Event: Strong Style Pro Wrestling Vol. 18
Date: August 25th, 2022
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: NicoPro PPV

It has been awhile since we have visited Real Japan/Strong Style Pro Wrestling, lets see what they are up to. Strong Style Pro Wrestling is the rare hybrid puroresu promotion that has an almost equal number of men’s and women’s matches. Other promotions of course have both, but with SSPW it is generally split pretty evenly. That is the case here, with three Joshi matches to go along with the three men’s matches. SSPW only has a few contracted wrestlers, and mostly uses Freelancers or loans wrestlers from other promotions. That gives us some unique match-ups, as this card has wrestlers from Diana, PURE-J, COLOR’S, and some Freelancers. We also get a fun match with three masked wrestlers, as SSPW wrestler Tiger Queen takes on two invading evil wrestlers – Dark Cheetah and Dark Tiger. I will only be reviewing the Joshi matches on the event, here are the Joshi matches on the card:

• Leon vs. Nanami
• Itsuki Aoki and Jaguar Yokota vs. Sae and SAKI
• Dark Cheetah and Dark Tiger vs. Haruka Umesaki and Tiger Queen

Most wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Let’s get to the fun.

Leon vs. Nanami

They circle each other before locking up, Leon pushes Nanami into the ropes but Nanami switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Nanami but Leon blocks it an elbows her, armdrag by Nanami and she dropkicks Leon. Snapmare by Nanami and she applies a bodyscissors, Nanami rolls Leon around the ring before holding her down for a two count. Back up, Leon throws Nanami into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton for a two count. Camel Clutch by Leon, she lets go after a moment and hits an elbow drop. Leon sets up Nanami in the ropes, she then goes out to the apron and hits a series of chops. Back in the ring, Irish whip by Leon but the two collide with neither going down. Nanami goes off the ropes and tries to knock over Leon, but Leon kicks her. Nanami knocks Leon into the corner and finally hits a successful shoulderblock for a two count. Scoop slam by Nanami, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving bodypress for two.

Nanami picks up Leon but Leon knees her off, Nanami goes off the ropes but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Leon but Nanami crawls to the ropes to force the break. Leon pulls Nanami to the middle of the ring and clubs her in the back, she waits for Nanami to get up and Nanami hits a series of elbows. Leon knocks her back down with a hard elbow, she picks up Nanami and slams her into the corner. Running shoulder tackle by Leon, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two. Leon picks up Nanami but Nanami pushes her off and throws Leon to the mat. Leon quickly gets back up, she goes off the ropes but Nanami hits a shoulderblock followed by a Northern Lights Suplex Hold for two. She goes for another one but Leon blocks it, cradle by Nanami but Leon kicks out. Nanami goes for a couple more flash pins with no luck, Spear by Leon and she covers Nanami for two. Leon positions Nanami, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Mad Splash for the three count! Leon is the winner.

I seem to be watching a lot of Nanami matches lately. Completely not on purpose, although I guess she is improving some? Hard to tell. Leon is a really solid veteran that could have a good match with a broom, she isn’t flashy but she knows how to structure a match and keep it moving. Nothing here broke any new ground, it was a pretty standard veteran vs. child match, but Leon did give Nanami a near fall or two so it wasn’t a squash. Nothing special, but not awkward or disjointed which I guess is a win.

Itsuki Aoki and Jaguar Yokota vs. Sae and SAKI

Itsuki and Sae start the match, they go off the ropes trying to knock each other over until Sae knocks Itsuki to the mat. Itsuki quickly returns the favor, stomps by Itsuki and she tags Yokota. Yokota picks up Sae and rakes her face against the top rope, DDT by Yokota and she stomps Sae in the stomach. Yokota picks up Sae again and puts her in an Octopus Hold, but SAKI breaks it up. Snapmare by Yokota and she applies a sleeper, but Sae wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Yokota tags Itsuki, Itsuki elbows Sae in the chest and sets her up in the ropes. Body Avalanche by Itsuki, but Sae kicks out of the cover. Double kneedrops by Itsuki, she picks up Sae but Sae slams Itsuki and makes the tag to SAKI. Double Irish whip to Itsuki and she eats a double boot, SAKI picks up Itsuki but Itsuki hits a drop toehold followed by a sliding kick. Itsuki tags Yokota, Yokota stomps on SAKI’s head and throws her into the corner. Elbows by Yokota but SAKI reverses the Irish whip, Yokota boots SAKI as she charges in and follows up with a heel drop.

Yokota applies an abdominal stretch but Sae breaks it up, Yokota grabs them both and hits a sidelock takedown/headscissors combination followed by a somersault legdrop onto SAKI. She then tags Itsuki, Itsuki throws SAKI into the corner and hits a running elbow. Face crusher by Itsuki and she hits a bodypress for a two count. Itsuki picks up SAKI but SAKI elbows her to block a slam attempt, elbow by Itsuki but SAKI boots her back. They go back and forth until SAKI sends Itsuki to the mat with a boot, she tags in Sae and Sae promptly boots Itsuki in the face as well. Another boot by Sae and she covers Itsuki for two. Scoop slam by Sae and she hits a leg drop, but Itsuki kicks out of her cover again. Sae picks up Itsuki and boots her while she is against the ropes, she goes out to the apron as does SAKI but Itsuki avoids their double boot attempt and knocks them both to the floor. Itsuki joins them and holds both while Yokota dives off the apron with a cannonball. Sae is slid back in, running double knee by Itsuki and she hits a bridging vertical suplex for two. Itsuki picks up Sae and goes off the ropes, but Sae avoids her elbow and hits a spear for two.

Sae gets Itsuki around the waist but Itsuki elbows out of it, STO by Itsuki and she makes the tag to Yokota. Somersault legdrop by Yokota, but SAKI breaks up the cover. Double Irish whip to Yokota, boot by SAKI and Sae delivers a fisherman suplex hold for two. Sae goes off the ropes but Itsuki cuts her off with a lariat, Yokota hits a fisherman suplex hold of her own but that also gets two. Yokota picks up Sae but Sae snaps off a DDT, running boot by Sae but Itsuki breaks up the cover. With all four in the ring, Yokota and Itsuki throw their opponents into each other and Yokota drops Sae with a suplex. She goes to the second turnbuckle but SAKI grabs her, this gives Sae time to cover and she joins Yokota. Itsuki runs over and tosses Sae back to the mat, giving Yokota time to hit a diving somersault legdrop for two. SAKI boots Yokota but Itsuki delivers a lariat, Itsuki dropkicks Sae in the knee and Yokota applies a Japanese leg-roll clutch hold for the three count! Jaguar Yokota and Itsuki Aoki are the winners!

This was… fine? The best thing I can say about it is that they kept the pace up, all four got a chance to shine, and both teams worked well together as teams. It didn’t feel like a thrown together random match, which is really to their credit since it was indeed a thrown together random match. Yokota seemed fired up and hit all her moves cleanly, and Itsuki Aoki is always a bundle of fun. Sae’s offense is really really repetitive and I would have liked to have seen more of SAKI, but there was enough going on that it didn’t get old. A pretty solid midcard match, it won’t set your world on fire but won’t make you sad either if you watch it.  Mildly Recommended

Dark Cheetah and Dark Tiger vs. Haruka Umesaki and Tiger Queen

Haruka and Cheetah start the match, they lock up and trade quick holds until Cheetah gets Haruka to the mat with a headlock. Haruka gets out of it but Cheetah hits a hard shoulderblock, they trade armdrags and Haruka dropkicks Cheetah to the mat. Haruka tags in Tiger Queen as Dark Tiger also tags in, Tiger Queen and Dark Tiger trade elbows until Dark Tiger rakes Tiger Queen in the eyes. Tiger Queen kips up and takes Dark Tiger to the mat, but Dark Tiger applies a headscissors. Tiger Queen kips out of it and kicks Dark Tiger in the chest, she tags in Haruka and Haruka hits a jumping lariat. Haruka positions Dark Tiger and applies a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and goes for a suplex, but Dark Tiger blocks it. Vertical suplex by Dark Tiger and she steps on Haruka’s face before tagging in Cheetah. Snapmare by Cheetah and she kneels on Haruka’s head until Tiger Queen runs in to knock her off. Cheetah knees Haruka again before throwing her into Panther’s boot (Panther jumped on the apron for the occasion), Cheetah tags Dark Tiger and Dark Tiger throws down Haruka by the hair. Dark Tiger taunts Tiger Queen but the referee tells her not to get in the ring, Dark Tiger picks up Haruka and throws her into the corner.

Haruka kicks Dark Tiger when she charges in and hits a hurricanrana, dropkick by Haruka and she makes the hot tag to Tiger Queen. Tiger Queen kicks both Dark Tiger and Cheetah, they fall out of the ring so Tiger Queen goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto them both with a moonsault. Tiger Queen slides Dark Tiger back in and follows her, she goes off the ropes and hits a diving double chop to the chest for a two count. Tiger Queen goes off the ropes but Panther trips her from ringside and pulls her out of the ring. Tiger Queen is stomped down by Cheetah and Panther, Panther slides Tiger Queen back in where Dark Tiger and Cheetah are waiting for her. Cheetah stays in as the legal wrestler and hits a missile dropkick on Tiger Queen, picking up a two count. Cheetah gets Tiger Queen on her shoulders but Tiger Queen slides off and applies a sleeper. She spins Cheetah around and hits a DDT, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Cheetah moves when she dives off. Tiger Queen rolls as she hits the mat for a quick recovery and drops Cheetah with a German suplex. Tiger Queen picks up Cheetah but Dark Tiger elbows her from behind, Haruka dropkicks Dark Tiger but Cheetah sends her out of the ring with a lariat. Jumping back kick by Tiger Queen to Cheetah and she makes the tag to Haruka, Dark Tiger also tags in but Haruka delivers a dropkick. Murder Dropkick by Haruka, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for two.

Haruka picks up Dark Tiger but Dark Tiger applies a dragon sleeper, which is broken up by Tiger Queen. Cheetah kicks Tiger Queen from the apron, Dark Tiger grabs her as Haruka runs over to help but Dark Tiger moves and Haruka runs into Tiger Queen. Dark Tiger dropkicks both of them, she picks up Haruka and drills her with a vertical drop reverse DDT for a two count when Tiger Queen breaks it up. Dark Tiger picks up Haruka but Haruka sneaks in a cradle for two. Dark Tiger goes off the ropes but Haruka catches her with a suplex, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers the swivel bodypress for two. Haruka picks up Dark Tiger but Dark Tiger blocks the suplex attempt, Panther pulls the referee out of the ring (isn’t that illegal) and then comes in to help triple team Haruka. All three of the villains hit running strikes on Haruka in the corner, Dark Tiger gets a sword (it has its cover on) and hits Haruka in the stomach with it. Crucifix slam by Panther to Haruka, Dark Tiger picks up Haruka but Tiger Queen runs in and boots her. Tiger Queen is attacked by both Cheetah and Panther, Dark Tiger goes to pick up Haruka but Haruka applies a small package for two. Haruka goes off the ropes but Dark Tiger catches her with a TKO. Dark Tiger picks up Haruka and drops her with a double underhook facebuster for the three count! Dark Tiger and Dark Cheetah are the winners!

I was actually hoping this would be more chaotic, as the bulk of it was just a regular match. Which all four are capable of doing but if you put four (including Panther) quality wrestlers under a mask, let them be a little crazy, not work headlocks. A few times they did expand their methods, such as pulling out the referee and using the sword, but it just wasn’t as “extra” as I was expecting. That being said, the action was still really solid, with Dark Tiger in particular looking impressive. Very fluid match with Haruka only looking out of place since she didn’t have a mask on, she didn’t hold back the match even though she had the least amount of experience. It didn’t quite reach the level I was desiring, but the in-ring action was good and it did leave me wanting to see more of Dark Tiger which was probably the goal.  Recommended

The post Strong Style Pro Wrestling Vol. 18 on 8/25/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2021, or any championship that was held when 2021 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.
• Wrestler Status in a Promotion: Generally speaking, the Ace of one promotion will be ahead of the #3 wrestler in another promotion, since wrestling on top means bigger matches, longer matches, and more opportunities. There isn’t a direct correlation, but leading a promotion or being the ‘face’ of a promotion can help a wrestler’s rank as it increases the wrestler’s visibility and match importance.
• Match Frequency/Availability: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 10 matches. Also, it is harder to ‘rate’ a wrestler if their matches rarely were distributed via TV or an online streaming service, so visibility is a factor.

One criteria I am not using is ‘drawing power.’ In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions may have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria (visibility being a major one), the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration. Also, it should be noted that this ranking is based only on a wrestler’s matches/participation in Japan. This is not a list of my personal favorite wrestlers or fun rookies that I enjoy watching, but rather my version of what a “real” ranking of Joshi wrestlers would look like based on their success and status in 2021.

2021 continued to be impacted by the pandemic, even as many promotions returned to a more normal schedule. The trend of “more Joshi” being available via streaming methods continued, which is great, but also made it harder to keep up with everything. I did my best to do so however, and attempted to come up with a Top 20 list that I feel best shows who in lead the Joshi landscape during these unusual times.

Onto the Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2021!

1. Syuri (Stardom)

Championships Held: SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship (365 days), Goddess of Stardom Championship (272 days), and the World of Stardom Championship (3 days)
Biggest Matches: with Giulia vs. Himeka and Maika on 4/4, vs. Utami Hayashishita on 6/12, vs. Momo Watanabe on 9/25, vs. Utami Hayashishita on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Utami Hayashishita in Stardom on June 12th, 2021

14 years after she debuted in professional wrestling, Syuri finally had the year that her fans always knew she was capable of. After years of being a Freelancer or focusing on her MMA career, Syuri finally got the chance to take over in Stardom and she did not disappoint. Syuri had a dominant year in both singles and tag matches, going 13-0-1 in title matches. She also won the Stardom FIVE STAR GP, the most prestigious annual tournament in Joshi. As far as match quality, she had one of the best matches of the year against Utami in June, and had five matches rated **** or higher by the Wrestling Observer (all singles matches). She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. A hell of a year for Syuri, and one that her fans have long been waiting for.

2. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship (363 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Bea Priestly on 4/4, vs. Syuri on 6/12, vs. Tam Nakano on 9/25, vs. Takumi Iroha on 10/9, vs. Syuri on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Syuri in Stardom on June 12th, 2021

Even though Utami Hayashishita only held one title in 2021, it happened to be the top title in Stardom and she held it for virtually the entire year. In her title reign she had a number of high-end defenses, including wins over Bea Priestley, Takumi Iroha, Hazuki, and Maika. She only stumbled when facing Syuri, as she went 0-2-2 against her in singles matches, which is the reason Syuri ranking over her was an easy decision. At only 23 years old, Utami is poised to lead Stardom for many years to come if that is the path she decides to take in her career.

3. Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro)

Championships Held: Tokyo Joshi Pro Princess Of Princess Championship (242 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Rika Tatsumi on 5/4, vs. Yuka Sakazaki on 6/6, vs. Sakisama on 6/26, vs. Mizuki on 7/31, vs. Maki Itoh on 10/9
Best Match: vs. Maki Itoh in Tokyo Joshi Pro on October 9th, 2021

What really puts Miyu Yamashita over the top isn’t just her success in Tokyo Joshi Pro, but her popularity and her ability to put on high-end matches against a variety of opponents. She had four successful title defenses in 2021, and over the course of the year she was 18-1 in singles matches, with her only loss being against Mizuki in the Tokyo Princess Cup. To show her level of popularity in Japan, she finished 4th in the Weekly Pro Magazine fan voting for Joshi MVP, the highest of any non-Stardom wrestler.

4. Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: ICExInfinity Championship (294 days) and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (16 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Rina Yamashita on 2/20, with Tsukushi vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki on 2/21, vs. Maya Yukihi on 3/27, vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto on 8/9, vs. Tsukushi Haruka on 11/13
Best Match: vs. Tsukushi Haruka in Ice Ribbon on November 13th, 2021

With Ice Ribbon going through some turmoil in 2021, their long time Ace took back over as she won the ICExInfinity Championship for the first time since 2018 and held it for the bulk of the year. She was an extremely active champion, with 11 title defenses and wins over Hiroyo Matsumoto, Tsukushi Haruka, and Maya Yukihi along the way. She also had a brief run with the tag titles, although she had no successful defenses of the belt. Tsukasa Fujimoto was the undisputed leader of Ice Ribbon in 2021, showing that even at 38 years old she is one of the best in Joshi wrestling.

5. Tam Nakano (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (301 days) and the Artist of Stardom Championship (276 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Giulia on 3/3, with Cosmic Angels vs. STARS on 3/7, vs. Natsupoi on 4/4, with Cosmic Angels vs. Queen’s Quest on 7/6, vs. Starlight Kid on 7/21, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 10/9, vs. Saya Kamitani on 11/27
Best Match: vs. Giulia in Stardom on March 3rd, 2021

Tam Nakano had a hell of a year in 2021. She entered the year as one of the Artist of Stardom champions, but her big moment came when she finally defeated Giulia in a Title vs. Hair match in March to win the Wonder of Stardom Championship. She held the title for almost the rest of the year, with successful defenses against Natsupoi, Starlight Kid, and Mina Shirakawa before losing the belt to Saya Kamitani. As the leader of the Cosmic Angels, Tam was frequently in major storylines and was a constant focus of the promotion. Easily the biggest year of her career, Tam showed in 2021 she has what it takes to lead a promotion.

6. Maya Yukihi (Freelancer)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Openweight Championship (137 days) and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (257 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 3/27, with Maika Ozaki vs. Dropkicks on 4/11, vs. Kaori Yoneyama on 7/18, with Sera vs. Matsumoto and Fujimoto on 8/9, vs. Mayumi Ozaki vs. Saori Anou vs. Yumi Ohka on 8/18, with Sera vs. Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki on 11/13, vs. Yuu on 12/30
Best Match: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto in Ice Ribbon on March 27th, 2021

Maya Yukihi is a constant force in Joshi, as even though she is a Freelancer she has a regular home in both Ice Ribbon and OZ Academy. As a regular, that gives her more consistent opportunities in both promotions, and she took full advantage in 2021 as she found success in both places. In OZ Academy, she won the Openweight Championship in August and held it the rest of the year, with one successful defense against Yuu. Over in Ice Ribbon, her “nicer” persona won the tag titles twice, with nine successful defenses between her two reigns. Being one of the top wrestlers in two different promotions is quite a feat, and I expect that trend to continue in 2022.

7. Rina Yamashita (Freelancer)

Championships Held: Ice Ribbon FantastICE Championship (187 days), Daily Sports Tag Team Championship (241 days), King of FREEDOM Tag Team Championship (107 days), and the OZ Academy Tag Team Championship (2 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 2/20, vs. ASUKA on 3/17, vs. Risa Sera on 6/27, vs. Suzu Suzuki on 8/9, vs. with Nakamori vs. Cherry and Leon on 8/29, with Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Aoki and Kuragaki on 12/30
Best Match: vs. Suzu Suzuki in Ice Ribbon on August 9th, 2021

I love Rina Yamashita. She is capable of wrestling such a diverse style, and is so well-respected by promotions that she held titles in 2021 in FOUR different promotions. OZ Academy and Ice Ribbon were her primary homes in 2021, as she won the hardcore-friendly FantastICE Championship in Ice Ribbon and ended the year winning the OZ Academy Tag Championship with Hiroyo Matsumoto. She also held titles in PURE-J and FREEDOMS, showing her versatility. More wild and unpredictable than your average Joshi wrestler, Yamashita brings a sense of danger to all her matches and is captivating to watch. Yamashita may not ever find a permanent home but she is doing quite well for herself as one of the most popular Freelancers on the Joshi market.

8. Giulia (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (62 days) and the Goddesses of Stardom Championship (272 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Starlight Kid on 2/13, vs. Tam Nakano on 3/3, with Syuri vs. Himeka and Maika on 4/4, with Syuri vs. Mayu and Starlight Kid on 5/15, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 8/1
Best Match: vs. Tam Nakano in Stardom on March 3rd, 2021

The only thing that held Giulia back in 2021 was an injury that kept her out for a few months, but she still stayed in the spotlight in Stardom as one of their most important wrestlers. She had a great match in March against Tam Nakano, in which she ended up losing her hair. Giulia had no issue rocking the “short hair” look however and never really missed a beat, as she held the tag titles with Syuri for the bulk of the year. As the leader of DDM she was the focus of multiple major storylines, and ended the year defeating Konami in Konami’s last match before going on a long-term break. Even a “down” year for Giulia is a damn good one, and she’ll look to rebound in 2022.

9. Mei Suruga (Gatoh Move)

Championships Held: Asia Dream Tag Championship (365 days) and the Princess Tag Team Championship (175 days)
Biggest Matches: with Akki vs. Emi Sakura and Fujita on 3/27, with Sakisama vs. Tenma and Aino on 4/17, with Sakisama vs. BeeStar on 5/4, vs. Minoru Fujita on 6/12, with Sakisama vs. Maki Itoh and Yamashita on 6/17, vs. Emi Sakura on 8/9/21, with Sakisama vs. Sugar Rabbits on 10/9
Best Match: vs. Emi Sakura in Gatoh Move on August 9th, 2021

When I was compiling the ranking, I really struggled with the rest of the list as almost every wrestler has a different justification for being ranked ahead of another. What put Mei over the the top for me (if I can be permitted to put kayfabe aside) is her run in Tokyo Joshi Pro. As Mei Saint-Michel, Mei won the tag titles with Sakisama and together they had two successful defenses during their 175 day run. It also helps that Mei’s matches are extremely accessible, which builds up her popularity and makes all her bigger matches available to watch. In Gatoh Move, Mei held the tag titles for the entire year, with nine successful defenses. Mei may have reached her ceiling if she remains primarily in Gatoh Move, but even though she is in a smaller promotion she still puts on great matches and has a wide fanbase that spans the globe.

10. Miyuki Takase (AgZ)

Championships Held: AgZ Championship (94 days) and the Diana Tag Team Championship (289 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. SAKI on 4/4, with Umesaki vs. 3A on 4/18, vs. Rin Kadokura on 7/1, vs. Leon on 12/13
Best Match: vs. Mio Momono in WAVE on June 1st, 2021

Miyuki Takase gained more visibility in 2021 due to wrestling in more promotions and AgZ regularly updating their streaming service, but she was hurt by missing a chunk of the year due to an injury. Miyuki only had 60 matches during the year but made the most of it, as she held titles in two different promotions. Miyuki’s epic run as AgZ Champion ended in 2021, but she continued to be the best wrestler in the promotion. In WAVE, she won the Catch the WAVE Tournament, which is still one of the most prestigious Joshi tournaments even though WAVE itself has dropped in popularity. In Diana, Miyuki had two runs with their tag team championship, although she had a lack of defenses due to missing so much time. As the year ended, AgZ folded their wrestling division so Miyuki officially became a Freelancer. Hopefully she can turn that into a successful 2022 as she is well regarded in several Joshi promotions from her work over the years.

11. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls’) – Chihiro again fails to crack the Top 10 for the same reason as last year – visibility. Sendai Girls’ doesn’t run as many shows as other promotions, and not as many of their events “make air” as they don’t have a dedicated streaming service. Hopefully next year we will get to see more of Chihiro as the matches we have seen (vs. Mio Momono and vs. Takumi Iroha in particular) were great and she deserves more attention.

12. Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNNG) – The only thing holding back Arisa Nakajima is she continues to have a light schedule, with only 32 matches on the year. Seven of those matches were title matches however, so when Arisa did wrestle she wrestled with a purpose. Over the course of the year she held three titles (SEAdLINNNG singles, SEAdLINNNG tag, and PURE-J tag) and continued to put on high-end matches. I’d like to see more of Arisa, but she seems to be happy with her current situation and she has certainly earned the lighter workload after the long career she has had.

13. Starlight Kid (Stardom) – In regards to growth in 2021, few wrestlers had the success of Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid has been a great wrestler for years, but she stepped up her game in 2021 not only by winning the High Speed Championship but turning on her friends and joining Oedo Tai. Ever since she became more…. dark, she’s become one of the stars of the promotion as she was immediately thrust into several major storylines. She is still a little young and undersized to expect a climb to the top in 2022, but I’m not going to be the one to doubt her as she has shown she is capable of anything.

14. Maki Itoh (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Like Starlight Kid, Maki Itoh is here on the list due to her growth in popularity. Arguably the most popular wrestler in Tokyo Joshi Pro, Itoh didn’t win any titles in 2021 but did win the Tokyo Princess Cup when she defeated Shoko Nakajima in the Finals. She challenged twice for the Princess of Princess Championship without success, so even though she didn’t win as many matches as she’d have liked, she stayed in the main event scene. Itoh’s career path is one of the harder ones to predict, but I don’t see her popularity waning anytime soon.

15. Leon (PURE-J) – Leon dominated PURE-J in 2021, holding both the Openweight Championship and the PURE-J Tag Team Championship. At 41 years old, Leon is still a very good wrestler but doesn’t put on the high end matches anymore that many others on this list do. Still, she provided the old school promotion with stability and due to their streaming services, virtually all of her big matches were available for fans to watch.

16. ASUKA/Veny (Freelancer) – ASUKA was everywhere in 2021, as they wrestled in over a dozen promotions over the course of the year. ASUKA’s main home was SEAdLINNNG, where they won both the singles and tag team championship. A very active Freelancer that puts on high end matches wherever they go, even though in some ways this was a down year for ASUKA I am sure they will rebound next year and find even more success.

17. Nagisa Nozaki (Pro Wrestling WAVE) – Nagisa continues to lead a promotion that no one watches, due to WAVE not having a regular streaming service and most of their events only being available via PPV. Nagisa won the Regina Di WAVE Championship in August and held it for the rest of the year, however she only had one successful defense in that time. She is a very solid wrestler, not spectacular but whenever her matches do become available they are generally entertaining. I hated to have a promotion with no representation and Nagisa is the best pick from WAVE, but if you haven’t seen any of her matches from 2021 I assure you that you are not alone.

18. Tsukushi Haruka (Ice Ribbon) – Now that Suzu Suzuki is gone from Ice Ribbon, Tsukushi becomes the wrestler most likely to take the role of Ace from Tsukasa Fujimoto. She started that process by winning the ICExInfinity Championship in November – she has held many titles in Ice Ribbon before but this time it feels more serious as Tsukushi is now an adult and has started using her last name. A spunky murder machine, Tsukushi is poised for a big 2022 if she can keep up her current momentum.

19. Rika Tatsumi (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Rika started the year hot but cooled off a bit as it came to a close. She came into 2021 the Princess of Princess Champion but lost the title in May and did not even challenge for any other titles for the rest of the year. She is only ranked at all based on her being the top title holder for the first quarter, but by the end of the year she had been passed by several other Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestlers. Rika is going to have to re-find that magic in 2022 or she will likely drop off the list altogether.

20. Suzu Suzuki (Ice Ribbon/Prominence) – Suzu gets the final spot this year (there are a dozen wrestlers that could have a legitimate argument for being on this list that aren’t) mostly due to her love of being blown up. Suzu turned to hardcore wrestling in 2021, which apparently is her true love and she wrestled anyone she could find that didn’t mind some extra pain. Her love for deathmatches helped lead to her leaving Ice Ribbon and forming her own group, which needless to say was a major step for the young wrestler. It remains to be seen if her venture will be a success, but I respect her willingness to risk it all by giving up her comfy Ice Ribbon “future Ace” role for the less steady realm of Joshi hardcore wrestling.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2021 appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Opening Battle
Date: January 8th, 2022
Location: Tokyo White Studio in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 53
Broadcast: PURE-J’s Youtube Subscription Service

PURE-J doesn’t get a lot of love with Western Joshi fans, but they continue to put on regular events that are available to a global audience. PURE-J switched their streaming service from Filmuy to Youtube to start the year, but are still providing the same quick uploads of their events. This is their first show of 2022, and is a very typical PURE-J card as every match is veteran vs. less experience wrestler with a clear winner (PURE-J doesn’t do a lot of upsets). Even with obvious winners, the action in PURE-J tends to be solid so I am looking forward to checking it out. Here is the full card:

• Chie Ozora vs. Kakeru Sekiguchi
• KAZUKI vs. Madeline
• Crea vs. Leon
• AKARI vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Hanako Nakamori vs. Momo Tani

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. As the event streamed on Youtube, all matches will be shown in full. Let’s get to it.

Chie Ozora vs. Kakeru Sekiguchi

Tie-up to start and Kakeru applies a wristlock, Chie reverses it and the two trade holds. Side headlock takedown by Kakeru but Chie quickly gets out of it, kick by Kakeru and she stomps Chie to the mat. Snapmare by Kakeru and she applies a stretch hold, she lets go after moment just to put Chie in another one. Single leg crab hold by Kakeru, but Chie makes it to the ropes for the break. Kakeru throws Chie into the corner, Irish whip by Kakeru and she delivers a dropkick. Chie bridges out of the pin attempt and hits a dropkick of her own, another dropkick by Chie and she hits a couple more. Scoop slam attempt by Chie but Kakeru blocks it and hits one of her own for a two count. Crab hold by Kakeru, she lets go after a moment and stomps on Chie in the back. Chinlock by Kakeru and she pulls on Chie’s nose, elbows by Kakeru but Chie jumps on on the second turnbuckle and grabs Kakeru by the wrist. Chie walks the ropes before hitting an armdrag, dropkick by Chie and she applies a stretch hold in the ropes.

Chie lets go and dropkicks Kakeru in the back, she picks up Kakeru but Kakeru elbows her and the two trade blows. Kakeru applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Chie rolls out of it and applies one of her own, bridging hammerlock by Chie but Kakeru gets to the ropes for the break. Chie hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle, but her cover gets two. Chie goes for a fisherman suplex but Kakeru blocks it, dropkick by Kakeru and she hits two more. Fujiwara Armbar by Kakeru but Chie wiggles to the ropes for the break. Kakeru sets up Chie in the ropes before going out to the apron, dropkicking Chie in the arm. Missile dropkick by Kakeru off the second turnbuckle, she then goes all the way up top and drills Chie with another missile dropkick for a two count. Kakeru goes off the ropes but Chie catches her with a dropkick, sunset flip by Chie but it gets two. Chie rolls Kakeru around the ring and cradles her, but that gets a two as well. Chie tries for more flash pins but Kakeru keeps reversing it, fisherman suplex hold by Chie but Kakeru barely kicks out. Chie goes off the ropes but Kakeru catches her with a judo toss, two more tosses by Kakeru and she covers Chie for two. STO by Kakeru, but Chie barely kicks out. Kakeru goes off the ropes and delivers a running STO, and this time she picks up the three count! Kakeru Sekiguchi is the winner!

This was a perfectly acceptable opener. Chie has the basics down pat but she does need to work on her presentation – with her current look it is going to be difficult to be taken but so seriously. That’s an easily fixable problem however, and its not unusual for wrestlers to get an attire makeover once they get more experience. Kakeru is a little too young and… good to get this spot, I’d rather have seen her in more than a “rookie” match but she’s always fun to watch. A pretty basic match but watchable anyway.

KAZUKI vs. Madeline

Command Bolshoi is also in the ring in addition to the referee, holding a paper fan. I don’t know why and I’m not curious enough to scroll twitter to figure it out but the match “theme” is celebrating the Japanese New Year so probably connected. They tie-up to start, Madeline pushes KAZUKI into the ropes and the wrestlers at ringside draw on her face with a pen. This will be a recurring situation throughout the match. Wristlock by Madeline but KAZUKI reverses it, Madeline reverses it back and walks the ropes while holding KAZUKI’s wrist. Madeline drops down into an armbar, allowing the ringside wrestlers to draw some more on KAZUKI’s face. Madeline keeps on KAZUKI’s arm but KAZUKI rolls away and knees Madeline in the chest. KAZUKI goes for a crab hold and gets it applied, but Madeline eventually makes it to the ropes for the break, leading to her match getting drawn on. I am starting to think that if a wrestler gets into the ropes, their face is going to get some ink. Knees by KAZUKI against the ropes but Bolshoi hits her in the head with the paper fan. Madeline goes for a Triangle Choke but KAZUKI muscles out of it and hits a Codebreaker. Running double knee by KAZUKI, she picks up Madeline and hits a double underhook gutbuster.

Scoop slam by KAZUKI, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double kneedrop for two. KAZUKI goes up top but Bolshoi runs over and hits her with the fan again. This gives Madeline time to recover and toss KAZUKI to the mat, she gets on the second turnbuckle but KAZUKI pulls her back down. Madeline sneaks in a sunset flip before applying a cross kneelock, but KAZUKI gets to the ropes for the break. Both wrestlers are too close to the ropes so both of them get drawn on, as by now their faces are pretty decorated. Both wrestlers slowly get up, knee by KAZUKI but Madeline kicks her back as the two trade blows. Bolshoi hits both of them with the paper fan while they battle it out, Madeline gets the better of it but she isn’t able to hold down KAZUKI for the three count. Crucifix slam by Madeline, but that gets a two as well. Madeline goes off the ropes but KAZUKI catches her and dumps Madeline near the ropes so that she can be drawn on again. Double underhook by KAZUKI but Madeline slides away, Bolshoi hits KAZUKI with the paper fan but Madeline takes it from her so she can use it. She hits both KAZUKI and Bolshoi with it (and Tessy too for good measure), but Bolshoi takes it back and KAZUKI applies the Sarutahiko Hold for the three count! KAZUKI is the winner!

A little too silly for my tastes. A lot of random stuff going on, between the wrestlers outside of the ring and Bolshoi in it, which lead to constant action but didn’t really help the wrestlers get into a good flow as there were constant interruptions. I like Madeline a lot but just not a lot to this one, easily forgettable lower card fodder.

Crea vs. Leon

Crea attacks Leon right from the front and goes for a few flash pins, but she doesn’t have any luck. Crea goes off the ropes and boots Leon in the face, but Leon rolls away from her cover attempts and gets out to the apron. Leon shoulder tackles her through the ropes and gets back in the ring, hitting an armdrag followed by a dropkick. Snapmare by Leon and she elbows Crea in the top of the head, she applies a bodyscissors and rolls Crea around the ring with it applied but Leon gets into the ropes to force a break. Leon throws Crea into the corner and delivers a dropkick, scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton for two. Leon applies a facelock but lets go after a moment, stomps by Leon but Crea chops her back and they trade shots. Crea chops Leon to the mat and goes for a cover, but Leon kicks out. Crea throws Leon into the corner and delivers a running boot, but Leon fires back with a spear. Double underhook by Leon into a sunset flip, but Crea reverses it and they trade flash pins.

Leon kicks Crea against the ropes but Crea blocks her running boot and applies an ankle hold. Leon gets out of it and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, she gets Crea on her back but Crea rolls off and applies a schoolboy for two. Spear to the back by Leon and she applies a Texas Cloverleaf, but Crea gets to the ropes. Shoulder tackle to the back by ll, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. She tries again for the Texas Cloverleaf but Crea kicks her away, waistlock by Crea and she gets the ankle hold re-applied. She keeps it on while grapevining Leon’s leg, but Leon gets to the ropes for the break. Crea goes for a kneelock but Leon quickly rolls out of it and puts Crea in a single leg crab hold. Crea gets out of it and rolls up Leon, but it gets two. Takedown by Crea and they trade flash pins again, with neither getting the three count. High kick by Crea and she hits a bridging suplex for a two count. Crea goes to the top turnbuckle but Leon avoids her diving body press, spear by Leon and she jackknifes Crea for a two count. Leon goes for a suplex but Crea pushes her off, high kick by Leon and she levels Crea with a spear for a two count. Leon positions Crea and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Mad Splash for the three count! Leon wins!

Even though they went a little heavier on the ‘flash pins’ than I’d prefer, this was still pretty good. Crea has come a long way in the last year but she didn’t get much of a chance to show it off here, aside from not looking out of place against Leon. I wish Crea had done a little work on the ankle prior to the ankle holds, but she was too focused on quick pins to really put a plan together. In spite of her lack of plan, the action was fluid and their reversals were well-executed so there was more good than bad, but it could have been a few levels higher if they had structured it in a more interesting manner.  Mildly Recommended

AKARI vs. Rydeen Hagane

They trade waistlocks to start before ending up on the mat, but neither can get an advantage and they return to their feet. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a hard shoulderblock, Rydeen applies a modified camel clutch before letting her go and stomping AKARI in the back. Rydeen stands on AKARI’s back near the ropes, Irish whip by Rydeen but AKARI reverses it and hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick. AKARI goes for a scoop slam but Rydeen blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Running body press by Rydeen, but it gets a two count. Rydeen picks up AKARI and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Rydeen but AKARI avoids her charge and hits a back elbow. Rydeen tries again with no luck, AKARI jumps on the second turnbuckle but Rydeen tosses her to the mat. AKARI goes for a suplex but again Rydeen blocks it, AKARI then goes for Rydeen’s arm and finally gets Rydeen down in a Fujiwara Armbar. AKARI goes for the cross armbreaker but Rydeen muscles out of it, AKARI snaps Rydeen’s arm over her shoulder and delivers a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. AKARI picks up Rydeen and hits a series of elbows, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a Samoan Drop.

Rydeen picks up AKARI but AKARI wiggles away, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a backbreaker. Crab hold by Rydeen but AKARI gets to the ropes for the break, stomps by Rydeen and she hits a lariat against the ropes. Spinning heel kick by Rydeen, which gets her a two count cover. Rydeen gets AKARI up on her shoulders but AKARI slides off and puts Rydeen in an armtrap crossface. Rydeen gets a boot on the ropes for the break, pump kick by AKARI and she hits the 619. AKARI clubs Rydeen in the chest and covers her, but Rydeen kicks out. Dropkick by AKARI, she goes to the top turnbuckle and connects with a missile dropkick. Kick to the head by AKARI and she hits another pump kick, but her covers gets another two. AKARI picks up Rydeen but Rydeen hits a superkick, she goes off the ropes but AKARI levels her with a lariat. AKARI tries to get Rydeen on her shoulders but its blocked, AKARI goes for a few cradle pins but none of them work. Elbows by AKARI but Rydeen knocks her down with a lariat, she picks up AKARI and nails a backdrop suplex for a two count. Rydeen positions AKARI and goes to the top turnbuckle, delivering the 100k Press (Diving Body Press) for the there count! Rydeen Hagane is the winner.

They tried to tell a long story in a condensed match, and while they somewhat pulled it off I probably would have gone in a different direction. The direction they went was “AKARI can’t do big moves to Rydeen, but overcame that and was able to hit the moves” but since the match was only ten minutes, the “struggle” section of the match wasn’t very long. AKARI struggled for maybe two minutes and from there it was a pretty normal power vs. technique match until the end. Which is a fine match structure as well but they would have saved a few minutes if they went straight to that. AKARI has come a long way but at some point she is going to have to pick up some wins or her progress will be for naught. Not a bad match as Rydeen is a solid hand, but with only ten minutes they were a bit limited in what they could do.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Momo Tani

They lock knuckles which is a battle Hanako easily wins, she throws Momo to the mat but Momo fires back with a dropkick. More dropkicks by Momo but Hanako doesn’t go down, Momo elbows Hanako in the corner but Hanako kicks her in the head. A dropkick by Momo finally sends Hanako to the mat, Momo puts her near the ropes and jumps down knee-first onto Hanako’s back. Hanako recovers and kicks Momo but Momo drop toeholds her into the second rope, running double knee to the back by Momo and she poses on Hanako’s back. Armdrags by Momo, she picks up Hanako but Hanako blocks the slam attempt and hits one of her own. Hanako sets up Momo in the ropes and kicks her in the chest repeatedly, she then puts Momo in the ropes on the other side and does the same thing again. Snapmare by Hanako and she kicks Momo in the back, Momo fires back with a knee however and slams Hanako to the mat. Knee drop by Momo and she applies a submission, but Hanako gets a foot on the ropes for the break.

Momo goes off the ropes and goes for a knee, but Hanako blocks it and pushes Momo to the mat. Kicks to the leg by Hanako and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Momo eventually gets to the ropes. Hanako throws Momo in the corner and chokes her with her boot, heel kick by Hanako but Momo avoids the next strike and slides out to the apron. Momo applies a choke before returning to the ring, pressing her knee into Hanako’s neck. Running jumping knee by Momo and she hits a double knee strike in the corner, neckbreaker by Momo and she covers Hanako for a two count. Hanako quickly recovers and trades strikes with Momo before sending Momo to the mat with leg kicks. Hanako drops Momo into the second rope and nails a running boot to the head, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Hanako, but Momo kicks out. Hanako applies the Stretch Muffler but Momo crawls to the ropes to force the break. Hanako picks up Momo, Momo pushes her away so Hanako kicks Momo repeatedly in the head. Hanako charges Momo but Momo avoids her boot and knees Hanako in the back.

Running double knee strike by Momo to the back of Hanako, she hits a knee from the apron before going up top, but Hanako cuts her off before she can jump. Hanako grabs Momo but Momo slides away, kick by Hanako but Momo knees her in the midsection. Codebreaker by Momo and she hits a running double knee to Hanako’s face, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers the diving jumping knee for a two count. Momo goes off the ropes but Hanako avoids the Somato and kicks Momo in the back. Hanako goes to the top turnbuckle but Momo joins her, this doesn’t work out well for her as Hanako chokeslams her down to the mat. Hanako picks up Momo but Momo sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Boot by Hanako, she goes off the ropes but Momo hits a Codebreaker. Cradle by Momo, but Hanako kicks out. Somato by Momo, but that gets a two count as well. Momo goes to the corner and hits a double kneedrop, she picks up Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the chest. High kick by Hanako, she nails the Shining Wizard and picks up the three count pinfall! Hanako Nakamori is the winner.

For a main event, there was just too large of a skill level gap to give Momo any chance of winning. That’s not to say that she didn’t try, and Hanako gave her plenty of offense, but for the last match on the card I’d prefer a more even match (even if the winner isn’t in doubt). I like Momo’s knee-based offense a lot, I’d like to see a bit more growth though and I am not sure if it will happen in PURE-J, which is one of the most “traditional” Joshi promotions in regard to maintaining the pecking order. Hanako looked solid as she always does, she rarely elevates matches unless in just the right situation but she can keep a match engaging. A typical solid but non-spectacular PURE-J match.  Mildly Recommended

The post PURE-J Opening Battle on 1/8/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J at Kame Dojo
Date: June 26th, 2021
Location: Kame Dojo in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: Streamed on Filmuy

Even though they are probably the least popular promotion to Western fans, and their reviews here on Joshi City get the lowest number of clicks, I just can’t quit PURE-J. Something about them is just alluring. Part of it is their shows are short, as I am a busy person and sometimes its easier to find time to watch a show under an hour long than a three hour extravaganza. Their wrestlers are also all very solid and no-nonsense, I know what I am going to get with PURE-J. This event has something a little special, which is Madeline in the main event! Here is the full card:

• Leon vs. AKARI
• Chie Ozora and Crea vs. KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane
• Hanako Nakamori vs. Madeline

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. As this match streamed via an online service, all matches will be shown in full.

Leon vs. AKARI
In PURE-J, it doesn’t really matter where you are on the card since their events only have a few matches anyway, so its not unusual or a sign of disrespect to have the veteran Leon and title holder AKARI in the opener. Leon is a 20 year veteran that has mostly had tag team success in her career and now seems content being one of the leaders of a small promotion. AKARI has been in PURE-J since 2019 and comes into the match the Princess of Pro Wrestling Champion. This of course is a non-title match, but this certainly won’t be a squash as AKARI has really been rising in PURE-J in the last year and seems poised to be the future of the promotion.

AKARI throws Leon in the corner during the pre-match handshake, elbows by AKARI but Leon elbows her back and applies a headlock. AKARI Irish whips out of it but Leon hits a shoulderblock, they trade armdrags and eventually end up back on their feet in a stalemate. They get right back into it and trade holds, Leon gets AKARI to the mat but AKARI fights back to her feet and applies an arm wringer. Snapmare by Leon and she slides AKARI over for a two count. Scoop slam by Leon and she hits an elbow drop, somersault senton by Leon and she covers AKARI for two. Camel Clutch by Leon but AKARI fights to the ropes and gets there for the break. Stomps by Leon and she chops AKARI in the corner, AKARI throws Leon into the corner however and delivers a lariat. AKARI puts Leon in a Tarantula, she lets go after a moment and dropkicks her in the back. Vertical suplex by AKARI, and she covers Leon for two. AKARI tries to get Leon on her shoulders but Leon flips away, Leon charges AKARI but AKARI drop toeholds her onto the second rope.

Leon avoids the 619 but AKARI applies a Fujiwara Armbar, she switches it to an armtrap crossface but Leon gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by AKARI but Leon reverses it and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Leon picks up AKARI but AKARI slides away and cradles her for two, Leon throws AKARI into the corner and hangs her in an inverted Tree of Woe before delivering a dropkick. Double underhook suplex by Leon and she covers AKARI for a two count. Texas Cloverleaf by Leon but AKARI eventually gets to the ropes, stomps by Leon but AKARI elbows her and the two trade strikes. Leon clubs AKARI in the back but AKARI hits a pump kick, 619 by AKARI and she hits a Northern Lights Suplex Hold for two. She goes for the Muy Bien but Leon blocks it at first and eventually gets to the ropes for the break. Back kick by AKARI but Leon catches her with a spinning slam for a two count. Leon goes up to the top turnbuckle but AKARI avoids the body press, La Magistral by AKARI but it gets two. Leon spins away from her but AKARI still cradles her for a two count. AKARI tries another flash pin with no luck, she goes off the ropes but Leon delivers a spear. She waits for AKARI to get up but AKARI avoids the next spear attempt, they both go off the ropes and Leon nails the Beast Spear for the three count! Leon is the winner.

A solid opener, and you can tell these two train together as the action was very very smooth. For a ten minute match, a lot was going on and neither wrestler had a very long segment for themselves before the other would take their turn. If you prefer matches with one wrestler dominating and the other wrestler having to over-come, this wasn’t that as they went for fluid chain wrestling and constant exchanges. A pretty good match, it lacked a deeper level as much of the action was light, but still very well executed.  Mildly Recommended

Chie Ozora and Crea vs. KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane
For the “everyone else available” match on the card, we get two of the less experienced wrestlers in PURE-J against the regular tag team of WANTED. These teams are incredibly uneven – Chie and Crea have under 175 matches under their belts combined while WANTED have 31 years of wrestling between them. WANTED are also former tag team champions in PURE-J, holding the belts for almost a year. KAZUKI and Rydeen are hard to beat under any situation so Chie and Crea have an uphill battle in front of them.

Chie and Crea have some fluffy wrestling attires that may distract me during this match. Chie and KAZUKI start the match, they trade holds back and forth until Chie grabs KAZUKI’s wrist and walks the ropes before hitting an armdrag. Dropkick by Chie, Crea comes in and they double team KAZUKI in the corner. Crea helps Chie hit a footstomp, but KAZUKI avoids their dropkicks and stomps on both of them. She tags in Rydeen, Chie and Crea are stacked in the corner before both KAZUKI and Rydeen connect with running strikes. Knee by KAZUKI to Chie and Rydeen takes over, hitting a scoop slam. Crab hold by Rydeen but Chie inches to the ropes to get the break. Stomps by Rydeen but Chie sneaks in a schoolboy for two, giving her time to tag Crea. Rydeen elbows Crea and hits a scoop slam, butt bomb by Rydeen and she stands on Crea’s back. Rydeen applies a reverse chinlock and then a bodyscissors, Rydeen lets go and hits a scoop slam. Body press by Rydeen, but Crea kicks out. Crea tries to knock over Rydeen with shoulderblocks with no success, chops by Crea but Rydeen hits a body avalanche in the corner. Backbreaker by Rydeen, she picks up Crea but Chie runs over and breaks up Rydeen’s hold. She stays in and they both try to suplex Rydeen, but Rydeen won’t budge. They let go and take turns elbows Rydeen, but Rydeen hits a lariat on both of them. Rydeen catapults Chie onto KAZUKI’s knees, she goes back to Crea and they do the same to her.

Rydeen goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the Reverse Splash, but Crea kicks out of the pin. Superkick by Rydeen but Crea gets Rydeen to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker. KAZUKI breaks it up, Crea tags in Chie and Chie comes in with an ax handle to Rydeen’s arm. Dropkick to the arm by Chie and she applies a hanging armbar over the top rope. Chie lets go after a moment and keeps on Rydeen’s arm, getting her to the mat in an armbar. Chie applies a hammerlock with a bridge but KAZUKI gets away from Crea and breaks it up. Chie goes off the ropes but Rydeen kicks her into the corner, lariat by Rydeen and KAZUKI comes in to knee Chie. KAZUKI stays in and hits a double underhook gutbuster, cover by KAZUKI but it gets two. KAZUKI goes off the ropes but Chie avoids her knee attempt, she cradles KAZUKI but it gets two. Chie goes for a fisherman suplex but KAZUKI blocks it, Crea cuts off KAZUKI and then Chie is able to deliver rolling fisherman suplexes for a two count. Crea superkicks Rydeen while Chie gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving sunset flip for two. Chie tags Crea, KAZUKI blocks the suplex attempt but Crea applies an ankle hold. KAZUKI gets to the ropes for the break, running boot by Crea and she cradles KAZUKI for a two count. Chie and Crea go up to different corners and both hit missile dropkicks, but KAZUKI barely kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI hits a Codebreaker on both Chie and Crea, Rydeen comes in and they both hit running strikes in the corner. Reverse double kneedrop by KAZUKI on Crea out of the corner, cover by KAZUKI but Crea barely kicks out. TKO by KAZUKI, but Chie breaks up the pin. KAZUKI quickly puts Crea in the Sensei Hold II, and Crea has to submit! WANTED are the winners.

Crea and Chie are interesting wrestlers. Both have pretty solid in-ring skills, with Chie being the early standout, but they don’t have good looks. Their outfits just don’t scream ‘serious wrestler’ which is a shame as first impressions do matter. But that is an easily fixable issue for down the road, for now they are still learning and seem to be coming along pretty well. WANTED are one of the top tag teams in PURE-J for a reason, they both have the power wrestling style down pat and deliver on all their moves with authority. There really wasn’t anything particularly ‘bad’ about this match, it wasn’t overly exciting and the winner was never in doubt but in typical PURE-J fashion it was well-executed and didn’t overstay its welcome. Another solid match on the show.  Mildly Recommended

Hanako Nakamori vs. Madeline
Time for the main event and a big match for the delightful Madeline! Nakamori is having a long stretch of matches to celebrate her 15th anniversary, and this is one such match. Even though she hasn’t held the main title in PURE-J for the last year, she is still considered the Ace of the promotion until someone can take that title from her, and she does come into this match as one half of the tag team champions. She is against Madeline, a popular wrestler from Diana that frequently visits other smaller promotions. Madeline isn’t on Nakamori’s level so the winner is not in doubt, but she is an energetic wrestler so the match should be fun nonetheless.

Madeline goes for a takedown to start, Nakamori briefly blocks it but Madeline is able to get Nakamori to the mat. Nakamori switches positions with her as they jockey for position but neither can get a clear advantage before they break cleanly. Side headlock by Nakamori, Madeline Irish whips out of it but Nakamori boots her in the chest. Nakamori picks up Madeline but Madeline hits a jumping crossbody, kick to the back by Madeline but  Nakamori gets up and returns the favor. Madeline tries again with a snapmare and kick to the back, but Nakamori does the same as she is doing better in this back and forth. Nakamori sits down and Madeline connects with a series of kicks to her back, Madeline lets Nakamori do the same but Nakamori kicks her in the chest to win the battle. Nakamori grabs Madeline’s wrist but Madeline pulls her off the turnbuckles, now it is Madeline that gets Nakamori by the wrist and she walks the ropes while doing a balancing trick before hitting an armdrag. Madeline sets up Nakamori in the ropes and kicks her from the apron, she returns to the ring  and hits a front flip into an ax handle. Madeline goes for a slam but Nakamori blocks it and hits one of her own. Kicks to the leg by Nakamori and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Madeline gets to the ropes. Kick by Nakamori in the corner but Madeline avoids the next one, boot by Madeline and she covers Nakamori for two. Madeline transitions to the armbreaker but Nakamori blocks it and applies the Stretch Muffler. Madeline reverses it into an armbar but Nakamori quickly gets a foot on the ropes, kick to the leg by Nakamori but Madeline kicks her back and the two trade blows.

Headbutt by Nakamori but Madeline returns the favor, boot by Nakamori and she hits a second one. Nakamori hits a leg drop from the apron while Madeline’s head hangs over the second rope, she then goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakamori picks up Madeline and elbows her, Madeline keeps getting back up but Nakamori continues the strike assault. Nakamori goes off the ropes but Madeline tackles her and hits mounted punches, punches by Madeline while Nakamori is against the ropes and she hits a backfist. Madeline grabs Nakamori but Nakamori hits a fisherman suplex, she goes to pick up Madeline but Madeline puts her in an armbar. Nakamori gets to the ropes to force a break, Madeline charges Nakamori but Nakamori kicks her in the midsection. High kick by Madeline and she hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Kick to the chest by Madeline and she goes for a bridging pin, but Nakamori pushes her off. Madeline cradles Nakamori anyway for a two count, she applies a double armbar but Nakamori gets to the ropes. Madeline charges Nakamori but Nakamori kicks her, Madeline returns fire with elbows and she applies a small package for two. Head kick by Madeline but Nakamori nails a head kick of her own, Shining Flower by Nakamori but Madeline barely kicks out. Nakamori waits for Madeline to get up and hits a second Shining Flower, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori is the winner.

Some wrestlers have a special talent that is hard to put into words. Madeline isn’t the best in-ring wrestler but she has a great blend of unique offense, strikes, submissions, and just a general likable quality that makes her hard to stop watching. She does a lot of small things well and utilizes a lot of underdog tactics that long time veterans could learn from. Nakamori is a solid wrestler that helped keep the match together, but in the end it was Madeline that left more of an impression. Madeline’s arm work was well done but it always felt like Nakamori’s match to lose, and the match ended pretty suddenly when Nakamori connected with a few big moves in a row. I wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes but PURE-J matches rarely go long, generally I am a fan of that so I won’t complain too loudly. Overall a well worked and entertaining match between a seasoned veteran and a unique talent in Madeline.  Recommended

The post PURE-J on 6/26/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Fight Together 2021
Date: February 7th, 2021
Location: Itabashi Green Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 85
Broadcast Information: Streamed on PURE-J’s Streaming Service

Sometimes I like to take a step back and review a smaller show that may not be talked about that much around Joshi circles online, and this is one of those times. PURE-J, to put it nicely, is at the lowest level of Joshi promotions. They already were struggling, then lost Manami Katsu and Mari Manji to make the situation worse. What they lack in quality wrestlers they try to make up for with solid fundamentals and bringing in wrestlers from other promotions to help. This event does have a title match, as AKARI faces Momo Tani in the finale of a tournament to crown a new Princess of Pro Wrestling Champion after it was vacated by Suzu Suzuki. Here is the full card:

• Misa Matsui vs. Rydeen Hagane
• KAZUKI vs. Makoto
• Chie Ozora and Leon vs. Hanako Nakamori and Madeline
• Princess Of Pro Wrestling Championship: AKARI vs. Momo Tani

As this streamed on PURE-J’s own streaming service, matches will be shown in full. All wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Misa Matsui vs. Rydeen Hagane

They tie-up to start, Rydeen pushes Misa towards the ropes but Misa hits a series of elbows. Dropkick by Misa and she tries to toss Rydeen by the hair, but Rydeen blocks it and hits an elbow. Rydeen throws Misa by the hair into the corner and stomps her down, scoop slam by Rydeen and she hits a running body press for two. Rydeen picks up Misa and slaps her in the back repeatedly, Irish whip by Rydeen but Misa avoids her charge and hits a dropkick. She goes for a crossbody but Rydeen catches her and slams Misa to the mat, Misa avoids the body press however and hits a double footstomp on Rydeen’s back. Hard elbow by Rydeen but Misa jumps out to the apron, she goes to the top turnbuckle but jumps off when Rydeen charges in and puts Rydeen in a Fujiwara Armbar. She switches it to a cross armbreaker attempt, but Rydeen mostly blocks it and slams Misa into the corner to break the hold. Lariat by Rydeen and she hits a second one, she goes for a powerbomb but Misa wiggles away. Backbreaker by Rydeen and she puts Misa in a crab hold, but Misa gets to the ropes for the break. Rydeen charges Misa and hits a body avalanche to Rydeen’s back, but Misa returns fire with a dropkick.

She goes for another crossbody, Rydeen catches her but Misa hits a DDT. Dropkick by Misa and she covers Rydeen for two. Misa picks up Rydeen and applies an Octopus Hold, but Rydeen muscles out of it. She goes for a lariat but Misa ducks it and promptly re-applies the Octopus Hold, but Rydeen gets to the ropes to force the break. Misa goes off the ropes and dropkicks Rydeen in the back, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody. Misa goes all the way up top and drops Rydeen with a missile dropkick, but Rydeen barely kicks out of the cover. Misa picks up Rydeen but can’t get her over with a suplex, elbows by Misa but Rydeen delivers a superkick. Rydeen charges Misa and hits a lariat, cover by Rydeen but Misa gets a shoulder up. Rydeen positions Misa and hits a twisting Reverse Splash out of the corner, but Misa kicks out of that as well. Rydeen drags up Misa, Misa slides away from the suplex attempt however and cradles Rydeen for two. Rydeen fires back with a sliding lariat, she picks up Misa but Misa sneaks in another flash pin for a two count. After another failed flash pin, Misa goes off the ropes but Rydeen hits a lariat. Rydeen picks up Misa and delivers a Uranage for the three count! Rydeen Hagane wins the match.

You know, this was a pretty solid match. Rydeen may never be a superstar but she is very serviceable and stays within her limitations, in the right situation she rarely has a bad match. Misa showed a lot of spunk and fire, actually controlling more of the match than I was expecting but she did it with speed which was the way to go. The match fell apart a little bit at the end as Misa was holding her own enough that I didn’t think going the ‘flash pin’ method repeatedly was necessary, but overall a good way to open up the show.  Mildly Recommended

KAZUKI vs. Makoto

KAZUKI knees Makoto to the mat to start and applies a wristlock, but Makoto rolls out of it and reverses it. They trade holds until Makoto hits an armdrag and applies an armbar, but KAZUKI rolls to the ropes for the break. Snapmare by Makoto and she dropkicks KAZUKI in the back, she picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI knees her in the stomach. Double kneedrop by KAZUKI, she snapmares Makoto and applies a sleeper hold. She lets go after a moment so she can throw down Makoto by the hair, knees by KAZUKI in the corner and she applies a single leg crab hold. Makoto gets to the ropes to break the hold, KAZUKI picks her up and throws Makoto into the corner. Irish whip by KAZUKI to the corner but Makoto avoids her charge, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving crossbody. Double kneedrop by Makoto, and she covers KAZUKI for two. Makoto picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI knees her and the two trade blows. KAZUKI catches a kick and throws Makoto into the corner, knees by KAZUKI and she puts Makoto across the middle rope.

KAZUKI climbs to the top turnbuckle and hits a double kneedrop to Makoto’s stomach, KAZUKI picks up Makoto but Makoto slides away and dropkicks KAZUKI in the knee. Schoolboy by Makoto and she puts KAZUKI in a kneelock, but KAZUKI gets to the ropes. Double underhook suplex by Makoto and she knees KAZUKI in the ribs for a two count. Makoto tries to get KAZUKI on her shoulders but KAZUKI knees her, spear by Makoto and she covers KAZUKI for two. Makoto waits for KAZUKI to get up and charges, but KAZUKI knees Makoto in the stomach. Running double knee by KAZUKI, she hits a reverse double kneedrop off the second turnbuckle but Makoto kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI goes all the way up top and nails a diving single kneedrop, but Makoto gets a shoulder up. KAZUKI picks up Makoto but Makoto blocks the suplex attempt and hits a back bodydrop. Makoto kicks KAZUKI in the head, cradle by Makoto but it gets a two count. Makoto goes off the ropes but KAZUKI catches her in a sunset flip and they trade flash pins. KAZUKI monkey flips Makoto to the mat and cradles her for the three count pinfall! KAZUKI is the winner.

So we are 2/2 on matches ending with a flourish of flash pins. Its not that I don’t see the use in flash pins, they can come in quite handy, but its a kinda lazy way to do the end stretch of a match that up to that point was more based on power moves and strikes than speed and cunning. This was a tiny step down from the last match but still pretty good, my main issue is just the lack of cohesion between their offensive tactics. I would have loved if KAZUKI had won with some sort of back or gut impact move, but that didn’t happen, and Makoto was all over the place. This was just two vets going through a ten minute match they can probably do in their sleep, and while it was perfectly watchable it wasn’t overly inspired either.

Chie Ozora and Leon vs. Hanako Nakamori and Madeline

Madeline and Chie start the match, both go for dropkicks but neither connect. They trade strikes, Irish whip by Chie but Madeline hits a crossbody. Chie bridges out of the pin and delivers a dropkick, cover by Chie but it gets two. They trade mounted elbows, arm drag by Madeline and she tags in Nakamori. Snapmare by Nakamori and she kicks Chie in the back, she throws Chie into the corner and delivers a series of kicks. Chie avoids her charge however and goes for a schoolboy, giving her time to tag in Leon. Leon and Nakamori tie-up but break cleanly, they trade holds but neither gets a clear advantage. Leon avoids Nakamori’s kick and hits a footstomp on her back, running elbow by Leon in the corner but Nakamori returns the favor with a kick in the other corner. Madeline comes in the ring and they double team Leon, armdrag by Leon to Nakamori and she delivers a dropkick. Leon tags Chie, dropkicks by Chie but Nakamori shrugs them off and boots Chie around the ring. Running boot by Nakamori and she covers Chie for two. Madeline returns but Leon does as well and both Chie and Leon hit dropkicks. Leon throws Nakamori into the corner, dropkick by Chie and Leon hits one as well. Leon leaves, Chie slams Nakamori and covers her for two. Irish whip by Chie but Nakamori blocks it and hits a neckbreaker. Leg drop by Nakamori, she picks up Chie and tags in Madeline. Madeline applies a hanging armbar over the top rope but is forced to break it after a moment, Irish whip by Madeline but Chie hits a dropkick and tags Leon.

Scoop slam by Leon, she goes off the ropes and hits a somersault senton for two. Leon puts Madeline in a stretch hold but releases her so she can deliver a series of chops. Irish whip attempt by Leon but Madeline reverses it and hits a front flip into a high kick in the corner. Leon isn’t amused and spears Madeline, she goes for a double underhook but Madeline gets out of it. Leon elbows Madeline to the mat as Madeline tries to fight back, Madeline goes for a crossbody but Leon catches her and slams her to the mat. Drop toehold by Madeline and she runs on Leon’s back, Madeline goes off the ropes but Leon hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Leon puts Madeline in a crab hold but Nakamori breaks it up, Leon and Nakamori get into it until Madeline schoolboys Leon from behind for two. Leon drives Madeline into the corner but Madeline sneaks in a sunset flip which gives her time to tag Nakamori. Nakamori boots Leon and delivers a kick combination, she gets Leon on her shoulders and tosses her off before delivering a kick to the chest. Shining Wizard by Nakamori, but Leon gets a shoulder up. Nakamori picks up Leon but Leon hits a DDT, Nakamori fires back with a kick however and the two trade blows. Leon catches Nakamori with a capture suplex, spear to the back by Leon and she puts Nakamori in a stretch hold. She lets go and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick to Nakamori’s back for a two count. Leon goes for a capture buster but Nakamori blocks it and hits an enzuigiri, tilt-a-whirl slam by Leon and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a Frog Splash for two. Leon picks up Nakamori but Nakamori fights her off, high kick by Nakamori and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They slowly get up and trade elbows, Leon goes off the ropes but Nakamori avoids her charge and kicks Leon in the chest. Madeline runs in as things break down.

High kick by Nakamori but Leon levels her with a spear, and she makes the tag to Chie. Jumping shoulder tackles by Chie to Nakamori and she covers her for two. Chie goes off the ropes but Nakamori kicks her in the chest, Nakamori drops Chie on the second rope and hoots her from the apron. Nakamori goes up top but Chie recovers and joins her, Nakamori pushes Chie back down however but Leon runs in and hits a spear on Nakamori after she jumps off. Chie goes off the ropes but Nakamori boots her in the face, high kick by Nakamori and she covers Chie, but Leon breaks it up. Nakamori tags Madeline, dropkicks by Madeline to Chie and she covers her for two. Madeline applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Chie rolls out of it, stomps by Madeline and she goes for a powerbomb, but Chie blocks it. Leon elbows Madeline and Chie puts Madeline in a kneelock, but Nakamori breaks it up. Chie picks up Madeline but Madeline pushes her off, and the two trade strikes. Jumping shoulder tackle by Chie and she covers Madeline, but it gets two. Chie goes off the ropes but Nakamori kicks her, both Madeline and Nakamori kick Chie again before Madeline delivers a suplex for two. Nakamori and Leon trade high kicks while Chie and Madeline keep at it, Irish whip by Madeline but Chie hits a sunset flip for two. They go back and forth with flash pins until Nakamori breaks the exchange up, Leon comes in and spears both Madeline and Nakamori. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Chie to Madeline, but Nakamori breaks it up. She goes for another one but Madeline reverses it into a small package for two. Madeline quickly puts Chie in another cradle pin, and this time she gets the three count! Hanako Nakamori and Madeline are the winners!

This is why you don’t have every match end with trading cradle pins, it just loses some of its excitement at some point. They got plenty of time here and all four wrestlers got a chance to shine (or at least a chance to show what they had), which in these matches is about all you can hope for. I wouldn’t say this was the most well structured match and there were some slow moments, but that is to be expected with some less experienced wrestlers involved. Leon and Nakamori’s exchanges were quality however as they have good chemistry, and when the vets were in control the match clicked. As was the case with the last match I’d have preferred a more definitive ending, but overall it was a pretty entertaining mid-card tag match.  Mildly Recommended

AKARI vs. Momo Tani
Princess Of Pro Wrestling Championship

They circle each other to start before trading holds, Irish whip by Momo but AKARI hits a hard shoulderblock. Dropkick by AKARI but Momo hits an armdrag, Momo throws down AKARI by the hair a few times and stomps AKARI down in the corner. Momo flings AKARI around the ring some more before covering her for a quick two count. Momo applies a crab hold but AKARI crawls to the ropes to force the break. Momo goes off the ropes and knees AKARI in the back, but AKARI returns with a dropkick and hits a scoop slam for two. AKARI applies an armtrap facelock but Momo gets to the ropes, AKARI chops Momo in the corner and hits a running elbow. Momo avoids her next charge and hits a running knee, but AKARI gets on the turnbuckle and chokes Momo. AKARI applies a Tarantula over the second rope, she lets go after a moment and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. AKARI goes for a suplex but Momo pushes her away, running knee by Momo and she slams AKARI’s head into the mat. Double kneedrops to the back by Momo, she goes off the ropes and hits a running double knee strike. Momo applies a stretch hold but AKARI gets out of it, boot by Momo but AKARI hits a drop toehold.

AKARI keeps Momo’s legs trapped in a submission but Momo gets to the ropes, back up they trade elbows until Momo hits a swinging neckbreaker. Running double kneedrop by Momo, but her cover gets two. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a jumping knee strike, she goes off the ropes but AKARI drop toeholds her into the second rope and hits a Tiger Feint Kick. Northern Lights Suplex Hold by AKARI, but Momo gets a shoulder up. AKARI rolls Momo to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Momo gets into the ropes. Codebreaker by Momo but AKARI hits a pump kick, AKARI charges Momo but Momo catches her with a flash pin for two. Running double knee by Momo in the corner and she hits a reverse double kneedrop, but AKARI kicks out at two. Diving double kneedrop by Momo, but that gets a two as well. Momo goes up top again but AKARI elbows her and tosses her back to the mat. AKARI rolls Momo to the mat and applies La Magistral, they trade flash pins but neither gets the two count. Vertical suplex by AKARI but Momo hits a Backstabber, Somato by Momo but AKARI reverses the cover. Momo goes off the ropes but AKARI catches her with a lariat, AKARI takes Momo to the mat and puts her in the Muy Bien. Momo struggles for a moment but is forced to submit! AKARI wins the match and the Princess of Pro Wrestling Championship!

A fitting main event for a smaller show, although on a “normal” Joshi event this would be sitting firmly in the midcard. Pretty well-worked and I really like Momo’s double knee based offense. She is very consistent with it which I appreciate and she had enough different ways to attack that it never got stale or felt overused. AKARI continues to get better each time I see her and they had good chemistry even though they are from different promotions. It was a little short to give too high of a recommendation to but there was nothing really wrong here at all, and hopefully its the start of making the Princess of Pro Wrestling Championship a little more meaningful again.  Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together 2021 on 2/7/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: SEAdLINNNG 2021 Opening Match
Date: January 11th, 2021
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 467
Broadcast Information: Aired on Samurai TV! on 1/17/21

As I finally begin my 2021 Joshi viewing, lets start with SEAdLINNNG. I don’t watch near as much SEAdLINNNG as I should, which is something I hope to fix in 2021 as they pretty consistently put on quality shows. Their ‘home’ roster is very small but solid, featuring Arisa Nakajima, Nanae Takahashi, and Yoshiko. The best Freelancers also tend to swing by SEAdLINNNG, such as Rina Yamashita and ASUKA, giving them generally pretty complete events. This show has a big main event, as Best Friends take on Yoshiko and Sareee! Here is the full card:

• AKARI vs. Chikayo Nagashima vs. Ibuki Hoshi vs. Kaho Kobayashi vs. Leon vs. Tsukushi Haruka
• Aja Kong, Honori Hana, and Rina Yamashita vs. ASUKA, Makoto, and Riko Kaiju
• Chikayo Nagashima vs. Tsukushi Haruka
• Itsuki Aoki and Ryo Mizunami vs. Miyuki Takase and Nanae Takahashi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Sareee and Yoshiko

All wrestlers on the event have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Let’s get to the fun.

AKARI vs. Nagashima vs. Ibuki Hoshi vs. Kobayashi vs. Leon vs. Tsukushi Haruka

They start with a melee as they pair up with each other, with wrestlers from the same promotion generally working together. Everyone gets made at Natsuki and attack her in the corner before singling out AKARI, but Leon helps her promotion-mate out. Leon gets attacked for her trouble as they try to throw her out of the ring, but she lands on the apron. While that is going on, Nagashima and Ibuki go into an exchange as they are left alone in the ring, they trade holds but neither can get an advantage. AKARI and Kaho run in and dropkick them so they can go at it, hard shoulderblock by AKARI but Kaho kips up. Armdrag by AKARI but Kaho returns the favor, both go for dropkicks but they both miss. Leon and Tsukushi trip them from the floor so they can take their turn, armdrag by Tsukushi but Leon cartwheels out of the next one. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Tsukushi, she goes off the ropes but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Ibuki  and Tsukushi take turns hitting Leon but AKARI runs in and dropkicks both of them. Leon and AKARI both apply submission holds but Kaho and Nagashima schoolboy them for two counts. Armdrag by Kaho to Nagashima and she applies an armbar, but Nagashima gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Kaho goes after Natsuki but Nagashima interrupts them, hurricanrana but Kaho but Nagashima rolls through it and they trade cradles. Tsukushi returns and they Irish whip Nagashima, making her go back and forth off the ropes before Kaho hits a dropkick. Tsukushi quickly cradles Kaho, but it only gets a two count. AKARI and Leon come in but they accidentally collide into each other, drop toehold by Tsukushi to Ibuki and she cradles her for the three count! Tsukushi wins and advances to the next match.

After a brief reset the remaining five get back into it, all five go for random cradles but none get a three count. AKARI wraps up Kaho in a submission, Ibuki tries to break it up but fails. Nagashima finally is able to free Kaho, AKARI and Leon double team Nagashima but Nagashima fights them off tries to kick Leon out of the ring. Nagashima is cradled from behind before she succeeds, senton by Kaho to Nagashima as all four wrestlers stomp out Nagashima. Nagashima fights them off with elbows before hitting a double lariat on Kaho and Natsuki (poor Natsuki), Leon dropkicks Nagashima on the apron and comes off the top but accidentally hits a missile dropkick on AKARI. Leon throws Kaho into the corner but Kaho drops her onto the apron when she charges in, Leon knocks Kaho back but Kaho avoids the Frog Splash. Kaho kicks Nagashima but Ibuki shoulderblocks her to the mat, diving crossbody by Ibuki to Kaho but AKARI dropkicks her. AKARI gets Kaho up but Kaho flips away from her, schoolboy by Kaho but Nagashima breaks it up with a footstomp. AKARI goes for a series of pins with no success on Nagashima, Nagashima reverses one into a cradle of her own and she gets the three count! Chikayo Nagashima wins and advances to the next match later tonight!

While I always viewed the High Speed matches as harmless fun, at best, sometimes I think “less is more” and this show may lean too far on the “more” side. Natsuki Taiyo has gone from occasionally getting involved in these matches to being almost an active participant, and there wasn’t a ton of substance to this match beyond the wrestlers from the same promotion tending to work together. If this was just the opener, no harm done, but since we have another High Speed match now later, it feels like a little too much of a gimmick that is cute but nothing more. Even on the High Speed match scale, this wasn’t their best effort.

Aja Kong, Honori Hana, and Rina Yamashita vs. ASUKA, Makoto, and Riko Kaiju

Rina and Makoto start the match, they trade wristlocks until Rina shoulderblocks Makoto to the mat. Makoto bridges out of the pin and hits a crossbody off the ropes, leading to Rina tagging in Kong while Riko also tags in. Riko tries to elbow Kong but it has no impact, Kong moves out of the way of Riko’s dropkick and kicks her in the ribs. Riko has had enough and tags in ASUKA, ASUKA slowly gets in the ring and lures Kong into a false sense of security before schoolboying her for two. Her teammates come in as they all stomp on Kong, but Kong fights them all off. We clip ahead to Makoto and Rina back in the ring, knee by Rina but Makoto delivers a Pump Kick. She tags in ASUKA, boots by both ASUKA and Makoto to Rina and ASUKA covers her for two. ASUKA picks up Rina but Rina gets her back, she goes for a suplex but ASUKA lands on her feet and connects with an elbow. Rina fires back with a hard lariat and tags in Kong, Kong goes for a suplex but ASUKA blocks it and hits a moonsault off the ropes for a two count. ASUKA grabs Kong but Kong ducks down and kicks her in the head. Kong goes for a lariat but ASUKA ducks it, punch by Kong and she plants ASUKA with a backdrop suplex for two. They trade strikes until ASUKA lands two kicks and nails a German suplex for a two count.

ASUKA goes to the top turnbuckle but Kong gets her feet up on the moonsault attempt, both wrestlers struggle to crawl to their corners as they tag in Honori and Riko. Honori shoulderblocks Riko to the mat, she picks her up but Riko fights back and they trade elbows. Irish whip by Riko but Honori ducks the lariat and hits a shoulderblock. Dropkick by Riko, she elbows Honori into the corner but Honori reverses the Irish whip and hits a running elbow. ASUKA kicks Honori from the apron and gets in the ring, Makoto comes in too as all three boot Honori in the head. Riko goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Rina breaks up the cover. Superkick by Rina to Riko, Kong comes in and hits a lariat. Honori gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Honori but ASUKA breaks it up. Heel kick by ASUKA to Rina and she goes for Kong, but Kong blocks the suplex attempt. Makoto comes in to help but Kong suplexes both of them, spear by Honori to Riko but Riko gets the shoulder up. Honori goes for a couple flash pins with no luck, she picks up Riko and hits a scoop slam for two. Riko throws Honori into the corner but Honori avoids her charge, she goes for a cradle but Riko reverses it into a triangle choke. She struggles for a moment but has to tap out! ASUKA, Makoto, and Riko Kaiju are the winners.

This was a perfectly acceptable midcard match. While most of it was just your standard fare, they mixed in some fun moments such as ASUKA suplexing Kong to at least make you pay attention when the big hitters were in the match. I still am not sold on Honori and maybe SEAdLINNNG isn’t either, since she took the pin to the newer wrestler. Something just isn’t really clicking with her. But the veterans all looked good and it wasn’t long enough to get stale. Nothing special but nothing bad either.

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Tsukushi Haruka

They get right into it with a kick from Tsukushi, Irish whip by Nagashima and she hits an armdrag. Tsukushi gets a few quick pin attempts with no luck, Tsukushi flies in to Nagashima but Nagashima catches her with a backdrop suplex. Rolling cradle by Nagashima, but it gets a two count. Nagashima picks up Tsukushi and knees her, she goes off the ropes but Tsukushi avoids her charge. They take turns running the ropes with Taiyo helping, but Tsukushi rolls out of the ring to try to catch her breath. Tsukushi returns but is met with a boot, scoop slam by Nagashima and she gets on the second turnbuckle, but Tsukushi recovers and knocks her out to the apron. Nagashima elbows Tsukushi and goes to the top turnbuckle, but again Tsukushi recovers and tosses Nagashima to the mat. Now it is Tsukushi that goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick, she runs off the ropes before applying a cover but it only gets a two count. Footstomp by Tsukushi and she goes to Taiyo for help, but Taiyo powerbombs her. Not sure why. Nagashima picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi cradles her, Taiyo kicks Tsukushi instead of counting and Nagashima hits a lariat for a two count. Nagashima goes for a suplex but Tsukushi gets out of it, elbows by Tsukushi and she goes after Taiyo. Taiyo avoids her for a bit until Tsukushi catches her and elbows Taiyo off the apron. Nagashima charges Tsukushi but Tsukushi holds down the top rope, leading to Nagashima landing on the apron. Tsukushi tries to kick of Nagashima but Taiyo helps her hang on, finally Tsukushi is able to kick them both off the apron and the match is over! Tsukushi wins by Over The Top.

I assume there were some elements to this match that I didn’t get just parachuting in, with Taiyo helping Nagashima when she normally helps Tsukushi, but for a midcard nothing match it wasn’t worth my trouble scrolling through websites to try to figure it out. Or it was just random anyway, who knows. I am sure some will love it but for me its just midcard filler, just too random and short to get excited about.

Itsuki Aoki and Ryo Mizunami vs. Miyuki Takase and Nanae Takahashi

Miyuki and Itsuki start off, they lock-up and exchange holds until Miyuki gets Itsuki to the mat with a headlock. Itsuki gets out of it and the two return to their feet, quickly going into an elbow exchange. Hard shoulderblock by Itsuki, she goes off the ropes but Miyuki catches her with a dropkick. They tag out as Nanae and Ryo come in, they lock knuckles and go into a Test of Strength but break cleanly. Waistlock by Ryo but Nanae gets away and gets Ryo to the mat, kicks to the leg by Nanae and she puts Ryo in a necklock. Nanae tags Miyuki, Ryo quickly gets in control however and tags in Itsuki. Itsuki sets up Miyuki in the ropes and hits a body avalanche, double knee strike to the back by Itsuki and she covers Miyuki for two. She tags in Ryo, Ryo chops Miyuki into the corner and invites Itsuki to hold Miyuki so she can dance her way into a running lariat. Ryo picks up Miyuki but Miyuki fights back with elbows, Irish whip by Ryo to the corner but Miyuki rebounds out with a missile dropkick. Nanae runs in and they both chop Ryo in the corner, lariat by Miyuki but Ryo fights them both off with shoulderblocks and a double spear.

Elbows by Ryo to Miyuki but Miyuki hits a headbutt and applies a modified armbar on the mat. Itsuki tries to break it up but Nanae cuts her off, Miyuki keeps the hold on but Ryo eventually makes it to the ropes. Dropkick off the second rope by Miyuki and she hits a lariat followed by a cutter for a two count. Miyuki tags Nanae, lariat by Nanae in the corner but Ryo blocks the backdrop suplex attempt. Chops by Nanae but Ryo returns fire, jumping kick by Nanae and she covers Ryo for two. Lariat by Nanae but Ryo headbutts her, Ryo goes for a suplex but Nanae elbows her off. Overhead belly to belly suplex by Ryo and she hits a spear on Nanae for a two count. Ryo goes off the ropes but Nanae avoids her charge and hits a release German. Ryo quickly gets up and levels Nanae with a lariat, but Nanae returns the favor and both wrestlers end up down on the mat. Ryo gets to her corner and tags Itsuki, Itsuki throws Nanae in the corner and hits an elbow followed by a face crusher. Nanae chops Itsuki but Itsuki hits a lariat in the corner, she goes to the apron but Miyuki grabs her before she can do anything. This gives Nanae time to recover, she joins Itsuki and hits a superplex for a two count. Miyuki comes into the ring and hits a Kamikaze in front of the corner, Nanae goes for a body splash but Itsuki rolls out of the way.

STO by Itsuki but Nanae gets back to her feet quickly only to get hit with a side slam from Ryo. Ryo and Itsuki both grab Nanae and slam her to the mat, Miyuki runs in but she gets thrown on top of Nanae. Itsuki goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp, cover by Itsuki but Nanae gets a shoulder up. Bridging vertical suplex by Itsuki, but that gets a two count as well. Itsuki gets Nanae on her shoulders but Nanae wiggles off, Miyuki comes in but Nanae kicks her in the face by accident. Spear by Itsuki to Nanae, and she covers her for two. Backdrop suplex by Nanae, she goes off the ropes but Itsuki catches her with a lariat for another two count. Itsuki goes off the ropes but Nanae hits a hard lariat of her own, Nanae picks up Itsuki but Ryo runs in. Nanae lariats Ryo while Miyuki comes in and hits a spear onto Itsuki. Nanae goes back to Itsuki and drops her with a reverse piledriver, but Ryo breaks up the cover. Lariat by Nanae to Itsuki, and she covers her for the three count! Nanae Takahashi and Miyuki Takase are the winners!

Even though this won’t end up on anyone’s MOTY list, it was a solid match. The best thing I can say about it is that even though it was 18+ minutes, the match never slowed down or had any moments that dragged, they just kept the action going from bell to bell. Nanae Takahashi is an acquired taste – she still has an old school 90s mindset and no-sells quite a bit, and long term selling isn’t really her thing. That is not to say she doesn’t sell at all, she does, but its on her own terms. I’d have liked for one of the younger wrestlers to get the pin rather than Nanae, but again that’s part of the deal too. Anyway, a good fast paced match with four quality wrestlers, even if the structure may not have been perfect.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Sareee and Yoshiko

Sareee and Arisa start the match, they go into a Test of Strength with Sareee ending up with a wristlock. Arisa gets out of it and applies a side headlock, Sareee tries to Irish whip out of it but Arisa keeps a hold of her hair. Irish whip by Arisa but Sareee blocks it and hits an elbow, with Arisa quickly returning the favor. Dropkick by Sareee, she goes off the ropes but Tsukasa runs in and Best Friends dropkick Sareee. Yoshiko also comes in and lariats both opponents, sending them out of the ring. Sareee goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out of the ring onto Arisa and Tsukasa, Sareee slides Arisa back into the ring and delivers a dropkick. Scoop slam by Sareee, and she covers Arisa for two. Sareee tags Yoshiko, Yoshiko grabs Arisa by the hair and tosses her to the mat. Bootscrapes by Yoshiko and she delivers a running boot to Arisa’s face, she picks up Arisa but Arisa kicks her in the stomach. Arisa goes off the ropes but Yoshiko catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, Sareee runs in and hops on Yoshiko’s back while Yoshiko hits a splash. Sareee goes back to the apron so that Yoshiko can tag her in, kicks by Sareee to Arisa but Arisa blocks the suplex attempt as the two trade footstomps. Stomps by Sareee and she puts Arisa in a crab hold, she lets go after a moment and stomps more on Arisa. Dropkick by Sareee and she tags Yoshiko, kicks by Yoshiko to Arisa and she hits a running knee. Cover by Yoshiko, but it gets a two count. Yoshiko picks up Arisa, strike combination by Yoshiko but Arisa catches her with a bridging powerslam for two.

This gives her time to tag in Tsukasa, dropkick by Tsukasa to Yoshiko as Sareee runs in, but Tsukasa fights them both off. Tsukasa stacks them in the corner and hits a dropkick, kicks to the back by Tsukasa to Yoshiko but Yoshiko ducks the PK. Arisa runs in and boots Yoshiko instead, German suplex by Arisa to Yoshiko and Tsukasa applies a jackknife cover for two. Tsukasa goes for the Infinity but Yoshiko blocks it, Yoshiko gets Tsukasa on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop while Sareee hits a neckbreaker. Sareee gets on the second turnbuckle while Yoshiko hits a running senton, following with a diving footstomp. Reverse Splash by Yoshiko, but it gets a two count. Yoshiko tags Sareee, dropkick by Sareee to Tsukasa but Tsukasa flips away from her and kicks her in the chest. Sareee and Tsukasa trade elbows until Sareee catches Tsukasa with a fisherman suplex hold for two. Sickle Hold by Sareee to Tsukasa while Yoshiko keeps Arisa busy, Sareee lets go after a moment and stomps on Tsukasa. Sareee goes for a suplex but Tsukasa lands on her feet and kicks Sareee in the back. Tsukasa gets Sareee on her shoulders but Yoshiko comes in and saves her, Yoshiko throws Sareee at Tsukasa but Tsukasa dropkicks both of them. PK by Tsukasa to Sareee and she tags Arisa, Arisa goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick. German suplexes by Arisa to Sareee, but the last one she holds only gets two.

Arisa goes up top but Yoshiko grabs her from the apron, Sareee joins Arisa but Tsukasa runs in and dropkicks Sareee from behind. Arisa plants Yoshiko with a DDT on the apron, while Tsukasa goes up top with Sareee and hits a footstomp while Sareee is in the Tree of Woe. Arisa goes back up and hits a diving footstomp, but Sareee gets a shoulder up on the cover. Arisa knees Sareee while she picks her up, Arisa and Sareee trade elbows, lariat by Arisa but Sareee nails a dropkick. Sareee hits two more dropkicks before Yoshiko hits one as well from the apron, Sareee goes up top and hits a diving footstomp onto Arisa for a two count. Yoshiko rolls in and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Tsukasa runs over and kicks her off before she can do anything. Running double knee by Arisa to Sareee and she hits a trapped German for two. Yoshiko lariats Tsukasa but Tsukasa drops her with the Infinity, and all four wrestlers are down on the mat. Sareee and Arisa trade elbows as they get back up, German suplex hold by Sareee but Arisa kicks out. Sareee drops Arisa with a pair of Uranages, but again she can only get a two. Yoshiko comes in and holds Arisa while Sareee goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Sareee then picks up Arisa so that Yoshiko can hit a diving lariat, cover by Sareee but Tsukasa breaks it up. Sareee grabs Arisa but Arisa elbows her off, Yoshiko tries to help but she lariats Sareee by accident. Arisa catches Sareee with a half and half suplex hold for two. Arisa picks up Sareee and hits her with elbows, Tsukasa handles Yoshiko while Arisa hits a German suplex. Leg clutch suplex by Arisa, but that gets a two count as well. Arisa drags Sareee to her feet and plants her with the DxD Suplex Hold, and she picks up the three count! Best Friends win!

I wouldn’t have minded if they had gone a few more more minutes, but this was a great match. Understandably since it was her Anniversary match, Arisa Nakajima did the bulk of the work for her team while Sareee did the same for hers, with Yoshiko and Tsukasa being pushed back to support roles. For a sub-20 minute match, they squeezed a lot into it, and even though I called the last match non-stop action this one took it to another level. What is impressive is not just the constant violence but how smooth it all was, with not a miscommunication or awkward moment in sight as there was just always something going on. And of course the hits were snug and the suplexes tight, as there was no weak link in this match when it comes to execution. I wouldn’t quite put it at the MOTYC level as it felt like they had more to give (especially since two partners still felt fresh), but still a very entertaining match.  Highly Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG 2021 Opening Match on 1/11/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J “Fight Together”
Date: July 12th, 2020
Location: Kame Dojo in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 30

While some promotions are just slowly adding wrestling events to their schedule in this new pandemic world we live in, PURE-J is ramping them up as they have already had five events since the beginning of June. This is a very recent show of theirs and was distributed on their new streaming website. Not a big card as there are no title matches, but it does have three singles matches which I tend to prefer. Here is the full card:

• Crea vs. Rydeen Hagane
• AKARI and Leon vs. KAZUKI and Momo Tani
• Hanako Nakamori vs. HIRO’e
• Manami Katsu vs. Mari Manji

All matches are shown in full, the wrestlers on the card have profiles on Joshi City and you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Crea vs. Rydeen Hagane

They trade waistlocks to start, Rydeen gets Crea to the mat and puts her in a stretch hold. Crea gets out of it and the two return to their feet, kick by Rydeen and she applies a wristlock. Crea reverses it but Rydeen reverses it back as they trade holds, Rydeen slams Crea’s head into the mat before stomping on her. Rydeen throws down Crea by the hair and kicks her into the corner, she goes for a slam but Crea reverses it into a cradle for two. Crea sits on Rydeen’s back before putting her loosely in a submission hold, Rydeen gets back up and hits a trio of hard shoulderblocks for two. Scoop slam by Rydeen and she hits a body press for another two count, she picks up Crea and throws her into the corner. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a body avalanche, she goes for a powerbomb but Crea gets out of it. She goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a backbreaker, crab hold by Rydeen but Crea gets into the ropes for the break. Rydeen butt bombs Crea to the mat before rolling her over for a two count, she picks up Crea but Crea hits a series of elbows. Rydeen clubs her to the mat for her trouble, Crea fights back again but eats another club to the back. Irish whip by Rydeen but Crea hits a dropkick, she hits a second and a third but Rydeen stays on her feet. Elbows by Crea and she hits an armbreaker, she goes for a second but Rydeen blocks it and applies a sleeper. Crea quickly gets out of it and dropkicks Rydeen in the corner, jumping elbow by Crea and she finally dropkicks Rydeen off her feet for a two count cover.

Crea goes for the cross armbreaker, Rydeen blocks it so Crea applies a seated armbar instead. Rydeen muscles out of the hold but Crea kicks her in the arm, Crea gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick. She goes up top and hits another missile dropkick, cover by Crea but it gets a two. Crea quickly applies a double armbar, she lets go after a moment and goes for the double wrist armsault but Rydeen blocks it. Crea goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a powerslam for a two count. Rydeen picks up Crea but Crea elbows out of the uranage, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen spins her onto her shoulders and puts her in the Argentine Backbreaker. She tosses her off after a moment and hits a lariat, Samoan Drop by Rydeen and she positions Crea in front of the corner. Rydeen gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the Reverse Splash, but Crea barely kicks out. Rydeen goes all the way up but Crea avoids the Reverse Splash attempt, lariat by Rydeen but Crea schoolboys her into the ropes. Crea goes for another cradle, but this time she gets a two count. Crea picks up Rydeen and delivers the double wrist armsault, but Rydeen barely gets a shoulder up. Crea goes off the ropes but Rydeen pushes her off and hits a lariat, she picks up Crea but Crea quickly rolls her up for two. Crea goes off the ropes but Rydeen hits her with a hard lariat, she picks up Crea and drops her with the uranage for the three count! Rydeen Hagane is the winner.

This was clunky at times but in the end probably accomplished its goal which was to make Crea look somewhat credible before losing to the veteran. There is a reason that Rydeen never really elevated up the card – she is solid enough but not great, and struggles to elevate less experienced wrestlers. Her power moves look good but some of the transitions and sequences didn’t come off well and it was pretty disjointed. It probably went a tad longer than it needed to, at almost 12 minutes, as they didn’t have a ton of ideas. Crea did get her spots in and had some nearfalls, its too early in her career to know if she will be a quality wrestler down the road but she isn’t quite there yet. Not bad for an opener, but still a skippable match.

AKARI and Leon vs. KAZUKI and Momo Tani

Momo and AKARI start things off, they trade holds but ultimately reach a stalemate. Armdrag by Momo and she applies a reverse chinlock, but AKARI gets into the ropes for the break. Shoulderblocks by AKARI but Momo kicks out of the cover, and AKARI tags in Leon. Leon throws Momo into the corner and hits a dropkick, scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton for two. Leon picks up Momo but Momo reverses the slam attempt into a cradle, dropkick by Momo and she tags KAZUKI. Knees by KAZUKI in the corner as she knees Leon around the ring, AKARI comes in however and with Leon they dropkick KAZUKI off her feet. Running kneedrop by Leon and AKARI hits one as well, Leon tags AKARI and AKARI delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by AKARI but KAZUKI quickly kicks out of the cover, she goes for a slam but KAZUKI blocks it and hits one of her own. KAZUKI tags Momo, Irish whip to the corner by Momo and she hits a jumping knee. AKARI blocks the slam attempt but KAZUKI comes in to help, they both go for a vertical suplex but AKARI blocks it.

Leon comes in but KAZUKI and Momo both hit Codebreakers on their respective opponents, running double knees by KAZUKI and Momo and they both drop knees onto one opponent’s back. Double Irish whip and both Momo and KAZUKI hit knees, Leon rolls out of the ring and Momo knees AKARI in the back of the head. Cover by Momo, but AKARI kicks out. Momo goes off the ropes but AKARI hits a drop toehold, she keeps Momo’s legs wrapped up in a submission but Momo makes it to the ropes. Northern Lights Suplex by AKARI, but it gets a two count. She tags Leon, shoulder tackle by Leon in the corner but Momo blocks the double underhook. Knees by Leon but Momo elbows her back, hard elbow by Leon and the two trade blows. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Leon and she puts Momo in a crab hold but it gets broken up, Leon goes off the ropes but KAZUKI knees her from the apron. Backstabber by Momo to Leon and she puts her in a stretch hold, but AKARI breaks it up. Momo grabs Leon and hits a swinging neckbreaker, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double knee for two. She tags in KAZUKI but Leon knees her, KAZUKI knees her back but Leon tosses her into the corner.

Leon goes up top but KAZUKI avoids her dive, spear by Leon and she covers KAZUKI for two. Leon tags AKARI, AKARI goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for two. AKARI goes for the cross armbreaker but KAZUKI gets out of it, stomp by KAZUKI but AKARI elbows her in the corner. She goes for a suplex but KAZUKI blocks it, knees by KAZUKI but AKARI hits a pump kick. AKARI rolls KAZUKI to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Momo quickly breaks it up. KAZUKI gets AKARI onto her shoulders and hits a cutter, cover by KAZUKI but Leon breaks it up. KAZUKI drags AKARI to the corner and gets on the second turnbuckle, but AKARI avoids her double knee and cradles her for two. Leon spears KAZUKI, AKARI follows with a Tiger Feint Kick before cradling KAZUKI again for a two count. Momo distracts Leon and AKARI, giving KAZUKI time to recover and hit a Codebreaker on both of them. Double running knee strike by KAZUKI and Momo, and KAZUKI covers AKARI for two. KAZUKI goes off the ropes and drills AKARI with the K Sword, and she gets the three count! KAZUKI and Momo Tani are the winners!

This was a step up from the last match. Momo wrestling like a mini-KAZUKI is interesting, they have teamed before so clearly she has rubbed off on her as they hit similar moves. KAZUKI throws a lot of knees but not all of them well, for a move to spam honestly the knee to the midsection isn’t the most interesting so I wish there was a bit more variety in her offense. Leon looked great as she tends to, the match just kinda lacked a story or flow to it. For a midcard tag it was perfectly fine but probably forgettable at the end of the day.

Hanako Nakamori vs. HIRO’e

HIRO’e gets a jump on Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the corner and throws HIRO’e down by the hair. HIRO’e returns the favor, they trade kicks and shoulderblocks until HIRO’e shoulderblocks Hanako to the mat. HIRO’e picks up Hanako and hits a vertical suplex, cover by HIRO’e but it barely gets two. Back up, kick by Hanako and she snapmares HIRO’e before kicking her in the back. Kick to the chest and leg drop by Hanako, she picks up HIRO’e and kicks her in the corner. Hanako charges HIRO’e but HIRO’e moves, elbow by HIRO’e but Hanako avoids her shoulder tackle attempt. HIRO’e rebounds out of the corner with a crossbody for two, she picks up Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the leg. HIRO’e elbows her back as they trade strikes, Codebreaker by HIRO’e and she dropkicks Hanako while she is against the ropes. HIRO’e picks up Hanako but Hanako blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, HIRO’e goes off the ropes but Hanako drops her onto the second rope and boots her from the apron. Hanako goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hanako but it gets two. Hanako applies an armbar but HIRO’e gets to the ropes, running boot by Hanako and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but HIRO’e elbows her before she can jump off.

They trade elbows while Hanako is still sitting on the top turnbuckle, headbutt by Hanako and she goes for a powerbomb out of the corner, but HIRO’e blocks it and hits a Codebreaker. HIRO’e goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, Northern Lights Suplex by HIRO’e but Hanako kicks out. HIRO’e picks up Hanako, Hanako blocks the suplex at first but HIRO’e eventually hits the German suplex. Hanako immediately gets up and hits a German suplex of her own, but HIRO’e returns with a backdrop suplex followed by a German suplex for a two count cover.  Elbows by HIRO’e and hits the spear, but Hanako gets a shoulder up. Sunset flip by HIRO’e, but that gets a two count as well. Kasadora by HIRO’e, but again Hanako kicks out. Boot by Hanako and she kicks HIRO’e in the head again, but HIRO’e reverses her cover attempt into one of her own for two. After a failed cradle, HIRO’e charges Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the head. Another head kick by Hanako, but her cover only gets two. Hanako picks up HIRO’e and drops her with the Requiem Driver, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori wins!

I am not sure the nice way to say this, nor am I sure if I should even bother try to say it nicely, but there is a reason HIRO’e stayed in the WAVE midcard for her entire 5+ year career. She is spectacularly average, bringing little to the table. That’s not to say she is bad, as her fundamentals are solid and unlike in the last two matches there weren’t any miscommunications or times where a wrestler looked out of place. But she doesn’t leave a strong impression. They tried to tell a bit of a story, with the underdog HIRO’e trying to sneak in a win against the highly ranked Hanako, but Hanako wasn’t really bothering with any sort of long term selling so most of her hope spots were quickly dashed when Hanako easily took back over control. She was “trying” to make HIRO’e look good but in the end she didn’t really, since none of HIRO’e’s offense had any impact beyond the moment. The ending came out of nowhere, as HIRO’e had been in pretty good shape, which just hammers in my previous point. Overall it wasn’t bad, but in the end neither one came out looking any better than they came in and if this was anyone’s first exposure to Hanako they wouldn’t be too impressed.

Manami Katsu vs. Mari Manji

They circle before tying up, Mari gets Manami into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Manami grabs her and the two take turns with elbows, Mari throws Manami into the corner and delivers a running back elbow. Manami fires back with a lariat and a running boot, rolling cradle by Manami and she holds down Mari for a two count cover. Mari is pretty dizzy after being rolling around for so long as Manami stomps on her, she picks up Mari and they try to shoulderblock each other over. Mari eventually grabs Manami and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Manami lands on top of her. Mari goes off the ropes and finally shoulderblocks Manami over, she picks up Manami but Manami reverses the backdrop suplex attempt into a bulldog. Double underhook by Manami but Mari gets out of it and the two trade strikes. Manami charges Mari but Mari chops her to the mat, she picks up Manami and puts her on the top turnbuckle before joining her, applying a modified dragon sleeper. She lets go after a moment and brings Manami back to the ring with a backdrop suplex, cover by Mari but it gets two. She puts Manami in an armbar but Manami gets to the ropes for the break, Mari picks up Manami and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Another leg sweep by Mari and a third, she puts Manami in a submission hold but again Manami gets to the ropes.

Mari picks up Manami but Manami pushes her off and hits a Stunner, boot by Manami and she hits a lariat. Running boot by Manami while Mari is against the ropes but Mari avoids the next one, Mari charges Manami and delivers a running elbow. Boot by Mari and she hits another one, followed by a dropkick. Mari picks up Manami but Manami snaps off a Samoan Drop, lariat by Manami and she covers Mari for two. Manami puts Mari in front of the corner and hits a Reverse Splash, cover by Manami but it gets a two count. Manami grabs Mari but Mari gets away and hits a vertical suplex, she rolls over Manami but Manami covers her for two. Jawbreaker by Mari and she rolls over Manami again, this time holding her down for a two count. Mari picks up Manami and hits a back bodydrop, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving senton for two. Mari picks up Manami and levels her with a back elbow, but Manami kicks out of the cover. Mari goes off the ropes but Manami catches her with a lariat, sliding lariat by Manami but Mari reverses the cover into one of her own for two. Manami kicks Mari in the head, she picks her up and hits a German suplex for a two count. Back up, uppercut by Manami and she nails the Orange☆Blossom for the three count! Manami Katsu is the winner.

This was the best match on the card, which may be a low bar but it was a fitting main event for a small dojo-style show. Its interesting that they are having Mari basically go 50/50 with Manami. Mari is actually older than Manami and has a slight size advantage, which may play into their thinking, or they think long term she has more potential as a title challenger. She’s pretty good in the ring, PURE-J doesn’t really do high workrate matches so she fits in well in the promotion that focuses on the basics. A good enough match, nothing that will blow you away but it flowed well and ended before it felt too stretched out.  Mildly Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together on 7/12/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Fight Together!
Date: June 7th, 2020
Location: Kame Dome in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 30

PURE-J isn’t a promotion I review very often, and there are a few reasons for this. One is, they normally don’t make tape a whole lot so they have less events available to review. They also aren’t very popular to Western fans, so no one reads the reviews. And finally, they are a very ‘basic’ promotion with no frills and limited talented wrestlers. While those are all good reasons, I am reviewing them today to try out their new streaming service on Filmuy. An expensive service, but a service nonetheless. One additional perk is this was actually filmed in front of a (small) audience, who I am sure will make little to no noise but its still nice to see them. Here is the full card:

• AKARI vs. Mari Manji
• Kurea vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Hanako Nakamori and KAZUKI vs. Leon and Manami Katsu

As this aired on PURE-J’s new streaming service, all matches are shown in full. You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City.

AKARI vs. Mari Manji

Mari gets AKARI in a wristlock to start, AKARI reverses it but Mari switches it back. Headscissors by Mari but AKARI gets out of it, snapmare by Mari and she applies a bodyscissors. AKARI reverses the hold into a front necklock and applies a leg submission hold, but Mari gets to the ropes for the break. AKARI goes for a slam but Mari blocks it and hits one of her own, elbow drops to the back by Mari and she throws down AKARI by the head. She throws her down again, Irish whip by Mari and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Another shoulderblock by Mari and she hits a third, crab hold by Mari but AKARI gets to the ropes to force a break. Mari throws AKARI into the corner and elbows her in the chest, Irish whip by Mari and she hits a running elbow. AKARI returns the favor in the opposite corner, AKARI applies an armbar over the top rope but lets go after a moment and the two trade strikes in the middle of the ring. Chops by Mari and she Irish whips AKARI, but AKARI hits a front dropkick. AKARI hits two more dropkicks, cover by AKARI but it gets a two count. AKARI picks up Mari but Mari blocks the suplex attempt, waistlock by Mari but AKARI elbows out of it. Mari goes for another suplex but AKARI blocks it, Mari drives AKARI back into the corner and she chops her in the chest.

Mari puts AKARI on the top turnbuckle and joins her, she puts Mari in a reverse necklock before letting go and dropkicking AKARI when she falls down into the Tree of Woe. Mari gets AKARI back to the mat and hits a side Russian leg sweep, she hits a second one before putting AKARI in a submission hold. AKARI inches to the ropes but Mari puts her in a crucifix cover for two. Mari goes for a backdrop suplex but AKARI reverses it and applies an ankle hold. She lets go after a moment, AKARI picks up Mari and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. AKARI gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a front dropkick, she goes all the way up the next time and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Armtrap crossface by AKARI but Mari manages to get a toe on the ropes for the break. AKARI picks up Mari but Mari blocks the suplex attempt and hits a vertical suplex of her own. They trade elbows as they slowly return to their feet, Irish whip by Mari but AKARI dropkicks her. Boot by AKARI and she cradles Mari for a two count cover. AKARI picks up Mari and hits a hard elbow, Tiger Feint Kick by AKARI and she puts Mari in La Magistral for two. AKARI goes off the ropes but Mari avoids her boot and delivers a backdrop suplex for two. Mari picks up AKARI hits hits a hard elbow, rolling cover by Mari and she picks up the three count! Mari Manji is the winner.

Mari and AKARI are both fundamentally sound, and this match showed that. There were some structure issues, like submission holds released for no reason to get to the next spot and an awkward moment or two, but when they got to the action it was solid. Their progression will be slow due to being in a lower level promotion but both can hold their own and aren’t the worst less experienced wrestlers I’ve seen this year. Nothing overly memorable but perfectly fine for an opener with newer wrestlers.

Kurea vs. Rydeen Hagane

They get right into it trading holds, wristlock by Kurea buy Rydeen rolls out of it and snapmares Kurea. Kurea applies a quick crucifix pin which Rydeen kicks out of, Rydeen grabs Kurea and tosses her down by the hair. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a hard shoulderblock before putting Kurea in a Camel Clutch, she lets go after a moment and elbows Kurea in the chest. Kurea returns fire but Rydeen knocks her back to the mat, Kurea gets to her feet but is knocked down again. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a dropkick, cover by Kurea but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Rydeen and she hits a running body press for two. Rydeen picks up Kurea, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a body avalanche. She tries to Irish whip Kurea again but Kurea reverses it and hits an elbow, dropkicks by Kurea but Rydeen doesn’t go down. Hard shoulderblock by Rydeen but Kurea gets away from her and dropkicks Rydeen in the knee. Kurea dropkicks Rydeen while she is sitting on the mat, Irish whip by Kurea but Rydeen catches her with a backbreaker. Rydeen gets Kurea on her shoulders and puts her hanging in the corner, body avalanche by Rydeen and she hits a lariat. Crab hold by Rydeen, Kurea crawls to the ropes but Rydeen eventually lets go and picks her up.

Elbows by Kurea but Rydeen hits her to the mat, Kurea returns and elbows Rydeen repeatedly in the chest but she is knocked down again. More elbows by Kurea while Rydeen absorbs the blows, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a powerslam for two. Rydeen picks up Kurea but Kurea avoids the Rainmaker and kicks Rydeen in the arm, she does it a second time before twisting her arm in the top rope. Kurea takes down Rydeen and slaps on the cross armbreaker, Rydeen wiggles around Kurea ends up with a reverse armbreaker instead. Rydeen gets a foot on the ropes to force the break, Kurea goes up top and nails a missile dropkick, cover by Kurea but it gets two. Fujiwara Armbar by Kurea but Rydeen gets to the ropes for the break, Kurea picks up Rydeen but Rydeen blocks the double wrist armsault. Kurea elbows Rydeen’s arm and applies an armbar, but Rydeen muscles her up onto her shoulders with an Argentine Backbreaker. She tosses her off after a moment and hits a lariat against the ropes, Reverse Splash by Rydeen but Kurea barely kicks out. Kurea sneaks in a schoolboy for two, she goes for another flash pin but it gets two as well. Kurea applies an armtrap crossface but Rydeen is too close to the ropes, Kurea goes off the ropes but Rydeen drops her with a hard lariat. Rydeen goes for a sliding lariat but Kurea ducks, Kurea charges Rydeen but Rydeen catches her with a backdrop suplex for two. Rydeen picks up Kurea and gets her on her shoulders, sit-down powerbomb by Rydeen and she picks up the three count! Rydeen Hagane is the winner!

At first I was concerned as the match started really slow and plodding, looking like the type of match a wrestler may have in their debut. But about halfway through they kicked it up a notch, Kurea started fighting back with a plan and the rest of the way was pretty good. The arm work by Kurea was well done and was a realistic way for her to win, not trying to out-power Rydeen but taking a limb instead. Rydeen always looks competent with her power moves, she isn’t a high end wrestler but she can get by. If the whole match was at the tempo of the second half I could give the match a solid recommendation, but even as it is I was pleasantly surprised by the end result.  Mildly Recommended

Hanako Nakamori and KAZUKI vs. Leon and Manami Katsu

Manami and KAZUKI insist on starting the match, they lock up and Manami pushes KAZUKI into the ropes before giving a somewhat clean break. Side headlock by Manami but KAZUKI Irish whips out of it, they both try to knock each other over until KAZUKI succeeds. KAZUKI throws Manami into the corner, Irish whip but Manami prevents her charge. They tag out, Hanako and Leon circle each other and trade holds until they reach a stalemate. Back on their feet they trade strikes, Hanako goes off the ropes but Manami kicks her from the apron and gets in the ring. Hanako is double teamed in the corner, double boot by Leon and Manami and they put Hanako in the ropes so they can chop her from the apron. Scoop slam by Leon and she covers Hanako for two. Leon picks up Hanako and applies a sleeper, Hanako gets back to her feet but Leon tags in Manami. Scoop slam by Manami and she puts Hanako in a crab hold, she lets go after a moment and applies a Camel Clutch. She picks up Hanako and hits a double underhook into a backbreaker, Leon is tagged back in and she stomps Hanako around the ring. Leon throws Hanako into the corner and hits a running back elbow, Manami returns but KAZUKI comes in too and hits a double Codebreaker on both of them.

This gives Hanako a chance to tag her in, KAZUKI knees Manami against the ropes before hitting a running knee on Leon. Leon and Manami get the upper hand and hits a double shoulderblock, kneedrop by Leon to KAZUKI and Manami hits one as well. KAZUKI is thrown into the corner but she knees both of her opponents, KAZUKI clubs on Leon and gets her on her shoulders, but Leon blocks the cutter attempt and hits a double footstomp. She tags in Manami who hits a running footstomp as well, Manami goes off the ropes and boots KAZUKI in the side of the head. She tries to do it again but KAZUKI catches her foot, knees by KAZUKI and she tags Hanako. Hanako boots Manami repeatedly in the face, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. She goes up top again and hits a second one, cover by Hanako but it gets a two count. Fisherman Buster by Hanako and she hits a Shining Wizard, but Manami gets a foot on the ropes to break up the cover. Hanako goes up top but Manami ducks her dive, Leon runs in and kicks Hanako to the mat. Manami and Leon both put one opponent in a submission hold, they let go after a moment and Manami boots Hanako repeatedly in the head. Manami hits a Samoan Drop in front of the corner, Reverse Splash by Manami and she covers Hanako for two. German suplex hold by Manami, but KAZUKI breaks it up. Leon charges Hanako in the corner and hits a series of shoulder tackles, double underhook by Leon but Hanako spins out of it. Elbows by Leon, she goes off the ropes and elbows Hanako hard in the chest.

Hanako gets back up and kicks Leon, the two trade strikes until Leon gets Hanako to the mat and kicks her in the back. Head kick by Leon and she puts Hanako in the Texas Cloverleaf, but KAZUKI quickly breaks it up. Leon picks up Hanako, knees by Hanako and they trade elbows. Manami and KAZUKI tag themselves in when their teammates fall into their corner, face crusher by Manami but KAZUKI back bodydrops out of the double underhook. Manami returns the favor but KAZUKI hits another back bodydrop as well, hard elbow by Manami but KAZUKI returns fire with knees to the midsection. An elbow by Manami sends KAZUKI to the mat, she picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI blocks the German suplex. Hanako kicks Manami in the head and KAZUKI follows with a Code Breaker, running knee by KAZUKI and she covers Manami for two. KAZUKI goes up top but Manami uppercuts her and climbs the turnbuckle as well, Hanako grabs Manami from behind however and pulls her back into the ring. Diving Double Kneedrop by KAZUKI, but Leon breaks up the cover. Knees by KAZUKI but Manami catches her with a backfist, lariat by Manami and she covers KAZUKI for two. Manami goes up top and nails the diving elbow drop, but Hanako breaks up the cover. Knee by Hanako to Manami but Leon spears her, KAZUKI trades flash pins with Manami but neither can get the three count. Sliding lariat by Manami, she picks up KAZUKI and hits an uppercut. Lariat by Manami, and she covers KAZUKI for the three count! Leon and Manami Katsu are the winners.

One interesting thing is a match like this normally may have had a long ‘outside the ring’ brawling period, but since they are staying in the ring due to having the crowd there, they were almost forced to be more focused for almost 20 minutes. Aside from being unable to do dives (which isn’t really PURE-J’s style anyway) they weren’t holding back any and the pace stayed pretty high from bell to bell. There was lots of teamwork, as would be expected, and since they are all on about the same level there wasn’t a long control segment which led to more consistent action. Really solid match between four wrestlers that know what they are doing, it never really rose to the level of must-see action (probably not helped by the single cam setup) but a fitting main event for a small show.  Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together! on 6/7/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: SEAdLINNNG New Leaf!
Date: March 10th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 360

For a brief period in March, a few wrestling promotions in Japan held events in front of fans, and this was one of those shows. The crowd is small for a Korakuen Hall show but its still a nice break from watching events with empty stands. For the special occasion, SEAdLINNNG is putting on a big five match card, with a championship match and tag matches with some of the best Joshi Freelancers current available. Here is the full card:

• Honori Hana vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Leon vs. Misa Matsui vs. Tsukushi
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Syuri vs. Miyuki Takase and Ryo Mizunami
• ASUKA, Makoto, and Mima Shimoda vs. Kaho Kobayashi, Yoshiko, and Yuu
• SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship: Arisa Nakajima vs. Rina Yamashita

As this aired on NicoPro, all matches will be shown in full. All wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. This show has the annoying commentary box in the corner that I hate, but I will get through it the best I can.

Honori Hana vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

They go to shake hands to start, Honori goes for a headbutt but Tsukasa quickly ducks out of the way. Tsukasa starts on Honori’s arm but Honori reverses it a the two trade holds, they go off the ropes and Tsukasa takes down Honori with a side headlock but Honori gets out of it and the two return to their feet. Tsukasa boots Honori and hits a snapmare before kicking her in the back, Tsukasa applies a sleeper before switching it into a Camel Clutch. She lets go after a moment and stomps on Honori’s back, she tosses down Honori by the hair before ramming her into the corner a couple times. Honori finally has enough and elbows Tsukasa in the chest, but Tsukasa returns fire. Tsukasa charges Honori in the corner but Honori moves and schoolboys Tsukasa for two. Dropkicks by Honori, and she covers Tsukasa for two. Honori goes for a scoop slam but Tsukasa blocks it and puts Honori in an Octopus Hold. Honori gets into the ropes for the break but Tsukasa ties her up in the ropes and pulls on her nose. Dropkick to the back by Tsukasa, and she covers Honori for two.

Tsukasa throws Honori into the corner and dropkicks her in the chest, she charges Honori but Honori levels her with a shoulderblock. Honori pushes Tsukasa into the corner but Tsukasa avoids the headbutt, elbows by Honori but Tsukasa elbows her back as they trade shots. Tsukasa goes off the ropes but Honori dropkicks her, cover by Honori but it gets two. They trade waistlocks until Tsukasa rolls up Honori for two, Tsukasa quickly puts Honori in a crab hold but Honori makes it to the ropes for the break. Tsukasa stomps on Honori and drills her with a dropkick, she goes up top but Honori avoids the missile dropkick and goes for a few flash pins for two counts. Headbutt by Honori and she hits a scoop slam, cover by Honori but it gets two. Honori picks up Tsukasa and goes off the ropes, but Tsukasa connects with a dropkick. Tsukasa kicks Honori repeatedly in the back before hitting a PK, but Honori gets a shoulder up on the corner. Tsukasa goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, but again her cover gets two. Tsukasa puts Honori in the Gokuraku Hold, and Honori has to submit! Tsukasa Fujimoto is the winner.

Pretty basic as one would assume but decent enough. Honori got in more offense than I expected, she has more size than the average Joshi wrestler so that is likely why could hang better with Tsukasa even with her low experience. Building up to the headbutt spot was a unique aspect of a rookie match and they seem to be already putting that over as her big move, since headbutts are still seen as a bit risky I am curious to see if she sticks with that. I probably would have liked it better if Tsukasa has taken it to her a bit more, but not a bad opener.

Leon vs. Misa Matsui vs. Tsukushi

Tsukushi and Taiyo are goofing around in the corner as the match starts, Leon goes over to get them to stop and Misa dropkicks her from behind. Leon is briefly double teamed but it doesn’t last one, they all go for lariats but none are able to connect. Tsukushi dropkicks both of her opponents but Misa kicks her and applies a side headlock. Hard shoulderblock by Misa but Tsukushi kips up and hits an armdrag. She goes off the ropes and tries for the cover, but Misa kicks out. Tsukushi applies a submission but Leon breaks it up, Leon picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets away. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Leon but schoolboys her for two, Leon throws Tsukushi into the corner and then does the same with Misa. Leon charges in, Misa moves but Tsukushi eats the shoulder tackle. Leon and Misa Irish whip Tsukushi and Leon helps Misa boot her before they both take turns running over Tsukushi. Leon applies a crab hold to Tsukushi while Misa puts her in a chinlock, but Taiyo breaks it up. This makes Leon made and she elbows Taiyo, Irish whip by Leon but Taiyo applies the Momo Latch. Tsukushi runs in and dropkicks Taiyo, Misa goes for a cover on Leon but Leon reverses it into a kneelock. Tsukushi puts Leon in a headscissors at the same time while Taiyo is too hurt to do anything, but Misa makes it to the ropes to get the break.

Tsukushi and Leon trade elbow, Leon gets Tsukushi up but Tsukushi gets away with a side headlock takedown (she takes out Taiyo at the same time with a headscissors), Tsukushi dropkicks Leon while she is against the ropes before going up top and hitting a missile dropkick. Tsukushi applies a figure four leglock but Misa goes up top and debates who to dive down onto to. She eventually decides on hitting a diving footstomp onto Leon, they both stomp on Leon before squaring off against each other. Dropkicks by Misa, she goes off the ropes and hits a low crossbody. She goes off the ropes a few times and covers Tsukushi, but it gets a two count. Misa picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Misa applies a pin of her own but Leon breaks it up, Irish whip by ll to Misa but Misa puts Leon in an Octopus Hold. Tsukushi comes over and schoolboys both of them, but it only gets two. Leon goes for a suplex but Misa schoolboys her while she is in the middle of the move, Leon elbows Misa and hits a tilt-a-whirl slam on Tsukushi. Leon hits a spear on both opponents, she goes up top but Taiyo armdrags her back down to the mat. Dropkick by Taiyo to Leon, Misa and Tsukushi both go off the ropes but Tsukushi avoids Misa’s dropkick and applies La Magistral for the three count! Tsukushi is the winner! She jumps into Taiyo’s arms after the match so possible this was a rigged result.

Natsuki Taiyo has gotten more and more out of control in these matches, at some point she may as well just become an actual participant. This was what you’d expect, some people really enjoy these high speed matches and if you fall in that category you’ll probably enjoy this one too. Tsukushi is pretty great so anytime she is in a match I won’t complain too loudly, but there really isn’t a lot of substance to these matches. Perfectly fine for what it is and where it is on the card, just mindless fun.

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Syuri vs. Miyuki Takase and Ryo Mizunami

Syuri tries to prove to Hiroyo that she is committed to their team by stomping on a MAX VOLTAGE shirt after dancing around with them, but Hiroyo isn’t convinced as Miyuki and Ryo both attack Syuri. Syuri gets stomped down while Hiroyo watches, double Irish whip to Syuri and she gets hit with a double shoulderblock. Syuri is chopped into the corner by Miyuki and Ryo but take a break to dance some before Ryo hits a lariat. Ryo tags in Miyuki, lariat by Miyuki to Syuri and Ryo hits a scoop slam. Leg drop by Miyuki and she covers Syuri for two. Miyuki picks up Syuri but Syuri kicks her, snapmare by Syuri and she kicks Miyuki in the back. Syuri tries to tag in Hiroyo and Hiroyo relents, shoulderblock by Hiroyo to Miyuki and she chops her in the chest. Hiroyo goes off the ropes, Ryo tries to help but Miyuki hits her by accident. Miyuki then gets Hiroyo up on her shoulders and tosses her out of the ring down onto Ryo on the floor. Syuri comes over too and helps Hiroyo beat up MAX VOLTAGE, Hiroyo rolls Miyuki back in the ring and covers her for two. Hiroyo tags in Syuri, Syuri stomps down Miyuki in the corner, she brings Miyuki back to the middle of the ring and puts her in a stretch hold. Miyuki gets to the ropes so Syuri tags in Hiroyo, knee by Hiroyo to Miyuki and she covers her for two, Syuri backs back in and she jumps on Hiroyo’s back before Hiroyo hits a double kneedrop, cover by Hiroyo but it gets two.

Crab hold by Hiroyo but Miyuki crawls to the corner and makes it for the break. Hiroyo picks up Miyuki and hits a vertical suplex, she tags in Syuri and Syuri takes Miyuki to the mat. Syuri picks up Miyuki and Irish whips her, Miyuki goes for a dropkick but Syuri swats it aside. Miyuki grabs Syuri’s leg and elbows her, more elbows by Miyuki but Syuri knees her in the midsection. Syuri knees Miyuki into the corner, Irish whip by Syuri but Miyuki rebounds out of the corner with a missile dropkick. This gives her time to tag in Ryo, shoulderblock by Ryo to Syuri and she plans her with a powerslam. She goes off the ropes but Syuri delivers a knee, kicks by Syuri and she covers Ryo for two. Syuri tags Hiroyo, lariat by Hiroyo to Ryo but Ryo lariats her back. Vertical suplex by Hiroyo, she picks up Ryo but Ryo elbows her and they trade shots. Ryo finally knocks Hiroyo over with a spear, cover by Ryo but it gets a two count. She tags in Miyuki, dropkick by Miyuki and she chops Hiroyo into the corner. Irish whip by Miyuki and she hits a lariat in the corner, but Hiroyo knocks her back. Elbows by Miyuki and she delivers a tilt-a-whirl DDT for two. Miyuki tries to go off the ropes but Hiroyo grabs her, Miyuki frees herself but Hiroyo drops her with a backdrop suplex. Hiroyo tags Syuri, Syuri kicks Miyuki into the corner and hits a jumping knee, double underhook suplex by Syuri and she covers Miyuki for two. Syuri applies a crab hold with Hiroyo’s protection, but Ryo gets free and breaks up the hold. Hiroyo gets back to Ryo and puts her in a stretch hold while Syuri stays on Miyuki’s leg, but Ryo breaks free and clubs Syuri.

Double Irish whip to Ryo but Ryo hits a double spear, Miyuki picks up Syuri and both she and Ryo hit lariats. Spear by Ryo to Syuri, Miyuki picks her up and hits a vertical suplex, but Hiroyo breaks up the cover. Miyuki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving leg drop, but Syuri barely kicks out of the cover. Miyuki drags Syuri to her feet and hits another lariat, but Syuri ducks the next one and delivers a head kick. Both wrestlers crawl to their corners and tag out, hard lariat by Ryo and she covers Hiroyo for two. Ryo grabs Hiroyo but Hiroyo elbows her off, they trade lariat attempts but neither wrestler goes down. The struggle continues until Hiroyo finally knocks Ryo to the mat, cover by Hiroyo but it gets two. Hiroyo picks up Ryo and lariats her again, she goes for a powerbomb bur Ryo blocks it and Miyuki hits a missile dropkick. Hiroyo drops them both with a backdrop suplex, Syuri runs in and she knees Ryo in the corner. Hiroyo hits a reverse double kneedrop, running knee by Syuri and Hiroyo follows with a lariat, but Ryo barely kicks out of the cover. Hiroyo picks up Ryo and goes for the backdrop suplex, but Ryo blocks it. Hard elbow by Hiroyo but Ryo blocks it again, Syuri comes in but Ryo catches her with a Uranage. She hits one on Hiroyo as well, cover by Ryo but it gets two. Ryo goes off the ropes but Hiroyo catches her with a back elbow, they get up and both hit a lariat on the other, which sends both crashing to the mat. While they are lying there, the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Even without a winner, this was a quality match. They kept it simple which worked well – no outside the ring brawling, very little in the way of submission holds, they just took turns hitting each other for twenty minutes. For a non-title midcard tag match, that’s all that was needed here and they executed it. Miyuki can more than hold her own with these three wrestlers and it shows how much and how quickly she has grown, she’s certainly ready to break out and get higher on the Joshi Wrestler pecking order. Very few wrestlers hit as hard as Syuri, Hiroyo, and Ryo and none mind getting hit either, so I am sure that all were sore the next day. The commentary box in the corner of the screen will always be annoying, but still an entertaining match with hard hitting action.  Recommended

ASUKA, Makoto, and Mima Shimoda vs. Kaho Kobayashi, Yoshiko, and Yuu

Yuu and Shimoda start the match, Yuu pushes Shimoda into the ropes and goes for a lariat, but Shimoda ducks it. Yuu knocks her over with a shoulderblock anyway, they trade chops until Yuu hits another lariat, hard shoulderblock by Yuu and she tags in Kaho. Shimoda tags ASUKA, ASUKA and Kaho go into a fast exchange as Kaho goes for a spinning headscissors, but ASUKA lands on her feet. Yoshiko tags herself in but ASUKA bails out of the ring, Makoto comes in as the legal wrestler but Yoshiko knocks her down with a hard shoulderblock. Yoshiko tosses down Makoto by her hair and hits some bootscrapes followed by a running boot. Yoshiko goes for another one but ASUKA trips her from the floor, she gets in the ring with Shimoda and they all boot Yoshiko in the face. Makoto takes control of the match before tagging in Shimoda, Shimoda throws Yoshiko to the mat and pulls back on her hair. Shimoda steps on Yoshiko’s hands and tags in ASUKA, ASUKA goes up top and hits an ax handle onto Yoshiko’s arm. Snapmare by ASUKA and she delivers a sliding kick to Yoshiko’s face, picking up a two count cover. ASUKA and Yoshiko trade strikes, ASUKA throws Yoshiko into the corner but Yoshiko rebounds out with a lariat and makes the tag to Yuu.

Yuu clears the ring with shoulderblocks, Makoto and Shimoda try to help but Kaho gets in too and Las Fresa de Egoistas are all attacked in the corner. Yuu stays in and covers ASUKA, but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Yuu and she hits a sidewalk slam, running senton by Yuu and she covers ASUKA for two. Yuu chops ASUKA repeatedly in the chest but ASUKA hits a jumping kick and makes the tag to Makoto. Makoto boots Yuu in the corner and goes for a suplex, but Yuu drives her back into the corner. Diving crossbody by Makoto and she hits a double kneedrop for a two count. Yuu dropkicks Makoto back into the corner and nails the Cannonball, cover by Yuu but Makoto gets a shoulder up. Yuu tags in Kaho, Kaho picks up Makoto and trips her before hitting a dropkick. Kaho puts Makoto in an arm submission hold while her team protects her, but Makoto gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Kaho but Makoto reverses it and hits a double underhook suplex. Cartwheel kneedrop by Makoto, and she covers Kaho for two. Makoto tags Shimoda, they throw Kaho into the corner but Kaho gets away and armdrags Shimoda. Dropkick by Kaho to Makoto, she goes back to Shimoda but Shimoda traps her for a two count cover. Kaho kicks Shimoda in the leg and delivers a DDT, she picks up Shimoda but Shimoda blocks the fisherman suplex attempt and boots her. Yuu runs in and lariats Shimoda, dropkick by Kaho and she hits the fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Kaho tags in Yoshiko, boot by Yoshiko and she hits a senton on Shimoda for two. Yoshiko picks up Shimoda but Shimoda wiggles away, Yoshiko goes for a stretch hold but ASUKA comes in and breaks it up.

Yoshiko throws Shimoda into the corner but ASUKA cuts her off with a kick and Shimoda delivers a missile dropkick. Shimoda tags ASUKA, running boot by ASUKA and she hits a dropkick. Yoshiko goes after ASUKA but ASUKA punches her, moonsault off the ropes by ASUKA and her teammates come in so they can all hit running strikes in the corner. German suplex by ASUKA to Yoshiko, and she covers her for two. ASUKA picks up Yoshiko and goes for the chokeslam, but Yoshiko blocks it and they trade elbows. ASUKA goes off the ropes but Yuu runs in and tosses her, Yoshiko slams ASUKA to the mat but ASUKA kicks out of the cover. Yoshiko goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the diving senton, but the cover gets broken up. Shimoda and Makoto stay in but Yoshiko lariats both of them, lariat by Yoshiko to ASUKA and she covers her for two. Senton by Yoshiko, but again ASUKA kicks out of the pin attempt. Yoshiko goes for another lariat but ASUKA ducks it, superkick by ASUKA and she nails a spinning heel kick. Chokeslam by ASUKA in front of the corner, she goes up top but Yoshiko avoids the moonsault. Yoshiko goes for a lariat but ASUKA ducks it, ASUKA goes for the Asuka Fantasy but Yoshiko cuts it back into a cover and gets the three count! Yoshiko, Kaho Kobayashi, and Yuu are the winners.

A solid tag team match, with lots of teamwork from both sides so it didn’t feel like two random teams thrown together. This was really just done to further the ASUKA/Yoshiko feud and it was effective in that regard, with the two having several entertaining exchanges throughout the match. Its easy for wrestlers to get lost in six wrestler tags that don’t get a lot of time, as Yuu and Shimoda didn’t leave a strong impression, but neither held the match back either. There just wasn’t enough time for everyone since Yoshiko and Asuka were the focus. Fast paced and well worked, an entertaining match but ultimately nothing overly memorable.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Arisa Nakajima vs. Rina Yamashita
SEAdLINNNG Beyond the SEA Singles Championship

Rina attacks Arisa before the match starts while she still has her robe on, Rina elbows Arisa against the ropes but Arisa reverses an Irish whip and hits a snap dragon suplex. She finally gets her robe off and boots Rina while she is against the ropes. Arisa gets a bottle of water but Rina takes it from her and pours the water over Arisa’s head before spitting water in her face. Rina boots Arisa and elbows her in the corner, lariats by Rina and she covers Arisa with her boot for a one count. Scorpion Deathlock by Rina but Arisa makes it to the ropes for the break, Rina goes off the ropes and knees Arisa in the back. Cover by Rina, but it gets a two count. Rina kicks Arisa but Arisa fight back, scoop slam by Rina and she walks over Arisa. Rina goes for a backdrop suplex but Arisa lands on her feet and hits the Sling Blade. Arisa kicks Rina and boots her in the head, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. She goes up top again and hits another missile dropkick, German suplex hold by Arisa and she gets a two count. Arisa goes up top but Rina recovers and joins her, Arisa jumps off the turnbuckle however to the floor, snapping Rina’s neck on the ropes in the process. Arisa goes back up top and delivers a diving footstomp, cover by Arisa but it gets two. Arisa kicks Rina around the ring and knees her against the ropes, she picks up Rina but Rina fires off a strike combination. Rina picks up Arisa and elbows her, but Arisa elbows her back and they trade blows.

After a minute they both end up sending the other to the mat, and the referee begins the ten count. Both make the count and go back to trading blows, with Rina switching to lariats now and Arisa hitting boots. Arisa wins the battle and gets on the top turnbuckle, but Rina grabs her from behind and throws her into the turnbuckles. Rina waits for Arisa to get up but Arisa kicks away her lariat attempt, Rina nails one anyway but Arisa blocks the sliding lariat attempt. Arisa goes off the ropes but Rina hits another lariat, she follows with a short-range lariat but her cover gets two. Rina picks up Arisa but Arisa slides away from the Splash Mountain attempt and hits a trapped German suplex for two. Arisa kicks Rina in the chest and delivers a dragon suplex hold, but Rina barely gets a shoulder up. Arisa positions Rina and goes up top, moonsault by Arisa but it gets two. Arisa drags Rina to her feet, she traps her leg but Rina elbows out of the suplex attempt. Arisa goes for a hurricanrana but Rina reverses it with a powerbomb, sliding lariat by Rina but Arisa kicks out of the cover. Rina waits for Arisa to get up and delivers a lariat, but again Arisa kicks out. Rina picks up Arisa and goes for Splash Mountain, but Arisa reverses it into a cradle for two. Arisa quickly picks up Rina, traps her leg and delivers a German suplex hold for the three count pinfall! Arisa Nakajima wins and retains the championship.

I think the real impact of matches like these is lost some due to the one camera set up and the NicoPro box, but its still a really damn good match. These two just beat the hell out of each other, it is just hard to really appreciate it with the circumstances, which isn’t their fault of course but diminishes some of the enjoyment. The story was simple but well told, with Rina using lariats to set up the Splash Mountain that she was never able to hit, while Arisa finally wore down Rina enough to get the win with her version of the German suplex. With a different presentation this may have been one of the best Joshi matches of the year, but as it is, its still an enjoyable match that is worth your time.  Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG New Leaf! on 3/10/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Even though I am months behind in reviews, I had to jump ahead to take a look at this recent event from PURE-J. I am watching this event on NicoPro, a streaming service in Japan that streams wrestling events from a wide range of wrestling promotions (the show is no longer available on the service at the time of this review, since shows are only available for seven days). I have written a guide on how to sign up for NicoPro, highly recommended! Both the service and the guide. PURE-J Pure Slam Vol. 8 may not be the biggest show of the year for the promotion, but it does feature a championship match. Here is the full card:

• KAZUKI vs. Momo Tani
• AKARI and Kurea vs. Makoto and Moeka Haruhi
• Drake Morimatsu vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Leon and Miyuki Takase vs. Manami Katsu and Mari Manji
• PURE-J Openweight Championship: Hanako Nakamori vs. Rina Yamashita

As this aired on NicoPro, the matches are unclipped. It also has that annoying commentary box in the corner, which I will tolerate. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

KAZUKI vs. Momo Tani

They circle each other to start before tying up, they trade wristlocks until KAZUKI cranks on a headlock. Momo Irish whips out of it but KAZUKI shoulderblocks her down, KAZUKI picks up Momo but Momo dropkicks her to the mat. More dropkicks by Momo and she goes for a sleeper hold, she gets it locked in but KAZUKI doesn’t seem too bothered and wiggles out of it. Front necklock by KAZUKI, she lets go after a moment and clubs Momo in the back. Scoop slam by KAZUKI and she hits a running double kneedrop for a two count cover. Crab hold by KAZUKI, she lets go after a moment and flings around Momo by her hair. Snapmare by KAZUKI and she applies a sleeper, she then puts Momo in a bodyscissors before slamming her head-first into the mat. KAZUKI goes for a double underhook but Momo blocks it, knee to the stomach by KAZUKI but Momo boots her from behind. More knees by KAZUKI but Momo hits a running double knee strike while KAZUKI is against the ropes. KAZUKI recovers and knees Momo again, but Momo schoolboys her from behind for two. Back up they trade elbows, Backstabber by Momo and she hits a running double knee to the back of KAZUKI’s head. Multiple double kneedrops by Momo to KAZUKI’s back follow and she puts KAZUKI in a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and dropkicks KAZUKI in the side. More double kneedrops by Momo and she stretches KAZUKI again, she covers KAZUKI but it gets a two count.

Momo goes for a scoop slam but KAZUKI blocks it and hits one of her own, Momo throws KAZUKI into the corner but KAZUKI avoids her charge and knees her in the midsection. Another knee by KAZUKI, she puts Momo across the second rope in the corner and hits a double kneedrop to her midsection. Reverse double kneedrop by KAZUKI, but Momo kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI gets Momo on her shoulders but Momo slides off and hits a Codebreaker, but KAZUKI comes back with own of her own. KAZUKI picks up Momo but Momo slides away and hits the Somato for a two count. Momo goes off the ropes and hits another Somato, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double kneedrop for two. Momo picks up KAZUKI and knees her in the head, she goes off the ropes but KAZUKI gets her on her shoulders. Momo slides off and applies a sleeper hold, KAZUKI slams Momo back into the corner to get her off but Momo slides out to the apron and applies the sleeper over the top rope. Tessy gets her to break the hold, Momo gets back in the ring and cradles KAZUKI to the mat for two. Momo goes for another Somato but KAZUKI moves and knees Momo in the back of the head, double underhook facebuster onto her knee by KAZUKI but Momo barely kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI picks up Momo and delivers a Somato, but Momo again kicks out. KAZUKI positions Momo, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving kneedrop for the three count! KAZUKI is the winner.

So many knees in this match. Lots of knees. If you like knees, this is the match for you! This may be the first I’ve seen of Momo and she seems fine, KAZUKI is probably not the easiest wrestler to work with as Momo can’t do the same things to her she may be able to do to the Actwres girl’Z wrestlers, but there weren’t any noticeable mistakes or miscommunications. For a knee-fest it was decent enough, not a lot of rhyme or reason to it but not a bad way to open up the event.

AKARI and Kurea vs. Makoto and Moeka Haruhi

The rookies attack the veterans from behind before the match starts because of course they did, they isolate Makoto and both hit dropkicks. AKARI stays in with Makoto and applies an Argentine Backbreaker, but Moeka breaks it up. AKARI grabs Makoto and puts her in a stretch hold while tied up in the ropes, she lets go after a moment and covers her for two. Makoto fires back with a big boot and tags in Moeka, Moeka tosses AKARI down by the hair but AKARI knocks her to the mat with a shoulderblock. Armdrag by AKARI and she dropkicks Moeka near her corner before tagging in Kurea. Kurea applies a headscissors but Moeka gets out of it and applies a headlock, she brings Kurea to her corner and tags in Makoto. Makoto stands on Kurea’s midsection before bouncing her off the ropes, cover by Makoto but it gets a two count. Moeka is tagged back in and hits an ex handle to Kurea’s back, Moeka goes off the ropes and hits a footstomp for two. Moeka throws Kurea in the corner and tags in Makoto, Makoto throws Kurea into the corner and delivers a big boot. double kneedrops by Makoto and she covers Kurea for two. Makoto kicks at Kurea but Kurea comes back with a dropkick, she goes for a scoop slam and finally hits it for a two count. Kurea gets the hot tag to AKARI, dropkick by AKARI but Makoto boots her. AKARI gets on the second turnbuckle and applies an armbar, she lets go and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Irish whip by Makoto but AKARI blocks it and rolls her to the mat with kneelock. Makoto wiggles to the ropes to get the break, AKARI goes off the ropes but Makoto catches her with a double underhook suplex.

Cartwheel double kneedrop by Makoto, she covers AKARI but AKARI barely kicks out. Makoto tags Moeka, running knee by Moeka in the corner and the two trade elbows. AKARI applies a short armbar, Moeka tries to roll out of it but AKARI applies La Magistral for a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by AKARI, but that gets a two count as well. AKARI tags Kurea, lariat by Kurea and she hits a shoulderblock on Moeka for two. Kurea goes for a cross armbreaker but Moeka blocks it and applies a single leg crab hold. AKARI eventually breaks it up, Makoto comes in too but the veterans both eat dropkicks. Kurea stomps on Moeka but Moeka knees her in the stomach, cross armbreaker takedown by Kurea but Makoto breaks it up. Kurea gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, AKARI hits one as well and Kurea follows up with a final missile dropkick for a two count. Kurea goes off the ropes but Moeka drop toeholds her onto the second rope, she ties up Kurea and both she and Makoto kick her in the back. Running footstomp by Moeka, but Kurea kicks out of the cover. Moeka picks up Kurea but Kurea sneaks in a small package for two. Kurea tries a few more flash pins with no luck, wrist-clutch Northern Lights Suplex by Moeka but Kurea bridges out of the hold. Moeka gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp, but AKARI breaks up the cover. Makoto runs in to spear AKARI, Moeka goes up to the top turnbuckle this time and hits the diving footstomp for the three count cover! Makoto and Moeka Haruhi are the winners.

To be honest, this was far better than I was expecting. Sometimes having low expectations is the way to go. AKARI and Kurea both looked pretty smooth here considering their experience and they didn’t wrestle like rookies as they had a variety of moves at their disposal (especially AKARI) and had several near falls. Moeka can afford to be giving to rookies since no one takes her seriously anyway but I was surprised that Makoto was equally generous, it made for a far more even and competitive fight than I assumed it would be. Both teams worked together well and the match hummed along at a decent pace, they got enough time without it feeling like it went too long. For an undercard match with two rookies I was surprisingly entertained by this, AKARI and Kurea will stay under the radar as long as they are in PURE-J but both seem to have a pretty solid base knowledge of wrestling. All in all, pretty solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Drake Morimatsu vs. Rydeen Hagane

Drake and Rydeen give a halfhearted handshake before the match before attempting to shoulderblock each other over with neither having any luck. Drake clubs Rydeen but Rydeen finally manages to shoulderblock her down, with Drake immediately rolling out of the ring. Rydeen goes out after her but Drake throws her into the chairs at ringside, she rolls Rydeen back in and hits her with a baseball bat. Irish whip by Drake and she hits Rydeen with the baseball bat again, the referee chastises her but doesn’t do anything besides that. Rydeen kicks the baseball bat away from her and the two trade elbows, Drake wins the battle and kicks Rydeen against the ropes. Hammerlock by Drake, she twists Rydeen’s arm in the top rope and yanks down on it. Drake stomps on Rydeen’s arm before hitting a legdrop on it, Drake applies a submission hold but Rydeen gets a foot on the ropes. Wristlock by Drake, she lets go after a moment and elbows Rydeen in the head. Irish whip by Drake but Rydeen reverses it and hits a hip toss. Running body press by Rydeen, but Drake kicks out of it. Stomps by Rydeen, she goes off the ropes but Drake catches her with a lariat. Cover by Drake, but it gets a two count.

Drake keeps on Rydeen’s arm but Rydeen eventually throws her into the corner and hits a lariat. Rydeen goes for a powerbomb but Drake back bodydrops out of it, Rydeen grabs Drake again but Drake elbows her off. Rydeen hits a lariat but Drake stays up, Drake tries too but gets the same result. They both go off the ropes and lariat each other to the mat, Drake is up first and she gets a chair, hitting Rydeen in the back with it. Rydeen tries to take it from her but Drake doesn’t let her as the chair slides away, lariat by Drake but Rydeen literally drops her with a sidewalk slam. Rydeen goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse splash, but Drake gets a hand on the ropes. Rydeen goes all the way up top this time but Drake recovers and hits her, tossing Rydeen back to the mat. Facebuster by Drake, she cradles Rydeen but Rydeen gets a shoulder up. Drake picks up Rydeen but Rydeen hits a lariat, backdrop suplex by Rydeen and she covers Drake for two. Rydeen positions Drake and goes up top, but Drake rolls out of the way of the moonsault attempt. Lariat by Drake, but Rydeen kicks out of the pin. Drake picks up Rydeen and delivers the Michinoku Driver, cover by Drake and she gets the three count! Drake Morimatsu wins!

That was the longest ten minutes of my life. Its confusing to me that PURE-J would have Drake Morimatsu come in, a relic from the past but still a bit of a name for hardcore fans, and just have her pretty easily beat one of their better veteran hands. Its one thing if she beat a rookie, that’s part of the process, but Rydeen is no rookie. And it wasn’t a good match anyway, with Drake wasting a chunk of the match doing arm work that meant nothing, some awkward parts, and little in the way of drama. I’m not sure why this existed but it didn’t need to, no one needs to watch this unless they are just really curious to see Drake Morimatsu wrestle in 2019.

Leon and Miyuki Takase vs. Manami Katsu and Mari Manji

The opening handshake doesn’t go well as Manami and Mari immediately go on the attack, they double team their opponents in the corner and both hit body avalanches. Miyuki is isolated but Leon returns and she helps Miyuki take back control. Miyuki and Leon chop Mari repeatedly in the chest before Miyuki dropkicks Mari in the back, legdrop by Miyuki and she tags in Leon. Snapmare by Leon and she puts Mari in a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and dropkicks Mari into the corner. Mari recovers and the two trade chops, Irish whip by Leon but Mari sneaks in a schoolboy for two. This gives Mari time to tag in Manami, Manami drives Leon into the mat and puts her in the Mexican Surfboard, she lets go and elbow drops Leon in the back before covering her for two. Snapmare by Manami and she puts Leon in a bodyscissors, she rolls Leon around the ring while she is in the hold before stopping the roll for a two count pin attempt.  Manami goes for a backdrop suplex but Leon kicks off the ropes and hits a bulldog, giving her time to tag in Miyuki. Miyuki dropkicks Manami in the corner but Manami fires back with a lariat, big boot by Manami but Miyuki blocks the Bulldog and dropkicks her in the back. Sling Blade by Miyuki, Leon comes in and they both hit running strikes in the corner, double vertical suplex to Manami and Miyuki covers her for two.

Manami gets up and the two trade elbows, they reach as stalemate until Manami hits a Stunner followed by a Bulldog. superkick by Manami and she covers Miyuki for two. Manami tags Mari, shoulderblocks by Mari to Miyuki and she covers her for a two count. Mari goes off the ropes but Miyuki catches her with a powerslam, she rolls to her corner and tags Leon. Leon hits a running shoulder tackle in the corner, Mari pushes her away but Leon delivers the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Leon but Manami breaks it up, Leon picks up Mari and hits the butterfly suplex for two. Manami kicks Leon from the apron, Mari hits a side Russian leg sweep on Leon and puts her in a submission hold. Mari picks up Leon but Leon blocks the backdrop suplex, elbows by Mari and she knocks down Leon with a back elbow. Mari tags Manami, facebuster by Manami to Leon and she hits a double underhook facebuster. Manami then hits a slingshot double underhook suplex, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Leon avoids the Reverse Splash attempt. Mari comes in and they hit the Magic Killer, lariat by Manami to Leon but her cover only gets two. Manami goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop, but Miyuki breaks up the cover.

Manami picks up Leon but Miyuki runs in and dropkicks her, shoulder tackle by Leon to Manami and Miyuki delivers a missile dropkick. Leon hits a missile dropkick of her own, cover by Leon but Manami kicks out. Leon goes for the Capture Buster but Manami blocks it and hits a Stunner, Mari comes in but Leon hits a spear on both of them. Miyuki comes back and hits slams Manami in front of the corner before Leon delivers a Frog Splash, but Mari breaks up the pin. Leon picks up Manami, she goes off the ropes but Manami avoids her spear and hits a superkick. Uppercut by Manami, Leon goes off the ropes but Manami fists her in the face and tags Mari. Miyuki is also tagged in, elbow by Mari and she covers Miyuki for two. Mari throws Miyuki into the corner but Miyuki rebounds out of it with a missile dropkick, lariat by Miyuki and she hits a diving forearm off the second turnbuckle. Miyuki picks up Mari but Mari slides way, superkick by Manami to Miyuki but Leon kicks Mari. Backdrop suplex by Mari to Miyuki, she picks her up but Miyuki cradles her for two. Manami boots Miyuki to help, Mari cradles Miyuki but that gets a two as well. Mari goes off the ropes but Leon hits her with a shoulder tackle, lariat by Miyuki but the cover is broken up. Miyuki picks up Mari and hits a vertical suplex, but Mari gets her foot on the ropes when she goes for the pin. Miyuki positions Mari and goes to the second turnbuckle, hitting a diving legdrop for the three count! Leon and Miyuki Takase win the match.

A fun fast-paced match, with all the wrestlers doing their part. It was the good type of that Joshi tag team chaos, with wrestlers running in at will and the referee not really doing anything to discourage it, making the match pretty much non-stop action. This type of match rarely makes any ‘year end’ lists but are great for the midcard as they keep the viewers captivated. Miyuki looked great as she always does but no one felt like they were lagging behind, and Leon did a solid job of keeping everything together. There really was nothing wrong with it that I can think of, obviously the structure was all over the place and there really wasn’t a “story” (isolating the weakest wrestler, etc.), but still an enjoyable match to just sit back and watch.  Recommended

(c) Hanako Nakamori vs. Rina Yamashita
PURE-J Openweight Championship

Hanako and Rina start the match respectfully, no one is getting jumped in this one as they go into a knuckle-lock. Hard shoulderblock by Rina, she charges Hanako again but Hanako holds down the rope and Rina lands on the apron. Rina snaps Hanako’s neck on the top rope but Hanako dropkicks her in the back, sending Rina out of the ring. Hanako goes out after her and tosses Rina around ringside, she goes for a kick but Rina ducks and Hanako kicks the ring post. Lariat by Rina while Hanako is against the apron, she slides her back in and tosses Hanako down by the hair. Hanako doesn’t like that and snapmares Rina before kicking her in the back, Rina gets to her feet and elbows Hanako, she voluntarily sits down and lets Hanako kick her in the back in return. They go back and forth in such a manner until Hanako wins the duel, she picks up Rina but Rina scoop slams her. Rina puts Hanako in the ropes and knees her in the back, Rina elbows Hanako in the corner but Hanako avoids her charge and hits a heel kick. Big boot by Hanako but Rina fires back with a lariat, another lariat by Rina and she covers Hanako for two. Rina picks up Hanako but Hanako kicks her and tosses Rina into the ropes, Hanako goes to the apron and kicks Rina in the head, she gets up on the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Hanako twists Rina into a submission but Rina gets into the ropes, Hanako picks up Rina but Rina hits a vertical suplex.

Hanako goes off the ropes and kicks Rina in the chest, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Rina recovers and joins her. Hanako sends back to the mat with a chokeslam, she waits for Rina to get up and delivers a Shining Wizard for a two count. Hanako goes up top again and nails the Destiny Hammer, but again Rina kicks out of the cover. Hanako ascends the turnbuckle again but this time Rina rolls out of the way as she goes for a diving legdrop, they both are slow to recover and trade elbows when they return to their feet. High kick by Hanako and she hits a second one, she covers Rina but it gets a two count. Rina quickly gets Hanako’s back and applies a sleeper hold, but Hanako wiggles to the ropes and gets there to force a break. Rina kicks Hanako and hits a lariat, she goes off the ropes and hits a sliding lariat for a two count cover. Rina picks up Hanako but Hanako pushes her away, enzuigiri by Rina but Hanako fires back with one of her own. Release German by Rina, she picks up Hanako but Hanako hits a fisherman buster. Both are slow to get to their knees as they trade elbows, Hanako ducks a Rainmaker attempt but Rina still levels her with a lariat for two. Rina picks up Hanako and goes for Splash Mountain, but Hanako slides away. Hanako applies a short armbar but Rina rolls out of it, Hanako kicks Rina in the head but Rina knocks her down with a lariat. Jumping kick by Hanako, she picks up Rina and kicks her in the head. Buzzsaw Kick by Hanako, but Rina kicks out of the cover. Hanako picks up Rina and nails the Requiem Driver, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori wins and retains the championship!

As expected, this was an entertaining and hard hitting match. If you’ve seen any matches from these two, you know what to expect – lots of hard strikes with an occasional suplex or power move mixed in for good measure. They didn’t waste time with pointless submissions or limb work that would go nowhere, it was just two wrestlers throwing everything at each other for 20 minutes. There were some selling issues late, as there tends to be with this match style, and some of the transitions of control were suspect (or didn’t exist at all), but the time passed quickly and it felt like it ended about when it should have which this event has been good for. I also liked that Rina never hit the Splash Mountain, that’s her killer move and teasing it without landing it was the right way to go. A great main event for a smaller PURE-J show.  Recommended

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