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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hazuki and Kagetsu vs. Kaho Kobayashi and Takumi Iroha

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

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

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

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

CIMA and Jamie Hayter vs. Martina and Shigehiro Irie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hazuki vs. Natsuko Tora
Retirement Match

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

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

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

Hana Kimura vs. Giulia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Stardom Year End Climax 2019 on 12/24/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Goddess Of Stars 2019
Date: December 14th, 2019
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 365

While in the ideal world I’d like to catch up on all the Stardom I have missed, realistically that isn’t going to happen. So since I didn’t want to miss out on Hazuki’s last run before retiring, we will pick up at their big show from a few weeks ago, which was part of the Stardom Goddess of Stars tour. This is a pretty full card for a non-Korakuen Hall show, with seven matches and three singles matches. Plus, the main event brings us a tag title challenge, with Riho returning to Stardom to team with the young Starlight Kid. Here is the full card:

• Rina, Hina, and Ruaka vs. Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino
• AZM, Bea Priestley, Leo Onozaki, and Momo Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Martina, Natsuko Tora, and Natsu Sumire
• Giulia vs. Saki Kashima
• Andras Miyagi vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, and Tam Nakano vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas
• Hazuki vs. Kagetsu
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Riho and Starlight Kid

As this aired on Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. The wrestlers on the event have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Rina, Hina, and Ruaka vs. Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino

Ruaka and Itsuki start the match, elbows by Itsuki but Ruaka shoulderblocks her to the mat. She tags in Rina, Rina tosses Itsuki down by the hair a few times and stomps her in the corner. Hina is tagged in, scoop slam by Hina and she hits mounted elbows on Itsuki. Iida tries to help but Hina drop toeholds her onto Itsuki, the same happens to Kamitani before Hina jumps on top of the pile. We get back to just one vs. one as Hina trades elbows with Itsuki, Itsuki goes off the ropes but Hina hits a judo toss for two. Hina goes for a scoop slam but Itsuki reverses it into a small package, dropkick by Itsuki and she tags in Iida. Chops by Iida in the corner, Ruaka and Rina both come in to help but Iida throws Rina into Ruaka and then dropkicks Ruaka out of the ring. Iida clubs Hina to the mat, cover by Iida but it gets two. Iida goes off the ropes but Hina catches her with a judo toss and tags in Rina. Iida dropkicks Rina and tags Kamitani, dropkick by Kamitani and she puts Rina in the Muta Lock. She lets go after a moment and applies a single leg crab hold, but Hina breaks it up. Ruaka and Iida both run in but are taken care of, Rina goes to Kamitani but Kamitani connects with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Kamitani and she covers Rina for two. Scoop slam attempt by Kamitani but Rina blocks it and tosses Kamitani to the mat. STO by Rina, and she covers Kamitani for two. Ruaka returns as Kamitani is thrown into the corner, dropkick by Rina and Ruaka boots Kamitani in the chest. Cover by Rina, but it gets a two count. Rina picks up Kamitani and applies a modified Octopus Hold, but Iida breaks it up. Rina and company are all hit with dropkicks, handstand into a kneedrop by Kamitani to Rina and she nails the running Shooting Star Press for the three count! Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino are the winners.

I wouldn’t consider this the smoothest match as there were some miscommunications and awkward moments, that’s one of the common issues when you have a rookie match without a veteran in it to tie things together. Some of the wrestlers looked ok (for rookies/children anyway) and its hard to complain too much about a six minute match, but probably not a match structure that put them in the best position to excel. Not actively bad, just rough around the edges.

AZM, Priestley, Onozaki, and Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Martina, Tora, and Sumire

Oedo Tai attacks before the bell rings as why wouldn’t they, Natsu ends up alone with Leo in the ring while everyone else battles outside of it. Natsu applies a front necklock while Oedo Tai controls the action in the crowd, scoop slam by Natsu and she puts Leo in a stretch hold. AZM runs in and breaks it up, Natsuko and Jamie toss AZM out of the ring as Martina comes in as the legal wrestler. Sidewalk Slam by Martina, but AZM breaks up the cover and tries to get Leo back to her corner. She gets cut off, Martina tags in Natsu and Natsu stomps on Leo’s back. Leo fights back with elbows and they trade shots, Natsu gets the better of it and throws Leo into the corner. Bronco Buster by Natsu, Martina comes in the ring but AZM cuts her off with a dropkick. AZM kicks Natsu in the head but again gets stopped from getting Leo back to her corner, Natsuko sets up Leo in the ropes and all of Oedo Tai pose around her. Jamie is tagged in, scoop slam by Jamie and she covers Leo for two. Jamie picks up Leo but Leo elbows her, more elbows by Leo and Bea runs in with an elbow to Jamie as well. Leo finally makes it to her corner and tags in Bea, Martina tries to help but AZM also comes in and and she drops both Jamie and Martina. Double dropkick by Bea and she nails Jamie with a running knee for a two count cover. Bea tags in Momo, Momo goes for a suplex but Jamie blocks it. Momo gets Jamie’s back but Jamie reverses position and hits a side slam onto her knee.

She tags Natsuko, spear by Natsuko to Momo and she delivers a spinning backfist. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the head, another head kick by Martina and she goes for the cover, but moves when Natsu runs in to try to interrupt it. Martina also tries to help but fails, Natsuko runs in but she lariats Natsuko by accident. Running kick by Momo to Natsuko, she tags in Leo and Leo hits a jumping elbow in the corner followed by a cutter. A second cutter by Leo and she covers Natsuko for a two count. Elbows by Leo but Natsuko grabs her from behind and stomps on her. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Bea catches her with a jumping knee, Somato by Momo to Natsuko before Leo covers her, but the pin is broken up. Leo tries to throw Natsuko in the corner but Natsuko reverses it, stomp by Leo and she hits a scoop slam for two. Leo picks up Natsuko and the two trade elbows, Leo elbows Natsuko into the corner but Natsuko avoids her charge and the rest of Oedo Tai all run into elbow her in the corner. Boot by Natsu before Martina hits a Codebreaker on Leo, Samoan Drop by Natsuko but Momo breaks up the cover. Natsuko picks up Leo but Leo reverses the slam attempt into a small package for two. Leo goes off the ropes but Natsuko connects with an elbow, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Natsuko and she goes up top, nailing the diving body press. Cover, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins the match.

Reddit will get mad at me but the main person holding this match back was Leo. Leo was part of the only real mistake of the match and a few smaller miscommunications, she is just a step behind everyone else in the match. Plus, slow beatdowns of rookies/young wrestlers isn’t incredibly entertaining and that was the bulk of the match. When the other wrestlers were the focus the match was pretty fun, and Bea looked great, but some wrestlers got to do virtually nothing just due to the time length and the structure of the match. Some good offense here and there, but overall it was lacking intrigue and cohesion.

Giulia vs. Saki Kashima

Giulia offers her hand to Saki for a nice handshake, but attacks her instead as they get right to it. Giulia goes for the Glorious Buster but Saki slides out of it, and the two reach an early stalemate. They go into a knucklelock and trade wristlocks, Giulia gets Saki to the mat and applies a crossface which she switches to a headlock when Saki retains her footing. Saki reverses that into a headscissors but Giulia quickly gets out of it, Saki returns to her feet and elbows Giulia against the ropes. Giulia returns fire as they trade blows, Saki throws down Giulia by the hair and goes off the ropes, booting Giulia in the head. Saki goes off the ropes again but this time Giulia catches her with a face crusher, Giulia picks up Saki and throws her into the corner. Giulia knees Saki before dragging her back to her feet, snapmare by Giulia and she applies a reverse chinlock, but Saki wiggles to the ropes for the break.

Giulia throws Saki into the corner but Saki jumps up on the turnbuckle and hits a flying headscissors, boot by Saki and she covers Giulia for two. Saki picks up Giulia and they trade elbows, big boot by Giulia but Saki comes back with a boot of her own and covers Giulia for a two count. Double underhook by Saki but Giulia back bodydrops out of it, both go for quick cradles on the mat but have no luck. Giulia catches Saki’s leg and quickly puts her in the STF, however Saki gets to the ropes for a break. Giulia goes for an elbow but Saki avoids it and delivers a double underhook facebuster for two. Both wrestlers go for their finishers but their opponent slides away, Giulia trips Saki and puts her back in the STF. Saki manages to get a hand on the ropes to get the break, Giulia goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the missile dropkick but Saki reverses her cover into one of her own for two. Giulia is up first and boots Saki, vertical suplex slam by Giulia but Saki barely kicks out of the cover. Giulia picks up Saki and delivers the Glorious Buster, and she picks up the three count! Giulia wins the match.

While I am happy to see Giulia again and this match was fundamentally solid, it had its sloppy moments and took some time to get going. I’m fine with matches starting slow and on the mat, but in a shorter match it just didn’t leave them a lot of time left once things heated up. The last few minutes were good but even then there were a few spots that didn’t look as smooth as would be ideal. It may take some time for Giulia to get chemistry with the Stardom wrestlers, but the effort was clear and Giulia looked strong so that’s a plus. Some potential for sure, just needs some smoothing out.

Andras Miyagi vs. Utami Hayashishita

They lock knuckles to start, Utami applies a wristlock but Andras reverses it. They end up on the mat as Andras applies a kneelock, but Utami kicks her off and they return to their feet. They tie-up, Utami pushes Andras into the ropes but Andras reverses positions with her before hitting a hard elbow. Utami throws Andras to the mat but Andras hits an armdrag, short armbar by Andras into a cross armbreaker but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Andras kicks Utami and goes back to the arm as she twists it on the mat before stomping on it. Andras kicks at Utami, she picks her up and throws her into the corner, but Utami avoids her charge. Dropkick by Utami, she grabs Andras by the waist but Andras gets away and puts Utami in a modified armbar. Utami gets out of it, they trade waistlocks until Utami puts Andras in a sleeper. Andras slides out of it but Utami re-applies the hold, she takes Andras to the mat while maintaining the sleeper until Andras seems pretty out of it. Utami picks up Andras and nails a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins the match.

So this match just screamed “house show mid-card time filler.” I think Utami only had three successful moves in the match total as most of it was arm work by Andras. And the arm work was done well but in this short of a match there was just no payoff, as she ended up not really hitting a single move of note either. Also, Utami using a “put someone to sleep, then hit a suplex to win” tactic is bizarre since in theory if you put your opponent to sleep you win the match anyway without the extra effort. Pretty much a nothing match, not offensive but not necessary either.

Arisa Hoshiki, Iwatani, and Nakano vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas

Tam and Yama-san start the match, Yama-san does her wacky bit until Tam kicks her in the back. Armdrag by Yama-san and she trips Tam, but Tam bridges out of the pin and hits a neckbreaker. Mayu and Arisa come in and they triple team Yama-san, ending with a triple dropkick. Cartwheel kneedrop by Tam, and she covers Yama-san for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hana kicks her from the apron, Yama-san tags in Hana and they both boot Tam. Hana kicks Tam into the corner before tagging in Zoe, Zoe chokes Tam in the corner before stretching her in the ropes. Zoe tags Yama-san, Yama-san throws Tam into the corner but Tam avoids her charge and hits an elbow. Backdrop attempt by Tam but Yama-san blocks it and hits a suplex of her own, she goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a backdrop suplex and makes the tag to Mayu. Irish whip by Mayu, she rolls Yama-san to the mat before kicking her in the face. Yama-san thrusts Mayu in the neck and applies a stretch hold, but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break. Yama-san tags Hana, Hana charges Mayu and boots her in the side of the head. She hits another boot, cover by Hana but Mayu kicks out.

Hana picks up Mayu but Mayu kicks her in the stomach, Mayu goes off the ropes but Hana plants her with a dropkick. Hana goes for a vertical suplex but Mayu blocks it and applies a front necklock, Hana muscles out of the hold and eventually hits her vertical suplex for a two count. Hana goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, both wrestlers roll to their corners as Arisa and Zoe are tagged in. Kicks by Zoe, she goes off the ropes and slams Arisa’s head into the mat for a two count cover. Zoe picks up Arisa and hits a series of elbows, Arisa fires back with a kick as Tam arrives and they both hit Zoe with running strikes. Another kick to the head by Arisa, but the cover is broken up. Arisa picks up Zoe but Zoe ducks the Brazilian Kick as her teammates both run in to help. Split Legdrop by Zoe, but Arisa gets a shoulder up on the cover. Zoe goes off the ropes and delivers a Scissors Kick, but her pin attempt is broken up. Mayu and Tam stay in to take care of Hana and Yama-san, Mayu superkicks Zoe and Arisa nails a jumping knee. Brazilian Kick by Arisa, and she covers Zoe for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, and Tam Nakano are the winners.

This match was perfectly fine but nothing special. Its a bit disappointing to see wrestlers like Mayu, Arisa, and Hana in a meaningless eight minute midcard match, but its a combination of this being a small show and Stardom simply being stacked right now so sometimes wrestlers aren’t in the ideal position. I’m not a big fan of Kaori Yoneyama’s shtick, at least not this high on the card, its more a comedy match or opening match gimmick than anything I could take seriously against the promotion’s top wrestlers. A decent enough match for what it was, but utterly forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

Hazuki vs. Kagetsu

The match starts slow as they feel each other out, they trade holds on the mat but eventually reach a stalemate. Back up, Kagetsu takes Hazuki down and gets in the mount, she goes for a choke but Hazuki blocks it and switches into the dominate position. Kagetsu gets back in control with a front necklock, she twists Hazuki into a submission hold but Hazuki gets into the ropes for the break. Kagetsu kicks Hazuki in the chest repeatedly and goes off the ropes, but Hazuki catches her with a dropkick. Hazuki boots Kagetsu while she is against the ropes before connecting with a facewash, sending Kagetsu out of the ring. Hazuki goes off the ropes and sails out with a tope suicida, but Kagetsu moves and Hazuki lands on the rest of Oedo Tai instead. Kagetsu quickly returns to the ring and does a dive of her own, but Hazuki moves this time and again the rest of Oedo Tai takes the brunt of the assault. Hazuki gets another running start and this time lands on Kagetsu when she dives out of the ring (along with everyone else in Oedo Tai again), Hazuki rolls Kagetsu back in but immediately tosses her back out and throws Kagetsu into the chairs at ringside. Hazuki hits Kagetsu with chairs as she walks her around the crowd, they finally return to the ring and Hazuki hits a swandive missile dropkick to Kagetsu’s back. Running boot by Hazuki, she drapes Kagetsu over the second rope and twists on her neck before hitting a full nelson slam onto her knee for a two count. Modified armtrap crossface by Hazuki but Kagetsu gets to the ropes, Hazuki quickly picks her up and slams her in front of the corner. Hazuki goes up top but Kagetsu avoids the senton and delivers a running knee, leaving both hurt on the mat. Kagetsu recovers first and picks up Hazuki, Hazuki elbows her but Kagetsu returns fire and they trade blows.

Kagetsu wins the battle as she elbows Hazuki to the mat, she drags her up but Hazuki elbows her again as the exchange continues. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Kagetsu ducks an elbow and delivers a strike combination, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she covers Hazuki for two. Kagetsu picks up Hazuki and hits the chokeslam, but again Hazuki kicks out of the cover. Kagetsu quickly puts Hazuki in a keylock but Hazuki rolls to the ropes to force the break. Kagetsu positions Hazuki and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Hazuki recovers before she can jump off and boots her. Hazuki suplexes Kagetsu back into the ring, she sets her up in the corner and delivers a Codebreaker. Hazuki puts Kagetsu on the top turnbuckle and hits another Codebreaker, she goes up top herself this time and nails the diving senton for a two count. Hazuki drags Kagetsu to her feet and drops her with a brainbuster, she puts Kagetsu in the armtrap crossface, she switches it to the Rings of Saturn but Kagetsu gets a foot on the ropes for a break. Hazuki picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the suplex attempt and throws Hazuki into the referee. Blue Mist by Kagetsu while the referee isn’t looking, she hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner before nailing the Oedo Coaster. She picks up Hazuki and tries to put her on her shoulders, but Hazuki slides off her back and applies La Magistral for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her in the head, Death Valley Bomb by Kagetsu and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu wins!

I wish this match had been Hazuki’s retirement match, it would have been a much more fitting end to her career. Even though these two don’t wrestle against each other often, they still have great chemistry from being partners and from training, as this was a pretty flawlessly executed match. They started slow but they slowly ramped up the offense, and even when Hazuki took over with her bigger moves she still went for submissions as well so it wasn’t just non-stop bombs with little meaning. Hazuki’s offense is unique and fun to watch, and as everyone knows I am a mark for the mist so Kagetsu is always entertaining as far as I am concerned. A great match that really flew by and Kagetsu winning in part due to Oedo Tai tactics fit in well, one of the better singles matches of Hazuki’s short career.  Highly Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Riho and Starlight Kid
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kyona starts the match against Starlight Kid, and she immediately knocks the smaller wrestler to the mat. Starlight Kid quickly gets back up and they trade elbows, Kyona delivers a series of hard elbows but Starlight Kid stays up and slaps Kyona in the face. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, Kyona initially blocks it but Starlight Kid completes the move anyway and hits a dropkick. Riho comes in and they double team Kyona, ending with a double knee to the back and a double dropkick. Footstomp by Starlight Kid, and she covers Kyona for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Kyona delivers a dropkick, sending Starlight Kid out of the ring. Konami quickly runs in and hits a baseball slide on both Starlight Kid and Riho before Kyona goes to the ropes and does a pescado down onto both of them. Kyona slides Starlight Kid back in and kicks her into the ropes, Konami grabs Starlight Kid from the apron and applies an armbar over the top rope. Kyona tags in Konami, Konami stomps on Starlight Kid before snapmaring her to the mat and kicking her in the back. Kyona returns as legal, she picks up Starlight Kid and applies a backbreaker. Gutbuster by Kyona and she puts Starlight Kid in a single leg crab hold, but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes for the break. Kyona tags Konami, Starlight Kid recovers and elbows Konami before hitting a rebound crossbody off the ropes. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, she crawls to her corner and makes the hot tag to Riho. Riho boots Konami and Kyona, she hits a jumping crossbody on Konami but Konami rolls through it. Riho quickly kicks out of the corner and hits a dropkick, armtrap crossface by Riho but Kyona breaks it up. Riho picks up Konami but Konami hits an enzuigiri before tagging in Kyona.

Body Avalanche by Kyona to Riho and she dropkicks her against the ropes, sliding lariat by Kyona and she goes for a powerbomb, but Starlight Kid breaks it up. Kyona hits a double suplex on both of them, Kyona picks up Riho for a powerbomb while Konami goes to the top turnbuckle, but Starlight Kid grabs Konami from the apron. Riho gets out of the powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana, but she only gets a two. Lariat by Kyona to Riho but Riho comes back with a jumping knee, cover by Riho but again she gets a two count. Riho goes up top but Kyona recovers and joins her, they struggle for position until Riho knocks Kyona into a Tree of Woe position. Double kneedrop by Riho, she goes off the ropes and goes for the Somato, but Kyona moves out of the way and delivers a lariat. Riho tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid prevents Kyona from tagging out before hitting her with a jumping lariat. Tiger Feint Kick attempt by Starlight Kid but Kyona blocks it, Starlight Kid cradles Kyona but it gets a two. Cartwheel powerbomb by Starlight Kid, she picks up Kyona and goes for a crossbody, but Kyona catches her and hits a backbreaker. Kyona tags Konami, sliding kick by Konami to Starlight Kid and she hits a vertical suplex for two. Konami goes for a cross armbreaker, Starlight Kid gets out of it so Konami applies a double armbar instead. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes to force the break, Konami picks her up but Starlight Kid blocks the suplex attempt and Riho runs in with a jumping knee to Kyona.

Capture Suplex Hold by Starlight Kid, but Konami gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Swivel Body Press, but Kyona breaks up the cover. Kyona stays in and elbows Starlight Kid, she swings her around in the sleeper giant swing before letting to so that Konami can put her in the Triangle Lancer. Riho breaks up the hold, Riho and Starlight Kid go off the ropes and both hit spinning headscissors on their opponents. Kyona and Konami fall out of the ring, Starlight Kid and Riho go to opposite corners and dive out of the ring onto them with planchas. Starlight Kid and Konami return to the ring, Konami pushes Starlight Kid off but Starlight Kid blocks the Triangle Lancer and the two trade flash pins. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and jumps on Konami’s back, but Kyona runs in and lariats her. Sliding lariat attempt by Kyona but she hits Konami by accident, jumping knee by Riho to Konami and Starlight Kid dropkicks Konami in the knee. Somato to the back of the head by Riho, Starlight Kid delivers the Yoshi Tonic to Konami but Kyona breaks up the pin attempt. Starlight Kid positions Konami and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Kyona grabs her before she can do the moonsault. She holds up Starlight Kid so that Konami can deliver a dropkick as she plants Starlight Kid with a powerbomb, Buzzsaw Kick by Konami but Starlight Kid grabs the bottom rope to break the pin. Konami grabs Starlight Kid and hits a bridging capture suplex, but Riho breaks it up. Kyona takes care of Riho while Konami puts Starlight Kid in the Final Lancer, and Starlight Kid has no choice but to submit! Jungle Kyona and Konami win and retain the championships.

With all the retirements going on, the one that will probably annoy me the most is Starlight Kid’s inevitable exit from wrestling. From all accounts, whoever is under the mask is a very intelligent woman who prioritizes her education over wrestling (or has up to this point), which is great for her but bad for us as she is really really good at wrestling. Everyone in this match is quality but Starlight Kid still managed to jump out of the screen and leave a lasting impression, as she is different from everyone else in Stardom and continues to improve each time I see her. This match is classic Joshi Chaos, with something always happening and not a ton of long term selling. As long as you enjoy Joshi Chaos, which I do, you’ll really enjoy this match. They kept Starlight Kid the focus since Riho is only a part-timer, with the story being if she could finally get a big pinfall over one of her seniors. She couldn’t, but not due to lack of trying as she really met the challenge. Konami and Kyona both seemed fired up as well and everything clicked, for all the action they squeezed into a 16 minute match it never felt out of sync or forced. A fantastic main event, and the last two matches really saved this show from being utterly forgettable.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Goddess Of Stars 2019 on 12/14/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple”
Date: April 5th, 2019
Location: NYC Arena in Queens, NY, USA
Announced Attendance: Unknown

I did a preview of this event on Thursday, and since I am watching it live it only made sense to review it as quickly as possible as well. This is not Stardom’s first voyage to the United States, however it is the first show of theirs that really feels like a Stardom show and not a event that Stardom wrestlers just appear on. We get several big matches here, including the first ever singles match between Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita! Here is the full card:

• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette
• Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Dust
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Elimination Match: Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki

The bottom rope is broken in the ring, they tried to fix it for about 20 minutes but eventually gave up so this event will take place with a very loose bottom rope. The other two ropes seem fine however. If you want more details about any of the wrestlers above that are from Stardom or have wrestled in Stardom before, you can click on their names to go to their profile on Joshi City. Lets get to the review!

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

Jungle and Sonya start the match, they test each other’s strength with shoulderblock attempts until Sonya sends Jungle to the mat. Sonya tags Violette, Violette throws Jungle to the mat and puts her in a neck crank. Violette puts Natsuko in a grounded necklock but Jungle gets into the ropes for the break. Sonya returns and continues working over Jungle, Jungle fights back with chops as the two women trade blows. Hard shoulderblock by Jungle and she makes the hot tag to Natsuko, Natsuko tries to pick up Sonya but Sonya fights out of it. Violette comes in but Natsuko avoids her charge and she stacks both in the corner before hitting a running shoulder tackle. Natsuko goes for a splash on both but they move, double Irish whip to Natsuko but she delivers a double spear to them both. Natsuko picks up Sonya but Sonya dropkicks her and kicks her in the head. Cover by Sonya, but it gets a two count.

Violette is tagged in, dropkicks by Violette and she hits a spinning backfist, but Natsuko drops her with a spinebuster and tags Jungle. Jungle and Natsuko pick up Violette and throw her into the corner for the double team but Violette throws them into each other and hits a Codebreaker on Jungle. Cover by Violette, but Jungle barely gets the shoulder up. Sonya and Violette trade kicks to Jungle, cutter by Violette but it gets another two. Violette picks up Jungle but Jungle lariats both of them, sliding lariat to Violette but her pin attempt gets two. Sonya returns to attack Jungle but Natsuko dropkicks her, Violette and Sonya are thrown to opposite corners and hit with elbows. Jungle and Natsuko slam their opponents and go up to opposite turnbuckles, with both delivering a diving body press. Jungle grabs Violette around the waist and nails the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, and she picks up the three count! Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora win!

I am surprised they decided to kick off the show with a more grounded power battle, but the match was good. Sonya and Violette showed general competency here, there were some missed moves and clunkiness but I can chalk up some of that to being against Jungle and Natsuko for the first time. I was surprised Jungle was the original face in peril but the match generally felt dominated by Sonya and Violette, with the Stardom team getting their big spots in when needed. The crowd was quiet during some of the beatdown segments but got very vocal whenever Jungle was involved, as she was the clear star of the match. A fine match to start off the show and to ease the crowd into the action that is to come.

Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler

Baker, Hana, and Konami start the match, Hana gets the first advantage but Konami schoolboys her as they trade flash pins. They all tag out, Blake is tossed out of the way and Bea kicks Bobbi in the head. Konami comes in and they double team Bobbi, but Hana returns and hits a double dropkick on both of them. Hana stays in with Konami and throws her a few times by the hair, Bobbi comes back and they put Konami in a double Romero Special. Baker slides in and tries for a pin while the move is applied so they release it, Bea and Konami double team Hana and drill her with a double kick for two. Blake comes back in as legal and hits a bulldog on Bea, but her cover gets two. Hana tags kicks Blake and tags herself back in, she dropkicks Bea but Konami comes in and trades elbows with Hana. Kicks by Konami to Hana, she delivers a head kick and covers Hana for two. Grounded necklock by Konami to Hana but Hana muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex for two. Hana goes off the ropes and goes for the boot, but Konami moves and applies a kneelock over the top rope. We still only have two wrestlers since Bea has beat up everyone else at ringside, Ground Manjikatame by Hana but Bea quickly breaks it up. Bea remains and hits a backdrop suplex onto Hana, but Bobbi breaks up the cover. Bobbi also remains in the ring and she hits a Reverse STO off the ropes, she covers Bea but Baker breaks it up. Slide Blade by Baker, Blake comes in but she kicks Baker by accident. Missile dropkick by Hana to Blake, and she covers her for the three count! Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler win!

While I wouldn’t have minded if they got more time, the action we saw was entertaining. I know she wasn’t the focus but I really like Bobbi, she was a good selection by Stardom to bring in earlier this year and works really well with the wrestlers. All six looked good but Hana and Bobbi were the standouts, which made it fitting that they won the match. Blake isn’t quite on the level as everyone else here but hit her spots fine, and generally each of the Stardom wrestlers got a brief chance to get their shots in which is all the crowd wanted from this type of match. A solid match, just a bit shorter than I’d have liked.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

They waste no time as they go into a high speed exchange, as Hazuki’s recent matches tend to, but neither wrestler gets a clear advantage. Dropkick by Dust but Hazuki dropkicks her back, Hazuki knocks Dust down in the corner and hits some bootscrapes followed by a running kick. Scoop slam by Hazuki and she throws Dust into the corner, but Dust avoids her charge and hits a jumping elbow. Kick to the back by Dust and she hits a sliding kick, cover by Dust but it gets two. Dust goes off the ropes but Hazuki jumps off to the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick. Big boot by Hazuki and she covers Dust for a two count. Hazuki picks up Dust but Dust sneaks in a cradle for two, Hazuki hits Dust with hard elbows but Dust goes out to the apron and pulls Hazuki out with her, hitting a DDT onto the apron. Dust goes up top and connects with a diving crossbody, running knee to the back by Dust and she nails the Codebreaker for two. Dust goes up top but Hazuki recovers and joins her, they trade elbows but Dust knocks Hazuki back to the mat. Dust jumps off, Hazuki moves but Dust hits a Backstabber for two. Dust waits for Hazuki to get up but Hazuki avoids the kick and puts her in La Magistral for the three count! Hazuki is still the champion!

This match being shorter isn’t surprising as all of Hazuki’s titles matches are short, but again I still wish they got more time (the commentator mentioned it too and agrees with me, so I’m not just being difficult). An entertaining match for sure, Hazuki has really started putting all the pieces together and has a wide variety of quality offense, making her matches unique each time as she has quite a few moves that she can end a match with. Dust connected well on everything and I liked the general story of Dust being in control but losing to Hazuki’s “quick” move since it fits in with the name of the title. Didn’t get enough time to get too emotionally invested but a good match between two talented wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

This event is flying by, but we still have two big matches left.

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They start slow as they trade holds with neither getting the advantage, but Utami slaps Momo in the face which leads to the action picking up. Dropkick by Momo and she kicks Utami in the back, chest kick by Momo and she chokes Utami with her boot. More kicks by Momo, she kicks Utami out of the ring and goes out to the apron, delivering a PK as Utami stands back up. Momo goes out to get Utami and they trade strikes back in the ring, slap by Momo and she hits a scoop slam for two. Momo throws Utami to the corner, Utami reverses it as Momo goes for a dropkick, but Utami moves and puts Momo in the Camel Clutch. Momo gets a foot on the broken bottom rope for the break, scoop slam by Utami but Momo quickly kicks out of the cover. Crab hold by Utami, Momo gets out of it but Utami dropkicks her in the back. Momo briefly regains the advantage but Utami schoolboys her and re-applies the crab hold. Momo gets to the ropes for the break, Utami picks her up and goes for the Argentine Backbreaker, but Momo blocks it and delivers a head kick. Momo goes for a suplex, Utami blocks it but Momo rolls her up for two. Back up they trade elbows until both collapse to the mat, Momo is up first and throws Utami to the corner, dropkick by Momo but Utami fires back with a running elbow as they go back and forth.

Missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle by Momo, she picks up Utami and kicks her into the corner. Running dropkick by Momo, she then hits a Uranage followed by a Somato for a close tow count. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the diving Somato, she then goes all the way up and delivers another diving Somato but Utami barely gets a shoulder up. Momo applies the chickenwing, she goes for a kick but Utami catches it and flings Momo to the mat. Sleeper by Utami and she hits a sleeper takedown, giving the hold applied on the mat. Momo rolls towards the rope and reaches it for the break. Utami picks up Momo and puts her up in the Argentine Backbreaker before dropping her back with a Samoan Drop, she drags up Momo by the waist and nails a German suplex hold for a close two count. Utami picks up Momo and goes for the Argentine Backbreaker again but Momo rolls out of it, Utami goes off the ropes but Momo catches her with the B Driver for a two count. Momo puts Utami in the chickenwing before kicking her hard in the back of the head, Tequila Sunrise by Momo but Utami barely kicks out. Momo drags Utami up but Utami pushes her away and sneaks in a cradle for two. Utami goes off the ropes but Momo nails her with a high kick, Peach Sunrise by Momo, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe is the winner and retains the championship.

By any standard, this was a fantastic match, but when you consider their ages and experience levels it just goes to a different level. They work together so well and nothing they did felt wasted, there weren’t any time killing or meaningless spots as everything they did served some type of purpose. Both are so crisp with the transitions and there were so many small spots throughout designed to keep your eyeballs on the match. These two bring it all, from hard strikes to smart submissions to great looking suplexes, and their offensive variety keeps the action fresh. I will admit I am surprised Momo won, not that she doesn’t have the experience edge but since it wasn’t the main event it felt like they would go in a different direction, but it gives Utami a mountain to climb and quiets down the less intelligent fans that thought Utami was being pushed too hard (which isn’t true anyway). Utami never hit her biggest move so she still has that in her pocket, and Momo had to whip out a quality sequence of moves to keep the Big Rookie down so there is no shame in defeat for her. One of the better Joshi matches so far in 2019, just an exciting and entertaining match bell to bell that shows why Stardom fans are so high on Momo and Utami as future leaders of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki
Elimination Match (by pinfall, submission, or Over the Top Rope)

They immediately start brawling into the aisles and into the crowd, things settle down a bit with Mayu and Kagetsu in the ring as the legal wrestlers. Kagetsu tags in Jamie and suplexes Mayu into the turnbuckles, she tags in Martina and she suplexes Mayu for a two count. The quick tags continue as Mayu is weakened , Andras runs through her offense on Mayu but the cover is broken up. Andras goes to do a dive but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, giving her time to tag Saki. Jamie and Martina run in but are taken back out, spinning headscissors by Saki to Andras and she plants Kagetsu as well. Saki jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a face crusher, double underhook face crusher by Saki to Andras but Kagetsu stops Saki when she tries to dive off the top turnbuckle. All of Oedo Tai run in and hit running strikes on Saki, Andras grabs Saki and nails the Samoan Driver, but the cover only gets two. Andras picks up Saki but Saki blocks the piledriver and cradles Andras for a close two count. Saki goes off the ropes but Andras catches her with the spinning tombstone piledriver and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima is eliminated.

Arisa comes in as the legal wrestler with Martina, brainbuster by Martina but Arisa kicks out of the cover. Martina gets Arisa on her shoulders but she gets a little help from her friends, kicks by Arisa to Martina but Martina blocks the suplex attempt. Members of both teams run in as we get all seven in the vertical suplex attempt, with STARS winning the battle. All three remaining members of STARS work over Martina, ending with a triple dropkick for a two count. Arisa picks up Martina and with Tam connects with dual kicks, Brazilian Kick by Arisa and she covers Marina for the three count! Session Moth Martina is eliminated.

Kagetsu jumps Arisa from behind, Tam tags in and she trades elbows with Kagetsu. Cutter by Tam, she grabs Kagetsu from behind but Kagetsu elbows her off. High kick by Tam but Kagetsu kicks her back, she goes off the ropes but Tam nails another high kick followed by a German suplex hold for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits her with the Oedo Tai board, Andras slams Tam and Kagetsu goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but the cover is broken up. Kagetsu picks up Tam and hits the Death Valley Bomb, and this time she gets the three count! Tam Nakano is eliminated!

Mayu knocks Kagetsu back but Andras is tagged in and she hits a missile dropkick onto Mayu. Arisa tries to help but Andras dropkicks both of them and hits a backdrop suplex onto Mayu for a two count. Andras goes up top but Mayu joins her and delivers a Frankensteiner, sliding kick by Mayu and she covers Andras for two. Mayu goes off the ropes but Andras catches her and goes for a powerbomb, but Mayu slides out to the apron. Andras charges Mayu but Mayu gets a headscissors, sending Andras over the top rope to the floor! Andras is eliminated.

Kagetsu gets in the ring and she rakes Mayu in the eyes, suplex by Mayu and she tags in Arisa. Kagetsu grabs Arisa by the throat but Arisa pushes her off and the two trade kicks. Arisa goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her to the mat, Kagetsu charges Arisa but Arisa nails her with a knee for a two count. Arisa drives Kagetsu’s head into her knee, she goes up top but Jamie and Andras grab her from the apron. Springboard kick by Kagetsu but Arisa knocks her back, Kagetsu gets some water and spits it into Arisa’s face. Kagetsu gets Arisa on her shoulders and tries to toss her out of the ring, but Arisa hangs on. They struggle on the top rope but they both end up tumbling out, as both Kagetsu and Arisa Hoshiki are eliminated!

Jamie and Mayu are the last two remaining. Kagetsu tries to mist Mayu but hits Jamie by accident, buzzsaw kick by Mayu to Jamie and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the moonsault. Cover by Mayu, and she gets the three count! STARS win, with Mayu Iwatani being the sole survivor!

This match was exactly what I was expecting, if not a bit better. The eliminations did come fast but with eight wrestlers that was bound to happen, and most of the wrestlers got to show off before they got eliminated from the match. In a way this was almost like an exhibition in that it showed new fans what each wrestler had to offer, then getting rid of them so that the next wrestler could shine. While I was a bit concerned Martina may slow the match down just because she isn’t as familar with some of the wrestlers, she didn’t and everyone was on point with great moves executed throughout. Oedo Tai was their usual Oedo Tai self and I popped for the mist since that will always be one of my favorite wrestling “moves” ever. I wish that Jamie and Mayu got a bit more of a segment at the end but they were likely speeding things up since the show started late and they wanted time for the meet and greet before everyone had to go to their next show. Overall this was a really fun and action packed match and a fitting way to close the show, and I am glad aside from the feed dying during Momo/Utami that the action in the ring delivered to the level that I am sure Stardom was hoping it would.  Recommended

The post Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple on 4/5/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple”
Date and Time: April 5th at 4:00 PM EST
Location: NYC Arena in Queens, NY
Tickets: Eventbrite
Where to Watch on PPV: FITE

Even with the event set to take place on April 5th, Stardom waited until April 3rd to announce the card for the show. I highly suspect due to potential visa issues they were waiting until the wrestlers actually made it to the United States to announce the card so they wouldn’t falsely advertise, which may have hurt some of the buzz as the official Stardom Twitter was oddly silent on promoting tickets in the last week until the wrestlers landed. But arrive they all did and we finally have the full card! Even with the delay, Stardom did not disappoint. Before I dive into the details, here is a quick run-down of the announced matches:

• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette
• Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Dust
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Elimination Match: Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki

Five matches may seem low but this was announced from the start as a two hour show, so time was certainly a factor. Please note that the wrestlers will be meeting with fans after the show until 7 PM, so if you want a picture with the wrestlers be sure to hang around afterwards. If you want more details about any of the wrestlers above that are from Stardom or have wrestled in Stardom before, you can click on their names to go to their profile on Joshi City. Lets take a deeper look at the matches.

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki
Elimination Match

Even with it being a shorter show with only five matches, Stardom is doing their best to satisfy their current fans while also showing new fans exactly what Stardom has to offer. I’ll be watching the show live from the comfort of my home and will have a full show review completed by Friday night. At $9.99, I don’t think anyone will come away from this event thinking they didn’t get their money’s worth, this event has the chance to steal the weekend and any fan of women’s wrestling won’t want to miss it.

The post Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple on 4/5/19 Preview appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: OTT Women’s Championship, OTT Gender Neutral Championship, ICW Women’s Championship, and the PWA Queen of Diamonds Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches in Japan:

• April 21st, 2018 vs. Io Shirai

Signature Moves:

• Bronco Buster
• Codebreaker
• Mandible Claw
• Satellite DDT

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Gaijin Invaders

The post Martina appeared first on Joshi City.