Soon as I saw this card I knew I had to watch it at the earliest possible moment, so much potential for goodness. First, we have the end of the ULTRA-7 Tournament, which features four quality wrestlers in Mio Momono, Yoshiko, Takumi Iroha, and Sareee. We also get a very special match between Nanae Takahashi and Great Sasuke in a TLC match, which is obviously insane. On top of that, we also get Best Friends! Here is the full card:

• Kaho Kobayashi vs. Manami Toyota vs. Maruko Nagasaki
• ULTRA U-7 Tournament Semi Final: Mio Momono vs. Yoshiko
• ULTRA U-7 Tournament Semi Final: Sareee vs. Takumi Iroha
• TLC Match: Great Sasuke vs. Nanae Takahashi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami
• ULTRA U-7 Tournament Final: Takumi Iroha vs. Yoshiko

All the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on the website, you can click on their name to go straight to it. Since this event aired on Nico Pro, all matches are shown in full.

Kaho Kobayashi vs. Manami Toyota vs. Maruko Nagasaki

Kaho and Maruko double team the legend to start the match but with little success initially. They deliver a double dropkick to get Manami on the mat, they both try to cover her but they only get two counts. They take turns covering Manami until they tire themselves out running off the ropes, Manami puts both of her opponents in the ropes and dropkicks them in the back. Manami covers Maruko, but Natsuki doesn’t count since she didn’t go off the ropes first. Manami puts Maruko in a leglock, Kaho tries to help by dropkicking Manami, but each time she does it just puts more pressure on Maruko. Kaho puts Manami in an octopus hold but Manami pushes her off, Maruko jumps on Manami’s back but Kaho schoolboys her for two. Kaho and Maruko both go off the ropes, Kaho tries to dropkick Manami but connects with Maruko by accident. Rolling Cradle by Manami, but Kaho grabs Natsuki while she is rolling around and flings the referee out of the ring. Manami chases Natsuki around the outside of the ring but isn’t able to catch her. Manami trips everyone, she gets up on the top turnbuckle but everyone runs away before she can dive off. They return to the ring, Maruko and Kaho trade elbows until Maruko connects with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Maruko but Kaho hits an enzuigiri, cover by Kaho but it gets a two count. Manami finally gets off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick to Kaho, Maruko rolls up Manami but it gets two. Big boot by Manami to Maruko, and she drops her with the Japanese Ocean Queen Bomb. Manami goes off the ropes before making the cover, and she gets the three count! Manami Toyota is the winner.

Its really hard to dislike High Speed matches, they are silly as hell but the wrestlers are having so much fun. Manami of course is multifaceted, she can do goofy matches like this or drop you on your head, it doesn’t matter too much to her. I miss Natsuki so its always nice to see her get involved in matches, and the match was short enough that it didn’t get old. Nothing that needs to be hunted down but a fine way to start the show.

Mio Momono vs. Yoshiko

They tie-up to start, Yoshiko gets Mio to the mat but Mio springs back to her feet before they trade arm holds. Yoshiko applies a side headlock, Mio gets out of it and hits an armdrag, but Yoshiko blocks the next one and hits an armdrag of her own. Yoshiko drives Mio into the corner but Mio slides out of the ring, Mio crawls under the ring and pops out the other side, Yoshiko chases her around but can’t catch her. They finally both get back in the ring, stomps by Mio but Yoshiko swats aside her dropkick and applies a chinlock. Bodyscissors by Yoshiko and she sits on Mio’s chest, Yoshiko picks up Mio but Mio avoids her attempt to sit on her and hits a couple dropkicks. Mio finally gets Yoshiko off her feet, Mio goes for a scoop slam but Yoshiko blocks it. Yoshiko hits her own scoop slam but Mio fires back with elbows, dropkick by Mio and she covers Yoshiko for two. Mio goes up top and goes for a diving crossbody, but Yoshiko catches her and hits a backbreaker. Yoshiko dropkicks Mio out of the ring and goes out after her, Yoshiko throws Mio into the chairs at ringside and lariats her against the wall. Yoshiko brings Mio back to the ringside to throw her into more chairs, she drags Mio back into the ring and covers her for two. Yoshiko picks up Mio but Mio wiggles away, elbows by Mio but Yoshiko catches her in a sleeper. She keeps the hold in for several moments but Mio will not submit as she finally makes it to the ropes, Yoshiko sits on Mio’s chest but Mio pushes her off before the three count. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, and the bell rings as the 15 minutes has expired.

Since this is a tournament, you can’t have a draw, so after a brief recovery the bell rings again and the match continues. Mio goes for a backslide but it only gets a two count, she goes for a few more quick pins but Yoshiko kicks out. Hard shoulderblock by Yoshiko but Mio avoids the running senton, crucifix cover by Mio but it gets a two as well. Mio picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a Samoan Drop, running senton by Yoshiko and she covers Mio for a two count. Kick to the stomach by Yoshiko bu Mio reverses the cover into one of her own, Mio goes off the ropes but Yoshiko kicks her in the chest. Sliding lariat by Yoshiko, and she picks up the three count! Yoshiko wins the match and reaches the Finals of the tournament.

I liked the story they were telling, but it felt like they were going for the draw as in the first 15 minutes neither went for anything that felt like a match ending move. That’s a long time to have what basically amounts to filler, very little happened during the first portion of the match. They wrestled with more urgency in the Overtime Period, no issues there, but the first chunk just felt empty. The brawling around the ring was well done and Mio looked good in her hope spots, it was just longer than it needed to be to tell the same basic story. Not a bad match, just too stretched out and Mio isn’t quite good enough yet to look convincing in a match of this length.

Sareee vs. Takumi Iroha

Takumi and Sareee trade waistlocks to start, Takumi goes for a cross armbreaker but Sareee blocks it. Takumi eventually gets it locked on but Sareee quickly gets to the ropes, headlock by Takumi but Sareee applies a headscissors and both wrestlers get to their feet again. Leg sweep by Takumi and she kicks Sareee in the chest, Sareee kicks her back and kicks Takumi repeatedly on the mat. Takumi gets back up and hits a snap vertical suplex, cover by Takumi but it gets a two count. Kicks to the chest by Takumi and she charges Sareee, but Sareee holds down the ropes and Takumi lands on the apron. Sareee dropkicks Takumi out of the ring, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody down to the floor. Sareee slides Takumi back into the ring, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick before dropkicking Takumi again. Waistlock by Sareee but Takumi reverses it, roll-up by Sareee and she hits a footstomp to Takumi’s midsection. Sareee goes up top again but Takumi joins her, Sareee pushes her off and delivers a diving footstomp for a two count. Sareee slides away from Takumi but Takumi hits a superkick, German suplex hold by Sareee but Takumi kicks out at two. Sareee picks up Takumi but Takumi blocks the uranage, she goes off the rope but Sareee grabs her again. Sareee goes off the ropes but Takumi catches her with a heel kick, German suplex hold by Takumi but Sareee gets a shoulder up. Sareee and Takumi trade elbows while on their knees, they keep trading shots as they return to their feet, heel kick by Sareee and both wrestlers knock each other down at the same time. Sareee goes for the uranage again but Takumi blocks it, hurricanrana by Sareee but it gets a two count. Hard elbow by Sareee, she picks up Takumi but Takumi hits a superkick. High kick by Takumi, she drags up Sareee and drops her with a sit-down powerbomb for a two count. Takumi picks up Sareee again, Running Three by Takumi and she gets the three count! Takumi Iroha wins and reaches the Finals of the tournament.

A more low-key match than you’d expect from these two, probably due to the circumstances, but still a good match. Takumi and Sareee are both really crisp with their strikes, lots of great kicks and their exchanges were well done. Sareee never did hit her uranage, so they kept that in their pocket for a future encounter, and it was a convincing finish by Takumi. I wouldn’t say it was a great match as it felt like they were holding back, but an entertaining midcard match.  Mildly Recommended

Great Sasuke vs. Nanae Takahashi

They begin with simple holds, ignoring the weapons propped up in each corner. Sasuke sets up some chairs in front of the corner with the table, he then puts the ladder in front of the chairs but Nanae throws him into the stack. Chops by Nanae and she chokes Sasuke in the corner, but Sasuke pushes her down and goes for Nanae’s leg. Snapmare by Sasuke and she puts a ladder across the top rope, he climbs on top and puts the ladder around his neck, but Nanae pulls him off the turnbuckles and he goes head and ladder first into the mat. Nanae puts the ladder on her neck but Sasuke kicks her into the corner, she tries to hit Nanae with a chair but she ducks. Nanae hits Sasuke in the head with the ladder, she puts some chairs down on the mat before hitting Sasuke with one. Nanae slams Sasuke onto the chairs, she goes up top but Sasuke recovers and joins her. Vertical suplex by Sasuke onto the pile of chairs, cover by Sasuke but it gets a two count. Sasuke puts a chair in the corner, he then sets up a table before throwing Nanae into the corner with the chairs stuck in it. Sasuke sets up a tower of chairs on the table, he then puts the ladder up near the tables and climbs up it for reasons unknown, which leads to Nanae pushing the ladder over. Sasuke face plants instead of going through the table/chair setup, Nanae hits Sasuke with a chair and then dropkicks a chair into Sasuke’s head, cover by Nanae but it gets two. Nanae puts more chairs on the mat but Sasuke back bodydrops her onto the pile, he sets up more chairs near the corner and puts Nanae on the chairs as he goes up top, but Nanae recovers and joins him. Nanae slides around Sasuke and powerbombs him spine-first onto the chairs, cover by Nanae but it gets a two count.  Nanae puts a chair onto Sasuke, she climbs up to the top of the ladder and hits the Refrigerator Bomb, but Sasuke gets a shoulder up on the cover. Nanae puts the ladder on its side, she drops Sasuke onto it with the Nana☆Racka, picking up the three count pinfall! Nanae Takahashi is your winner!

The only way to describe this match is “fascinating.” It wasn’t good, or bad, but just captivating. Great Sasuke was going out of his way to take bumps no 48 year old person should, and it was like he was Wile E Coyote as each time he set up a contraption he was the one that got hurt by it. The bulk of the match was “Sasuke sets up spot, gets hurt, Sasuke sets up spot, gets hurt” until it ended. Typically I dislike this match style but on some level it was still interesting since each time Great Sasuke would set up a spot all you can do is shake your head and wonder how it will backfire. More a unique spectacle than anything else.

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami

Ohata and Tsukasa start the match but Arisa immediately runs in to help, they put Ohata in the ropes and pour salt and pepper on it. I’m sure for a good reason. Back in the ring, Ohata elbows Tsukasa and throws her into the corner, she drags Arisa into the ring and drives her head repeatedly into the mat. Curb stomp by Ohata and she tags in Ryo, Ryo goes off the ropes and she hits a hard shoulderblock on Arisa. Another shoulderblock by Ryo and she hits a scoop slam followed by a quick legdrop for two. Wristlock by Ryo and she bites Arisa’s arm, they struggle for position on the mat but Ryo manages to tag in Ohata. Ohata kicks down Arisa in the corner but Arisa pushes her off and they two trade strikes. Hard mounted elbows by Ohata and she tags Ryo, Irish whip by Ryo but Arisa reverses it and hits a Sling Blade. Ohata comes in and Arisa is double teamed, lariats by Ryo while Arisa is against the ropes and she covers her for a two count. Ohata is tagged back in and she puts Arisa in a camel clutch, she then hits a trio of curb stomps before Ryo returns to the ring as the legal wrestler.

Arisa greets Ryo with elbows but Ryo hits a back bodydrop, she puts Arisa in the corner but Arisa dropkicks her when she charges in. Tsukasa comes in and dropkicks Ryo as well, tornado DDT by Arisa and with Tsukasa they hit Ryo with a double dropkick. Arisa goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she tags in Tsukasa but Ohata comes in too. Tsukasa pushes Ryo into Ohata and footstomps Ryo onto her, PK by Tsukasa and she covers Ryo for two. Cross-arm submission by Tsukasa but Ryo muscles out of it, Anaconda Vice by Ryo but Tsukasa eventually gets a foot on the ropes. Ryo tags in Ohata, low crossbody by Ohata and she goes up top, Tsukasa tries to join her but Ohata pushes her down and hits a Tree of Woe Footstomp. Ryo comes in and they double team Tsukasa, Stunner by Ohata but Tsukasa kicks her in the back. Arisa comes in and hits a release German on Ohata, cover by Tsukasa but it gets a two count. Tsukasa picks up Ohata and hits a strike combination, Ohata pushes her off when she goes for a flip powerbomb however and Ryo runs in and hits a leg drop. Hurricanrana by Tsukasa, but Ohata barely gets a shoulder up. Tsukasa quickly dropkicks Ohata and tags in Arisa, rolling Germans by Arisa but Ohata kicks out of the fourth when Arisa holds it for a pin.

Ohata grabs the ropes to block the Half and Half, Arisa goes for a kick but Ohata ducks it before Ryo hits Arisa from the apron. Kicks by Ohata and the two trade elbows, Ohata knocks Arisa to the mat first and covers her for two. Cutie Special by Arisa, but Ohata kicks out. Arisa goes up top but Ohata joins her, Tsukasa dropkicks Ohata from behind and Arisa knocks Ohata to the mat. Ohata avoids Arisa’s doublestomp, Ryo puts Arisa on her shoulders and throws her to the mat before Ohata hits a diving body press for two. Ohata picks up Arisa and hits a crucifix bomb, she drags Arisa to her feet but Arisa quickly hits a release dragon suplex. Kick to the head by Arisa, she delivers the package German but it only gets a two count. Tsukasa is in the ring but Ryo lariats both Tsukasa and Arisa, Arisa elbows Ohata until Ohata applies a quick roll-up for two. All four are in the ring elbowing each other, Ohata and Arisa both hit German suplexes on their respective opponents before trading elbows again. Ohata picks up Arisa, Ryo lariats Arisa before Ohata hits a German suplex hold, but Tsukasa breaks it up. Assisted cutter to Tsukasa, Ohata drops Arisa with a fisherman buster but Arisa barely gets a shoulder up. Ryo comes back over but Tsukasa dropkicks both of them, Arisa gets Ohata in a suplex but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I loved this match, even it not having a conclusive ending didn’t bother me since it was just so fast paced and entertaining. Both of these teams work so well both with their teammates and with each other, its amazing the pace they can go at and still be so smooth. The speed in which they do everything, even after a pinfall kick out there were no pauses as they quickly went back in again. I think most wrestling chants are silly but these two would deserve the “Fight Forever” chant, as it just felt like a battle of attrition from bell to bell. This match had great teamwork, strike battles, suplexes, and a sense of urgency you don’t always see in wrestling these days. A great match between two great tag teams.  Highly Recommended

Takumi Iroha vs. Yoshiko

Takumi kicks Yoshiko in the back before the match starts, kicks by Takumi and she throws Yoshiko hard into the turnbuckles. Heel kick by Takumi, and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Kicks by Takumi and she applies a Scorpion Deathlock, but Yoshiko gets to the ropes for the break. Takumi drapes Yoshiko on the top rope and goes to the turnbuckle, hitting a footstomp to Yoshiko’s back. Takumi picks up Yoshiko and hits a strike combination, but Yoshiko avoids a kick and hits a Codebreaker. Kick to the chest by Yoshiko and she hits a quick senton before putting Takumi in a sleeper hold. Takumi gets into the ropes for the break, Takumi slides away from Yoshiko but Yoshiko blocks the suplex and elbows her off. Superkick by Takumi and she hits a butterfly suplex hold, but Yoshiko kicks out at two. Takumi goes up top but Yoshiko hits her before she can jump off, Yoshiko joins her and the two trade elbows. Yoshiko gets Takumi on her shoulders and hits an avalanche Samoan Drop, cover by Yoshiko but it gets two. Yoshiko gets on the second turnbuckle but Takumi avoids the diving senton, crab hold by Takumi but Yoshiko inches to the ropes to force a break. Takumi goes up top but Yoshiko rolls out of the way of the Swanton Bomb, they both slowly get up and trade elbows on their feet. High kick by Takumi and she hits three superkicks, cover by Takumi but Yoshiko gets a shoulder up. Takumi goes up top again, frog flash by Takumi and she immediately goes up top again, nailing the Swanton Bomb for a two count. Takumi goes for the Running Three but Yoshiko slides away and puts Takumi in the sleeper. Takumi almost goes out but manages to get a toe on the bottom rope, Yoshiko picks up Takumi and hits a Samoan side slam for two. Diving senton by Yoshiko off the second turnbuckle, but Takumi kicks out at two again. Yoshiko goes for a lariat but Takumi ducks it and delivers a high kick, Takumi gets Yoshiko up and hits a sit-down powerbomb, but Yoshiko gets a shoulder up on the cover. Takumi drags Yoshiko to her feet and hits a release German, but Yoshiko rolls to her feet and hits a lariat. Another lariat by Yoshiko, she gets up on the top turnbuckle and nails the diving senton for the three count! Your winner of the match and the tournament is Yoshiko!

Like both of their respective midcard matches, this one didn’t have that real sense of importance that you may have hoped for. It was still a good match, you can tell the influence that Chigusa Nagayo has on Takumi Iroha as she has a pretty old-school style. She uses a fair amount of submissions, then mixes in kicks before using power moves like the powerbombs to keep her opponent down, the only difference is she also has some top rope moves like the Swanton Bomb as well. It felt like it ended a bit too soon, it was a pretty even match and I wouldn’t have minded another lariat or two to further weaken Takumi. Solid, but it was a step down from the previous match, maybe my exceptions were too high but I was expecting a bit more from two talented young wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

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So I found out just a few days ago that Marvelous, a promotion run by Chigusa Nagayo, started live-streaming their events in June. This makes Marvelous just the second Joshi promotion to live stream any Joshi events, with DDT’s Tokyo Joshi Pro being the first. This isn’t a big show, however it is a bit special as Queen’s Quest from Stardom invade. They are also celebrating KAORU’s anniversary, plus we get Best Friends action! Here is the full card:

• Hiroe Nagahama vs. Miki Tanaka
• Aki Shizuku and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Yuiga and Natsu Sumire
• Mio Momono and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto and Arisa Nakajima
• AZM and HZK vs. Takumi Iroha and Rin Kadokura
• Chikayo Nagashima and KAORU vs. Yuu Yamagata and Tomoko Watanabe

All matches are shown in full! All the wrestlers on the show have profiles on the website, you can click on their names above to go straight to their profile.

Hiroe Nagahama vs. Miki Tanaka

Hiroe and Miki lock up, Hiroe pushes Miki into the ropes and gives her an elbow instead of a clean break. Dropkick by Miki and she hits a few more, but Hiroe regains the advantage and snapmares Miki to the mat before applying a stretch hold. Bodyscissors by Hiroe, she picks up Miki but Miki blocks her slam attempt. Hiroe Irish whips Miki into the corner and hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Hiroe and she hits two more for a two count cover. Crab hold by Hiroe but Miki gets to the ropes, stomps by Hiroe but Miki returns to her feet and the two trade elbows. Miki tries to shoulderblock Hiroe over, she isn’t able to but she knocks Hiroe to the mat with a hard push and hits a scoop slam for two. Miki picks up Hiroe and hits a dropkick, rebound crossbody by Hiroe out of the corner but it gets a two count. Vertical suplex by Hiroe, she goes up top but Miki bops her in the head and tosses her back to the mat. Dropkick by Miki, and she covers Hiroe for two. Miki goes off the ropes but Hiroe rocks her with an elbow, Miki sneaks in a few flash pins but can’t keep Hiroe down for three. Dropkick by Hiroe, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Hiroe picks up Miki and delivers a Northern Lights Suplex, but that gets a two as well. Hiroe puts Miki in the Long Beach, and Miki submits! Hiroe Nagahama is the winner.

About what you’d expect from a rookie opener. Hiroe continues to improve, she looked better here than last time I saw her, but she is still missing that something special that is needed to really climb up the card. Still, she led young Miki well here and there weren’t any miscommunications. Not a bad way to kick off the show.

Aki Shizuku and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Yuiga and Natsu Sumire

Yako and Shizuku double team Natsu to start the match since she was being rude to them, but Natsu hits a jumping neck drop on both of them and tags in Yuiga. Scoop slam by Yuiga to Yako and she rolls over her a few times before covering her for two. Yuiga goes to tag in Natsu but Natsu isn’t interested, Yako takes over on offense and makes the tag to Shizuku. Shizuku elbows Yuiga but Yuiga elbows her back and they trade blows. Camel Clutch by Shizuku and she throws Yuiga into the corner so she can choke her with her boot. Shizuku tags Yako back in, Yako puts Yuiga in the Muta Lock and then into a stretch hold but Yuiga gets out of it. She tries to tag in Natsu but Natsu still isn’t interested, suplex by Yuiga to Yako and she gets a two count. Yako knocks Natsu off the apron and hits a hip attack onto Yuiga, Yuiga tags Natsu against her will and Yako knocks her down with a hip attack. More hip attacks by Yako, she picks up Natsu but Natsu elbows her off. Yako returns fire and they trade shots until Natsu hits a neck drop. Hip attack by Yako and she hits a Northern Lights Suplex, but Natsu kicks out at two.

Yako tags in Shizuku, lariat by Shizuku to Natsu in the corner and Yako returns to help Shizuku hit a body avalanche. Natsu comes back with a running boot, bridging suplex by Natsu and she gets a two. Natsu throws Shizuku down in the corner and hits the Bronco Buster, she goes up top and delivers a diving crossbody for a two count. Big lariat by Shizuku and she hits a chokeslam, cover by Shizuku but Natsu barely gets a shoulder up. Shizuku picks up Natsu while Yako goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, Natsu lands in her corner and tags in Yuiga. High kick by Yuiga and she hits a swinging neckbreaker, she picks up Shizuku but Shizuku elbows her off. Shizuku goes for a Death Valley Bomb but Yuiga slides away and rolls her up for two. Fisherman suplex hold by Yuiga, she goes up top but Yako runs in and tosses her to the mat. Spear by Shizuku to Yuiga, Yako goes up top and hits a diving bodypress, cover by Shizuku but it gets a two count. Shizuku picks up Yuiga but Yuiga knees her off and hits a German suplex hold for two. Yuiga picks up Shizuku but Natsu boots Yuiga by accident, lariat by Shizuku to Natsu, she then nails a Death Valley Bomb onto Yuiga for the three count! Aki Shizuku and Yako Fujigasaki win!

There was a bit of a storyline coming into the match that I didn’t fully grasp since I don’t understand Japanese, but it was an odd match. Natsu didn’t want to be Yuiga’s partner so she wasn’t being overly cooperative, and its hard to win a tag match when your partner isn’t breaking up pins and what not. Shizuku looked pretty solid though, she stuck out the most in the match, but overall not a whole lot to it.

Mio Momono and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto and Arisa Nakajima

Mio and Maruko attack Best Friends before the match officially starts, they dropkick their opponents into the corners repeatedly but Best Friends recover and return the favor. Tsukasa stays in with Mio and tosses her around before tagging Arisa, Arisa armdrags Mio to the mat before putting her in an armbar. Scoop slam by Arisa and she tags Tsukasa back in as they take turns on offense against young Mio. Mio finally gets away and tags in Maruko, but Arisa immediately scoop slams her, Tsukasa comes over but Maruko fights them both off and dropkicks Tsukasa in the chest. Elbows by Maruko but Tsukasa dropkicks her, she puts Maruko in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back. Tsukasa tags in Arisa, big boot by Arisa to Maruko and she hits a dropkick off the second turnbuckle. Maruko elbows Arisa and they exchange shots, scoop slam by Maruko but Arisa stops her from tagging out and hits a backdrop suplex. Dropkick by Maruko and she finally tags in Mio, Mio dropkicks Arisa a few times but Arisa boots Mio in the head. Dropkick by Mio, she picks up Arisa but Arisa knees her in the head and hits a running boot. Maruko comes in and with Mio they dropkick Arisa, Cutie Special by Arisa and she makes the tag to Tsukasa. Maruko again comes in and they double dropkick Tsukasa, diving crossbody by Mio and she picks up a two count. Elbows by Mio but Tsukasa doesn’t go down, Maruko again comes in and they both take turns elbowing Tsukasa. Tsukasa dropkicks both of them to the mat, Tsukasa puts Mio in a crab hold but Mio gets into the ropes. Tsukasa gets Mio on her shoulders but Mio rolls out and cradles Tsukasa for two. Mio goes off the ropes and rolls up Tsukasa, but Tsukasa kips up and kicks Mio in the head. Arisa comes in and they both dropkick Mio in the corner, Tsukasa goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Arisa suplexes Maruko to get her out of the ring, PK by Tsukasa to Mio but Mio kicks out of the cover. Tsukasa gets Mio on her shoulders again and this time she delivers the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex Hold for the three count! Best Friends win!

I wish the match was longer but I really loved it while it lasted. Mio and Maruko worked together so well in attempting to overcome Best Friends, with constant teamwork that never felt forced or out of place. Best Friends of course was solid but the story was Mio and Maruko and them doing everything possible to pull off the upset. It didn’t work of course, but it was a fun journey along the way. A fun match that just needed more time to really develop.  Mildly Recommended

AZM and HZK vs. Takumi Iroha and Rin Kadokura

Rin and AZM are the first two in, Rin pushes AZM against the ropes but she gives a clean break. AZM quickly takes Rin to the mat and they struggle for position before reaching a stalemate. Takumi and HZK are tagged in, Takumi goes for a waistlock but HZK quickly reverses it as they go back and forth. Irish whip by HZK but Takumi shoulderblocks her down, HZK kips up and goes off the ropes, but Takumi hits an armdrag. HZK rebounds off the ropes and hits an armdrag of her own, and they too end up facing off across the ring once again. Takumi and HZK lock knuckles, knee by Takumi and she hits a scoop slam followed by a body press, but AZM breaks up the cover. AZM stomps on Takumi and with HZK they double team her until Rin runs in to help. Kick to the chest by Takumi  to HZK, double Irish whip and HZK eats a double back elbow. Dropkick by Takumi to the face, leg drop by Rin and they hit an assisted face buster onto HZK for two. Takumi tags Rin, Rin goes for a dropkick but HZK side steps it and hits a scoop slam. She tags in AZM, AZM puts Rin by the ropes and hits a series of footstomps. Scoop slam by AZM, HZK returns as legal and dropkicks Rin in the chest. Kick to the back by AZM but Rin hits a dropkick and tags Takumi. Takumi elbows both AZM and HZK, she goes for a suplex but HZK gets in the ring to help. Takumi instead hits a vertical suplex on both of them, kicks by Takumi to HZK and then then superkicks AZM to make her DDT AZM. Takumi kicks AZM in the back, scoop slam by Takumi and she tags Rin. Dropkick by Rin but AZM bridges out of the pin. AZM goes for a crossbody but Rin catches her, scoop slam by Rin but AZM slaps her in the face. AZM goes off the ropes and applies a hanging armbar, schoolboy by AZM but it gets two. AZM dropkicks Rin in the corner but Rin returns the favor, two more dropkicks by AZM and she covers Rin for a two count. AZM tags HZK, dropkick by HZK and she applies a dragon sleeper. Rin gets to the ropes for the break, HZK goes off the ropes but Rin dropkicks her.

Another dropkick by Rin, she picks up HZK but HZK sneaks in a cradle for two. HZK goes for the Pump Kick but Rin ducks it and tries a few flash pins of her own, none getting her the three count. Rin goes off the ropes but HZK chops her to the mat, HZK slams Rin in front of the corner but Rin avoids the diving senton. Hurricanrana by Rin, but HZK gets a shoulder up. Rin tags Takumi, kicks to the chest by Takumi and she dropkicks HZK in the corner. HZK avoids her next charge however and hits a dropkick of her own, bootscrapes by HZK and she nails the running boot to the side of Takumi’s head. Takumi elbows her back and the two trade blows, slap by HZK and she delivers the full nelson slam for two. Armtrap crossface by HZK while AZM takes care of Rin, HZK lets go after a moment but Takumi slaps her in the face. Superkick by Takumi, but HZK kicks out of the cover. Takumi deadlifts HZK and hits a release German, Rin comes in and they double team HZK. Takumi gets on the top turnbuckle but HZK recovers and joins her, elbows by HZK but Takumi knocks her back to the mat and delivers the Frog Splash for two. Takumi picks up HZK but HZK blocks the powerbomb, Takumi goes off the ropes but HZK hits the Pump Kick for a two count cover. Codebreaker by HZK and she applies a bodyscissors into a cradle for two. HZK tags in AZM, diving crossbody by AZM and she hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Dropkick by AZM and she goes for a suplex, but Takumi reverses it into a suplex of her own. Takumi goes for a powerbomb but AZM reverses it into a cradle, bridging cover by AZM but Rin breaks it up. AZM picks up Takumi and hits a vertical suplex, she gets the Wing Clutch applied but Rin breaks it up again. Takumi kicks AZM in the head, she picks her up for the powerbomb but HZK breaks it up. Rin comes in too and they both superkick HZK, kick to the head by Takumi to AZM and she covers her for two. Takumi positions AZM, she goes up top and nails the Swanton Bomb for the three count! Takumi Iroha and Rin Kadokura win!

A really entertaining match, hopefully a feud that will continue down the road. This is the best I’ve seen of AZM, so either she just needs a new environment to come out of her shell or she felt inspired being in a notable inter-promotional match (this was just her second match outside of Stardom). Takumi is great and was really bringing the hate, lots of hard strikes as she just has an aura around her that she always means business. HZK kept up with her fine and they had some quality back and forths. They also got plenty of time, which is always appreciated. This match is on Stardom World, so its pretty readily available, definitely worth tracking down.  Recommended 

Chikayo Nagashima and KAORU vs. Yuu Yamagata and Tomoko Watanabe

There are weapons scattered around as the bell rings, which happens prematurely as Chikayo and KAORU attack their opponents as they are getting into the ring. Chikayo and KAORU take their opponents into the crowd and around the ring before finally returning, with Chikayo holding a chair while KAORU has her ladder. Tomoko gets in the ring first but it immediately double teamed, KAORU puts the ladder around her neck and helicopters it into both of her opponents. Tomoko is driven into a chair, another chair is put on top of her before both Chikayo and KAORU drive the ladder down on top of her. They then set up the ladder, KAORU climbs it but Yuu runs in and pushes it over, sending KAORU crashing out of the ring. Yuu stays in as the legal wrestler and trades blows with Chikayo, kick to the head by Yuu and she chops Chikayo repeatedly in the chest. Yuu charges Chikayo in the corner but Chikayo boots her back and hits a headscissors, running boot by Chikayo and she tags in KAORU. Double boot to the face to Yuu and they hit a double vertical suplex, KAORU picks up Yuu and delivers a delayed brainbuster. Cover, but Tomoko breaks it up. This gives Yuu time to recover, high kick by Yuu but Chikayo grabs her lag before she can tag in Tomoko. Yuu kicks Chikayo back and tags in Tomoko anyway, Tomoko clears house with lariats before covering KAORU. KAORU bridges out of the pin, she gets her wooden board and whacks Tomoko repeatedly in the head with it until the board breaks.

She hits her with it some more for good measure, Tomoko is bleeding at this point while Chikayo drives the board onto her head. Frankensteiner off the top but Chikayo, hurricanrana by KAORU to Tomoko but Yuu breaks up the pin attempt. Yuu stays in to help but gets a chair thrown at her, Tomoko drops KAORU with Screw Driver but Chikayo breaks it up. Another one by Tomoko, but KAORU kicks out at one. Chikayo comes in and hits Tomoko with a chair, she takes another board shot but Tomoko fires back with a lariat to KAORU. Tomoko finally tags in Yuu while Chikayo is also tagged in, Chikayo drives Yuu’s head into the mat but Yuu fires back with a dropkick. Yuu goes up top and she nails a missile dropkick, but KAORU hits Yuu with the board which allows Chikayo to hit an uranage. Chikayo goes up top but Tomoko hits her from the apron, Yuu recovers and joins Chikayo, hitting a superplex. Somato by Yuu, but KAORU breaks up the cover. Yuu goes for a high kick by Chikayo blocks it and hits the fisherman buster, but Tomoko interrupts the pin. Chikayo picks up Yuu but Tomoko lariats her, front suplex by Yuu to Chikayo but KAORU breaks up the pin. Buzzsaw Kick by Yuu but KAORU hits her in the back of the head with the board, Tomoko hits KAORU but Chikayo spits mist in he face. KAORU returns and spits red mist into Yuu’s face, fisherman buster by Chikayo to Yuu and she picks up the three count! KAORU and Chikayo Nagashima win!

This wasn’t billed as a “hardcore” match but it may as well have been, as KAORU was not being shy about hitting people with her board. Tomoko in particular was on the wrong end of many shots, its a good thing she is hard headed as I think I got a concussion just from watching it. Definitely a crazy match and none of these four have lost a noticeable step, they were still diving off objects as always and Tomoko still drops a mean Screw Driver. It wasn’t a long main event but probably went about the right amount of time for what they were going for, and there was certainly always something going on to keep the match entertaining. I enjoyed it as its a nice change of pace from what we normally see on Joshi events, a fun match between four long time vets and a fitting match for KAORU’s anniversary.  Recommended

The post Marvelous Anniversary Fight Night on 8/8/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

While I do not really want to over-represent one of the smaller Joshi promotions, this was certainly a packed show and worthy of getting a bit more attention. SEAdLINNNG started as Nanae Takahashi’s vanity promotion, and it still mostly is, however they have signed a couple wrestlers so it isn’t just “Nanae and Friends” on the events anymore. This is a big event with every match having potential to be entertaining, here is the full card:

• Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Mio Momono and Tsukushi
• Hiragi Kurumi and Sareee vs. Rin Kadokura and Takumi Iroha
• Aja Kong and AKINO vs. Nanae Takahashi and Yuki Miyazaki
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Rina Yamashita vs. Yoshiko

This aired on Samurai TV but it looks like SEAdLINNNG was focused on the actual in-ring action as I didn’t see any real clipping. So kudos on them for that, I hate when a match is severely clipped and then a promotion airs a 10 minute promo package. As always, you can click on any of the wrestler’s names above to go to their profile here on Joshi City.

Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Mio Momono and Tsukushi

Mio and Maruko start the match, Mio twists on Maruko’s arm but soon they get into the high speed spirit and start bouncing off the ropes. Tsukushi runs in but dropkicks her own partner by accident, Tsukasa comes in too and they trade flash pins. Tsukasa kicks Tsukushi in the chest but Mio kicks Tsukasa from the apron, she comes in the ring but Maruko does too and they both dropkick their opponents. Things settle down with Tsukushi and Maruko in the ring but Maruko tags in Tsukasa, Tsukasa dropkicks Tsukushi and hits a PK. Rolling cover by Tsukasa, but Tsukushi kicks out. Tsukasa tags Maruko and Maruko tosses Tsukushi by her hair, Maruko applies a necklock and clubs Tsukushi in the chest. She tags Tsukasa back in, Tsukasa puts Tsukushi into a crab hold but Tsukushi gets a hand in the ropes. Tsukushi feigns injury but Tsukasa chokes her into the corner, Tsukushi keeps teasing Tsukasa while getting sympathy from Natsuki. Tsukushi finally stops pretending to hit hurt and elbows Tsukasa, Tsukasa chops Tsukushi in the chest but Tsukushi catches her with a dropkick. Mio comes in but Natsuki trips Tsukasa, Maruko comes in too but Mio and Tsukushi double team both of them.

Mio armdrags Tsukasa out of the corner but Tsukasa throws Mio and Natsuki into the corner but Mio recovers as Tsukasa charges in. Tsukasa dropkicks Natsuki out of the ring, Tsukasa kicks Mio in the chest and covers Mio, but the referee is nowhere to be found. Tsukasa goes outside the ring to find Natsuki while Maruko elbows Mio in the ring, Maruko slams Mio and covers her, but Tsukushi breaks it up. Maruko elbows Tsukushi but Tsukushi elbows her back and dropkicks Maruko while she is against the ropes. Tsukushi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Maruko but Maruko kicks out. Tsukushi tags in Mio, Mio rolls up Maruko but it gets two. Mio hits a headscissors and they trade flash pins, F Crash by Maruko but Tsukushi breaks up the pin by kicking Natsuki. Tsukushi and Tsukasa trade quick pins until Mio breaks that up, Maruko puts Mio and Tsukushi in the corner and throws Natsuki at them, but Natsuki hits a triple jump plancha out of the ring onto Tsukasa. I assume. She quickly returns as Mio hits a diving crossbody onto Maruko, cover by Mio but it gets two. Maruko goes for a spear but Mio rolls through it, Maruko hits the spear on the second try and she picks up the three count! Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukasa Fujimoto win!

These high speed matches are always a bit odd but I thought this was pretty fun. All four worked well together and I always enjoy when Natsuki gets involved, she is a bundle of joy. It still isn’t my favorite match style since its not a particularly logical one and it makes the match a bit disjointed, but not a bad way to kick off the event.

Hiragi Kurumi and Sareee vs. Rin Kadokura and Takumi Iroha

Takumi and Sareee begin the match for their teams, Iroha gets the first advantage when she lands a heel kick and Rin comes in to help, but Sareee dropkicks her and tosses Rin out of the ring. Kurumi comes in but Rin quickly returns and helps Takumi dropkick both of their opponents. Takumi puts Sareee in a headlock but Sareee gets out of it and applies a wristlock. Takumi reverses it and tags in Rin, Rin stomps down Sareee but Rin fires back with elbows and they trade shots. Dropkick by Rin but Sareee hits a scoop slam and puts Rin in a modified Muta Lock. She lets go after a moment and tags in Kurumi, scoop slam by Kurumi and she hits a body press onto Rin’s back. Camel Clutch by Kurumi and she pulls back on Rin’s head with extra vigor, she tags Sareee back in and Rin is double teamed in the corner. Sareee keeps on Rin as they take turns on the young wrestler, Takumi runs in to help and takes out both Sareee and Kurumi. She then picks up Rin and drops her onto Kurumi, but the cover only gets two. Rin goes off the ropes but Kurumi catches her crossbody and throws Rin down, Rin tries again but it gets the same result. A third attempt ends with a backbreaker, Kurumi picks up Rin but Rin hits a trio of dropkicks.

Kurumi stays up but a final dropkick sends her to the mat, cover by Rin but it gets two. Rin picks up Kurumi and hits a scoop slam, giving her time to tag in Takumi. Takumi kicks Kurumi before knocking Sareee off the apron, Takumi and Kurumi go at it until Takumi hits a powerslam. Takumi goes up top but Kurumi tosses her off and hits a body avalanche in the corner. Cannonball by Kurumi, and she covers Takumi for a two count. Kurumi picks up Takumi but Takumi slides away and applies a sleeper, Kurumi backs Takumi into the corner to break it up but Takumi gets it re-applied. Kurumi gets a foot on the ropes to get the break, Takumi goes off the ropes but Kurumi catches her with a lariat. She goes off the ropes again but Takumi hits a superkick, both wrestlers crawl to their corners but Sareee is tagged in first and she cuts off Takumi before she can tag Rin. Sareee goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, leg sweep by Takumi and she kicks Sareee in the chest. Takumi kicks Sareee in the chest and hits a superkick, Takumi goes off the ropes but Sareee catches her with a jumping back kick. Rin comes in and dropkicks Sareee, but Sareee hits a footstomp on Takumi before going up top.

Diving footstomp by Sareee, Kurumi then hits an assisted senton off the top before Sareee hits one as well. Cover by Sareee, but Rin breaks it up. Sareee picks up Takumi and hits a German suplex hold, but Takumi barely kicks out. Kick to the head by Takumi and she hits a second one, but Kurumi breaks up the cover. Takumi picks up Sareee but Sareee elbows her and the two fire back and forth. Sareee catches Takumi with an Uranage, but Rin comes in and slams Sareee to the mat. Kurumi takes care of Rin but Takumi elbows her before kicking Sareee in the head. Takumi goes up top and hits a Frog Splash, she goes up top again and hits a Swanton Bomb, but Sareee kicks out. Takumi picks up Sareee and goes for the Running Three, but Kurumi runs in and bodyblocks her to the mat. Rin tags herself in as Takumi tumbles into the corner, she slams Kurumi before hitting a missile dropkick onto Sareee. Takumi come sin and drops Sareee with a Liger Bomb, Rin goes off the ropes and goes for a hurricanrana onto Sareee but Sareee blocks it and applies a crab hold. Sareee pulls back onto Rin’s legs with extra leverage, and Rin has no choice but to submit! Sareee and Hiragi Kurumi are the winners.

For a match as long as this one, the ending just felt off as they had built up to something epic but didn’t deliver. Not that a crab hold is a bad way to end a match against a young wrestler but the hold wasn’t applied well and Rin was super close to the ropes. Plus Takumi was nowhere to be found when all four wrestlers had been actively engaged throughout. Anyway, aside from that I thought it was a solid match, although meandering at times. Kurumi has really stepped up in the last six months, I’ve enjoyed her a lot, and both Takumi and Sareee are great. Rin didn’t look out of place but also not as much was asked of her, so it was set up well to help all succeed. Probably a bit longer than it needed to be as not all parts were captivating and the end put a damper on things, but overall a good display from four wrestlers that may be the future of Joshi.  Mildly Recommended

Aja Kong and AKINO vs. Nanae Takahashi and Yuki Miyazaki

This one will probably be a bit slower than the last match. AKINO and Yuki are the first two in, armdrag by AKINO but Yuki hits a lariat. Yuki picks up AKINO and catapults her into the mat, Takahashi comes in and they double team AKINO. Takahashi stays in and starts on AKINO’s leg, knees by Takahashi but AKINO kicks her in the back of the head and tags in Kong. Kong chops Takahashi in the corner and kicks her in the back, AKINO returns and she dropkicks Takahashi to the mat. Kong comes back and clubs Takahashi before slamming her to the mat and hitting an elbow drop. Kong clubs on Takahashi but Takahashi elbows her back, AKINO comes in but Takahashi hits a double face crusher on them and tags in Yuki. Yuki lariats AKINO and Kong, AKINO goes to the mat but Kong does not. Yuki distracts Kong with a kiss and finally is able to lariat her over, Kong gets back up but Yuki drops her with a suplex. Yuki goes up top but Kong gets her feet up on the moonsault attempt, lariat by Kong and she tags in AKINO. AKINO goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, AKINO picks up Yuki but Yuki dropkicks her in the head. Yuki goes to pick up AKINO but AKINO knocks her back, Yuki gets AKINO around the waist and suplexes her into the turnbuckles. Yuki goes up top as Takahashi runs in, and with her help she goes for a somersault senton, but AKINO moves. AKINO goes up top, Kong goes to superplex AKINO onto Yuki but Yuki gets out of the way. Samoan Driver by Yuki to AKINO, and she tags Takahashi.

Takahashi picks up AKINO and lariats her in the corner, Takahashi suplexes AKINO and hits a lariat. AKINO and Takahashi trade elbows, jawbreaker by AKINO but Yuki knees her from the apron and Takahashi hits a lariat. Backdrop suplex by AKINO to Takahashi, but her cover gets two. Kicks by AKINO but Takahashi kicks her back, AKINO goes for Takahashi’s arm and she applies a cross armbreaker take down. Yuki breaks it up, Kong comes in and she snaps Takahashi’s arm over her shoulder. Takahashi manages to apply a sleeper but Kong drives her back into the corner, lariat by Takahashi but Kong shrugs it off and hits a backdrop suplex. Kong picks up Takahashi and slaps her, Kong charges Takahashi in the corner but Takahashi moves and punches her in the stomach. Lariat by Takahashi, Yuki comes in but Kong lariats both of them. Kong picks up Takahashi, Yuki lariats Kong and Takahashi hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Yuki goes up top and hits a moonsault onto Kong, then Takahashi goes up and nails the Refrigerator Bomb, but AKINO breaks up the cover. AKINO kicks Takahashi but Yuki runs in to help, sliding kick by Takahashi to Kong but Kong kicks out of the cover. Takahashi picks up Kong but Kong delivers a brainbuster and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Kong gets her paint can but Takahashi punches it out of her hand, slap by Kong and she nails the Uraken for the three count cover! AKINO and Aja Kong win the match.

They kept a better pace than I was expecting, these older Joshi vets can still move. Kong is still just one of the best, she knows her limitations and works around them perfectly. Its always a big moment when she gets knocked over and the match was build around Takahashi and Miyazaki trying to find a way to keep Kong down with limited success. Miyazaki played it pretty straight, she can be a bit comedic sometimes, and the action generally was solid. At times it had the feel of “long time veterans just having some fun” but overall they kept it pretty on level and was a fun match-up.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Nakajima vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

They size each other up before engaging, they trade holds until Hiroyo locks Arisa in a side headlock. Arisa gets out of it and hits a tornado DDT, dropkick into the corner by Arisa and she drops Hiroyo with a release German. Elbows by Arisa, but Hiroyo gets her on her shoulders and chucks Arisa out of the ring down onto Natsuki Taiyo and Tsukasa Fujimoto. Hiroyo goes out after her and throws Arisa into the ring post, she gets Arisa on her shoulders and hits a gutbuster. Hiroyo gets Arisa back into the ring and puts Arisa in the corner across the ropes, body avalanche by Hiroyo and she hits a hard shoulderblock for two. Scoop slam by Hiroyo and she hits a double kneedrop, mounted slaps by Hiroyo but Arisa switches positions with her and slaps Hiroyo back. They trade shots until Hiroyo puts Arisa in a crab hold, but Arisa gets a hand in the ropes for the break. Hiroyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hiroyo but it gets a two. Hiroyo picks up Arisa but Arisa fights off the suplex attempt, they trade elbows until Arisa hits a Sling Blade. Arisa goes off the ropes and boots Hiroyo in the head, another boot by Arisa and she hits two more. Hiroyo catches one but Arisa hits a double underhook facebuster, Arisa goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Arisa picks up Hiroyo, she flips her to the mat and hits a footstomp. Running boot by Arisa, she slides out to the apron but Hiroyo catches her as she gets back in the ring and hits a release German.

Hiroyo picks up Arisa and slams her in front of the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Arisa joins her and the two trade elbows. Arisa knocks Hiroyo into the Tree of Woe but Hiroyo flips herself back to her feet, she re-joins Arisa and tries to suplex her to the floor, but Arisa blocks it and drives Hiroyo face-first into the ring apron. Arisa goes back up top and she dives down onto Hiroyo with a double footstomp, she slides Hiroyo back into the ring and hits another diving footstomp, but Hiroyo barely kicks out of the cover. Arisa goes for a dragon suplex but Hiroyo gets out of it, she goes for a powerbomb but Arisa blocks that as well. Backdrop suplex attempt by Arisa but Hiroyo reverses it and hits a powerbomb. Spinning sit-down powerbomb by Hiroyo, but the pin only gets a two count. Hiroyo hits a body avalanche against the ropes but Arisa snaps off a dragon suplex, elbows by Arisa and she nails a package German hold for a two count. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, backdrop suplex by Hiroyo and she its a sliding lariat, but Arisa rolls through it and applies La Magistral for two. Running boot to the face by Arisa, she picks up Hiroyo and hits the dragon suplex hold, but Hiroyo gets a shoulder up. Arisa goes for the D×D Suplex but Hiroyo blocks it, Arisa goes off the ropes but Hiroyo catches her with a back elbow. Rock Drop by Hiroyo, and she picks up the three count pinfall! Hiroyo Matsumoto wins!

I don’t even know what to say about these two that hasn’t already been said. Arisa only knows one way to wrestle, which is super intense, and she was just laying it into Hiroyo like few would dare since Hiroyo is no pushover either. The diving stomp outside of the ring is always sick, and her elbows were very on point. Hiroyo doesn’t mind mixing it up either and dropped Arisa on her head whenever she got a chance, and it was just a heavy hitting match as soon as it got rolling (which didn’t take long at all). It probably isn’t a flawless match but after one view I can’t really think of any, a fantastic match from two of the best in the business.  Highly Recommended

Rina Yamashita vs. Yoshiko

They stare each other down before tying up, Yoshiko gets Rina to the mat first but they end up grabbing each other by the hair as they jockey for position. Yoshiko tosses down Rina by the hair and face washes her in the corner before delivering a running boot to the face. Yoshiko applies a chinlock to Rina but Rina bites her arm to get out of it, Yoshiko goes for a sleeper but Rina quickly gets out of it and knees Yoshiko into the ropes. Headlock by Yoshiko but Rina reverses it, they both try to shoulderblock each other over but neither has any luck. They then start trading elbows until Yoshiko finally shoulderblocks Rina to the mat, but Rina quickly returns the favor and throws Yoshiko into the corner. Rina charges Yoshiko but Yoshiko slides out to the apron, she tries to kick Rina but Rina ducks and they trade lariats with neither going down. Rina finally snaps Yoshiko’s neck on the top rope, sending Yoshiko out to the floor, and Rina goes out after her to hit her with any random objects she can find at ringside. Rina throws Yoshiko into the post but Yoshiko avoids her charge and hits a lariat, Yoshiko gets a running start but Rina rolls out of the way of the senton on the floor. Rina grabs Nanae Takahashi and suplexes her onto Yoshiko, she slides Yoshiko back in and does a cocky cover for a two count. Camel Clutch by Rina, she lets Yoshiko go and puts her in a Scorpion Deathlock. Yoshiko eventually gets into the ropes, Rina puts her on the second rope and delivers a running knee to the back for a two count. Yoshiko comes back with a strike combination and boots Rina in the head, running senton by Yoshiko and she covers Rina for two.

Yoshiko applies a choke but Rina quickly gets out of it and jumps on her back with a sleeper hold. Yoshiko gets out of it by dropping to the mat, slamming Rina in the process, she then hits a pair of lariats in the corner but Rina fires back with her own lariats. Another lariat by Rina, she goes for a suplex and eventually is able to get Yoshiko over. Rina gets on the second turnbuckle but Yoshiko joins her, she gets Rina on her shoulders but Rina slides off and hits a powerbomb. Rina gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop, cover by Rina but it gets two. Rina picks up Yoshiko and hits a backdrop suplex, running senton by Rina and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Rina picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a back bodydrop and kicks Rina in the chest. Yoshiko picks up Rina and slams her to the mat, cover by Yoshiko but Rina gets a shoulder up. Yoshiko positions Rina and gets on the second turnbuckle, delivering the diving senton for another two. Yoshiko goes all the way up top the next time but Rina avoids the diving senton, and both wrestlers are down on the mat hurt. Both wrestlers slowly get up and trade lariats, headbutt by Yoshiko but Rina punches her. Yoshiko goes off the ropes but Rina levels her with a lariat, Yoshiko returns with her own lariat and hits a Codebreaker, but Rina fires back with a lariat. Rainmaker by Rina, but Yoshiko barely gets a shoulder up. Rina picks up Yoshiko and goes for a powerbomb, but Yoshiko slides away. Lariats by Rina but Yoshiko stays standing, Yoshiko hits her own lariat and they go back to trading shots. Yoshiko finally wins the lariat battle and knocks Rina off her feet, she picks her back up and delivers a short range lariat but Rina barely kicks out. Yoshiko goes up top and lands on Rina with a diving senton, and she picks up the three count! Yoshiko wins the match!

The pairings for this event were well done as this was a very different style than the match that came before it. Yoshiko and Rina are both hard hitters, stiff lariats and any other type of strike is what they do, so you knew that they would be laying it into each other. Rina’s mouth got busted open at some point, which happens, and both wrestlers looked pretty out of it by the time the match was over. They didn’t waste a lot of time here with holds that didn’t make sense, it was a constant game of one-upmanship whether it was going for sleepers or lariats or running sentons (they have a similar move set so nothing felt forced). It probably was a bit too long and a few of the exchanges were a tad excessive, but it fit into the main event setting and what they were going for, overall an enjoyable slugfest between two wrestlers that love to hit hard.  Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG “Fortissimo” on 5/24/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I know that I haven’t reviewed Ice Ribbon in awhile, but there is a very good reason for that. All of their airings on Nico Nico they put a commentary box on the bottom side of the screen, showing the commentary as they discuss the event. Even if I did understand Japanese I’d find this incredibly annoying, imagine watching RAW and for the entire three hours the bottom side of the screen showed the commentators, its quite distracting. So I haven’t been watching their events. But, this show I got on DVD which means – no commentary box. Granted, it is a small show but at least we get to check out some of their newest rookies. Here is the card:

• Akane Fujita and Nori DATE vs. Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE
• Matsuya Uno and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro
• Kyuri vs. Tsukushi
• Risa Sera, Maya Yukihi, and Karen DATE vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE

Pretty small show, as always you can click on the wrestler’s names above to go to their roster page, including all the DATE wrestlers.

Akane Fujita and Nori DATE vs. Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE

Nori starts the match against her sister Nao, kicks by Nori but Nao kicks her back and hits a series of knees against the ropes. Nao and Nori jockey on the floor but neither gets the advantage so they tag in their teammates. Shoulderblock by Hoshi to Akane but Akane chops her in the chest, Hoshi chops her back but Akane knocks her to the mat and covers Hoshi for two. Akane tags in Nori but Hoshi clubs her, Hoshi rolls to the mat and she does her pose, which makes the rookie Nori laugh. Poor Nori isn’t used to Hoshi’s antics. Hoshi throws Nori in the corner and rubs her belly in her face, Nao comes in and they double team Nori in the ropes. Hoshi officially tags in Nao, Nao throws down Nori in the corner and Nori is attack by both her and Hoshi. Bulldog by Hoshi to Nori and she eats a double elbow drop for a two count. Nori fights back against Nao with an elbow and they trade strikes, thrust kick by Nori and she tags in Akane. Akane throws Nao in the corner and tosses her down by the hair, Akane throws Nao face-first into the mat and puts her in the camel clutch while Nori kicks her in the chest.

Senton by Akane, and she covers Nao for two. Nao comes back with a boot to Akane in the chest, cover by Nao but it gets a two count. Nao tags in Hoshi but Akane shoulderblocks her down, Nori runs in to hold back Nao while Akane puts Hoshi in a Scorpion Deathlock. Nori manages to break it up, Hoshi belly bumps Akane and hits the Shining Onaka for a two count. Hoshi gets on the second turnbuckle but Nori grabs her, Akane picks up Hoshi and slams her to the mat for two. Akane picks up Hoshi and tags in Nori, kick combination by Nori to Hoshi and she covers her for a two count. Hoshi grabs Nori but Nori hits a scoop slam, high kick by Nori to Hoshi but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Cartwheel kick by Nori to Hoshi, but Nao breaks up the pin. Nori goes off the ropes and kicks Hoshi in the chest, but Hoshi ducks the spinning kick and Nao kicks Nori into the corner. Hoshi and Nao pick up their opponents and hit Samoan Drops, scoop slam by Hoshi to Nori and she puts her in a crab hold. Akane eventually breaks it up, Hoshi goes off the ropes but Nori hits her with a kick to the chest. Nori goes off the ropes but Hoshi picks her up, Nori and Hoshi trade pins but both get two counts. Hoshi goes off the ropes and hits the Hamuroll, and Hoshi gets the three count! Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE win!

I was amused by this not necessarily because it was a great match, but just seeing wrestlers with MMA backgrounds in Joshi is nice since they bring something different to the table. I mean they are green as grass but its at least some variety. Nori laughing at Hoshi was funny, she just isn’t used to having to keep a straight face during such things, and no one looked bad. A decent way to kick things off.

Matsuya Uno and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro

Matsuya and Saya start the match, they trade wristlocks until Matsuya shoulderblocks Saya to the mat. Matsuya picks her up but Saya trips her and puts Matsuya in a camel clutch. Maruko runs in to help but Satsuki intercepts her and puts her in a camel clutch as well, but Matsuya makes it to the ropes to force the break. Irish whip by Saya but Matsuya hits a dropkick and makes the tag to Maruko. Maruko clubs Saya and stomps her into the corner, dropkick by Maruko and she puts Saya in a submission hold. Satsuki tries to break it up but Matsuya tosses her out of the ring, Maruko covers Saya but it gets a two count. Maruko goes for a slam but Saya blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Maruko delivers a dropkick. Maruko jumps over Saya in the corner but Saya connects with a rebound crossbody and makes the tag to Satsuki. Hard shoulderblock by Satsuki, she picks up Maruko and hits a scoop slam for two. Maruko pushes Satsuki off and elbows her in the chest, the two trade blows until Matsuya runs in to help. Maruko dropkicks Satsuki off her feet, she picks her up and throws her into the ropes, but Satsuki hits a double lariat on Matsuya and Maruko. Satsuki picks up Maruko, Maruko goes for a sunset flip but Satsuki sits on her.

Maruko dropkicks Satsuki and makes the tag to Matsuya, Matsuya goes up top but Satsuki blocks her diving chop and hits a shoulderblock. Two more shoulderblocks by Satsuki, and she covers Matsuya for two. Satsuki picks up Matsuya and hits a body avalanche in the corner, but Matsuya dodges the next one and schoolboys her for two. Matsuya tries multiple schoolboys with no luck, she picks up Satsuki but Satsuki hits a scoop slam and tags in Saya. Jumping crossbodies by Saya, she throws Matsuya into the corner before hitting a dropkick. Sunset flip by Saya from the second turnbuckle, but it gets a two count. Saya goes off the ropes but Matsuya catches her crossbody attempt and throws Saya to the mat. Springboard body press by Matsuya, but Saya gets a shoulder up. Matsuya goes off the ropes but Satsuki runs in and hits a shoulderblock, Saya goes up top and hits a diving crossbody but it only gets two. Saya picks up Matsuya but Matsuya grabs her legs and rolls her up for two. Matsuya tries a few more flash pins with no luck, Saya goes for Gran Maestro de Tequila but Matsuya blocks it. Satsuki comes in and lariats both Maruko and Matsuya, she goes up top and hits a somersault senton with Saya’s assistance. Saya now goes up top and hits a moonsault, she picks up Matsuya and delivers the Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro are the winners.

This certainly wasn’t good. Satsuki just debuted so I am not knocking her, but she really lagged behind here as she looked lost a few times and some of her strikes missed. Maruko is my favorite but did the least and some of the action was just disjointed. Everyone has to learn and practice makes perfect, but this wasn’t a good match.

Kyuri vs. Tsukushi

Kyuri and Tsukushi start by trading wristlocks, Tsukushi gets Kyuri to the mat and they jockey for position. Tsukushi applies a necklock and pulls Kyuri by the hair before tossing her down to the mat. Tsukushi runs on Kyuri’s back and goes for a stretch hold, but Kyuri gets into the ropes. Scoop slam by Kyuri and she stretches Tsukushi, she puts her into the ropes but Tsukushi switches positions with her and messes with Kyuri’s nose. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Kyuri catches her with a judo throw, neck drops by Kyuri and she covers Tsukushi for two. Kyuri starts on Tsukushi’s arm, tiger feint kick by Kyuri and she covers Tsukushi for another two count. Kyuri goes for a fisherman suplex but Tsukushi blocks it and applies a front guillotine, Kyuri gets out of the hold and hits the fisherman suplex hold for two. Kyuri goes up top and hits a diving body press, but that gets a two count as well. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi rolls her up and hits a footstomp. Tsukushi and Kyuri trade elbows until Tsukushi knocks Kyuri to the mat, Tsukushi picks up Kyuri and hits more elbows for two. Tsukushi gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Kyuri quickly applies a short armbar. Tsukushi gets into the ropes to force the break, Kyuri approaches Tsukushi but Tsukushi rolls her up for two. Kyuri goes for another flash cover with no luck, hard elbow by Tsukushi and she gets on the second turnbuckle. Kyuri gets her off the turnbuckles with a Codebreaker, Fisherman Driver by Kyuri but Tsukushi gets a shoulder up. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi and hits a cross armbreaker takedown, she reverts it into a seated armbar but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi and hits a Blockbuster Suplex Hold, but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Kyuri wraps up Tsukushi’s arms and applied a submission, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I think a Draw has to be done perfectly in order to not annoy me, and this match did a Draw about as perfect as possible. The story here was Kyuri trying to surpass her old friend and tag team partner, and she damn nearly almost did but couldn’t find the right combination to get the job done before the bell rang. Afterwards, Kyuri was mad and went back after Tsukushi, so she clearly was not satisfied with just a Draw. This match was about Kyuri’s growth and I think it told that story about as well as a ten minute match can. Really enjoyable match as they have great chemistry and Kyuri could be a future star in the promotion as I think she is almost ready.  Recommended

Risa Sera, Maya Yukihi, and Karen DATE vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE

Karen and Miyako start the match, Miyako goes to the mat and challenges Karen but Karen promptly puts her in a heel hook. She gets rescued, then Karen goes on the mat and challenges Miyako, leading to her promptly putting her back into a heel hook. Miyako gets out of it and rolls up Karen, but Karen puts her in a triangle choke. Miyako gets Karen into the corner while still in the hold and tags in Tsukasa, Tsukasa throws Karen into the corners but Karen returns the favor. Tsukasa rams her again and chokes Karen in the corner, Tsukasa stomps her foot and tags in Hana. Hana picks up Karen but Karen ducks all her kicks, Karen kicks down Hana in the corner and tags in Maya. Maya goes for a kick but Hana blocks it, Hana puts Maya in a camel clutch but she lets go after a moment and goes for a scoop slam. Maya blocks it and elbows Hana, the two trade elbows until Maya hits a jumping knee in the corner. Hana kicks Maya in the stomach and boots her to the mat, cover by Hana but it gets two. Hana tags Miyako back in, but Maya scoop slams her. Miyako trips Maya and rolls her around the ring before putting her in a submission, but Risa breaks it up. Miyako picks up Maya but Maya hits an STO and covers Miyako for two. Maya tags in Risa, Risa puts Miyako in the Rocking Horse before hitting a double knee drop for two. Risa picks up Miyako but Miyako hits a Sling Blade and puts Risa in an Octopus Hold. Hana and Tsukasa join in the fun, but Risa makes it to the ropes to force the break. Miyako snaps Sera’s neck over the top rope and tags in Tsukasa, missile dropkick by Tsukasa and she dropkicks Sera in the corner.

Tsukasa and Sera trade elbows, Maya runs in and knees Tsukasa and Karen comes in also and armdrags Tsukasa into the corner. Running double knee by Risa, she covers Tsukasa but it gets two. Reverse Double Knee by Sera, but that gets a two count as well. Risa goes up top but Hana grabs her from the apron, then Miyako runs in and tosses Risa off the top turnbuckle. Double kick by Tsukasa and Miyako to Sera, Tsukasa covers Sera but it gets two. Tsukasa goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker, she goes off the ropes but Sera catches her with a dropkick. TKO by Risa and she tags in Karen, dropkick by Karen but Tsukasa blocks the scoop slam. Tsukasa puts Karen in an armtrap crossface, but Karen gets into the ropes. Tsukasa puts Karen in the ropes and chokes her, but Maya comes in and hits a missile dropkick. Sera also comes in, they pick up Karen and ram her into Tsukasa. Scoop slam by Karen, and she covers Tsukasa for two. Tsukasa puts Karen in a crab hold but Risa breaks it up. Tsukasa dropkicks both Sera and Maya, then her teammates come in and triple team Karen in the corner. Hana comes in but she hits a crossbody on Tsukasa by accident, Miyako tries to help but she hits Tsukasa by accident as well. Sunset flip by Karen to Tsukasa, but Tsukasa gets a shoulder up. Karen goes off the ropes and rolls up Tsukasa, but that also gets two. Karen goes off the ropes but Tsukasa kicks her back with both feet, cradle by Tsukasa and she picks up the three count! Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE are your winners!

First, I have to give Miyako credit since she didn’t do any comedy here aside from the quick bit at the beginning, so kudos to her. Its wild to watch a 14 year old rookie  going toe to toe with Tsukasa, they definitely are pushing the DATE wrestlers. Which is fine with me, hopefully they will be regulars and put enough training in wrestling to continue to improve. The match was fast paced and entertaining, a few iffy moments which you’d expect with a match with two rookies, but the veterans were all solid. I am still a bit concerned about Maya, she is getting a decent push but still is a bit awkward at times, I like her but she needs to continue to improve if she is going to put on high end main event style matches. A fun main event, wish it was a bit longer but I enjoyed it for what it was.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #799” on 4/29/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Even though this was a smaller show for SEAdLINNNG, since I have not reviewed them yet this year I figured it was about time to see what they were up to, as even lower ranking promotions deserve attention. Since I last reviewed a SEAdLINNNG event they have gotten two new roster members – Arisa Nakajima and Sareee. So at least now it isn’t a promotion with only two wrestlers in Yoshiko and Nanae Takahashi, they still don’t have a full roster but they are slowly getting there. Tsukasa Fujimoto joins her friend Arisa Nakajima to take on SEAdLINNNG in the big main event, and other Ice Ribbon stars are here also to lend the promotion a hand. Here is the full card:

• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rin Kadokura
• Maruko Nagasaki vs. Mio Momono
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita vs. Yoshiko and Hamuko Hoshi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi and Sareee

The main event looks good but not so sure about the rest, as always you can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rin Kadokura

Rin dropkicks Kaori right off the start and hits four straight crossbodies, but Kaori kicks out of the cover. Rin tosses Kaori by the hair but Kaori has finally had enough and returns the favor. Kaori stomps down Rin in the corner and puts her in a sleeper hold, bodyscissors by Kaori but Rin gets out of it and kicks Kaori in the leg. They trade submission holds on the mat, Kaori struggles back up and puts Rin in a wristlock. Kaori keeps on Rin’s arm before putting her back in a leglock, but Rin crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Mongolian Chops by Kaori and she throat thrusts Rin to the mat, Irish whip by Kaori but Rin reverses it and hits a dropkick. Three more dropkicks by Rin, she picks up Kaori but Kaori pushes her off and they trade elbows. Rin goes off the ropes but Kaori knocks her to the mat, Irish whip by Kaori but Rin dropkicks her. Two more dropkicks by Rin, and she covers Kaori for two. Rin goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, but that gets a two count as well. Knees by Kaori but Rin reverses the bodyslam into rolling DDTs for a two count. Rin goes back up top but Kaori avoids the missile dropkick this time and hits a running senton. Elevated crab hold by Kaori but Rin gets into the ropes to force a break. Kaori goes for a suplex but Rin reverses it, she tries a few flash pins but each only gets two. Rin goes off the ropes but Kaori avoids her charge and nails the Chaos Theory for the three count! Kaori Yoneyama wins.

I can’t say that the bulk of the match did a whole lot for me, but it did pick up some at the end. It began a bit clunky, not anyone’s fault in particular but Rin is still developing and it may not have been as carefully orchestrated as Kaori’s rookie matches in Stardom are. I enjoyed it when Rin had her offensive burst towards the end of the match, and the rolling DDTs were nice as she has been wrestling long enough to have her own memorable spots in matches instead of just doing dropkicks. But the match ended very suddenly, with Rin going from in control to pinned without being weakened first (I know Kaori is the veteran, but a setup move still would have been nice). Not bad for an opener, it just took too long to get going and was suddenly over right as they got in a groove.

Maruko Nagasaki vs. Mio Momono

In spirit of the type of match they are in, they start the with a high speed sprint as both go back and forth off the ropes, but they reach a stalemate. They slow down a bit as they tie-up and trade wristlocks, headlock by Mio and she throws down Maruko by the hair before hitting a dropkick in the corner. She does the same thing again and then puts Maruko in a crab hold, but Maruko gets into the ropes to force a break. Mio picks up Maruko but Maruko elbows her back, Maruko pulls Taiyo in front of her when Mio goes for a dropkick so that Taiyo is dropkicked instead, Maruko then puts both Mio and Taiyo in the ropes and dropkicks them. No idea why Maruko is suddenly attacking Taiyo but she does tend to get involved in matches she is the referee for. Scoop slam by Maruko, she goes off the ropes but Mio gets up and elbows her. Now Mio goes off the ropes as they repeat this process several times (they have to go off the ropes to make a cover) until they end up trading flash pins on the mat for so long that Taiyo gets tired from counting. Neither gets the pin so they trade elbows, Maruko charges Mio in the corner but Mio knocks her back and goes for a sunset flip. Maruko blocks it by grabbing the ropes but Mio lets go and elbows Maruko back into the ring. Mio goes up top but Maruko joins her, Mio knocks her off and she hits a diving crossbody. She goes off the ropes so she can make a cover, but Maruko kicks out. Elbows by Mio but Maruko catches her with the F Crash. She goes off the ropes to make the pin, but Mio gets a shoulder up. Maruko picks up Mio but Mio rolls her up for two, Mio goes off the ropes but so does Maruko and Maruko hits a dropkick. Maruko slams Mio and goes off the ropes, rolling spear by Maruko and she picks up the three count! Maruko Nagasaki is the winner!

I like Maruko a lot and think she has improved significantly, but I am not a big fan of the High Speed gimmick. Don’t get me wrong, it is mindless fun that doesn’t hurt anyone, it just gives the match a bit of a ceiling as it at times is more comedy than anything else. On just a four match card, having one of them be a sillier match with two almost-rookies is just a bit disappointing as I’d rather see these two really go at it if they are going to be here. Decent enough though, and I think Maruko will have a solid career if she keeps wrestling.

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita vs. Yoshiko and Hamuko Hoshi

Rina and Hoshi start off for their respective teams, they take turns trying to knock each other over but neither has success so Hoshi rolls to the mat and poses. Hoshi throws Rina into the corner and rubs her belly into Rina’s face, but Rina pushes her back and they end up at another stalemate. Hiroyo and Yoshiko are tagged in and they start trading shots, Yoshiko knocks Hiroyo to the mat and she hits a running boot to the head. She goes for a senton but Hiroyo moves and hits a shoulderblock, Irish whip by Hiroyo but Yoshiko trips her and applies a camel clutch. Hoshi comes in and pushes Yoshiko out of the way so she can apply the camel clutch instead, they push each other which gives Hiroyo a chance to recover. Hiroyo elbows both of them but eats a double kick for her trouble, Hoshi and Yoshiko squish Hiroyo from different sides before Yoshiko officially tags in Hoshi. Belly strikes by Hoshi but Hiroyo throws her down by the belly, Hiroyo tags in Rina and Rina clubs on Hoshi. Rina tosses Hoshi in the corner and bootscrapes her while taunting Yoshiko, she tags in Hiroyo and Hoshi eats a double shoulderblock. Hiroyo puts Hoshi in a camel clutch while Rina knocks Yoshiko off the apron, Hiroyo changes the hold to a chinlock, after a moment she tags Rina back in as the Hoshi beatdown continues. Rina goes off the ropes but Hoshi catches her with a body block, which finally gives her time to tag in Yoshiko. Yoshiko hits a senton on Rina before knocking Hiroyo off the apron, she kicks Rina in the chest and hits another senton for a two count. Yoshiko chokes Rina in the corner but Rina hits a lariat, rapid fire lariats by Rina but Yoshiko charges back with a lariat of her own. Diving lariat by Yoshiko, she goes off the ropes but Hiroyo grabs her from the apron. Rina runs over but she hits Hiroyo by accident, Yoshiko then boots Rina back into Hiroyo, sending Hiroyo to the floor.

Yoshiko picks up Rina but Rina slides off and applies a sleeper, Yoshiko reverses it into her own sleeper but Rina switches it back. Yoshiko get to the ropes for the break, Rina tries to pick up Yoshiko but Yoshiko clubs her off. They trade lariats to see who can knock over who first, they then trade elbows before Yoshiko hits a Code Breaker. She goes off the ropes but Rina knocks her to the mat with a lariat, backdrop suplex by Rina but it gets a two count. Rina tags in Hiroyo, Hiroyo goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick on Yoshiko. Hoshi runs in and puts Hiroyo in a waistlock, she gets on Hiroyo’s back but Rina then jumps on Hoshi’s back and with the weight of both of them, Hiroyo hits a double kneedrop onto Yoshiko. Reverse double knee by Hiroyo, and she covers Yoshiko for two. Knees by Hiroyo but Yoshiko hits her own knee, lariat by Yoshiko and makes the tag to Hoshi. Shining Onaka by Hoshi, she picks up Hiroyo but Hiroyo elbows her off and kicks her in the stomach. Scoop slam by Hiroyo, she goes up top but Yoshiko runs in and smacks her. Chokebomb by Yoshiko, Hoshi goes up top and she delivers the diving body press, but Rina barely breaks it up. Yoshiko hits a lariat on both of them but they stay up, all four wrestlers run into each other with Hiroyo getting the better of Hoshi. Cover by Hiroyo, Yoshiko tries to break it up with a senton but Hiroyo moves and she hits Hoshi by accident. Body Avalanche by Hiroyo in the corner and she hits a roaring elbow, she goes for a powerbomb but Hoshi backdrops out of it and rolls over Hiroyo. Hoshi goes off the ropes but Hiroyo hits another roaring elbow, backdrop suplex by Hiroyo and she covers Hoshi for the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto and Rina Yamashita win the match.

I really liked this as soon as we got over the beginning bit with Hoshi. Hoshi didn’t really fit in here to start, as everyone in this match hits really hard angrily while Hoshi had to get in her goofy spots regardless. But once we got past that, everyone worked together really well and it was a cohesive fast paced match. Rina and Yoshiko have solid chemistry and had some heated exchanges, while Hiroyo is currently one of the best female wrestlers in the world. A solid match, I just wish someone else was in Hoshi’s place.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi and Sareee

Arisa and Sareee start the match, they trade holds but end up back on their feet again. Sareee rebounds off the ropes to avoid Arisa and hits an armdrag, Sareee grabs Arisa’s arm and hits a split-legged armdrag off the ropes. Arisa slides out to the apron and goes up top, she jumps off when Sareee charges and hits a springboard armdrag before dropkicking Sareee into the ropes. Tsukasa comes in  and Sareee is double teamed, Tsukasa sits up Sareee and kicks her in the back. Another kick by Tsukasa but Sareee gets up and returns the favor, side headlock takeover by Tsukasa but Sareee reverses it. Jumping crossbody by Sareee and she tags in Nanae, Nanae elbows Tsukasa against the ropes and hits her with a series of chops. Powerslam by Nanae and she puts Tsukasa in a stretch hold but she gets out of it and slaps Nanae in the face, Nanae slaps her back and they trade elbows. Nanae twice knocks Tsukasa to the mat, she picks her back up but Tsukasa rolls her up and tags in Arisa. Dropkick by Arisa and she trades elbows with Nanae, Nanae wins the battle and tags in Sareee. Irish whip by Sareee and she dropkicks Arisa, she tosses around Arisa by the hair before knocking Tsukasa off the apron. Nanae comes in to help too, not that Sareee needed it, as Arisa is in serious trouble. Sareee tags in Nanae, suplex by Nanae and she covers Arisa for two. Lariat by Nanae and she tags Sareee back in, armbar by Sareee but Arisa gets out of it and gets in top position. Elbows by Arisa but Sareee elbows her back, Arisa hits a Sling Blade and makes the hot tag to Tsukasa. Tsukasa dropkicks Sareee but misses on Nanae, Irish whip by Nanae but Tsukasa kicks off both her opponents and drops Nanae on top of Sareee. PK by Tsukasa, but Sareee bridges out of the pin and delivers a dropkick. Arisa flips out of Sareee’s pin and applies a cross-arm submission while Arisa watches for Nanae, Sareee eventually makes it to the ropes and dropkicks Tsukasa in the head.

Fisherman suplex hold by Sareee and she makes the tag to Nanae. Sareee stays in and helps double team Tsukasa, double face crusher to Tsukasa and Nanae hits a backdrop suplex for two. Hard lariats by Nanae but Tsukasa ducks one, giving Arisa time to run in and elbow Nanae in the head. Hurricanrana by Tsukasa to Nanae, she jumps on Nanae’s back but Nanae shrugs her off. Tsukasa eventually manages to hit the Infinity, but Nanae kicks out of the cover. Tsukasa goes off the ropes and goes for the Tsukadora, but Nanae blocks it and drops Tsukasa with a back to belly piledriver for two. Nanae goes up top but Tsukasa gets her feet on on the Refrigerator Bomb, dropkick by Tsukasa and she tags in Arisa. Arisa and Tsukasa both go up top and hit missile dropkicks, they then both dropkick Nanae in the corner before Arisa hits a DDT. Running boots by Arisa but Nanae absorbs the blows and kicks Arisa in the back, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Arisa lands on her feet and hits a German suplex hold for two. Arisa rolls Nanae to the met and applies a leg submission while Tsukasa takes care of Sareee, but Nanae makes it to the ropes. Arisa and Tsukasa both kick Nanae, Arisa goes up top but Nanae joins her. Tsukasa hits Nanae from behind which sends her down into the Tree of Woe, Arisa jumps off the top with a footstomp to Nanae before going back up and hitting a second diving footstomp. Knee by Arisa but Nanae blocks the dragon suplex, Sareee comes in and she dropkicks Arisa in the corner. Nanae slams Arisa in front of the corner, Sareee delivers a diving footstomp and Nanae delivers a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Nanae picks up Arisa but Arisa hits a release German, Tsukasa tries to help but Nanae lariats both of them and tags Sareee.

Missile dropkick by Sareee to Arisa, elbows by Sareee and she dropkicks Arisa against the ropes. Running dropkick by Sareee but Tsukasa elbows her from the apron, Sareee knocks her back and delivers the dropkick to Arisa anyway. Arisa kicks her back and hits a double underhook facebuster, they trade elbows with Arisa winning the battle. Sareee fires back however, she goes off the ropes but Arisa catches her with a bridging suplex. Rolling Germans by Arisa, she picks up Sareee but Sareee blocks the package German. Kick by Arisa, Tsukasa comes in and hits a baseball slide kick on Sareee before Arisa hits a release German. Nanae breaks up the pin and gets Tsukasa out of the ring, superplex by Nanae and Sareee goes up top and delivers a diving body press. Nanae then goes up and hits the Refrigerator Bomb, Sareee grabs Arisa and nails a German suplex hold, but Arisa gets a shoulder up. Sareee picks up Arisa but Tsukasa dropkicks her, Tsukasa charges Nanae but Nanae catches her with a backdrop suplex while Sareee also hits one on Arisa. Sareee picks up Arisa but Arisa elbows her off, back kick by Sareee and she hits the Uranage for two. Sareee picks up Arisa but again Arisa elbows her away, Sareee elbows her back but Nanae kicks Arisa which allows Sareee to finally deliver the wrist-clutch backdrop suplex hold. Tsukasa breaks up the pin, Sareee tries to suplex her but Tsukasa lands on her feet and hits the Tsukadora. Arisa grabs Sareee and hits the German suplex hold, but Nanae breaks it up. Venus Shoot by Tsukasa to Nanae, Arisa picks up Sareee and nails the dragon suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Best Friends win!

The best part of this match was just getting to see Best Friends again, they work so well together and are magical. The beginning started a bit awkward, Sareee made a few small mistakes that were really noticeable which isn’t like her, but things settled down and she was great the rest of the match. When it comes to fast but hard hitting action, one needs to look no further than Arisa and Tsukasa, and when watching their matches you can’t even look away for a second since something is constantly happening. Nanae was her usual solid self and Sareee taking the loss shows that she isn’t suddenly going to be the top dog in SEAdLINNNG. Overall a really fun and exciting main event, at least the show ended on a high note.  Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG ~Golden Go! Go!~ on 5/5/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

 

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

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

Maruko Nagasaki and Tsukushi vs. Tequila Saya and Tsukasa Fujimoto
All Japan Pro Wrestling Yokohama Twilight Blues Volume 3 on 1/9/17

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

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

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

Natsumi Maki vs. Nao Kakuta
WRESTLE-1 ACE Vol. 2 on 1/14/17

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

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

Bambi vs. ERINA
K-DOJO Club-K Super In Blue Field ~ BO-SO Golden Tag League 2017 Finals on 1/29/17

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

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

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

So before I even get into it, a couple disclaimers. First, I am aware this is a small dojo event and that it wasn’t designed to be a high end show. Second, I am reviewing this on DVD, it did not air, so that is why you probably haven’t seen any of these matches. As part of my quest to review at least one event from the bigger promotions, I had to pick something from Ice Ribbon as their biggest event of the month (on the 29th) isn’t available yet and I didn’t want to get that far behind. And this show looked better than 1/3 which was the other show I was considering. Still, this show does have some potential, as all the stars of Ice Ribbon are doing something on the event. Here is the full card:

• Hiragi Kurumi and Tequila Saya vs. Kyuri and Matsuya Uno
• 235 vs. Mochi Miyagi vs. Tsukushi
• Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

See, an itty bitty show. But it will be shown in full, which is always nice. You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Hiragi Kurumi and Tequila Saya vs. Kyuri and Matsuya Uno

Saya and Matsuya kick things off, Matsuya pushes Saya into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Wristlock by Saya but Matsuya rolls out of it, kick to the chest by Matsuya and she tags in Kyuri. Body press by Kyuri, she sits up Saya and puts her in a stretch submission hold. Saya gets to the ropes for the break, crossbody by Saya and Kurumi comes in to pick up Saya and toss her into Kyuri. Elbow by Saya and she dropkicks Kyuri before making the tag to Kurumi. Dropkick by Kurumi and she puts Kyuri in a crab hold, but Kyuri gets into the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Kurumi but Kyuri ducks the lariat and hits a trio of neck drops for a two count cover. Short armbar by Kyuri and she reverts it into a double armbar, but Kurumi muscles out of it. Kyuri and Kurumi trade elbows, which goes better for Kurumi, and Kurumi hits a body avalanche in the corner. Cannonball by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton for a two count. Kurumi tags in Saya, dropkicks by Saya and she hits a scoop slam on Kyuri for a two count. Saya puts Kyuri in a stretch hold but Kyuri gets a foot on the ropes, Saya picks up Kyuri but Kyuri takes her to the mat. Backstabber by Kyuri and she makes the tag to Matsuya. Shoulderblock by Matsuya but Saya knees her in the stomach, she goes off the ropes but Matsuya hits a spear for a two count cover. Matsuya goes up top and hits a chopping chop to the head, but again her cover gets two. Matsuya goes off the ropes but Kurumi runs in and hits a lariat, dropkick by Saya and she covers Matsuya for two. Saya goes up top and hits a reverse diving crossbody, but Kyuri breaks up the pin. Saya goes up top again but Matsuya hits her from behind and schoolboys her for two. Matsuya tries a few more schoolboys with no luck, Matsuya picks up Saya and slams her to the mat but Kurumi breaks up the pin. After trading flash pins, Matsuya goes for a lariat but Saya catches it and applies Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Saya Tequila and Kurumi win!

For a rookie match, it was acceptable, as while there were a few iffy moments that is to be expected. This is my longest look at Matsuya Uno so far, she seems fine but at her age I doubt she’ll ever get much of a chance to progress too far up the card. But she has the basics down anyway. Kurumi continues to be the bright spot in most matches I see her in, she is embracing her inner hoss-ness and has really improved in the last year. A decent way to kick off the show, not everything was smooth but the effort was certainly there.

235 vs. Mochi Miyagi vs. Tsukushi
Triple Threat Match

Tsukushi and 235 double team Miyagi to start since she has the size advantage, but Tsukushi flies out of the ring on a missed dropkick and Miyagi easily takes over on the isolated 235. Tsukushi returns but now she attacks 235 as well, Miyagi boots 235 in the head but Tsukushi dropkicks her, Tsukushi then decides to be friends with Miyagi but Miyagi shoulderblocks her. Footstomp by Tsukushi to Miyagi and they trade elbows, Tsukushi goes for a bodyscissors but Miyagi catches her. Tsukushi wiggles away and gets Miyagi over, but 235 returns and breaks up the festivities. 235 sends Tsukushi out of the ring and hits a crossbody onto Miyagi, seven more crossbodies by 235 and she covers Miyagi for two. 235 jumps on the second turnbuckle but Miyagi slaps her and tosses her off, Raideen Drops by Miyagi and she covers 235 for a two count. Facebuster by Miyagi, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the reverse splash, but Tsukushi goes up top and hits a diving footstomp onto her back. Tsukushi charges 235 but 235 moves, diving crossbody by 235 but Tsukushi kicks out. Back up, elbows by Tsukushi and she dropkicks 235 while she is against the ropes. Unprettier by Tsukushi, but 235 barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Miyagi returns and hits a Lou Thesz Press onto Tsukushi, she picks up 235 and hits a body avalanche against the ropes. Hard elbow by Miyagi but 235 elbows her back, inside cradle by 235 but Miyagi kicks out. 235 goes for a suplex but Miyagi blocks it and hits a few Mongolian Chops. Miyagi goes for a suplex but 235 reverses it into rolling verticals with a bridge, but Tsukushi breaks it up. Miyagi lariats 235 and picks her up, but Tsukushi missile dropkicks her from behind. Jackknife hold by Tsukushi to 235, and she picks up the three count! Tsukushi is the winner.

Realistically speaking, there wasn’t really any way this match was going to be particular entertaining. A short triple threat match really can only succeed if there are cute three way spots to amuse everyone, but this match only had maybe two of those. The rest of it was just them taking turns while the other waited outside, and since Miyagi and 235 are good but not great wrestlers the action itself was pretty bland. I love Tsukushi but there wasn’t a lot here to work with, they just didn’t have the time or the structure to really do a whole lot. Skippable match.

Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

They get right into it when the bell rings, they trade Irish whips but Fujimoto gets Maruko on the mat first and kicks her hard in the back. She gets back up, wristlock by Fujimoto but Maruko reverses it. Fujimoto takes Maruko down and puts her in a leg submission hold, she lets it go after a moment and dropkicks Maruko in the corner. Cutter by Fujimoto, and she covers Maruko for a two count. Fujimoto picks up Maruko but Maruko cartwheels away and delivers a dropkick. Dropkick by Maruko and hits another one for a two count cover. Maruko goes for a cute handstand but Fujimoto has none of it and rolls her up for two. Maruko returns the favor but it has the same result, they get back up and trade elbows on their feet. Maruko rolls out to the apron and goes up top, but Fujimoto dropkicks her down onto the apron. Fujimoto goes up top and goes for a footstomp, but Maruko moves and runs around the ring on the apron. Fujimoto chases after her and catches her, she goes for a footstomp but Maruko moves and (mostly) hits a handstand body press on the apron. Fujimoto rolls back in the ring while Maruko goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Maruko picks up Fujimoto but Fujimoto gets her in a guillotine, Maruko flips out of it and she trips Fujimoto before covering her for two. Maruko goes for another dropkick but Fujimoto dodges it and they trade flash pins. Spear by Maruko, she goes for a pump handle move but Fujimoto gets out of it and hits a enzuigiri. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Fujimoto gets Maruko on her shoulders but Maruko slides away and rolls up Fujimoto for two. Maruko goes off the ropes but Fujimoto catches her with the High Angle Sunset Flip, getting her the three count pinfall! Tsukasa Fujimoto wins!

This pains me to type as Maruko gives it every ounce she has, but she isn’t there yet. Some of the ideas are good, but the execution just isn’t there. She’ll probably get it one day, hopefully, but as of January 2017 she still has a bit of work to do. For every good move this match had there was another move that just wasn’t hit right, and Fujimoto is borderline flawless so I know it wasn’t her fault. I still think its an above average match due to how good Fujimoto is and how hard Maruko was trying to impress, but it didn’t really click and it was too short to overcome the different issues. I think Maruko has a bright future but more practice is in order.

Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Hoshi and Matsumoto both attack as the match starts, they throw their opponents out of the ring and do fake dives before posing. Risa and Maya quickly return and beat down Matsumoto, as Risa stays in the ring with her and tosses down Matsumoto by the hair. Maya is tagged in and she keeps up the attack on Matsumoto, Risa returns and she puts Matsumoto in a crab hold. Back bodydrop by Risa, and she covers Matsumoto for two. Sera goes for a dropkick but Matsumoto avoids it and hits a footstomp, giving her time to tag in Hoshi. Maya comes in too but Hoshi shoulderblocks both of them, body avalanche by Hoshi to Risa and she hits a bulldog. Crab hold by Hoshi but Risa gets into the ropes, punches by Risa but Matsumoto knees her from the apron. Risa gets away and dropkicks Hoshi into Matsumoto, side slam by Risa and she covers Hoshi for two. Belly bump by Hoshi and she tags in Matsumoto and Matsumoto hits a face crusher onto Hoshi’s belly for a two count. Hoshi returns the favor by slamming Matsumoto onto Risa, Matsumoto jumps up on the second turnbuckle but Risa joins her. Risa puts Matsumoto on the apron but Matsumoto applies a hanging armbar, Risa gets out of it and she dropkicks Matsumoto out of the ring. Maya slides Matsumoto back in and gets in the ring as well, double running elbow to Matsumoto and Risa hits a running double knee strike for a two count. She tags in Maya, kicks by Maya and she hits a running knee.

Running boot by Maya but Hoshi breaks up the cover so Maya kicks Hoshi off the apron. Kicks to the back by Maya but Matsumoto ducks the PK, face crusher by Matsumoto and she covers Maya for two. Matsumoto goes up top and Hoshi helps her hit a somersault senton for a two count cover. Maya runs in and dropkicks Matsumoto, Maya puts Matsumoto in a modified STF but Hoshi breaks it up. PK by Maya, but again Hoshi breaks up the cover. Maya picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto kicks her back and hits a body press off the second turnbuckle. Matsumoto tags in Hoshi, chops by Hoshi and she shoulderblocks Maya over. Matsumoto comes in and hits a Shining Wizard, Shining Onaka by Hoshi but Maya bridges out of the cover. Hoshi goes up top and hits an assisted senton, but Risa runs in the ring and hits the Ayers Rock. Superkick by Maya, but Hoshi gets a shoulder up. Maya and Risa go for a double chokeslam but Hoshi ducks it and hits a double lariat. She goes off the ropes but Maya decks her with a kick to the head, they finally hit the double chokeslam but the cover is broken up. Maya picks up Hoshi but Hoshi wiggles away and hits a lariat. Northern Lights Suplex by Hoshi, Matsumoto goes up top and with the referee’s help hits a diving footstomp. Hoshi then goes up and delivers a diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto win!

For a smaller show main event, no major complaints. Maya Yukihi has improved quite a bit in the last six months, working in OZ Academy probably helped. Matsumoto and Hoshi did a bit of comedy but not an excessive amount, and the match kept the pace up so it never dragged. Of course I’d prefer the last match on a card to go longer than 13 minutes and it felt like they had more they could have done, but Ice Ribbon Dojo shows aren’t going to do but so much. A solid match and pretty entertaining, although ultimately nothing special.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #778” on 1/7/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

Hiragi Kurumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kagetsu and Maruko Nagasaki

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

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

Hikaru Shida vs. Kotori vs. Mayu Iwatani

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aja Kong vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

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

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

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

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

There are small shows and there are really small shows, and this one falls in the latter category. It is unusual as there is a title match, but it is only a four match card and they are in one of the smaller arenas that they wrestle in. The show is really all about the main event, pitting Fujimoto and Matsumoto against each other in both of their anniversaries, but all the other Ice Ribbon regulars are wrestling as well. Here is the full card:

• Maika Ozaki vs. Tsukushi
• 235 and Risa Sera vs. Hiragi Kurumi and Maruko Nagasaki
• Hamuko Hoshi and Kyuri vs. Maya Yukihi and Mochi Miyagi
• ICExInfinity Championship: Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

Remember you can click on the names above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Maika Ozaki vs. Tsukushi

Tsukushi and Ozaki circle each other to begin and trade wristlocks, Tsukushi kicks Ozaki to the mat and flings her down by the hair. Tsukushi runs on Ozaki’s back and puts her in a camel clutch, she then picks her up and rakes her face in the ropes. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Ozaki hits a series of shoulderblocks, cover by Ozaki but it gets two. Senton by Ozaki but Tsukushi blocks it when Ozaki tries to put her on her shoulders. Tsukushi applies a stretch hold but Ozaki gets a foot into the ropes to force a break, dropkick by Tsukushi but Ozaki hits a lariat. Ozaki gets Tsukushi on her shoulders and applies an Argentine Backbreaker, she throws her off and hits a trio of lariats but Tsukushi barely kicks out of the cover. Ozaki gets on the second turnbuckle but Tsukushi avoids the diving senton, footstomp by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Ozaki in the corner. Dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. Tsukushi goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, and she gets the three count cover! Tsukushi is the winner!

A pretty basic opener. I don’t think I have seen Ozaki before, she seems fine and does more power moves than I am used to seeing from the other Actress girl’Z wrestlers. Tsukushi has a lot of spunk but this was a more based match than I am used to seeing from her, they slowed it down a bit considering the match placement on the card. Not a bad way to start but nothing special.

235 and Risa Sera vs. Hiragi Kurumi and Maruko Nagasaki

Nagasaki and 235 start but Sera comes in with a water gun. Mio stops her from using it, Kurumi gets in the ring and Sera is double teamed in the corner. Kurumi throws Nagasaki onto 235 and then hits a footstomp, Nagasaki picks up 235 but 235 slams her and tags in Sera. Sera puts Nagasaki in a crab hold and then into the Rocking Horse, double knee drop by Sera and she covers Nagasaki for two. Nagasaki fights off Sera with elbows and they trade shots, Sera throws Nagasaki into the corner but Nagasaki blocks her charge and they fall to the mat. Sera puts Nagasaki in an elevated crab hold but Kurumi breaks it up, Nagasaki dropkicks Sera and she makes the hot tag to Kurumi. Shoulderblocks by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton, picking up a two count.

Hard shoulderblock by Kurumi, Sera tags in 235 but Kurumi catches her when she goes for a crossbody. Sera runs over and kicks Kurumi over, they throw Kurumi into the corner and they hit running strikes. Sera swings 235 into Kurumi, cover by 235 but Kurumi kicks out. 235 gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but the pin is broken up. Back up, elbows by 235 but Kurumi elbows her back, cannonball by Kurumi and she gets a two count cover. Kurumi picks up 235 but 235 sneaks in a sunset flip for two, 235 goes off the ropes but Kurumi hits a swinging side slam. Kurumi gets Sera and Nagasaki on her back, she walks over to 235 and she hits a body press, but 235 barely gets a shoulder up. Kurumi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving body press, picking up the three count cover! Kurumi and Nagasaki are the winners!

This wasn’t great for a number of reasons. For wrestlers that interact quite a bit they didn’t have great chemistry, and a few of the sections looked clunky. On top of that, 235 just looked off most of the match and several exchanges looked botched. Kurumi and Sera are both great and had their good spots, but overall very skippable.

Hamuko Hoshi and Kyuri vs. Maya Yukihi and Mochi Miyagi

Hoshi and Kyuri charge their opponents to start and double team Yukihi and Miyagi, Hoshi stays in with Yukihi and they trade wristlocks. Yukihi tags in Miyagi, Miyagi spins Hoshi around but just makes herself dizzy in the process. They pose a bit because that is what they do but Yukihi and Kyuri run in to break it up. Hoshi tags in Kyuri, dropkick by Kyuri to Miyagi and she kicks her repeatedly in the back before hitting a PK for two. Miyagi gets away and tags in Yukihi, kicks by Yukihi to Kyuri and she hits a scoop slam. Miyagi comes in and they dance around Kyuri, but Kyuri avoids the double body press attempt. Hoshi comes in and Yukihi is double teamed, Kyuri officially tags in Hoshi and Hoshi puts Yukihi in a crab hold. She gets out of it, waist lock by Yukihi and she puts Hoshi in a Cobra Twist. Miyagi puts Kyuri in one as well, Hoshi goes off the ropes but Yukihi catches her with a big kick to the head.

Yukihi tags in Miyagi, seated sentons by Miyagi to Hoshi but Hoshi elbows her and they trade elbows. DDT by Miyagi but Hoshi blocks the Shining Belly Block. Body Block by Hoshi, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Miyagi brings her back down and goes for a double underhook facebuster. Hoshi blocks it and tags in Kyuri, lariats by Kyuri to Miyagi and she puts Miyagi in a cross arm submission. Tiger Feint Kick by Kyuri to Miyagi, and she covers her for two. Kyuri goes up top but Yukihi grabs her from the apron, allowing Miyagi to throw Kyuri to the mat. Shining Wizard by Miyagi to Kyuri, but it only gets a two count. Miyagi goes up top but Hoshi hits her from the apron with a red ball. Kyuri hits Miyagi repeatedly with her red ball of doom, then Hoshi comes in and hits a lariat. Kyuri goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Miyagi, but the cover gets two. Kyuri goes off the ropes but Miyagi hits a Lou Thesz Press, Miyakoko Clutch by Miyagi and she gets the three count! Yukihi and Miyagi win!

Like the last match, some good and some bad with nothing being really memorable. Really none of these four are great wrestlers so expectations were already low. Kyuri and Yukihi are still young so I won’t hold it against them (although I don’t think Yukihi has shown much progress), while Miyagi and Hoshi are half comedy wrestlers so their matches tend to be oddly structured. Maybe an average match but that is about it.

(c) Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

They begin with intro submission trading and tie-ups, Matsumoto gets out of the ring and jumps on the microphone and whatever she said pissed off Fujimoto as she ran out after her. Matsumoto throws water at Fujimoto and the crowd, they put hats on and generally mess around with props at ringside. This is about what I was expecting on the serious-scale. Matsumoto does suplex Fujimoto in the stand which sounds like a real move but it was a super slow motion suplex that looked silly. They finally return to the ring after a few minutes and Fujimoto dropkicks Matsumoto in the ropes, but Matsumoto applies a hanging armbar. Face crusher by Matsumoto and she nails the Shining Wizard, but Fujimoto kicks out at two. Matsumoto gets on the top turnbuckle, but Fujimoto shakes the ropes to knock her off.

Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner and she hits another one, missile dropkick by Fujimoto and she puts Matsumoto in a facelock. Matsumoto gets into the ropes, Fujimoto puts Matsumoto on her shoulders but Matsumoto slides off and the pair trade elbows. Double underhook facebuster by Matsumoto, she picks up Fujimoto and but Fujimoto blocks the Rainmaker. Fujimoto goes off the ropes but Matsumoto ducks the elbow and hits the Rainmaker this time, but it only gets two. Double underhook side slam by Matsumoto, she goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls her up for two. Kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits two PKs, but Matsumoto gets a shoulder up. Fujimoto gets Matsumoto up on her shoulders but Matsumoto gets away and applies the Gedo Clutch for a two count. Enzuigiri by Fujimoto and she hits the Venus Shoot out of the corner. Fujimoto goes up to the top turnbuckle and she deliver the Mamamia Z for the three count! Fujimoto retains the championship.

Hmmm well, I will say that once they got the silliness out of the way, it was a ‘normal’ title match the last half of it with both doing their damnedest to win. I still couldn’t really buy Matsumoto as a threat, she has just been a midcard type half-comedy wrestler for too long and Fujimoto is the veteran ace of Ice Ribbon, so her losing here would have been quite the shock. They actually did work really well together and it never felt awkward/forced which is a plus, and if they had trimmed down the outside-the-ring portion it would have been a pretty solid match. Not a bad main event for a small house show, and Fujimoto is awesome, but overall not exactly a high end title match even though it had its entertaining sections.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #748” on 8/23/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are small shows, and then there are really small shows. This event would fall under the later category, with less than 50 fans in attendance. I have no idea why this show was filmed but I am not complaining at all, as this show focuses on the younger wrestlers that don’t usually get the spotlight. This should give us a good look at rookies Nagasaki, Kadokura, and Yuina, plus we get a rare main event match with Marvelous wrestler Takumi Iroha. Young wrestlers from a lot of different promotions participated, here is the full card:

• Maruko Nagasaki vs. Yuina
• Fairy Nihonbashi vs. Manami Katsu
• Akane Fujita and Rina Yamashita vs. Rin Kadokura and Yako Fujigasaki
• Kaho Kobayashi vs. Takumi Iroha

So many babies! I don’t have profiles for all the wrestlers but I will soon! You can click on the names above to go to their profiles if I do have one made.

Maruko Nagasaki vs. Yuina

Yuina’s posing confuses Nagasaki temporarily, but they then get down to business and start trading wristlocks. Dropkick by Nagasaki and she scoop slams Yuina a couple times before covering her for two. Crab hold by Nagasaki, but Yuina gets to the ropes to force a break. Elbows by Yuina but Nagasaki dropkicks her, Yuina dropkicks her right back and she covers Nagasaki for a two count. Crab hold by Yuina but Nagasaki gets into the ropes, scoop slam by Yuina and the pair trade elbows. Jumping crossbody by Yuina but Nagasaki avoids her legdrop, backslide by Yuina but it gets two. Yuina goes off the ropes but Nagasaki slams her to the mat, Marunage by Nagasaki and she gets the three count! Nagasaki is the winner.

Really basic, obviously, but both look trained and competent. I have been impressed the few times I have seen Nagasaki, she seems to be off to a good start and Ice Ribbon has a solid track record with younger wrestlers. Still too early to tell on Yuina, but no issues here, not a bad way to start off a card designed to highlight younger wrestlers.

Fairy Nihonbashi vs. Manami Katsu

Doing play by play on a Fairy Nihonbashi match is never easy or logical, since a bulk of the match is Nihonbashi dancing around and trying to get her opponent to play along. Nihonbashi tricks Katsu and applies an inside cradle while they are still playing around, leading to Katsu attacking Nihonbashi and throwing her into the corner. Nihonbashi gets her wand and demonstrates how it works by throwing the referee magically with it. Katsu doesn’t look impressed but eventually does flip for the wand, cover by Nihonbashi but it gets a two count. Nihonbashi slams Katsu’s head into the mat repeatedly but Katsu blocks the scoop slam and hits one of her own. Crab hold by Katsu but Nihonbashi gets to the ropes, Nihonbashi slides away from Katsu but Katsu hits a hard elbow. Crab hold by Katsu, but Nihonbashi gets into the ropes. Samoan Drop by Katsu, but Nihonbashi reverses it into a crucifix pin for two. Katsu fires up, she hits a backdrop suplex but Nihonbashi barely kicks out. Katsu gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers the Reverse Senton, picking up the three count! Manami Katsu is the winner!

I am not a huge fan of Fairy Nihonbashi, there is only some wrestling comedy I enjoy and I think her act has gotten a bit old since every match is basically the same. Katsu hit everything well here and looked solid, but it just took too long to get going. Not my thing, but if you like Nihonbashi then you may enjoy it.

Akane Fujita and Rina Yamashita vs. Rin Kadokura and Yako Fujigasaki

Yamashita and Kadokura start for their teams, scoop slam by Yamashita and she knocks Fujigasaki off the apron before tagging in Fujita. Yamashita immediately comes back in the ring as they double team the rookie, cover by Fujita but it gets two. Yamashita is tagged back in as they take turns on Kadokura, but she finally manages to make the hot tag to Fujigasaki. Fujigasaki has some luck for a moment but Fujita trades elbows with her and hits a suplex. Lariat by Fujita in the corner but Fujigasaki hits a missile dropkick and tags Kadokura back in. Dropkicks by Kadokura, and she covers Fujita for a two count. More dropkicks by Kadokura and she scoop slams Fujita, Fujigasaki returns but Fujita shoulderblocks both of them and slams Kadokura to the mat. She tags Yamashita, shoulderblocks by Yamashita and she covers Kadokura for two. Lariats by Yamashita in the corner, Kadokura fights back with elbows but Yamashita sends her back to the mat. Dropkicks by Kadokura but Yamashita fires back with elbows, Kadokura sneaks in a schoolboy but Yamashita kicks out. Scoop slam by Kadokura and she hits a Frankensteiner, but it only gets a two count. Fujigasaki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she then hits another one for a two count. Fujigasaki goes up top once again but Yamashita avoids the splash and kicks Fujigasaki in the chest. Dropkick by Fujigasaki, Kadokura runs in and she dropkicks Yamashita as well. Yamashita comes back with a backdrop suplex on Fujigasaki, dropkick by Fujigasaki and she hits rolling Northern Lights Suplexes. Fujigasaki goes up top and hits a swivel body press, but Fujita breaks up the cover. Fujigasaki goes off the ropes but Yamashita levels her with a lariat, sliding lariat by Yamashita and she gets the three count! Akane Fujita and Rina Yamashita win the match.

This one started really slow, like reaaaalllly slow and Kadokura is clearly a work in progress, but the last few minutes were entertaining as the pace picked up. Yamashita probably is too good to be in this type of match but since she is still early in her career I guess it still made sense, although she was better than everyone else by a significant margin. I did like Fujigasaki firing up a bit and showing some personality, and the match did get enough time as it was the longest match of the night. More good than bad, but just barely, even though I do like seeing wrestlers like Kadokura when they first start their career.

Kaho Kobayashi vs. Takumi Iroha

Iroha and Kobayashi trade a few holds to start but quickly get into it as they trade armdrags. Dropkick by Kobayashi but Iroha kicks out of the cover and they return to their feet. Bodyslam by Iroha and she puts Kobayashi in a crab hold, but she makes it to the ropes for a break. Kick by Iroha and she stretches Kobayashi, Irish whip to the corner by Iroha and she hits a backbreaker for two. Kobayashi quickly applies an ankle hold but Iroha kicks out of it, kick to the back by Iroha but Kobayashi elbow her and they trade blows. Kobayashi dropkicks Iroha in the leg to get her to the mat before dropkicking her in the face, leglock by Kobayashi and she slams Iroha’s knee into the mat. Kobayashi goes back to the ankle but Iroha gets out of it and hits a superkick. Butterfly suplex by Iroha, and she covers Kobayashi for two. Uppercut by Iroha but Kobayashi dropkicks her into the ropes and hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Ankle hold by Kobayashi with a grapevine, but Iroha gets in the ropes to force a break. Kobayashi charges Iroha but Iroha catches her with a kick combination before hitting a German suplex hold for two. Back up they trade elbows, Kobayashi goes for a hurricanrana but Iroha catches her and applies a single leg crab hold. Kaho gets to the ropes, she sneaks in a few quick pins but Iroha kicks out each time. Kobayashi goes off the rope but Iroha catches her with a jumping heel kick for two. Iroha gets Kobayashi up but Kobayashi slides down her back, Iroha connects with a high kick and drops Kobayashi with the Running Three. Cover by Iroha and she gets the three count! Takumi Iroha is the winner.

You can tell that Iroha has been trained by Nagayo, as she used her mentor’s signature finisher to pick up the win. I honestly am surprised that Iroha won, both wrestlers have similar experience but Kobayashi has such a big role in larger promotions that I thought she’d have the edge over the underground Iroha. It was a really good match though, Kobayashi and Iroha are a lot of fun to watch and are crisp with their moves while maintaining a fast pace. I wish the match was longer as it clocked in at under ten minutes, which doesn’t make a lot of sense as both can certainly go longer, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. Probably didn’t reach the level to excite the casual fan but since these are two of my favorite young wrestlers I liked it quite a bit.  Recommended

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