K-DOJO Archives - Joshi City

Joshi Match Reviews from DDT, RDPW, WRESTLE-1, and more!

Kevin — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 09:05:00 +0000

It has been a long time since I did a Joshi Match Medley review, but here we are! It is not uncommon for non-Joshi wrestling promotions to occasionally have a Joshi match as there are male-dominated promotions that also have women on their roster. Normally there isn’t a lot of coverage of those wrestlers on Joshi City since I tend to focus on Joshi promotions, but I don’t want to neglect Joshi wrestlers in other situations. So I have reviewed five Joshi matches from five promotions that don’t get a lot of focus on the website, here are the matches I will be reviewing:

April 29th, 2019 in Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling – Hamuko Hoshi vs. Pork Tamako
May 3rd, 2019 in WRESTLE-1 – Kyoko Inoue vs. Reika Saiki
May 7th, 2019 in JUST TAP OUT – Maika vs. Mima Shimoda
May 26th, 2019 in K-DOJO – Ayame Sasamura vs. Rina Shingaki
June 2nd, 2019 in DDT – Mina Shirakawa vs. Saki Akai

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

Hamuko Hoshi vs. Pork Tamako
April 29th, 2019 in Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling

We kick off this review with some RDPW action! RDPW is a small indie promotion based out of Okinawa, Japan. They have two Joshi wrestlers on their roster – Pork Tamako and Hibiscus Mii. Tamako debuted in mid-2017 and is 31 years old, so she got into the wrestling game a bit late. For this match, the promotion is visited by Hamuko Hoshi from Ice Ribbon, to give Tamako someone a bit different to work against.

They start with a tie-up and some posing by Hamuko, she gets Tamako to pose too but Tamako is ashamed by her actions and Hamuko attacks her from behind. Hamuko throws Tamako into the corner and rubs her belly in her face, Hamuko bites on Tamako’s arm and then bites the referee too when he tries to get Hamuko off. Hamuko throws Tamako in the corner but Tamako kicks her and hits a diving crossbody off he second turnbuckle for two. Tamako goes for a scoop slam but Hamuko blocks it, Hamuko throws Tamako into the corner and hits a body avalanche. Butt bumps by Hamuko and she hits a bulldog for a two count. Crab hold by Hamuko but Tamako gets her pom poms and uses the extra motivation to get to the ropes. Back up, they trade elbows until Tamako gets Hamuko in the ropes and pulls back on her nose.

Hamuko returns the favor with the same move, Tamako fights back with an elbow and they exchange shots until Tamako applies an Octopus Hold. Hamuko gets to the ropes for the break, Tamako goes off the ropes and slams Hamuko’s face into the mat for a two count. Oil Check by Tamako, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Tamako goes for a suplex but Hamuko blocks it and hits a few belly bumps. Shining Onaka by Hamuko, she gets Tamako on her shoulders but Tamako slides off and cradles Hamuko for a two count. A few more flash pins gets the same result, Tamako finally scoop slams Hamuko and covers her, but Hamuko gets a shoulder up. Tamako goes off the ropes but Hamuko catches her with a lariat, Hamuko gets Tamako on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, bu Tamako kicks out. Hamuko goes up top and nails a diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi wins!

I wouldn’t say I am a huge fan of Hamuko Hoshi as she is somewhat of a comedy/non-comedy tweener which can be annoying. This was a day off for her and she wrestled it as such, as they did the bare minimum to get by in this ten minute match. From what I could see of Tamako, she appears fundamentally sound but doesn’t show any special traits, which isn’t ideal two years into her career. But she hit her spots well and the pom pom spot was cute, so it wasn’t all bad. Fine to watch if you are just curious about a Joshi wrestler you may not have seen before but nothing beyond that to recommend.

Kyoko Inoue vs. Reika Saiki
May 3rd, 2019 in WRESTLE-1
Next we swing over to WRESTLE-1, to watch their only Joshi wrestler in action. Reika Saiki formally signed with WRESTLE-1 in February, which was odd timing as their only other Joshi wrestler at the time, Hana Kimura, has since left. So Reika Saiki has limited options on who to wrestle. So WRESTLE-1 brings in wrestlers for her to battle, and this week it is the legend Kyoko Inoue. Inoue is still pretty active on the scene but since she wrestles in Diana, not many of her matches actually make tape. So this is a rare recent singles match to make it out into the wild as she takes on the young powerhouse that is Reika Saiki.

They lock-up to start, Saiki pushes Inoue into the ropes and elbows her instead of giving a clean break. Saiki goes off the ropes but Inoue shoulderblocks her down, she tries again but gets the same result. Saiki gets Inoue’s back and schoolboys her for two, Inoue retorts with a hard lariat but Saiki continues to fight back. Lariat by Saiki but Inoue doesn’t go down, elbows by Saiki and she finally knocks Inoue off her feet. Saiki picks up Inoue and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Inoue blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Saiki hits a dropkick followed by a successful backdrop suplex. Inoue rolls out of the ring but Saiki quickly goes out after her and throws her into the chairs at ringside. She does it again on a different side of the crowd before getting on the apron, Inoue rolls back in the ring but Saiki goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Saiki tries to get Inoue on her shoulders but can’t get her up, she tries again but again collapses before she can finish. Saiki quickly goes up top but Inoue recovers and joins her before hitting a superplex for a two count. Inoue picks up Saiki but Saiki slides away, she goes off the ropes but Inoue catches her and hits a short-range lariat for two. Inoue waits for Saiki to get up and hits another lariat, but Saiki barely gets a shoulder up. Sit-down powerbomb by Inoue, and finally she gets the three count. Kyoko Inoue is your winner.

I really enjoyed the structure of the match, my only complaint is I wish Saiki got one last hope spot in at the end. I loved Saiki wrestling with such urgency, normally she is the power wrestler but here she had to use her speed and relentlessness and I thought she conveyed that very well. It felt like a real struggle just to get Inoue over, which she accomplished a few times but it felt like a big moment each time it happened. I wouldn’t have minded if Saiki did finally get Inoue on her shoulders as they were building to that, and I doubt we’ll see a follow-up match anytime soon to further that story, but I appreciate them putting effort into this match instead of coasting through it. Reika Saiki is really good at everything she does, and if she stays focused on wrestling she could be a major player down the road. Recommended

Maika vs. Mima Shimoda
May 7th, 2019 in JUST TAP OUT
Technically, the name JUST TAP OUT wasn’t being used for TAKA Michinoku’s new promotion at the time of the event, but it is now so we are running with it for this show as well. Mima Shimoda is a legend in her own way as she was part of the legendary LCO tag team, however for the last decade she has mostly been under the radar as she wrestles in Mexico and smaller Japanese promotions. On the other side is Maika, in her wrestling debut. Not a lot is known about her as the promotion has no website yet but she has a background in Judo. An interesting debut match scenario, let’s see how this goes.

Maika immediately whips Shimoda to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker, but Shimoda gets to the ropes for the break and rolls out of the ring to re-group. She returns after a moment but is immediately stomped by Maika, Maika works a side headlock but Shimoda Irish whips out of it and boots Maika in the face. Another boot by Shimoda and she tosses down Maika by the hair. Cross-legged crab hold but Maika quickly gets to the ropes, Shimoda bounces Maika off the ropes before putting her in a Camel Clutch. Shimoda lets go and stomps on Maika’s feet, Shimoda applies another crab hold but Maika gets to the ropes again. Neckbreaker by Shimoda and she puts Maika in a singe leg crab hold, but once again Maika forces the break. Shimoda stomps at Maika and hits a scoop slam, Camel Clutch by Shimoda, she picks up Maika and applies an armbar, but Maika gets a toe on the ropes. Slaps by Shimoda in the corner and she headbutts Maika, Maika tries to lariat Shimoda but Shimoda boots her arm and hits a release German. Maika gets back up and elbows Shimoda repeatedly, armdrag by Maika and she hits a monkey flip followed by a judo toss. Another toss by Maika and she overs Shimoda for two. Maika picks up Shimoda but Shimoda takes Maika to the mat and applies a stretch hold. Maika gets out of the hold however and puts Shimoda in a cross armbreaker, and Shimoda quickly submits! Maika wins in her debut match!

I like the idea of what they were trying to do but sadly this match was just very boring. JUST TAP OUT needs to have credible wrestlers and winning a debut is so rare its something fans may notice, but I am not sure if Shimoda was the right choice (unless no one else would do it). Her offense here wasn’t creative or interesting, I figured it would be basic due to Maika’s experience but it was beyond basic and I have seen veterans have far more interesting matches with rookies. The end result may still come in handy if they try to push Maika but I have to see more of her to determine if the gamble will pay off, either way this was too dull to recommend.

Ayame Sasamura vs. Rina Shingaki
May 26th, 2019 in K-DOJO
And now we are off to K-DOJO for their final event before re-branding after TAKA Michinoku’s departure. Both Ayame and Rina are relatively new wrestlers, with Ayame debuting in October of 2017 and Rina debuting in April of 2018. Ayame has had some success in other promotions, particularly in SEAdLINNNG, while Rina has traveled around some but hasn’t had any titles or big wins. Still, Rina is seven years the senior of Ayame which is taken into account in Joshi so either could win in this match-up.

They begin slow as they trade headlocks, but neither gets a clear advantage before Rina gets Ayame to the mat with a leg submission. Ayame spins out of it as they jockey for position, but they reach a stalemate and return to their feet. Ayame works a headlock, Rina Irish whips out of it and delivers a dropkick. Ayame quickly gets back up and hits a scoop slam, but Rina blocks her attempted second one and slams Ayame’s head into the mat. Ayame throws Rina in the corner but Rina avoids her charge and dropkicks Ayame in the back. Rina kicks Ayame’s arm in the ropes and applies an arm submission, she picks up Ayame and snaps her arm over her shoulder. Rina kicks at Ayame’s arm and knocks her down in the corner before choking her with her boot. Ayame punches Rina in the stomach but Rina applies a Fujiwara Armbar, Ayame quickly wiggles to the ropes to force a break. Irish whip by Rina but Ayame boots her back and hits a hard shoulderblock. Ayame throws Rina into the ropes and jumps down on her back, dropkick by Ayame and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner for a two count. Scoop slam by Ayame and she dropkicks Rina in the head, picking up another two. Rina whips down Ayame by the arm and applies the Fujiwara Armbar, Ayame tries to roll out of it but Rina keeps it on. Ayame eventually gets a foot on the ropes, Rina goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving crossbody for two. Rina picks up Ayame but Ayame gets away, slap by Rina but Ayame catches her with a Cutie Special for two. Rina rolls Ayame to the mat and applies the SBT Lock, and Ayame has no choice but to submit! Rina Shingaki wins!

I’m a sucker for a good submission game so Rina Shingaki is my type of wrestler. She was focused on the arm throughout and then won with an arm submission, its such a basic story but it works. The only complaint there is that Ayame didn’t really do anything to show her arm was hurting, but that wasn’t Rina’s fault. Ayame never felt like she had a chance here so Rina must be getting a bigger push due to her background, this was clearly her match to win. Simple but well done by Rina, perfectly fine match for the midcard. Mildly Recommended

Mina Shirakawa vs. Saki Akai
June 2nd, 2019 in DDT
Finally, we end with DDT. This is cheating a bit as Tokyo Joshi Pro is under the DDT umbrella, but I don’t watch DDT so as part of a review medley is my only chance to review a Saki Akai match. Saki of course also wrestles in TJP but she wrestles there as “Sakisama” which is a more heel-ish version of herself. Here we see the true Saki Akai, who is also a bit heel-ish. She battles Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler and gravure model Mina Shirakawa, who debuted in August of 2018.

Saki gets a headlock applied off the start, Mina gets out of it but Saki quickly re-applies it. Mina takes down Saki but Saki escapes and the wrestlers return to their feet. Irish whip by Saki but Mina dropkicks her, Mina goes for the Mexican Surfboard but Saki quickly gets to the ropes. A dropkick by Mina sends Saki out of the ring, Mina goes to the apron but Saki kicks her in the stomach as she jumps off. Saki then gets on the apron and hits a PK while Mina is on the floor, Saki rolls Mina into the ring and covers her for two. Saki stomps Mina in the corner and chokes her with her boot, snapmare by Saki and she kicks Mina in the back before covering her for two. Mina fights back with elbows but Saki returns the favor and kicks Mina in the chest. Irish whip by Saki but Mina boots her, she goes off the ropes but Saki kicks her in the chest. Saki knocks Mina over before picking her back up, Irish whip by Saki but Mina hits a jumping elbow smash.

More elbows by Mina and she hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, running elbow by Mina and she sits down on Saki in the corner. Mina drags Saki out and puts her in the Mexican Surfboard, she lets go after a moment and applies a double leg submission, but Saki makes it into the ropes for the break. Mina picks up Saki but Saki ducks her lariat and applies a sleeper. Mina snapmares out of it but Saki kicks her in the chest, cover by Saki but Mina kicks out. Saki charges Mina but Mina boots her back, she does it again but Saki blocks the third attempt and hits an elbow. Running boot by Saki, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Mina avoids the diving crossbody. Dropkick to the head by Mina and she hits a spinning backfist, she goes for a DDT but Saki blocks it and hits a vertical suplex. Mina recovers and goes for a few flash pins, but each one only gets a two. Mina goes off the ropes but Saki catches her with a high kick, but Mina barely gets a shoulder up. Saki picks up Mina and delivers the Quetzalcoatl for the three count pinfall! Saki Akai is the winner!

While I hoped this gravure model vs. photo model match would be full of great wrestling, sadly it was not. Saki is a great personality but a limited wrestler, and Mina is early enough in her career I am not writing her off yet but nothing here gave me a lot of hope that wrestling will be a long term job for her. Some real clunky parts, no real cohesive story, it felt like just a house show midcard match with no effort to make it special. Which is ok but if you are going to go basic, at least make the basic action smooth and this was not. Very skippable.

That’s all I have for now, in a few months I’ll check back in with more random Joshi matches to review!

The post Joshi Match Reviews from DDT, RDPW, WRESTLE-1, and more! appeared first on Joshi City.

Misc. Match Reviews for Jan. 2017 – All Japan, W-1, & K-DOJO

Kevin — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 08:28:03 +0000

Sometimes, there are random Joshi matches in predominately male promotions, usually as an “Offer” match or a special attraction. Each month I will try to do one catch-all review to cover these matches if they are available. This month, Joshi matches took place in All Japan, W-1, and K-Dojo!

January 9th – Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi vs. Tequila Saya and Tsukasa Fujimoto in All Japan Pro Wrestling
January 14th – Natsumi Maki vs. Nao Kakuta in W-1 ACE
January 29th – Bambi vs. ERINA in K-DOJO

I have profiles for all the wrestlers except for ERINA, you can click on their names above to go straight to them. Let’s see if there are any hidden gems this month.

Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi vs. Tequila Saya and Tsukasa Fujimoto
All Japan Pro Wrestling Yokohama Twilight Blues Volume 3 on 1/9/17
This was billed as an Ice Ribbon Offer match, without much build leading up to that. All four as the name implies are regulars in Ice Ribbon, with Tsukasa being the veteran ace of the promotion. Each side has a near-rookie, with Maruko and Saya respectively, so it is anyone’s match to win.

Maruko and Tsukushi attack before the match starts but they both eat a dropkick, they regain the advantage with their own dropkicks before isolating Saya in the ring. Tsukushi stays in the ring with Saya and puts her in a stretch hold, she tags in Maruko who hits a few snapmares. Scoop slam by Maruko and she hits a handstand moonsault, covering Saya for two. Tsukushi returns and puts Saya in the ropes, dropkick by Tsukushi and she covers Saya for two. She tags Maruko back in, dropkick by Maruko but Saya hits a crossbody out of the corner and makes the hot tag to Fujimoto. Fujimoto dropkicks Maruko in the chest, Tsukushi comes in but Fujimoto dropkicks both of them. Kicks by Fujimoto and she trades flash pins with Maruko, but both only get two counts. Maruko flips out to the apron, Tsukushi hits a Stunner on Fujimoto and Maruko follows with a missile dropkick for a two count. Maruko picks up Fujimoto but Fujimoto rolls her to the mat and hits a footstomp, she goes off the ropes but Maruko hits a high speed schoolboy. She tags in Tsukushi, diving crossbody by Tsukushi but Saya grabs her when she goes back up. Fujimoto joins Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets on Fujimoto’s back and applies a stretch hold. Tsukushi slides off and goes for a powerbomb, but Fujimoto blocks it and sits on Tsukushi.

Kicks by Fujimoto but Tsukushi catches one and applies an ankle hold. Fujimoto reverses it but Tsukushi hits a spinning headscissors, Victory Roll by Tsukushi but it gets a two. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls out of the wheelbarrow and tags in Saya. Crossbodies by Saya and she puts Tsukushi in a stretch hold, which Maruko breaks up. Tsukushi and Saya trade elbows, but Fujimoto runs in and dropkicks Tsukushi. Saya goes up top and hits a crossbody on Tsukushi, but Tsukushi kicks out. Saya goes up top again but Maruko grabs her from the apron, Tsukushi flings Saya off and Maruko dropkicks Saya. Another dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top but Saya avoids the missile dropkick. Gran Maestro de Tequila by Saya, but Maruko breaks up the pin. Saya picks up Tsukushi and goes off the ropes, but Tsukushi rolls up Saya and hits a footstomp. Dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top and drops Saya with a missile dropkick. She picks up Saya and hits the Unprettier, but Saya bridges out of the pin. She goes up top again and nails the diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi win!

A fun match and a solid exhibition for the All Japan crowd. They kept the pace up to keep everyone engaged, and everything was hit really smooth. Tsukushi is just so good for someone so young, she is tiny but feisty. Maruko was better here than the last time I saw her, and everyone came out of the match looking good. Not a ton of substance as it was a shorter match in a different promotion, but fun nonetheless. Mildly Recommended

Natsumi Maki vs. Nao Kakuta
WRESTLE-1 ACE Vol. 2 on 1/14/17
Like the last match, this is an Offer Match but this time it is from Actress girl’Z. Some of the Actress girl’Z wrestlers are familar to fans as they wrestle in Stardom sometimes, which is where we know Natsumi from. Nao Katuta is a bit more of an unknown as she only has wrestled outside of her own promotion a couple times, this is only her second televised match. Their experience levels based on years is about the same, but Natsumi’s experience in more promotions against better wrestlers gives her the edge.

Nao gets Natsumi to the mat first with a leglock, but reverses it as they jockey for position. Kicks to the leg by Nao and she twists Natsumi’s leg in the ropes before tossing Natsumi around by her hair. Scoop slam by Nao and she puts Natsumi in a crab hold, but Natsumi gets to the ropes for a break. Nao stomps down Natsumi in the corner, she gets on the turnbuckle and applies a hanging necklock over the top rope. Irish whip by Nao but Natsumi hits a crossbody, cartwheel by Natsumi and she dropkicks Nao in the leg. Another dropkick by Natsumi and she hits a Tiger Feint Kick, cover by Natsumi but it gets two. Natsumi picks up Nao but Nao pushes her off and hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep. Nao picks up Natsumi and they trade elbows, dropkicks by Natsumi and she goes up top, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Natsumi picks up Nao and delivers the Neck Screw, and she picks up the three count! Natsumi Maki is your winner.

A step down from the last match we saw, mostly due to the time and general structure. While the last one was a sprint, this one was more methodical… but it was too short of a match to take advantage of it. Nao controlled the action and did some limb work, but Natsumi got the win after just a couple moves. What they did was fine, just not long enough to tell the story that they were going for.

Bambi vs. ERINA
K-DOJO Club-K Super In Blue Field ~ BO-SO Golden Tag League 2017 Finals on 1/29/17
Our final match of the evening, as the veteran Bambi takes on the rookie ERINA. ERINA just debuted in November, she is 24 years old and is being trained by Bambi. Bambi has been in K-Dojo since debuting in 2004, for much of her career she has been wrestling men since K-Dojo previously had no other contracted female wrestlers, so this is a change of pace for her to have her own female trainee. ERINA is still such a new wrestler so it will be interesting to see how she has progressed.

Bambi and ERINA charge each other to start, Bambi gets ERINA into the ropes but gives a clean break. ERINA gets Bambi into the ropes the next time but she slaps Bambi before backing off, Bambi charges her but ERINA ducks her attack and applies a waistlock. Bambi gets to the ropes to block the suplex attempt, elbows by ERINA and she hits a jumping crossbody for two. ERINA goes for a slam but Bambi blocks it and hits one of her own, Bambi goes off the ropes but ERINA trips her. Bambi trips her back and stands on ERINA’s back, mounted punches by Bambi and she covers ERINA for two. Bambi chops ERINA in the corner and hits a running hip attack, another cover but ERINA kicks out. Sleeper by Bambi and she then applies a camel clutch, but ERINA gets into the ropes for the break. Back up they trade elbows, ERINA goes off the ropes but Bambi catches the crossbody. DDT by ERINA and she elbows Bambi in the corner, Irish whip by ERINA and she delivers a tornado DDT. ERINA gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, picking up a two count. Dropkick by ERINA, she goes for a slam but Bambi blocks it. ERINA goes for a roll-up but Bambi blocks it, she sits down on ERINA but it gets a two count. Shining Wizard by Bambi, and she picks up the three count! Bambi wins.

Simple, but pretty effective. Bambi gave ERINA quite a bit of offense, they wrestle each other a lot so there isn’t any reason to having them all be one-sided. Since they know each other so well they’d have no excuse to have a bad match, clearly they have chemistry built up and can put on a well structured match. Too short to get excited about, but a solid effort by both.

The post Misc. Match Reviews for Jan. 2017 – All Japan, W-1, & K-DOJO appeared first on Joshi City.

Joshi Match Medley #1: DDT, K-DOJO, and Mr. Gannosuke

Kevin — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 23:47:11 +0000

Every few weeks, I will review Joshi matches that took place in non-Joshi promotions. Promotions such as DDT, K-DOJO, Mr. Gannosuke, and FREEDOMS all either have Joshi wrestlers on their roster or frequently bring in Joshi wrestlers for special matches. Usually there is just one match per show (at the most), so as soon as three or four take place I will review them in an attempt to not miss any great matches that may have flown under the radar. It also allows me to take a look at some Joshi wrestlers I don’t see as much, as not all Joshi wrestlers are active in the larger promotions that frequently have their events make TV. Today I will be reviewing:

Akai Saki and Cherry vs. Makoto Oishi and Shunma Katsumata in DDT on January 3rd, 2016
Bambi and Koharu Hinata vs. SAKI and Manami Kanda in K-DOJO on January 10th, 2016
Haruka Kato vs. Makoto in Mr. Gannosuke Produce on January 12th, 2016

Event: DDT “New Year Lottery Special! 2016”
Date: January 3rd, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,750

Akai Saki and Cherry vs. Makoto Oishi and Shunma Katsumata
The most interesting note here isn’t the tag match itself, but rather that Akai Saki is the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. The Iron Man Heavymetalweight Championship is a belt that is defended 24/7, meaning that Cherry can pin Saki anytime to win the title even though they are partners. Which she will try to do a lot. Saki is a known model in Japan, a gorgeous one at that, but is a regular wrestler in DDT. Cherry is also DDT-affiliated and is an eleven year veteran.

Cherry attacks Saki before the match even starts, which kinda sets the tone for how this one is going to go. Cherry lariats both Oishi and Katsumata and she scratches Katsumata on the back. Cherry tags Saki, Katsumata slams Saki and he tags Oishi. Oishi drops a fist onto Saki and he tags Katsumata back in, Katsumata puts Saki in the ropes and he dropkicks her in the face. Cherry breaks up the pin and goes for her own pin on Saki, but Saki keeps kicking out. Big boot by Akai on Katsumata and she boots him again, but Cherry runs in and rolls up Akai for a two count. Akai boots Oishi also and tags Cherry, they both kick Katsumata before Cherry chops Oishi in the throat. Cherry rolls up Akai, but Oishi rolls her over and covers them both for the three count! Oishi and Katsumata win the match.

The carnage continues as everyone tries to pin Akai, but Akai clears the ring. She does a promo but suddenly the celebrity LiLiCo appears and chokes Akai with a chain! LiLiCo chokes out Akai and pins her, and she gets the three count! LiLiCo is your new Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion!

There wasn’t much to this one since it was just a backdrop for the bigger storyline of Akai being the Iron Man Heavymetalweight Champion. The story was well told and the crowd enjoyed it, it was just too short of a match to get excited about. Always a pleasure to see Saki though.

Event: K-DOJO “Club-K Super in TKP Garden City”
Date: January 10th, 2016
Location: TKP Garden City in Chiba, Japan
Announced Attendance: 312

Bambi and Koharu Hinata vs. SAKI and Manami Kanda
One of the unique things about K-DOJO (there are many unique things about the promotion) is they have a full time Joshi wrestler: Bambi. Bambi debuted in 2004 and was trained in K-DOJO by TAKA Michinoku. She has been wrestling there every since, a lot of the time she wrestles men but the promotion does bring in other Joshi wrestlers for her to battle as well. Her partner Hinata is itty bitty and debuted in 2013. She has wrestled in several promotions, including teaming with Miss Mongol in the latest version of FMW. Kanda also debuted in 2013 and wrestles mostly in smaller promotions like Ganbare Pro-Wrestling, KAGEKI, and Secret Base. And finally, SAKI is technically affiliated with LLPW-X, but they don’t run shows very often so she mostly freelances in various smaller promotions. You may noticed a theme, these are pretty low level Joshi wrestlers that K-DOJO brought in to wrestle with Bambi, but for an undercard on a small K-DOJO event that is to be expected.

Bambi and SAKI are the first pair in, they try to knock each other over until Bambi connects with a big boot. Bambi tags Hinata and Hinata throws down SAKI by her hair. SAKI tags Kanda, Hinata dropkicks Kanda but Kanda slams her to the mat, SAKI is tagged in and she throws the little Hinata around the ring. Kanda takes a turn on Hinata as well, and she stretches her on the mat. Hinata hits a spinning headscissors to get away and she tags in Bambi. Bambi knocks down both SAKI and Kanda, they go for a double suplex but Bambi blocks it. Bambi gets her whip and whips both of them with it, but SAKI rolls her up for two and applies a stretch hold. Rocking Horse by SAKI to Bambi but Bambi hits a neckbreaker and tags Hinata. Hinata comes off the top with a diving body press, getting a two count on SAKI. Bambi comes in and helps Hinata kick SAKI before tossing Hinata down onto her. Hinata elbows SAKI into the corner, Hinata sneaks in a few pinfalls but SAKI kicks out each time and hits a bodyslam. Giant Swing by SAKI and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Hinata makes it to the ropes. SAKI goes up top but Hinata avoids the Reverse Splash and hits a dropkick. SAKI and Hinata trade elbows but Hinata hits a step-up hurricanrana. Vertical suplex by SAKI and she tags in Kanda while Hinata tags Bambi. Bambi and Kanda trade elbows, Northern Lights Suplex by Kanda but it only gets two. Neckbreaker by Kanda and she delivers a sliding lariat, but Hinata breaks it up. Big boot by Bambi and she nails a second one, Bambi slams Kanda in front of the corner and she nails the Bambing Body Press for the three count! Bambi and Hinata win!

One of the downfalls of having wrestlers that are not familiar with each other and not very experienced in general is the matches tend to have miscommunications. There were plenty of those in this match, from small things to bad botches. When they were on the same page the action was fine, but overshadowed by the mistakes. I have grown to like Hinata the bit I have seen of her, little wrestlers that can take offense tend to enhance matches, but overall not a good match.

Event: Mr. Gannosuke Produce “Kishindo Returns 19”
Date: January 12th, 2016
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 255

Haruka Kato vs. Makoto
While this may seem random, Makoto came up through Ice Ribbon when Mr. Gannosuke was a trainer in the promotion, so they likely have maintained a relationship since then. Kato is a regular in Stardom but is not officially affiliated with the promotion, so she wrestles on some indy events as well.

Kato elbows Makoto and hits a quick crossbody, but Makoto comes back with a shoulderblock and throws Kato in the corner. Dropkick by Kato and she hits a face crusher, but Makoto hits a bodyslam. Makoto throws down Kato by her hair and stands on Kato in the corner, Camel Clutch by Makoto but Kato gets to the ropes. Makoto runs at Kato but Kato avoids the somersault attack and applies a hanging armbar. Dropkick by Kato and she hits another one, getting a two count. Cross armbreaker by Kato but Makoto gets to the ropes, they return to their feet and trade elbows until Makoto knocks Kato to the mat. Makoto goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, picking up a two count. Cartwheel kneedrop by Makoto, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Kato tosses her back to the mat. Sleeper by Kato and she slaps on the cross armbreaker, Makoto rolls to her stomach so Kato applies a short armbar instead. She goes back to the armbreaker, but Makoto wiggles to the ropes and forces a break. Kato picks up Makoto but Makoto boots her hard in the chest, double underhook suplex hold by Makoto but Kato barely gets a shoulder up. Makoto goes for a spear but Kato quickly rolls her up for two, satellite cradle by Kato but it gets a two as well. Kato goes off the ropes but Makoto plants her with a spear, Rising Star Suplex by Makoto and she gets the three count! Makoto is your winner.

This was a nice little match. Kato is one of the more frustrating wrestlers for me to watch. Her psychology is usually top notch, she is good at focusing on the arm and stays on it throughout the match. But she isn’t a great athlete so she isn’t very smooth with a lot of what she does. Makoto is almost the opposite, she has been wrestling for awhile and is smooth most of the time, but her offense can be a bit all over the place. So it was an odd combination to be sure, the bulk of the match was fine but it had a few rough patches. Worth watching for Kato’s submission game, I just wish she had a few other pieces as if she did she’d be amazing to watch. Mildly Recommended

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