Event: Marvelous 6th Anniversary
Date: May 1st, 2022
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: Streamed on Zaiko and Passmarket

I don’t get to watch a lot of Marvelous these days, which is a shame since they are a fun little promotion. Run by Chigusa Nagayo and led by Takumi Iroha, they have had a lot of issues the last few years with wrestlers leaving or getting injured, but they still plug along and put on entertaining events. This is a big show for them, as for their Anniversary event they are running Korakuen Hall. Its not a long event with only five matches (I’ll only be reviewing the Joshi matches, so four for our purposes), but that doesn’t mean it won’t deliver. Even though this is a Marvelous event, the titles for the revived GAEA Japan promotion will be defended, since Chigusa Nagayo is a big part of its occasional revival. Here is the Joshi portion of the card:

• An Chamu, Chikayo Nagashima, and Makoto vs. Ai Houzan, Miyako Matsumoto, and Yurika Oka
• Maria vs. Riko Kawahata
• AAAW Championship: Takumi Iroha vs. Yuu
• AAAW Tag Team Championship: Itsuki Aoki and Rin Kadokura vs. Kaoru Ito and Tomoko Watanabe

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Onto the show!

An Chamu, Nagashima, and Makoto vs. Ai Houzan, Matsumoto, and Yurika Oka

Team Matsumoto attack their opponents from behind to start the match, Chamu is isolated and triple teamed in the corner. Makoto and Nagashima eventually return to even the odds, and eventually Houzan stays in the ring with Chamu to become the legal wrestlers. Kick to the check by Chamu, she picks up Houzan while Nagashima comes in the ring so they can double team her. Chamu tags Makoto, kick by Makoto to Houzan and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Another shoulderblock by Makoto, and she covers Houzan for two. Makoto works a headlock, Houzan pushes her back into the corner and Makoto tags Nagashima and Nagashima keeps up the assault on Houzan, but Houzan eventually delivers a dropkick and tags Matsumoto. Matsumoto throws Nagashima into the corner but when she charges in, Nagashima puts her in a hanging armbar. She lets go and steps on Matsumoto’s hands, running kick by Nagashima and she covers Matsumoto for two. Nagashima goes for another kick but it gets blocked, Nagashima knocks Matsumoto to the mat but Matsumoto bridges out of the pin. Nagashima returns to the dominate position anyway, Complete Shot by Nagashima and she tags Chamu.

Chamu dropkicks Matsumoto before hitting a DDT for a two count. Schoolboy by Chamu and she applies a figure four, but Matsumoto gets to the ropes for the break. Chamu goes for a hip attack but Matsumoto moves, kick by Matsumoto and she delivers a Stunner followed by a Shining Wizard for two. Matsumoto tags Oka, lots of dropkicks by Oka and she covers Chamu for two. Face crusher by Oka, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Nagashima grabs her from the apron. This gives Chamu time to recover and she throws Oka back to the mat, hair toss by Chamu and she hits a running double knee in the corner. Chamu picks up Oka, Oka gets away from her but Chamu kicks Oka in the head. Fisherman suplex by Chamu, and she covers Oka for two. Makoto is tagged in, Makoto boots Oka in the corner and hits an armdrag. Makoto applies an armbar but it gets broken up, scoop slam by Oka and everyone on her team runs over Makoto’s stomach. Nagashima and Chamu eventually get in the ring to help their partner, spinning headscissors by Oka to Makoto and she hits a dropkick. Oka charges Makoto but Makoto drop toeholds her into the ropes and delivers a big boot for two. Drop toehold by Oka and she cradles Makoto for two. Dropkick by Oka and she tags Houzan, dropkicks by Houzan to Makoto and she covers her for two. Houzan picks up Makoto and hits a series of elbows, dropkick by Houzan but Makoto boots her in the throat.

Double kneedrop by Makoto, but it gets two. Makoto picks up Houzan but Houzan slides away, and the two trade flash pins for two counts. Double underhook suplex by Makoto and she tags Nagashima, boots by Nagashima to Houzan but Houzan gets away and delivers a few quick dropkicks. Houzan picks up Nagashima but Nagashima blocks her slam and hits one of her own. She goes off the ropes but Oka cuts her off with a dropkick, double dropkicks to Nagashima and Matsumoto kicks Nagashima in the back. Houzan goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Houzan but it gets two. Houzan goes back up top again with an assist from Oka, but Makoto boots Oka and tosses Houzan to the mat. Chamu kicks Houzan before Nagashima hits a suplex for two. Nagashima goes to the top turnbuckle but Houzan avoids the diving footstomp, Makoto tries to help but boots Nagashima by mistake. Cover by Houzan to Nagashima, but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Nagashima but Houzan rolls her up for two. Houzan goes off the ropes but Nagashima boots her in the head, Nagashima picks up Houzan and nails a Fisherman Buster for the three count! Chikayo Nagashima, Makoto, and An Chamu are the winners!

A perfectly fine multi-wrestler tag match. I haven’t seen Oka in awhile, she looked really good and is coming along well, she flies under the radar due to Sendai Girls’ not being talked about much these days but she certainly has all the basics down. It is difficult in a sub-15 minutes six wrestler match for everyone to get some shine, but no one looked out of place as the veterans controlled things and the young wrestlers got their moments. Ultimately not a match that will stick in the brain but nothing wrong with it either, pretty solid work by all.

Maria vs. Riko Kawahata

They are making it obvious from the start that there is a ten minute time limit, which is an ominous sign. Maria immediately goes for a dropkick but Riko moves, boot by Maria and she kicks Riko into the ropes. Running boot by Maria, she goes to the apron and hits a slingshot footstomp. Kick to the ribs by Maria and she hits a heel drop, Riko recovers but Maria hits a dragon screw. Maria hits Riko in the knee before applying an ankle hold, she lets go after a moment and hits a sliding kick. Maria keeps on Riko’s knee and slams her into the mat, she puts Riko in an armtrap crossface but eventually lets go and picks Riko up. Riko snaps off an enzuigiri and delivers a sliding kick of her own, covering Maria for two. Maria quickly puts Riko in a kneelock but Riko gets to the ropes for the break, Maria charges Riko but Riko moves, sunset flip by Maria and the two trade cradle pin attempts. Maria gets Riko’s back and applies an Octopus Hold, they end up on the ground as Maria pulls on Riko’s arm but Riko doesn’t submit. Maria kicks at Riko but Riko nails her with a superkick, Northern Lights Suplex Hold by Riko but it gets two.

Riko picks up Maria and hits a high kick, knee by Riko and she puts Maria in a cross armbreaker. Maria wiggles to the ropes to get the break, Riko goes off the ropes but Maria hits a dropkick. Cross armbreaker takedown by Maria and she keeps it locked in, but Riko rolls out of it so Maria applies an ankle hold instead. She switches to a cross kneelock and then a figure four leglock, but Riko gets to the ropes. Maria goes off the ropes but Riko boots her, they trade strikes until Maria knocks Riko off her feet. Maria picks up Riko and hits a snap suplex, but Riko returns fire with a release German. Just one minute left in the match as they go into high gear, trading flash pins with no success. Kick by Maria and she goes for Riko’s arm, but Riko rolls away and kicks Maria in the stomach. Head kick by Riko, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Maria avoids the moonsault. Cradle by Maria, but Riko kicks out. Snap suplex by Maria, but the bell rings before she can do anything else as time expires. The match is a Draw.

For a match clearly designed to be a Draw (they kept the time up on the big screen and showed it throughout), this was really good. I’m a little behind in my Marvelous viewing but Maria is progressing really well, I don’t know why she isn’t getting more of a push somewhere but she has a lot of great moves and shows emotion. Her submission game is smooth, everything they did was fluid. Riko looked good as well but this felt more like a showcase for Maria, which makes sense as this is her home promotion. An entertaining match, would like to see these two get more time without a telegraphed end result.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Takumi Iroha vs. Yuu
AAAW Championship

They tie-up to start, Yuu pushes Takumi into the ropes but she allows Takumi to get back up. They end up on the mat and trade holds, Takumi spins away from Yuu and slaps her back before retreating. Side headlock by Takumi, Yuu Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither going down. Takumi tries to shoulderblock Yuu over with no luck, she tries again but Yuu shoulderblocks her down. Scoop slam by Yuu but Takumi avoids her running senton, successful shoulderblock by Takumi and she kicks Yuu in the chest. Cover by Takumi, but Yuu pushes her off with ease and returns to her feet. Snapmare by Takumi and she kicks Yuu in the back, but Yuu gets up and chops Takumi in the chest. Spinning sidewalk slam by Yuu and she hits a senton, Takumi quickly rolls out of the ring and tries to recover. She eventually does so and gets on the apron, but Yuu knocks her back down to the floor. Yuu drops down in the ring and rolls out of it and over the apron, landing on top of Takumi. Yuu returns to the ring as Takumi slowly follows, cover by Yuu but it gets a two count. Yuu picks up Takumi but Takumi kicks her, she goes for a suplex but Yuu pushes her away. Kick combination by Takumi and she hits a PK followed by a sliding kick. Snap vertical suplex by Takumi, she picks up Yuu and applies a sleeper hold. Yuu inches to the ropes and makes it to force a break, Takumi kicks Yuu in the corner and delivers a dropkick.

Another kick by Takumi but Yuu eventually catches one and chops Takumi in the chest. They trade blows until Yuu knocks Takumi to the mat, she picks her back up and hits a crossbody for a two count. Yuu gets on the second turnbuckle but Takumi recovers and hits an elbow, she joins Yuu and hits a superplex down to the mat. Takumi positions Yuu and goes to the top turnbuckle, diving senton by Takumi and she covers Yuu for two. Takumi throws Yuu into the corner and tries to pick her up, but Yuu won’t budge. Takumi charges Yuu but Yuu knocks her to the mat, cannonball by Yuu and she covers Takumi for two. Yuu goes for a powerbomb but Takumi blocks it, slaps by Yuu but Takumi blocks the powerbomb again. Takumi charges Yuu but Yuu slams her to the mat, Yuu goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a Reverse Splash for a two count. Yuu goes up top but Takumi elbows her, Takumi joins Yuu but Yuu chops her back to the mat and hits a diving crossbody for two. Yuu picks up Takumi but Takumi hits a back bodydrop, Yuu quickly hits a running senton though to stay in control. Yuu picks up Takumi but Takumi hits a heel kick, chops by Yuu and she slaps Takumi to the mat. Another chop by Yuu but Takumi elbows her, kicks by Takumi and she covers Yuu for two. Kick combination by Takumi, she goes for a powerbomb but Yuu shrugs her off. More kicks by Takumi, she puts Yuu in the corner and positions her for the Running Three. Yuu blocks it so Takumi superkicks her in the face, she tries again and this time nails the Running Three for the three count! Takumi Iroha wins and retains the championship.

This was a really fun match, however it may have gone a few minutes longer than it needed to based on the setup. The story of the match was simple – Yuu was bigger and stronger than Takumi so Takumi slowly cut her down with strikes until she was weak enough to get up for the Running Three. Its a good story but a heavyweight hoss/strike battle doesn’t necessarily need to be 20+ minutes to tell it as it did get a little repetitive at times. Takumi’s kicks always deliver and the match felt like hers to lose from the start as Yuu didn’t really have any convincing nearfalls – the story was always about Takumi. A match I enjoyed for sure, a safe defense for Takumi but still a solid one.  Recommended

Itsuki Aoki and Rin Kadokura vs. Kaoru Ito and Tomoko Watanabe
AAAW Tag Team Championship

The kids attack the vets before the match starts, Watanabe is then isolated and double teamed. Rin stays in as legal and snapmares Watanabe, hitting a sliding knee for a two count. Watanabe comes back with a suplex and hits a scoop slam, leg drop by Watanabe and she puts Rin in a crab hold. Rin gets out of it so Watanabe puts her in a Scorpion Deathlock instead, Ito comes in and stands on Rin’s hands before stomping on them. Watanabe lets go of the hold so she and Ito can drive Rin’s knees into the mat, Watanabe tags Ito and Ito lariats Watanabe in the corner. Crab hold by Ito, Itsuki tries to break it up but is unable to do so. Ito pulls on Rin’s hair but eventually stops and applies a chinlock, Itsuki tries to help again and eventually Ito lets go. Ito stands on Rin and applies a single leg crab hold, but Rin gets to the ropes for the break. Rin finally hits a move as she delivers a jumping neck drop, giving her time to tag Itsuki. Itsuki elbows Ito but Ito elbows her to the mat, Itsuki gets back up but promptly is elbowed down again. She keeps trying with no luck, but does manage to get Ito off her feet with a face crusher. Body press by Itsuki, but it gets two. Itsuki tries to pick up Ito but Ito blocks it, Irish whip by Ito and Itsuki tries to shoulderblock Ito over with no success. Hard shoulderblock by Ito and she hits a footstomp, running senton by Ito and she covers Itsuki for a two count. Ito tags Watanabe, Watanabe goes for a suplex but Rin attacks her from behind.

Double Irish whip to Watanabe but she hits a double rebound crossbody on both of her opponents, Itsuki manages to get Watanabe down with a drop toehold (with some help) and hits a sliding kick. Itsuki sets up Watanabe in the ropes and chargers in, but Ito grabs Itsuki from the apron and Watanabe hits a lariat. Watanabe goes off the ropes but Itsuki catches her with a STO for two. Itsuki tags Rin, they pick up Watanabe but Ito runs in with a double lariat. Itsuki and Rin recover and hit a double superkick to Watanabe, diving body press by Itsuki from the second turnbuckle and Rin follows with a double footstomp for a two count. Rin picks up Watanabe but Ito returns again and hits a lariat. Ito tries again to help but she hits Watanabe by accident, release German by Rin to Watanabe but Watanabe returns to her feet. Rin plants her again, this time with a release Dragon Suplex, she hits a Northern Lights Suplex Hold but Watanabe kicks out. Rin gets Watanabe’s back, Itsuki superkicks Watanabe and Rin hits a crucifix drop for two. Double superkick to Ito, Rin tries to superkick Watanabe but she hits Itsuki by accident. Lariat by Watanabe to Rin and she tags Ito. Lariat by Ito, and she covers Rin for two. Ito picks up Rin and nails a powerbomb, Itsuki runs in but Ito drops her with a uranage.

Rin and Itsuki end up outside the ring and Ito drills them both with a dropkick through the ropes, Watanabe throws Rin back in and Ito delivers a sit-out powerbomb but Itsuki breaks up the pin. Watanabe gets on the top turnbuckle, Ito feeds Rin to her and Watanabe hits a diving lariat. The cover is broken up again, Ito gets on the second turnbuckle but Itsuki elbows her before she can jump off. Watanabe takes care of Itsuki which allows Ito to hit a diving footstomp, but her cover is broken up. Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a body press to Rin, Ito goes all the way up but Itsuki grabs her from the apron. Itsuki distracts Ito until Rin can recover, Rin joins Ito and hits a Frankensteiner. Rin waits for Ito to get up and hits a jumping DDT, but she is too hurt to capitalize and Ito is up first. Ito picks up Rin as Watanabe runs in, but Watanabe lariats Ito by mistake. Itsuki gets Rin on her shoulders and helps her set up for the crucifix slam on Ito, Rin hits the move on Ito and holds her down for the three count! Rin Kadokura and Itsuki Aoki are the new champions!

Poorly done ending aside, with Ito not even willing to keep her shoulders on the mat for a big title win up for grabs, this was a VERY Veteran vs. Young Underdog match. The entire structure was just Itsuki and Rin doing their damnedest to just knock their opponents off their feet, let along get a nearfall. Its not necessarily a bad story, and with Ito and Watanabe definitely not a surprising one, as that has been their go-to match setup for probably the last 15 years. But it led to some problems, like some really iffy transitions (for example when Ito recovered first after being dropped by Rin’s DDT) and the win coming across as a fluke lucky win. Rin and Itsuki are both exciting young wrestlers, so giving them a tiny bit more of a rub wouldn’t have hurt anything, although its surprising enough that Watanabe and Ito lost so I guess we have to take what we can get. I give Itsuki and Rin credit for trying hard, and Ito/Watanabe for mostly rolling with the punches, but it still would be disingenuous to say the match was good even if they got the winners right. It wasn’t bad, and is perfectly watchable, but predictable in structure and for such a big match it would have been nice if they had gone a little outside the box to surprise us.

The post Marvelous 6th Anniversary on 5/1/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Marvelous at Shin-Kiba 1st RING
Date: May 19th, 2021
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: Streamed on Marvelous Nico Channel

As I dive back into recent Joshi wrestling events, this one really caught my attention. Marvelous is low-key one of my favorite Joshi promotions, as they have a handful of entertaining wrestlers and tend to put on shorter but quality events. Watching them generally isn’t free, but as long as the action is good I certainly don’t mind forking over a little money. This is my first time watching Hibiki since she started acting a little “crazy” so I am interested in seeing how that goes, and the main event is a banger. Here is the match line-up, I will only be reviewing the Joshi matches on the card:

• Maria vs. Ai Houzan
• Itsuki Aoki and Tomoko Watanabe vs. Mei Hoshizuki and Mikoto Shindo
• DASH Chisako vs. Hibiki vs. KAORU
• Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata vs. Mio Momono and Rin Kadokura

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

Maria vs. Ai Houzan

Houzan asks for a handshake before the match, Maria turns her back on her so Houzan schoolboys Maria for two. A few more get the same result, elbows by Houzan but Maria runs her off the ropes and hits an armdrag. Houzan comes back with a dropkick and throws down Maria by the air, but Maria cartwheels out of it and kicks Houzan in the chest. Now it is Maria that twists the hair and throws Houzan into the corner, kick to the arm by Maria and she kicks her arm again while she is against the ropes. More arm-focused offense by Maria before she kicks Houzan in the face, Houzan tries to fight back but gets kicks in the face again. Fujiwara Armbar by Maria but Houzan quickly wiggles to the ropes to force the break. Maria picks up Houzan and Irish whips her, but Houzan hits a jumping crossbody.

Another crossbody by Houzan and a few more, she eventually keeps one on for a cover but it only gets two. Houzan goes for a slam but Maria blocks it, elbows by Houzan and she hits a dropkick. Another dropkick by Houzan and she covers Maria for two. Scoop slam by Houzan, but again her cover gets a two count. Houzan picks up Maria but Maria elbows her as the two trade strikes, dropkick by Maria and she covers Houzan for two. Maria quickly transitions to the Fujiwara Armbar, she traps Houzan’s leg as well but Houzan gets to the ropes for the break. Boot by Maria but Houzan quickly schoolboys her for two. Houzan goes for a few more flash pins with no luck, snapmare by Maria and she delivers a sliding kick, but Houzan again cradles her. Front dropkick by Maria, she quickly picks up Houzan and applies a cross armbreaker. Houzan struggles for a moment but has to tap out! Maria is the winner.

Maria is a bit of a mystery to me as whenever I watch Marvelous, she looks solid enough but doesn’t really seem to be focused on very often by the promotion like Mei and Mikoto are. She gave Houzan a fair amount of offense here, and even though limb-based offense is rare in a rookie opener it was nice to see some type of story being told. Houzan would sometimes shrug off offense too quickly to go to her flash pins, probably something she should work on, but she has time. Nothing too memorable but Houzan seems to have the basics down pat and Maria led her well enough, a decent opener.

Itsuki Aoki and Tomoko Watanabe vs. Mei Hoshizuki and Mikoto Shindo

Itsuki and Mei start the match, Itsuki talks a bit as she does and she eats a dropkick. Mikoto helps Mei as they double team Itsuki, she eventually leaves and Itsuki punches Mei in the stomach. Itsuki puts Mei in the ropes and applies a chinlock, she lets go and delivers a running double knee to Mei’s back. Mei stomps on Itsuki’s foot to regain the advantage, she gets Itsuki in the ropes and hits a dropkick. Mei picks up Itsuki, Irish whip and she hits another dropkick before tagging Mikoto. Itsuki pokes Mikoto in the eyes and hits a hard shoulderblock, she tags in Tomoko and they double team Mikoto in the corner. Scoop slam by Tomoko and she hits an elbow drop off the second rope for a two count cover. Tomoko picks up Mikoto, Mikoto fights back with elbows but Tomoko hits a short-range lariat. Irish whip by Tomoko but Mikoto connects with a dropkick, giving her time to tag Mei. Tomoko greets Mei with a boot but Mei ends up on the apron and dropkicks Tomoko through the ropes. Mei puts Tomoko in a submission hold but Tomoko gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Mei but Itsuki kicks her from the apron, she holds Mei for Tomoko but Mei moves out of the way and dropkicks Tomoko into Itsuki.

Mei goes for a scoop slam but Tomoko blocks it, hard elbow by Mei but Tomoko kicks her in the shin. Kick to the leg by Tomoko but Mei blocks the Irish whip attempt, Mikoto runs in and kicks Tomoko but Tomoko hits a backwards jump springboard on both of them. She tags Itsuki, shoulderblock by Itsuki to Mei and she hits a face crusher followed by a double kneedrop for two. Mei fights back as they trade elbows until Itsuki elbows Mei hard to the mat, Itsuki picks up Mei but Mei slides off her shoulders and stomps on her foot. Lariat by Itsuki but Mei avoids the next one and dropkicks Itsuki from the apron. Running dropkick by Mei and she tags Mikoto, dropkicks by Mikoto to Itsuki and she covers her for two. Mikoto goes for a scoop slam but Itsuki blocks it and hits one of her own, Irish whip by Itsuki but Mei runs in and they both dropkick her for two. Running elbow by Mikoto to Itsuki and she dropkicks her in the corner, corner dropkick by Mikoto and she hits the scoop slam for a two count. Mikoto goes off the ropes but Itsuki catches her with a Samoan Drop, she tags in Tomoko who comes in the ring with a body press off the second turnbuckle.

Mikoto gets her feet up however so that backfires, Mei runs in and stomps Tomoko but Itsuki cuts her off. Itsuki stacks both opponents in the corner and hits a lariat followed by a Tomoko body avalanche, Mikoto and Mei stagger to the middle of the ring and both are bit with stereo body avalanches. Falling body press by Itsuki on both, they then stack Mikoto on top of Mei before Tomoko hits a body press of her own. Scoop slam by Tomoko to Mikoto, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a body press, but Mikoto barely kicks out. Tomoko picks up Mikoto but Mikoto get away and dropkicks her in the back, another dropkick by Mikoto and she cradles Tomoko for two. Mikoto picks up Tomoko and hits a springboard dropkick, Mei hits a dropkick as well before Mikoto delivers a swandive sunset flip for a two count. Itsuki runs in and lariats Mikoto, Tomoko follows with a lariat of her own but Mikoto reverses it into a flash pin. She goes off the ropes but Tomoko levels her with a lariat, cover by Tomoko and she gets the three count! Itsuki Aoki and Tomoko Watanabe are the winners.

This was a pretty by-the-numbers tag match but still had more good than bad. Tomoko played her role well as grumpy vet, as she mostly dominated while in the ring but did let Mikoto have quite a run on her before killing her with a lariat so it was far from lopsided. Mei’s offense isn’t overly interesting but both she and Mikoto are more than capable so everything was smooth both in the one on one match-ups and tag moves. Itsuki didn’t get too much of a chance to shine here but brought her usual energy. A perfectly fine mid-card tag match, but nothing more than that.

DASH Chisako vs. Hibiki vs. KAORU

Hibiki won’t even get in the ring to start the match, jawing at both KAORU and Chisako, so they start without her. Dropkick by Chisako but Hibiki trips her from the floor when she goes off the ropes, this gives KAORU time to kick Chisako and hit a vertical suplex for two. Hibiki gets in the ring but quickly bails, Chisako and KAORU trade elbows but turn their attention back to Hibiki as KAORU kicks her through the ropes. This stuns Hibiki, allowing Chisako to charge from in the ring and hit a dropkick through the ropes on her. KAORU and Chisako both leave the ring to get Hibiki but Hibiki runs away and into the back. Hibiki reemerges from the other side and gets in the ring, but Chisako catches her with a missile dropkick. She follows with another dropkick, KAORU comes in with a piece of table board and hits Hibiki in the head with it. Chisako and take turns striking Hibiki, double Irish whip and they hit a double boot followed by a double vertical suplex. Assisted footstomp by Chisako, they wait for Hibiki to get up and take turns booting her.

Chisako and KAORU go up to opposite corner, Hibiki avoids KAORU’s Valkyrie Splash but rolls right into a diving footstomp by Chisako. Cover by Chisako, KAORU tries to break it up with the board but Chisako moves and she hits Hibiki instead. Cover by KAORU, Chisako tries to break it up with a chair but she too ends up hitting Hibiki. KAORU goes back up top but Hibiki recovers and knocks her out of the ring down to the floor. Hard elbow by Hibiki to Chisako but she elbows her back as they trade blows, Chisako goes for a Northern Lights Suplex but Hibiki blocks it. Knees by Chisako but Hibiki catches her with a lariat, cover by Hibiki but KAORU is back and breaks it up. Double Irish whip to Hibiki but Hibiki hits a spear on both of them, she goes off the ropes again but is hit with both a chair and piece of board at the same time. Chisako goes up top while KAORU picks up Hibiki, but Hibiki slams KAORU and tosses Chisako back into the ring (and on top of KAORU). Hibiki goes to the top turnbuckle but both wrestlers avoids her diving senton, Hibiki gets a white powder and throws it into KAORU’s face. Chisako comes over to help with a chair but she hits KAORU by accident, Hibiki quickly dropkicks Chisako and schoolboys KAORU for the three count! Hibiki is the winner.

A short match but still fun to watch and it progressed Hibiki’s unique story. For a match that wasn’t very long, it had a lot of shenanigans and hard hits, as all three did their part to put over what they were doing. Hibiki out-maneuvering her opponents in what was essentially a 2 vs. 1 match was well done as it felt smart rather than cheap. Hibiki took a fair beating on her way to victory to earn it, and she is definitely not wrestling as a comedic gimmick but rather unhinged. For a short three way match, I thought they delivered what they were going for and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Hibiki in the future.  Mildly Recommended

Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata vs. Mio Momono and Rin Kadokura

Rin and Mika jaw before the match can even start and start trading blows, while their two teammates look on, letting them go at it. Rin temporarily wins but Mika battles back, dropkick by Rin and she covers Mika for two. Rin tags Mio, kicks by Mio in the corner and she delivers a dropkick. Mio gets Mika up and applies a rolling front necklock, but releases the hold so she can dropkick her in the back of the head. Mio tags Rin back in, scoop slam by Rin and she mushes Mika’s head. Enzuigiri by Mika and she kicks Rin against the ropes before tagging in Chihiro. Hard shoulderblock by Chihiro, she scoop slams Rin and hits a running somersault senton. Mika returns, kicks by Mika and she applies a headlock. She lets go after a moment and stomps on Rin, starting to focus on her arm. snapmare by Mika and she kicks Rin in the back, she tags in Chihiro who puts Rin in an abdominal stretch. Mio breaks it up with a dropkick, Chihiro picks up Rin but Rin fights back with elbows. Chihiro elbows her back to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker, but Mio breaks it up. Chihiro picks up Rin and yanks on her arm before tagging in Mika, Irish whip by Mika but Rin delivers a jumping lariat.

Quick kick by Rin and she makes it to her corner to tag Mio. Mio comes in the ring with a diving crossbody, sliding kick by Mio but Chihiro kicks her from the apron. Chihiro gets in to help but Mio throws Chihiro into Mika and then hurricanranas Chihiro onto Mika. Dropkick by Mio to Chihiro, she goes back to Mika and hits a sliding kick for a two count. Mika shakes Mio off and hits a high knee in the corner, snapmare by Mika and she kicks Mio in the back. Mio ducks the PK but Mika kicks her in the head anyway and tags in Chihiro. Lariat by Chihiro in the corner and she hits a delayed vertical suplex for a two count. Chihiro gets Mio on her shoulders before Mika comes in and delivers a head kick. Double Irish whip to Mio, Mio tries to get out of it but is slammed for her efforts. Mika then flips Chihiro onto Mio, picking up a two count. Chihiro gets on the second turnbuckle and nails a somersault senton, but Mio gets a shoulder up. Chihiro picks up Mio but Mio slides away, lariat by Chihiro but Mio fires back with a dropkick. Chihiro hits another lariat but Mio lands on her feet on the suplex attempt, hard elbow by Chihiro but Mio hits a twisting headscissors takedown for two. Mio makes the tag to Rin, Rin goes up top and connects with a missile dropkick. Elevated DDT by Rin and she hits a sliding kick for two. Rin goes off the ropes but Chihiro spears her, she tags in Mika and Mika kicks Rin into the corner.

More kicks by Mika and she applies the cross armbreaker, Rin wiggles out of it so Mika switches it to an armtrap crossface. Mio breaks that up but Chihiro throws her out of the ring, Mika picks up Rin but Rin kicks her in the head. Mika returns the favor, more kicks by Mika and she covers Rin for a two count. More kicks by Mika but Mio breaks up the next cover, Mika picks up Rin and goes to the turnbuckles but Mio grabs her from the apron. Rin pulls Mika back into the ring, missile dropkick by Mio and Rin hits a diving footstomp for two. Rin gets on the top turnbuckle but Mika avoids the somersault senton, they trade elbows as they get up until Chihiro runs in and hits a lariat. Jackknife cover by Mika, but Rin kicks out. Mika waits for Rin to get up but Rin ducks the high kick and goes for a few flash pins for two counts. Rin goes for another cradle but Mika blocks it, Mio dropkicks Mika in the head but Rin can still only get two. Strike combination by Mika and she covers Rin, but Mio breaks it up. Mio dropkicks Chihiro when she comes in too but Mika kicks Mio, high kick by Mika to Rin but Rin barely gets a shoulder up. Mika goes off the ropes but Rin kicks he, crucifix slam by Rin but Mika is too close to the ropes. She hits a second one, and this time she holds down Mika for the three count! Mio Momono and Rin Kadokura are the winners!

One could never accuse these four of not being hard hitting, they certainly were holding nothing back in this match. Lots and lots of kicks so if you like kicks, this is the match for you. I wish that Mio and Chihiro did more as they felt almost like the side attractions, particularly Chihiro who didn’t get to do much that was memorable as Mika was the focus. But they have to save something for GAEA. Mika and Rin did a good job conveying disdain for each other and even though the arm work was shrugged off, at least they did go back to it towards the end so it wasn’t a meaningless exercise. I don’t love a match like this having a “trading flash pins” part, which seems to now be a requirement in every Joshi match even if it doesn’t fit, but at least they got over it and didn’t end the match in that manner. Not long enough to wear out its welcome (I wouldn’t have minded if it was a few minutes longer), an entertaining match and a good prelude to their match next month.  Recommended

The post Marvelous at Shin-Kiba 1st RING on 5/19/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Marvelous at Shin-Kiba 1st RING
Date: August 24th, 2020
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown

Sometimes I like to take a step back and review a smaller event to bring some eyeballs to promotions that may be off many fan’s radars. Marvelous is a promotion run by the legendary Chigusa Nagayo and they air the bulk of their events on their FRESH LIVE streaming service.  This event is more special than some of their shows as this is the first match by Mio Momono in the promotion since she suffered an injury last year. I will only be reviewing the Joshi matches on the card, here is the line-up:

• Masha Slamovich vs. Mikoto Shindo
• Hibiki, Maria, and Mei Hoshizuki vs. KAORU, Takumi Iroha, and Tomoko Watanabe
• HIRO’e vs. Mio Momono

As this aired on FRESH LIVE, all matches were shown in full. All wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. Let’s get to the matches!

Masha Slamovich vs. Mikoto Shindo

They tie-up to start and trade hammerlocks until Mikoto gets Masha to the mat and puts her in a headlock. Masha struggles back up and gets out of the hold, she gets Mikoto’s arm but Mikoto quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, Masha applies a hammerlock but Mikoto elbows out of it, wristlock by Mikoto but Masha gets away and slams Mikoto to the mat. Mikoto returns to her feet as Masha asks for a knucklelock, Mikoto obliges as they go into a Test of Strength which Masha easily wins. Mikoto springs back up and armdrags Masha, Masha falls out of the ring and Mikoto dropkicks her as she tries to get back in. Mikoto goes out after her but Masha quickly rolls back in, Mikoto rolls in too but Masha kicks her as she does and hits a hard elbow. Scoop slam by Masha, she picks up Mikoto and elbows her in the chest for a two count.

Masha puts Mikoto in a stretch hold but Mikoto gets into the ropes for the break, Masha picks up Mikoto and hits a backdrop suplex, but that gets a two count as well. Masha puts Mikoto on the top turnbuckle and joins her, Masha clubs on Mikoto but Mikoto elbows her off and back to the mat. Mikoto boots Masha back and delivers a dropkick, more dropkicks by Mikoto and she covers Masha for two. Masha recovers and clubs Mikoto as they trade blows, hard elbow by Masha but Mikoto lands on her feet on the attempted backdrop suplex. Masha grabs Mikoto and hits a German suplex hold anyway, but it gets two. Masha picks up Mikoto but Mikoto sneaks in a cradle, elbows by Mikoto and she dropkicks Masha in the corner. Another dropkick by Mikoto, she picks up Masha and hits a scoop slam for two. Mikoto goes to the apron and springboards in, but Masha catches her on her shoulders. Mikoto slides away but Masha catches her with a dragon suplex hold for two. Masha puts Mikoto on an Argentine Backbreaker and drops her to the mat, sliding lariat by Masha but Mikoto kicks out of the cover. Masha picks up Mikoto and elbows her into the corner, but Mikoto avoids her charge and schoolboys Masha for the three count! Mikoto Shindo is the winner.

A fun opener, what I found most interesting was that Mikoto was kicking out of pretty much all of Masha’s big offense. I really thought the dragon suplex hold would be it, or the sliding lariat but instead Mikoto kicks out and gets a cradle win just a moment later. This was sold as an upset/surprise win, nothing wrong with having the underdog when by sneaky means of course, but it was a pretty one-sided affair and just as a fan I’d have liked to have seen more from Mikoto in general. A good way to kick off the show though, they have good chemistry together and they put on solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Hibiki, Maria, and Hoshizuki vs. KAORU, Takumi Iroha, and Watanabe

The young ones attack before the match starts but the veterans soon get the advantage as they stack their opponents in the corner and deliver running strikes. Maria is isolated and attacked by all three, KAORU stays in as the legal wrestler and continues working over Maria. Watanabe is tagged in and she keeps doing the same as she attacks Maria’s arm, dropkick by Watanabe and she tags in Takumi. More of the same from Takumi, scoop slam by Takumi and she tags KAORU back in. Slam by KAORU, she tags in Watanabe who slams Maria as well, followed by Takumi taking her turn. Takumi kicks Maria and encourages her to fight back, but Takumi avoids Maria’s dropkick and kicks her in the chest for a two count. Snapmare by Takumi and she kicks Maria in the back. Hibiki comes in but Takumi slams her on top of Maria, she then grabs Mei and does the same before covering Maria for two. Takumi kicks Maria in the arm but Maria connects with a front roll into a dropkick, which gives her time to tag out. Mei and Hibiki both come in as Takumi is triple teamed, Watanabe comes in too but it backfires as they slam her on top of Takumi. Mei stays in as the legal wrestler and dropkicks Takumi, she drop toeholds Takumi into the ropes before going out to the apron to hit a dropkick. Another dropkick by Mei and she covers Takumi for two. Mei goes for a scoop slam but Takumi blocks it, elbows by Mei but Takumi elbows her back.

Kick combination by Takumi and she hits a sliding kick, Takumi picks up Mei but Hibiki comes in to help. Takumi isn’t phased and hits a double vertical suplex on both of them, vertical suplex by Takumi and she tags Watanabe. Watanabe comes in the ring with a diving body press off the second turnbuckle, picking up a two count. Watanabe picks up Mei but Mei reverses the backdrop suplex, Hibiki and Maria both run in and they all dropkick Watanabe. Mei goes for a scoop slam but Watanabe blocks it, Hibiki comes in and scoop slams Watanabe before helping Mei hit a footstomp on her. Mei succeeds on the scoop slam on her next try and dropkicks Watanabe in the head, she charges Watanabe but Watanabe dumps her onto the apron. Mei dropkicks Watanabe through the ropes and applies a jackknife cover for two. Mei tags in Hibiki, Hibiki drives Watanabe into the corner and hits a series of shoulder tackles. Hibiki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hibiki but Watanabe kicks out. Hibiki picks up Watanabe and hits the Kamikaze, she goes up top but Watanabe recovers and tosses her back to the mat. Watanabe picks up Hibiki and she hits a hard lariat, cover by Watanabe but it gets a two count. Mei and Maria run in and stomp on Watanabe, Irish whip to Watanabe but Watanabe hits a springboard crossbody on all three of them and tags in KAORU. KAORU comes in with her piece of board and hits all three of her opponents.

KAORU goes to the second turnbuckle but Mei cuts her off, Hibiki headbutts KAORU but KAORU headbutts her back. Another headbutt by Hibiki and she hits the spear, picking up a two count. Hibiki tags Maria, Mei also comes in and they both dropkick KAORU. More dropkicks to KAORU before Hibiki hits a shoulder tackle, cover by Maria but it gets a two count. Maria picks up KAORU but KAORU blocks the scoop slam, she also goes for one but Maria blocks her as well and finally hits her own scoop slam. She covers KAORU but KAORU bridges out of it, KAORU gets her board but she hits Watanabe by accident. Takumi then holds Maria for KAORU but KAORU hits Takumi with it by accident as well, Mei takes the board from KAORU and Maria dropkicks her. Mei and Maria both hit dropkicks on KAORU, cover by Maria but it gets a two count. Mei grabs KAORU and hits a scoop slam while Hibiki goes up top, but Watanabe grabs her from the apron. KAORU hits at Hibiki while Watanabe slams Maria on top of Mei, KAORU then goes up top with Hibiki and superplexes her onto both Mei and Maria. Takumi comes in and superkicks Maria, lariat by Watanabe and KAORU picks up Maria, but Maria quickly applies a cross armbreaker takedown and hits the hold applied for the quick tap out! Maria, Mei Hoshizuki, and Hibiki are the winners!

Even though the ending move was a little clunky in execution, which is unfortunate, it is still a big moment for Maria to tap out one of the veteran wrestlers like KAORU. The first half of the match was pretty slow going, with the beatdown on Maria, but once the younger wrestlers got in control it was a lot more fast paced and interesting. The young team constantly was cooperating and working together, which they had to do, which set them apart from their opponents who weren’t helping each other near as much. For a six wrestler midcard tag match this was probably a bit better than I was expecting, as the veteran team gave the young team quite a bit of offense once we got to the second half of the match. I wouldn’t have minded a few minutes trimmed from the Maria Beatdown portion but I understand what they were going for and overall it was pretty good. Mildly Recommended

HIRO’e vs. Mio Momono

They tie-up to start, HIRO’e pushes Mio into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Wristlock by HIRO’e but Mio reverses it as they trade holds until they reach a stalemate. Kick by HIRO’e and an Irish whip, but Mio flips over her and hits an armdrag. Spinning headscissors by Mio and she hits a dropkick before kipping back up to her feet. She goes for another dropkick by HIRO’e moves, stomp by HIRO’e and she throws down Mio by her hair. Snapmare by HIRO’e and she puts Mio in a stretch hold, she then switches it to a Camel Clutch but Mio bites her hand to get out of it. HIRO’e throws Mio into the corner and rams her head into the turnbuckle, but Mio sneaks in a cradle for two. Sliding kick by Mio, she picks up HIRO’e and applies a waistlock but lets go and hits an elbow. HIRO’e punches Mio in the gut in return, Irish whip by HIRO’e but Mio hits a spinning crossbody for two. Mio applies a Fujiwara Armbar into a double armbar but HIRO’e gets into the ropes for the break. Mio twists HIRO’e’s arm in the ropes and yanks on it, dropkick to the arm by Mio and she goes up top to hit a diving crossbody for two.

Mio goes back to HIRO’e’s arm and applies a modified armbar, she lets go after a moment and goes for the JK Bomb, but HIRO’e blocks it and slams Mio into the mat. Running shoulder tackle by HIRO’e in the corner, spear by HIRO’e and she covers Mio for a two count. Mio ends up against the ropes but HIRO’e dropkicks her in the face, she does it two more times before Mio tumbles out of the ring to the floor. HIRO’e goes up top but Mio gets back on the apron and back into the ring before HIRO’e can do a move. Mio goes for a powerbomb while HIRO’e is still up top but HIRO’e blocks it, hitting a Codebreaker. Vertical suplex by HIRO’e and she covers Mio for a two count. HIRO’e goes for a Northern Lights Suplex but Mio blocks it, elbows by Mio but HIRO’e hits a shoulder tackle. Backbreaker by HIRO’e and she puts Mio in a crab hold, but after Mio never submits HIRO’e lets go to figure out something else to do. HIRO’e stomps on Mio and goes to the second turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. HIRO’e picks up Mio and delivers the Northern Lights Suplex, but Mio kicks out at two.

HIRO’e goes for a backdrop suplex but Mio blocks it, Mio goes for a cradle but HIRO’e reverses it into a German suplex hold for a two count. HIRO’e goes to the second turnbuckle but Mio gets up and grabs her, slamming HIRO’e back to the mat. Mio goes off the ropes and applies a flying cradle into a footstomp, she keeps footstomping HIRO’e but HIRO’e kicks out of the cover. Mio goes off the ropes but HIRO’e catches her with a spear, release German by HIRO’e but she is too hurt to immediately capitalize. They trade elbows as they return to their knees, HIRO’e elbows Mio repeatedly in the back of the head but Mio ducks her lariat attempt. Spear by HIRO’e, but Mio gets a shoulder up on the cover. Another spear by HIRO’e for a two count, HIRO’e goes for a flash pin but Mio reverses it and the two go back and forth. HIRO’e goes off the ropes but Mio cradles her again for two, Mio goes off the ropes and nails the JK Bomb for the three count! Mio Momono is the winner!

A pretty good match between two motivated wrestlers. One thing about Mio is even though she has a lot of fans she is still an unpolished singles wrestler. In four years (less experience than that due to injuries) she has never won a singles title and doesn’t really have a lot of impactful offense, making her better suited for tag team wrestling with a partner that provides the “boom” so to speak. That was on display here, as HIRO’e was doing much of the painful looking moves while Mio was sneaking in cradles and other flash pins to try to win. Its not that she *has* to expand her moveset but she probably won’t be seen as a serious singles contender until she does. Anyway, this was probably stretched a little longer than it needed to be but it never slowed down as they kept the action moving. HIRO’e isn’t great but she did everything well here, and seemed to have some extra fire to her. The end stretch was well done and smooth, and while it didn’t feel like the “right” wrestler won its understandable that Mio would win in her home promotion. A fitting ending for a small streaming-only show, pretty entertaining match.  Recommended

The post Marvelous at Shin-Kiba 1st RING on 8/24/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Marvelous Dojo Show
Date: April 26th, 2020
Location: Marvelous Dojo in Chiba, Japan
Announced Attendance: 0

During the coronavirus pandemic, wrestling promotions in Japan are handling it different ways. Some have stopped having shows altogether, while others are still running events but are not having any fans and are filming from their dojo. Marvelous is is doing the latter, by occasionally running quick events right from the Marvelous Dojo and posting them on their FRESH LIVE channel. This is a very short show, with only two matches, but its better than nothing! Here is the full card:

• Masha Slamovich vs. Mikoto Shindo
• Hibiki and Mei Hoshizuki vs. Maria and Takumi Iroha

All the wrestlers on the event have profile so Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. The video is a little blurry at parts, but we are too excited for wrestling so we are going to let that slide. Onto the action!

Masha Slamovich vs. Mikoto Shindo

They tie-up to start, Masha pushes Mikoto into the ropes and gives a clean break. Wristlock by Mikoto but Masha reverses it, Mikoto switches it back but Masha flips out of it and applies an armbar. Mikoto reverses that into a headscissors, waistlock by Masha but Mikoto gets out of it and goes off the ropes. Masha slows down Mikoto with an armdrag and keeps a hold of her arm on the mat, Mikoto struggles to her feet and the two get into a Test of Strength. Masha pushes Mikoto down to the mat while keeping the knuckles locked but Mikoto struggles back to her feet and hits an armdrag. Mikoto goes for a dropkick but Masha swats it away, Mikoto avoids Masha’s stomp attempt and both wrestlers return to their feet. Mikoto connects with a dropkick and then hits two more, cover but Mikoto but it gets a two count. Mikoto goes for a scoop slam but Masha blocks it, elbows by Mikoto but Masha levels her with a lariat for two. Masha slams Mikoto to the mat by her hair and covers her again, but Mikoto bridges out of it. Reverse chinlock by Masha but Mikoto gets into the ropes for the break, Masha picks up Mikoto and connects with a back elbow. Masha puts Mikoto in a Texas Cloverleaf but Mikoto grabs the bottom rope to force the break, stomps by Masha but Mikoto blocks the full nelson. Knee by Masha and she drops Mikoto with a gutwrench suplex, cover by Masha but Mikoto kicks out. Knees by Masha but Mikoto elbows her off, waistlock by Masha but Mikoto cradles her for two. A schoolboy by Mikoto gets another two count as does the backslide attempt, she goes off the ropes but Masha kicks her in the face and hits a footstomp for two. Masha picks up Mikoto and gets her on her shoulders, but Mikoto wiggles away and dropkicks Masha in the back, she then hits a dropkick from the front and covers Masha for two. Mikoto picks up Masha but Masha throws her into the corner, dragon suplex hold by Masha and she picks up the three count! Masha Slamovich wins the match.

This was simple match but nothing wrong with it. This is how you’d expect a full show to open, with the new gaijin taking on and defeating a young wrestler from the home promotion. Masha controlled the whole match with Mikoto just getting a few hope spots in, and she was never really presented as having a chance of winning as her best moments were just flash pins. Masha looked pretty good though and there weren’t any awkward moments or miscommunications, which is the main concern with matches like this. Nothing special but pretty solid.

Hibiki and Mei Hoshizuki vs. Maria and Takumi Iroha

Takumi and Hibiki start the match, they trade waistlocks and Takumi goes for a shoulderblock, but Hibiki stays up. Hibiki tries the same with the same result, they both go off the ropes and finally Takumi sends Hibiki to the mat. Hibiki quickly returns the favor, she throws Takumi into the corner but Takumi avoids her charge. Hibiki ducks Takumi’s kick attempt and tags Mei while Maria also tags in. Mei kicks Maria but Maria kicks her when she drops down before kicking her in the head. Armdrag by Mei but Maria hits one of her own, they trade trips and pins before reaching a stalemate. Maria quickly applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Mei wiggles to the ropes and makes it for the break. Maria gets Mei in the ropes and pulls on her own, she throws Mei into the corner and tags Takumi. Takumi stomps down Mei and kicks her in the corner, scoop slam by Takumi and she gets a bouncy ball, throwing it hard at Mei’s head. Cover by Takumi, but it gets a two count. Takumi tags Maria, stomps by Maria and she kicks Mei in her injured arm. Maria elbows Mei in the arm and tags Takumi back in, Takumi comes in with some exercise battering ram thing and drops it onto Mei’s chest. Cover by Takumi, but it gets two. Takumi kicks at Mei in the corner before she wraps her up in the ropes, Takumi goes out to the apron and kicks Mei in the chest. Takumi goes off the ropes but Mei trips her into them, she then goes to the apron and dropkicks Takumi. Back in the ring, another dropkick by Mei and she makes the tag to Hibiki. Hibiki shoulderblocks Takumi but Maria comes in to help, they Irish whip Hibiki but Hibiki spears both of them. Hibiki picks up Takumi and puts her in the corner, shoulder tackles by Hibiki and she covers Takumi for two. Hibiki picks up Takumi but Takumi slides away and kicks Hibiki repeatedly in the chest, PK by Takumi and she dropkicks Hibiki for a two count.

Vertical suplex by Takumi, she picks up Hibiki but Hibiki elbows her and the two trade blows. Takumi goes off the ropes but Mei kicks her from the apron, Takumi elbows Hibiki again but she keeps getting kicked by wrestlers at ringside. Everyone comes in to beat down Takumi (looks like Mio Momono and Rin Kadokura helping out), Takumi is thrown into the corner and she gets attacked by everyone (including her own partner). Takumi gets tired of this and hits back bodydrops on all the active wrestlers before Rin and Mio bail, Hibiki grabs Takumi from behind but Takumi gets away and kicks her in the head. Takumi tags Maria, dropkicks by Maria to Hibiki and she covers her for two. Maria goes for a slam but Hibiki blocks it, Maria gets Hibiki’s back and applies a sleeper but Hibiki rams back into the corner to get her off. Maria boots Hibiki when she charges back in, she picks her up but Hibiki headbutts her. Springboard headbutt by Hibiki and she levels Maria with a spear for a two count. Hibiki gets Maria on her shoulders but she slides off, Hibiki goes off the ropes but Maria dropkicks her. Hibiki fires back with another spear and she tags in Mei, Mei picks up Maria and delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Mei and she hits a third, she bounces Maria off the ropes before dropkicking her again for a two count. Hibiki comes in and hits a running senton, Mei gets on her shoulders and she jumps off with a double kneedrop. Cover, but Takumi breaks it up. Mei picks up Maria but Maria elbows her off as they trade strikes, front dropkick by Maria and she cradles Mei as they trade flash pins. Takumi runs in and dropkicks Mei, double Irish whip to Mei but Hibiki runs in and spears Takumi. Maria dropkicks both of them, cover by Maria to Mei but it gets two. Mei trips Maria and goes for a jackknife hold, Maria reverses it but Mei rolls through the reversal and holds down Maria for the three count! Hibiki and Mei Hoshizuki are the winners!

This was a pretty fun match. They kept it basic like the last match and didn’t take any major risks, so its definitely more of a ‘house show’ match than something they’d probably put on during a televised event. Course, this is also a Dojo Show so its always good to set realistic expectations. They worked together well though and the time flew by, and it was nice to see Mio and Rin get involved even though they are still on the shelf. Takumi didn’t act like she was ‘too good’ to be here and took as much offense as anyone, as the young wrestlers were giving a chance to shine. An easy watch with solid action, nothing really wrong with it aside from it just being generally simplistic.  Mildly Recommended

The post Marvelous Dojo Show on 4/26/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Seven different Joshi promotions ran events in the last week, time for the the weekly Joshi Recap and Results!

Actwres girl’Z

Event: AgZ Color’s
Date: April 15th, 2019
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Where to Watch: Not televised, likely DVD release

• Natsu Sumire defeats Ayumi Hayashi (8:43)
• Sakuran Bonita (Cherry) defeats Yuko Sakurai (6:48)
• Kaori Yoneyama and Miku Aono defeat Ayano Irie and Misa Matsui (10:25)
• Rina Yamashita defeats Mari (11:40)
• SAKI and Yuna Mizumori defeat Mii and Riho (14:40)

Gatoh Move

Event: Gatoh Move “Command Bolshoi Special”
Date: April 18th, 2019
Location: Ichigaya Chocolate Hiroba in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 70
Where to Watch: Not televised, possible DVD release

• Yuna Mizumori defeats An Chamu (7:00)
• Masahiro Takanashi defeats Baliyan Akki and Mitsuru Konno (6:37)
• Command Bolshoi and Riho defeat Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga (13:06)

Event: Gatoh Move Japan Tour #421
Date: April 21st, 2019
Location: Ichigaya Chocolate Hiroba in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 79
Where to Watch: Not televised, possible DVD release

• Chon Shiryu DRAWS Yuna Mizumori (10:00)
• Baliyan Akki and SAKI defeat Emi Sakura and Sawasdee Kamen (9:10)
• Mitsuru Konno and Riho defeat Hikaru Shida and Mei Suruga (13:19)

Ice Ribbon

Event: Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #955”
Date: April 20th, 2019
Location: Ice Ribbon Dojo in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 90
Where to Watch: Not televised, likely DVD release

• Matsuya Uno and Mochi Miyagi defeat Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki (12:09)
• Akane Fujita defeats Asahi (5:56)
• Giulia DRAWS Tsukushi (10:00)
• Hamuko Hoshi, Miyako Matsumoto, and Tsukasa Fujimoto defeat Chabela, Ibuki Hoshi, and Maya Yukihi (17:39)

Marvelous

Event: Marvelous in Osaka
Date: April 21st, 2019
Location: Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Where to Watch: Streamed on freshlive.tv

• Maria defeats Momoka Hanazono (5:30)
• Leo Isaka and MIKAMI defeat Pandita and Takahiro Katori (13:00)
• DASH Chisako and Hyan defeat Hiroe Nagahama and Mei Hoshizuki (12:46)
• Tomoko Watanabe and Yuu Yamagata defeat May Lee and Mikoto Shindo (15:10)
• Rin Kadokura, Takumi Iroha, and Sakura Hirota defeat Chikayo Nagashima, KAORU, and Megumi Yabushita (18:31)

PURE-J

Event: PURE-J Bolshoi Retirement ~ Thank You!!
Date: April 21st, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,530
Where to Watch: Not televised, likely DVD release

• Battle Royal: Bolshoi Kid Wins. Other participants included Arisa Nakajima, Chihiro Hashimoto, Eiger, Emi Sakura, Giulia, Jaguar Yokota, Kyoko Inoue, Makoto, Moemoe Bolshoi (Moeka Haruhi), Saori Anou, Shinobu Kandori, Western Pioneer Bolshoi (Tsubasa Kuragaki), Yumiko Hotta, and Yumi Ohka (14:17)
• Manami Katsu, Mari Manji, and Yako Fujigasaki defeat AKARI, KAZUKI, and Rydeen Hagane (13:13)
• PURE-J Openweight Championship: Hanako Nakamori defeats Leon (c) (15:32) – TITLE CHANGE
• Command Bolshoi Gauntlet Match vs. Hanako Nakamori, Kaori Yoneyama, and Mayumi Ozaki
  • Command Bolshoi DRAWS Hanako Nakamori (5:00)
  • Command Bolshoi DRAWS Kaori Yoneyama (5:00)
  • Command Bolshoi DRAWS Mayumi Ozaki (5:00)

Sendai Girls’

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: April 16th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 998
Where to Watch: Airing on Samurai TV! on 4/27/19

• Mei Suruga and Ryo Mizunami defeat KAORU and Mikoto Shindo (12:10)
• Alex Lee and Bolshoi Kid defeat Eiger and Sakura Hirota (12:05)
• Sendai Girls’ Jr. Championship: Millie McKenzie (c) defeats Manami (5:50)
• Mika Iwata defeats Yuu (8:34)
• Sareee defeats Meiko Satomura (15:30)
• DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto defeat Hikaru Shida and Killer Kelly (18:32)
• Sendai Girls’ World Championship: Chihiro Hashimoto (c) defeats Jordynne Grace (13:41)

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: April 17th, 2019
Location: Diamond Hall in Nagayo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 220
Where to Watch: No announced release

• Yuu defeats Manami (4:12)
• Hikaru Shida and KAORU defeat Alex Lee and Sakura Hirota (10:30)
• Sendai Girls Junior Championship: Command Bolshoi defeats Millie McKenzie (c) (10:09) – TITLE CHANGE
• Jordynne Grace, Mei Suruga, and Sareee defeat Chihiro Hashimoto, Killer Kelly, and Mikoto Shindo (12:11)
• DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto defeat Meiko Satomura and Mika Iwata (14:26)

Stardom

Event: Stardom Glory Stars Day 3 (Afternoon)
Date: April 21st, 2019
Location: Osaka World Pavilion in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 212
Where to Watch: Event will be uploaded to Stardom World

• Tam Nakano defeats Leo Onozaki (4:59)
• Hazuki DRAWS Starlight Kid (7:31)
• Andras Miyagi defeats Rebel Kel (7:52)
• AZM, Bea Priestley, and Momo Watanabe defeat Arisa Hoshiki, Saki Kashima, and Saya Iida (11:37)
• Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami defeat Kagetsu, Natsuko Tora, and Natsu Sumire (14:56)

Event: Stardom Glory Stars Day 3 (Evening)
Date: April 21st, 2019
Location: Osaka World Pavilion in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 208
Where to Watch: Event will be uploaded to Stardom World

• Bea Priestley and Leo Onozaki defeat Saya Iida and Starlight Kid (9:08)
• Saki Kashima defeats Natsu Sumire (6:26)
• Hazuki and Natsuko Tora defeat Arisa Hoshiki and Tam Nakano (10:37)
• Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu defeat Hana Kimura and Rebel Kel (10:26)
• Jungle Kyona and Konami defeat AZM and Momo Watanabe (14:21)

Special thanks to Cagematch, Wrestlingdata, DramaticDDT, Stardom, PURE-J, Ice Ribbon, OZ Academy, SEAdLINNNG, Gatoh Move, and Diana for assistance gathering information.

The post Weekly Joshi Recap and Results for April 23rd, 2019 appeared first on Joshi City.

A big week in Joshi Wrestling, lets jump right into the weekly Joshi Recap!

Stardom

Event: Stardom “Glory Stars Day 1”
Date: April 13th, 2019
Location: Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 230
Where to Watch: Event will be uploaded to Stardom World

• Hanan, Rina, and Hana defeat Kaori Yoneyama, Leo Onozaki, and Saya Iida (4:48)
• Saki Kashima defeats Starlight Kid (7:19)
• Three Way Match: Bea Priestley defeats Hana Kimura and Rebel Kel (8:05)
• Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano defeats Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora (11:44)
• Two out of Three Match: Momo Watanabe, Konami, and AZM defeat Kagetsu, Hazuki, and Natsu Sumire (18:06)
  • Kagetsu defeats Momo Watanabe (10:38)
  • AZM defeats Natsu Sumire (2:15)
  • Momo Watanabe defeats Kagetsu (5:13)

The main event had a unique stipulation – with Queen’s Quest putting up their masks and Oedo Tai putting up their pre-match dancing. Whichever team lost would no longer be allowed to do their pre-match ritual. With Queen’s Quest winning, Oedo Tai will no longer dance before matches for all events going forward.

Event: Stardom “Glory Stars Day 2”
Date:  April 14th, 2019
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 401
Where to Watch: Event will be uploaded to Stardom World

• Rina defeats Hina (4:43)
• Three Way Match: Tam Nakano defeats Hanan and Rebel Kel (5:52)
• Hazuki, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire defeats Natsuko Tora, Leo Onozaki, and Saya Iida (10:28)
• Arisa Hoshiki, Saki Kashima, and Starlight Kid defeats Bea Priestley, Konami, and AZM (12:25)
• 5 Way Draft Nomination Order Determination Match with Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, Kagetsu, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe
  • Mayu wins first pick by throwing Kagetsu over the top rope
  • Momo wins second pick by throwing Kagetsu over the top rope
  • Kagetsu wins third pick by throwing Hana over the top rope
  • Hana wins fourth pick by throwing Jungle Kyona over the top rope
  • Kyona loses and her faction is forced to disband

For the second year, Stardom had a draft for their factions. For the main event, the five faction leaders took part to determine the picking order for the draft. The big catch this year is that whichever wrestler was left at the end, their group would have to disband as only four factions would continue in Stardom. Jungle Kyona was the last wrestler remaining, forcing her faction Jungle Assault Nation to disband, with Jungle Kyona becoming a draftable wrestler. Here are the results from the draft that took place after the main event:

Ice Ribbon

Event: Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #954 in SKIP City”
Date: April 14th, 2019
Location: SKIP City Multipurpose Hall in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 225
Where to Watch: Airs on Nico Nico on 4/22/19

• Suzu Suzuki and Tsukushi defeat Asahi and Ibuki Hoshi (8:02)
• Tae Honma defeats Matsuya Uno (9:43)
• Tequila Saya defeats Satsuki Totoro (6:19)
• Kyuri, Maika Ozaki, and Tsukasa Fujimoto defeat Akane Fujita, Hiragi Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi (15:13)
• Rina Yamashita defeats Giulia (15:03)
• International Ribbon Tag Team Championship: Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera (c) defeat Makoto and Miyako Matsumoto (15:20)

PURE-J

Event: PURE-J Bolshoi Final Series
Date: April 10th, 2019
Location: Asakusa Hanayashiki in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 90
Where to Watch: Not televised, likely DVD release

• Rydeen Hagane defeats Himeka Arita (12:04)
• KAZUKI defeats Momo Tani (8:59)
• Manami Katsu defeats Yako Fujigasaki (12:59)
• Command Bolshoi defeats Mari Manji (5:45)
• Rematch: Command Bolshoi defeats Mari Manji (4:50)
• Rematch: Command Bolshoi defeats Mari Manji (0:59)
• Leon and Moeka Haruhi defeat Hanako Nakamori and Makoto (17:38)

Event: PURE-J Bolshoi Final Series
Date: April 14th, 2019
Location: Itabashi Green Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 117
Where to Watch: Not televised, likely DVD release

• SAKI defeats Mari Manji (10:15)
• KAZUKI defeats Yako Fujigasaki (10:17)
• Command Bolshoi defeats AKARI (9:36)
• Kaori Yoneyama and Leon defeat Mei Suruga and Riho (12:29)
• Chikayo Nagashima and Hanako Nakamori defeat Manami Katsu and Rydeen Hagane (17:49)

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Event: Tokyo Joshi Pro “Spring Tour ’19 ~ Ready Set, Go!”
Date: April 13th, 2019
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 250
Where to Watch: DDT Universe

• Rika Tatsumi and Haruna Neko defeated Pom Harajuku and Mahiro Kiryu (8:57)
• Reika Saiki defeated YUMI (7:20)
• Natsumi Maki and Hikari Noa defeated Yuki Kamifuku and Mina Shirakawa (7:41)
• Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuki defeated Yuna Manase and Himawari Unagi (12:02)
• Sakisama and Misao defeated Miu Watanabe and Raku (14:09)
• Miyu Yamashita, Shoko Nakajima, and Marika Kobashi defeated Maki Itoh, Nodoka Tenma, and Yuki Aino (14:46)

SEAdLINNNG

Event: SEAdLINNNG Shin-Kiba 11th NIGHT
Date: April 12th, 2019
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 238
Where to Watch: No announced release

• Kaori Yoneyama defeats Sae (6:02)
• Mei Hoshizuki and Mei Suruga defeat ASUKA and Maria (7:51)
• Hiroyo Matsumoto, Makoto and Yoshiko defeat Himeka Arita, Miyuki Takase, and Saori Anou (13:45)
• Amazon and Takumi Iroha vs. Nanae Takahashi and Ryo Mizunami – Time Limit Draw (20:00)
• Arisa Nakajima defeats Command Bolshoi (19:50)

OZ Academy

Event: OZ Academy “It Is The Dawn Of The Era”
Date: April 14th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 883
Where to Watch: Airs on GAORA TV on 4/30/19

• Maya Yukihi and Yumi Ohka defeat Aoki Itsuki and Yoshiko (12:41)
• Tsubasa Kuragaki defeats Cherry (8:19)
• Aja Kong and Gabai Ji-chan defeat Command Bolshoi and Kyusei Hirota Command Bolshoi (Sakura Hirota) (9:51)
• Sonoko Kato defeats Ryo Mizunami (14:51)
• OZ Academy Tag Team Championship: Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kaori Yoneyama (c) defeat AKINO and Kakeru Sekiguchi (18:56)
• OZ Academy Openweight Championship: Mayumi Ozaki defeats Hikaru Shida (c) (19:03) – TITLE CHANGE

With it being announced that Hikaru Shida signed with AEW, Mayumi Ozaki wasted no time in getting the belt back to the promotion as she defeats Shida to reclaim the title.

Sendai Girls’

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: April 13th, 2019
Location: Osaka World Pavilion in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 195
Where to Watch: No announced release

• Mika Iwata defeats Mikoto Shindo (6:00)
• Three Way Match: Manami defeats KAORU and Sakura Hirota (7:27)
• DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto defeat Alex Lee and Hikaru Shida (9:36)
• Meiko Satomura defeats Millie McKenzie (11:54)
• Jordynne Grace and Sareee defeat Chihiro Hashimoto and Killer Kelly (12:49)

Gatoh Move

Event: Gatoh Move Japan Tour #420
Date: April 13th, 2019
Location: Ichigaya Chocolate Hiroba in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 56
Where to Watch: No announced release

• Tetsuya Izuchi defeats IMABAYASHI (6:19)
• Baliyan Akki and SAKI defeat Mei Suruga and TAMURA (9:50)
• Riho and Yuna Mizumori defeat Mitsuru Konno and Sawasdee Kamen (12:38)

Diana

Event: Diana
Date: April 14th, 2019
Location: Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 70
Where to Watch: No announced release

• Jaguar Yokota defeats Haruka Umesaki (11:15)
• Ayako Sato and Kyoko Inoue vs. Kaoru Ito and Sareee – Time Limit Draw (20:00)

Yumiko Hotta Produce

Event: Yumiko Hotta Produce Runaway Rally ~ Spring Wind
Date: April 14th, 2019
Location: Itabashi Green Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 230
Where to Watch: No announced release

• Leon defeats Kakeru Sekiguchi (7:04)
• Pretty Ota defeats Mr. Buddhaman (0:46)
• Pretty Ota defeats Mr. Buddhaman (2:40)
• Pretty Ota defeats Mr. Buddhaman (1:11)
• Arisa Nakajima and Manami Katsu defeat Mari and SAKI (21:56)
• Nanae Takahashi defeats Miyuki Takase (12:22)
• Saori Anou and Yumiko Hotta defeat Himeka Arita and Yoshiko (12:27)

Special thanks to Cagematch, Wrestlingdata, DramaticDDT, Stardom, PURE-J, Ice Ribbon, OZ Academy, SEAdLINNNG, Gatoh Move, and Diana for assistance gathering information.

The post Weekly Joshi Recap and Results for April 15th, 2019 appeared first on Joshi City.

Like most people with a soul, I adore Mio Momono. Not only is she a talented wrestler but she also has an over-abundance of joy and playfulness to her that one can’t help but love and respect. Unfortunately, Mio tore her ACL in December and will be out of action for awhile, however she still shows up a Marvelous events when she is able to. To keep her active, Mio Momono was given a chance to produce her own show, and to show my support I am going to review it as I try to get the word out about special young wrestlers. Here is the full card:

• Chikayo Nagashima and Yuu Yamagata vs. DASH Chisako and Megumi Yabushita
• Mikoto Shindo and Mei Hoshizuki vs. Tae Honma and Miyuki Takase
• KAORU vs. Ray Lyn, Maria, and Rin Kadokura
• “Tomoko Watanabe” vs. ZAP
• Bryan Idol, Takumi Iroha, and Leo Isaka vs. Yuki Miyazaki, Nene D.a.i., and Batten BlaBla

That is quite an assortment of wrestlers. It should be noted this will mostly be a playful affair as Mio is a playful person, so this isn’t an event aiming for your traditional Five Stars Classic matches. All Joshi wrestlers listed above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. Lets get rolling.

Chikayo Nagashima and Yuu Yamagata vs. DASH Chisako and Megumi Yabushita

Chisako and Megumi attack from behind before the match officially starts and they start double teaming Chikayo. They do a moment to imitate Mio Momono’s pose and Chikayo takes advantage, kicking both of them and leaving just Megumi in the ring with her. Megumi runs the ropes but Chikayo trips her, kicks by Chikayo but Megumi rolls her up for a two count. Megumi runs the ropes again but Chikayo does too until Megumi sneaks away to tag in Chisako. Chikayo and Chisako lock knuckles, wristlock by Chikayo but Chisako gets out of it. Yuu and Megumi both come in the ring, Yuu leaves after a moment and Megumi runs the ropes with Chisako and Chikayo. Now Chikayo runs the ropes and hits a vertical suplex, cover by Chikayo but it gets a two count. Chikayo and Chisako both grab chairs, Chikayo knocks away Chisako’s chair but Chisako dropkicks Chikayo’s own chair into her. Facebuster by Chisako to Chikayo, she goes off the ropes and hits a footstomp. Chisako tags Megumi and Megumi whips Chikayo in the back with a belt. Chikayo eventually slides away from Megumi’s belt and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, dropkick by Chikayo but Chisako comes in to help her partner. Yuu tries to help Chikayo also but it backfires and Megumi puts Chikayo in a submission hold, but she needs to run the ropes before winning. She does as Chikayo gets up, both both of them get tired from the rope running.

Chikayo jumps up in the corner and applies a hanging headscissors, Chikayo goes off the ropes and puts Megumi in a Stretch Muffler, but there wasn’t enough rope running so the referee doesn’t react. Megumi gets up, runs the ropes a few times and lets Chikayo put the move back on, but Chisako breaks it up. KAORU comes in the ring and runs the ropes before leaving, as Yuu is finally tagged in. Yuu puts Megumi in a leg lock and grabs Chisako when she comes in, hitting a vertical suplex. Megumi gets away from Yuu and tags Chisako, Chisako goes to the top turnbuckle and connects with the missile dropkick. Dropkick in the corner by Chisako and she kicks Yuu down near the corner, she goes up top again but Chikayo runs over and prevents her from jumping off. Megumi goes over and gets rid of Chikayo, Hormone Splash by Chisako but Chikayo trips her when she goes off the ropes. Chisako goes for a German suplex, Chikayo tosses Yuu a belt to try to guide her to the ropes but the idea doesn’t work. Yuu gets mad so Chikayo whips her, Chikayo hits a diving footstomp on her own partner and Chisako follows up with an assisted splash. All three of them run off the ropes and do Mio’s pose, Chisako goes off the ropes again and she attempts to cradle Yuu, but Yuu reverses the cradle into her own three count victory! Yuu Yamagata (and technically Chikayo Nagashima) are the winners.

This was an interesting idea as in a way its a parody of a comedic wrestling match, taking it to the next level of ridiculousness. The wrestlers didn’t really want to be in the match but they made the best of their situation, and the mixed teams almost made it through the match before things broke down. So clearly this was a silly match, your mileage will vary on if it was good but it was definitely unique to see them try to pull off a High Speed match with some success but mostly awkwardness and confusion. Perfectly fine for an opener.

Mikoto Shindo and Mei Hoshizuki vs. Tae Honma and Miyuki Takase

Miyuki and Tae kick their opponents before the match starts, Mikoto is knocked out of the ring and Miyuki stays in to focus on Mei. Scoop slam by Miyuki and she starts on Mei’s back, she tags in Tae and Tae continues where she left off. Mikoto comes in to help by making loud noises with a spoon and pan, giving Mei time to tag her in, and together they dropkick Tae. Mikoto puts Tae in the ropes but Miyuki runs in to help. Miyuki gets put in the ropes too by both rookies and they rub washcloths into their face for reasons I’m unsure of. But it doesn’t look pleasant anyway. Mei and Mikoto both deliver dropkicks, cover by Mikoto but Tae kicks out. Scoop slam by Mikoto and she puts Tae in a camel clutch before Mei comes in and puts a frying pan on her head before hitting the pan with a ladle. Mikoto tags Mei, Mei hits a series of dropkicks on Tae for a two count. Tae flips Mei onto the apron but Mei lands on her feet and slides under the bottom rope, dropkick by Mei but Tae has had enough and hits a series of elbows. Running elbow by Tae in the corner, Miyuki tosses Tae a hand brush and she uses it on Mei’s face. Tae gets a marker and draws on Mei’s face as well. Snapmare by Tae and she dropkicks Mei for a two count.

Armbar by Tae but Mei gets a foot on the ropes for the break, dropkick to the back by Tae and she tags in Miyuki. Miyuki goes out to the apron and chops Mei repeatedly in the chest, back in the ring she hits a scoop slam before covering her for two. Miyuki goes off the ropes but gets tripped, Mei gets the frying pan but Miyuki blocks her from slamming her onto it. Miyuki picks up Mei and slams her onto the pan, she picks it up and tries to bend it, but can’t. She tries to hit Mei but Mei steals it from her and hits Miyuki in the head. Mei gets the marker and draws on Miyuki’s face, dropkicks by Mei and Mikoto to Miyuki and Mikoto covers her for a two count. Mikoto grabs the ladle and hits Miyuki in the leg with it, Miyuki elbows Mikoto into the corner but Mikoto schoolboys her for two. She goes for a few more flash pins with no luck, she goes off the ropes but Miyuki levels her with a lariat. Miyuki picks up Mikoto and hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam, she gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the guillotine leg drop, but Mei barely breaks up the cover. Miyuki picks up Mikoto and deliver the spinning Samoan Driver, and she picks up the three count! Tae Honma and Miyuki Takase win!

While I can’t explain the meaning behind the various “weapons” used in this match, when they were focused on the wrestling itself you can tell that all four have a lot of potential. They are all young and early in their careers but their timing is on-point and they show an ability to entertain both with their in-ring work and playing with the crowd. In a normal situation I wouldn’t have minded a bit more “substance” so they could show off a bit more, but on a show booked by Mio Momono its going to be more carefree just be default. Decent enough, although nothing overly memorable.

KAORU vs. Ray Lyn, Maria, and Rin Kadokura

KAORU is jumped by all three before the match starts but they miss a triple dropkick which gives KAORU time to get her board. Rin dropkicks the board back into her before Maria and Ray hit dropkicks as well, Maria and Ray leave the ring to leave Rin as the legal wrestler. Rin tags in Maria but KAORU boots her in the chest, vertical suplex by KAORU and she covers Maria, but Rin breaks it up. KAORU and the rest of W-FIX pose with Maria in the ropes, but Rin and Ray come over and break things up. Maria dropkicks KAORU in the back as does Ray, Rin follows with her own dropkick and Maria covers KAORU for two. Ray is tagged in, kick combination by Ray and she hits a seated senton for two. Ray gets KAORU in the corner and hits a running knee, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for another two count. Ray goes off the ropes but is tripped from the floor, KAORU knocks Rin and Maria off the apron and W-FIX attacks all three around the ring while KAORU rests inside. They eventually all get back into the ring as the W-FIX assault continues, they finally leave the ring and KAORU suplexes all three of her opponents on the mat near the corner. KAORU then goes up top and nails the Valkyrie Splash on all three of them, cover on Ray but she kicks out at two.

Ray recovers and kicks KAORU in the head, she tags in Rin and Rin comes in the ring with a missile dropkick. Northern Lights Suplex by Rin, but Chikayo Nagashima breaks it up by throwing a chair at her. Rin is sat down in the chair and kicked by Nagashima, Chisako, and Yabushita, delayed brainbuster by KAORU but Ray breaks up the cover. KAORU puts Rin on the top turnbuckle and tries to join her, but Maria and Ray pull her back to the mat, allowing Rin to hit a missile dropkick. Chisako hits a missile dropkick to Rin’s back, Ray and Maria try to help but Chisako dropkicks them as well. Maria tags herself in, double vertical suplex to Maria, and KAORU covers her for two. Irish whip by KAORU to Maria but Rin grabs her from the apron, allowing Maria to hit a dropkick. More dropkicks by Maria and she hits a body slam, she goes off the ropes but Yabushita whips her from the floor. Ray and Rin come in, KAORU eats a double superkick and Rin goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick onto KAORU. Maria goes for flash pins but KAORU kicks out of each one, Chisako and Nagashima both return and suplex Rin and Ray from behind. Maria grabs KAORU and hits a scoop slam, but KAORU bridges out of the pin and rolls up Maria for the three count! KAORU is the winner.

I have to give them credit as this was more entertaining than I was expecting. I have no issue with W-FIX interfering a lot since it was a 3 vs. 1 match in the first place, leaving KAORU alone the bulk of the time. They gave Maria a lot more offense than I was expecting and most of the exchanges were pretty even all thing considered. The ending was great as KAORU won with just a cradle on a child rookie, showing she had to grab the win whenever she could since Rin and Ray were always lurking around to break up pins. Overall one of better laid-out 3 vs. 1 handicap matches I’ve seen in recent memory, really fun match.  Recommended

Tomoko Watanabe vs. ZAP

I will say I have respect for wrestlers that don’t mind wrestling Sakura Hirota wearing a fat suit making fun of them. They talk for a bit before ZAP gets mad and starts tossing “Watanabe” around, but “Watanabe” comes back with a face crusher and does the Mutoh pose. Irish whip to the corner by “Watanabe” but she takes too long to do a move and ZAP kicks her. Scoop slam by ZAP but “Watanabe” avoids the leg drop and runs the ropes over her, she goes to fall onto ZAP but ZAP gets her feet up. “Watanabe” stays on the mat and encourage ZAP to go off the ropes and jump over her, which she finally does, but “Watanabe” gives her a quick Oil Check and rolls up ZAP for two. Face crusher by “Watanabe” and she grabs ZAP’s arm, she goes and walks the ropes but eventually slips and crotches them. ZAP goes off the ropes but “Watanabe” drop toeholds her into them, “Watanabe” sets up ZAP in the ropes and delivers a running Oil Check. ZAP rolls out of the ring and “Watanabe” goes off the ropes, but she gets stuck in the ropes while going for a dive. ZAP takes “Watanabe” up into the stands and beats her up, she finally rolls her back into the ring but “Watanabe” pushes her off and hits few headbutts. She knocks herself out doing this, ZAP picks up “Watanabe” and throws her to the ropes, “Watanabe” goes for a springboard move but ZAP moves. “Watanabe” goes for an Oil Check but “Watanabe” flips her off of her, Lariat by ZAP but “Watanabe” kicks out. ZAP picks up “Watanabe” and goes for a powerbomb, but “Watanabe” is too fat and falls on top of her. “Watanabe” kisses ZAP, she goes off the ropes but ZAP falls on top of her due to the kiss and “Watanabe” gets pinned for the three count! ZAP wins!

For what it was, this was fine. I’m not the biggest fan of Sakura Hirota but her cosplay matches are pretty harmless. They all follow the same pattern and have the same spots but the live crowd always enjoys it so it has its place. A bit interesting just to see Tomoko Watanabe playing along but that’s about it for me.

Bryan Idol, Takumi Iroha, and Leo Isaka vs. Yuki Miyazaki, Nene D.a.i., and Batten BlaBla

Takumi and Batten start the match, Takumi throws down Batten by the hair and kicks him in the corner. They trade holds, Takumi gets the better of it as Batten wiggles around on the mat, which Takumi has no time for as she throws Batten in the corner so her team can all hit running elbow strikes. Cover by Takumi, but it gets two. Takumi tags Leo, Batten chops Leo in the throat and stomps on his chest. Batten tags Nene, Nene and Leo trade elbows and armdrags before reaching a stalemate. Idol and Yuki are tagged in, Yuki kicks Idol in the shin and puts Idol in the crotch stretcher, Idol gets out of it and Yuki quickly tags in Batten. Batten and Idol mess around a bit until Batten throws Idol in the corner and delivers a running chop to the throat. Batten goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, cover by Batten but it gets two. Batten tags Nene, Nene gives Idol a kiss which leads to Idol chopping him to the mat. Nene goes for an inside cradle but Idol blocks it and hits a suplex, knees by Idol and he hits a double underhook suplex.

Idol tags Leo, Idol picks up Leo and tosses him down onto Nene. Leg sweep by Leo and he connects with a running knee, he goes for a springboard move but Nene catches him with a cutter. Scoop slam by Nene, he goes up top and hits a slingshot crossbody for two. Nene tags Yuki, sliding kick by Yuki but Leo gets Yuki’s back. Yuki gets away but Leo connects with a step-up enzuigiri and tags in Takumi. Yuki suplexes Takumi and drives her face repeatedly into her rear, Leo comes in but he gets the same treatment. Idol felt left out and comes in, he gets on the mat and gets it as well. Yuki goes out and gets Mio Momono, she brings her into the ring and grabs her by the end with her legs, driving her head into her rear end as well. Mio is unconscious and is rolled nicely back out of the ring, Takumi kicks Yuki in the leg but Yuki goes for a kiss, which is blocked. She blocks it a second time and punches Yuki in the face, kick combination by Takumi and she goes off the ropes, but Yuki catches her with a Samoan Driver.

Leo runs in and hits a sliding kick on Yuki as things break down, Idol comes in too and he spears Batten off the apron. Leo gets on the top turnbuckle and dives out of the ring with a moonsault, Idol rolls in Batten and he covers him for two. Not sure how they are legal but we have loose rules here. Batten chops Idol in the throat but Idol catches him with a tombstone piledriver. Idol runs to the corner and goes for a moonsault, but Batten rolls out of the way. Takumi tags back in and hits a head kick, missile dropkick by Leo to Batten and Takumi hits a vertical suplex. Takumi goes up top but Yuki comes in and joins her, Yuki kisses Takumi before hitting a superplex. Nene comes in and picks up Takumi, scoop slam by Nene and he hits a somersault senton for two. Headscissors by Nene, Batten and Yuki both come in and go for elbow drops but Takumi kicks them both back. Takumi hits a low blow on all three of her opponents, buzzsaw kick to Batten but Batten barely kicks out of the cover. Takumi goes up top and nails the Swanton Bomb, and she picks up the three count! Bryan Idol, Takumi Iroha, and Leo Isaka are the winners.

There is a lot to unpack here. First, its an absolutely bizarre combination of wrestlers, which is part of the charm but will also leave most Western fans confused as these are not wrestlers most people are even familiar with. I don’t know the real life connection or how they ended up here but it definitely gave the match a unique feel. I wouldn’t say most of the in-ring work was crisp, although Idol hit all his spots well and left a positive impression. I also liked Mio getting involved, even if not necessarily by choice, since it was her show after all. Much of this match was pretty uneventful however as aside from a few memorable spots not a lot was happening that sticks in your brain. There was no rhyme or reason to it whatsoever and tags meant nothing, it was more like Mio Momono’s brain just exploded in the ring and this is what hopped out of it for reasons unknown. A unique spectacle but not something I could ever put a rating on.

The post Marvelous “Mio Momono Produce” on 3/18/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Marvelous hasn’t added this event to their streaming service yet (and maybe never will) but it was too big of an event for me to neglect so I tracked it down anyway. Marvelous is a smaller Joshi promotion run by Chigusa Nagayo, they have no TV deal but most of their roster is recognizable to fans as they wrestle in other promotions such as WAVE and SEAdLINNNG. This is the first Korakuen Hall event for Marvelous so they went all out to put on not only the best show they could but a show that exhibits everything that Marvelous stands for. Mayu Iwatani from Stardom has shown up to aid in the main event, here is the full card (I will only be reviewing the Joshi matches):

• Chikayo Nagashima, DASH Chisako, KAORU, and Megumi Yabushita vs. Natsumi Maki, Sahara Seven, Tomoko Watanabe, and Yuu Yamagata
• Jaguar Yokota vs. Sakura Hirota
• Mikoto Shindo vs. Yoshiko
• Kyuri, Mio Momono, and Nyla Rose vs. Rina Yamashita, Rin Kadokura, and Sareee
• Mayu Iwatani vs. Takumi Iroha

As this was released on a double DVD set, matches are shown unclipped. All wrestlers have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Let’s get to the show!

Chikayo Nagashima, Chisako, KAORU, and Yabushita vs. Natsumi Maki, Sahara Seven, Watanabe, and Yamagata

The factions start to brawl before the bell rings with LEVEL5 getting the early advantage, they stack W-FIX in the corners as they take turns hitting running strikes. W-FIX gets back at them by all applying hanging armbars over the top rope, Sahara Seven stays in the ring as level as she is kicked by all four members of W-FIX. Things settle down with Chikayo and Sahara Seven in the ring, Sahara Seven knocks down Chikayo in the corner and hits a running hip attack. Sahara Seven tags in Natsumi, Natsumi knocks Chikayo out of the ring and tries to dive out onto W-FIX, but W-FIX moves and she lands on her own partners instead. KAORU gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down onto LEVEL5, both teams then battle around the ring with W-FIX staying in control. Chikayo and Natsumi return to the ring, vertical suplex by Chikayo and she puts Natsumi onto a stack of chairs. Chikayo goes up top but Yuu smacks her and throws her down onto the chairs, dropkicks by Natsumi to Chikayo and she hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Natsumi goes up top but KAORU grabs her from the apron, Chikayo joins Natsumi but Tomoko grabs her from behind and pulls her back to the ring. Natsumi goes for a crossbody but Chikayo ducks, and in the process hits a hurricanrana onto Tomoko. Chikayo tags Chisako, Chisako comes in with a chair but Natsumi avoids her swing and dropkicks it out of her hand. Chisako throws Natsumi in the corner but Natsumi avoids her charge and kicks her with Yuu. Sahara Seven kicks Chisako as well before Natsumi hits a cyclone neckbreaker with a bridge for a two count. Natsumi tags Yuu, Yuu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Chikayo and Megumi come in but Yuu hits a Codebreaker on both of them. KAORU hits Yuu with a piece of board, she boots Yuu in the corner before helping Chisako hit a catapult dropkick.

Megumi is tagged in and she dropkicks Yuu, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Yuu dropkicks her as she dives off. Natsumi runs in and hits a neckbreaker, double superkick to Megumi and Yuu covers her for two. Yuu kicks Megumi in the head but her cover again gets two as it gets broken up, Tomoko picks up Megumi but Megumi avoids the suplex attempt. Tomoko hits a lariat anyway and hits a dragon screw onto Chikayo, but Megumi quickly applies a cross armbreaker. Natsumi breaks that up, KAORU comes in with a board and hits everyone moving with it. Megumi sets up two chairs in the ring, they sit Tomoko and Sahara Seven in the chairs and all four W-FIX members hit superkicks. Chisako and Megumi grab Tomoko and both hit her with chairs, KAORU goes up top but Tomoko quickly recovers and joins her. KAORU slides away, Chisako gets on top with Tomoko and she hits a Frankensteiner. Diving Footstomp by Chikayo, cover by KAORU but it gets broken up. All four W-FIX members go up top to hit diving moves on different members of LEVEL5, three of which connect but Yuu avoids Chikayo and superkicks her. This allows her to break up KAORU’s cover onto Tomoko, KAORU picks up Tomoko but Tomoko snaps off a Screwdriver for two. KAORU gets up and drops Tomoko with the Excalibur, but that gets a two as well. Lariat by Tomoko, KAORU bridges out of the pin and she hits a hurricanrana, but Tomoko rolls KAORU over into a two count. Chisako goes up top and hits Tomoko with a missile dropkick, Chikayo cracks her with a chair and KAORU follows by breaking the board over Tomoko’s head. Tomoko shrugs it off and lariats KAORU, Screwdriver by Tomoko but KAORU kicks out of the pin. Tomoko picks up KAORU and delivers a Fire Thunder Driver for the three count! LEVEL5 are your winners.

This was a fun way to kick off the show. Normally I’d complain about having eight wrestlers in a 12 minute match, as it didn’t give all the wrestlers a chance to shine, but in a chaotic match like this it works out a bit better. Tomoko was the beast here, since she is an old school legend I have no issue her just shrugging off moves and crushing everyone. The lack of structure really worked well with these two teams, and while its not the type of match that will stick in your brain long term its still quite entertaining and a good way to get the crowd fired up to start the event.  Mildly Recommended

Jaguar Yokota vs. Sakura Hirota

They circle each other to start, Hirota goes for leg kicks but Yokota just shrugs them off. Yokota elbows Hirota into the corner but Hirota hits a face crusher and does the Mutoh Pose (she can’t help herself). Hirota grabs Yokota’s arm and goes up to the turnbuckle to walk the ropes, she successfully does her ropes hop the first time but fails on try number two and falls back into the ring. Yokota charges Hirota but Hirota drop toeholds her into the middle rope, she sets up Yokota and goes for the Oil Check, but Yokota moves out of the way. Uppercuts by Hirota, she goes off the ropes but Yokota ignores her attempt at a heel kick. Yokota lays down on the mat to try to help Hirota, Hirota goes off the ropes a few times but Yokota gets her feet up before she can hit a move. Hirota tells Yokota to do the same thing, so Hirota lays down on the mat and Yokota hops over her back and forth before also missing the move as Hirota rolls out of the way. Hirota goes for the Scorpion Deathlock but she has no idea how to do the move, so she asks the real Chigusa Nagayo to get into the ring. Nagayo does and she puts Yokota in the Scorpion Deathlock (after apologizing to her), Hirota goes off the ropes repeatedly but tires herself out before she does a move. Nagayo lets go of Yokota, they both Irish whip her and punch Yokota in the stomach. Nagayo tries to catapult Hirota onto Yokota but Yokota gets her feet up and pushes Hirota back. Now it is Nagayo and Yokota that Irish whip Hirota and punch her in the stomach, but they celebrate too long and get hit with a double Oil Check. They roll out of the ring and invite Hirota to do a dive, but Hirota gets caught on the ropes and bounces back into the ring. Yokota re-joins her and hits a front flip double legdrop, she picks up Hirota but Hirota gets away and goes for the Oil Check. Yokota catches her uh fingers and flings her to the mat, Yokota then kisses Hirota and puts her in the Octopus Hold. Hirota struggles for just a second but quickly submits! Jaguar Yokota is the winner!

I think its impossible to “rate” comedy matches with a traditional scoring system, but I will say this one was good for some laughs. Chigusa Nagayo getting in the ring and playing along was a nice surprise, and Yokota has no issues being an active participant in this style of match. The crowd loved it, which is the most important thing, and I don’t have any complaints. Sakura Hirota wrestling as Chigusa Nagayo was the right way to go for this event, and it achieved its goal of providing some comic relief before the bigger matches on the show happen.

Mikoto Shindo vs. Yoshiko

They tie-up to start, Yoshiko pushes Mikoto to the mat repeatedly but Mikoto keeps getting back up. Yoshiko pushes Mikoto into the ropes and gives a clean break, elbows by Mikoto but Yoshiko easily elbows Mikoto to the mat. Mikoto gets up and elbows her some more with the same result, snapmare by Yoshiko and she kicks Mikoto in the back. Knees by Yoshiko, Mikoto applies a side headlock but Yoshiko gets out of it and hits a hard shoulderblock. Two more shoulderblocks by Yoshiko, and she covers Mikoto for two. Crab hold by Yoshiko but Mikoto eventually makes it to the ropes for the break, Yoshiko stomps Mikoto and throws her hard into the corner. Yoshiko tosses down Mikoto by the hair and hits bootscrapes in the corner, cover by Yoshiko but Mikoto barely kicks out. More stomps by Yoshiko, she picks up Mikoto and hits a scoop slam. She goes for the senton but Mikoto rolls out of the way, dropkicks by Mikoto and she knocks Yoshiko off her feet. Cover by Mikoto, but Yoshiko kicks out. Mikoto goes for a crossbody but Yoshiko catches her, Mikoto reverses it into a cover and then a backslide, but each pin attempt gets two. Mikoto goes off the ropes but Yoshiko hits a body avalanche followed by a kick right to the head, cover by Yoshiko but Mikoto gets a shoulder up. Yoshiko picks up Mikoto and hits a Samoan Drop, running senton by Yoshiko and she covers Mikoto for the three count! Yoshiko wins the match.

No result on this card was more obvious than this one. In a way you could tell the match was kinda thrown together, I think that Yoshiko was having some issues coming up with offense that wouldn’t look like it would immediately beat a tiny rookie, so the middle potion of the match had a lot of stomps just to stretch out the match. I liked Mikoto’s run on offense towards the end, even though we all knew it wouldn’t work, as at least that stopped it from just being a squash match and Yoshiko was pretty giving in making sure the rookie didn’t look completely out of her element. For a debut match it was fine, but a pretty random match to have on such a major event.

Kyuri, Mio Momono, and Nyla Rose vs. Rina Yamashita, Rin Kadokura, and Sareee

Rina Yamashita’s team attacks as the match starts and get an early advantage, until Nyla clears out all three of them by herself. Nyla tags in Mio, Kyuri comes in too as they double team Rina. One Kyuri leaves, Rina gets back in control of Mio and hits a knee to the back of the head. Elbows by Mio and she hits a swinging headscissors, dropkick by Mio and she tags in Nyla. Scoop slam by Nyla to Rina but Rina blocks the suplex attempt and hits one of her own. She tags in Sareee, dropkick by Sareee to Nyla but Nyla blocks the German suplex attempt. Nyla grabs Sareee and hits a wheelbarrow suplex, running kick by Nyla and she covers Sareee for two. Sareee gets back up and the two trade elbows, Kyuri pulls down the rope to send Sareee out to the floor while Rina and Rin get in the ring just to be hit by Nyla with a lariat. Nyla goes outside the ring with their opponents, first Kyuri dives out of the ring onto them from the top turnbuckle and Mio follows behind her. Nyla then gets up to the top turnbuckle but everyone bails before she can jump off, they get back in the ring as Kyuri and Mio drape Sareee over the top rope. Nyla is still waiting on the top turnbuckle so she dives off with a kneedrop to Sareee, and Nyla tags in Kyuri. Cyclone neckbreaker by Kyuri and she goes for a cross armbreaker, but Sareee quickly gets into the ropes. Codebreaker by Kyuri to Sareee, but Sareee bridges out of the pin and hits a dropkick.

Fisherman suplex hold by Sareee and she tags in Rin, missile dropkick by Rin but Kyuri lands on her corner and tags Mio. Diving crossbody by Mio, Nyla comes in too and she helps Mio hit a diving footstomp before tossing Mio down onto Rin for a two count cover. Mio goes for the Yoshi Tonic but Rin blocks it, Rin and Mio trade elbows until Mio kicks Rin in the head. Rina and Sareee run in to help as they double team Mio, dropkick by Rin to Mio and she covers her for two. Rin goes up top but Nyla comes in and tosses Rin from the top turnbuckle, Kyuri then goes up top and with Nyla she hits an assisted senton. Mio gets on Nyla’s shoulders and hits a senton as well, cover by Mio but it gets broken up. Mio charges Rin but Rin quickly schoolboys her for two, rolling schoolboy by Rin but Mio kicks out again. Rin goes off the ropes and hits the hurricanrana, Mio reverses it but Sareee dropkicks Mio in the head. Nyla comes in but Sareee drops her with a German suplex, Rina comes in too with Sareee and they clear the ring out to leave just Rin and Mio. Mio cradles Rin for a quick two count, she picks her back up and goes for the Yoshi Tonic, but Rina lariats her from behind. Elevated DDT by Rin, Rina then hits a lariat and Sareee follows with a diving footstomp. Jackknife cover by Rin, but Mio kicks out. Rin jumps on Mio’s shoulders and nails the standing crucifix bomb, and she picks up the three count! Rin Kadokura, Rina Yamashita, and Sareee are the winners!

My only complaint here is the match was way too short. When you have six wrestlers as good as these six are, with no weak links so the action is always entertaining, ten minutes simply isn’t enough. Especially when its so high up the card, just one from the top. So I am not sure what led to that decision, if they were running out of time as they had a lot of non-wrestling segments as well, but it was still a bit of a disappointment. That being said, everything they did was really fun and oddly cohesive for a hectic match, Mabutachi 2 Manjimanji work great together with a variety of double and triple team moves and they feel like a real unit and not something just thrown together. An entertaining match, it just didn’t get the time that it deserved.  Mildly Recommended

Mayu Iwatani vs. Takumi Iroha

They tie-up to start, Takumi pushes Mayu into the ropes and she gives a clean break. They lock knuckles again as they go into a Test of Strength, Takumi gets Mayu’s back and they jockey for control. Takumi works a side headlock but Mayu gets into the ropes, Irish whip by Takumi and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Springboard armdrag by Mayu but Takumi hits an armdrag of her own and they end up at a stalemate again. Takumi picks up Mayu but Mayu gets away and kicks her, headscissors by Mayu and she dropkicks Takumi while she is against the ropes. Takumi falls out of the ring, Mayu goes up top but Takumi rolls back in and tosses Mayu to the mat. Takumi picks up Mayu and hits a snap vertical suplex before twisting her neck, Takumi tosses Mayu into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Takumi goes for a submission but Mayu quickly gets to the ropes, kicks to the back by Takumi and she applies a crossface. She lets go after a moment and stomps on Mayu, she goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade. Takumi goes for a kick but Mayu catches it and hits a dragon screw, Mayu charges Takumi in the corner but Takumi moves out of the way. Mayu rolls Takumi out of the corner and delivers a kick, Northern Lights Suplex by Mayu but she lands on her own head and is too hurt to cover Takumi. They both slowly get up, Mayu goes for a standing crucifix bomb but Takumi blocks it. Mayu applies an ankle hold but Takumi makes it to the ropes for the break. Mayu twists Takumi’s leg in the ropes and dropkicks it, Takumi rolls out of the ring but Mayu goes after her and takes her up into the crowd. They end up near the balcony (naturally) as Takumi hits a hard elbow, she slams Mayu at the bottom of the balcony before climbing up onto the ledge and hitting a Senton Bomb down onto Mayu (which the camera didn’t get a great shot of).

Takumi returns to the ring with Mayu very slowly following, Takumi greets her with kicks but Mayu catches one and delivers a superkick when Takumi goes off the ropes. Mayu dropkicks Takumi in the knee and applies the figure four leglock, but Takumi gets to the rope for the break. Standing crucifix bomb by Mayu, but Takumi gets a shoulder up on the cover. Mayu picks up Takumi and goes for the dragon suplex, but Takumi blocks it and delivers a heel kick. Buzzsaw Kick by Takumi, she picks up Mayu and puts her in the Sleeper Hold. Mayu quickly gets to the ropes to break it up, Takumi grabs Mayu but Mayu snaps off a hurricanrana for a two count. Question Mark kick by Takumi and she nails a German suplex hold, but Mayu kicks out. Takumi goes up top but Mayu recovers and joins her and goes for a Frankensteiner. Takumi blocks it and powerbombs Mayu from the top turnbuckle to the mat, but her cover gets two. Takumi goes back up top but Mayu rolls out of the way of the Senton Bomb, Mayu recovers first and hits a double jump reverses hurricanrana for a two count. Mayu picks up Takumi and hits the dragon suplex hold, but again Takumi barely kicks out. Mayu goes for her special version of the dragon suplex but Takumi blocks it, Doctor Bomb by Takumi but it gets two. Takumi quickly picks up Mayu and nails the Running Three, but Mayu gets a shoulder up. Takumi slowly drags Mayu up but the bell rings before she can hit another move, as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

The result was never in question, especially with only 20 minutes allotted to them, but the journey to get there was still entertaining. Mayu continues to be the craziest bumper on the Joshi scene, everything she took here looked deadly, even simple things like climbing over the guard rail she made look dangerous. Which may not be good for long term health but it is entertaining to watch. The leg work felt meaningful as Takumi would at least occasionally indicate it was bothering her throughout the match, and they did a lot of big spots to make the match memorable. Since the event was in Marvelous I think it was the right move to have Takumi so close to getting the win, and when Mayu wins the big belt in Stardom I assume there will be a rematch down the road. I would have preferred the show to end with a match with a more conclusive ending since this was a bit predictable, but still a thoroughly enjoyable match with great selling by both and constant excitement from bell to bell.  Highly Recommended  

The post Marvelous at Korakuen Hall on 8/8/18 Entire Show Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I realize I should be reviewing something from Stardom, and maybe I will later, but first…. Marvelous! Marvelous is a smaller indie promotion that is run by Joshi legend Chigusa Nagayo. They show all their events on Fresh! TV for a small fee, and I try to catch up with them from time to time as they have some great young wrestlers and the events aren’t long so they are an easy watch Here is the full card:

• Natsumi Maki vs. Sakura Hirota
• Mio Momono and Sahara Seven vs. Tomoko Watanabe and Yuu Yamagata
• Chikayo Nagashima vs. Nyla Rose
• KAORU, Megumi Yabushita, and Pandita vs. Rin Kadokura, Takumi Iroha, and Leo Isaka

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

Natsumi Maki vs. Sakura Hirota

They start with wristlocks, Natsumi flips out of Sakura’s but when Hirota tries to do a handstand she flops to the mat with an injured shoulder. She recovers after a moment, dropkicks by Natsumi and she covers Sakura for two. Sakura comes back with her own dropkicks but has issues knocking Natsumi over, Sakura slaps Natsumi and they discuss things for a bit. Course I can’t understand Japanese so no idea what they are discussing, but the crowd seems to enjoy it. Sakura talks Natsumi into doing a few bumps on her own, but it was all a nefarious trap as she quickly covers Natsumi for a two count. Delayed scoop slam by Sakura, she bounces off the ropes a few times but instead of doing a normal move she screams in Natsumi’s ear. Natsumi cartwheels away from Sakura and hits an armdrag, snapmare by Natsumi and she puts Sakura in a bodyscissors. Natsumi picks up Sakura  and dropkicks her in the corner, but Sakura comes back with a face crusher.

Wristlock by Sakura and she gets on the top turnbuckle to walk the ropes, but after one successful trick move on the ropes she accidentally crotches herself on them. Natsumi charges Sakura but Sakura drops her into the second rope and pulls on her nose. Snapmare by Sakura, but Natsumi kicks out of the cover. Sakura goes off the ropes and gives Natsumi the Oil Check, dropkick by Natsumi but Sakura hits a second delayed scoop slam. Sakura gets on the second rope but Natsumi recovers and hits a scoop slam. Front flip slam by Natsumi, but Sakura gets a shoulder up. Natsumi gets on the top turnbuckle but Sakura grabs her and puts Natsumi on top of a different turnbuckle instead. Diving crossbody by Natsumi, but Sakura kicks out. Dropkick by Natsumi but Sakura quickly applies La Magistral for two. Natsumi goes for a superkick but Sakura ducks it and kisses her, Natsumi delivers the superkick on the second try but Sakura falls on top of her and gets the three count cover! Sakura Hirota is the winner!

I’m not necessarily the target audience for these types of matches, but its always a pleasure to see Natsumi Maki. Some funny bits and fine for a casual watch, but nothing really special or outside of the ordinary. Decent enough for an opener but I wish I could have seen Natsumi in a match that showed off more of her skills.

Mio Momono and Sahara Seven vs. Tomoko Watanabe and Yuu Yamagata

Mio and Yuu kick things off, Mio gets an early advantage before bailing out of the ring when Yuu recovers. Yuu runs out after her and finally catches Mio, she brings Mio back into the ring but Mio greets her with elbows. Yuu pushes Mio into the corner and slaps her hard in the chest, she tags in Tomoko and Tomoko hits a scoop slam. Springboard elbow drop by Tomoko and she follows that with a leg drop for two. Tomoko puts Mio in a camel clutch before letting her go to tag in Yuu, Yuu slaps Mio in the belly but Mio dropkicks her in the leg. A few more dropkicks by Mio and she makes the hot tag to Sahara, Sahara and Yuu trade chops until Sahara rams Yuu’s head into her knees. Mio runs in and dropkicks Yuu, running hip attack by Sahara but Yuu tosses her down and hits a footstomp. She tags Tomoko but Mio re-enters the ring, Mio and Sahara try to kick Tomoko but she doesn’t budge. Mio dropkicks Tomoko off her feet, Sahara drives Tomoko’s head into the mat with her leg, but the cover is broken up. Mio dropkicks Tomoko out of the ring but Tomoko crawls under it to get away from Mio. Mio goes under the ring with her, eventually they both emerge with Tomoko in control.

Mio somehow got black marks on her face from being under the mat, which Tomoko proudly shows the crowd until they return to the ring. Lariats by Tomoko, she covers Mio but Mio kicks out. Tomoko picks up Mio but Mio slides away and hits a pair of spinning crossbodies for a two. Mio picks up Tomoko and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top but Yuu kicks Mio in the head. Tomoko grabs Mio but Mio cradles her for a two count. A schoolboy by Mio also gets two as does her next cradle attempt, Sahara comes in but Tomoko hits a springboard move on both of them and tags in Yuu. Yuu elbows Mio in the corner and hits a reverse double knee drop, Mio slides away from Yuu and hits a diving crossbody off the top turnbuckle. She goes back up top but Tomoko grabs her from the apron, Yuu joins Mio but Sahara attacks her from behind. Sahara helps Mio hits a senton, but her cover is broken up. Mio goes off the ropes but Tomoko catches her with a lariat, kick to the head by Yuu but Mio barely kicks out. Yuu goes off the ropes but Mio rolls her up before hitting a footstomp. Another footstomp by Mio and she holds down Yuu, but it only gets two. Mio goes for another cradle but Tomoko comes in to break things up, Sahara holds back Tomoko but lets her go and Mio trips over Tomoko. Yuu quickly grabs Mio and applies a modified cradle, keeping Mio down for the three count! Tomoko Watanabe and Yuu Yamagata are the winners!

After the match, Sahara joined LEVEL 5 so I am not sure if they are implying she intentionally let Tomoko go or if it was just a happy coincidence. Anyway, this one had a fair amount of miscommunications or just little blips, nothing major happened but you could tell there were some chemistry issues. Mio’s new gear is solid and she’s a bundle of fun, she still needs some fine-tuning but the potential is there. A decent enough match, nothing offensive but it didn’t click enough for me to recommend you go out of your way to see.

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Nyla Rose

They lock-up to start with Nyla pushing Chikayo to the mat, Chikayo avoids Nyla’s boot however and delivers a spinning headscissors. Chikayo jumps on the second turnbuckle to get away from Nyla, but Nyla sits her on the top before press slamming her to the mat for a two count. Nyla picks up Chikayo and press slams her again, Chikayo rolls out of the ring but Nyla goes out after her. Chikayo returns to the ring but Nyla hits an ax handle before delivering a third press slam for a two count cover. Nyla throws Chikayo into the corner and hits a lariat, another lariat by Nyla and she goes up top, but Chikayo recovers and smacks Nyla. Nyla kicks Chikayo back however and hits a diving shoulderblock, Nyla picks up Chikayo but Chikayo slides down her back and applies a waistlock. Nyla elbows out of it but Chikayo applies a hanging armbar over the top rope. Chikayo goes up up but Nyla tosses her down to the mat and hits a body press for two. Nyla goes for a powerbomb but Chikayo reverses it into a facebuster, running kicks by Chikayo and she nails a German suplex hold for a two count.

Chikayo goes up top and hits the diving footstomp, but again her cover gets two. Chikayo picks up Nyla but Nyla hits a belly to belly suplex, she puts Chikayo over the top rope and goes up top to deliver a diving knee to Chikayo’s back. Cover by Nyla, but Chikayo kicks out. Nyla quickly applies an armtrap crossface, but Chikayo gets out of the hold. Dragon screw by Chikayo and she applies a figure four leglock, but Nyla grabs the ropes for the break. Nyla catches Chikayo with a backbreaker, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Chikayo joins her and hits a Frankensteiner. They both slowly get up, uranage by Chikayo and she covers Nyla, but Nyla gets a shoulder up. Chikayo goes for a fisherman suplex but Nyla blocks it and hits a series of short-arm lariats. Nyla goes up top but Chikayo avoids the Senton Bomb, now it is Chikayo that goes up but Nyla grabs her from behind and goes for a powerbomb. Chikayo blocks it at first but Nyla delivers the powerbomb anyway, cover by Nyla but Chikayo kicks out at one. Nyla goes for another powerbomb but Chikayo reverses it into a roll-up, she goes off the ropes but Nyla catches her with a superkick. Sit-down powerbomb by Nyla, and she picks up the three count! Nyla Rose wins!

I like that Marvelous is pushing Nyla, she brings something different to the table and they all seem to have a good deal of respect for her. This match wasn’t perfect but it still worked, Chikayo can still go at 42 years old and Nyla hits her power moves very well. I wouldn’t have minded if it was a bit longer but everything they did was logical and they worked well together. Overall an entertaining match, and a bit different from what we see in most Joshi matches due to Nyla’s strength.  Mildly Recommended

KAORU, Megumi Yabushita, and Pandita vs. Rin Kadokura, Iroha, and Leo Isaka

They start brawling as the bell rings and all six wrestlers end up out on the floor. They battle around the stands until Megumi and kkk return to the ring with Leo as he gets triple teamed near the ropes. Megumi stays in with Leo and whips him in the chest before tagging in Pandita, headlock by Pandita and he lets go to tag in KAORU. KAORU works over Leo’s arm until Takumi breaks things up, KAORU grabs Leo and makes the tag to Pandita. Enzuigiri by Leo and he hits a running elbow smash, giving him time to tag in Rin. Rin and Leo double team Pandita, Rin picks up Pandita and she drops him with a DDT. Lariat by Rin, and she covers Pandita for two. Rin throws Pandita into the corner but Pandita avoids her charge and grabs Rin’s wrist before walking the ropes. Pandita jumps off and clubs on Rin’s arm and tags in Megumi, Megumi whips Rin but Rin dropkicks Megumi in the leg. Another dropkick by Rin and she delivers a third, Rin picks up Megumi and drops her with a scoop slam for a two count. Rin picks up Megumi but Megumi grabs her arm and applies a hanging armbar over the top rope. She lets go after a moment, Rin escapes and she makes the tag to Leo. Elbow by Leo to Megumi and he hits a slingshot senton, but Megumi gets her foot on the ropes to break up the pin. Leo goes for a chokeslam but Megumi reverses it into a cross armbreaker, she tags in KAORU and KAORU hits Leo repeatedly with a board. Vertical suplex by KAORU to Leo, but the referee won’t count since KAORU used a weapon. Back up they trade strikes until KAORU hits a hurricanrana, she goes back to her board and cracks Leo in the head with it.

KAORU goes up top but Takumi kicks her from the apron to knock her back down, running Shooting Star Press by Leo and he makes the tag to Takumi. Kick by Takumi and she knocks over KAORU with a sliding kick, Takumi picks up KAORU and she hits a snap vertical suplex. Rin comes in but KAORU flips away from them and with Megumi they both hit boots to their opponents. Nagashima comes in with a belt and they choke Takumi while KAORU hits her in the head with the board. Brainbuster by KAORU to Takumi, but she barely gets a shoulder up. Megumi comes in as does Pandita as they all attack Takumi in the corner, but Takumi knocks over KAORU with a heel kick. KAORU bridges out of the pin but Takumi hits a powerbomb, Takumi picks up KAORU and nails the Last Ride Powerbomb, but Megumi breaks up the pin. Rin goes up top and hits a missile dropkick before Takumi hits a release German, but KAORU lands in her corner and Pandita tags himself in. Pandita lariats Takumi and drops her with a backdrop suplex, but Rin breaks up the cover. Leo comes in to help and ends up sailing out of the ring onto KAORU and Megumi with a somersault plancha, back in the ring Rin hits a tornado DDT onto Pandita before Pandita eats a triple superkick. Takumi goes up top and delivers the Frog Splash, but the referee is pulled out of the ring as she makes the count. Takumi drops Pandita with a high kick, KAORU comes in to try to hit Takumi with the board but she hits Pandita by accident. Takumi goes back up top and nails the Swanton Bomb, and she picks up the three count! Your winners are Rin Kadokura, Takumi Iroha, and Leo Isaka.

In my ideal world, Pandita and Leo would have been cut from the match as it wasn’t really long enough to allow all six to do much anyway, but it was still an entertaining match. Takumi and Rin are the two of the better Joshi wrestlers that no one talks about, due to them being affiliated with a smaller Joshi promotion, and they are always a joy to watch. KAORU though is a beast, she is so over-the-top violent and I love it, a real old school wrestler that brings something different to the table. The action kept up from bell to bell, which is one of the benefits of a six wrestler match, and everything was fluid as they have good chemistry together. A solid way to end a smaller Marvelous event.  Recommended

The post Marvelous on 5/13/18 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

When I was first really getting into Japanese wrestling back in 2004, there were very limited options on how to watch it. You could get a DVD a month after the event happened for $10 or hope that someone uploaded the show on yousendit, but this was before Youtube or Google Drive or streaming, so it took a bit more effort (or a lot more money) to stay current with the greatest wrestling on Earth.

Luckily, we are now in 2024 and technology has come a long way. There are options online to watch almost every Joshi promotion, leaving fans with almost too many choices as to watch it all would be very time consuming. All the promotions with paid streaming services accept US credit cards or Paypal (as they accepted mine) but I can’t promise they will take your card as it may have different rules when it comes to International purchases. If you are unable to purchase from any of the sites listed below, contact your bank. None of the links below are “affiliate” links, this page is designed to provide information, not make me money. My focus here is on promotions that have a monthly service, not strictly PPVs.

I am not going to do, in this article, a full guide on how to sign up at each one as that would make this page super long. But if there is a service that I think needs some explaining on how to sign up, I may write a separate guide for those services. Also, since the Yen to US Dollar conversion rate changes daily I am going to just list the price in Yen, however when considering both the cost of the service and the small fee many banks put on international purchases, when budgeting I’d recommend just doing 100 Yen = $1.00 in your head when calculating cost. Without further ado, here are all the official streaming services I could find (both paid and free):

Stardom World

Promotion: World Wonder Ring Stardom
Website: stardom-world.com
Cost: 920 Yen a month
Update Frequency: Frequently

Stardom World is my favorite Joshi streaming service for keeping up with events as they happen as Stardom not only uploads the most events per month but they upload every event the promotion has. Stardom World commits to have each weekend event uploaded by the following Friday, and most of the time they keep with that schedule unless they have a lot of shows one weekend or are on vacation. Their catalogue has some gaps for older events, they do occasionally will upload an older show but focus on adding recent events in a timely manner. Stardom World also subtitles most of the wrestler promos in English, making it user-friendly to English speakers. Stardom World occasionally airs events live, but mostly is still an “on demand” service. Some of their bigger events air on PPV, but those events are (usually within a week) added to the Stardom World service at no additional cost.

Wrestle Universe

Promotions: Tokyo Joshi Pro, Sendai Girls’, and Marigold
Website: wrestle-universe.com
Cost: 1,298 Yen a month
Update Frequency: Frequently

Since the last update, Wrestle Universe has expanded both in price and promotions available for viewing. For a flat fee of 1,298 yen, Wrestle Universe shows not only Tokyo Joshi Pro but also Sendai Girls’ and Marigold. That makes this the best service for fans that want to see a variety of promotions and styles, it is hard to argue that Joshi fans aren’t getting a good bang for their buck to get events from three quality promotions for one cost. Like Stardom, Wrestle Universe does air some bigger events as PPVs for an additional cost, but those shows will be added later to the service for no extra cost. As of this update, the addition of Sendai Girls’ and Marigold are new, hopefully those relationships continue as it makes the service a great deal.

Actwres girl’Z Online

Promotions: Actwres girl’Z
Website: https://actwresgirlz.net/app
Cost: 1,000 Yen a month
Update Frequency: Not frequently

Actwres girl’Z confused many fans two years ago when they announced they were no longer going to be a wrestling promotion as they shifted to theater-style performances, but pretty soon it became clear they were still a wrestling promotion and they continue to regularly put on traditional wrestling events. While they have less events than the bigger promotions, they typically add on average two shows per month. As far as “bang for your buck” its on the lower end, but they have some talented young wrestlers and their events are solid. Its a little expensive for a new fan diving in, but its the only way to watch their full events and is a must for fans of the promotion.

Ice Ribbon on Youtube

Promotion: Ice Ribbon
Website: Club Ice Ribbon
Cost: $9.99 a month
Update Frequency: Frequently

Two years after starting Club Ice Ribbon, it is still plugging along and providing the same quality of service. The video quality on their new service is much better than it was on Nico, and they are and they have been consistent with updates. Club Ice Ribbon’s focus is on their smaller dojo events, but they average uploading at least one show a week. Their bigger events air on PPV and are not added to the service, so this is best for anyone that wants to follow Ice Ribbon week by week. It may still be a service best for their biggest fans as its not cheap and may not include their big events, but for Ice Ribbon die-hards it is a must.

Marvelous on Youtube

Promotion: Marvelous
Website: https://www.youtube.com/@Marvelous
Cost: $6.99 a month
Update Frequency: Sporadically

Marvelous, no matter what service provider they are on, will never be consistent in uploads. That isn’t who they are as a promotion. Sometimes, they upload events the same week they happen. Other times, a month will pass with no uploads. Being a fan of Marvelous requires patience but for $7 a month, its not a bad deal as their events are uploaded in full once they add them. As of the date of this review, they haven’t uploaded in three months which is by far their longest stretch on Youtube, I’ll continue to monitor it and will remove them from this list if it stretches too much longer as at some point a service becomes an ‘archive’ service rather than an active one. Like the other promotions, they also sometimes air PPVs on Pass Market.

PURE-J on Youtube

Promotion: PURE-J
Website: https://www.youtube.com/c/PUREJ
Cost: $9.99 a month
Update Frequency: Frequently

Like Ice Ribbon, PURE-J moved their subscription service in early 2022 to Youtube. Their basic service remains the same as it was on Filmuy – regular uploads of virtually all of their events, usually within a week, but no live streaming. PURE-J doesn’t have the high-end wrestling that you find in Stardom or Tokyo Joshi Pro, but the amount of content helps justify the price if you are into the promotion.

Everydiana

Promotion: Diana
Website: https://live.www-diana.com/movie
Cost: 990 yen
Update Frequency: Frequently

To the shock of many fans, Diana randomly created its own online service for their wrestling shows. Since launching the service their updates have been timely, with multiple event uploads per month. They do also have a PPV service tied to it as well, but any events on PPV at a later date will be added to the monthly service, similar to Stardom World and Wrestle Universe. Diana has traditionally been one of the harder Joshi promotions to watch regularly, so its exciting they are airing their events again, hopefully they will continue to do so so their fans can easily access their shows.

SEAdLINNNG Movie+

Promotion: SEAdLINNNG
Website: https://seadlinnng.com/movie
Cost: 999 yen
Update Frequency: Not Frequently

For a promotion that only runs once a month, SEAdLINNNG was not discouraged and opened their own streaming service. The bulk of the value here is for the back catalog, as SEAdLINNNG simply doesn’t run many shows. The uploads also are not timely, taking place as long as a month after the event as they still prefer you buy their events on PPV. More of an archive service than anything else, but if you must watch SEAdLINNNG, this is the cheapest way to do so.

NicoPro

Promotions: OZ Academy, Triplesix, and other smaller promotions
Website: https://ch.nicovideo.jp/nicopro
Cost: 550 yen
Update Frequency: Not Frequently

NicoPro is back! After several months of the service not being available, it returned in the fall of 2024. While it isn’t as good as it used to be, for a flat fee of 550 yen a month a number of smaller events are uploaded each month. They also have cheaper PPVs (usually 1,000 yen) as well as more expensive events on Zaiko. This service is really only for the most extreme fans, but at least the price is low.

Gatoh Move on Youtube

Promotion: Gatoh Move
Website: youtube.com/channel/UC2HtPsU4U7TNSv2mSbPkj0w
Cost: Free
Update Frequency: Frequently

Gatoh Move offers their wrestling events for free on Youtube, with the option to donate money. They also have a Patreon as well you can sign up for if you want to give the promotion money for their hard work. Gatoh Move has been very active in updating their YouTube channel and is a must-watch for fans of their style of wrestling.

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