After a bit of a break, I am now able to start doing updates again on the website. For those that don’t follow me on Twitter, I have been in the process of moving (still am), so the last three weekends I wasn’t home to do useful things like review Joshi. The website may still see a decrease in updates since at my new job I can’t watch wrestling while at work (imagine that) but I will do the best I can. This is our first look at Gatoh Move so far this year, it takes place in a more normal arena and features an appearance by Makoto! Here is the full card:

• Mitsuru vs. Riho
• Chon Shiryu vs. Emi Sakura W
• Aasa vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• Aoi Kizuki and Sayaka Obihiro vs. Antonio Honda and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi
• IWA Triple Crown Championship: Makoto vs. ‘Kotori’

if I have a profile for the wrestler on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go right to it. They have that commentary box during the matches that annoys me to no end, but I am going to watch this anyway and try not to complain about it.

Mitsuru vs. Riho

Mitsuru and Riho trade holds to start, elbows by Mitsuru but Riho elbows her back and throws down Mitsuru by the hair. Riho goes for a camel clutch but Mitsuru gets out of it, she goes for one of her own but Riho reverses it. Riho applies a bodyscissors but Mitsuru gets out of it, they trade kneelocks until Mitsuru applies a Muta Lock. Mitsuru then puts Riho in a stretch hold but Riho comes back with a jumping knee in the corner. Riho applies her own stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and goes for a crab hold, but Mitsuru grabs the ropes. Elbows by Mitsuru and she boots Riho back before applying a sunset flip for a two count. Rolling leglock by Mitsuru and she puts Riho in a unique submission hold, but she lets go after a moment and goes for a suplex. Riho reverses it into an inside cradle, bridging vertical suplex by Mitsuru but it gets two. Mitsuru charges Riho but Riho avoids her dropkick and rolls her up for a two count. Dropkick by Riho and she puts Mitsuru in a crab hold, but Mitsuru crawls to the ropes to get the break. Riho gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp, she then goes all the way up and hits a second diving footstomp for the three count! Riho wins.

I’ll be honest, this was a lot more even than I was expecting. Mitsuru got a fair amount of offense in on the champion as it was a pretty back-and-forth match, and Mitsuru even got a few close calls. While I liked Mitsuru’s submissions, her strikes still need some work as they lacked any impact. Mitsuru shows some promise here, someone to keep an eye on as she continues her career.

Chon Shiryu vs. Emi Sakura W

Sakura W gets the upper hand early on and throws down Shiryu by his hair a few times until Shiryu bails out of the ring to re-group. He returns after a moment, snapmare by Sakura W and he runs around Shiryu before hitting a few rolling sentons. Shiryu avoids the body press however and runs over Sakura W’s face. Shiryu picks up Sakura W and rams him back and forth into the turnbuckles, dropkick by Shiryu and he covers Sakura W for two. Sakura W kicks Shiryu but Shiryu pulls him down by the wig, crossbody by Sakura W in the corner but Shiryu gets his feet up on the Reverse Splash attempt. Shiryu dropkicks Sakura W in the knee and applies La Magistral, but Sakura W kicks out at two. Tilt-a-whirl slam by Sakura W and he puts Shiryu in a Surfboard until Shiryu gets into the ropes. Sakura W applies a double underhook but Shiryu gets away and the two trade chops, Sakura W wins the battle and he hits a double underhook into a backbreaker for two. Sakura W goes to the second turnbuckle but Shiryu gets his feet up on the diving body press attempt, Shiryu goes for a diving footstomp but Sakura W moves out of the way and applies La Magistral for two. Gory Bomb by Shiryu to Sakura W and he puts Sakura W in the Kangaroo Clutch, leading to the submission! Chon Shiryu wins the match.

So this was pretty bad, not completely sure why I watched it. I am 99% sure that Sakura W is a man which is why I referred to him as “he” above, can’t see the face of course and the wrestler is in a full costume since Emi Sakura is being imitated, but just going by the body type I think its a guy. Anyway, this was rough, clear miscommunications and whomever was imitating Sakura wasn’t doing it very well, kinda like a Jericho/Super Liger situation where maybe the wrestler is normally good but just didn’t mesh wrestling as someone else. Not sure what it was, but I’d recommend just skipping it.

Aasa vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Aasa attacks Yoneyama right off the start and tries to shoulderblock her over but Yoneyama sends her to the mat instead. Yoneyama throws Aasa down by her hair and knees her in the corner, Yoneyama applies a sleeper but Aasa gets into the ropes. Yoneyama stomps down on Aasa’s back but Aasa blocks the scoop slam and puts Yoneyama in a stretch hold. Yoneyama gets to the ropes for the break, Aasa puts Yoneyama in the ropes and goes to the apron to chop her in the chest. Cover by Aasa, but Yoneyama kicks out. Mongolian Chops by Yoneyama, Aasa hits a lariat but Yoneyama boots her to the mat. More kicks by Yoneyama and she puts Aasa in a crab hold, Yoneyama reverts it into a stretch hold but Aasa gets a hand on the bottom rope. Yoneyama stands on Aasa’s back and puts her in the corner, Irish whip by Yoneyama but Aasa avoids her charge and hits a dropkick. Knees by Yoneyama and they trade elbows, hard elbow by Yoneyama but Aasa hits a trio of body blocks for a two count. Senton by Aasa, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Yoneyama recovers and brings her back down. Sunset flip by Aasa, she tosses Yoneyama to the ropes but Yoneyama blocks it and hits a pair of knees. Running senton by Yoneyama, she goes to the second turnbuckle but Aasa avoids the diving senton. Quick roll-up by Aasa, but it gets a two count. Knee by Yoneyama but Aasa catches her with a Lou Thesz Press for two. Knee to the head by Yoneyama and she hits a running knee to the back of Aasa’s head, but Aasa barely kicks out of the cover. A double wrist armsault also gets a two count, Yoneyama goes up top and she nails the diving senton for the three count! Kaori Yoneyama wins the match.

A pretty decent match, considering that Aasa is a rookie. She is a bigger rookie (taller than Yoneyama) which helped her offense look more believable, and Yoneyama gave her a lot of opportunities. Some of it was a bit clunky but the bulk of it was well worked. Not bad but more of an opening-style match than a mid-card match, Yoneyama looked solid though.

Aoi Kizuki and Sayaka Obihiro vs. Antonio Honda and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi

Obihiro and Hiroshi kick things off, hammerlock by Obihiro but Hiroshi gets in the ropes. They tag out, Kizuki and Honda circle each other and trade elbows, knees by Honda but Kizuki dropkicks him. Honda begs off Kizuki and Hiroshi comes in to give him emotional support, Kizuki gets confused and she gets poked in the eyes for her trouble. Honda puts Kizuki in a wristlock and smells her hair, elbows by Honda and he tags in Hiroshi. Hiroshi elbows Kizuki into the corner and tags Honda back in, as they take turns attacking Kizuki. Kizuki finally gets away but Honda stops her from tagging out (slowly and poorly timed), Hiroshi goes up top but he hits Honda by accident while allows Kizuki to make the hot tag. Obihiro goes off on Hiroshi and Honda, she goes to punch Hiroshi but Hiroshi turns the punch back on her and tags in Honda. Backbreaker by Honda to Obihiro and she punches her, but Obihiro knees him low. Hiroshi comes in and sends Obihiro to her knees with just his voice (he is a DDT wrestler, I dunno), but Obihiro recovers and thrusts him in the throat. Kizuki helps by elbowing Honda and they both chop him against the ropes, senton by Kizuki and Obihiro chops Honda in the chest for a two count. Honda suplexes both of them however, he goes to the second turnbuckle but Kizuki grabs him from the apron. Kizuki goes up top and hits a diving crossbody onto Honda, jackknife cover by Obihiro but it gets a two count. Obihiro and Kizuki double team Honda but Hiroshi breaks up the cover, Honda hits a quick backdrop suplex on Obihiro but Kizuki breaks up the cover. Hiroshi and Honda elbow both of their opponents, Hiroshi picks up Kizuki while Honda grabs Obihiro and they both hit Bionic Elbows. Elbow drop by Honda to Obihiro, and he gets the three count! Antonio Honda and Trans-Am ★ Hiroshi win!

I won’t pretend this did anything for me, the less said probably the better. I don’t think Hiroshi or Honda are very entertaining, and no one was really taking the match seriously. A pretty low-level match that had very limited redeemable qualities.

(c) Makoto vs. ‘Kotori’
IWA Triple Crown Championship

The champion pushes Kotori into the ropes to start but gives a clean break, Kotori  gets Makoto into the ropes next and returns the favor. Wristlock by Makoto but Kotori reverses it, Makoto gets Kotori up on her shoulders and she throws the youngster to the mat. Hard shoulderblock by Makoto but Kotori hits a judo throw and goes for a cross armbreaker. She switches it to a short armbar but Makoto gets out of it, quick cover by Kotori but it gets a two. Makoto applies a seated armbar but Kotori flips out of it, kneelock by Kotori and they end up in the ropes. Makoto throws Kotori into the ropes and stretches her, she picks Kotori up but Kotori elbows her in the chest. Kotori grabs Makoto’s hand and hits a springboard armdrag out of the corner, she charges Makoto but Makoto moves and chops Kotori in the corner. Makoto applies the Tarantula over the top rope (she was also trained by TAJIRI), cover by Makoto back in the ring but it gets a two count. Makoto rolls Kotori to the mat and applies a submission hold, but Kotori gets into the ropes. Makoto throws Kotori into the corner, Makoto flips Kotori out onto the apron and Kotori snaps Makoto’s arm over the top rope. Kotori pulls Makoto out of the ring, she then gets on the apron and jumps down onto Makoto with a plancha. Kotori slides Makoto back in, she gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for a two count.

Kotori charges Makoto but Makoto grabs her by the throat and throws Kotori into the corner. Running shoulder tackle by Makoto, she puts Kotori across the second rope and hits a double knee drop. Big boot by Makoto and she hits a heel drop, cover by Makoto but Kotori bridges out of it. Double underhook bridging suplex by Makoto, but that gets a two count as well. Makoto goes up top but Kotori recovers and joins her, armdragging Makoto to the mat. Dropkick by Kotori, she goes off the ropes but Makoto catches her with a scoop slam. Cartwheel kneedrop by Makoto, she charges Kotori but Kotori slides under her and applies a wing clutch cover for two. Kotori gets Makoto’s back and goes for an Octopus Hold, but Makoto hiptosses out of it. Makoto goes off the ropes but Kotori hits a judo throw, she picks up Makoto and gets a modified grounded Octopus Hold applied, but Makoto gets a toe on the ropes. Kotori picks up Makoto and gets another flash pin for two, she follows that with the Morning Stars but Makoto gets a shoulder up.  Kotori goes off the ropes but Makoto does as well and hits a spear. Another spear by Makoto and she levels Kotori with a big boot, cover by Makoto but it only gets two. Makoto picks up Kotori and drops her with a Death Valley Bomb, cover by Makoto and she gets the three count! Makoto is still the champion.

This was a breath of fresh air on a card I wasn’t overly enjoying. It wasn’t a high end match or anything, partly because having the commentators on screen is distracting, but it was entertaining and both were going full throttle. The end stretch in particular was really good, it felt a few times like Kotori was going to sneak out a win as she has a number of convincing roll-up style match finishes (she is really small, so that is usually how she wins matches), until Makoto just had enough and killed her with a series of power moves. Makoto isn’t a highly skilled wrestler but she is very good and the two had solid chemistry. A fun match, not much more than that as it was presented but I liked it.  Mildly Recommended

The post Gatoh Move “Japan Tour #273” on 2/11/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

No one can ever accuse me of being cheap or lazy, as once again I have jumped through the necessary hoops (Tenso, in this case) to order a wrestling event from Japan. But I couldn’t miss this one, as Hiroyo Matsumoto’s 10th Anniversary Show was stacked with goodness and/or weirdness. I mean where else can we watch Kotori battling Mayu Iwatani or Mariko Yoshida in her first non-battle royal match since 2012? Then Matsumoto gives herself no easy task in the main event, as she battles the legendary Aja Kong. Here is the full card:

• Hiragi Kurumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kagetsu and Maruko Nagasaki
• Hikaru Shida vs. Kotori vs. Mayu Iwatani
• AKINO, Chon Shiryu, Ikuto Hidaka, and Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Hikaru Sato, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Minoru Suzuki, and Rocky Kawamura
• Aoi Kizuki, DASH Chisako, and Misaki Ohata vs. Cherry, Mariko Yoshida, and Kyoko Kimura
• Aja Kong vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Everything will be shown in its entirety, should be great.

Hiragi Kurumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kagetsu and Maruko Nagasaki

Kurumi and Maruko start for their teams, shoulderblock by Kurumi and she hits an armdrag. They trade trips and quick pins before returning to their feet, and both wrestlers tag out. Kagetsu shoulderblocks Kaori and hits a springboard armdrag, she tags Maruko back in and they both dropkick Kaori. Maruko tries to slam Kaori but has no luck, as Kaori hits her own scoop slam instead before tagging in Kurumi. Double shoulderblock to Maruko, dropkick by Kurumi and she covers her for two. Yoneyama returns as they take turns attacking the rookie, Irish whip by Kaori but Maruko hits a dropkick and makes the hot tag. Kagetsu clubs on Kaori, Kurumi comes in to help but Kagetsu spears both of them. Jumping forearm by Kagetsu in the corner and she hits two more, cover by Kagetsu but Kaori kicks out. Kagetsu picks up Kaori and kicks her in the chest, Kaori bridges out of the pin however and hits a running knee. Kaori tags Kurumi, shoulderblocks by Kurumi but Kagetsu slides away when she goes for a powerbomb. Kagetsu and Kurumi trade elbows, they go off the ropes and Kurumi hits a bodyblock, but Kagetsu comes right back with a spear. Kagetsu tags in Maruko, dropkicks by Maruko and she covers Kurumi for two. Maruko goes for a suplex but Kurumi blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Kurumi hits a bodyblock followed by a cannonball against the ropes. Kaori comes in but Kagetsu hits a swandive dropkick on both of them, Maruko grabs Kurumi and delivers the F Crash, but Kurumi gets a shoulder up on the cover. Maruko goes up top but Kurumi swats away the missile dropkick, running senton by Kaori and Kurumi hits a somersault senton for two. Kagetsu comes in and puts Kurumi in a sleeper, but Kaori goes up top and jumps on Kagetsu’s back. Kurumi slowly walks to Maruko and hits a body press with both wrestlers still on her back, but Maruko barely kicks out. Kurumi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press, and she gets the three count! Hiragi Kurumi and Kaori Yoneyama win the match!

For an opener, this was pretty fun. Kurumi has come such a long way in the last year, she is really really good and flying under the radar since she doesn’t get many big matches in Ice Ribbon. But at only 16 she is definitely one to watch out for, she may be the best sub-18 year old currently in Joshi. Maruko also looks good for a rookie, and of course Kaori and Kagetsu are top notch. Simple but solid, what an opener should be as it gave the young wrestlers a chance to shine but still had enough going on in the match to make it entertaining.  Mildly Recommended

Hikaru Shida vs. Kotori vs. Mayu Iwatani

After a difficult three person handshake, Mayu engages with Kotori first while Shida watches, all three wrestlers go off the ropes until Shida eats a double dropkick. Armdrag by Kotori and she dropkicks Mayu, Mayu kips up but Kotori grabs her arm and hits a springboard armdrag while also dropkicking Shida at the same time. Kotori goes after Shida but Shida puts her across the ropes in the corner before suplexing Mayu on top of her. Mayu and Shida trade elbows until Mayu superkicks her, Kotori grabs Mayu and rolls her up for a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by Mayu to Kotori, but she gets a two as well. Mayu goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, but Shida breaks up the cover. Mayu grabs Shida but Shida drops her with a vertical suplex, she goes off the ropes but Mayu ducks the Three Count. Kotori returns and trades roll-ups with Mayu, Shida grabs Kotori as Kotori goes for a roll-up, but Shida blocks it. Mayu comes back over but she can’t get the roll-up either, Shida throws Mayu into Kotori and drops Kotori with a Falcon Arrow for the three count! Hikaru Shida is the winner.

I morally can’t recommend a four minute triple threat match but I can say that I enjoyed all four minutes. For wrestlers that are not familar with each other, everything was smooth and worked well, and needless to say it was a fast paced match. I love watching Stardom wrestlers outside of their normal comfort zone, Mayu of course is great in any situation but its still a fun change of pace. A cute match, I just obviously wish that it went a lot longer.

AKINO, Chon Shiryu, Hidaka, and Takayama vs. Hikaru Sato, Matsumoto, Suzuki, and Kawamura

Matsumoto and AKINO begin the match and lock knuckles, they reach a stalemate so Matsumoto tags in Sato. AKINO kicks Sato in the leg but Sato catches one and applies a kneelock. Cross armbreaker by Sato but AKINO quickly gets out of it, kick to the gut by Sato but AKINO dropkicks him when he goes off the ropes. AKINO tags in Takayama, Takayama clubs on Sato and throws him back to his own corner so he can tag in Suzuki. Suzuki goes to tag in but Matsumoto stops him, as she wants a piece of Takayama. While brave, it doesn’t go well as Takayama boots her in the face and throws Matsumoto out of the ring. He goes out after her and slams her into a chair, he returns to the ring while his teammates slide Matsumoto back into the ring. Takayama tags in Shiryu and he hits an elbow drop on Matsumoto, Hidaka comes in next as the beatdown of Matsumoto continues. Matsumoto’s teammates come in to help but ultimately they aren’t too helpful, dropkick by Hidaka to Matsumoto and he hits a kneedrop. Hidaka stomps on Matsumoto and hits a DDT, but Matsumoto hits a vertical suplex and makes the tag to Kawamura.

Kawamura punches everyone that comes near him (he is wearing boxing gloves), he charges Hidaka but Hidaka ducks his punch and hits a dragon screw in the ropes. Ankle hold by Hidaka but Kawamura punches his way out of it, punches by Kawamura but Hidaka kicks him to the mat. Suzuki and Takayama are both tagged in, knee by Takayama in the corner and he hits a double underhook suplex on Suzuki for a two count. Takayama kicks Suzuki in the back but Suzuki returns the favor, they get back up and trade elbows. Big boot by Takayama but Suzuki slides away and applies a sleeper. He spins Takayama around and goes for a piledriver but Takayama back bodydrops out of it and tags in Shiryu. Suzuki is triple teamed in the corner, AKINO hits an assisted DDT and Shiryu hits a diving kneedrop for a two count cover. Takayama picks up Suzuki and hits a backdrop suplex while Shiryu goes out to the apron and hit a springboard jumping kick. Cover, but all of Suzuki’s teammates break it up. Things break down as all eight wrestlers at it, Shiryu goes off the ropes but Suzuki slides around him and applies a sleeper. Gotch-Style Piledriver by Suzuki, and he gets the three count! Team Hiroyo Matsumoto are your winners.

Another good match, although it probably didn’t need so many wrestlers. The downside of having eight wrestlers in a match this short is by the time everyone gets their turn, its difficult to really get into a groove before the match is suddenly over. Shiryu wasn’t really weakened at all before Suzuki pinned him, but that was more of an issue with the time than an issue of the wrestlers themselves not structuring the match correctly. There were some fun moments, it is always a pleasure to see Takayama and Suzuki face off against each other, but just with the way the match was designed it felt like filler. Some good sections but overall a bit forgettable.

Aoi Kizuki, DASH Chisako, and Ohata vs. Cherry, Mariko Yoshida, and Kyoko Kimura

Yoshida and Kizuki start for their teams, Yoshida quickly gets Kizuki to the mat but Kizuki gets out of it and they return to their feet. Irish whip by Kizuki but Yoshida blocks it, side headlock by Yoshida and she applies an ankle hold, but Kizuki quickly gets to the ropes. Yoshida tags in Kyoko while Chisako also tags in, Kyoko applies a side headlock but Chisako gets out of it and hits an armdrag. Dropkick by Kyoko, and both wrestlers get back up to tag in the last pairing. Armdrags by Ohata to Cherry, Kizuki and Chisako come in the ring and Cherry is triple teamed in the corner. Cherry avoids Ohata’s charge as the tides turn, Cherry’s team helps her keep Ohata down and Cherry tags in Yoshida. Ohata takes Yoshida to the mat but Yoshida quickly applies a cross armbreaker, Ohata gets to the ropes so Yoshida tags in Kyoko. Ohata doesn’t stay down for long as she hits a crossbody on Kyoko before tagging in Kizuki, Kizuki hits a crossbody of her own and goes for a suplex, but Kyoko blocks it and applies a guillotine. Kyoko tags in Cherry who takes Kizuki to the mat before tossing Kizuki around by her hair. Yoshida returns and works over Kizuki on the mat, she tags Kyoko back in as Kizuki continues being the Wrestler in Peril. She finally fights back with elbows, knocking Kyoko to the mat and making the hot tag to Chisako.

Chisako trades elbows with Cherry on the apron until Kyoko attacks her from behind, but Chisako dropkicks both of them before dropkicking Kyoko again in the corner. Cover by Chisako, but it gets two. Kyoko puts Chisako in a stretch hold, Ohata runs in but Kyoko grabs her too and stretches them both before tagging in Cherry. Cherry lariats Chisako and applies a reverse armbreaker, but Kizuki breaks it up. Dropkick to the knee by Chisako and she hits a flipping neckbreaker, but Cherry bridges out of the pin. Chisako tags in Kizuki, face crusher by Kizuki and she hits a twisting body press on Cherry for two. Cherry comes back with a kick followed by a dropkick, double wrist armsault by Cherry but Kizuki kicks out. Kizuki hits a double wrist armsault of her own with the same result, they trade elbows until Cherry delivers a bridging scoop slam. Cherry goes up top but Chisako grabs her, giving Kizuki time to recover and toss Cherry to the mat. Jumping lariat by Kizuki, she tags in Ohata while Cherry makes the tag to Yoshida. Ohata throws Yoshida in the corner and hits a back elbow, Ohata charges Yoshida and delivers a low crossbody while Yoshida is slumped against the turnbuckles. Cover by Ohata, but Yoshida gets a shoulder up.

Stunner by Ohata and she applies a cross armbreaker, she then applies a triangle choke but Yoshida gets in the ropes for a break. Ohata picks up Yoshida but Yoshida quickly flips her to the mat and goes for her own cross armbreaker, Ohata wiggles out of it but Yoshida puts her in the Spider Twist! Ohata struggles for a moment but is close enough to the ropes that she gets a boot on one to force a break. Yoshida tags in Kyoko, Kyoko kicks at Ohata before booting her in the face for a two count. Yoshida comes in and hits a double underhook facebuster, Swanton Bomb by Cherry and Kyoko picks up Ohata, but Ohata reverse the Samoan Drop into a crucifix cover for two. Elbows by Ohata but Kyoko elbows her back, Kizuki comes in with a lariat but Cherry hits Ohata by accident when she tries to help. Yoshida clears the ring and holds Ohata for Kyoko, but Kyoko boots Yoshida by accident. Ohata and Kizuki both suplex Kyoko, with Ohata holding onto the German for two. Hanamaru Dokkan by Ohata, but Yoshida breaks up the pin. Ohata picks up Kyoko and goes for the Blue Dahlia, but Kyoko slides away and applies a sleeper hold. Cover by Kyoko, but Ohata barely kicks out. Kyoko goes for a headbutt but Ohata ducks it and applies an inside cradle, she goes off the ropes but Kyoko nails her with a boot to the face. Kyoko goes to make the cover but the bell rings as time expires. The match is a Draw.

A really good match, but it didn’t quite reach the levels I was hoping. The issue was the Draw, not that there was one, but there were some parts that just really slowed down and it felt like they were killing time.  Yoshida was fantastic, she hasn’t missed a beat and even though she wasn’t in the match much she always made an impact when she was. Cherry and Kizuki aren’t on the same level as the others but held their own, and the last five minutes or so were well done and fast paced. Definitely solid but due to some of the early slowdown it wasn’t a classic.  Recommended

Aja Kong vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Kong and Hiroyo start with a long tie-up, Kong works a headlock and gets Hiroyo to the mat. Hiroyo gets out of it and gets back up, they trade elbows and running strikes in opposite corners until Hiroyo falls to the mat. Kong kicks Hiroyo in the chest, she returns to her feet but Kong knocks her back down and kicks Hiroyo in the ribs. Hiroyo falls out of the ring so Kong goes out after her and beats Hiroyo around the ring. Kong sets up a table at ringside, she pulls Hiroyo up onto it with her and piledrives her through the table to the floor! She then breaks off a piece of the table and whacks Hiroyo in the head with it before choking Hiroyo with the piece of table. She returns to the ring and waits for Hiroyo, Hiroyo slowly crawls in to beat the count but Kong immediately grabs her and hits another piledriver for a two count. Kong kicks at Hiroyo which just fires her up, she hits a few elbows but Kong headbutts Hiroyo back into the corner. Hiroyo gets up and they trade headbutts, a battle which Kong wins as Hiroyo falls to the mat again. Hiroyo slowly gets up on the other side of the apron, Kong comes at her but Hiroyo snaps her neck over the top rope. Missile dropkick by Hiroyo and she hits a body avalanche, backdrop suplex by Hiroyo and she hits a second one, but Kong blocks it when she goes for a third.

Kong goes for a lariat but Hiroyo avoids it and hits a third backdrop suplex, picking up a two count. Kong returns the favor with her own backdrop suplex, slap by Kong and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but Hiroyo recovers and hits a powerbomb for two. Hiroyo goes for another one but it epicly fails as Kong falls on top of her, Kong gets her metal paint can and hits Hiroyo with it, but Hiroyo takes it from her and hits Kong with it as well. Hiroyo puts Kong on the second turnbuckle to go for another powerbomb, but Kong blocks it rolls out of the ring to the floor. Hiroyo goes out after her, she gets a big metal oil drum but Kong chucks her own metal can at her to make her drop it. Kong then gets the drum and throws it at Hiroyo, she goes and gets a chair before breaking it over Hiroyo’s head. Kong goes to the lower stage to contemplate an elbow drop, but Hiroyo recovers and powerbombs her off the stage and onto the oil drum. Hiroyo pulls Kong and the drum onto the ramp, but Kong grabs Hiroyo and hits a brainbuster onto the metal drum. These two are holding nothing back. Kong recovers first and rolls back in while Hiroyo barely makes the count, they slowly get up and trade elbows and open hand slaps until Hiroyo sends Kong to the mat with a backdrop suplex for two. Hiroyo picks up Kong and goes for a powerbomb but Kong back bodydrops out of it, she gets her paint can and headbutts it into Hiroyo. Uraken by Kong, but Hiroyo kicks out of the cover. Kong picks up Hiroyo but Hiroyo blocks the Uraken, she hits an elbow but Kong connects with the Uraken the second time and both wrestlers fall to the mat. They both get up, slap by Kong and she nails a final Uraken for the three count! Aja Kong is the winner!

I generally don’t use terms like “epic” and “this was a war” but there is hardly another way to describe this match. Aja Kong isn’t the quickest wrestler and she can’t go at a fast pace, but she is still strong and knows how to lay out a match to keep you engaged even when there is a bit of downtime here and there. Hiroyo throwing everything she had at Kong while Kong proved to be too strong was a predictable story but one that was very well done, Kong tried staying one step ahead of Hiroyo but occasionally would slip and Hiroyo was always quick to capitalize. The outside the ring action was nuts, I mean this is a show that wasn’t even televised (its quite possible that at this moment I’m the only person in the United States that has seen it), and yet both were going all out. But it all still fit in the story, as Hiroyo brought the biggest weapon she could find to try to keep the legend down. A captivating match and proof to me that while Hiroyo is one of the best current Joshi wrestlers, Aja Kong is one of the best Joshi wrestlers of all time.  Highly Recommended

The post Hiroyo Matsumoto 10th Anniversary on 7/31/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I have a bit of a soft spot for Gatoh Move which is why I keep watching them even though they are itty bitty. Plus for some reason their events pop up in a reasonable time frame. This event actually took place in a ring and has one of my favorite wrestlers in the main event, so it was an easy decision to watch, plus there were only three Joshi matches so it won’t take too long. Here are the matches:

• Aasa vs. Aoi Kizuki
• Emi Sakura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Riho and Sayaka Obihiro
• ‘Kotori’ vs. Hikaru Shida

Quick and painless, let’s hop to it.

Aasa vs. Aoi Kizuki

They begin with a tie-up and elbows, dropkick by Aoi and she throws down Aasa by her hair. Chops by Aoi and she elbows Aasa, but Aasa fights back and they trade blows. Aoi elbows Aasa to the mat and applies a kneelock, she releases the hold before putting Aasa in a stretch hold. Bodyscissors by Aoi but Aasa gets to the ropes, Aasa puts Aoi in a Cobra Twist but Aoi gets to the ropes and reverses the hold. Aasa jumps back and slams Aoi to get out of it, dropkick by Aasa and she covers Aoi for two. Aoi comes back with a running senton, she goes to the second turnbuckle but Aasa grabs her and tosses her off. Body block by Aasa and she hits a body avalanche before hitting another body block for a two count. Aoi regains control and puts Aasa in a crab hold, Aoi goes off the ropes but Aasa hits a back bodydrop and a body press for a two count. Elbow by Aoi, she slams Aasa in front of the corner and hits a diving senton for a two count. Aoi scoop slams Aasa but Aasa reverses it into a roll-up for two. Jumping lariat by Aoi, she picks up Aasa and hits a double wrist armsault. Single leg crab hold by Aoi, and Aasa quickly submits! Aoi Kizuki is the winner.

A pretty standard opening match with a rookie. Aoi Kizuki’s fall this year has been pretty epic, and to be honest her in-ring work also has gotten worse. Last year she held the Union Pro Fly to Everywhere Championship, Ice Ribbon Tag Team Championship, and ICExInfinity Championship while this year she hasn’t even had a title challenge. Weird. Anyway, Aasa looked ok for a new wrestler but her strikes lack impact, plenty of time for that to improve of course. Certainly nothing special.

Emi Sakura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Riho and Sayaka Obihiro

Yoneyama and Obihiro start the match for their respective teams, they bounce off the ropes (well Obihiro does) but she misses Yoneyama and both wrestlers tag out. Sakura and Riho trade holds first on the mat and then back on their feet, Riho cartwheels away from Sakura and she hits an armdrag. Obihiro gets in the ring and all three run around together until they both hit jumping knees in the corner. Cover by Riho, but Sakura kicks out at two. Riho tags Obihiro back in, drop toehold by Sakura to Obihiro and she tags in Yoneyama. Yoneyama hits a running elbow in the corner, she puts Obihiro in the ropes and Sakura chops her repeatedly in the chest. Yoneyama picks up Obihiro but Obihiro hits a scoop slam before tagging in Riho. Riho boots Yoneyama and hits a face crusher, she puts Yoneyama in a crossface but Yoneyama rolls out of it. Jumping crossbody by Riho but Yoneyama returns the favor, jumping knee by Riho as Obihiro comes in, but Yoneyama beats both of them and tags in Sakura. Sakura throws down Riho by the hair, elbows by Riho but Sakura chops Riho in the chest. They trade shots, which Sakura gets the better of, and she hits a low crossbody in the corner.

Double underhook into a backbreaker by Sakura, and she covers Riho for a two count. Riho hits a footstomp on Sakura and goes up top, hitting a diving footstomp for a two count cover. Riho and Sakura trade flash pins, chop to the chest by Riho and she hits a jumping knee. Riho tags in Obihiro while Sakura tags Yoneyama, Obihiro goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick on Yoneyama. Yoneyama and Obihiro trade elbows, running knee to the back of the head by Yoneyama, Riho comes in to help but Sakura intercepts her. Riho knocks down Sakura but Yoneyama hits a backdrop suplex on Riho, reverse splashes by Yoneyama and Sakura on Obihiro but Obihiro avoids Sakura’s moonsault attempt. Riho hits a footstomp on Yoneyama while she is in the tree of woe, Obihiro rolls up Yoneyama but it gets a two count. Riho dropkicks Sakura and hits a Somato onto Yoneyama, but when Obihiro charges Yoneyama she is intercepted by Sakura. Sakura puts Obihiro in La Magistral, but she rolls her over to Yoneyama who puts Obihiro in a modified La Magistral for the three count! Sakura and Yoneyama are the winners!

I wouldn’t say this match was good but it wasn’t bad either. All four worked well together but the match felt like it didn’t serve any type of purpose. There wasn’t any meaning behind anything and they didn’t really tell any type of story during the match, it was just random action for the sake of it until one team won. The ending stretch was solid and all four are decent to really entertaining wrestlers, the match just didn’t pull me in.

‘Kotori’ vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida works the headlock to start, Shida goes for a hip attack but Kotori avoids it and hits a springboard armdrag out of the corner. Kotori goes for a crossbody but Shida catches her and hits a back breaker, another back breaker by Shida but Kotori blocks the crab hold attempt. Shida mushes Kotori in the face against the ropes, scoop slam by Shida and she covers Kotori for two. Kotori elbows Shida but Shida elbows her back and they trade blows, monkey flip by Kotori but Shida blocks the STO. She hits it anyway and grabs Shida’s kendo stick, but Shida catches it. Kotori yanks it back and hits Shida with it twice, sending Shida out of the ring. Kotori throws the kendo stick at Shida, she gets up on the top turnbuckle but Shida throws the kendo stick back at her, knocking Kotori down to the floor. Shida rams Kotori into the ring post, knees by Shida and she hits a jumping knee from the bleacher steps. Shida slams Kotori on the apron and gets back in the ring, she pulls Kotori to the corner but Kotori elbows her and dives off the top turnbuckle, but Shida knees her on the way down. Brainbuster by Shida, and she covers Kotori for a two count. Running knee by Shida, she waits for Kotori to get up and hits a jumping knee in the corner. Shida goes for a suplex but Kotori lands on her feet, sunset flip by Kotori but she gets a two count. Kotori tries a few more flash pins but can’t keep Shida down, jumping knee by Shida and she covers her for two. Shida goes off the ropes but Kotori catches her with with a judo throw, roll-up by Kotori but Shida gets a shoulder up. Kotori picks up Shida but Shida hits an enzuigiri, tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Shida and she goes for a fireman’s carry into a backbreaker, but Kotori lands on her own head. Shida tries again with much more success, cover by Shida but Kotori kicks out. Shida picks up Kotori but Kotori elbows her away, Michinoku Driver by Shida and she nails the Three Count for the three count pinfall! The winner of the match is Hikaru Shida.

This wasn’t an overly complicated match but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Part of that is admittedly because I love Shida, but Kotori kept up with her well with her underdog spots and looked impressive. Kotori getting the first advantage with the kendo stick was a nice touch, and they tried to make the match seem like a main event with bigger moves like the jumping knee off the bleacher steps. There was one little mistake with Shida dropping Kotori on her own head, but aside from that it was smooth as butter. Maybe better placed in the upper midcard on a normal show but a fine main event for a smaller Gatoh Move show, very enjoyable.  Recommended

The post Gatoh Move Japan Tour #246 on 9/10/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

It has been a few months since I reviewed a Gatoh Move event so I figured I was overdue to review a show from the small promotion with the purple mat. This is a short show with only three matches, with Emi Sakura being in two of them. Here is the full card:

• Emi Sakura vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• “Trans-Am” Hiroshi vs. Sayaka Obihiro
• Aasa, Kotori, and Kazuhiro Tamura vs. Cherry, Emi Sakura, and Masahiro Takanashi

This will be fun, but quick.

Emi Sakura vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Sakura immediately dropkicks Yoneyama when the bell rings, she goes for quick pins but none do the trick. They trade holds with Yoneyama sinking in a headlock, Sakura gets out of it and they trade shoulderblock attempts. Sakura knocks Yoneyama to the mat but Yoneyama gets up and they trade wristlocks. Armdrag by Sakura and she applies a camel clutch, she then applies a choke but Yoneyama gets out of it and applies a STF. Muta Lock by Yoneyama but Sakura gets out of it and they trade chops back on their feet. Scoop slam by Sakura and she puts Yoneyama in a Scorpion Deathlock, but Yoneyama gets to the edge of the mat to force a break. Sakura puts Yoneyama on the window ledge and hits a body avalanche, but Yoneyama slides to the other side and hits Sakura with a stool. Missile dropkick by Yoneyama, she picks up Sakura but Sakura elbows her off and hits a swinging neckbreaker.

Bodyscissors into a roll-up by Yoneyama, she goes for the Chaos Theory but Sakura blocks it and applies a cross armbreaker. Yoneyama gets to the edge to break it up, but Sakura hits a double underhook right back into the cross armbreaker. She wiggles to the edge again to force a break, she goes for another double underhook but Yoneyama blocks it and kicks her in the chest. Yoneyama gets up on the window sill and hits a diving senton, cover by Yoneyama but it gets a two count. Now Sakura gets on the window and hits a diving senton of her own, but she also gets two. Sakura picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama blocks the Yoshi Tonic, so she flips Yoneyama into the wall. Knee to the back of a head by Sakura and she hits a rolling headscissors for a two count. Yoneyama quickly applies La Magistral for a two count, she rams Sakura into the wall but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

For a match with severe limitations, I thought it was decent. Sakura and Yoneyama both know how to work and they managed to pull of a few well thought-out spots in the match. I liked that both were still giving it their all even in such a small ‘arena’, it feels strange watching two wrestlers of their abilities wrestling in such an environment. Worth watching for the general quality as well as the unique surroundings.  Mildly Recommended

“Trans-Am” Hiroshi vs. Sayaka Obihiro

Hiroshi and Obihiro lock-up to start before getting into trading wristlocks, headlock takeover by Hiroshi but Obihiro Irish whips out of it. Shoulderblock by Hiroshi but Obihiro trips him, Hiroshi begs for mercy but he ends up poking Obihiro in the eyes. Snapmare by Hiroshi and he drops a knee, Obihiro fights back with an elbow and knocks down Hiroshi before applying a headlock. Obihiro pulls at Hiroshi’s hair too but he gets out of the hold and knees Obihiro in the stomach. Punches by Hiroshi and he catches Obihiro with a lariat for a two count cover. Scoop slam by Hiroshi, he gets up on the window sill  but Obihiro gets her feet up on the diving fist drop attempt. Dropkick by Obihiro, she gets up on the window herself but Hiroshi avoids the double ax handle. Punches by Hiroshi, he catches Obihiro’s kick but this time Obihiro ducks the lariat. They talk for a bit, can’t say I understand what is going on, but Obihiro tricks Hiroshi and goes for a backslide, but Hiroshi blocks it. Fisherman suplex hold by Hiroshi, and he picks up the three count! Hiroshi is the winner of the match!

More along the lines of what I expect from this type of show – mostly simple strikes in submissions, a bit of goofiness and then a quick pin. I wouldn’t form an opinion of either wrestler just from a match like this one, obviously there were some constraints on what they could do, but both looked fine. Just a short and forgettable match overall.

Aasa, Kotori, and Kazuhiro Tamura vs. Cherry, Emi Sakura, and Takanashi

They are doing tag rules even though there are no turnbuckles or ropes. Kotori and Takanashi start and trade holds on the mat, which Takanashi gets the better of. Kotori comes back with a wristlock and she jumps up on the window, but Takanashi pulls her back off. Quick roll-up by Kotori but it gets a two count, leading to Takanashi tagging in Sakura. Tamura tags in also and kicks Sakura in the leg, so Sakura tags in Cherry. Tamura and Cherry grapple on the mat but neither gets a clear advantage, Tamura tags in Aasa and Cherry quickly takes Aasa down. Front headlock by Cherry to Aasa and she applies a bodyscissors, but Aasa gets to the edge of the mat to force a break. Scoop slam by Aasa, she picks up Cherry but Cherry rolls her to the mat and hits a series of mounted elbows. Headlock by Cherry and she punches her in the head before tagging in Sakura. Sakura stomps down Aasa and tags in Takanashi, Takanashi places Aasa against the wall and chops her in the chest. Chinlock by Takanashi and he then applies a stretch hold, he tags Sakura back in a the beatdown on the rookie continues. Takanashi returns and puts Aasa in a stretch hold, but Aasa suplexes out of it and makes the hot tag to Tamura.

Takanashi and Tamura trade chops, kick by Tamura but Takanashi shrugs off the Yoshi Tonic attempt. Cutter by Tamura, but Cherry breaks up the cover. Kotori comes in to help and they drop Cherry with a double face crusher, Kotori gets up in the window sill and hits a diving crossbody on Takanashi, Aasa comes in and she helps Tamura slam Kotori on top of Takanashi. Kotori puts Takanashi in an Octopus Hold but Cherry breaks it up, Cherry suplexes Kotori, Takanashi comes in but Kotori plants him with a judo throw. Kotori tags in Aasa while Takanashi tags Sakura, body block by Aasa to Sakura and Kotori comes in with a crossbody. Body press by Aasa to Sakura, but it gets a two count. Aasa goes for another body block but Sakura avoids it, Sakura throws her and both her teammates against the wall and hits a crossbody onto all three of them. Takanashi comes in but he accidentally kicks Sakura, scoop slam by Aasa onto Sakura but she gets her knees up on the body press. Tamura comes in but Sakura jumps on his back and lands on top of Aasa. Sakura gets on the window sill and hits a diving crossbody onto Aasa, Sakura puts the rookie into the Cavernaria, and Aasa submits! Sakura, Cherry, and Takanashi win!

Not the best match on the card but not too bad for this type of show. As I have mentioned a few times, obviously they are very limited with what they can do since there are no ropes, but at least they are familar with how to work in such a unique environment. Aasa seems to have the basics down pat, and I am quite a fan of Kotori. About what you’d expect considering the situation, watchable but not as good as the first match on the card as most of it was uneventful aside from a few cute spots.

The post Gatoh Move Japan Tour #244 on 8/26/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Every now and then, there are Joshi matches on non-Joshi shows that sometimes fly under the radar. Promotions such as DDT, K-DOJO, Mr. Gannosuke, FMW, and FREEDOMS all either have Joshi wrestlers on their roster or frequently bring in Joshi wrestlers for special matches. Once a few Joshi matches have taken place in various non-Joshi promotions, I will review them to help get some exposure for some of the lesser-known wrestlers that don’t make TV as often. Plus you never know, there may be a hidden gem that is just waiting to be uncovered.

I am a bit behind in doing this, so I have a lot of recent matches to review today! I will be reviewing:

• June 21st, 2016 – Dump Matsumoto vs. Miss Mongol on FMW “June Blood”
• July 13th, 2016 – Ayako Hamada and Ryo Mizunami vs. GENTARO and The Winger on FREEDOMS “Tokyo Death Match Carnival 2016”
• July 19th, 2016 – Manami Kanda vs. Micro on GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016”
• July 19th, 2016 – Drake Morimatsu vs. Konaka = Pehlwan on GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016”
• July 21st, 2016 – Emi Sakura and Hibiscus Mii vs. Riho, Kotori, and Sayaka Obihiro on HEAT-UP “Dream-Up 2016”
• July 26th, 2016 – Koharu Hinata vs. Micro on Mr. Gannosuke Produce “Kishindo Returns 20”
• July 29th, 2016 – Hana Kimura vs. Reika Saiki on WRESTLE-1 “Symbol Tour”
• July 31st, 2016 – Alex Lee and Tiran Shisa vs. Ayumu Honda and Bambi on K-DOJO “Super In TKO Garden City Chiba”
• August 28th, 2016 – Akane Miura, Miyu Yamashita, and Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hyper Misao, Syoko Nakajima, and Yuu on DDT “Ryogoku Peter Pan 2016”

Lots of wrestling! Sleaze! Hardcore! Intergender! Babies! Everything you could ask for.

Dump Matsumoto vs. Miss Mongol
FMW “June Blood” on June 21st, 2016

Mongol attacks Matsumoto outside the ring before the match starts, which quickly backfires as Matsumoto hits Mongol with a kendo stick and stabs her repeatedly in the head with a spike. We clip ahead to them being in the ring and Mongol hitting Matsumoto with a metal pin, cover by Mongol but it gets two. We jump to Matsumoto trying to throw Mongol into the barbed wire, but Mongol slides down to stop her momentum. Matsumoto does care and rakes her into the barbed wire anyway before Irish whipping her into the barbed wire ropes on the other side. Koharu Hinata runs in to try to help Mongol but she elbows Mongol by accident, leading to Mongol kicking Hinata out of the ring while Matsumoto watches. Lariat by Matsumoto and she hits a body press, but Hinata breaks up the cover. Matsumoto gets mad and approaches Hinata, but Mongol sneaks up from behind and pushes her into the barbed wire ropes. Inside Cradle by Mongol, and she picks up the three count! Miss Mongol wins!

This was a six minute match clipped down to two minutes, so obviously not enough was shown to get excited about. It is always fun to see Matsumoto though, she moves slower than she used to but she still has that violent streak that we know and love. A few fun spots and both took a ride into the barbed wire so the pain felt evenly distributed. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Ayako Hamada and Ryo Mizunami vs. GENTARO and The Winger
FREEDOMS “Tokyo Death Match Carnival 2016” on July 13th, 2016

Hamada and Mizunami charge their opponents to start but the idea quickly backfires as they are both attacked with chairs. They set up chairs in the corners but Hamada and Mizunami throw them into the chairs, Hamada grabs Winger and tries walking the ropes, but she is knocked out of the ring. Mizunami is thrown out of the ring too but Hamada takes the chair from GENTARO and throws him into the ring post. Winger avenges GENTARO by doing the same to Hamada and then chokes her with a chair, while GENTARO gets another chair and hits Mizunami in the head with it. Hamada boots GENTARO and goes to check on Mizunami, while the men return to the ring to wait. Hamada gets in too and takes the chair from GENTARO, but she gets double teamed before GENTARO covers her for two. Mizunami gets in the ring, bleeding from the head, which GENTARO makes worse by biting her. Winger picks up Mizunami and he bites Mizunami in the head too, DDT by Winger onto a chair and he covers her for two. GENTARO returns and hits a splash on Mizunami, but he gets a two count as well. GENTARO goes for a piledriver but Mizunami blocks it with a back bodydrop. Mizunami hits GENTARO with a chair but Winger runs in and attacks her from behind.

GENTARO picks up Mizunami and goes for a chair shot, but Mizunami ducks it and spears him. Lariat by Mizunami in the corner, Hamada comes in with a chair while GENTARO is put in the Tree of Woe. Hamada throws the chair at Winger before hitting a baseball slide on GENTARO. They then use the chairs to hit Winger low before doing the same to GENTARO, Mizunami picks up GENTARO and slams him to the mat before going up top and deliver the diving leg drop for a two count. Lariat by Mizunami to Winger, they set up chairs in the ring and sit both GENTARO and Winger onto them, but when they charge them they are drop toeholed onto the chairs. GENTARO throws Mizunami out of the ring and picks up Hamada, hitting a brainbuster onto the chair for a two count. Double flapjack to Hamada onto a chair, cover by GENTARO but Mizunami breaks it up. Mizunami is thrown out of the ring while Winger breaks a lighttube into the ring, but Hamada takes it from him and hits Winger in the head. Hamada grabs a chair before going up top, and she nails a moonsault onto Winger with the chair. Cover by Hamada, but Winger gets a shoulder up. Hamada picks up Winger and she delivers the AP Cross on the chair, picking up the three count pinfall! Hamada and Mizunami are the winners.

That was definitely a crazy match. It was a little over ten minutes long but never slowed down for a second, there was constantly someone being hit with a chair or having some other act of violence done against them. Mizunami and Hamada are about the same size as GENTARO and Winger so it never felt like an uneven match, Hamada is more than capable of holding her own which she showed by easily putting away Winger. The amount of chairs used was due to it being GENTARO’s primary weapon of choice but it just made it all the more meaningful the one time a lighttube was used as it felt like something fresh. A chaotic and fun bloody brawl.  Recommended

Manami Kanda vs. Micro
GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016” on July 19th, 2016

They tie-up to start, Kanda kicks Micro and she bounces the little one off the ropes. Kanda throws down Micro by her hair and slams her head into the mat before applying a Camel Clutch. Irish whip by Kanda but Micro hits a trio of crossbodies for a quick two count. Micro throws Kanda into the corner and hits a dropkick, but Kanda comes back with a lariat and hits a scoop slam. Crab hold by Kanda but Micro gets into the ropes, scoop slam by Kanda but Micro rolls her up for a two count. Micro picks up Kanda but Kanda hits a scoop slam, she goes off the ropes and hits a bodypress for two. Kanda throws Micro into the corner and hits an elbow followed by a face crusher, Kanda gets on the second turnbuckle but Micro shakes the ropes to send her back to the mat. Now Micro goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Micro but Kanda gets a shoulder up. Kanda and Micro trade elbows, shoulderblock by Kanda and she covers Micro for two. Kanda picks up Micro but Micro applies an inside cradle for two. Micro tries a few more quick pins with no luck, hard shoulderblock by Kanda but Micro applies a crucifix pin for two. Micro tries more quick pins but can’t hold Kanda down, running footstomp by Kanda and she knocks down Micro with a lariat. Sliding lariat by Kanda, and she gets the three count! Manami Kanda wins!

All I can say is that this was an actively average and bland match. It was just not engaging or interesting in any way, there is probably a reason that they have stayed on smaller indies. Neither were bad, there weren’t any mistakes, but there was nothing really positive about it either. Thoroughly skippable.

Drake Morimatsu vs. Konaka = Pehlwan
GUTS World “Vol. 98: Bukotsu War 2016” on July 19th, 2016

The match starts really slow as they are in no rush to get started, Drake finally stops messing around and hits Konaka with a baseball bat. Chops by Drake and she chokes Konaka against the ropes before throwing him down into the corner. Drake starts on Konaka’s arm as I regret watching this match, chinlock by Drake but Konaka gets into the ropes. Now it is Konaka that works on Drake’s arm but Drake snapmares him and hits a leg drop. Konaka kicks Drake back and applies a necklock over the top rope, swandive chop to the head by Konaka and he does a quick post before going for the cross armbreaker. Drake gets into the ropes but Konaka quickly applies an armbar, Drake again inches to the ropes and she forces another break. Stomps by Konaka but Drake fires back with a lariat, Konaka rolls out of the ring but Drake goes out after him. Konaka attacks Drake from behind but Drake chops him and they battle into the stands. They return to the ring and Drake hits Konaka with a chair but Konaka takes it from her, Drake takes it back and tosses the chair out of the ring before hitting a lariat. Another lariat by Drake and she covers Konaka, but picks him up before the three count. Samoan Driver by Drake, she picks up Konaka and hits a Michinoku Driver, but Konaka grabs her arm when she goes for a cover and applies an armbar. Drake struggles for a moment before she taps out! Konaka = Pehlwan wins the match.

No lie, this match kinda bored me to tears. Konaka doesn’t show a lot of emotion and Drake is obviously limited so for a ten minute match not a whole hell of a lot happened. I am not sure who the target audience for this match is but it wasn’t me, just a flat mid-card match.

Emi Sakura and Hibiscus Mii vs. Riho, Kotori, and Sayaka Obihiro
HEAT-UP “Dream-Up 2016” on July 21st, 2016

Sakura is jumped before the match starts and is triple teamed, Mii comes in the ring to help but Kotori requests her to leave so she does. I bet being able to understand the pre-match talking would have helped. Sakura comes back and hits a crossbody on all three before tagging in Mii, Kotori stays in to face her and immediately puts Mii in the cross armbreaker. Mii gets into the ropes but Sakura runs up the corner and hits an armdrag before tagging in Obihiro. Obihiro floors Mii but Mii bridges out of the cover, elbow by Obihiro but Mii bridges out again. They go through this a few times until Mii collapses, Mii manages to hit a Stunner and she dropkicks Obihiro in the head. Sakura isn’t around for her to tag while Riho is also tagged in, Kotori comes in too and they all roll over Mii. Mii gets away and manages to tag Sakura this time, and they double team Riho. Riho dropkicks Mii out of the ring and tags in Kotori, Obihiro also comes in but Sakura rams them into each other and hits a crossbody in the corner on them both. Double underhook slam attempt by Sakura but Kotori slides down her back and applies a sleeper. Mii runs in but Riho grabs her, Obihiro comes in but Sakura kicks her away. Riho and Kotori get on the second turnbuckle and hit dual footstomps onto Sakura, cover by Kotori but it gets two. Kotori goes off the ropes but Sakura catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, giving her time to tags in Mii. Riho is also tagged in and slaps Mii, dropkick by Riho and she hits a jumping knee in the corner. Eye poke by Mii but Kotori hits a diving crossbody as does Riho for a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by Riho, but Mii kicks out again, Riho throws Mii in the corner but Mii slides out to the apron and hits a missile dropkick. Mii tags Sakura, she picks up Riho and hits the double underhook backbreaker. Sakura goes up top but Riho moves when she goes for a senton, tilt-a-whirl roll-up by Riho but Sakura kicks out. Kotori comes in and hits a judo throw on Sakura, Somato by Riho and she covers Sakura for the three count! Riho, Kotori, and Obihiro win!

This was a cute short little mid-card match. Kotori and Riho are a lot of fun to watch, I always enjoy it when I get a chance to watch them. Two young wrestlers with a lot of potential. Sakura and Mii are great too, and the match was really fluid for a crazy match with tons of interference and quick offense. Not a ton of substance but enjoyable.  Mildly Recommended

Koharu Hinata vs. Micro
Mr. Gannosuke Produce “Kishindo Returns 20” on July 26th, 2016

Unlike the last match, this one starts slowly as they feel each other out with Micro hitting the first move of the match with a bodyslam. She picks up Hinata and throws her down by her hair, but Hinata returns the favor and stomps down Micro in the corner. Scoop slam by Micro and she puts Hinata in a crab hold, but Hinata crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Micro at one point trapped Hinata’s arms too so she couldn’t grab the ropes, which is a smarter tactic than I am used to seeing in my pro wres. Hinata comes back with a kick, Micro scoops her up but Hinata falls on top of Micro for a two count. Now it is Hinata that puts Micro in the crab hold, she then lets it go only to put Micro in a Surfboard. Back up they trade elbows, Micro goes off the ropes but Hinata catches her with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Hinata, she picks up Micro and hits a few slaps before kicking her again. Scoop slam by Hinata and she covers Micro for a two. Knees by Hinata and she kicks Micro out of the corner, diving crossbody by Hinata but that gets a two as well. Bodyscissors into a roll-up by Hinata and she also tries an inside cradle as well as a backslide, but Micro kicks out each time. Micro charges Hinata and grabs her by the leg, she hits a unique leg sweep roll-up and she gets the three count! Micro wins!

I enjoyed this a bit more than I probably should have, it wasn’t anything special and wasn’t overly exciting, but Micro does so many little things that I had a good time watching it. Trapping the arms when putting on a crab hold is so smart but rarely done, and I loved the leg sweep pin which I have never seen before. Hinata was solid too, both wrestlers are itty bitty so they are limited in what they can do, but overall it was still a pretty solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Hana Kimura vs. Reika Saiki
WRESTLE-1 “Symbol Tour” on July 29th, 2016

They begin with a knuckle lock and a Test of Strength which Hana gets the better of. Hana applies a headlock on the mat before applying a leg submission, Hana then gets in the mount position and goes for an armbreaker but Reika gets to the ropes. Scoop slam by Hana and she applies a crab hold, but again Reika gets to the ropes to force a break. Back up they trade elbows, dropkick by Reika and she dropkicks Hana into the corner. Kicks to the chest by Reika and she hits a scoop slam, kicks by Reika to Hana’s leg and she hits another slam for a two count cover. Reika goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Hana bridges out of the pin. Hana applies a stretch hold before tossing Reika off and slams her into the corner. Double knee to the back by Hana and she dropkicks Reika for a two count cover. Hana picks up Reika but Reika sneaks in an inside cradle, kicks by Reika and she nails an enzuigiri for a two. Head kick by Reika, and she picks up the three count pinfall! The winner of the match is Reika Saiki.

This was a very rookiesque match. A little rough around the edges, pretty basic, and nothing incredibly exciting. Some moves were executed really well, Reika has nice kicks and Hana’s ground game is solid, but other moves looked a bit weaker and they seemed to get a bit lost at least once. A necessary match for their growth but not something I could recommend.

Alex Lee and Tiran Shisa vs. Ayumu Honda and Bambi
K-DOJO “Super In TKO Garden City Chiba” on July 31st, 2016

Shisa starts with Honda, they bounce off the ropes until Shisa hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick. Lee and Bambi are tagged in and trade wristlocks, they both go for shoulderblocks until Lee knocks Bambi to the mat. Lee tags in Shisa, he goes for a scoop slam but Bambi lands on top of him. Honda comes in the ring and they both boot Shisa, Bambi puts Shisa into the ropes and both she and Honda kick Shisa in the chest. Bambi tags in Honda, Honda dropkicks Shisa and hits an armbreaker followed by a body press onto Shisa’s arm. He tags Bambi back in, kicks by Bambi and she covers Shisa for a two count. Bambi gets her whip and chokes Shisa with it, she lets go just to whip him and makes the tag to Honda. Honda dropkicks Shisa in the corner, another dropkick by Honda and he tags Bambi. Shisa kicks Bambi when she charges her and delivers a dropkick, giving him time to tag in Lee. Lee knees Bambi but Honda hits her from the apron, he comes in the ring but Lee kicks them before hitting a double face crusher. Kick to the face by Lee, and she covers Bambi for two. Lee and Bambi trade elbows, Lee goes off the ropes but Bambi catches her with a boot. Another boot by Bambi, and she gets a two count cover. Bambi applies a double reverse armbar, but Lee gets a foot on the bottom rope. Bambi tags in Honda, armbreaker by Honda and he hits a hammerlock Backstabber. Lee kicks Honda in the chest and hits a high kick, she tags in Shisa and Shisa hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Running seated senton by Shisa in the corner and he hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Shisa goes off the ropes but Honda catches him with a kick, Northern Lights Suplex by Shisa but Honda kicks out. Shisa goes for a corkscrew quebrada but Honda avoids he, he knocks Lee off the apron as Bambi comes in the ring, and they double team Shisa. Bambi hits a running knee on Shisa, Honda gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick, but Lee breaks up the cover. Shisa sneaks in a schoolboy on Honda for a two count, he also tries a backslide and La Magistral but those get a two count as well. Shisa charges Honda but Honda hits a cross armbreaker takedown, and Shisa submits! Ayumu Honda and Bambi win the match!

As everyone that knows me is aware I have a natural liking of wrestlers in wrestling masks, so I naturally thought that Shisa was by far the most impressive wrestler in this match. Bambi and Lee are both pretty stiff/awkward, they are competent wrestlers but don’t really do anything to set themselves apart. Honda wasn’t impressing me until the cross armbreaker takedown, which I will admit looked really nice, but otherwise this was just a match on a small show that felt like it went a bit too long. Some solid moments but overall lackluster.

Akane Miura, Miyu Yamashita, and Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hyper Misao, Syoko Nakajima, and Yuu
DDT “Ryogoku Peter Pan 2016” on August 28th, 2016

Nakajima and Yamashita are the first two in, Nakajima takes Yamashita to the mat but Yamashita applies a headscissors. Nakajima bridges out of it, knee by Yamashita and she tags in Akane. Yuu tags in too, Yuu and Akane try to shoulderblock each other over which Yuu gets the better of. She tags in Misao but Akane catches her crossbody attempt and slams her to the mat. Akane tags in Sakazaki, spinning headscissors by Sakazaki but Misao chokes her with a handkerchief. Snapmare by Misao and she puts Sakazaki in the Rocking Horse, cover by Misao but it gets a two count. She tags in Yuu, Yuu chops Sakazaki and she hits a spinning side slam. She tags in Nakajima, flipping neckbreaker by Nakajima but Sakazaki elbows her away. Nakajima stops her from tagging out though, Sakazaki tries to shoot a streamer gun at Nakajima but Nakajima reverses it. Dropkick by Sakazaki and she makes the hot tag to Akane, Akane shoulderblocks everyone and hits a double lariat on Nakajima and Misao. Nakajima comes back with a springboard armdrag, Nakajima puts Akane in a few quick pins but Akane kicks out each time. Nakajima goes for a double underhook but Akane back bodydrops out of it, hurricanrana by Nakajima and she tags in Yuu. Yamashita tags in too, chops by Yuu and she hits the Oklahoma Stampede for a two count. High kick by Yamashita but Yuu catches her with a Judo Throw and tags in Misao. Jumping crossbody by Misao and she hits a few weak uppercuts, another crossbody by Misao and she slams Yamashita onto her knee for a two count. Misao gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but Yamashita rolls through it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick for two. Misao tags in Nakajima, Akane comes in and she blocks Nakajima’s Tiger Feint Kick. Akane holds Nakajima so that Yamashita can hit her Magical Girl Kick, jumping lariat by Yamashita to Misao and she nails the Attitude Adjustment for the three count! Akane Miura, Miyu Yamashita, and Yuka Sakazaki are the winners!

I really love the Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers, they all have unique characters and show a strong ability on the mat to go with their flashy moves to wow the crowd. Misao was the clear weak link of the teams as she got lost once and has weak strikes, but everyone else looked solid. Yamashita is someone that more Joshi fans would be talking about if she “made TV” more often, hopefully DDT will allow/encourage them to take bookings other places at some point so she can get out in the wild a bit more. A fun exhibition match with memorable spots and some quality wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

The post Joshi Match Review Medley: FMW, DDT, WRESTLE-1, and K-DOJO! appeared first on Joshi City.

If you thought my review of the Shida Produce event was obscure, you haven’t seen anything yet. We are back to Gatoh Move, where they have wrestling events in a little room with odd windows. Gatoh Move is owned by Emi Sakura, I am not really sure what the point of the promotion is but she seems to be having a good time and she does have a few good young wrestlers under her watch. Here is the full match list:

• “Kotori” vs. SAKI
• GENTARO vs. Sayaka Obihiro
• Emi Sakura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. MIZUKI and Riho

So there are a few names there you should know, but if not feel free to click on their names to go to the wrestler’s profile. A short event, let’s hop to it.

“Kotori” vs. SAKI

Kotori immediately goes for a few quick pins but SAKI kicks out, she jumps up onto the window sill but Kotori pushes her through it to the other side. Back on the mat, Kotori applies a backslide but it gets a two count. Stomps by Kotori but SAKI picks her up by the waist and swings her around before slamming her to the mat. SAKI starts working over Kotori on the mat, Rocking Horse by SAKI but Kotori blocks the suplex. Kotori pushes off the wall with an elbow and rolls up SAKI for a two count. SAKI blocks the STO but Kotori reverses the pump handle slam into a crossbody. Shoulderblocks by SAKI and she Irish whips Kotori into the wall, handstand body press by SAKI but Kotori kicks out of the cover. SAKI gets on the window sill and hits a reverse splash, pump handle slam by SAKI but Kotori barely gets a shoulder up. SAKI goes for a suplex but Kotori blocks it and throws the referee into her. Kotori jumps off the referee’s back with a crossbody, Kotori gets on SAKI’s back and applies a sunset flip for a two count. Kotori charges SAKI but SAKI catches her with a powerbomb for the three count! SAKI wins.

I really like Kotori and think the sky is the limit with her, she plays the undersized underdog role really well and has some smooth moves. Course this isn’t the greatest opportunity, wrestling in a room against SAKI. There were some cute spots here using the wall and window but that was about it. I enjoyed it just because I got to see Kotori but not a great match.

GENTARO vs. Sayaka Obihiro

GENTARO jumps through the window onto Obihiro before the match starts, giving us a unique visual since matches doesn’t usually have uh windows next to the mat. GENTARO tries to keep it on the mat, Obihiro returns to her feet but GENTARO hits a side Russian leg sweep. GENTARO stretches Obihiro on the mat, he picks her up but Obihiro fights back. GENTARO slaps her but Obihiro takes him to the mat and applies a headlock. GENTARO gains control as they return to their feet, Obihiro takes GENTARO down and puts him in a leg submission hold. GENTARO gets out of it and puts Obihiro in a sleeper, but Obihiro gets to the edge of the mat to force a break. Snapmare by GENTARO but Obihiro bridges out of the pin. GENTARO throws Obihiro into the wall but she moves when he charges in, chops by Obihiro and she jumps up onto the window sill to hit a sunset flip for a two count. Obihiro goes for a sunset flip but GENTARO sits down on her, he goes for a sunset flip but Obihiro lands on top of him, dropkick by Obihiro but the cover gets two. Bridging vertical suplex by Obihiro but GENTARO blocks the German suplex and drops her with a backdrop suplex. She blocks the next one but GENTARO puts her in the Dojime Sleeper Hold and she goes unconscious! GENTARO is your winner.

A more mat-based match but they worked it well under the circumstances. There was a clear size and strength mismatch but Obihiro had a few decent nearfalls, they did a good job not making it look goofy even though they were in a goofy environment. Nothing that will change your life but it was too short to be offensive, even though overall it was forgettable.

Emi Sakura and Kaori Yoneyama vs. MIZUKI and Riho

Riho and Yoneyama are the first two in and Yoneyama throws the youngster around the mat until Riho fires back with a crossbody. MIZUKI runs in but Yoneyama hits a crossbody on both of them, the young wrestlers bridge out of the pin attempt and both dropkick Yoneyama to the mat. Sakura comes in to break up the situation and Riho tags in MIZUKI, snapmare by MIZUKI to Yoneyama and she is hit with a double footstomp from MIZUKI and Riho. Riho is tagged back in but Yoneyama blocks the slam and hits one of her own. Yoneyama tags in Sakura and Sakura throws down Riho by her hair. Sakura stretches Riho, she tags Yoneyama back in and she hits Riho with Mongolian Chops before dropkicking her to the mat. Sakura returns, she puts Riho on the window sill and hits a body avalanche. Sakura and Yoneyama take turns on Riho, until Riho hits a headscissors and a dropkick on Yoneyama. She makes the hot tag to MIZUKI and MIZUKI kicks Yoneyama against the wall. Yoneyama knees MIZUKI in the back but MIZUKI comes back with a jumping knee off the window sill. Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama to MIZUKI, and she tags Sakura. Sakura kicks MIZUKI repeatedly and slams her, she gets in the window but Riho runs in and grabs her.

MIZUKI tosses Sakura off the window sill and puts her in a crossface, she gets out of it as Yoneyama comes in too, but MIZUKI hits Sakura with a crossbody off the sill. Bridging suplex by MIZUKI, but Sakura kicks out at two. MIZUKI tags in Riho, dropkick by Riho and she gets on the sill, but Sakura smacks her. Riho jumps on her back with a sleeper and MIZUKI slams Sakura into the wall, Riho and MIZUKI both get on the sill and hit their own crossbodies on Sakura. Sakura throws MIZUKI and Riho into each other and then into the wall, low crossbody by Sakura but Riho blocks the backbreaker. Riho gets away from Sakura and goes for the step-up sunset flip but Sakura blocks it and applies her own roll-up. Double underhook backbreaker by Sakura but Riho catches her with a bridging fallaway slam. Sakura comes back with another backbreaker, both wrestlers crawl to their corners and tag their teammates. MIZUKI and Yoneyama trade elbows, which Yoneyama gets the better of and she hits a senton. Riho comes in to help, MIZUKI gets on the window sill and hits a diving footstomp for two. Crossface by MIZUKI but Yoneyama gets out of it, she goes for the Somato but Yoneyama moves and she hits the wall. Crossbody by Sakura, cover by Yoneyama to MIZUKI but she kicks out. MIZUKI gets back in control but Yoneyama avoids the Somato again, superkick by Sakura and Yoneyama hits a diving senton off the window sill for two. MIZUKI reverses Yoneyama’s roll-up and knees Yoneyama in the back, but again Yoneyama avoids the Somato and rolls up MIZUKI. The bell rings at this point, and the match is a Draw!

This match was probably better than it had any right to be, but that is what happens when you have four talented wrestlers in a 15 minute match. The odd environment actually helped here as they used the wall and window sill quite a bit, taking full advantage of their surroundings. It was fast paced and well executed, the match was oddly smooth considering the tight area that they had to work in. I enjoyed it quite a bit, Riho and MIZUKI are really good young wrestlers and Sakura/Yoneyama are seasoned veterans, which was the right combination to have an entertaining match. Good stuff between these four.  Recommended

The post Gatoh Move Japan Tour #229 on 5/20/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Occasionally I review a show that no one knows exists and no one really wants to read about. But I am a completist so I am reviewing everything! That includes this event that took place on a mat in a room with odd windows. Gatoh Move is a smaller promotion run by Emi Sakura, usually they do wrestle in an actual ring but sometimes they have shows like this too for a small audience. It is a very short card and on top of that only two matches were filmed. Here are the matches shown:

• DJ Nira vs. MIZUKI
• Antonio Honda, Riho, and Sayaka Obihiro vs. Emi Sakura, ‘Kotori’, and Masa Takanashi

Time for my shortest review ever!

DJ Nira vs. MIZUKI

Nira attacks MIZUKI to start and sticks her finger in a moving fan! That’s just mean, he went right for blood off the start. Nira heals her finger however because deep down he is a nice guy, and MIZUKI shows off her healed finger. Nira punches MIZUKI, he climbs through the window and jumps off with an ax handle. Elbows by MIZUKI and she hits a dropkick, she gets up in the window frame and delivers a diving crossbody for two. Nira blocks the next dropkick and hits a slam of some sort before standing on her like a surfboard. I assume since it is off camera. MIZUKI comes back with a quick roll-up, but Nira blocks the crucifix roll-up. He holds her in the position too long however and gets weak, MIZUKI covers him and she gets the three count! MIZUKI wins!

I am not sure what to say. Nira is pure gimmick, whether you like him or not just depends on your tastes but I’m not his biggest fan as its a bit too bizarre for me. Obviously they are limited by the environment but this match probably wouldn’t have been much better in a real ring. I don’t think there is any good reason to watch this match.

Antonio Honda, Riho, and Sayaka Obihiro vs. Emi Sakura, ‘Kotori’, and Masa Takanashi

Honda and Takanashi are the legal wrestlers to begin and they exchange holds on the mat. Armdrag by Takanashi but Honda returns to his feet and they tag out. Riho and Sakura come in,  scoop slam by Sakura and she hits a body press for a two count. Wristlock by Riho but Sakura reverses it, Riho gets Sakura by the hair but Sakura reverses that too. Cartwheel by Riho and she hits a dropkick before tagging in Obihiro. Honda “comes in the ring” too and they all hit rolling sentons on Sakura and they all pose over her as the lively crowd cheers. Sakura fights back and hits a cutter on Obihiro and Riho, she puts Kotori on her back and Kotori flips Sakura onto their opponents. Kotori stays in and applies a submission on Obihiro on the mat, front necklock by Kotori but Obihiro slams her into the wall. Obihiro is double teamed, Sakura chops Obihiro against the wall and hits a running crossbody. Sakura tags Takanashi and he slams Obihiro before hitting a body press for two. Takanashi goes for another slam but Obihiro gets out of it and hits a slam of her own.

Obihiro tags Riho and she hits a series of jumping knees on Takanashi, Sakura comes in but Obihiro chops her in the throat. Takanashi comes in, Riho goes for a hurricanrana off the window but Takanashi catches her and Kotori dropkicks her. Kotori puts Riho in a grounded necklock but Riho gets out of it and they trade elbows. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, Honda comes in and he hits a series of punches on Kotori. Sakura comes in but Honda puts her in a sleeper, Sakura gets out of it and they trade shots. Sakura hits a double underhook facebuster on Honda, she gets on the window sill but Honda grabs her and hits a shoulder breaker. Honda and company all punch their opponents, Riho gets on Honda’s shoulders but Sakura avoids the footstomp. Riho knees Sakura and goes for a crossbody, but Sakura reverses it and hits a diving body press off the window for a two count. Takanashi comes in and tries to superkick Riho, but Riho moves and she kicks Sakura by accident. Somato by Riho to Takanashi, she then hits one on Sakura also and she gets the three count! Honda, Riho, and Obihiro are your winners.

This was definitely interesting. I will say that there was no lack of effort here, it was a bit goofy at times but they were doing as well as one could ask for in that environment. It didn’t need all six of them, Honda didn’t do much and for a shorter match in a very confined area it just made everything a bit too busy. But there were certainly a few memorable parts and they kept the action up, I just don’t know if I would call it ‘good’ or not. Maybe worth a watch if you are into watching matches in unusual situations.

The post Gatoh Move Japan Tour #210 on January 31st, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: SEAdLINNNG “Let’s Make Miracle Year 2016” 
Date: January 11th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 811

Welcome to an early review of Joshi Puroresu! A few weeks ago I purchased a subscription to view Samurai TV live as it airs. That means I can bring you new Joshi reviews as they happen, without having to wait until they appear on DailyMotion or another video streaming service. Look for quicker reviews going forward, as long as I wake up in time anyway.

SEAdLINNNG is promoted by veteran Nanae Takahashi, and she started the promotion soon after leaving Stardom in the Spring of 2015. This is SEAdLINNNG’s third wrestling event, with many wrestlers from the past shows returning along with some new faces as well. Some are really new, at least to Joshi fans, as wrestler “Big Bang” Nicole opens the show. We also get participation from Diana, REINA, Sendai Girls’, and Gatoh Move before closing with a big match between Takahashi and Tanaka! Plus there is a bit of a surprise too, which by now you’ve probably heard about anyway. Here is the full card:

• “Big Bang” Nicole vs. Meiko Tanaka
• Aoi Kizuki and Yuki Miyazaki  vs. Kaoru Ito and Takako Inoue
•  Konami and Sareee vs. Ryo Mizunami and Syuri
• Ayako Hamada and “Kotori” vs. Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura
• Masato Tanaka vs. Nanae Takahashi

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

“Big Bang” Nicole vs. Meiko Tanaka

Nicole immediately pushes around the smaller and younger Tanaka, but Tanaka gets Nicole to the mat and starts working over her leg. This doesn’t work out as Nicole switches positions with her, they get back up and Tanaka tries to knock over Nicole with repeated shoulderblocks. Nicole ends up shoulerblocking her over for trouble, armdrag by Nicole and she sits on Tanaka for a two count. Tanaka flips herself to the apron, she returns to the ring and dropkicks Nicole for a two count. Scoop slam by Nicole but Tanaka gets her in the corner and hits repeated shoulder tackles. She goes for a spear but Nicole blocks it and hits a DDT. Nicole squishes Tanaka in the corner, Tanaka wiggles away but Nicole hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Back up, big spear by Tanaka, she picks up Nicole and hits a fireman’s carry slam of her own for  a two count. Tanaka goes up top but Nicole avoids the senton, Big Bang (front flip piledriver) by Nicole and she gets the three count! “Big Bang” Nicole is your winner.

They get an A for effort, no one was coasting here, but it was a bit rough around the edges. I have never seen Nicole before, she is clearly trained so they didn’t pull someone that didn’t deserve to be there, but this was a difficult spot for both as Tanaka has limited experience against gaijin monsters. This lead to some spots just not looking right, I will admit I had to chuckle when they both did fireman carry slams back to back as it just seemed so unusual. I will admit to not at all expecting Nicole to hit a front flipping piledriver so there is definitely that anyway. This was good experience for the Tanaka and not a bad first time display for Nicole, but just a bit too disjointed.

Aoi Kizuki and Yuki Miyazaki  vs. Kaoru Ito and Takako Inoue

Kizuki and Miyazaki attack before the match starts, Miyazaki stays in the ring with Ito but the veterans take control of the match early as they take turns working over Miyazaki on the mat. Miyazaki tries to come back with a missile dropkick but misses, she grabs Inoue and puts her in a double underhook submission of some sort before hitting a DDT. Leg drop by Miyazaki, she leaves the ring and hits a sliding dropkick while Inoue’s head is over the bottom rope. High kick by Inoue and she covers Miyazaki for two before tagging Ito. Big lariat by Ito, she picks up Miyazaki but Miyazaki hits a quick suplex. Miyazaki goes for a moonsault but Ito gets her knees up, running footstomp by Ito and she hits an elbow drop for two. Miyazaki gets away from Ito with a head kick and tags in Kizuki quickly hits three running sentons.

Kizuki picks up Ito but Ito blocks the suplex attempt, Miyazaki comes in to help but Ito hits a jumping crossbody on both of them. Kizuki and Miyazaki are taken out of the ring and Ito hits a double baseball slide, Inoue has come over too and she attacks Miyazaki around the ring while Ito handles Kizuki. Kizuki is rolled back in but she slides away as Miyazaki rolls in, lariat by Miyazaki to Ito and Kizuki rolls her up for two. Back up, Ito quickly hits a lariat and a sit-down powerbomb, but Miyazaki breaks up the pin. Ito tags Inoue, but Inoue is double teamed by Kizuki and Miyazaki. Northern Lights Suplex by Kizuki to Inoue, but Inoue hits an avalanche arm drag. Miyazaki helps again as she knocks Inoue to the mat, Kizuki goes up top and nails the Swivel Body Press but Ito breaks up the cover. German suplex hold by Kizuki but Inoue drills her with a high kick. Ito lariats Inoue by accident but then manages to lariat Kizuki, Yoshikobushi by Inoue to Kizuki and she gets the three count! Ito and Inoue win!

First of all, Takako Inoue is still a babe at age 46, she hasn’t lost a thing. This match was a lot more fast paced than I was expecting with three older veterans in there, but they really kept the pace up and there was never a dull moment. Everything was executed well and both teams worked together, I was afraid it would end up like a series of singles matches if they weren’t as familiar with each other but that wasn’t the case. I went in with low expectations but this exceeded them, a pretty good midcard match between the veterans, everyone looked really inspired.  Mildly Recommended

Konami and Sareee vs. Ryo Mizunami and Syuri

Sareee and Mizunami kick things off, they trade hammerlocks until Mizunami starts working the headlock. Taiyo helps Sareee free herself, dropkick by Sareee as Konami comes in and they try to throw Mizunami over the top rope, but she lands on the apron and quickly gets back in the ring to hit a double spear. She tags Syuri, sleeper by Syuri to Sareee but Sareee gets to the ropes. After bouncing off the ropes Sareee finally manages to dropkick Syuri and tags Konami, kicks by Syuri to the young Kana-trained wrestler and she hits a Backstabber followed by a PK. Syuri tags Mizunami, knees by Mizunami in the corner and she hits a lariat. High speed legdrops by Mizunami, cover, but Sareee breaks it up. Sareee pushes down Taiyo and goes after Mizunami, but Mizunami kicks her out of the ring. She then gets mad at Taiyo also but Taiyo avoids her and hits a running elbow. Cover by Taiyo but no one counts since she is the referee. Taiyo and Syuri leave the ring while Mizunami is double teamed, back in they all run off the ropes until Syuri dropkicks Mizunami.

I am not sure why she dropkicked her teammate but the match has gotten a bit off the rails. Sareee dropkicks Syuri while she is against the ropes, kick to the chest by Konami and she covers Syuri for barely a two count. Mizunami returns as Syuri applies a hanging armbar to Konami, Mizunami tries to dump Sareee over the top rope but she lands on the apron. Syuri and Sareee end up on the apron together, Taiyo charges them but she falls over the top rope to the floor. Luckily she can’t be eliminated since she is the referee, Sareee is double teamed in the ring and Mizunami lariats Sareee for a two count. Big spear by Mizunami, she goes up top but Konami kicks her from the apron. Mizunami lands out on the apron also, Sareee kicks her but ends up on the apron instead. Mizunami gets back in the ring and hits a spear, but Sareee somehow doesn’t fall to the floor. Mizunami charges Sareee again, but Sareee avoids the charges and Mizunami goes over the top rope onto the apron. Sareee dropkicks Mizunami, Mizunami falls to the floor and Taiyo calls for the bell! Konami and Sareee win the match.

Anytime Taiyo is a referee in SEAdLINNNG, it isn’t going to be a normal match, I think she misses wrestling quite a bit as she always gets involved even if it is not logical for her to do so. The match was way too random to get a grip on with not everything making sense, I don’t mind some weirdness in my wrestling but usually it is still based on something. I do like all four of these wrestlers a lot and there were some bright parts, but the utter lack of any kind of structure or meaning threw me. An above average match with a more playful twist and an easy watch but too all over the place for my personal tastes even though these are some of my favorite wrestlers.

Ayako Hamada and “Kotori” vs. Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura

Sakura is not overly amused by this situation but she has no issues facing off against her young trainee. Hamada and Satomura are the first two legal wrestlers but they mostly do introductory chain wrestling while the crowd claps politely. Sakura and Kotori are tagged in, Kotori gets Sakura’s arm and runs up the corner before hitting an armdrag. Satomura runs in to help, as if Sakura really needed it, and works over young Kotori on the mat. I am not sure who this referee is but he is massive, towering over the wrestlers in the ring, which is really unusual. Things settle back down as Sakura tosses Kotori to the mat, but Kotori hits a dropkick and tags Hamada. Hamada puts Sakura in a Surfboard before Kotori hits another dropkick, Hamada then picks up Kotori and helps her kick Sakura again. Sakura is double teamed while giant referee watches, Hamada gets on the second turnbuckle but Sakura avoids the senton. Hamada and Sakura trade chops with theatrics until Sakura tags in Satomura, slam by Hamada and she tags Kotori. Satomura gets Kotori to the mat quickly and wraps her in a knot, Sakura comes in and they hit an assisted gutbuster.

Sakura then hits a cutter on Satomura so that she lands on Kotori, which Satomura didn’t appreciate, she goes back to Kotori but Kotori puts her in an Octopus Hold. That didn’t last long but Kotori tags in Hamada, back kick by Satomura but Hamada delivers the heel kick. High kick by Hamada, she goes up top but Satomura avoids the moonsault. Kick by Satomura and she tags Sakura, they trade move attempts with neither connecting until Sakura sneaks in a backslide for two. Hamada blocks La Magistral and hit an enzuigiri, she goes up to the second turnbuckle but Sakura joins her and hits a Frankensteiner. Big backdrop suplex by Sakura but Kotori dives in with a crossbody, moonsault by Hamada to Sakura but Satomura breaks it up. Kotori puts Sakura in the Octopus Hold while Hamada does the same to Satomura, but they get out of the holds and Sakura hits a double underhook backbreaker on Kotori. Sakura goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a somersault senton, but Kotori gets a shoulder up. Judo Throw by Kotori, she goes off the ropes but Sakura hits a spinning backbreaker. Another backbreaker by Sakura but Hamada kicks her in the head, allowing Kotori to get a roll-up two count. Kotori tries to throw Satomura with little luck, but she flips Hamada onto her instead. Kotori tries to roll up Sakura but Sakura blocks it and applies La Magistral for the three count! Sakura and Satomura are your winners.

They didn’t quite reach the level that I was hoping for but it was still an enjoyable match. Satomura was feeling a bit grumpy and didn’t give young Kotori a whole lot, which isn’t shocking, but Sakura of course did and the match gave all four a chance to shine. I liked that Kotori was highlighted for much of the match and the exchange with Sakura at the end was really done well, obviously they are very familar with each other and you could tell as they have great chemistry. A solid match, there was no ‘wow’ moment or particular part that really left an impression, but still enjoyable overall.  Mildly Recommended

Masato Tanaka vs. Nanae Takahashi

Oh no the referee has a head cam, please don’t let them use that often.  They feel each other out to start, shoulderblock by Tanaka but Takahashi returns the favor. Tanaka chops Takahashi against the ropes, he charges Takahashi but Takahashi moves and he tumbles out of the rope. Tope Suicida by Takahashi and she attacks Tanaka with a chair, but Tanaka gets the chair and hits her back. Tanaka slams Takahashi on the floor before they return to the ring, jumping elbow by Tanaka in the corner and he puts Takahashi in a chinlock. Takahashi reverses positions with him but Tanaka gets away and hits a scoop slam. Takahashi slaps him but he slaps her back, Tanaka charges Takahashi but she slams him to the mat. They trade elbows near the corner, an exchange Tanaka gets the better of, and he hits a pair of lariats. Takahashi comes back with a vertical suplex, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Lariats by Takahashi in the corner and she hits a release German, she goes off the ropes but Tanaka levels her with a spear. Tanaka puts Takahashi on the top rope and snaps her head on the top rope before hitting  lariat, sending Takahashi to the floor.

Tanaka gets out a table and puts Takahashi on it, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a body press onto Takahashi and through the table! He returns to the ring with Takahashi very slowly following, suplex by Tanaka and he covers Takahashi for two. Takahashi fights back but Tanaka elbows her hard in the head, powerbomb by Tanaka and the referee checks on Takahashi. Yoshiko suddenly appears at ringside to cheer on Takahashi, Tanaka goes up top but Takahashi gets her knees up on the body press attempt. Takahashi now goes up top but Tanaka also gets his knees up on her dive and both wrestlers are on the mat. Back up they trade strikes, big lariat by Takahashi and she nails the back to belly piledriver for a two count. Takahashi goes up top and delivers a diving body press, but Tanaka gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt. Takahashi picks up Tanaka but Tanaka hits a quick brainbuster, he goes for a Sliding D but Takahashi avoids it. Sliding D by Takahashi, but Tanaka barely gets a shoulder up. One Second EX by Takahashi, but that gets a two as well. She goes off the ropes but Tanaka levels her with a lariat, he goes up top and this time hits the diving body press for two. Tanaka sets up Takahashi, he goes off the ropes and he nails the Sliding D for the three count! Masato Tanaka is the winner.

A really fun and straight forward match, a nice change of pace since it was more serious and hard hitting than all the other matches on the card. Tanaka’s big matches tend to focus around big moves and short term selling, and this match fit that formula as while both were dropping bombs they weren’t overly concerned with focusing on a certain area or selling any particular move for too long (aside from the big table spot). Which is fine as that is just the match structure, but it helps to know the style of match you are getting into. This was a very even match as they went back and forth throughout, both seemed determined to put on an entertaining match for the show’s main event. The head camera worn by the referee wasn’t used much so it wasn’t a distraction, and for those that don’t want to see Yoshiko she did very little even at ringside and didn’t even appear until the end. The selling for big moves was a bit off for me and I’d have liked Tanaka’s transition from being hit with the One Second EX to winning to have been smoother, but overall a really entertaining match.  Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG on January 11th, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• June 8th, 2014 vs. Emi Sakura
• August 7th, 2015 with Sakura vs. Takanashi and Riho

Signature Moves:

• Diving Crossbody
• Judo Throw
• Morning Stars
• Octopus Hold

In Action:

Back to Retired Wrestlers

The post ‘Kotori’ appeared first on Joshi City.

• “Big Bang” Nicole defeats Meiko Tanaka with The Big Bang (8:02)
• Kyoko Inoue and Takako Inoue defeat Aoi Kizuki and Yuki Miyazaki when Takako hits Kizuki with the Yoshikobushi (14:14)
• Over The Top Rope Rules: Konami and Sareee defeat Ryo Mizunami and Syuri when Sareee eliminates Mizunami (11:49)
• Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura defeat Ayako Hamada and “Kotori” when Sakura pins “Kotori” with La Magistral (14:27)
• Masato Tanaka defeats Nanae Takahashi with the Sliding D (19:46)

My opinion – Nanae Takahashi has nothing to lose if she does bring in YOSHIKO. While the SEAdLINNNG events have not necessarily been failures, they have not gained a lot of traction as Korakuen Hall was less than half full for this event. Bringing in a controversial figure like YOSHIKO can be risky, but since the connection with Takahashi is well known it would seem less like a publicity stunt so the risk is minimal. We will have to wait and see what comes of this as nothing official was announced, but I would not be surprised if YOSHIKO returns to the ring. SEAdLINNNG needs a spark and YOSHIKO might be just the person to give it to them.

Results and pictures from Battle News

The post SEAdLINNNG on January 11th Results, and YOSHIKO Returns! appeared first on Joshi City.