her back with a double knee. Holidead is tagged back in as they work over Hiromi near the corner, but Hiromi dropkicks Holidead a few times before tagging in Kairi.

Kairi spears Holidead and elbows her against the ropes, but Rosa kicks Kairi from the apron. Rosa comes in the ring but Kairi armdrags both of them, Kairi chops Holidead in the corner before hitting a triple jump elbow smash. Kairi applies the Octopus Hold but Holidead slams her way out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Holidead picks up Kairi but Kairi hits a spinning chop to the face and both wrestlers are down. Hiromi and Rosa are both tagged in, Argentine Backbreaker by Rosa but Hiromi slides out of it and applies a sunset flip for two. Facebuster by Rosa, Hiromi fights back with elbows but Rosa drives Hiromi into the corner. Rosa puts Hiromi on the top turnbuckle but Hiromi kicks her before hitting a Tornado DDT for a two count. Holidead lariats both Kairi and Hiromi, the Twisted Sisters wait for their opponents to get up but they accidentally lariat each other. Spear and a Sliding D by Kairi, Hiromi puts Rosa in La Magistral but it gets a two count. Hiromi gets on the second turnbuckle but Rosa pops her and hits a chokebomb for two. Rosa picks up Hiromi and hits a modified fisherman driver, but Kairi breaks up the cover. Heel drop by Rosa, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving footstomp to Hiromi’s back for the three count! The Twisted Sisters win the match.

A pretty fun midcard match, the teams really clicked well together and it stayed amusing from start to finish. Of the new wrestlers that debuted in the last year or so, Hiromi has probably progressed the least amount as in-ring she still is lacking, but at least she has the personality to still entertain anyway. Kairi is great and helped tie the match together and the Twisted Sisters are fun wrestlers that are solid in ring but like Hiromi also have fun characters as well. The story was basic but well told, and the end stretch was well done. Nothing that will change the world, but a solid tag match, and I think the Twisted Sisters are worthwhile additions to Stardom events.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyouna vs. Yoko Bito

Bito and Kyouna lock knuckles to start, elbows by Yoko and they take turns trying to shoulderblock each other over. Kyouna finally wins the battle, she goes for a body press but Bito moves out of the way. Bito goes for a PK but Kyouna avoids it, Bito stomps on Kyouna anyway and throws her down into the corner. Kicks by Bito and she throws Kyouna again, she puts Kyouna across the ropes in the corner and chops her in the stomach. Cover by Bito, but it gets two. Single leg crab hold by Yoko but Kyouna gets to the ropes, Bito goes off the ropes but Kyouna avoids her lariat. Kyouna charges Bito but she lands on the apron, Bito tries to kick Kyouna off the apron but Kyouna catches her leg. Kyouna clubs on Bito’s leg while it is on the second rope, dropkick to the knee by Kyouna and she hits a body avalanche in the corner. Kyouna puts Bito upside down in the corner and hits another body avalanche, cover by Kyouna but Bito kicks out. Back bodydrop by Kyouna, she goes off the ropes and she hits a sliding lariat. Kyouna charges Bito again and hits a lariat, cover by Kyouna but it gets a two count. Kyouna gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, she then goes all the way up but Bito recovers and joins her. Superplex by Bito, and she covers Kyouna for two. Release German by Bito but Kyouna springs to her feet and lariats Bito, and both wrestlers stay down on the mat. Kyouna elbows Bito but Bito hits a lariat, Kyouna lariats her back however and hits a short-range lariat for two. Kyouna goes off the ropes but Bito nails her in the head with a kick, Bito goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Bito picks up Kyouna and drills her with the Doll-B, cover by Bito and she gets the three count! Yoko Bito wins!

I liked this match quite a bit, one of the better Yoko Bito matches since she returned. It wasn’t a long match but that worked well for them as they stayed focused and didn’t waste any time with moves that ultimately wouldn’t matter. This is one of the first times also that Bito really connected with the Doll-B, maybe she is finally shaking off the last of that ring rust. Kyouna wasn’t ever going to win this but she still looked good in defeat, going toe to toe with the FIVE STAR GP Winner while winning several of the strike battles. Matches like these are the reason I sometimes watch Stardom house shows as it gives the young wrestlers more chances, an entertaining match and more proof that Kyouna has a bright future in Stardom.  Recommended

Io Shirai and HZK vs. Mayu Iwatani and Momo Watanabe

Io offers to shake Mayu’s hand as the match starts, Mayu takes it but Io immediately elbows her in the face. HZK comes in and hits a Codebreaker on Mayu, Io takes control until Momo comes in too to assist Mayu. Io dropkicks both of them and they fall out of the ring, Asai goes to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto the floor. Io slides Mayu back in and tags HZK, HZK kicks at Mayu’s head, Io returns and continues beating Mayu down. Mayu goes for a springboard move but Io just steps out of the way to avoids it, Mayu goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but Io lands on her feet and dropkicks her. Mayu finally knocks Io back and makes the hot tag to Momo, Momo dropkicks Io and she hits a crossbody out of the corner. HZK runs in but Momo puts her in a Tree of Woe, she then puts Io in the Tree of Woe too before dropkicking both of them. Mayu returns and dropkicks Io, Momo goes off the ropes but Io dropkicks her in the leg. Io applies the armtrap crossface, Momo inches to the ropes and she reaches them to force the break. Momo knocks down Io with a dropkick and tags Mayu, elbows by Mayu and she connects with a jumping elbow to the face. Kicks by Mayu and she hits a diving footstomp, she goes for the cover but Io kicks out. Mayu charges Io but Io slides out to the apron, she misses the springboard but elbows Mayu in the face anyway.

Double underhook facebuster by Io, Momo runs in but Io suplexes her onto Mayu. Io picks up Mayu but Mayu blocks the German suplex, Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Io lands on her feet. Superkick by Mayu and she hits a German suplex, but Io quickly hits a German suplex of her own and both wrestlers are out on the mat. Both Io and Mayu tag out, full nelson slam by HZK to Momo and she gets a two count. HZK picks up Momo but Momo dropkicks her into the corner, Momo gets on the second turnbuckle but HZK avoids the missile dropkick and hits a senton. HZK hits a running elbow in the corner, after choking Momo she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving senton, but Mayu breaks it up. Io runs in to dropkick Mayu, HZK goes for a kick but Momo avoids it and kicks HZK in the chest for a two count. Momo suplexes HZK, she gets on the second turnbuckle and connects with the missile dropkick. She goes for another one but Io grabs her from the apron, Mayu runs in to dropkick Io to the floor which allows Momo to nail the avalanche Somato, but Io barely breaks up the cover. Triple jump dropkick out of the corner by Mayu, she goes up top and sails out of the ring onto Io with a plancha. Back in the ring, HZK avoids Momo’s Somato and puts her in an armtrap crossface, but Mayu breaks it up. Mayu holds HZK for Momo, HZK ducks but Momo intentionally kicks Mayu in the chest anyway. PK by Momo onto her own partner, HZK ‘rolls up’ Momo from behind and she holds her down for the three count! Io Shirai and HZK are the winners.

After the match, Momo stomps down Mayu until Kairi comes in to stop her. Io officially welcomes Momo to her new faction, as now the lines are officially drawn with Io, HZK, and Momo against Kairi, Yoko Bito, and Jungle Kyouna.

Of all the ways for a wrestler to turn heel, this is probably my least favorite. I never liked a wrestler waiting until the very end of a match to turn on their partner, as it basically means Momo fought her real friends for 18 minutes just as a ruse. At least wait until after the match and turn on your partner out of frustration, as doing it this way just feels like a swerve for the sake of having a swerve, there was no foreshadowing or reason for it being done this method. That being said, I am enjoying heel Io quite a bit, although I also enjoyed face Io so that shouldn’t be a big surprise. HZK looked really good but was in the ring a very limited amount of time, maybe she is still working off the ring rust or on her conditioning as Io did the vast majority of the work. Mayu showed some fire, which is the point of all this as if she is going to lead Stardom she will have to show some of that passion. A fun match, the action stayed at a decent pace and they did a good mix of strikes, big moves, and submissions to keep the crowd into it. Didn’t love the “Finger Poke of Doom” ending but otherwise a fun display and one that continues to change the landscape of Stardom.  Recommended

The post Stardom Goddesses of Stars on 11/20/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I am trying not to review every Stardom show since they have so many and there are other quality promotions in Japan, but this was too big of a show to skip over. Tonight we have the FIVE STAR GP winner, Yoko Bito, cashing in her title shot as she battles Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship. We have two other title matches as well, plus we get the debut of young Natsuko Tora! Here is the full card:

• Arisu Nanase and Natsuko Tora vs. Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama
• Mayu Iwatani vs. Saori Anou
• Kasey Owens, Leah Owens, and Santana Garrett vs. Thunder Rosa, Holidead, and Kris Wolf
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Kyoko Kimura, Kagetsu, and Hana Kimura vs. Momo Watanabe, Jungle Kyouna, and Hiromi Mimura
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Kairi Hojo vs. Chelsea Green
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Yoko Bito

I am stupidly watching the Stardom World version because I am stubborn about watching full events if they are available, even though the early matches could really use some clipping. But hopefully they will pleasantly surprise me as I march towards the title matches.

Arisu Nanase and Natsuko Tora vs. Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama

Natsuko and Azumi are the first two in for their teams, but Yoneyama attacks Natsuko from behind and helps Azumi double team her. Welcome to wrestling. Yoneyama stays in and tosses around Natsuko by her hair, but Arisu comes in to try to help. She fails in helping as Yoneyama successfully swats them both away, and Yoneyama tags in Azumi. Dropkick by Azumi but Natsuko scoop slams her and hits mounted elbows. Azumi returns the favor and the two go back and forth, crab hold by Natsuko but Azumi gets to the ropes. Natsuko picks up Azumi and they trade elbows, DDT by Azumi and she throws down Natsuko by the hair. Natsuko tags in Arisu and she trades elbows with Azumi, Azumi avoids Arisu’s dropkick and hits a dropkick of her own for a two count. Yoneyama is tagged in, Mongolian Chops by Yoneyama but Arisu rolls her up and hits a dropkick. Cross legged submission by Arisu, Natsuko comes in and hits a running senton but Yoneyama still makes it to the ropes. Arisu tags Natsuko, shoulderblock by Natsuko but Yoneyama blocks the scoop slam. Side Russian leg sweep by Natsuko, but Yoneyama kicks out of the cover. Blockbuster Suplex by Arisu, running senton by Natsuko but Azumi breaks up the cover. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Yoneyama kicks her leg out from under her, scoop slam by Yoneyama and she hits a senton. Azumi comes in and suplexes Natsuko, diving senton by Yoneyama and she picks up the three count! Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama are your winners.

A fine opener, although nothing special. Azumi still seems surprisingly lost sometimes, yes I realize she is a still a child but she has been wrestling opening matches for two years so I’d think she’d have the basic style down pat at this point. Too soon of course to get a feel of Natsuko but she seemed fine, didn’t make any mistakes and didn’t look out of place during the match. Decent, but nothing memorable.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Saori Anou

They begin with a quick exchange, with Mayu getting the better of it with a hard kick to the back followed by a running elbow smash. Mayu throws Saori into the corner and dropkicks her, cover by Mayu but it gets two. Footstomp to the back Mayu and she applies a camel clutch, she toys with the younger wrestler as she continues her slightly cocky offense. Saori knees Mayu into the corner, jumping knee by Saori and she hits hard shoulderblock for a quick two count. Saori picks up Mayu but Mayu elbows her off and they trade blows, backslide by Saori but Mayu kicks two. Figure Four by Saori, but Mayu gets a hand on the ropes to break the hold. Saori picks up Mayu and goes off the ropes, but Mayu catches her with a kick to the gut, elbows by Saori but Mayu returns fire. Both wrestlers go off the ropes, Mayu goes for a headscissors but Saori catches her and hits a sidewalk slam. Fisherman suplex hold by Saori, but Mayu gets a shoulder up. Saori sits Mayu on the top turnbuckle but Mayu slaps her away and hits a missile dropkick. Mayu goes up top again and delivers the diving footstomp, she grabs Saori from behind but Saori fights her off and rolls up Mayu for two. Buzzsaw Kick by Mayu, she picks up Saori around the waist and delivers the German Suplex Hold for the three count! Mayu Iwatani wins.

It is interesting that Stardom wrestlers just default to being cocky assholes when against young wrestlers, Mayu must have learned that from Io. Too short to get excited about, but I did like that Mayu sold the leg the rest of the match after being in the Figure Four for so long, even though it was a throw-away match she still took it seriously. Saori showed her usual spurts of ability but Mayu controlled this one, decent match but that’s about it.

Kasey Owens, Leah Owens, and Santana Garrett vs. Thunder Rosa, Holidead, and Kris Wolf

Oh goodie, a match with twins I am not familar with, this will be fun. Thank goodness for tattoos. Kasey and Rosa start, they trade armdrags back and forth with neither getting the advantage. Holidead and Santana tag in, Holidead shoves Santana to the mat and gets her on her shoulder, but Santana punches out of it and goes for a roll-up. Holidead doesn’t budge and chokes Santana, Holidead charges Santana but Santana flips away and both wrestlers tag in the last pairing. Leah throws Wolf in the corner and hits a neckbreaker, she sits Wolf on the second turnbuckle but Wolf switches positions with her and hits a series of kicks to the chest. Running knee by Wolf, she rolls Leah to the mat and kicks her in the back for a two count. Holidead and Rosa come in to help as they triple team Leah, ending Holidead being flapjacked onto Leah for a two count. Oedo Tai continues triple teaming Leah until Kasey finally comes in to help out her sister, Wolf tags in Rosa and Rosa kicks Wolf in the back for a two count. Rocking Horse by Rosa and she tags in Holidead, sleeper by Holidead by Leah hits a jawbreaker to get out of it. Holidead stays in control, she Irish whips Leah but Leah  slams Holidead into her knee and hits a side slam for two. Leah finally gets away and tags in Santana, Wolf is tagged in too and Wolf hits a springboard crossbody for two. A sunset flip gets the same result, Santana pushes Wolf away and she hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep. Rosa comes in but Santana puts them both in a submission hold, with help from the Owens Twins. Holidead comes in and breaks that up, running knee by Kasey to Wolf and Santana goes for the Shining Star Press, but Holidead breaks it up. Rosa and Holidead come in the ring, tope suicida by Holidead onto the Owens Twins with Rosa following with a diving crossbody off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Wolf goes up top but Santana kicks her before she can jump off, headscissors by Santana and she hits the Shining Star Press for the three count!The Owns Twins and Santana Garrett win the match.

Not a very exciting match but not bad either. I say this all the time but I never know when someone is reading one of my reviews for the first time – six wrestler tags that go in the ten minute range are rarely going to be any more than solid. It just isn’t enough time, by the time each wrestler gets a turn at the start and they do the finishing stretch there is little left to have any meat to the action. Leah played Face in Peril fine and no one looked lost or out of place, just not enough happened to leave a lasting impression.

(c) Kyoko Kimura, Kagetsu, and Hana Kimura vs. Watanabe, Kyouna, and Hiromi Mimura
Artist of Stardom Championship

Hana is immediately isolated by The Rookies, but Hana dropkicks both Kyouna and Momo to leave just her and Momo in the ring together. Hana elbows Momo but Momo elbows her back, Hana takes her off scarf however and she chokes Momo with it. Hiromi tags herself in but Kyoko runs in and pulls Kyouna to the floor. Kyoko attacks Kyouna near the stands as things break down on different sides of the ring, Oedo Tai pulls Hiromi near the apron and all the members of the team pose on her, even those not in the match. Hana and Hiromi return to the ring, jumping knee by Hana in the corner and she tags in Kagetsu. Kagetsu mostly toys with Hiromi before tagging in Kyoko, as Oedo Tai controls the action against the oldest rookie in Stardom. Hiromi finally escapes and tags in Kyouna, Kyouna clears the ring of all the Oedo Tai members and Momo comes in to lend a hand against Kyoko. Face crusher by Kyouna onto Momo’s knee, but Kyoko regains the advantage and puts all three rookies in a stretch hold before tagging in Kagetsu. Kagetsu kicks Kyouna in the chest but Kyouna fires back with a shoulderblock, giving her a chance to tag in Momo. Momo goes off the ropes and armdrags Kagetsu, drop toehold by Kagetsu and she dropkicks Momo in the head.

Momo fights back with kicks, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her in the head. Kagetsu picks up Momo but Momo drives her down with a double knee, Momo crawls to her corner and tags in Hiromi while Kagetsu tags in Hana. Hiromi dropkicks Hana and hits an elevated DDT, dropkick to the head by Hiromi and she covers Hana for a two count. Hiromi stomps at Hana’s head but Hana connects with a hard elbow, he knocks Hiromi against the ropes and decks her with a hard running boot for a two count. Kagetsu gets her Parking Sign but Momo dropkicks it away from her, Kyouna knocks over Kagetsu then hits a PK/sliding lariat combination with Momo on Hana. Somato by Momo, jackknife cover by Hiromi to Hana but Kyoko breaks up the cover. Hiromi gets on the second turnbuckle but Kagetsu comes in and catches Hiromi when she goes for the diving crossbody. Kagetsu slams Hiromi on the Parking Sign and then hits Momo and Kyouna with it, she gives Hiromi a shot as well before Hana drops Hiromi with a suplex for a two count. Hana goes for a big boot but Hiromi ducks it, Hiromi elbows Hana in the chest but Hana elbows her back and covers Hiromi for two. Hana goes up top and nails a missile dropkick, cover by Hana and she gets the three count! Oedo Tai retain the championship.

I am not sure what it is with this event, but things just aren’t clicking for me. It may be over-saturation, not that this is Stardom’s fault but after you watch 30+ events in one year from a promotion with only about ten wrestlers on their roster, you start feeling like you’ve seen everything they can do. Hana was the standout for me here, again likely because she is the ‘new’ factor in the match, but Kyoko added very little which was a disappointment. Momo still seems a bit lost at time, she’s only 16 so its not a big deal but it does impact the match. Kyouna was the top rookie here as she seemed to always know what was going on, even though like Kyoko she didn’t do much in the match. It just felt more like a random six wrestler tag than a title match. A few good moments but in general a bit disappointing.

(c) Kairi Hojo vs. Chelsea Green
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Kairi and Chelsea both go off the ropes early in the match, Kairi goes for her spear but Chelsea sidesteps it. They trade wristlocks and headlocks, Kairi flips out to the apron but Chelsea boots her down to the floor. Chelsea gets on the apron and goes for a kick, but Kairi avoids it and trips Chelsea onto the apron. Chelsea rolls back into the ring while Kairi goes up top, but Chelsea kicks her as she jumps off. Kairi falls out to the floor, Chelsea goes off the ropes and sails out onto Kairi with a tope suicida. Chelsea battles Kairi up into the stands, smashing her arm into various things before kicking her back near the ringside area. Chelsea returns to the ring and waits for Kairi, uppercut by Chelsea and Kairi falls back out of the ring again. Kairi rolls back in and is greeted with boots, as Chelsea continues to go after Kairi’s arm. Kairi fights back with elbows, she knocks Chelsea into the corner but Chelsea grabs her arm and kicks it. Snapmare by Chelsea and she hits a flipping neckbreaker followed by a Somato for a two count cover.

Running knee by Chelsea in the corner but Kairi goes off the ropes and levels Chelsea with a spear. Chops by Kairi and she knocks Chelsea back into the corner, running shoulder tackle by Kairi and she hits a triple jump elbow smash out of the corner for a two. Kairi grabs Chelsea by the hair and puts her in an Octopus Hold, but Chelsea gets out of it. Elbow by Chelsea but Kairi elbows her in return, Kairi goes for the Sliding D but Chelsea blocks it by getting her leg up. Armbar by Chelsea and she reverts it into a cross armbreaker, but Kairi gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Jumping lariats by Chelsea and she boots Kairi in the chest, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for two. Chelsea slaps Kairi before slamming her head into the mat, running stomp to the back by Chelsea and she hits a second one for a two count cover. Chelsea goes up top but Kairi avoids the footstomp, spinning slaps by Kairi and she delivers the Sliding D for two. Kairi picks up Chelsea and hits a Final Cut, she goes up top but Chelsea kicks her before she can jump off. Chelsea joins Kairi but Kairi elbows her down into the Tree of Woe and hits the diving footstomp. Kairi goes back up top and this time she nails the diving elbow drop, picking up the three count! Kairi Hojo wins the match and retains the championship.

This match wasn’t actually as bad I was expecting, but it still wasn’t particularly good. The issue was two fold, both in the layout and and in the execution. Wrestlers keep going for Kairi’s arm in her matches but it never ends up mattering, she always still hits the Sliding D and diving elbow drop so they really need to come up with a new method of wearing her down. Chelsea isn’t a bad wrestler, her strikes just aren’t great and she is a bit awkward in the ring, which isn’t unusual with taller wrestlers when they first start out (she isn’t that tall, but much taller than Kairi). I think Kairi is a really good wrestler but needs the right opponent and they haven’t been doing her a lot of favors lately, hopefully her next defense is someone that wrestles more her style so it will be more fluid and less fragmented in its execution. As a lower card match this would have been acceptable, it just fell flat as a title match at Korakuen Hall.

(c) Io Shirai vs. Yoko Bito
World of Stardom Championship

Io and Bito get right into it as they start trading elbows, Io charges Bito in the corner but Bito gets Io behind her back to go to the B-Driver, but Io reverses it with a sunset flip. Bito swats Io away and goes for a kick, but Io catches her leg and dropkicks her in the other leg. Io clips away from Bito and dropkicks her out of the ring, Io goes off the far ropes but fakes the dive before quickly jumping out with a plancha suicida. Io slides Bito back in and puts her in the Figure Four, Io picks up Bito and kicks her hard in the back. Stomps by Io and she slaps at Bito, she goes off the ropes but Bito delivers a lariat. Cover by Bito, but it gets two. Bito picks up Io and dumps her out onto the apron, leg sweep by Bito and she kicks Io out of the ring. Io tries to springboard back in the ring but Bito grabs her and hits a slingshot suplex. Kicks to the back by Bito, and she covers Io for a two count. Bito goes up top but Io joins her, springboard dropkick by Io and Bito falls out of the ring. Io charges the corner, she jumps up on the top turnbuckle and she hits a moonsault down to the floor.

Io goes out after Bito but Bito delivers a B-Driver at ringside on the floor, Bito slowly rolls back into the ring with Io following, missile dropkick by Bito and she hits a vertical suplex for two. Bito picks up Io but Io blocks the B-Driver and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Running knee by Io in the corner, Io twists Bito’s leg in the second rope before dropkicking it. Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she hits the swandive missile dropkick, cover by Io but it gets two. Io hits a moonsault off the second turnbuckle, she goes to the turnbuckles again but Bito kicks her from behind. Io gets up on the apron, Bito goes for a kick but Io grabs her leg and hits a dragon screw in the ropes. Moonsault off the second turnbuckle by Io, but Bito kicks out. Io puts Bito in a cross-legged submission, but Bito gets to the ropes to force the break. Io goes up top but Bito recovers and hits her from behind, Bito joins Io and she hits a superplex. Bito picks up Io but Io fights back with elbows, Io goes off the ropes but Bito kicks her in the head and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Bito picks up Io and hits a heel drop, B-Driver by Bito but instead of covering her she hits a second one for a two count. Bito goes for the Doll B but Io collapses, the referee checks on Io but Bito hits a heel drop on Bito for two. Bito picks up Io but Io hits a series of palm strikes, German suplex hold by Io but Bito gets a shoulder up. Package German by Io, but again Bito kicks out at two. Io positions Bito, she goes up top and nails the moonsault for the three count! Io Shirai wins the match and is still the World of Stardom Championship.

By far the best match on the show, although that isn’t a high bar. But it was well laid out and the action stayed a decent pace throughout, and Bito had several nearfalls that could have realistically ended the match. The leg work probably lasted a bit longer than it needed to since it didn’t play into the end of the match, but Io needed something to focus on even if Bito didn’t do much on her own to make it meaningful. Io was slightly more cocky than usual here but not by much as she tends to be a bit full of herself in her title matches, nothing that really tipped off the fans that just a week after this show she would officially turn heel. Definitely a fun match with the big moves spaced out well to help make the action more memorable without it just becoming a spotfest, worth a watch for sure even though its not one of Io’s top matches of 2016.  Recommended

The post Stardom October Showdown! on 10/30/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

A new yearly tradition for Stardom is having a ‘Mask Festival” for Halloween. This is as fun and laid back event, where all the wrestlers wear masks and have a new name just for the night. While these events don’t pump out any Five Star Classics since the mood is different, they can still be fun as it pairs up wrestlers that don’t usually wrestle each other and its interesting to see the wrestlers in a different environment. Here are the matches (with their real identities):

• Mini Iotica (Azumi) and Blood Rayne (Kris Wolf) vs. Twinkle Rabbit (Arisu Nanase) and Kumami (Eimi Nishina)
• Poison Shamrock (Leah Owens) and Kasey Quinzell (Kasey Owens) vs. Serpiente Del Mal (Thunder Rosa) and Osore (Holidead)
• Santana Wonder (Santana Garrett) and Princesa Gato (Chelsea Green) vs. Shin Gorilla (Jungle Kyouna) and Lucky Blanca (Hiromi Mimura)
• IOTICA (Io Shirai), MAYUCHIKA (Mayu Iwatani), and Poi Man (Natsumi Maki) vs. Pirates Kaiser (Kairi Hojo), Aloha Beat (Yoko Bito), and Fuzzy Peach (Momo Watanabe)

This event was shown in full, so let’s see if the fun atmosphere translated to fun matches.

Mini Iotica and Blood Rayne vs. Twinkle Rabbit and Kumami

Kumami recovers and dropkicks Blood Rayne in the back, Twinkle Rabbit returns and they both attack Blood Rayne in the ropes. Kumami puts Blood Rayne in the corner but Blood Rayne avoids her charge and goes up top, she jumps back into the ring but Kumami catches her with a dropkick. Blood Rayne and Kumami trade strikes, big knee by Blood Rayne and she tags in Mini Iotica. Mini Iotica and Blood Rayne both dropkick Kumami, Blood Rayne slams Mini Iotica onto Kumami and then Mini Iotica returns the favor. Cover, but Twinkle Rabbit breaks it up. With all four in the ring they trade slams on each other, until only Kumami and Mini Iotica are left standing. Kumami and Mini Iotica trade elbows, face crusher by Kumami and she tags in Twinkle Rabbit. Twinkle Rabbit dropkicks Mini Iotica twice, cover by Twinkle Rabbit but Mini Iotica gets a shoulder up. Scoop slam by Twinkle Rabbit but Blood Rayne breaks up the cover, Mini Iotica and Kumami trade elbows until Mini Iotica jumps on Twinkle Rabbit’s back and applies a stretch hold. Sunset flip by Mini Iotica, and she picks up the three count! Mini Iotica and Blood Rayne are the winners!

A really fun match to kick off the event. Obviously these are the less experienced wrestlers in Stardom (plus Kris), but when they wear masks and are playing characters it isn’t as noticeable. In the regular world, Nishina would never get the better of Io Shirai, but she can in the Mask Fiesta. Everyone did their parts well and even though it was a short match it still managed to squeeze in some memorable moments. Solid way to start.

Poison Shamrock and Kasey Quinzell vs. Serpiente Del Mal and Osore

Bizarre ending aside, you could tell that these four are quite not as familar with each other. There were some segments that had some quality back and forths but most of the match was pretty telegraphed. This is my first time seeing the Owens Twins, I won’t judge them off of just this of course but nothing shown in this match made either stand out. In fact no one really stood out here, it was just kinda ‘there’ until the odd ending. Not a surprising development with four non-regular Stardom wrestlers, but pretty average.

Santana Wonder and Princesa Gato vs. Shin Gorilla and Lucky Blanca

Princesa Gato puts Lucky Blanca in a crab hold, she picks Lucky Blanca back up and tags in Santana. They take turns attacking Lucky Blanca in the corner, Lucky Blanca fires back with elbows but Princesa Gato catches the crossbody attempt and slams her to the mat. Dropkick by Lucky Blanca but she can’t make the tag to Gorilla, Santana comes in but on an Irish whip attempt Lucky Blanca is able to tag in Gorilla. Gorilla slams Santana into Lucky Blanca’s back before hitting a running body press, cover by Gorilla but it gets two. Santana takes off Gorilla’s gloves and hits her with them, leg sweep by Santana and she covers Gorilla for two. Space Rolling Elbow by Santana but Gorilla drives Santana into her knee, she goes to eat I am guessing candy so Lucky Blanca tags herself in. Low crossbody by Lucky Blanca and she applies the rolling leglock, but Santana gets into the ropes. Lucky Blanca kicks Santana into the corner but Santana avoids the dropkick, Muta Lock by Santana but Gorilla breaks it up. Gorilla picks up Lucky Blanca and spins her into both Princesa Gato and Santana, she then slams Santana and Princesa Gato next to each other before going up top, but they both avoid her diving body press. Gorilla is kicked out of the ring, they go to Lucky Blanca and delivers a double DDT. Shining Star Press by Santana, and she picks up the three count! Santana Wonder and Princesa Gato are your winners!

This was more playful than the last match but not as much fun as the first match, so it never really had an identity. Kyouna was the main wrestler just having fun, which in these types of matches is fine, but Santana and Chelsea weren’t really playing back with her so it never really clicked. Some creative moments but overall a bit lackluster, although to be fair a match between these four without funny gimmicks would likely have been equally lackluster.

IOTICA, MAYUCHIKA, and Poi Man vs. Pirates Kaiser, Aloha Beat, and Fuzzy Peach

Poi Man and MAYUCHIKA make it in the ring but are they are all put into submission holds, Pirates Kaiser picks up IOTICA and she hits a double chop to the chest. Elbow drop by Pirates Kaiser, and she covers IOTICA for a two count. Back up they trade elbows, IOTICA gets on Pirates Kaiser’s back and she puts her in a stretch hold. Roll-up by IOTICA, it only gets two but it does give her a chance to tag in Poi Man. Dropkick by Poi Man to Pirates Kaiser but Aloha Beat kicks her from the apron, Pirates Kaiser gets a water gun and squirts Poi Man repeatedly in the face. Pirates Kaiser goes off the ropes but Poi Man kicks her back, kick to the knee by Poi Man and she kicks Aloha Beat as well. Fuzzy Peach comes in but she gets armdragged, MAYUCHIKA comes in the ring, she grabs Aloha Beat and Fuzzy Peach by the arm before hitting a split-legged springboard armdrag. Dropkicks by Poi Man and MAYUCHIKA, MAYUCHIKA goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick onto Pirates Kaiser, she picks up Pirates Kaiser and flips her out onto the apron, but Pirates Kaiser shoots her in the face and hits a diving elbow smash. Hojo tags in Aloha Beat, Aloha Beat comes in with a lei which distracts MAYUCHIKA, she chokes MAYUCHIKA with it but MAYUCHIKA gets it off and chokes Aloha Beat back. Poi Man and Fuzzy Peach are both tagged in, the two mysterious masked wrestlers trade elbows until Fuzzy Peach kicks Poi Man in the chest. Poi Man goes up top but Fuzzy Peach avoids the diving crossbody as Poi Man accidentally takes out IOTICA and MAYUCHIKA. Rolling verticals by Fuzzy Peach, and she covers Poi Man for two.

Missile dropkick by Fuzzy Peach, she goes off the ropes but Poi Man avoids the Somato. Flipping neckbreaker by Poi Man, she rolls her to corner and tags in IOTICA. Running double knee by IOTICA to Fuzzy Peach in the corner, cover by IOTICA but Fuzzy Peach kicks out. IOTICA goes for a package German but Fuzzy Peach blocks it, armdrag by Fuzzy Peach and she armdrags everyone in her excitement (including the referee) before the all do the Osaka Hop! Always a classic. After being excited for a moment they go back to fighting as all six trade elbows, they do the six wrestler suplex spot but MAYUCHIKA switches the referee for her to give her side the 4 vs. 3 advantage. Sunset flip by IOTICA to Fuzzy Peach but Fuzzy Peach rolls through it and kicks IOTICA in the chest. Somato by Fuzzy Peach, but it only gets a two count. Things break down as Aloha Beat and Poi Man run in, Poi Man kicks Aloha Beat out of the ring as most of the wrestlers brawl on the floor. Pirates Kaiser quickly gets back in the ring, she goes up top and delivers a diving body press, but she accidentally takes out her own teammates. IOTICA gets on the apron and delivers an Asai Moonsault, then MAYUCHIKA goes up top and hits a diving crossbody to the floor. Poi Man goes last with her own diving crossbody onto the blob of wrestlers, the referee then gets on the apron and hits a springboard splash down onto the wrestlers! He poses in the ring, excited, but is hit with a baseball bat for his trouble. IOTICA drags Fuzzy Peach back in the ring, diving footstomp by MAYUCHIKA and IOTICA nails the moonsault for the three count! IOTICA, MAYUCHIKA, and Poi Man are the winners!

This match had a good blend of comedy spots and smooth action, and since it was 20 minutes long they had time for both. The throwback to Osaka Pro comedy spots was great, as was the referee getting involved as those are the types of things Stardom can’t normally do since they don’t ever have that style of comedy in their matches. Some wrestlers seemed to be more into it, Bito didn’t do a whole lot in the match, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was also plenty of solid wrestling as well, with Mayu and Io flying everywhere and Natsumi showing off the different ways she can cartwheel out of moves. Overall easily the best match of the night and an entertaining spectacle.  Recommended

The post Stardom Mask Fiesta Halloween Party on 10/23/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Year End Climax 2015
Date: December 23rd, 2015
Location: Korakuen Hall, in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,380 (Super No Vacancy)

It is time for Stardom’s big year end event! And what a big event this is, as not only is Shirai challenging Satomura for the World of Stardom Championship, but we get the Retirement Match of crowd favorite Act Yasukawa. There is also a Artist of Stardom Championship Match as well. Here is the full card:

• Azumi vs. Starlight Kid
• Kaori Yoneyama and Mayu Iwatani vs. Alex Lee and Datura
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Hiromi Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, and Momo Watanabe
• Act Yasukawa Retirement Match: Act Yasukawa, Haruka Kato, and Kairi Hojo vs. Holidead, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura
• World of Stardom Championship: Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

Some of this will be clipped but the big matches shouldn’t be, let’s get rolling.

  
Azumi vs. Starlight Kid

This was clipped and wasn’t smooth. Azumi yelled at Starlight Kid and the referee after the match so there is some character development going on here, but this wasn’t a good match. Both are really young and/or rookies so its hard to get down on them too much, but very skippable.

   
Kaori Yoneyama and Mayu Iwatani vs. Alex Lee and Datura

They played this one smart by only showing four minutes of it. I could never recommend an eight minute match clipped down to four, but the four minutes they showed were well paced and easy to watch. Disappointing to see Iwatani in such a minor match, but still better than I expected.

   
(c) Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Hiromi Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, and Momo Watanabe

Mimura is triple teamed right off the start to set the tone, Watanabe comes in but she doesn’t fare much better. This match has some comedy spots, the Artist of Stardom Championship is the most playful title in Stardom, it isn’t taken quite as seriously as the other championships. Watanabe gets the better of Skater and tags Kyouna, shoulderblocks by Kyouna and she throws all three of her opponents in to the same corner so the rookie team can hit running strikes. Kyouna slams Skater and Watanabe hits a tornado DDT, as the rookies are working really well together. Skater finally is done playing around and boots Mimura hard in the chest, Evie comes in and kicks everyone she can find in the face. She goes for the double footstomp but Mimura moves and applies La Magistral for two. Kick combination by Evie, both teams run in and everyone brawls on the floor except for Mimura and Evie. Backbreaker by Evie, Matsumoto comes in with a confetti gun but she hits Evie by accident. Superkick by Skater on Mimura, Matsumoto gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double knee drop. She throws Evie on Mimura, and Evie gets the three count! The Hyper Destroyers retain the titles!

This was fun even though the outcome was never in doubt. There were a few small awkward moments but most of it was fine, and I really liked Watanabe hitting the Somato to break up a pin. Skater and Evie are a pleasure to watch and all the rookies are solid. A bit silly but a good midcard match, just keep in mind these are somewhat comedic matches with the Artist of Stardom Championship. Mildly Recommended

   
Act Yasukawa, Haruka Kato, and Kairi Hojo vs. Holidead, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura

Act wants to start and does so as she pairs against her friend Kimura, quickly hitting a reverse STO. Act tries to spit sake (I assume) at Kimura but Kimura puts her hand over Act’s mouth to block it and rolls up Act for two. Wolf comes in and bites Act’s arm before hitting a jumping knee and kick to the back, but Act grabs her tail to trip her. Kato and Hojo come in, they want Act to pose all cute with them but Act pushes them off. They try again and finally get Act to pose (against her will), but Kimura and Holidead run in to even the numbers. Act helps for a moment but then remembers what team she is on, and we get the spot where everyone attacks Act in the corner. Including all the wrestlers are ringside (that is a staple spot in Joshi Retirement Matches). Things resume to “normal” as Holidead comes in but she eats a double dropkick. Sliding D by Hojo to Wolf, she goes up top but Act stops her. Act goes up top instead but Hojo knocks her off.  This pisses Act off so she chases Hojo into the crowd, and at some point during all this the referee waves the match off.

Act grabs the mic, and the end result is that the match restarts, but with different teams…

  
Act Yasukawa and Kyoko Kimura vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo

Next they had Act Yasukawa’s Retirement Ceremony. If you’ve never seen one, for both male and female wrestlers in Japan these are emotional events. This was more low-key than most Retirement Ceremonies, I don’t have an explanation as to why since she is rather loved by the fan base, but it was just a promo by Act followed by streamers and her being carried away. But it was cut for TV so I don’t know what else went on that we didn’t see. Still sad to watch, and tears were certainly shed in the arena that day.

This match was more about the journey then the in-ring action, but I though that “Part 2” of the match was quite entertaining. I could have done without the original six man tag, it had a few cute spots but mostly was just killing time to get to the regular tag match. Act still looks good, I know she is retiring due to injury but she still could hang with everyone. The ceremony was sad but not as sad as others since it was clipped a bit. A must for any Act Yasukawa fan, but casuals can probably safely skip straight to the second tag team portion. Recommended

  
(c) Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

After feeling each other out, Satomura hits the first big blows of the match and she goes for Shirai’s leg, but Shirai quickly gets into the ropes. Knees to the gut by Satomura and she works over Shirai on the mat, Shirai returns to her feet but Satomura kicks her square in the head for her trouble. Shirai rolls out of the ring but returns before the count, promptly eating a Satomura suplex. More strikes by Satomura but Shirai flips away from her and dropkicks Satomura out of the ring. Shirai goes off the far ropes and sails out onto Satomura (and other miscellaneous wrestlers) with a plancha suicida. Shirai takes Satomura up the aisle and they brawl near the entrance, Shirai gets up on the balcony and dives down with a moonsault to Satomura! She sticks the landing and smiles, clearly proud of herself.

They return to the ring, Shirai hits the swandive missile dropkick but when she goes for another one, Satomura uppercuts her out of the ring. Satomura goes for a kick but Shirai catches her leg and slams it into the second rope. Shirai dropkicks Satomura out of the ring, she goes up top but Satomura kicks her before she jumps off. Overhead Kick by Satomura and she keeps kicking Shirai until she flops down to the floor. Shirai makes the count again, more kicks by Satomura with a head kick sending Shirai crashing to the mat. Modified STF by Satomura but Shirai gets to the ropes, kicks by Satomura, she goes off the ropes but Shirai catches her with a hurricanrana for a two count. Head kick by Shirai but Satomura returns the favor, Shirai hulks up and they trade elbow shots. Package suplex by Shirai, she goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her hard in the head again. Cartwheel kneedrop by Satomura, and she covers Shirai for two. Satomura goes for the Death Valley Bomb but Shirai blocks it and hits a piledriver for two. Double knee strike by Shirai and she dropkicks Satomura, but the cover gets another two.

Missile dropkick by Shirai, she goes up top and she delivers a second one as Satomura returns to her feet. Satomura goes for a backdrop suplex but Shirai reverses it into an armtrap crossface. After Satomura gets to the ropes, Shirai goes up top but Satomura joins her and hits a superplex. They slowly get up, slaps by Shirai but Satomura hits a heel kick. Satomura drops Shirai with a backdrop driver, kick to the head by Satomura and she hits another backdrop driver for two. Satomura applies a modified choke hold but Shirai gets into the ropes, strikes but Satomura but Shirai catches her with rolling package suplexes. Shirai goes up top but Satomura gets both feet up on the moonsault attempt, overhead kick by Satomura and she plants Shirai with the Death Valley Bomb for two. She hits a second one, she picks up Shirai but Shirai wiggles away from the third and hits a dragon suplex. Shirai goes up top and she hits Hojo’s Diving Elbow Drop! Shirai goes up top again and nails the moonsault, cover by Shirai and she gets the three count! Io Shirai is the new World of Stardom Champion!

This was an unreal match from start to finish. Satomura may have lost the match but she made sure that Shirai would never forget it as she was just drilling her with kicks the entire match. Shirai, as Ace, has a bit more Fighting Spirit than the average wrestler so is given a bit of leeway, she bounced back quickly but Satomura frequently cut her off anyway. It was just non-stop excitement, even the submissions that are sometimes rest holds here were cranked on so you never got the feeling they were just getting a breather. I wish it actually had gone a few more minutes, which is an odd complaint for a 25 minute match, but I was really enjoying it and didn’t want it to end. A masterful performance by both and one of the top Joshi matches of the year. A must see. Highly Recommended

Results Recap:

• Starlight Kid defeated Azumi
• Kaori Yoneyama and Mayu Iwatani defeated Alex Lee and Datura
• Artist of Stardom Championship Match: (c) Evie, Matsumoto, and Skater defeated Mimura, Kyouna, and Watanabe – Mildly Recommended
• Act Yasukawa Retirement Match: Act Yasukawa, Kato, and Kairi Hojo {No Contest} Holidead, Kris Wolf, and Kimura
• Act Yasukawa Retirement Match #2: {W} Act Yasukawa and Kimura defeated {L} Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo – Recommended
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai defeated (c) Meiko Satomura – Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Year End Climax on December 23rd, 2015 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Goddesses of Stars #3”
Date: December 6th, 2015
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 365 (Super No Vacancy)

There have been a lot of changes in Stardom not only in 2015, but just in the last few months. More rookies debuted in October, and now we have Kellie Skater back! I love Kellie Skater for many reasons, so I am stoked to see her. Not only that but she brought a friend with her, Evie, a wrestler I have heard about but have not had the pleasure of watching. The rest of the card is pretty weak as three of the other five matches are rookie matches, and the other two are nothing special so hopefully the main event really delivers. Here is the full card:

• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Hiromi Mimura vs. Saori Anou
• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Jungle Kyouna vs. Starlight Kid
• Alex Lee vs. Holidead
• Datura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo
• Rookie of Stardom Finals
• Artist of Stardom Championship 3 Way (Vacant): Act Yasukawa, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura vs. Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe

The middle of the card looks flat but I do enjoy these rookies so I expect the show to start and end strong.

 
Hiromi Mimura vs. Saori Anou

This was a pretty straight-forward match, as you probably figured out. They started with wristlocks, Anou knocks Mimura to the mat a few times with shoulderblocks and covers her for two. Scoop slam by Anou and she works on Mimura’s leg, but Mimura pushes her away and applies a rolling leglock. Anou crawls to the ropes to force a break and they trade elbows, sidewalk slam by Anou and she covers Mimura for two. Quick schoolboy by Mimura but it gets two, another roll-up by Mimura but that gets a two as well. Dropkick by Mimura, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Anou elbows her repeatedly and hits a rolling bridging fisherman suplex for a two count. A backslide with a bridge gets the same result, and as Mimura flips out of the hold she covers Anou for the three count! Hiromi Mimura wins the match!

What was memorable here is just how nice of a bridge Anou has. The rolling fisherman suplexes, the backslide with a bridge, all beautiful. Beyond that it was basic and short, it clocked in at under five minutes. A few nice spots and they both show potential, overall a decent way to start the show.

Jungle Kyouna vs. Starlight Kid

Kyouna pushes Starlight Kid hard to the mat right off the bat but Starlight Kid elbows her and they trade shots. Dropkick by Starlight Kid but Kyouna blocks the Irish whip attempt, elbows by Starlight Kid but Kyouna hits a shoulderblock. Cartwheel into a swinging headscissors by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Kyouna again, Starlight Kid goes for a scoop slam but Kyouna reverses it. Starlight Kid sneaks in an inside cradle for two, tilt-a-whirl cradle by Starlight Kid but that gets a two as well. Standing Moonsault by Starlight Kid, but Kyouna bridges out of the pin. Starlight Kid applies a crab hold but Kyouna muscles out of it and applies  a crab hold of her own. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes to force a break, Rainmaker by Kyouna but Starlight Kid barely gets a shoulder up. Kyouna goes for the Hammerthrow Powerbomb but Starlight Kid reverses it with a hurricanrana, dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits the Shiranui for a two count. Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle but Kyouna grabs her and hits a powerslam for two. Kyouna grabs Starlight Kid and this time nails the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kyouna is the winner and moves onto the finals of the Rookie of Stardom Championship.

This started slow, but the last minute or so was entertaining. I though the first Hammerthrow Powerbomb would work and it would just be an uneventful match, but Starlight Kid surprised me by reversing the move and then delivering a string of offense to almost pick up the win. That salvaged the match a bit, it still wasn’t top level as Kyouna literally just debuted and is learning still, but it made the match more memorable. Starlight Kid is itty bitty but that makes the moves look more impactful, it may limit how far she can go up the card but she is fun to watch. A solid rookie match.

Alex Lee vs. Holidead

They kick off with a knuckle lock and arm work. I do wish that wrestlers with a “I’m crazy” gimmick did less cooperative limb work, seems a bit out of character. Lee boots Holidead hard in the head for the first advantage, she dumps Holidead out to the apron and then kicks her down to the floor. Lee goes out after her, but Holidead beats Lee with a chair (that is more like it) and throws Lee into the ring post. Back in the ring Holidead applies a Dragon Sleeper before kneeing Lee in the back, sleeper by Holidead but Lee gets a foot on the rope. Holidead goes up top but Lee avoids the diving legdrop, back kick by Lee and she dropkicks Holidead in the chest. Lee kicks Holidead into the corner and hits an ugly pedigree of sorts, covering Holidead for two. Missile dropkick by Lee but Holidead hits a lariat, schoolboy by Lee but it gets two. Superkicks by Lee and she hits a hard elbow for a two count. Holidead blocks a superkick and elbows her back, she gets Lee on her shoulders and hits the Snake Eyes. Holidead legdrops Lee while her head is hanging over the apron, back in the ring Holidead picks up Lee and hits a Samoan Drop. She goes for another one but Lee wiggles away and they trade pin attempts. Holidead boots Lee as she gets up, Samoan Drop by Holidead and she gets the three count! The winner of the match is Holidead.

This was pretty much all my worst dreams come true. There was one segment of the match I enjoyed, when Holidead was taking it to Lee outside the ring, but everything else was disjointed and sloppy. It is unusual to see genuinely sloppy wrestling in Stardom so I will be surprised with the new wrestlers coming in if they will continue using Lee and Holidead until they get a bit more seasoning. Not a good showing by either one and a match that can be safely skipped.

    
Datura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo

Kato and Yoneyama are the first two in and do some intro level mat work, Kato goes for the arm but Yoneyama shakes her off and applies a leglock. They eventually return to their feet and tag out, bringing in Hojo and Datura. Datura gets the early advantage but Hojo stomps on her, armdrag by Datura but Hojo flips her out to the apron. Datura goes up top and hits a diving armdrag, she grabs Hojo but Hojo elbows her off. Spear by Hojo, Kato comes in and they both apply armbars to Datura while Azumi poses on her back. They leave the ring as Hojo goes back to work on Datura before tagging in Kato, dropkicks by Kato to Datura as Azumi strolls back in, but Azumi kicks Kato so that she can attack Datura herself. I have no idea what is going on with those two. Datura splashes Kato in the corner and hits a cartwheel bodypress, picking up a two count. She tags Yoneyama, elbow drop by Yoneyama to Kato and she chops her in the throat. Kato jumps up to the top turnbuckle and applies an armbar over the top rope, diving bodypress by Kato but it gets two. Cross armbreaker by Kato but Yoneyama rolls out of it and applies a crab hold.

With Azumi’s help, Kato reaches the ropes, but Yoneyama jumps out of the ring to go after Azumi. Back in, Kato gets the cross armbreaker re-applied but Datura breaks it up. Kato tags Hojo and they double team Yoneyama, Hojo goes up top and she hits a jumping forearm smash on Yoneyama. Hojo goes for a spear but Yoneyama avoids it and knees Hojo in the back of the head. Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama and she makes the tag to Datura. Lariat by Datura to Hojo and she applies a cross kneelock, but Kato breaks it up. Yoneyama runs in and hits a bodypress on both of their opponents, Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton. Moonsault by Datura, but Azumi breaks up the pin. Datura goes up top but Hojo avoids the diving body press, Azumi comes in and clubs on Datura. Azumi kicks Hojo by accident, La Magistral by Datura but Hojo gets a foot on the ropes. Hojo applies a modified crab hold, Yoneyama grabs Kato but Azumi helps free her. Hojo slams Datura to the mat, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Haruka Kato and Kairi Hojo win the match.

One of the few things that tends to annoy me even in the non-realistic world of professional wrestling is blatant cheating that is ignored. Unless I missed the No DQ announcement there is no reason that Azumi should have been allowed to continually help one of the teams. In Japan it is not unusual for action on the floor to be a “No DQ Zone” but she was getting in the ring and actively participating in the match. Beyond that, all four (well five I guess) of the wrestlers in the match looked good, but was just a bit disjointed and ended rather suddenly. Just a standard mid-card tag match, with some extra oddness due to the 3 vs. 2 atmosphere.

 
Hiromi Mimura vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna gets the advantage first as they end up on the mat, but Mimura slaps on a sleeper hold. Back up they trade wristlocks and strikes, until Mimura lariats Kyouna in the back of the head. Kyouna clubs Mimura to the mat but Mimura blocks the Rainmaker, rolling leglock by Mimura but Kyouna gets Mimura on her back and slams her into the turnbuckles. Sleeper by Kyouna and she swings Mimura around, cover by Kyouna but it gets two. Lariat by Kyouna, but Mimura reverses the cover into a cradle for two. Kyouna goes off the ropes but Mimura sneaks in a bodyscissors into a pin for another two count. Stomps by Mimura and she slaps Kyouna, but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam for two. Kyouna grabs Mimura around the waist and drops her with the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kyouna wins the Rookie of Stardom Tournament!

First I gotta say, this is the second match that Kyouna did or went for a Rainmaker, and it is awfully cocky for a wrestler in her second match to be doing one of the most protected finishers in wrestling as a transition move. Anyway, these two both show flashes of potential, I think they both will be good if they continue to train and improve, but right now there isn’t a lot of structure to their matches. Some of the transitions were shaky and Mimura is better than Kyouna at showing emotion to get the crowd into it. Certainly not a bad match, and considering the experience levels of the participants pretty solid, but about what you’d expect from two wrestlers still in the learning phase of their careers.

        
Act Yasukawa, Kimura, and Kris Wolf vs. Evie, Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and Watanabe

The match begins with Wolf, Iwatani, and Skater as the legal women, and they take turns doing cute pin spots with obviously none picking up the win. That would be an unsatisfying main event. Each trio takes turns tagging out so we get fresh match-ups, as I patiently wait for the chaos I promised a minute ago. Matsumoto is triple teamed by Team Stardom, which is quickly broken up. They all end up on the floor brawling, with Kimura eventually returning with Iwatani so Oedo Tai can triple team her. And pose on her, of course. The beatdown on Iwatani continues for a moment until finally Shirai comes in to help, but the bad girls stay in control until the Hyper Destroyers return. Oedo Tai gets the better of them also and all six are thrown in the corner and hit with running strikes. Kimura misses her running strike, leading to all six of her opponents hitting running strikes of their own. Things calm down as Kimura puts Watanabe and Skater in a submission hold, Matsumoto then stacks Iwatani onto Yasukawa and applies a double crab hold. Shirai then puts Evie and Wolf in a double wristlock until they all let go and face off again.

Shirai gains control and dropkicks everyone, she covers Kimura but it gets two. Skater is tagged in as is Iwatani, and Iwatani hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Headscissors by Iwatani and she nails a dropkick, Snake Eyes by Skater and she levels Iwatani with a lariat for two. Shirai returns but Skater kicks her in the head and tags in Evie. Kicks by Evie to Shirai and she boots her in the corner, but Wolf quickly covers Shirai for a two count. The wrestlers apply leglocks to each other in a cricle while Matsumoto puts Wolf in a Romero Special in the middle, but Watanabe runs in to get a quick cover for two. Watanabe dropkicks Skater, Iwatani and Shirai come in and all three dropkick Skater. Somato by Watanabe to Skater, but Skater kicks out. Oedo Tai triple teams Evie, but after Yasukawa’s senton the pin attempt is broken up. Iwatani grabs Wolf as Shirai goes up top, but Wolf wiggles away. Boot by Kimura to Iwatani, and Wolf covers her for a two. Kimura elbows Yasukawa by accident, Kimura goes up top with Shirai but Matsumoto grabs them from behind and they do the powerbomb/superplex. Matsumoto picks up Shirai and hits the Tornado Bomb, but Watanabe breaks it up with a Somato for a two count. Matsumoto elbows Watanabe, next Skater and Evie both kick her, then Matsumoto hits a reverse double kneedrop. Evie goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! The Hyper Destroyers are your new champions!

I feel the need to point out, if it is necessary, that these are the least prestigious titles in Stardom. That is not to downplay the victory, but rather to explain why it was kinda a silly match with so much going on and why the title match was on a B show. Still though, it is exciting to see Skater win a belt in her first match back and Evie win a belt in her first match in Stardom. Hopefully the titles will be defended more often this time so I can see more of Skater and Evie. As for the match, it was what it was. Chaotic at times, quite random, but while it dragged in a few parts overall it was pretty entertaining. The big issue with this type of match is no one really can stand out, nine wrestlers is just a lot in one match, so even though I hadn’t seen Evie before I still don’t have a great feel for her as a wrestler. Far from a classic, but it had some cute spots and some cute wrestlers, so definitely worth a casual view. Mildly Recommended

 

• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Hiromi Mimura defeated Saori Anou
• Rookie of Stardom Semifinal: Jungle Kyouna defeated Starlight Kid
• Holidead defeated Alex Lee
•  Haruka Kato and {W} Kairi Hojo defeated {L} Datura and Kaori Yoneyama
• Rookie of Stardom Finals
• Artist of Stardom Championship 3 Way (Vacant): {W} Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater defeated Act Yasukawa, Kris Wolf, and Kyoko Kimura & Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani, and {L} Momo Watanabe

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