Event: GAEA Japan “SQUARE JUNGLE”
Date: April 3rd, 1996
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,450

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

Hey look, the GAEA Japan Project still exists! Moving on to the next show, not a lot of this one was released on TV as it aired on a one hour event on GAORA, but we will watch what they showed. The main event wasn’t broadcasted, as GAEA Japan chose to focus on their younger wrestlers. Here is the full televised card:

• KAORU vs. Meiko Satomura
• Neo Energy Queen History ’95: Sonoko Kato vs. Toshie Uematsu
• Chikayo Nagashima vs. Michiko Nagashima

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

KAORU vs. Meiko Satomura

Meiko attacks KAORU right at the start and gets her into a cross armbreaker, but KAORU gets into the ropes for the break. Dropkicks by Meiko and she snaps KAORU’s arm over her shoulder a few times before going for the Fujiwara Armbar. KAORU quickly gets to the ropes again, Meiko goes back to the arm but KAORU pushes her away and hits a backdrop suplex. They both get back up and get into a knucklelock, KAORU tosses Meiko to the mat and applies a cross-arm submission but Meiko is too close to the ropes. Meiko dropkicks KAORU and elbows her into the corner, but KAORU switches positions with her and hits a series of chops. Scoop slam by KAORU and she covers Meiko for two. KAORU stomps on Meiko’s leg and applies a cross kneelock, but Meiko eventually makes it to the ropes. KAORU drags Meiko back to the middle of the ring and puts her in a Mexican Surfboard, she lets go after a moment and stomps on Meiko. KAORU kicks Meiko into the corner but Meiko tackles her and hits a series of mounted elbows. Meiko applies a cross kneelock but lets go after a moment as they are close to the ropes, stomps by Meiko but KAORU sneaks in a small package for two.

Charging elbow by Meiko and she hits some more from a mounted position, she goes for the cross armbreaker but KAORU is too close to the ropes and gets out of it. Back up, elbows by Meiko and she hits a jumping shoulderblock, another one by Meiko and she covers KAORU for two. Crab hold by KAORU but Meiko gets to the ropes for the break, Irish whip attempt by KAORU but Meiko reverses it and hits an elbow. She goes for another one but KAORU boots her back, Meiko snaps KAORU’s arm over her shoulder but KAORU plants her with a release German. KAORU picks up Meiko and hits a scoop slam near the corner, she goes up top but Meiko recovers and joins her, sending her back to the mat with a cross armbreaker takedown. KAORU lands near the ropes and quickly gets there for the break, Meiko goes up top and she hits a diving shoulderblock for two. Irish whip by Meiko to the corner but KAORU jumps out to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick. German suplex hold by KAORU, but Meiko kicks out and immediately applies an armbar. KAORU gets to the ropes for the break, back up Meiko hits a couple elbows but KAORU slaps her. Big Boot by KAORU and she slams Meiko in front of the corner, moonsault by KAORU but Meiko bridges out of the cover. Brainbuster by KAORU, she goes to the ropes and on the second try she hits the swandive moonsault for the three count! KAORU is the winner.

I’m surprised how even this match was, considering their age and experience difference. Meiko brought all she had here but KAORU didn’t seem that interested, aside from being willing to give Meiko lots of offense. KAORU didn’t really have a focus it seemed or showed much emotion, she just occasionally hit a little offense between Meiko’s flurries that didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason to them. Botching the ending didn’t help much, mistakes happen but they are amplified a bit when its the finish. Meiko showed some growth and fire, but just a little too meandering for my tastes.

Sonoko Kato vs. Toshie Uematsu

We join this one in progress, as Sonoko picks up Toshie and throws her down by the hair. Toshie sneaks in a cradle and throws Sonoko into the corner, connecting with a running elbow. Mounted punches by Toshie and she drives Sonoko’s head into the mat, scoop slam by Toshie and she covers Sonoko for two. Irish whip by Toshie but Sonoko reverses it and hits an elbow, Toshie throws Sonoko into the corner and flips off of her before hitting some elbows. Sonoko gets Toshie on her shoulders but Toshie slides off and applies a Japanese Leg Roll Clutch for two. Headlock takedown by Toshie but Sonoko blocks the next and hits a bulldog. Another bulldog by Sonoko and she covers Toshie for two. Sonoko connects with a pair of Lou Thesz Presses, elbows by Sonoko on the mat but Toshie returns the favor. Hard slap by Sonoko but Toshie avoids the leg drop and applies a Victory Roll for two. Dropkicks by Toshie, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Scoop slam by Toshie, she goes up top again but Sonoko gets her knees up on the diving body press and applies a sleeper. Toshie eventually gets to the ropes for the break, Sonoko picks her up and hits a scoop slam for a two count. Irish whip by Sonoko and she hits a pair of dropkicks, but again her cover gets two. She goes for a lariat but Toshie avoids it, Sonoko slams her to the mat anyway but Toshie kicks out of the cover. Leg drop by Sonoko, she Irish whips Toshie but Toshie hits a crossbody. Toshie picks up Sonoko, Sonoko throws her into the corner but Toshie cradles Sonoko for two. Irish whip by Toshie but Sonoko catches her with a bulldog out of the corner, cover by Sonoko but the time expires. The match is a… Draw?

Well no one is happy with that so they give them an overtime period. Tie-up to start but Toshie quickly gets Sonoko in a Fujiwara Armbar. Sonoko gets into the ropes for the break, Toshie goes off the ropes and dropkicks Sonoko twice in the arm. Irish whip by Toshie and she hits a back elbow, rebound crossbody by Toshie out the corner but Sonoko bridges out of the pin. Scoop slam by Toshie and she hits four elbow drops for a two count. Toshie goes up top and hits a missile dropkick before applying the Fujiwara Armbar again but Sonoko gets to the ropes, Irish whip by Toshie but Sonoko schoolboys her for two. Sonoko picks up Toshie but Toshie gets her back, Toshie rolls Sonoko to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker. Sonoko gets a toe on the ropes for the break, and again the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a….. Draw?

No, we are going to another overtime period. Toshie stomps on Sonoko before she can get up, but Sonoko sneaks in a backslide for a two count. Toshie picks up Sonoko and throws her towards the corner, reversed by Sonoko and Sonoko dropkicks Toshie as she goes for the corner crossbody. Irish whip by Sonoko but Toshie reverses it and cradles Sonoko for two. Sleeper by Sonoko but Toshie gets the break, snapmare by Sonoko but Toshie tosses Sonoko to the mat and applies the cross armbreaker. Sonoko wiggles herself to the ropes to get the break, Toshie approaches Sonoko but Sonoko cradles her for two. Scoop slam by Toshie, but her cover gets a two count. Irish whip by Toshie, reversed by Sonoko and Sonoko goes for the Kamikaze, but Toshie reverses that into a cover for two. Irish whip by Toshie and she hits a crossbody, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is officially a Draw.

The effort was definitely there, I will give them that. Obviously, Sonoko and Toshie were still early in their careers at this point and it showed at times, as there were a few miscommunications and awkward spots even with the match being clipped. But I liked the general story they told, with Toshie being desperate to get a win to advance to the Finals in the tournament and Sonoko trying her best to hold her off. Both overtime periods were exciting and they did a good job conveying a sense of urgency. While rough around the edges, still a pretty solid match between these two young wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Michiko Nagashima

Chikayo dropkicks Michiko before the match starts and keeps dropkicking her, but Michiko stays on her feet. Hard dropkick by Michiko, she picks up Chikayo and rubs her face across the top rope. Michiko slams Chikayo’s face into the mat and hits a scoop slam, running sentons by Michiko but Sonoko Kato breaks up the cover. Apparently, Sonoko dislikes Michiko. Chikayo elbows Sonoko until she leaves the ring, boot by Michiko to Chikayo and she boots her again. Michiko throws down Chikayo by the hair a few times but Chikayo schoolboys her for two. Michiko starts on Chikayo’s arm and applies an armbar, but Chikayo gets into the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Michiko but Chikayo drops her with a Stunner, front roll attacks by Chikayo and she covers Michiko for two. Michiko takes back over and drills Chikayo with a front dropkick for two. Michiko throws Chikayo into the mat and flings her around by the hair before choking her with her knee. Irish whip by Michiko, Chikayo goes for a sunset flip but Michiko blocks it and punches her. Michiko puts Chikayo in the ropes and pulls back on her head, while taunting Sonoko at the same time. Irish whip by Michiko but Chikayo hits a headscissors out of the corner. Dropkicks by Chikayo and she finally sends Michiko to the mat with one, scoop slam by Chikayo and she goes to the top turnbuckle to hit a missile dropkick. Cover by Chikayo, but it gets a two count.

Chikayo charges Michiko in the corner but Michiko moves and kicks Chikayo out of the ring. She goes out after her and throws Chikayo into the guard rail, Sonoko comes over but Michiko throws a chair at her. She throws one at Chikayo as well before taking her up into the bleachers and slamming Chikayo into the wall. Sonoko goes over to comfort Chikayo but Chikayo pushes her away and returns to the ring, where Michiko is waiting for her. Irish whip by Michiko and she his a jumping neck drop, she gets a kendo stick and whacks Chikayo with it. Sonoko runs in and tries to take it from her but Chikayo gets mad again at the help and dropkicks Sonoko out of the ring. Backdrop suplex by Michiko to Chikayo, but Chikayo barely kicks out of the cover. She goes for another backdrop suplex but Chikayo lands on her feet, she cradles Michiko but it gets a two count. Chikayo goes for a crossbody but Michiko ducks and jumps down on her back, backdrop suplex hold by Michiko but Sonoko breaks up the cover. The referee gets Sonoko out of the ring while Michiko goes up top, but again Sonoko grabs Michiko from the apron. Michiko pulls Sonoko into the ring and dropkicks her, she then dropkicks Chikayo as well and slams her in front of the corner. Michiko goes up top again but Chikayo avoids the diving senton, scoop slam by Chikayo but Michiko gets her knees up when she goes for a diving crossbody. Michiko returns to the top and this time nails the diving senton, picking up the three count cover! Michiko Nagashima is the winner.

One downside of not knowing Japanese and watching matches from 25 years ago is I have no idea what Sonoko Kato’s issue was. Chikayo didn’t even want her help but she kept helping anyway, obviously some side story going on there. It was a good match, as Michiko was dominate while at the same time still giving Chikayo some offense and nearfalls so it wasn’t completely lopsided. Chikayo hit everything well and came across as a rookie with a ton of potential and perhaps ready to make that next step in her career. Fast paced and entertaining, I can see why they put this match last, the Sonoko situation sometimes hurt the flow but overall a good match.  Mildly Recommended

The post GAEA Japan “SQUARE JUNGLE” on 4/3/96 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: GAEA Japan “TOO HOT!“
Date: March 8th, 1996
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,200

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

GAEA Japan returns to Korakuen Hall for the second straight show, and this one is a doozy. We get the continuation of the eternal Neo Energy Queen History ’95 Tournament, plus Fukuoka swings by for some tag team action. In the main event, Chigusa Nagayo faces off against Saki Hasegawa in a very special match, as Saki is on her retirement tour. Saki Hasegawa had a solid career in All Japan Women but due to various injuries announced her retirement at only 26 years old. Hasegawa is the first AJW wrestler to appear on GAEA Japan, so it was a pretty big deal for her to appear on the event and wrestle the GAEA Japan Ace in the main event. Here is the full card:

• Neo Energy Queen History ’95: Chihiro Nakano vs. Toshie Sato
• Neo Energy Queen History ’95: Makie Numao vs. Meiko Satomura
• Bomber Hikari vs. Sonoko Kato
• KAORU and Hikari Fukuoka vs. Toshie Uematsu and Chikayo Nagashima
• Chigusa Nagayo vs. Sakie Hasegawa

I am watching the commercial release of the event, so all matches will be shown in full. All wrestlers on the show have a profile on the website, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Chihiro Nakano vs. Toshie Sato

They charge each other to start, both go for dropkicks but they both miss. They trade elbow drop attempts until Toshie hits one, Irish whip by Toshie but Chihiro hits a back bodydrop followed by a kneedrop for two. Snapmares by Chihiro and she applies a side headlock, but Toshie gets out of it and applies a headscissors. They trade submissions until Chihiro locks in a crab hold, but Toshie gets to the ropes for the break. Chihiro applies a leg submission and then a headlock, but Toshie gets out of it and applies a front headlock. Bodyscissors by Toshie, she lets go after a moment and knocks down Chihiro with a shoulderblock. dropkicks by Toshie, and she covers Chihiro for two. Sleeper by Toshie but Chihiro slides out of it and applies a hammerlock, armdrag by Toshie and she goes for a cross armbreaker. Chihiro gets away and applies a stretch hold, they end up back on their feet and Toshie knocks over Chihiro with a couple weak shoulderblocks. Scoop slam by Toshie and she covers Chihiro for two.

Toshie applies a guillotine but Chihiro slams out of it and hits a series of elbow strikes. Dropkick by Chihiro and she hits a scoop slam, picking up a two count. Snapmares by Toshie and she applies a side headlock on the mat, she picks up Chihiro and hits another shoulderblock. Toshie elbows Chihiro and delivers a face crusher, cover by Toshie but it gets a two count. Chihiro throws Toshie into the corner and hits a knee, but Toshie avoids the next one and somewhat dropkicks her. Chihiro and Toshie trade cradles before Chihiro applies a kneelock, she lets go after a moment and hits a pair of jumping knees. Toshie avoids the next one and goes for a slam, but Chihiro reverses it into a cradle for two. Chihiro picks up Toshie and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top and delivers a diving kneedrop for a two count. Swinging neckbreaker by Toshie and she hits a second one, but Chihiro bridges out of the pin. Toshie goes up top but Chihiro grabs her from behind and slams her to the mat. Chihiro picks up Toshie but Toshie slides away and delivers an over-the-shoulder powerslam. Diving elbow drop by Toshie, and she picks up the three count! Toshie Sato is the winner!

For a rookie match, this was pretty fun. Chihiro and Toshie both show a lot of early talent, and while Toshie Sato went on to have a better known career (as Sugar Sato) at this stage they were pretty even. Nagayo trained her wrestlers to go for it regardless of their experiences so it wasn’t just dropkicks which we frequently see in rookie matches today, and it was a pretty exciting back and forth. You could tell they were rookies from watching this, but a good effort from both.  Mildly Recommended

Makie Numao vs. Meiko Satomura

Meiko and Makie start by jockeying for position on the mat, kick to the chest by Makie and she kicks Meiko again. Scoop slam by Makie but Meiko fires back with elbows, scoop slam by Meiko and she covers Makie for two. Meiko works a headlock but Makie reverses it into a headscissors. Meiko gets the headlock re-applied and she picks up Makie, rolling her back to the mat with a front guillotine. Makie gets out of it and elbows Meiko in the chest, Irish whip by Meiko and she hits a forearm smash. Meiko picks up Makie, snapmare by Meiko and she applies a front facelock. Makie gets to the ropes for the break, Meiko picks her up but Makie cradles her for two. Meiko picks up Makie but Makie pushes her to the mat and applies a crab hold. Meiko gets to the ropes but Makie drags her to the middle of the ring and re-applies the hold. Meiko gets to the ropes again and this time forces the break, kicks by Makie to Meiko and she covers Meiko for two. Makie applies a bodyscissors but Meiko gets out of it and applies a kneelock, she goes for Makie’s arm but Makie gets to the ropes. Irish whip by Makie but Meiko ducks a kick and pushes Makie to the mat.

Scoop slam by Meiko, Irish whip by Meiko but Makie kicks her in the face. Knees by Makie and she kicks Meiko in the back, cover by Makie but it gets two. Makie picks up Meiko but Meiko elbows her and applies a sunset flip for two. Meiko goes off the ropes and hits a series of jumping shoulderblocks, elbow drop by Meiko and she covers Makie for two. Irish whip by Meiko to the corner and she hits a jumping elbow, she goes for another one but Makie avoids it and cradles Meiko. Meiko kicks Makie but Makie returns to her feet and kicks her back, Meiko goes for a Fujiwara Armbar but Makie quickly gets to the ropes. Meiko goes up top but Makie avoids her dive, Dragon Sleeper by Makie but Meiko gets a foot on the ropes. Kicks by Makie to the chest, she goes up top but Meiko elbows her before she can jump off. Makie hits a sunset flip anyway, but it only gets two. Makie goes up top again and hits a diving crossbody, but that gets a two count as well. She goes for the sleeper again but Meiko rolls through it and goes for Makie’s arm, but Makie is too close to the ropes. Irish whip by Meiko to the corner, Makie reverses it but Meiko snaps her arm over her shoulder. Cross armbreaker takedown by Meiko, and she keeps the hold applied for the submission victory! Meiko Satomura is the winner.

Not a bad match but a step down from the previous one. Makie Numao doesn’t have the skill of the other three wrestlers we have seen so far, and her action is a bit clunky at times. Meiko Satomura of course is full of fire as a teenager the same as she is today, which helped the match but it was still a bit disjointed and didn’t really flow. Its hard to get too mad at rookies as not every match is going to land, but a skippable match.

Bomber Hikari vs. Sonoko Kato

Bomber and Sonoko circle each other, Bomber pushes Sonoko into the ropes and gives her a hard elbow. Sonoko elbows her back, she goes for an Irish whip by Bomber blocks it and headbutts her. Bodyblock by Bomber, and she covers Sonoko for two. Bomber runs over Sonoko but Sonoko avoids the body press, stomps by Sonoko and she hits a dropkick. Bomber doesn’t budge of course, Sonoko tries again but it doesn’t work. Finally Sonoko knocks over Bomber but Bomber quickly returns to her feet and hits a scoop slam. Crab hold by Bomber which she keeps on for quite awhile, Sonoko almost gets to the ropes so Bomber lets go and stomps on her. Scoop slam by Bomber, and she covers Sonoko for two. Irish whip by Bomber and she hits a hard bodyblock, she hits a second one before applying a headscissors. Sonoko gets out of it and applies a submission, but Bomber quickly gets to the ropes. Irish whip by Sonoko and she hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Sonoko and she hits a third for a two count cover. Crab hold by Sonoko, she lets go after a moment and puts Bomber in a stretch hold. Sonoko releases the hold and hits a leg drop to Bomber’s back, snapmare by Sonoko and she covers Bomber for two. Sonoko throws down Bomber by the hair, she goes to do it again but Bomber blocks it. Hard shoulderblock by Bomber and she applies a bodyscissors, she lets go after a moment but Sonoko dropkicks her to the mat. Another dropkick by Sonoko and she hits a third, she then hits a fourth dropkick before covering Bomber for two.

Scoop slam by Sonoko, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Bomber gets her knees up when Sonoko dives off. Bomber picks up Sonoko but Sonoko drives her back into the corner, elbows by Sonoko but Bomber delivers a powerslam. Irish whip by Bomber and she hits a hard bodyblock, she goes for another one but Sonoko avoids it and hits a bulldog. Cover by Sonoko, but it gets a two count. Sonoko picks up Bomber but Bomber blocks it when she goes for a bulldog out of the corner, Lou Thesz Press by Sonoko but Bomber kicks out of the cover. Sonoko throws Bomber into the corner but Bomber reverses it, Bomber slams Sonoko off the second turnbuckle but Sonoko gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt. Bomber drags Sonoko to her feet and slams her in front of the corner, Reverse Splash by Bomber but Sonoko gets a foot on the ropes. Irish whip by Bomber and she throws Sonoko to the mat before hitting mounted elbow strikes. Bomber picks up Sonoko and gives her the Airplane Spin, she grabs Sonoko and throws her over her head. Bomber does it a second time, cover by Bomber but Sonoko bridges out of the pin attempt. Bomber picks up Sonoko and slams her in the middle of the ring, she goes up top and hits a diving headbutt. She picks her up before the referee can count to three on the pin, she picks up Sonoko but Sonoko fights back with elbows. Bomber smacks her back and nails the Over The Top for the three count! Bomber Hikari is the winner.

At first it looked like Bomber was just going to squash Sonoko but in the end, the rookie got a fair amount of offense and survived some of Bomber’s bigger moves. Sonoko still never felt like she was going to win and didn’t really have any convincing nearfalls, but at least it wasn’t completely one-sided. A little too all-over-the-place to recommend as they didn’t seem to have much of a game plan going in, but there didn’t seem to be any miscommunications and Bomber gave Sonoko plenty before putting her down.

KAORU and Hikari Fukuoka vs. Toshie Uematsu and Chikayo Nagashima

Toshie and Chikayo attack their opponents from behind to start the match, they both hit headscissors before isolating KAORU. Double knee to KAORU and the rookies both dropkick her, double Irish whip to KAORU but KAORU hits a crossbody on both of them. KAORU elbows Chikayo and puts her in a facelock but Chikayo reverses it into a hammerlock. They trade holds but KAORU gets the advantage and tags Fukuoka, Fukuoka bounces Chikayo off the ropes and boots her. Dropkick by Fukuoka and she kicks Chikayo in the back, backdrop by Fukuoka and she applies a figure four leglock. Toshie breaks it up, Fukuoka throws Chikayo into the corner so that Toshie can tag in, Fukuoka kicks Toshie in the back before tagging in KAORU. Toshie gets KAORU to the mat and applies an ankle hold, but KAORU gets out of it. Toshie goes for dropkicks but KAORU doesn’t budge, she finally knocks KAORU off her feet but KAORU bridges out of the pin and delivers a dropkick of her own. KAORU stomps on Toshie’s leg and puts her in a Mexican Surfboard, but Chikayo breaks it up. KAORU smacks Chikayo before tagging Fukuoka, Toshie hits a crossbody on Fukuoka and tags Chikayo. Dropkick by Chikayo to Fukuoka and she hits another one, but Chikayo swats aside the next attempt and applies a submission hold.

Toshie eventually breaks it up, Chikayo tries to fight back but Fukuoka elbows her hard in the chest for her trouble. KAORU is tagged in but Chikayo hits a hurricanrana and tags Toshie. Dropkick by Toshie to KAORU and she applies a crab hold, she switches it to a stretch hold but KAORU gets out of it. Snapmare by Toshie and she tags Chikayo, Chikayo kicks on KAORU’s leg and puts her in a kneelock. Toshie comes in too and puts a kneelock on KAORU’s other leg, they let go after a moment but KAORU sneaks in a pin attempt for two. Irish whip by KAORU and she hits Chikayo with a back elbow, Jackhammer by KAORU but Chikayo breaks up the cover. KAORU tags in Fukuoka, double wrist armsault by Fukuoka but again Toshie breaks it up. Fukuoka picks up Chikayo but Chikayo hits a crossbody, Irish whip by Chikayo and she delivers a front roll into a headbutt for two. Chikayo tries to throw down Fukuoka but the hair but Fukuoka blocks it and tosses Chikayo instead, dropkick by Fukuoka but Chikayo gets to the ropes when she goes for a cover. Backdrop suplex by Fukuoka, but Chikayo bridges out of the pin. She tags in KAORU but KAORU lets Toshie tag in, hard elbow by KAORU to Toshie and she hits a double underhook suplex. Bridging suplex by KAORU, but Chikayo breaks up the cover.

KAORU tags Fukuoka but Toshie runs up Fukuoka in the corner and delivers an elbow. Dropkick by Chikayo to Fukuoka but Fukuoka dropkicks both of them and tags KAORU. KAORU charges Toshie but Toshie sneaks in a sunset flip for two. She tags Chikayo, roll-up by Chikayo to KAORU but that gets two as well. KAORU goes for the Space Rolling Elbow but Chikayo avoids it and hits a monkey flip. Step-over sunset flip by Chikayo, but KAORU lands in the ropes. She goes for it again but KAORU throws her to the mat, Fukuoka comes in and she hits a Space Rolling Elbow on Chikayo in the corner. DDT by Fukuoka and KAORU hits a swandive footstomp for a two count. KAORU picks up Chikayo and tags Fukuoka, missile dropkick by Fukuoka but Chikayo lands near her corner and tags Toshie. Headscissors by Toshie and she goes for a pin, but Fukuoka pushes her off. Dropkick by Toshie, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody. Chikayo goes up top next but KAORU comes in and kicks her down to the floor, suplex by Fukuoka to Toshie and she slams her near the corner. KAORU goes up top and nails a moonsault, Fukuoka follows with a moonsault of her own and she covers Toshie for two. Fukuoka picks up Toshie but Toshie sneaks in a backslide for two. KAORU comes back in the ring with a swandive missile dropkick to Toshie, Fukuoka plants her with a Tiger Driver and she picks up the three count! KAORU and Hikari Fukuoka are the winners.

KAORU and Fukuoka are both so good, KAORU in particular really looked great here. Chikayo and Toshie held her own but clearly were a step below. Which isn’t a knock on them of course, the teams were just lopsided by design. KAORU and Fukuoka did a good job of working with the rookies and gave them plenty of hope spots. I don’t think that Toshie was supposed to kick out after the moonsaults, but Chikayo was late breaking up the pin. A fast paced and entertaining match, but KAORU as she tends to do stole the show.  Mildly Recommended

Chigusa Nagayo vs. Sakie Hasegawa

Hasegawa attacks Nagayo from behind before the match starts, Hasegawa goes for a Uranage but Nagayo elbows her off. Hasegawa throws Nagayo out of the ring, she goes for a tope con hilo but comes up a bit short. Nagayo taunts her as Hasegawa gets back in the ring, she tries again and this time successfully delivers the move. Hasegawa gets back in the ring and waits for Nagayo, Nagayo returns and the two lock knuckles. Kicks by Nagayo but Hasegawa kicks her back, knees by Hasegawa but Nagayo blocks the double underhook. Hasegawa goes for a Fujiwara Armbar but Nagayo quickly gets to the ropes, Nagayo takes Hasegawa to the mat and applies a facelock. Nagayo then switches to Hasegawa’s arm, but Hasegawa blocks her from locking in the armbreaker. Hasegawa gets Nagayo’s back and goes for an armbreaker of her own, she gets it locked in but Nagayo rolls out of it. Bodyscissors by Hasegawa and she applies a facelock, but Nagayo gets out of the hold. Hasegawa applies a seated armbar and snaps Nagayo’s arm over her shoulder, dropkick by Hasegawa but Nagayo returns to her feet and challenges her for more. Chops by Hasegawa and she dropkicks Nagayo again, missile dropkick by Hasegawa and she covers Nagayo for two.

They end up back on the mat as Hasegawa applies a STF, but Nagayo crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Hasegawa hits a leg drop on Nagayo’s arm before picking her up, but Nagayo sweeps her legs and applies a Scorpion Deathlock. Hasegawa gets to the ropes to force the break, Irish whip by Nagayo and she hits a heel kick. Irish whip again by Nagayo but Hasegawa ducks the heel kick and delivers a savate kick. High kick by Hasegawa and she hits another jumping savate kick followed by a third, another kick by Hasegawa and she covers Nagayo for two. Irish whip by Hasegawa and they both go for heel kicks, sending them both to the mat. Nagayo is up first but Hasegawa gets her back and applies a sleeper hold. Nagayo hits a backdrop suplex to try to get out of it but Hasegawa keeps the hold applied until Nagayo finally makes it to the ropes. Hasegawa picks up Nagayo but Nagayo blocks the powerbomb attempt, back bodydrop by Nagayo and she lariats Hasegawa into the corner. Nagayo drives Hasegawa’s head into the mat with her knee, cover by Nagayo but it gets a two count. Nagayo gets on the turnbuckles but Hasegawa kicks her from behind, sending Nagayo out of the ring. Hasegawa dives out onto Nagayo with a plancha suicida, she goes for a Uranage but Nagayo blocks it and delivers a kick.

Nagayo goes up top and dives out of the ring with a plancha suicida of her own. Nagayo slides Hasegawa back in, she goes for a powerbomb but Hasegawa gets out of it and hits a hurricanrana. Hasegawa picks up Nagayo and hits locomotive underhook suplexes, cover by Hasegawa but Nagayo kicks out. Hasegawa picks up Nagayo but Nagayo blocks the Irish whip and applies a sleeper. Hasegawa knees her way out of it but Nagayo re-applies it until Hasegawa gets to the ropes for the break. Nagayo picks up Hasegawa but Hasegawa wiggles out of the Running Three, Nagayo armdrags out of the Uranage attempt but Hasegawa ducks her heel kick. Suplex by Nagayo, but Hasegawa quickly returns to her feet and delivers the Uranage. She picks up Nagayo and hits a second followed by a third, cover by Hasegawa but Nagayo gets a shoulder up on the cover. She goes for another one but Nagayo elbows out of it, Nagayo gets Hasegawa up on her shoulders but Hasegawa sneaks in a roll-up for two. Hasegawa goes for a heel kick but Nagayo blocks it, she picks up Hasegawa and nails the Running Three for the three count! Chigusa Nagayo is the winner.

After the match, Nagayo picks up Hasegawa and lays her on top of her, motioning for the referee to count to three. He does so, giving Hasegawa a visual pin to end the show.

I don’t know for sure what Hasegawa’s condition was going in but for a 20 minute match there wasn’t a lot to it. They spent a lot of time on the mat trading holds that didn’t go anywhere, which isn’t too unusual in main event matches but it lasted far longer than you’d expect with no real conclusion. Nagayo was a bit playful to start but did get serious as the match went on, but it was basically 18 minutes of not a lot happening with just an occasional burst of offense from one or the other. I’m sure this meant something for Hasegawa as she winded down her career but it wasn’t a great match as it was just too slow and at times had clunky execution. Probably a match worth watching for a huge fan of either wrestler but a disappointing main event.

The post GAEA Japan “TOO HOT!” on 3/8/96 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Kagetsu Retirement Show ~ Many Face
Date: February 24th, 2020
Location: EDION Arena Osaka #2 in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 733

As is always the case in the world of Joshi, the retirement hits never stop coming. This one is harder to swallow than most as Kagetsu not only is a fantastic wrestler and trainer but is still (at least in the eyes of fans) in her prime. But Kagetsu had a pretty lengthy career for a Joshi wrestler (twelve years) and has openly considered retiring in the past, and at least she is going out on her own terms as she booked her own retirement show. As tends to be the case with wrestler-produced events we will see a fun variety of wrestlers on the show, ending with Kagetsu battling her trainer Meiko Satomura for the first time since 2014 in her final match. I’ll be reviewing the Joshi matches on the event, here is the match line-up:

• Leyla Hirsch, Syuri, and Yuu vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire
• AZM vs. Kaho Kobayashi vs. Mei Suruga
• Saya Iida vs. X
• Kagetsu vs. Meiko Satomura

All wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. Even though we are watching the TV airing of the event I am assuming there will not be any clipping, but if there is I will point it out as we go along.

Leyla Hirsch, Syuri, and Yuu vs. Natsuko Tora and Sumire

Natsu Sumire talked on the mic as the match was starting until Syuri and friends got tired of listening to her and all attack her. Natsuko tries to help but gets tossed out of the ring, Yuu stays in the ring with Natsu and goes off the ropes, but she is tripped from ringside and pulled out to the floor. Oedo Tai takes over, with Hazuki helping to even the numbers, as they fight on the floor and into the crowd. Hazuki throws Yuu back into the ring, Natsu joins her and sets up Yuu in the ropes. Natsuko puts the big rubber band around Yuu’s head, Natsu takes the other end and runs up into the crowd before snapping it back into Yuu’s face. Natsuko punches Yuu and puts her in the ropes again, this time Hazuki grabs the other end of the band and snaps it into Yuu. No idea where Syuri and Leyla ran off to. Natsu throws Yuu into the corner and knocks her down into a seated position, she charges in and delivers her gyrating bronco buster. Natsu tags in Natsuko but Yuu chops her and the two trade blows. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her with a sidewalk slam, running senton by Yuu and she covers Natsuko for two.

Yuu positions Natsuko near the corner and goes up top, but Natsuko recovers and gets Yuu on her shoulders. Yuu slides away and goes off the ropes, Natsuko goes for a Samoan Drop but she accidentally drops her. Headbutt by Natsuko, she manages to pick up Yuu this time and hits the Samoan Drop. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her with a toss and finally makes the tag to Syuri. Syuri kicks Natsuko repeatedly in the chest, running knee by Syuri and she hits a double underhook suplex for a two count. Cross armbreaker by Syuri and she switches it to a seated armbar, but Natsu breaks it up. More kicks by Syuri, she goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits Syuri from ringside. Syuri kicks Natsuko in the head anyway but Natsuko comes back with a spear, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They crawl to their corners as Leyla and Natsu are tagged in, knee by Natsu and she boots Leyla in the head. Running boot by Natsu but Leyla elbows her back, Irish whip by Natsu but Leyla flips her to the mat and hits a running knee. Olympic Slam by Leyla, but Natsu kicks out of the cover.

Leyla goes for the Triangle Moonsault but Natsu moves out of the way and stomps on her head. Leyla kicks Natsu and tosses her to the  mat, giving her time to tag Yuu. Yuu chops Natsu in the chest but Natsu avoids the running senton and whips Yuu. Irish whip by Natsu from the corner but Yuu reverses it, Natsu avoids Yuu’s charge and both Hazuki and Natsuko run in the ring as Yuu is triple teamed. Diving crossbody by Natsu, but it only gets two. Natsu picks up Yuu but Leyla and Syuri both run in to help, Natsu takes care of both of them and picks up Yuu, hitting a double arm DDT. Somato by Natsu, but Yuu gets a hand on the ropes to break up the cover. Yuu dropkicks Natsu into the corner, Syuri comes in and delivers a running knee. Cannonball by Yuu, they pull Natsu out of the corner so that Leyla can hit the Triangle Moonsault. Cover by Yuu, but Natsuko breaks it up. Yuu picks up Natsu and nails a powerbomb, cover by Yuu and she gets the three count! Yuu, Syuri, and Leyla Hirsch are the winners.

The only good thing about this match was seeing Hazuki again, love her and she seemed to be having so much fun. Everything else was rough though. Natsuko’s lack of chemistry with Yuu was clear and distracting, with several spots not looking right. Syuri did virtually nothing and wasn’t needed in the match, matches having extra wrestlers just for the sake of it will always be a pet peeve of mine. Wrestlers disappeared for long stretches and for a short match it took awhile to get going. So a very skippable opener, with the lone reason to watch being Hazuki, who obviously wasn’t even in the match.

AZM vs. Kaho Kobayashi vs. Mei Suruga

AZM is slow to shake Mei’s hand before the match but finally does so, Mei and AZM both try to get the crowd’s support while Kaho looks on. All three engage in a double headlock before going into a fast paced exchange, AZM and Mei force Kaho to run the ropes until she collapses on the mat. AZM covers her but Mei breaks it up, Mei and AZM get into it until they all miss a dropkick and face off again. Kaho collapses due to still being tired from running the ropes but recovers as AZM is double teamed. Mei rolls AZM round the mat before posing as she pins AZM down, Kaho poses next to Mei but AZM kicks out. Mei tells Kaho to go on the top turnbuckle so she does, but Mei rolls up AZM real quick for a two count. She tries a few more times before Kaho jumps down and kicks her, Irish whip by Kaho and both she and AZM dropkick Mei. Double Irish whip to Mei to the corner and they take turns dropkicking her, with AZM encouraging Kaho to dropkick her more. Senton by Kaho to Mei and AZM kicks Mei in the back, AZM puts Mei in a camel clutch and Kaho bounces off the ropes a bunch of times before dropkicking Mei. They switch places with Kaho holding Mei for AZM, AZM goes off the ropes but she kicks Kaho instead. Dropkick by AZM to Kaho, she goes to Mei but Mei grabs her wrist and jumps off the ropes before hitting an armdrag.

Mei charges AZM but AZM boots her back, Mei catches her next boot and rakes her face until the referee gets her to stop. Mei tosses the referee to the mat and catapults off his back with a dropkick, cover by Mei but AZM kicks out. Back up, AZM hits a suplex followed by a head kick, cover by AZM but Kaho breaks it up. Irish whip by Kaho but AZM hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors into an armbar. Kaho rolls out of it but AZM kicks her in the head, she goes up top and nails the diving footstomp but Kaho barely kicks out of the cover. Fujiwara Armbar by AZM but Kaho gets into the ropes for the break, AZM picks up Kaho but Kaho schoolboys her for two. AZM elbows Kaho but Kaho elbows her back as they trade shots, Kaho kicks AZM in the shin and delivers a DDT. Step-up kick by Kaho, she covers AZM but it gets two. Kaho goes to the top turnbuckle but Mei reemerges and schoolboys AZM for two. Kaho comes off the top turnbuckle with a missile dropkick to Mei, she then dropkicks AZM and AZM falls out of the ring. Kaho goes for a tope suicida but AZM and Mei both move, so she splats head-first into the floor. AZM and Mei return to the ring, they trade flash pins but neither can get the three count. Head kick by AZM, she knocks Kaho off the apron but Mei cradles AZM for two. They trade quick covers again until AZM puts Mei in the Azumi Sushi and picks up the three count! AZM is the winner.

This type of comedy wrestling, or a wrestling match with comedy elements, is the type that hits better with me. It was playful throughout but when it got down to it they all were trying to win, all three wrestlers have ‘flash’ style methods of pinning their opponent so everything going on fit within their characters. Kaho being the ‘old’ one they tried to tire out was a fun touch and anytime I get to see Mei I don’t complain. An easy watch and entertaining match. Mildly Recommended

Saya Iida vs. Kagetsu

Kagetsu won’t shake Saya’s hand before the match but as soon as the bell rings, Saya charges her and dropkicks Kagetsu into the corner. More dropkicks by Saya but Kagetsu doesn’t fall to the mat, finally Saya dropkicks her in the knee and again in the chest to knock her over. Saya picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the scoop slam, chops by Saya but Kagetsu ducks one and rakes her in the eyes. Kagetsu goes off the ropes but Saya chops her to the mat, she picks up Kagetsu and delivers a scoop slam for a two count. Saya goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes to the top turnbuckle again and hits a second one. A third time she goes up and delivers a third missile dropkick which she follows with a fourth one for a two count cover. With Kagetsu down, Saya goes to the top turnbuckle but Natsuko and Natsu grab her from the apron. They let go after a moment, Saya goes for a missile dropkick but Kagetsu moves out of the way and throws Saya out of the ring. Natsuko finds a weapon (Utami) and throws her at Saya before sliding Saya back into the ring, vertical suplex by Kagetsu and she covers Saya for two. Kagetsu picks up Saya and hits a Samoan Drop, but again Saya kicks out of the pin. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, but Saya barely gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu picks up Saya but Saya slides away and cradles her for two. Iida Bridge by Saya, but Kagetsu kicks out of that as well. Saya goes off the ropes but Kagetsu catches her with a cross armbreaker takedown. Kagetsu switches the hold to an arm lock and Saya has no choice but to submit! Kagetsu is the winner.

Its important to remember that a wrestler’s retirement show is for them, not for us. They let us watch, but each match the retiring wrestler is in is one that personally makes them happy or satisfied, they aren’t necessarily concerned with putting on high end matches. This match is what you would expect in an opener between a trainer and a student. Saya got in some hope spots so that it wasn’t a squash, but Kagetsu pretty thoroughly beat her down and won with a random submission hold that isn’t even one of her finishers. A pretty emotional match for Saya and one that likely meant a lot to Kagetsu (even if she didn’t show it), but a pretty average match in the grand scheme of things through the eyes of a viewer.

Kagetsu vs. Meiko Satomura

Kagetsu is in her “traditional” wrestling attire for this match, going back to her roots for her final match. Satomura pushes Kagetsu into the ropes to start and kicks her in the leg instead of giving a clean break, they end up on the mat but roll into the ropes. Back on their feet they lock knuckles, Satomura gets Kagetsu to the mat again and puts her in a side headlock. Kagetsu returns to her feet and gets out of the hold, she tries to shoulderblock Satomura over but Satomura stays on her feet. A dropkick does the trick, Kagetsu picks Satomura up and hits a side headlock takedown, keeping the hold applied on the mat. Satomura quickly reverses it into a headscissors but Kagetsu reverses it back as they trade submissions. Satomura gets the advantage and kicks Kagetsu, uppercut by Satomura and she elbows Kagetsu into the corner. Wristlock by Satomura and she kicks Kagetsu repeatedly in the chest, double kneedrop by Satomura and she covers Kagetsu for two. Satomura goes up top but Kagetsu springboards up and kicks her down to the floor, Kagetsu goes off the ropes and hits a tope suicida. She quickly gets back in the ring and she hits a second tope suicida followed by a third. Kagetsu throws Satomura into the chairs at ringside, she takes her into the crowd and chokes her with a chair. Kagetsu slides Satomura back in the ring and hits a swandive missile dropkick, she puts Satomura in a submission hold but Satomura gets into the ropes for the break.

Kagetsu elbows Satomura into the corner, Irish whip by Kagetsu and she hits a jumping elbow smash. Running boot to the face by Kagetsu, she picks up Satomura and spits water in her face. Satomura doesn’t like that and slaps her, dropkick by Kagetsu but Satomura delivers a heel kick. Satomura goes for a backdrop suplex but Kagetsu lands on her feet and hits a pair of kicks. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, and she covers Satomura for two. Kagetsu gets Satomura on her shoulders and hits another Ebisu Drop, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Satomura recovers and joins her. Superplex by Satomura but Kagetsu returns to her feet and nails a sliding knee, so both wrestlers are down on the mat. They slowly get up, Kagetsu goes for a cross armbreaker and gets it applied, but Satomura rolls out of it. Kagetsu switches it to an armlock but Satomura gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Snapmare by Kagetsu, she goes up top but Satomura nails her with a Pele Kick. Back in the middle of the ring, kicks to the chest by Satomura and she hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Satomura goes for another one but Kagetsu elbows out of it, kicks by Satomura and she drives Kagetsu into the corner. Satomura goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Kagetsu gets out of the cover. Sleeper hold by Satomura, but Kagetsu gets to the ropes.

Satomura kicks Kagetsu before picking her up and goes for a Death Valley Bomb, but Kagetsu gets out of it and spits blue mist in her face. Death Valley Bomb by Kagetsu but Satomura gets back up and  and hits a backdrop suplex. Kagetsu quickly returns to her feet as well and the two trade elbows, high kick by Satomura but Kagetsu kips up and hits her own head kick. Death Valley Bomb by Kagetsu but Satomura avoids the Buzzsaw Kick and hits a leg sweep. Head kick by Satomura and she hits a Death Valley Bomb, cover by Satomura but Kagetsu barely kicks out. Satomura hits a second one, but again Kagetsu kicks out of the cover. Cartwheel kneedrop by Satomura, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu pushes the referee down and spits mist in her face again. Ebisu Drop in front of the corner by Kagetsu, she goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster before hitting a Death Valley Bomb. Kagetsu picks Satomura back up and hits a second Death Valley Bomb before hitting a third. Cover by Kagetsu, but Satomura manages to get a shoulder up. Kagetsu goes to pick up Satomura but Satomura kicks her off, they trade strikes until Satomura hits a Pele Kick. Head kick by Satomura and she hits a Death Valley Bomb, but the cover gets two. Scorpio Rising by Satomura, and she covers Kagetsu for the three count! Meiko Satomura is your winner.

If you enjoy excess in wrestling, this is the match for you. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be a big fan of them spamming their finishing moves, but this being simultaneously a retirement match and a trainer/student match I am willing to let it slide. Kagetsu slipping back into her Oedo Tai roots when her normal tricks weren’t working was a nice touch and showed her progression since she left Satomura’s tutelage, but in the end it didn’t matter as she still couldn’t take down her former master. Satomura was also smart enough to still end the match with a different finisher then one they were doing over and over earlier in the match. As you’d expect, the strikes were all on-point as Satomura legitimately hasn’t lost a step, and both were going all-out for Kagetsu’s final match. In any situation I’d probably love this match, but with the backstory and everything else involved it was an emotional and perfect ending to Kagetsu’s successful career.  Highly Recommended 

After the final match, they had the retirement ceremony for Kagetsu. Different wrestlers came down to give her a gift and say farewell, including Queen’s Quest, Jinsei Shinzaki, Meiko Satomura, and of course Hazuki. Then the bell tolled, the streamers were thrown, and Kagetsu was carried out of the wrestling ring for the last time.

The post Kagetsu Retirement Show ~ Many Face on 2/24/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Diana at Shin-Kiba
Date: February 9th, 2020
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown

Well it must be my birthday, as Diana has released a full show! This is their first televised/streamed event in many years, and their first event released at all since a DVD was sold for an event in October of 2018. Hopefully this is not just a one off appearance. While Diana doesn’t have the best roster, I still like to watch all the different Joshi promotions so the more that make it to air, the better! Here is the full card:

• Banny Oikawa vs. Nanami
• Ayako Sato vs. Sakura Hirota
• Jaguar Yokota and Madeline vs. Mikoto Shindo and Tomoko Watanabe
• Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, and Meiko Satomura vs. Haruka Umesaki, Kaoru Ito, and Kyoko Inoue

Short show! Originally Sareee was on the event as well, but sadly she was out due to illness. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. We will have to put up the NicoPro Commentary Box during this event, which sucks, but we will deal with it the best we can.

Banny Oikawa vs. Nanami

Banny and Nanami circle each other to start and tie-up, the larger Nanami pushes Banny into the ropes and gives a clean break. They lock-up again and trade wristlocks, headlock by Nanami but Banny reverses it. Snapmare by Banny and she goes for a PK, but Nanami ducks it and schoolboys Banny for two. Dropkick by Banny and she throws Nanami into the corner, cartwheel by Banny and she hits a mule kick for two. Banny goes for Nanami’s arm but she quickly gets into the ropes, Irish whip by Banny but Nanami dropkicks her. Three more dropkicks by Nanami, she picks up Banny but Banny blocks the scoop slam. Banny goes off the ropes and his a dropkick, but Nanami applies a bodyscissors. Nanami stretches Banny before goes for a schoolboy, but Banny rolls through it and applies an armtrap crossface. Nanami rolls into the ropes for the break, Banny picks her up and the two trade elbows. Jumping crossbody by Nanami, but Banny kicks out of the cover. Nanami picks up Banny and hits the scoop slam, she picks up Banny but Banny sneaks in a backslide for two. Kicks to the chest by Banny, she goes off the ropes and hits a jumping crossbody for a two count. Banny goes off the ropes and applies a sunset flip, but she can’t get Nanami’s shoulders down. Camel Clutch by Banny but she lets go after a moment, she goes off the ropes and hits the sunset flip, but Nanami reverses it and the two trade flash pins. Backslide by Banny, and she picks up the three count! Banny Oikawa is the winner!

Even by rookie standards, this was rough. I mean, really rough. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sunset flip botched before so that was impressive, but the bulk of it was disjointed in a non-entertaining way. From what I’ve seen of Banny I don’t see a big future in wrestling for her, Nanami is too young to really evaluate but she certainly isn’t a natural at it. Possibly the most poorly executed match from a technical standpoint that I’ve watched in the last decade, please keep them as far apart as possible in the future.

Ayako Sato vs. Sakura Hirota

One of Sakura’s kids seems unwilling to leave the ring, so he starts in the corner clinging to the ropes. This seems safe. They tie-up, Sakura pushes Ayako into the ropes and gives a clean break, but Ayako kicks her to the mat. She gets a server tray and hits Sakura with it a few times, Irish whip by Ayako and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Kid is still in the ring. Sakura throws Ayako into the corner and hits a face crusher, wristlock by Sakura and she runs to the corner to walk the ropes. Which she does, until she misses her hop and crotches herself on the top rope. Ayako goes off the ropes but Sakura drop toeholds her into the second rope, the referee holds the kid while Sakura gives Ayako an Oil Check. Sakura hops over Ayako with theatrics but Ayako kicks her before she can complete her move, Sato brings her kicks in the ring (so now three kids are in the ring) and the kids jump over Sakura before hitting a poor version of Sakura’s signature move. Another one of Sakura’s kids gets in so we are up to four children now, but they finally get all the kids out of the ring.

Sakura throws Ayako into the corner but Ayako hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Ayako and she hits a double underhook suplex for a two count. Ayako goes up top but Sakura recovers and elbows her before she can jump off. Sakura grabs Ayako as if to powerbomb her but instead just places her on the opposite turnbuckle, Ayako kicks her away and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Ayako picks up Sakura but Sakura snaps off a DDT, she goes off the ropes and hits the Oil Check. Tiger Feint Kick by Sakura, she goes for the Shining Wizard but Ayako blocks it and hits a Double Wrist Armsault for two. Sakura gets Ayako’s back and hits another Oil Check, she goes for a few cradles but Ayako kicks out of each. Ayako gets the server tray and hits Sakura with it, they struggle over the tray until the referee takes it from them. Sakura Oil Checks the referee by accident, Ayako hits Sakura with the tray but Sakura delivers a hurricanrana. The referee is too hurt to make the count, Ayako dropkicks the tray into Sakura’s face and nails a dragon suplex hold for the three count! Ayako Sato is the winner.

So this was a pretty normal Sakura match, for better or worse. Not really my cup of tea, although it was nice to see Ayako Sato in action. She seems pretty solid, when she got a chance to do some actual wrestling she looked good. Better than the first match for sure, but still so-so even for a comedy match.

Jaguar Yokota and Madeline vs. Mikoto Shindo and Tomoko Watanabe

Yokota and Mikoto start off, Yokota pushes Mikoto into the ropes and she elbows her in the chest instead of giving a clean break. Mikoto elbows Yokota back but Yokota pushes her into the corner, Irish whip by Yokota but Mikoto reverses it and hits a series of dropkicks. Mikoto picks up Yokota but Yokota blocks the slam attempt and hits one of her own, back elbow by Yokota and she steps on Mikoto’s chest before tagging Madeline. Madeline stomps Mikoto and applies a chinlock, she switches it to an ankle hold but Mikoto gets to the ropes. Back up, elbows by Mikoto and she hits a hard dropkick, giving her time to tag Watanabe. Madeline tries to tackle Watanabe but Watanabe just looks at her funny, dropkicks by Madeline but Watanabe absorbs the blows. Vertical suplex by Watanabe and she puts Madeline in a Scorpion Deathlock, but Yokota gets a chair and hits Watanabe repeatedly in the head with it to break up the hold. Yokota puts Watanabe in the chair, dropkick by Madeline and she puts Watanabe in an armbar, but Watanabe quickly reverses it. Madeline ends up in the ropes to get a break, Watanabe tags Mikoto and Mikoto delivers a a pair of dropkicks. Scoop slam by Mikoto but Madeline kicks out of the cover. Mikoto puts Madeline in a stretch hold, she lets her go after a moment and Irish whips her, but Madeline hits a dropkick and tags Yokota. Yokota tosses Mikoto around the ring before putting her in an Octopus Hold, but Watanabe breaks it up.

Yokota tags Madeline, Madeline applies a modified armbar while biting Mikoto repeatedly, as the referee tries to get her to stop. Cross armbreaker by Madeline but Mikoto gets into the ropes for the break. Madeline kicks Mikoto in the leg but Mikoto dropkicks her and tags Watanabe. Watanabe throws Madeline into the corner and hits a body avalanche, Mikoto returns and she dropkicks Madeline. Madeline sneaks in an inside cradle to Watanabe, it only gets two but it gives her time to tag Yokota. DDT by Yokota to Watanabe, she throws her to the ropes but Watanabe reverses it. Yokota blocks Watanabe’s lariat and goes for the Octopus Hold, but Watanabe pushes her off and hits a lariat for a two count. Watanabe picks up Yokota but Yokota hits a DDT, somersault legdrop by Yokota and she tags Madeline. Double Irish whip to Watanabe and they hit her with a metal stick, Madeline gets too excited however which gives Watanabe time to recover and hits a lariat. Mikoto comes in and Watanabe picks her up to kick Madeline, scoop slam by Watanabe and she hits an elbow drop off the second rope. Mikoto comes in again, Watanabe picks her up and drops her onto Madeline. Cover by Watanabe, but Yokota kicks the referee to break it up. Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle but Yokota tosses her to the mat, Mikoto throws Yokota in the corner and with Watanabe they hit a double vertical suplex on Madeline. Watanabe tags in Mikoto, dropkicks by Mikoto to Madeline and she covers her for two.

Scoop slam by Mikoto and a second one, but Madeline kicks out of the cover again. Mikoto applies a crab hold but Yokota breaks it up, Mikoto picks up Madeline and throws her into the corner before hitting a dropkick. Irish whip by Mikoto but Madeline reverses it and kicks her. Mikoto elbows Madeline in the corner before hitting a dropkick, but Yokota knees Mikoto from the apron. Madeline applies an armbar but Watanabe breaks it up, Mikoto and Madeline trade elbows until Madeline kicks Mikoto to the mat. Madeline goes for the armbar but Mikoto is too close to the ropes, Watanabe comes in and she slams Madeline before hitting a diving body press off the second turnbuckle. Cover by Mikoto, but Yokota breaks it up. Mikoto picks up Madeline but Madeline applies the Fujiwara Armbar, but Mikoto gets to the ropes. Madeline tags Yokota, vertical suplex by Yokota and she covers Mikoto for two. Backdrop suplex by Yokota, but Watanabe breaks up her cover. Yokota picks up Mikoto and drops her with the Fisherman Buster, she drags Mikoto up again but Watanabe runs in and hits a lariat. Sunset flip by Mikoto, but Yokota kicks out. Madeline runs in and dropkicks Mikoto, Watanabe lariats Madeline but she also accidentally lariats Mikoto. La Magistral by Yokota to Mikoto, and she picks up the three count! Jaguar Yokota and Madeline win!

While at times it was disjointed and dragged too much, I still couldn’t help but enjoy this. Yokota is such a treasure, she isn’t just going through the motions even 40 years into her career as she was actively involved in the match. Watanabe did her part too and when Yokota or Watanabe was in the ring, I had a great time watching it, they just know how to do all the small things right. The match only suffered when Madeline and Mikoto were paired up, they didn’t seem to have talked it out before the match and don’t have the experience to freestyle something cohesive. Madeline in particular is a charming personality with lots of charisma, but still needs to be led in the ring. A fun and unique match, but the parts with Watanabe or Yokota were certainly the highlight.  Mildly Recommended

Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, and Satomura vs. Umesaki, Kaoru Ito, and Inoue

Haruka and Chihiro start the match, Haruka dropkicks Chihiro but Chihiro doesn’t go down. Haruka elbows Chihiro but Chihiro elbows her to the mat, Haruka goes for a crossbody but Chihiro catches her and slams her to the mat. Chihiro gets Haruka around the waist and suplexes her to the mat, scoop slam by Chihiro and she covers Haruka for two. Chihiro tags Chisako, Chisako stomps on Haruka and the two trade elbows, which Chisako naturally gets the better of. Irish whip by Chisako but Haruka dropkicks her and tags in Inoue. Chisako hits a Stunner on Inoue and tags Satomura, Satomura and Inoue don’t rush into locking up but eventually do as Inoue pushes Satomura into the corner. Inoue throws down Satomura by the hair and butt smushes her in the corner, snap vertical suplex by Inoue and she tags Ito. Ito throws Satomura into the corner, Irish whip by Ito and she hits a lariat. Single leg crab hold by Ito, but Satomura inches to the ropes to force the break. Ito stomps on Satomura’s back, Haruka comes in the ring and they both slam Satomura’s knees into the mat. Ito tags in Haruka and Haruka keeps at Satomura’s leg, Satomura blocks the crab hold for a moment but Haruka eventually locks it in. Satomura gets into the ropes again, Haruka picks her up but Satomura hits a hard elbow followed by a scoop slam. Elbow drop by Satomura and she tags Chihiro, snapmare by Chihiro and she cranks on Haruka’s neck.

Chihiro applies a cross armbreaker but Haruka quickly gets to the ropes for the break, Chihiro picks her up and yanks on Haruka’s arm. Chihiro tags Chisako, who keeps working on Haruka’s arm with wristlocks and stomps. Chisako applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Ito breaks it up, Chisako wraps Haruka’s arm in the ropes and twists it. Chihiro is tagged back in to continue the arm work, then Satomura comes in and kicks Haruka repeatedly in the chest. Irish whip by Satomura to the corner and she hits a jumping elbow, but Haruka ducks the next one and hits a neck drop. Missile dropkick by Haruka and she makes the hot tag to Inoue. Lariats by Inoue to everyone, Satomura fights back with kicks but Inoue elbows her. A spinning heel kick sends Inoue to the mat, Satomura tags Chihiro and Chihiro hits a somersault senton for two. Waistlock by Chihiro and she applies a stretch hold, but Inoue gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Chihiro but Inoue reverses it, she goes for a lariat but Inoue stays up. Chihiro tries a few more times and finally knocks over Inoue with a lariat, but Inoue gets back up and sends Chihiro to the mat with a lariat of her own. Inoue tags Ito and Ito immediately hits a running footstomp followed by a senton for a two count. Ito picks up Chihiro but Chihiro elbows her off and the two trade blows. Chihiro goes off the ropes but Ito knocks her down with a lariat, Ito picks up Chihiro but Chihiro hits a back bodydrop. Spear by Chihiro and she makes the tag to Chisako.

Chisako goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, sliding kick by Chisako and she covers Ito for two. Chisako picks up Ito and goes for a crucifix, but Ito falls back and lands on top of her. A side suplex by Ito sends Chisako out of the ring, Chihiro and Satomura are knocked out also and Ito connects with a baseball slide on all of them. Chisako is rolled back in the ring as Inoue gets in as well, and she hits a double lariat with Ito. Powerbomb by Ito and she tags in Haruka. Haruka goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick, two more dropkicks by Haruka but Chisako avoids the next one and boots her in the face. Satomura and Chihiro both come in the ring as they all hit running strikes on Haruka in the corner, cannonball by Chisako and she covers Haruka for two. Chisako goes up top but Inoue strolls in the ring and joins her, hitting a superplex. Ito gets on the second turnbuckle and connects with a diving footstomp, jackknife hold by Haruka but the cover is broken up. Haruka goes for another flash pin with no luck, she picks up Chisako and they trade elbows. Dropkick by Haruka, Ito comes in but Chisako pushes Haruka into Ito and dropkicks her. Satomura comes in and kicks Ito, meanwhile Haruka hits a jumping crossbody on Chisako. Chihiro lariats Haruka and hits a waterwheel drop, diving footstomp by Chisako but Ito breaks up the cover. Chisako picks up Haruka and hits the Northern Lights Suplex, but Haruka gets the shoulder up. Chisako positions Haruka and goes to the top turnbuckle, Hormone Splash by Chisako and she picks up the three count! Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, and Meiko Satomura are the winners.

Even though they followed the pattern you’d expect with a rookie in the match, it was just fun to get to see Kaoru Ito and Kyoko Inoue again. Their interactions with Chihiro and Chisako were solid, but they weren’t as giving as Satomura was to Haruka. Shocking, I know. Ito in particular wasn’t overly helpful to Chihiro or Chisako, but cranky old veterans being cranky is entertaining in its own way so I’m not really complaining. The end stretch was fast paced and entertaining, and unlike the last match it didn’t feel like it dragged at any point. While the limb work naturally didn’t go anywhere, the rest of it made sense and the teams worked together well. For a smaller Diana show, a fitting way to end things but I wish that Sareee wasn’t sick as she would have been a fun inclusion in the match.  Mildly Recommended

The post Diana at Shin-Kiba 1st RING on 2/9/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Sendai Girls’ Big Show In Niigata
Date: June 8th, 2019
Location: Niigata City Gymnasium in Niigata, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown

Sometimes a show happens in Japan that I know I have to watch the minute it releases. This is one of those events. Sendai Girls’ tends to really go all out for their big events, and there are several matches on this show I really wanted to see. Sareee is one of my favorite wrestlers but a lot of her matches don’t ‘make TV’ so I’m excited to get to see her again, this is a huge match for her as she has a rare title vs. title match against Chihiro Hashimoto. Here is the full card:

• Sendai Girls’ Jr. Championship: Manami vs. Mikoto Shindo
• Aiger vs. Sakura Hirota
• Alex Lee, Heidi Katrina, and KAORU vs. Hikaru Shida, Hyan, and Mei Suruga
• Aja Kong and Yuu vs. Meiko Satomura and Mika Iwata
• Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship: Charli Evans and Millie McKenzie vs. DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Sendai Girls’ World Championship/World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana Championship: Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Sareee

As we are watching the Samurai TV! airing of the event, some matches may be clipped. All wrestlers have a profile on the website, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Manami vs. Mikoto Shindo
Sendai Girls’ Jr. Championship

They circle to start before and lockup, they trade holds until Manami gets Mikoto to the mat. Leg submission by Manami and she rolls it into a headlock, Mikoto reverses it but Manami gets away. She goes for a dropkick by Mikoto swats her down, Mikoto goes off the ropes but Manami catches her with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Manami but Mikoto avoids the next and applies a camel clutch crossface, she lets go after a moment and elbows Manami into the corner. Irish whip by Mikoto and she hits a dropkick, four more dropkicks by Mikoto and she covers Manami for two. Crab hold by Mikoto but Manami inches to the ropes to get the break, she puts Manami right back in the crab hold but Manami gets to the ropes again. Mikoto picks up Manami but Manami blocks the slam attempt, they trade elbows until Mikoto drops Manami with a dropkick. Cover by Mikoto, but it gets a two count. Mikoto goes for another crab hold but Manami reverses it into a cradle, schoolboy by Manami but that gets a two as well. Back up they trade elbows, Mikoto knocks Manami to the mat and hits more mounted elbows. Mikoto goes off the ropes but Manami elbows her and applies an inside cradle for two. Dropkick by Manami but Mikoto hits a back bodydrop, she picks up Manami but Manami hits a sunset flip for two. She goes for a jackknife cover but Mikoto blocks it, she holds down Manami and picks up the three count! Mikoto Shindo wins and is the new champion!

Pretty basic, as expected. I will say that Mikoto Shindo is a bundle of fun, she has a bit of a mean streak to her and wrestlers like she has a chip on her shoulder, which probably wasn’t necessary since she was wrestling a child but at least it shows she cared. I wouldn’t have minded if the ending was a bit more conclusive, not that cradle wins aren’t legitimate wins but for a title match something with more substance would have been nice. For an opener with younger wrestlers, nothing wrong with it but it didn’t do much to elevate itself to title match status.

Aiger vs. Sakura Hirota
Bamboo Dumpling Scramble Match

We start with Hirota feeding Aiger what I am assuming is a Bamboo Dumpling, which are strung up over the ring in a X. They both go to opposite corners to try to reach them but can’t, and while I don’t really know what is going on I don’t think with these two that it really matters. Both fail to reach it, they go into the regular Aiger zombie spots before they collide and knock each other out. Hirota is up first and tries to jump off of Aiger’s knee to reach the dumplings, but fails. Aiger tries too with the same result, suplex by Hirota but Aiger delivers a release German suplex. Both wrestlers are down on the mat, they lower the dumplings but raise them before the wrestlers can return to their feet. More comedy spots, this time running through Hirota’s bits until Aiger hits a lariat for a two count. Aiger goes up top and scares Hirota, but Hirota kisses her to even the odds. Hirota goes for a powerbomb but Aiger lands on top of her, picking up the three count! Aiger wins! After the match is over, Aiger throws the referee on top of Hirota, stands on top of them and finally gets some dumplings before leaving the ring.

Slightly clipped, but not enough. The crowd enjoys this so I’m not suggesting it shouldn’t exist, it just isn’t for me. Its literally the same three or four spots every time repeated. I enjoy Sakura Hirota when she is doing cosplay as that can be entertaining, but this is just skippable affair. Unless you are really into one of these two wrestlers (or have never seen either before), nothing worth seeing here.

Hikaru Shida, Hyan, and Mei Suruga vs. Alex Lee, Heidi Katrina, and KAORU

We join this one in progress, with Katrina beating up Mei. Vertical suplex by Katrina, and she covers Mei for two. Katrina picks up Mei, Mei goes for a crossbody but Katrina catches her and hits a fallaway slam. Giant Swing by Katrina and she hits a leg drop, but Shida breaks up her cover. Irish whip by Katrina but Mei jumps on her back, Katrina drives her back into the corner to get her off but Mei avoids her charge and hits a dropkick. Cradle by Mei, but Katrina kicks out. Mei tags in Hyan, dropkick by Katrina and she tags Lee. Lee kicks Hyan into the corner and nails a high knee, release German by Lee and she kicks Hyan in the face. Another kick by Lee but Hyan blocks the slam, springboard armdrag by Hyan and she hits a side Russian leg sweep. Northern Lights Suplex Hold by Hyan, but it only gets a two count. Hyan tags in Shida, Shida trades elbows with Lee but Mei and Hyan both run in to attack Lee in the corner. Jumping knee by Shida, she sets up Lee in the corner before grabbing KAORU and suplexing her into Lee. Shida grabs Lee but Katrina hits her from behind, KAORU runs in and boots Shida before Lee delivers a Buzzsaw Kick. Lee picks up Shida and slams her to the mat, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Shida avoids the footstomp. Dropkick by Mei, both teams run in and trade strikes with each other, ending with a Lee high kick to Shida for a two count. Lee picks up Shida and knees her, but Shida blocks the chokebomb. KAORU tries to hit Shida with a board but hits Lee by accident, Michinoku Driver by Shida to Lee but Lee kicks out. Tamashii no Three Count by Shida, and she picks up the three count pinfall! Hikaru Shida, Hyan, and Mei Suruga win!

This was clipped up, and what they showed us was hit and miss. Lee and Hyan are probably the least familiar wrestlers with each other in the match and it showed during their segment, just really clunky. I would have liked to see more of KAORU, she never got tagged in at all during what was shown, and focusing on Lee and Katrina impacted some of the match quality. Mei just randomly running in to attack people was fun and Shida was great, it was just too inconsistent to recommend hunting it down.

Meiko Satomura and Mika Iwata vs. Aja Kong and Yuu

Iwata and Yuu kick things off, Iwata gets Yuu into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Headlock by Iwata but Yuu Irish whips out of it and hits a hard shoulderblock. Iwata kips up and kicks Yuu in the arm, snapmare by Iwata and she kicks Yuu in the back before hitting a PK. Iwata tags in Satomura, Satomura trips Yuu and applies an armbar into a headlock but Yuu struggles back to her feet. Snapmare by Satomura and she applies a stretch hold, Yuu inches to the ropes and she makes it to force the break. Satomura tags Iwata back in who arrives and with ax handle to Yuu’s arm, elbows by Iwata but Yuu catches her with a hard chop. More chops by Yuu, she scoops up Iwata and hits a powerslam for a two count. Yuu tags Kong, chops by Kong to Iwata’s chest and she chops Iwata to the mat. Elbow drop by Kong, and she covers Iwata for two. Armtrap crossface by Kong, she lets go after a moment and kicks Iwata in the back. Kong tags Yuu in, Yuu chops Iwata into the corner with Kong and they both knock Iwata to the mat. Cover by Yuu, but Satomura breaks it up. Kong returns as the legal wrestler, piledriver by Kong but Iwata gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt.

Iwata tries to fight back but Kong slaps her in the face, Kong picks up Iwata but Iwata delivers a strike combination. She rolls to her corner and tags Satomura, Satomura knocks Yuu off the apron but Kong slaps her in the face. Heel kick by Satomura and she goes for a cartwheel kneedrop, but Kong moves out of the way. Kong tags Yuu, sidewalk slam by Yuu and she hits a running senton on Satomura for two. Yuu goes off the ropes but Satomura delivers a high kick, another head kick by Satomura and she tags Iwata. Kicks to the chest by Iwata and she hits a Codebreaker, superkick by Iwata and she covers Yuu for two. Iwata goes for a jumping knee but Yuu catches her and tosses her to the mat, front dropkick by Yuu to the corner and she hits the cannonball. Yuu applies a choke but Iwata elbows out of it, high kick by Iwata but Yuu hits a judo toss. This gives her time to tag Kong while Satomura is tagged in as well, Satomura and Kong trade elbows until Kong sends Satomura to the mat.

Irish whip by Kong but Satomura blocks it and hits an uppercut, cartwheel kneedrop by Satomura, she goes for a kick but Kong catches it and slaps Satomura. Iwata runs in and kicks Kong in the chest, Satomura joins in but Kong lariats both of them. Kong gets her paint can and hits both Iwata and Satomura in the head with it, backdrop suplex by Kong to Satomura and she covers her for two. Kong picks up Satomura but Satomura ducks he Uraken, Pele Kick by Satomura and she tries to get Kong on her shoulders, but Kong blocks it. Yuu comes in to try to help but shoulderblocks Kong by accident, Satomura grabs Kong again and this time hits the Death Valley Bomb for two. Elbow drop by Satomura, she goes up top and goes for a diving body press, but Kong gets both feet up. Scoop slam by Kong, she goes to the top turnbuckle and hits the elbow drop, but Satomura gets a shoulder up. Kong picks up Satomura but Iwata comes in and kicks her, Death Valley Bomb by Satomura but Kong hulks up and returns to her feet. Pele Kick by Satomura, she waits for Kong to get to one knee and nails the Scorpion Rising for the three count! Meiko Satomura and Mika Iwata are the winners.

As expected, this was a really fun match. Even though it was a midcard match, Satomura and Kong have no chill regardless and were really laying it into each other. Not everything landed perfectly and the ending felt a bit sudden in that Yuu kinda disappeared for the final stretch, but I’m not complaining too much as I didn’t expect Kong to be the one to take the pin so it caught me off guard in a good way. Yuu fit right in here and I hope she becomes a semi-regular in Sendai Girls’, her and Iwata had good chemistry and the match never slowed down as all of them were going 100%. The ending could have been tighter but still an enjoyable match between four quality wrestlers.  Recommended

(c) Charli Evans and Millie McKenzie vs. DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto
Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship

McKenzie and Chisako start the match, Chisako gets McKenzie in the ropes and she gives a mostly clean break. They lock up again and Chisako gives another clean break which just seems to annoy McKenzie, they trade elbows and flash pins before reaching a stalemate. Matsumoto and Evans tag in, they immediately run into each other and take turns attempting to shoulderblock each other over until Evans pulls down Matsumoto by the hair and hits a low crossbody. Body Avalanche by Matsumoto in the corner and she hits a hard shoulderblock for a two count cover. Matsumoto picks up Evans but Evans rakes her eyes, Chisako runs in however and they double team Evans. Matsumoto tags Chisako, Chisako kicks down Evans in the corner and hits a front dropkick. Chisako drags up Evans, Chisako drops Evans on the apron and then dropkicks her off of it to the floor. Chisako gets on the apron but Evans catches her PK attempt and slams Chisako into the apron. McKenzie then gets in the ring and dives out with a tope suicida, they toss Chisako back in and Evans covers her for two. Evans tosses down Chisako by the hair and tags McKenzie, Chisako fights back but McKenzie hits a hard elbow and slaps her on the mat. McKenzie elbows Chisako into the corner and tags Evans, chops by Evans and she snapmares Chisako before kicking her in the back.

Evans applies a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and elbows Matsumoto on the apron. Chisako elbows Evans and hits a dropkick, she goes to make a tag but McKenzie runs in and knocks Matsumoto off the apron. Evans stomps Chisako in the back and tags McKenzie, superkick by Evans and McKenzie covers Chisako for two. McKenzie picks up Chisako and applies a headlock, but Chisako gets a foot on the ropes to get a break. Chisako snaps off a cutter and finally tags in Matsumoto, Matsumoto shoulderblocks both her opponents but McKenzie blocks the backdrop suplex attempt. Matsumoto is whipped into the corner but stacks both Evans and McKenzie in the turnbuckles before hitting a Body Avalanche. Evans and McKenzie both roll out of the ring, Chisako gets in the ring so that Matsumoto can pick her up and toss her down onto both of them. Chisako rolls McKenzie back in, Matsumoto suplexes McKenzie and covers her for two. McKenzie fights back with elbows but Matsumoto blocks the spear attempt, McKenzie blocks Matsumoto’s vertical suplex and hits a swinging neckbreaker for two. She tags in Evans, kicks by Evans to Matsumoto but Matsumoto blocks the PK and elbows Evans in the face. Matsumoto knees Evans as they trade blows back and forth, superkicks by Evans but Matsumoto levels her with a lariat. Matsumoto crawls to her corner and tags Chisako while McKenzie is tagged as well, they trade elbows until Chisako delivers a dropkick. McKenzie throws Chisako in the corner but Chisako slides out to the apron and goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick. Sliding kick by Chisako and she covers McKenzie for two.

Chisako picks up McKenzie but McKenzie gets her back, they trade waistlocks until Matsumoto runs in and helps Chisako. Backdrop suplex/cutter combination to McKenzie, but she kicks out of the cover. Chisako goes up top but Evans grabs her from the apron, Matsumoto elbows Evans off the apron but McKenzie avoids Chisako’s diving footstomp. McKenzie dropkicks Chisako in the leg and hits a sliding uppercut, cover by McKenzie but it gets a two count. Chisako gets back up as they exchange strikes, hard elbows by Chisako but McKenzie superkicks her when she goes off the ropes. McKenzie picks up Chisako but Matsumoto runs in and elbows her, Evans goes up top and hits a diving crossbody onto Matsumoto. Spear by McKenzie to Matsumoto, she goes back to Chisako and drops her with a double underhook facebuster for a two count. McKenzie picks up Chisako but Chisako rolls her up for two, Matsumoto comes in and lariats McKenzie before she catapults Chisako at McKenzie for a dropkick. Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako followed by a Matsumoto reverse double kneedrop, Chisako goes up top but Evans joins her. Matsumoto powerbombs Evans onto McKenzie, diving footstomp by Chisako but McKenzie barely kicks out of the cover. Chisako goes up top and nails the Hormone Splash, but McKenzie reverses her cover into a cradle for the three count! Medusa Complex remain the champions.

It took a few minutes to get going, but once they did this was pretty fantastic. Chisako and Matsumoto are so so good, I can’t put enough emphasis on how they carried (I mean that in a good way) two less experienced wrestlers through a smooth and well-worked match. Chisako just is so vicious, often times for no reason, and I love her strikes. Evans was the least involved of the four but hit her spots well, and the end stretch was fire as it was just constant action. My only real critique is I didn’t love the ending – I never like it when a wrestler just blows off another wrestler doing their finisher to reverse it into a pin, even though McKenzie sold it after she did basically no-sell the Hormone Splash and all the other offense just done to her. I get they wanted a kinda fluky win since Chisako out-ranks McKenzie but I’d preferred just a traditional cradle if that was the direction they were going, or off some other type of sneaky deception. Still, a hard hitting and entertaining match, it makes me want to hunt down more of McKenzie as she really held her own against two of the best wrestlers in Joshi.  Recommended

(c) Chihiro Hashimoto vs. (c) Sareee
Diana World Championship and Sendai Girls’ World Championship

After sizing each other up they tie-up, Chihiro pushes Sareee into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Knuckle lock by Chihiro and they go into a Test of Strength, Chihiro pushes Sareee to the mat but Sareee gets out of it and hits an armdrag. Hard lariat by Chihiro but Sareee quickly kicks out of the cover and they are back on their feet. They struggle for position, Chihiro gets Sareee down and goes for an armbreaker, but Sareee quickly gets out of it. Rolling headlock by Sareee but they end up in the ropes, Chihiro lets up Sareee as the match resets. Chihiro applies a cross-arm submission before picking up Sareee and applying a guillotine. Delayed vertical suplex by Chihiro, and she covers Sareee for a two count. Sareee elbows Chihiro but Chihiro elbows her back as they trade blows, Sareee rebounds off the ropes with an armdrag before dropkicking Chihiro. Sareee goes off the ropes but Chihiro drives her into the corner, Irish whip by Chihiro but Sareee jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a dropkick. Chihiro puts Sareee in a Cobra Twist before tossing her to the mat, deadlift by Chihiro and she hits a scoop slam followed by a somersault senton for two.

Chihiro slams Sareee in front of the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Sareee avoids the senton and kicks her repeatedly in the back. She goes for a PK but Chihiro catches it, crab hold by Chihiro but she lets go as Sareee gets close to the ropes. Chihiro stretches Sareee before stomping her in the back, she goes off the ropes but Sareee rolls her to the mat before hitting a footstomp. Footstomp from the second turnbuckle by Sareee, she then goes all the way up and hits a second diving footstomp, picking up a two count cover. Elbows by Sareee, she goes off the ropes but Chihiro hits a lariat. Sareee charges Chihiro but Chihiro hits a spear, waterwheel drop by Chihiro but Sareee kicks out of the cover. Chihiro goes off the ropes but Sareee hits her with a dropkick, a second dropkick sends Chihiro out of the ring and Sareee goes up top to dive out onto Chihiro. She then gets on the apron and hits a diving footstomp to the floor, she goes to return to the ring but Chihiro grabs her and powerbombs her onto the floor. Chihiro returns to the ring while Sareee tries to recover, she eventually gets back in and Chihiro covers her for two. Chihiro picks up Sareee and hits a series of hard lariats, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a somersault senton for a two count. Chihiro goes up top but Sareee recovers and joins her, Chihiro knocks her back down but Sareee snaps back up and headbutts Chihiro.

Another headbutt by Sareee and she drops Chihiro with a release German, Chihiro gets back up but Sareee hits another German suplex for a two count. Chihiro gets Sareee’s back and hits a German suplex of her own, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They both slowly get up and trade elbows, they then trade slaps until Chihiro floors Sareee with a lariat. Chihiro picks up Sareee but Sareee reverses the powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana for two. Tilt-a-whirl schoolboy by Sareee, but that gets a two as well. She goes off the ropes but Chihiro catches her and hits a release German, lariat by Chihiro and she gets a two count cover. Chihiro picks up Sareee and hits a belly to belly suplex, she drags her back up and drops her with a powerbomb. Chihiro gets Sareee around the waist but Sareee elbows away, Chihiro goes off the ropes but Chihiro nails a uranage. Sareee picks up Chihiro and hits a second uranage, cover by Sareee but Chihiro barely gets a shoulder up. Sareee goes for a third but Chihiro grabs the ropes to block it, she rolls up Chihiro but it gets a two count. Chihiro rams Sareee down and hits a series of short-range lariats, but Sareee nails another uranage for two. Sareee picks up Chihiro and kicks her in the jaw, hammerlock uranage by Sareee and she picks up the three count! Sareee is now a double champion!

My gut reaction after watching this match was that this is my favorite match of 2019, period. To say I loved it would be an understatement, and it went beyond just Sareee being great as Chihiro Hashimoto matched her step for step. Chihiro isn’t flashy but she does so many little things right – just for two examples, I loved that she let go of a submission before Sareee could get a break to pull her out so she could apply another submission, and her cutting off the “trading running strikes” spot with a spear was a nice change of pace from the norm. She is an incredibly smart worker and her strength is impressive, she just isn’t like most other Joshi wrestlers. Sareee delivered too of course, her strikes are so on point and I love her uranages. It says a lot that this wasn’t a short match but it left me wanting more, they could have gone another ten minutes and I wouldn’t have complained, but sometimes less is more which is a lesson I think more wrestlers could learn. It felt like a real struggle with tangible urgency and it kept me captivated, they were just throwing bombs and I was loving every minute of it. I know “must see” is thrown around a lot but this is legitimately a must-see match, even for wrestling fans that aren’t normally into Joshi. Its that damn good. I’d give this ***** without blinking an eye, I don’t see how any match will top this in my end-of-year ranking, an instant classic.  Highly Recommended

The post Sendai Girls’ Big Show In Niigata on 6/8/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: GAEA Japan “HEARTFUL BODY LANGUAGE IN NAGOYA”
Date: January 28th, 1996
Location: Nagoya City Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,500

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

We continue our march with GAEA Japan with this smaller even in Nagayo. Not necessarily smaller in regards to attendance, but this event didn’t really have the big matches that the last few shows have had. We are getting two more matches in the Neo Energy Queen History Tournament, which lasted for months, so at least we will get to see the rookies in singles action. Here is the full card:

• Neo Energy Queen History ’95: Toshie Sato vs. Toshie Uematsu
• Neo Energy Queen History ’95: Chikayo Nagashima vs. Makie Numao
• Chigusa Nagayo, Meiko Satomura, and Sonoko Kato vs. Combat Toyoda, Kaori Nakayama, and Yukari Ishikura

All the wrestlers on the show have profiles on the website, you can click on their names above to go straight to it. There may be some clipping but hopefully it will be minimal since none of these matches were super long anyway.

Toshie Sato vs. Toshie Uematsu
Neo Energy Queen History ’95 Tournament

Uematsu and Sato tie-up, Sato bumps Uematsu to the mat before kicking her. Uematsu comes back with a dropkick and applies a headlock, she picks up Sato and applies a grounded necklock. Sato gets out of it, snapmare by Sato and she puts Uematsu in a crossface. Uematsu gets back up and hits a back elbow in the corner, another elbow by Uematsu and she mounts Sato in the corner before delivering a couple punches. Scoop slam by Uematsu and she covers Sato for two. Sato sneaks in an inside cradle, dropkick by Sato and she hits a scoop slam for a two count. Wristlock by Sato and she kicks Uematsu’s arm in the ropes, armdrag by Sato and she goes for a cross armbreaker. She gets it locked in but Uematsu quickly gets to the ropes and forces the break, Sato picks up Uematsu and goes back to work on her arm. Armbar by Sato but Uematsu applies an inside cradle for two. Irish whip by Sato but Uematsu hits a jumping crossbody for another two count. Uematsu trips Sato and puts her in a crab hold, she stretches Sato before covering her for two. Uematsu goes for a snapmare but Sato reverses it into a backside, stomps by Sato and she hits a scoop slam.

Sato puts Uematsu in a crab hold, she lets go after a moment and goes for a back bodydrop, but Uematsu jumps over her and the two trade flash pins. Uematsu goes off the ropes but Sato catches her from behind and rolls her up for two. Sato throws Uematsu into the corner but Uematsu avoids her charge and does a kick flip. Cradle by Uematsu, but it gets a two. Sato charges Uematsu in the corner but Uematsu cradles her for another two count, Sato slams Uematsu to the mat and hits a neckbreaker. Another neckbreaker by Sato, she picks up Uematsu but Uematsu hits a side headlock takedown. Scoop slam by Uematsu, she goes up top and hits a diving body press but it only gets two. Face Crusher by Sato, she throws Uematsu to the ropes and hits a hard shoulderblock. Sato goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, shoulder powerslam by Sato and she hits a pair of elbow drops for a two count. Sato goes up top but Uematsu hits her from behind, Japanese Leg Roll Clutch by Uematsu and she picks up the three count! Toshie Uematsu is the winner and gets a point.

Even for a rookie match, this was really basic. I’ve seen both of these wrestlers do more, maybe they really do need a veteran in the ring to string together something more complex as this was basically just submission holds and cradles. Pretty much a nothing match, both went on to have solid careers but almost one year into their careers they weren’t ready yet to put on an entertaining match on their own.

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Makie Numao
Neo Energy Queen History ’95 Tournament

Chikayo quickly gets Makie to the mat and stomps her, Makie comes back with kicks and hits a back bodydrop for two. They return to their feet, kick by Makie and she kicks Chikayo in the chest. Snapmare by Makie and a kick to the back, scoop slam by Makie and she covers Chikayo for two. Makie whips around Chikayo by the hair before applying a headlock, she lets her go after a moment and Chikayo knocks her down with a pair of dropkicks. Scoop slam by Chikayo, and she covers Makie for two. Chikayo stomps on Makie’s leg and puts her in a crab hold, but Makie crawls to the ropes and forces the break. Scoop slam by Chikayo and she throws down Makie by the hair, scoop slam by Chikayo and she covers Makie for two. Irish whip by Chikayo but Makie reverses it and kicks Chikayo in the chest. Bodyscissors by Makie but Chikayo gets a foot on the ropes, snapmare by Makie and she kicks Chikayo in the back. Scoop slam by Makie, she picks up Chikayo but Chikayo throws her into the corner and hits a monkey flip. Chikayo charges Makie but Makie moves and kicks Chikayo out of the ring, Makie goes out after her and throws Chikayo into the guard rail. Chikayo returns the favor and tosses Makie into the opposite railing before returning to the ring, Makie follows her but Chikayo dropkicks her into the corner.

Snapmare by Chikayo and she applies a chinlock, camel clutch by Chikayo and she switches it into a bodyscissors. Makie gets into the ropes for the break, Chikayo picks up Makie but Makie sneaks in a cradle for two. Kicks to the chest by Makie, cover by Makie but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Makie and she applies a wristlock, armdrags by Makie but Chikayo hits a quick crossbody. Irish whip by Chikayo and she hits a series of front rolls into headbutts, high kick by Chikayo but Makie blocks the next one and kicks Chikayo in the back. Cover by Makie, but Chikayo gets a foot in the ropes. Irish whip by Makie but Chikayo reverses it and hits a cutter, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. Chikayo goes off the ropes but Makie puts her in a dragon sleeper, but Chikayo quickly gets in the ropes. Kick to the chest by Makie and she goes for the sleeper again, but Chikayo gets in the ropes Makie goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Chikayo barely kicks out. Irish whip by Makie but Chikayo rolls her up for a two count, kick by Makie but Chikayo catches the next one. Irish whip by Chikayo but Makie knees her in the stomach, more kicks by Makie and she covers Chikayo for two. Makie goes up top but Chikayo catches her with an armbar when she jumps off. Makie gets a foot in the ropes, Chikayo charges her and hits the Corbata for the three count! Chikayo Nagashima wins and gets one point in the tournament.

This was a step up from the last match but still a bit clunky. The issue here is that they both have very different styles, which is fine for veterans but rookies have more issues meshing with someone doing something totally different than they are. So the transitions were rough between spots and they used a lot of the same moves to switch who was on offense. Still, Makie has a nice dragon sleeper and Chikayo looked the best of the four rookies we saw today as she is smooth with her offense. Not a great match but a watchable one between two rookies.

Chigusa Nagayo, Satomura, and Kato vs. Combat Toyoda, Nakayama, and Ishikura

Toyoda and Nagayo start the match, they lock knuckles and get into a shoulderblock battle until Nagayo takes Toyoda to the mat. Sonoko and Meiko both come in and dropkick Nagayo, Nagayo tags in Sonoko while Meiko stays in the ring too but Toyoda rams their heads together. Scoop slam by Toyoda and she hits a bodyblock, lariat by Toyoda in the corner on Sonoko and she tosses Sonoko over her head. Cover by Toyoda, but Meiko breaks it up. She tags in Yukari, dropkick by Yukari but Sonoko reverses a back bodydrop attempt into a sunset flip and tags in Meiko. Running elbow by Meiko to Yukari and she hits a second one, cover by Meiko but it gets two. Meiko charges Yukari but Yukari tackles her, stomps by Yukari and she tags in Kaori. Kaori snapmares Meiko around the ring and slams her head into the mat a few times, but Meiko gets away and tags in Nagayo. Kicks by Nagayo and she hits a vertical suplex, but Yukari breaks up the cover. Nagayo picks up Kaori and hits a uranage, she tags in Sonoko and Sonoko dropkicks Kaori in the corner. Another dropkick by Sonoko and she hits a scoop slam, but Kaori fights back and tags in Toyoda. Irish whip by Toyoda and she floors Sonoko back a back elbow, backbreaker by Toyoda and she gives Sonoko and airplane spin before tossing her to the mat. Toyoda charges Sonoko in the corner but Sonoko moves out of the way and kicks her, she tosses Toyoda into the corner and tags in Nagayo.

High kick by Nagayo but Toyoda ducks the heel kick and tags in Yukari. Yukari goes for a missile dropkick but hits Toyoda by accident, Nagayo lariats Toyoda but Kaori runs in and with Yukari they double team Nagayo. Space Rolling Elbow by Kaori in the corner but Nagayo kicks Yukari back and throws her into the corner. Toyoda tags in, she clubs Nagayo but Nagayo kicks her and hits a powerbomb. Piledriver by Nagayo and she covers Toyoda for a two count. Nagayo kicks Toyoda but Toyoda blocks one and applies a sleeper, but Meiko breaks it up. Both Nagayo and Toyoda’s teammates run in and hit dropkicks, Meiko and Kaori are both tagged in and Meiko dropkicks Kaori. Kaori comes back with a cutter, diving crossbody by Yukari and she slams mm in front of the corner so that Kaori can hit a moonsault. Kaori picks up Meiko but Meiko applies a seated armbar, Kaori quickly gets to the ropes but Meiko applies an armbreaker in the middle of the ring. Toyoda breaks it up, Yukari and Sonoko are both tagged in and Sonoko hits a Lou Thesz Press. Bulldog by Sonoko but Yukari delivers a diving crossbody, double underhook suplexes by Yukari but Meiko breaks up the cover. Toyoda comes in and lariats both Meiko and Sonoko, she then drops Sonoko with a backdrop suplex. Toyoda picks up Sonoko while Yukari goes up top, and together they hit a powerbomb/diving crossbody combination for a two count when Nagayo breaks it up. Nagayo suplexes Toyoda and then hits a sidewalk slam on Yukari, Kaori dropkicks Meiko but Sonoko scoops up Yukari and nails the Kamikaze Bomb for the three count! Chigusa Nagayo, Meiko Satomura, and Sonoko Kato win!

While the match had some hot moments, generally it just felt really disorganized and not in the good way. There wasn’t a lot of rhyme or reason to what they were doing, the tags didn’t have any heat and at times the transitions were non-existent. On the plus side, anytime Toyota and Nagayo squared off it felt like a big deal, and also whenever the rookies got one better on their veteran counterparts. On the low end of the GAEA Japan multi-woman main events they have had since they opened shop, it wasn’t bad but didn’t feel particularly fresh or captivating.

The post GAEA Japan HEARTFUL BODY LANGUAGE on 1/28/96 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Over the next eternity, I will be watching and reviewing all GAEA Japan events in order, starting with their debut show on April 15th, 1995. Visit the GAEA Japan Project page for a brief history of the promotion, the roster page, my favorite matches from the promotion, and the full list of all events reviewed. I will also be uploading my favorite match from each show so that everyone can enjoy it.

If you want to watch the GAEA Japan events I am reviewing, Mike Lorefice sells the complete seasons at a very reasonable price both via download and physical copy. Mike’s quebrada.net is one of the sites I’m using to write these reviews, its a great resource for learning more about GAEA Japan and wrestling in general.

We have finally reached the final event of 1995! That took awhile. GAEA Japan returns to Korakuen Hall for their pre-Christmas show, with a big main event as Chigusa Nagayo takes on Combat Toyoda. We also get the first appearance by the legendary FMW wrestler Megumi Kudo here as well, as Team FMW takes on Team GAEA Japan. Three of the matches were shown on the one hour broadcast, here are the matches:

• Chihiro Nakano vs. Chikayo Nagashima 
• KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Toshie Uematsu vs. Megumi Kudo, Kaori Nakayama, and Yukari Ishikura
• Chigusa Nagayo vs. Combat Toyoda
  

The main event in particular should be interesting as Chigusa Nagayo tends to bring her best when defending her home turf, although Toyoda isn’t always easy to work with. All the wrestlers have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Chihiro Nakano vs. Chikayo Nagashima

Chikayo and Chihiro circle each other to start, back bodydrop by Chihiro but Chikayo trips her and delivers a stomp. Chihiro gets Chikayo’s ankle but Chikayo slides away and hits a scoop slam. Kicks by Chikayo and she hits a few snapmares before applying a crossface. Chihiro gets into the ropes for the break but Chikayo applies a side headlock, Chihiro gets out of it and hits a scoop slam for two. Crab hold by Chihiro and she grabs Chikayo’s arm to further stretch her, armbar by Chihiro but Chikayo gets to the ropes. Chihiro elbows Chikayo’s arm and goes for across armbreaker, but Chikayo blocks it. Chikayo kicks Chihiro away and hits a pair of dropkicks, but Chihiro bridges out of the pin. Crossface by Chikayo, she throws Chihiro into the corner but Chihiro avoids her charge and pushes Chikayo out of the ring. Chihiro goes out after her but Chikayo moves when Chihiro goes for a knee, and Chihiro collides with the guard rail. Chikayo slides Chihiro back in and puts her in an ankle hold, but Chihiro gets to the ropes for the break. Snapmare by Chikayo and she goes back to Chihiro’s leg, but Chihiro recovers and returns the favor as she goes for Chikayo’s leg as well.

Chikayo gets into the ropes, Chihiro picks her up but Chikayo hits a crossbody for two. Chikayo throws down Chihiro by the hair and hits a dropkick, scoop slam by Chikayo and she covers Chihiro for another two count. Front roll by Chikayo but Chihiro catches her and they trade quick pins. Back up, Stunner by Chikayo and she hits an Ace Crusher for two. Chikayo throws Chihiro into the corner but Chihiro jumps up the turnbuckles and hits a sunset flip for two. Chihiro goes for Chikayo’s leg but Chikayo quickly grabs the ropes, running knees by Chihiro and she covers Chikayo for a two count. Jumping knee in the corner by Chihiro but she accidentally flies out of the ring in the process, she quickly gets back in the ring and hits a scoop slam for two. Chihiro slams Chikayo in front of the corner, she goes up top and hits a diving kneedrop, but Chikayo kicks out of the cover again. She goes for Chikayo’s knee but Chikayo gets to the ropes, Chihiro picks up Chikayo but Chikayo snaps off a Corbata for the three count! Chikayo Nagashima wins the match!

They certainly get an A for effort, they were going all out in this match. Not always effectively, but they tried. The story was loose at best so its easier watching these matches remembering both are rookies, so you wouldn’t expect rookie wrestlers even in fake-world to have a real plan on winning. They are just doing the best they can with their limited knowledge. So even though it was all over the place, it was exciting and interesting throughout so its hard to have too many complaints. All things considered, a pretty entertaining way to kick off the TV airing.  Mildly Recommended

KAORU, Meiko Satomura, and Uematsu vs. Megumi Kudo, Nakayama, and Yukari Ishikura

Meiko and Yukari start the match, armdrag by Meiko but Yukari puts her in a headscissors. Kaori runs in and they hit a double dropkick onto Meiko, Yukari tags in Kaori and she dropkicks Meiko again. Another dropkick by Kaori and she applies an armbar, she tags in KAORU and KAORU continues on Meiko’s arm. Yukari returns as Team FMW takes turns on Meiko’s arm, but knocks her back and makes the tag to Toshie. Dropkick by Toshie to Yukari and she rams her into the turnbuckles before applying a chinlock. Side headlock by Toshie and she puts Yukari in a Indian Deathlock, she tags in KAORU as Meiko comes in as well so they can all boot Yukari. Meiko and Toshie both come off the top with attacks to Yukari’s arm, arm wringer by KAORU to Yukari and she tags in Meiko. Meiko goes for a cross armbreaker but Kaori breaks it up, dropkick by Meiko to Yukari and she covers her for two. Meiko tags Toshie, Toshie stays on Yukari’s arm before delivering a jumping kick to her face. Yukari comes back with a dropkick and tags in Kudo, crossbody by Kudo to Toshie and she hits a scoop slam. Kudo stretches Toshie and puts her in a camel clutch, Yukari and Kaori run in and stomp on Toshie while she is on the hold.

Kaori is tagged in, stomps to the leg by Kaori and she twists on Toshie’s leg. Kudo returns and puts Toshie in a figure four but Meiko breaks it up, Kudo slaps Meiko and goes back to Toshie as she throws her into the mat. She tags in Kaori, face crushers by Kaori but Toshie sneaks in an inside cradle for two. This gives her time to tag in KAORU, front dropkick by KAORU to Kaori and she puts her in a Camel Clutch. Meiko and Toshie come in and take turns dropkicking Kaori while she is in the hold, Mexican Surfboard by KAORU but Kudo eventually breaks it up. KAORU tags Meiko, elbows by Meiko and she covers Kaori for two. Kaori comes back with a Space Rolling Elbow but Meiko hits a running elbow smash and applies the cross armbreaker. Yukari quickly breaks it up, scoop slam by Meiko and KAORU goes up top to attempt a moonsault. Kaori moves out of the way however, Kudo dropkicks KAORU from behind and plants KAORU with a backdrop suplex. Kaori goes up top and hits a moonsault onto KAORU, she tags in Kudo and Kudo boots KAORU in the face. Enzuigiri by Kudo, she goes up top but Toshie grabs her from the apron. That gives KAORU time to recover, she gets Kudo on her shoulders but Kudo slides off and puts KAORU in a dragon sleeper.

That quickly gets broken up, Kudo picks up KAORU but Toshie and Meiko run in an dropkick her. Double missile dropkick by Meiko and Toshie, KAORU picks up Kudo and hits a leg clutch backdrop suplex hold for two. Scoop slam by KAORU and she nails the swandive moonsault, but Kaori breaks up the cover. KAORU tags Toshie, Meiko comes in too and all three attack Kudo in the corner. Toshie charges Kudo but Kudo puts her in a sleeper hold, she swings Toshie around while in the hold before dropping her to the mat. She tags in Yukari, dropkick by Yukari in the corner and Kaori hits a Space Rolling Elbow. Face crusher by Kudo, Yukari goes up top but Toshie recovers and joins her. Yukari pushes Toshie away and hits an avalanche sunset flip, but Meiko breaks up the cover. Kaori comes in and they double team Toshie, but again her cover is broken up. Kaori hits a diving crossbody on Toshie, Yukari goes up top as Kudo holds Toshie, but KAORU hits a swandive dropkick onto Kudo. Yukari dives off anyway but Toshie gets out of the way, Toshie crucifixes Yukari from behind and she picks up the three count! Team GAEA Japan wins!

I wouldn’t say this was the most fluid and smooth match, but it was fun. The rookies got confused a few times, which isn’t incredibly unusual, but they kept the pace up. Megumi Kudo, to the surprise of no one, controlled the match and team GAEA Japan was only able to win by getting a flash pin after knocking Kudo out of the way for a moment. Lots of style, a little bit of substance, but generally speaking they all came out of it looking fine and it made me want to see Megumi Kudo in a bigger match as she brought something a bit different to the table than we have seen recently in GAEA Japan.  Mildly Recommended

Chigusa Nagayo vs. Combat Toyoda

We join this match in progress, with Nagayo working over Toyoda’s leg on the mat. Figure four by Nagayo but Toyoda rolls to the ropes and grabs them to force a break. Scorpion Deathlock by Nagayo but again Toyoda gets to the ropes, kicks by Nagayo and she headbutts Toyoda, but Toyoda hulks up and absorbs the blows. Toyoda headbutts Nagayo repeatedly and they reach a stalemate, headbutt by Nagayo but Toyoda blocks the slam attempt. Nagayo finally manages to hit the slam, she challenges Toyoda to try to slam her back and Toyoda manages to do so. Vertical suplex by Toyoda, she covers Nagayo but it only gets two. Scorpion Deathlock by Toyoda but Nagayo gets out of it and rolls out of the ring, she returns after a moment but Toyoda tackles her soon after. Nagayo goes for Toyoda’s arm from the bottom and gets an armbar applied, Toyoda gets to the ropes so Nagayo picks her up and hits a heel kick.

She goes for another one but Toyoda catches her and hits a backdrop suplex, another backdrop suplex by Toyoda and she delivers a missile dropkick. Nagayo falls out of the ring, Toyoda goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her with crossbody to the floor. Toyoda goes to get back in the ring but Nagayo grabs her from behind and hits a backdrop suplex onto the floor. Now it is Nagayo that goes up and dives out of the ring onto Toyoda with a crossbody, she gets back into the ring and waits for Toyoda to recover. Toyoda eventually returns, Nagayo goes for a powerbomb but Toyoda blocks it. Head kicks by Nagayo but Toyoda fires back with a lariat, German suplex by Nagayo and she goes up top, delivering a diving heel kick. Cover by Nagayo, but it gets a two count. Nagayo puts Toyoda on the top turnbuckle and joins her, hitting an avalanche DDT for another two.

Nagayo goes for a kick but Toyoda catchers her leg and elbows her in the knee, she does it a second time and puts Nagayo in a sleeper. Nagayo backs Toyoda into the corner to get out of the hold, high kick by Nagayo and she gets on the turnbuckles, but Toyoda joins her and hits an avalanche backdrop suplex for a two count. Scoop slam by Toyoda, she goes up top and nails a diving body press for another two. Toyoda puts Nagayo on the top turnbuckle with Nagayo facing the crowd, Toyoda gets up with her and slams her back into the ring, but Nagayo gets a shoulder up on the cover. Nagayo recovers first and puts Toyoda in a sleeper, but Toyoda crawls to the ropes and gets there for the break. Elbow by Nagayo, she goes for the powerbomb but Toyoda lariats her to the mat. Toyoda gets on the second turnbuckle but Nagayo kicks her from behind, she gets Toyoda on her back and she nails the Running Three for the three count pinfall! Chigusa Nagayo is the winner!

We missed about half the match, so we basically went straight to the meat of the match and didn’t see how they introduced it. From what we saw, this was a very… Chigusa Nagayo match. If you like things such as selling big spots and transitions, this is not the match for you as they blew off things that usually have no business being blown off. Toyoda is really good at the hardcore style but an average “normal” match wrestler, I almost wish they had gone to more of a brawl style as it probably would have been a better match. It still had some drama and memorable sections, the effort was there to put on something special, but the work was lacking at times. I still liked it as I am a big Chigusa Nagayo fan and it did have the big match feel, I just wish it was a more cohesive match as not everything clicked.  Mildly Recommended

The post GAEA Japan “Come On Hurry! XMAS Fighting” on 12/23/95 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: April 16th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 998

I don’t normally review events the moment they become available, but I was a little excited for this show. Sendai Girls’ flies under the radar for the bulk of the year but a few times a year they pop in for a major show such as this one. For Korakuen Hall they give us a special treat as this event is a real banger, with the last four matches in particular all having a real chance of being memorable. Jordynne Grace is the special guest here as she challenges Chihiro Hashimoto, plus we get Sareee facing off against Meiko Satomura! Here is the full card:

• KAORU and Mikoto Shindo vs. Mei Suruga and Ryo Mizunami
• Aiger and Sakura Hirota vs. Alex Lee and Bolshoi Kid
• Sendai Girls Junior Championship: Millie McKenzie vs. Manami
• Mika Iwata vs. Yuu
• Meiko Satomura vs. Sareee
• DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Hikaru Shida and Killer Kelly
• Sendai Girls World Championship: Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Jordynne Grace

This show was broadcast on Samurai TV so some matches may be clipped to fit into the two hour block. All wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it.

KAORU and Mikoto Shindo vs. Mei Suruga and Ryo Mizunami

We join this one in progress with Mei and Mikoto in the ring, they both attempt scoop slams until Mikoto hits one and covers Mei for two. Dropkick by Mikoto and she tags in KAORU, KAORU boots Mei in the face but Mei gets away from her and rams KAORU head-first into the turnbuckles. She tries to do it a second time but KAORU blocks it, dropkick by Mei and she twists on KAORU’s arm before springboarding around the ring into an armdrag. Ryo comes in, she picks up Mei and rams her into KAORU for another two count. Mei tags Ryo, spear by Ryo to KAORU and she chops her into the corner. Mikoto gets tired of watching Ryo and attacks her from behind, but Mei come in too to even the odds. Mei and Ryo both attack their opponents in opposite corners before posing in the middle of the ring, Ryo goes back to KAORU but KAORU elbows her off. Lariat by Ryo and she covers KAORU, but the pin is broken up. Double Irish whip to KAORU but KAORU cartwheels through it, she gets her board and hits Ryo in the head with it. Excalibur by KAORU, but Ryo gets a shoulder up on the cover.

KAORU goes up top but Mei hits her from the apron, Mikoto runs over to grab Mei and KAORU goes for the Valkyrie, but Ryo rolls out of the way. Lariat by Ryo,  but KAORU bridges out of the pin and cradles Ryo for two. KAORU goes off the ropes and hits a Frankensteiner, but Mei breaks up the cover. KAORU tags in Mikoto, dropkicks by Mikoto and she tries to slam Ryo, but Ryo blocks it. Scoop slam by Ryo and she hits a leg drop for a quick two. Crab hold by Ryo but KAORU comes in with her board and hits Ryo in the head with it. Big boot by KAORU, she grabs Mikoto and suplexes her onto Ryo. Mikoto picks up Ryo and stomps her foot before finally scoop slamming her, cover by Mikoto but Ryo kicks out. Mikoto goes off the ropes but Mei hits her from the apron, Ryo charges in but she hits Mei by accident. Mikoto locks in a few flash pins but Ryo kicks out each time, KAORU helps with a big boot but Mei breaks up the cover. Mikoto goes off the ropes but Ryo catches her with a powerslam, hard lariat by Ryo but Mikoto barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Ryo locks in a deep crab hold and Ryo has no choice but to submit! Mei Suruga and Ryo Mizunami are the winners.

For a clipped opener, this was actually really good. As I suspected, KAORU and Ryo are two that don’t mind giving rookies some offense and this is the best I have seen from both Mikoto and Mei as they were able to do more than just intro-level offense. Even though the veterans maintained their dominance, the rookies both had segments where they got over on the veterans, making it feel like a more even exchange than it really was. KAORU played it straight, which was appreciated, and Mei is a treasure to watch. Really solid way to begin the show.  Mildly Recommended

Aiger and Sakura Hirota vs. Alex Lee and Bolshoi Kid

Needless to say, this won’t be your traditional match. Bolshoi Kid and Alex get the early advantage, Bolshoi Kid and Sakura both get an opponents wrist and walks the ropes, but while Bolshoi Kid successfully hits an armdrag per usual Sakura crotches herself on the top rope. Bolshoi Kid goes off the ropes to do a dive but poses in the ring instead, meanwhile Aiger chases Alex around the floor. Bolshoi Kid joins the fun too and drags Sakura around ringside, but eventually she gets back in the ring with Alex and Sakura. Sakura is double teamed in the corner, Alex stays in with Sakura and kicks her into the corner. Alex charges Sakura but Sakura gets her to stop, face crusher by Sakura and she rolls out of the ring as Aiger comes in as legal. Bolshoi Kid comes in too, Aiger uses her creepy zombie tactic and hits a DDT, but is too slow to capitalize so Bolshoi Kid knocks her to the mat. Bolshoi Kid snaps a rope into Aiger’s face chokes her with it, but Aiger gets a chair and hits everyone with it. Bolshoi Kid gets the chair from her and sits down on it, leading to all four wrestlers trying to sit in the chair.

They play Musical Chairs but they all sit in the chair together again, Bolshoi Kid tries to sit in the chair again but Sakura pulls it out from under her and covers Bolshoi Kid for two. Alex and Sakura remain in the ring, suplex by Alex and she kicks Sakura in the chest. Sakura drop toeholds Alex into the ropes and gives her the Oil Check, Sakura jumps over Alex repeatedly but Alex rolls out of the way when she tries to chop her. Or elbow her, not sure. Sakura convinces Alex to try to do the same and Alex complies but Sakura kicks her in the stomach before she can finish. Bolshoi Kid comes in and also tries to get over on Sakura, but Sakura schoolboys her. Aiger gets on the top turnbuckle and scares Bolshoi Kid before biting her hand, Sakura Oil Checks Bolshoi Kid but Aiger then spits dust into Sakura’s face. Sakura falls on top of Bolshoi Kid with the cover, but Bolshoi Kid kicks out. Aiger holds Alex for Sakura but Alex moves and Sakura kisses Aiger by mistake, high kick by Alex to Sakura and Bolshoi Kid hits Sakura with a Tiger Feint Kick. Oil Check by Bolshoi Kid to Sakura, she applies La Magistral and she picks up the three count! Bolshoi Kid and  Alex Lee win!

This isn’t my favorite type of match and honestly I wish it had been clipped (which it was not). Having Bolshoi Kid involved added something a bit different to it but otherwise it was just your standard Aiger and Sakura Hirota match we have all seen a hundred times. Skippable early-card fodder for me, but if you enjoy these matches then its probably worth the watch.

(c) Millie McKenzie vs. Manami
Sendai Girls’ Junior Championship

Manami dropkicks Millie in the back before the match starts, she knocks Millie into the corner and takes her to the mat, putting Millie in a headlock. Millie recovers and puts Manami in a headlock of her own, but Manami switches it into a headscissors. Millie stretches Manami’s legs before putting her in an ankle hold, Manami crawls to the ropes and she forces the break. Millie goes for a snapmare but Manami reverses it into one of her own, bodyscissors by Manami and she stretches Millie’s back. Manami picks up Millie but Millie hits a scoop slam, Manami fires back with elbows and she hits a dropkick. Millie kicks Manami in the midsection and drops her with a swinging neckbreaker, cover by Millie and she gets a two count. Millie picks up Manami but Manami dropkicks her, sunset flip by Manami but Millie kicks out. Manami tries a few more flash pins with no success, Manami gets Millie’s back and puts her in the Cattle Mutilation , she pulls Millie back up and cradles her but Millie kicks out. Manami goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Manami but Millie avoids the next one and gets Manami’s back. Manami elbows away and hits another dropkick, but Millie comes back with a spear and she picks up the three count! Millie McKenzie wins and retains the championship.

I was really enjoying this until it ended so suddenly. For wrestlers their age/lack of familiarity with each other, the mat wrestling was really smooth and even though it was a short match they both showed natural ability. The ending was out of left field, it felt like the match was still crescendoing when it was abruptly over. A lot of fun while it lasted, I haven’t seen much of Millie McKenzie previously but just from this five minutes she seems to show a lot of promise.  Mildly Recommended

Mika Iwata vs. Yuu

They tie-up to start, Yuu gets Mika to the mat but Mika returns to her feet only to eat a hard shoulderblock. Chops by Yuu and she puts Mika in the corner, Irish whip by Yuu but its reversed and Mika hits a jumping knee. Hard kick to the back by Mika and she hits a PK for a two count. Mika picks up Yuu but Yuu catches her with a swinging sidewalk slam followed by a running senton for two. Yuu deadlifts Mika up and hits a powerslam, Yuu goes to pick up Mika but Mika elbows her back and the two trade blows. Mika goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her with an elbow, Yuu charges Mika but Mika delivers a superkick. Back up they jockey for position, Mika rolls up Yuu but it gets two. Kicks to the chest by Mika but Yuu catches one and tosses Mika to the mat. Dropkick by Yuu in the corner, she rolls Mika to the middle for of the ring and covers her for two. Yuu picks up Mika and chops her but Mika kicks her back, Mika goes off the ropes but Yuu catches her with a judo toss. Yuu goes for a sleeper but Mika elbows out of it, she goes off the ropes but Yuu again catches her with a judo throw. Yuu goes for a powerbomb but Mika reverses it into a cross armbreaker, but Yuu lifts Mika up and powerbombs her way out of the hold. Yuu goes for a chop but Mika kicks her arm, Yuu comes back with a lariat and both wrestlers are down. Yuu tries to pick up Mika but her arm gives out on her, she ducks Mika’s high kick but Mika connects with her second attempt. Mika quickly jumps up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a high kick, cover by Mika and she picks up the three count! Mika Iwata is the winner!

Another good match, and one of the things I liked about it is that it told an old school story that you don’t see much these days. Limb work is common, limb work that actually prevents a wrestler from doing a big move and they lose because of it happens far less often and I appreciate that attention to detail. I wouldn’t say they had great chemistry, which isn’t too surprising, but they worked well enough together and clearly had a plan that they stuck to. Yuu is a beast but the story here was more Mika’s attempts to neutralize her, which she was able to do. Straight-forward but well done, and even though it was a bit short I thought they both did a great job with the time constraints. Not a MOTYC type match but a really solid midcard match.  Recommended

Meiko Satomura vs. Sareee

They begin with a tie-up, Satomura pushes Sareee into the ropes but she gives a clean break. They go into a Test of Strength, Satomura gets Sareee to the mat but Sareee applies a headscissors as they trade holds. Satomura gets the better of things on the mat and stops Sareee from reaching the ropes, she kicks Sareee in the chest repeatedly but Sareee hits a springboard armdrag followed by a dropkick. Sareee puts Satomura in her modified Muta Lock, she lets go after a moment and hits jumping footstomps. Sareee picks up Satomura but Satomura kicks her in the head with her heel, kicks to the leg by Satomura and she puts Sareee in a leg submission. Sareee gets into the ropes for the break, Satomura picks her up but Sareee delivers an elbow and the two trade shots. Satomura goes off the ropes but Sareee nails her with a dropkick, another dropkick by Sareee but Satomura drops her with a backdrop suplex. Satomura kicks Sareee into the corner, but Sareee ducks a kick and hits rapid fire elbows. Satomura knocks Sareee to the mat, Irish whip by Satomura and she nails a jumping heel kick. Kick to the head by Satomura and Sareee rolls out of the ring before collapsing on the floor. Satomura goes out after her and slides Sareee back into the ring, Sareee goes for a kick but Satomura catches it and hits a leg sweep. Seated armbar by Satomura but Sareee rolls to the ropes and gets the break.

Satomura picks up Sareee and she hits a vertical suplex, hard elbow by Satomura but Sareee jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hits a dropkick. Sareee goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes to the top turnbuckle again but Satomura hits a Pele Kick on her before she can jump off. Backdrop suplex by Satomura, but Sareee kicks out of the cover. Satomura goes for a choke but Sareee slides away, Satomura kicks her in the chest but Sareee fires up and elbows her. She eats a hard elbow for her trouble, Satomura goes off the ropes but Sareee ducks her heel kick and delivers a thrust kick. She then goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her in the head, cover by Satomura but Sareee bridges out of the pin. Satomura immediately drops her with a Death Valley Bomb, she picks up Sareee but Sareee slides away and hits a Uranage. Sareee picks up Satomura but Satomura snaps off a DDT, she goes off the ropes and hits the cartwheel kneedrop. Satomura positions Sareee and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Sareee recovers and tosses Satomura back to the mat. Kicks to the chest by Sareee but Satomura kicks her in the head, another high kick by Satomura and she nails a Death Valley Bomb, but Sareee barely kicks out of the cover. Satomura picks up Sareee but Sareee quickly hits a Uranage, one final Uranage by Sareee and she covers Satomura for the three count! Sareee is the winner!

This is a peak Meiko Satomura match. The style isn’t for everyone, but it should be as its a no-nonsense hard hitting style that barely gives you a chance to breath during the home stretch. I really hope this is built upon as its a big deal for Sareee to beat Meiko Satomura, who isn’t the unbeatable force she used to be but still is one of the top active Joshi wrestlers across the entire scene. Every time Satomura drilled Sareee, Sareee was right there to drill her back and everything she gave to Sareee, Sareee had an answer. The kicks were brutal and the suplexes were really snug, as neither was going to allow the other to be the tougher wrestler. Wrestling is cooperative of course but I do believe there are times wrestlers give their opponents a little extra and I think both were doing that here, the last five minutes were just bombs and big strikes until Sareee hit the right combination to hold down Satomura barely long enough for the three count. I wouldn’t go as far as say this was an official torch passing, its too early to know for sure, but its a big moment in Sareee’s career and she delivered. A must-see match from two of the most entertaining wrestlers in all of wrestling.  Highly Recommended

DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Hikaru Shida and Killer Kelly

Hiroyo and Hikaru start the match for their respective teams, hard shoulderblock by Hiroyo but Hikaru kips up and hits a hurricanrana. Hikaru goes for a jumping knee but Hiroyo catches her, she throws Hikaru into the corner but Hikaru avoids her charge and they reach a stalemate. Kelly and Chisako tag in, leg kicks by Kelly but Chisako trips her and goes for Kelly’s ankle. Kelly kicks Chisako away and hits an uppercut in the corner, knees by Kelly and she nails a pump kick for a two count. Irish whip by Kelly but Chisako boots her, Hiroyo comes in and she helps Chisako take out Kelly. Hikaru jumps in to help but gets a double dropkick for her trouble, Hiroyo throws Kelly into the corner and chops her in the chest. Hiroyo throws Kelly into the corner but Kelly avoids her charge, elbows by Hiroyo but Kelly catches one and headbutts her. Double underhook suplex by Kelly and she dropkicks Hiroyo in the corner, giving her time to tag in Hikaru. Hikaru knees Hiroyo in the corner, she puts her across the second rope and suplexes Chisako into Hiroyo. Vertical suplex by Hikaru, she goes off the ropes but Hiroyo blocks the knee to the head.

Enzuigiri by Hikaru, she goes off the ropes but Hiroyo catches her hurricanrana attempt and applies a crab hold. Hikaru gets to the ropes for the break, Hiroyo gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the reverse double kneedrop, but Hikaru kicks out of the cover. Chisako is tagged in and she hits a missile dropkick to Hikaru, another dropkick by Chisako and she covers Hikaru for two. Hard elbow by Chisako but Hikaru nails her with a jumping knee. Hikaru goes for another knee but Chisako moves, Hikaru gets Chisako’s back and knees her in the back of the head. Running knee by Hikaru, but it gets a two count cover. Hikaru tags in Kelly, kick to the gut by Kelly and she hits a gutwrench suplex. Kelly picks up Chisako and puts her on the top turnbuckle, Kelly joins her and applies a hanging guillotine. She legs go after a moment and gets back into the ring, she puts Chisako in the Tree of Woe before hitting a dropkick for two. Chisako falls out of the ring, Kelly gets on the apron but Chisako blocks the PK attempt. Hikaru gets on the apron too but Chisako avoids both of their strikes and Hiroyo knocks them both down to the floor. Hiroyo picks up Chisako and press slams her out of the ring down onto the floor, Hiroyo slides Chisako and Kelly back into the ring and Chisako hits a running elbow.

Dropkick by Chisako, and she covers Kelly for two. Chisako goes up top but Kelly recovers and joins her, Chisako headbutts Kelly but Hikaru runs in and superplexes Chisako to the mat. PK by Kelly to Chisako, cover by Kelly but it gets two. Kelly and Chisako trade elbows, Chisako goes off the ropes but Kelly nails a big boot. Kelly and Chisako slowly get up, head kick by Kelly and Hikaru runs in to knee Chisako in the face. Fisherman suplex hold by Kelly, but Hiroyo breaks it up. Hiroyo boots Kelly and hits a short range lariat, Hiroyo tosses Chisako at Kelly for a catapult dropkick and Chisako covers her for a two count. Chisako goes for a suplex but Kelly blocks it, Chisako slides away and Hiroyo drops Kelly with a backdrop suplex. Chisako goes up top but Hikaru runs in and joins her, Hiroyo grabs Hikaru from behind however and powerbombs her while Chisako hits Kelly with the diving footstomp. Cover by Chisako, but Kelly barely gets a shoulder up. Chisako quickly goes back up top again and this time she nails the Hormone Splash, picking up the three count! DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto are the winners.

Even though this was the longest match on the card, the time just flew by as the action was non-stop. Hikaru Shida and Chisako don’t have any ‘slowdown’ in them so anything they were involved the pace was hectic, while Hiroyo and Kelly were able to keep up without any real issues. Kelly looked a bit awkward at times but generally didn’t look out of place, her moveset is unique so it helped the match feel fresh. While it wasn’t chock-full of ring psychology or a deeper meaning, sometimes four wrestlers going all-out to entertain is all you need. A simple story, but a very fun match to watch nonetheless.  Recommended

(c) Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Jordynne Grace
Sendai Girls’ World Championship

Jordynne and Chihiro jockey for position to start, they briefly take it to the mat but quickly return to their feet. Chihiro pushes Jordynne into the ropes but Jordynne switches positions with her before hitting a side headlock takedown. Chihiro gets out of it and they reach another stalemate, they go into a Test of Strength which Chihiro gets the better of at first. Jordynne bridges back up and they trade wristlocks, side headlock by Jordynne but Chihiro Irish whips out of it and they collide with neither wrestler going down. They both try to knock each other over until Jordynne finally succeeds, snapmare by Jordynne and she connects with a sliding lariat for two. Jordynne goes for a stretch hold but Chihiro reverses it, Chihiro gets Jordynne’s waist and takes her to the mat, putting her in a modified choke. Chihiro throws Jordynne into the corner but Jordynne elbows her as she charges in, Jordynne tosses Chihiro out to the apron and punches her through the ropes, but Chihiro blocks the suplex attempt. Jordynne slides out of the ring and slams Chihiro face-first into the apron, she puts Chihiro against the ring post and chops her. Jordynne slides Chihiro back in the ring, cover by Jordynne but it gets a two count.

Jordynne picks up Chihiro but Chihiro scoop slams her, rolling senton by Chihiro and she covers Jordynne for two. Both wrestlers slowly get up, Jordynne kicks Chihiro when she charges in and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Chihiro recovers and joins her. Jordynne flips over Chihiro’s back and nails a powerbomb, but Chihiro gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt. Jordynne grabs Chihiro but Chihiro elbows her off, alternative lariats by Jordynne and she covers Chihiro for two. Jordynne kicks Chihiro and lariats her in the chest, Irish whip by Jordynne and she delivers a spinebuster. Jordynne pulls Chihiro near the corner and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Chihiro grabs her from behind and drops her with a release German. Lariat by Chihiro but Jordynne isn’t phased and fires back with her own lariat, both wrestlers are very slow to return to their feet and they trade elbows once both manage to do so. Lariat by Chihiro but Jordynne slams Chihiro for a two count. Jordynne picks up Chihiro and throws her into the corner, she puts her on the top turnbuckle and goes for a Muscle Buster, but Chihiro slides away. Chihiro picks up Jordynne and nails a hard powerbomb, German suplex hold by Chihiro and she gets the three count! Chihiro Hashimoto wins and retains the championship.

A pretty good match and a fine conclusion for this event. It went about as you’d expect and how it should have gone, two strong wrestlers slamming into each other repeatedly until someone went down. Lots of power moves, hard lariats, and general toughness. Even though the match was on the short side for a main event title match it didn’t feel like it ended prematurely, they had the time to tell the story they were going to tell. Some of the drama was taken out simply because there wasn’t really any chance Chihiro was losing, but it was an even match with both getting their shots in. Overall entertaining, it didn’t reach the levels of Satomura/Sareee but still a match that fans of either won’t be disappointed in. Mildly Recommended

The post Sendai Girls’ on 4/16/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Sendai Girls’
Date: March 9th, 2019
Location: Miyagino Ward Cultural Center in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Announced Attendance: 295

For reasons unknown to everyone, even though Sendai Girls’ has an online subscription service, instead of uploading events to that they have started uploading their events free on Youtube. And not just old events but recent events like this one, which was uploaded just a few days after it took place. Even though I question this decision I am happy for it as it allows me to watch recent Sendai Girls’ events for free. This isn’t a big show for the promotion, no title matches, but it does feature a handful of my favorite wrestlers in all of Joshi. Here is the full card:

• Manami vs. Mari Manji
• Mikoto Shindo vs. Sareee
• Hikaru Shida and Alex Lee vs. KAORU and Ray Lyn
• Manami Katsu vs. Meiko Satomura
• Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata vs. DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto

Even though they didn’t include any fluff like graphics or backstage interviews, all matches will be shown in full. If you are not familiar with one of the wrestlers, you can click on their names above to to straight to their profile on Joshi City.

Manami vs. Mari Manji

Mari and Manami circle each other to start and trade wristlocks, dropkick by Manami and she knocks Mari down into the corner. Irish whip by Manami but Mari kicks her in the chest, she goes for a crab hold but Manami gets into the ropes. Judo tosses by Mari and she hits an armdrag and keeps an arm hold applied on the mat but Manami make it to the ropes. Armbreaker by Mari but Manami comes back with a pair of dropkicks, elbows by Manami but Mari knocks her back to the mat. Manami returns to her feet and the two trade elbows, a battle which Mari wins. Manami throws Mari into the corner and hits a dropkick, cover by Manami but it gets a two count. Elbows by Manami but Mari fires back with hard shoulderblocks, crab hold by Mari but Manami inches to the ropes for the break. Scoop slam attempt by Mari but Manami reverses it into a short armbar, Mari rolls out of it but Manami dropkicks her. Irish whip by Manami and she sneaks in a backslide for a two count. Cattle Mutilation by Manami but Mari gets into the ropes, Manami goes off the ropes but Mari hits a hard elbow. Side Russian Leg Sweep by Mari and she wraps up Manami in a stretch submission hold, and Manami has no choice but to submit! Mari Manji is the winner.

Even with Manami almost two years into her career, due to her age (14 at the time of this match) she is still going to be losing for awhile. She showed some fire and smoothness, anyone that makes it through training with Meiko Satomura is going to know what they are doing, and there may be some potential there. Mari was mostly in “abuse the child” mode which is a unique position for her, the offense wasn’t always exciting but it was methodical anyway. A good rookie opener.

Mikoto Shindo vs. Sareee

Mikoto and Sareee circle each other but reach an early stalemate, knucklelock by Sareee and she flings Mikoto into the corner. They trade wristlocks and headlocks, Sareee goes off the ropes and they exchange armdrags. Dropkick by Mikoto but Sareee pushes her into the corner and tosses her down by the hair. Bodyscissors by Sareee and she elbows Mikoto hard in the chest, snapmares by Sareee and she hits a scoop slam. Crab hold by Sareee but Mikoto inches to the ropes for the break, dropkick to the back by Sareee and she puts Mikoto in a modified Muta Lock. She lets go after a moment and stomps Mikoto in the back, Irish whip to the corner by Sareee but Mikoto reverses it and hits a dropkick. Elbows by Mikoto but Sareee returns the favor and the two trade shots until Sareee sends Mikoto to the mat with a hard elbow. Mikoto gets back up but Sareee knocks her down again, Mikoto goes for a crossbody but Sareee catches her and hits a backbreaker. Crab hold by Sareee but Mikoto again gets to the ropes for the break, Sareee pulls her back to the middle but Mikoto rolls up Sareee for two. Dropkicks by Mikoto but Sareee dropkicks her back, Mikoto goes for a few flash pins but Sareee kicks out a two each time. Dropkicks by Mikoto, she picks up Sareee and hits a scoop slam for a quick cover. Back up, dropkick by Sareee and she drills Mikoto with another one while she is against the ropes, Sareee goes to the top turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick, but Mikoto barely kicks out of the cover. Sareee goes up top again and delivers a second missile dropkick, and this time she gets the three count! Sareee is the winner.

Even though it didn’t quite reach my hopes and dreams, this was still a fun early-card match. Sareee kept it basic for the rookie and didn’t do her full range of offense, she even seemed reluctant to do the dropkick against the ropes until she got frustrated that she hadn’t won yet. I do love the modified Muta Lock that Sareee uses, great looking move that she could probably use as a finisher if she wanted to. Mikoto didn’t get a chance to show much but was fine with what she did, as the year progresses hopefully she’ll continue to grow. Like the first match, nothing exciting but perfectly acceptable.

Hikaru Shida and Alex Lee vs. KAORU and Ray Lyn

Alex and Ray start the match, they are slow to engage but finally do as they trade holds. Alex punches Ray and gets her down to the mat, but Ray returns to her feet and applies a wristlock. Alex works a headlock but Ray gets out of it, hard shoulderblock by Alex and she throws Ray into the corner, but Ray avoids her charge and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. They trade trips and covers but reach a stalemate as both return to their feet. Hikaru and KAORU tag in, Hikaru charges KAORU but KAORU holds down the top rope and Hikaru tumbles out of the ring. KAORU goes out after her as Ray comes over to help, Alex runs over two and both teams brawl around the floor. KAORU and Hikaru return, KAORU slams Hikaru in front of the corner and goes up top with her board, but Hikaru moves when she tries to drop it on her. KAORU picks the board up but Hikaru kicks it out of her hand, Hikaru slams KAORU in front of the corner and get on the turnbuckle with her kendo stick and drops it onto KAORU. KAORU is supposed to catch it but misses, so she ends up getting hit with it.

They have a chuckle, KAORU picks the kendo stick back up but the referee takes it from her and Hikaru hits a missile dropkick. She tags in Alex, kick by Alex and she throws KAORU into the corner, but KAORU boots her when she charges in and hits a big boot before tagging in Ray. Ray hits a DDT on Alex for a two count, she goes for a cutter but Alex pushes her away. They trade kicks until Alex tosses Ray to the mat and kicks her in the head for a two count cover. She tags in Hikaru, Hikaru knees Ray in the back of the head but Ray blocks the suplex attempt and connects with a series of kicks. Hikaru regains control and hits a vertical suplex, she throws Ray into the corner and delivers a jumping knee. Ray returns the favor with a knee of her own, another jumping knee by Hikaru but again Ray fires back with another knee. Ray goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Ray but Hikaru kicks out. Ray tags in KAORU who comes in with her board, but Hikaru gets her kendo stick to even the odds.

KAORU knocks the kendo stick out of Hikaru’s hand and hits her repeatedly with the board, backdrop suplex by KAORU and she goes up top, but Alex grabs her before she can hit the moonsault. KAORU boots Hikaru into the corner and into Alex before both she and Ray connect with running strikes, double vertical suplex to Hikaru and KAORU covers her for two. KAORU goes up top but Hikaru knocks her onto the apron and suplexes her back into the ring, she crawls to her corner and makes the hot tag to Alex. Alex kicks KAORU into the corner and hits a jumping knee, release German by Alex and she delivers a buzzsaw kick, but Ray breaks up the cover. Alex slams KAORU in front of he corner, she goes up top but KAORU avoids the footstomp attempt. KAORU gets her board but Hikaru grabs it from her, double Irish whip to KAORU but KAORU cartwheels away and boots Alex in the head. Scoop slam by KAORU, she goes to the top turnbuckle but Alex rolls out of the way of the Valkyrie Splash. Alex goes for a chokebomb but KAORU reverses it into a cradle for two, high kick by Alex but again KAORU sneaks in a flash pin for a two count. Hikaru runs in with a knee to KAORU, another buzzsaw kick by Alex but KAORU bridges out of the pin and cradles her for the three count! KAORU and Ray Lyn win the match!

While there were some talented wrestlers here, this felt very “small match mid-card”-y in execution. There was nothing really wrong with it, everyone got their spots in and Hikaru Shida was great the few times she got to do something, but it didn’t have any sense of urgency or meaning. I didn’t really like KAORU just bridging out of the pin after taking signature moves from both Alex Lee and Shida, it just felt a bit lazy for her to basically no-sell it to get the win. I like the bridging spot in general, it just didn’t really work for me there. A fundamentally fine but generally forgettable match.

Manami Katsu vs. Meiko Satomura

Meiko and Manami lock knuckles to start but Meiko quickly gets Manami to the mat, they struggle for position until Meiko lets Manami go and both wrestlers return to their feet. Manami works a headlock, Meiko reverses it but Manami knocks her down with a hard shoulderblock. Manami puts Meiko in the Romero Special before letting to to drop an elbow on Meiko’s back. Manami applies a chinlock and then a bodyscissors, but Meiko spins out of it and elbows Manami in the face. Meiko gets Manami’s ankle but Manami gets into the ropes, Meiko elbows Manami into the corner and connects with a jumping elbow smash, but Manami returns the favor with her own elbows. Kicks by Meiko and she hits a vertical suplex, but Manami snaps off a Stunner and a kick to the head. Running boots by Manami and she hits a sliding knee, cover by Manami but it gets two.

Manami picks up Meiko but Meiko uppercuts her, kicks to the chest by Meiko and she delivers a spin kick to Manami’s head. Meiko goes for a cross armbreaker, but Manami blocks it and gets a foot on the ropes. Kick by Meiko but Manami hits a Samoan Drop, backdrop suplex by Manami but Meiko keeps a hold of her head with a headlock. Meiko applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Manami gets out of it, kicks by Meiko and she snaps Manami’s arm over her shoulder. She tries to do it again but Manami grabs Meiko around the neck and applies a Dragon Sleeper. Short range lariat by Manami, she goes off and hits a second lariat before covering Meiko for a two count. Manami connects with a spinning backfist, she picks up Meiko but Meiko spins away from her and delivers a high kick. Hard elbow by Meiko, Irish whip by Meiko and she hits a spinning heel kick. Death Valley Bomb by Meiko, and she picks up the three count! Meiko Satomura wins the match.

A straight-forward match, but a good one. I felt going in that Manami Katsu had no chance of winning this match and unfortunately they didn’t do anything to try to change my mind as Meiko kept things in control. She didn’t even need a lot of her bigger signature moves to put down Manami, a heel kick and one Death Valley Bomb was enough as the young Manami went down fairly easily. Manami did get in her shots, it was certainly not a squash, but it felt more like a Meiko clinic than a typical back-and-forth affair. A decent match but I am surprised that Meiko Satomura didn’t give Manami Katsu a bit more to work with.  Mildly Recommended

Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata vs. DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto

Chisako and Chihiro are the first two in, they quickly end up on the mat but return to their feet as they struggle for control. Chisako boots Chihiro against the ropes, Hiroyo comes in as does Mika and the veteran team wins the exchange. Footstomp by Chisako to Chihiro, she throws her into the corner but Chihiro fires out of it with a hard shoulderblock. Mika gets back in and flips Chihiro onto Chisako, Chihiro tags Mika and Mika kicks Chisako in the back. Chisako elbows Mika and the two trade blows, Chisako boots Mika to the mat but Mika gets back up leading to more elbows being thrown. Chisako knocks Mika to the mat again and tags Hiroyo, Hiroyo knocks Chihiro off the apron and chops Mika into the corner. Hiroyo sets up Mika in the corner and hits a body avalanche, Mika fights back with elbows but Chisako runs in and she is double teamed. Chisako is tagged back in, face crusher by Chisako to Mika but Mika superkicks her and tags in Chihiro. Chihiro picks up Chisako but Chisako slides away and rolls her up for two, giving her time to tag Hiroyo. Chihiro knocks out both of them and tosses Chisako onto Hiroyo before hitting a somersault senton for a two count on Hiroyo.

Chihiro picks up Hiroyo and puts her in a stretch hold but Hiroyo reverses it, they trade lariat attempts until Hiroyo knocks Chihiro to the mat. Hiroyo goes off the ropes but Chihiro returns the favor with her own hard lariat, and both wrestlers are down. They slowly get up, another lariat by Chihiro and she covers Hiroyo for two. Chihiro tags Mika, kicks by Mika to Hiroyo but when Chihiro tries to help she elbows Chihiro by accident. Chisako comes in then but Mika kicks both of them, she goes off the ropes but eats a double dropkick. Hiroyo tags Chisako, Chisako goes up top and hits a missile dropkick followed by a sliding kick for a two count. Chisako picks up Mika but Mika knees her, jumping knee by Mika and she covers Chisako for two. Mika goes for a PK but Chisako ducks, Mika kicks her anyway however and after a second kick to the chest she covers her for a two count. Mika rolls to her corner and tags Chihiro, spear by Chihiro and she hits the Waterwheel Drop for two. Chihiro goes for a powerbomb but Chisako gets out of it, Hiroyo runs in and elbows Chihiro and Chisako knocks her in the ropes with a sliding kick. Chisako goes up top but Mika runs in and joins her, superplex by Mika and Chihiro gets on the second turnbuckle, but Hiroyo comes in and goes for her own superplex.

Chihiro elbows her before the move can be hit but Chisako joins Chihiro and delivers a Frankensteiner. Sliding elbow by Hiroyo to Chihiro, Chisako follows with a Northern Lights Suplex but Chihiro kicks out at two. Chisako goes back up and hits a diving footstomp, but again Chihiro barely gets a shoulder up. Chisako goes for the Hormone Splash but Chihiro rolls out of the way, Mika comes in to help but Hiroyo drops them both with a backdrop suplex. Chisako and Hiroyo Irish whip Chihiro but Chihiro lariats them both, diving body press by Mika and Chihiro follows with a diving somersault senton for two. Mika kicks Hiroyo in the head to get rid of her, Chihiro grabs Chisako and drops her with a release German. Chihiro picks up Chisako and nails a powerbomb, cover by Chihiro but Chisako kicks out. Chihiro grabs Chisako by the waist but Chisako gets into the ropes, Chihiro goes off the ropes but Chisako wraps her up and cradles Chihiro for the three count! DASH Chisako and Hiroyo Matsumoto win!

For a smaller show main event, this was a solid match. Chihiro is such a beast, I really enjoyed all of her segments as she has such a commanding presence and her strength is really impressive. All four got a chance to shine but Chihiro stuck out above the rest. The match had a clear line where they went from preliminary offense to a more urgent pace, and once they crossed that line the match stayed hot until the ending. The ending was a bit of a damper, not that Chisako isn’t at the level to pin the champion but I’d have preferred a more conclusive ending for the final match on the card. Still, an entertaining match featuring four really good wrestlers, any combination of these four brings quality wrestling every time.  Recommended

The post Sendai Girls’ on 3/9/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

  

• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2018, or any championship that was held when 2018 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.
• Wrestler Status in a Promotion: Generally speaking, the Ace of one promotion will be ahead of the #3 wrestler in another promotion, since wrestling on top means bigger matches, longer matches, and more opportunities. There isn’t a direct correlation, but leading a promotion or being the ‘face’ of a promotion can help a wrestler’s rank as it increases the wrestler’s visibility and importance.
• Match Frequency/Availability: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 10 matches. Also, it is harder to ‘rate’ a wrestler if their matches rarely were distributed via TV or an online streaming service, so visibility is a factor.

One criteria I am not using, because I disagree with it, is ‘drawing power.’ In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions may have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria (visibility being a major one), the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration. Also, it should be noted that this ranking is based on a wrestler’s matches/participation in Japan.

1. Momo Watanabe (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship and the Goddesses of Stardom Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Io Shirai on 5/23, vs. Jungle Kyona on 6/26, vs. Kagetsu on 9/30, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 10/30, with Utami vs. Kyona and Tora on 11/23
Best Match: vs. Io Shirai on 5/23 in Stardom

2018 was a unique year, as there wasn’t a clear-cut #1 wrestler as we have sometimes seen in the past. Deciding on the top wrestler wasn’t easy, but I went with Momo Watanabe for a number of reasons. She had a fistful of matches in the ****+ range, with her matches against Jungle Kyona and Io Shirai topping the list. She excelled in both singles and tag competition, winning major titles in both divisions and winning a tournament as both a singles and tag wrestler as well (Cinderella and Goddess of Stardom Tag League, respectively). At only 18 years old (she started the year only 17) she is poised to be the Ace of Stardom for years to come, as long as she can fend off her tag team partner Utami Hayashishita.

2. Misaki Ohata (Pro Wrestling WAVE)

Championships Held: Regina Di WAVE Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Yumi Ohka on 1/20, vs. Arisa Nakajima on 2/12, vs. Rina Yamashita on 6/3, with Mizunami vs. BORDERLESS on 11/1, vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 12/9, vs. Ryo Mizunami on 12/29
Best Match: vs. Arisa Nakajima on 2/12 in Pro Wrestling WAVE

The “retirement” bump in rankings strikes again as it tends to, and while Misaki’s retirement did contribute to her great year it was not the only factor. From a title standpoint, Misaki held the top title in WAVE for about half of the year, with wins over Arisa Nakajima and Rina Yamashita along the way. Even though she did not hold any tag titles, she continued to team with Ryo Mizunami and took their entertaining act to many different promotions as a farewell tour, including Diana, Ice Ribbon, Michinoku Pro, YMZ, DDT, and SEAdLINNNG. In regards to just pure match quality, it can be argued that no wrestler surpassed Ohata as she had multiple ****+ matches, including against Arisa Nakajima (twice), Yumi Ohka, and Takumi Iroha. From an emotional and output standpoint, Ohata had a hell of a run for her last year as a professional wrestler.

3. Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: Ice Ribbon ICExInfinity Championship and the Ice Ribbon Triangle Ribbon Championship
Biggest Matches: with Nakajima vs. Yamashita and Yoshiko on 5/16, vs. Hamuko Hoshi on 6/16, vs. Maya Yukihi on 8/26, vs. Risa Sera on 12/2, vs. Misaki Ohata on 12/9, vs. Yukihi on 12/31
Best Match: vs. Maya Yukihi on 8/26 in Ice Ribbon

Tsukasa Fujimoto won the Tokyo Sports Award for top women’s wrestler, and well deserved. Tsukasa’s year started a bit slow but once it got into swing in the summer, she was one of the best in Japan for the rest of the way. Tsukasa had two great matches with Maya Yukihi during the year, in August and in December, and she showed her versatility as she also wrestled in a Blast Queen (exploding bat) match as well. She teamed with her best friend Arisa Nakajima off and on all year, and even though they didn’t win any titles, their match quality was still top notch and they did reach the finals of the SEAdLINNNG tournament to crown their first tag champions. Overall, from her controlling Ice Ribbon for half the year to putting on a variety of entertaining matches, it was a banner year for the 35 year old veteran.

4. Kagetsu (Stardom)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship and the Goddesses of Stardom Championship
Biggest Matches: with Natsu Sumire vs. Nakano and Shirai on 4/1, vs. Toni Storm on 6/9, with Hazuki vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani on 6/17, vs. Mayu Iwatani on 8/12, vs. Hana Kimura on 10/23
Best Match: with Hazuki vs. DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto on 11/16 in Sendai Girls’

What a year for the Oedo Tai leader. As Stardom’s roster continued to change, Kagetsu took full advantage as she won her first singles championship in the promotion when she defeated Toni Storm for the World of Stardom Championship. She also stood atop the tag division for half of the year, and had a memorable feud with former member Hana Kimura for the last few months of 2018. Kagetsu also took part in one of the most unique matches in Stardom history, a Current Blast Exploding Death Match. Kagetsu was frequently overshadowed by Momo Watanabe as she did not have much success on the tournament scene, but overall she was one of the most consistent wrestlers and focuses of the promotion and looks to continue that in 2019 as she still holds the World of Stardom Championship.

5. Miyu Yamashita (Tokyo Joshi Pro)

Championships Held: TOKYO Princess of Princess Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Reika Saiki on 1/4, with Maki Itoh and Mizuki vs. Azusa Christie, Sakisama, and Yoshiko-sama, vs. Rika Tatsumi on 5/3, vs. Yuu on 8/25
Best Match: vs. Rika Tatsumi in Tokyo Joshi Pro

The undisputed Ace of Tokyo Joshi Pro, Miyu Yamashita dominated singles action in the promotion in 2018. Miyu won the Princess of Princess Championship at the start of the year and ended the year with it as well, with a total of six successful defenses. Miyu had less luck in tournaments (losing in the second round of the Tokyo Princess Cup) and tag division (one unsuccessful attempt to win the tag champion) which hurt her year a bit, but her year-long run with the top title of the promotion can’t be ignored. She also had several matches highly regarded, with her singles matches against Rika and Yuu in particularly getting high marks. As Miyu entered 2019 still the champion, she will look to build on her successes in a new year.

6. Yoshiko (SEAdLINNNG)

Championships Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Championship, OZ Academy Tag Team Championship, Blast Queen Championship, and the OZ Academy Openweight Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Mayumi Ozaki on 3/17, vs. Hikaru Shida on 6/3, with Yamashita vs. Takahashi and Fujimoto on 7/25, with Yamashita vs. Yukihi and Ozaki on 9/17, with Yamashita vs. Matsumoto and Yoneyama on 12/2
Best Match: vs. Hikaru Shida on 6/3 in OZ Academy

Yoshiko continued her return to relevance after a great 2017 with an even better 2018, as she was a force to be reckoned with in several promotions. In her home promotion of SEAdLINNNG, she became the first holder of the Beyond the Sea Tag Team Championship (along with partner Rina Yamashita) as they held the titles for 141 days before losing them late in the year. She also held the OZ Academy tag titles with Rina as well, as the two were one of the top tag teams in Japan. In singles action, she held the Oz Academy Openweight Championship for the first half of the year before losing it to Hikaru Shida, and was also the Blast Queen Champion for six months. Overall, Yoshiko had 13 title matches in 2018 as she stayed very active. Yoshiko dipped her toe in DDT as well, as she was one of the most-traveled women in Japan with appearances in seven different Japanese promotions.

7. Chihiro Hashimoto (Sendai Girls’)

Championships Held: Sendai Girls’ World Championship and the Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Ayako Hamada on 4/19, vs. DASH Chisako on 6/24, with Iwata vs. Miyagi and Katrina, with Chisako vs. Kagetsu and Hazuki on 11/16, vs. Meiko Satomura on 11/17
Best Match: with Chisako vs. Kagetsu and Hazuki on 11/16 in Sendai Girls’

Chihiro Hashimoto cemented her place as Ace of Sendai Girls’ on 2018, as she made her mark in both the singles and tag team division. She held the Sendai Girls’ World Championship for 10 of the 12 months of the year, and also won the tag team championship with Mika Iwata in September which they held through the end of the year. The only thing holding Chihiro back is a variety of challengers, as since Sendai Girls’ has a smaller roster she is running out of new wrestlers to beat. Sendai Girls’ online streaming service being a flop in 2018 didn’t help, as she had less matches that “made TV” in 2018 than most of the wrestlers around her on this list. Still, Chihiro continued to improve in the ring and put on some quality hoss matches during the year, hopefully she’ll get more of a chance to show her skills to a wider audience in 2019.

8. Hikaru Shida (Freelancer)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Openweight Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Rina Yamashita on 3/17, vs. Yoshiko on 6/3, vs. Aja Kong on 9/17, vs. Risa Sera on 12/31
Best Match: vs. Aja Kong on 9/17 in OZ Academy

The top Freelancer on the list, Hikaru Shida seemed to be everywhere in 2018. Freelancers are known for having very up and down years, disappearing from this list at a whim, as their successes are so reliant on promotions they are not affiliated with giving them an opportunity. OZ Academy was Shida’s main home for the year, where she won the OZ Academy Openweight Championship against Yoshiko. She also had what is considered by many the top Joshi match of 2018 in OZ Academy against Aja Kong on September 17th in a defense of the title. Beyond OZ Academy, she also had high end matches in Ice Ribbon (including a hardcore match) and Sendai Girls’. Between her great matches and success in OZ Academy, Shida is easily one of the top ten wrestlers of the year.

9. Rina Yamashita (Pro Wrestling WAVE)

Championships Held: OZ Academy Tag Team Championship and the SEAdLINNNG Beyond the Sea Tag Team Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Misaki Ohata on 6/3, with Yoshiko vs. Takahashi and Fujimoto on 7/25, with Yoshiko vs. Yukihi and Ozaki on 9/17, vs. Arisa Nakajima on 10/3
Best Match: vs. Misaki Ohata on 6/3 in Pro Wrestling WAVE

2018 was an interesting year for Rina Yamashita. She had no singles titles and only had one challenge, however she (along with Yoshiko) had a lot of success in the tag division. Yamashita held tag titles in two different promotions and had a number of memorable matches in the process, including a great match against Avid Rival. Even though she didn’t win a championship as a singles wrestler, she had great singles matches against Arisa Nakajima and Misaki Ohata and also won the Catch the WAVE Tournament. Yamashita goes into 2019 becoming a Freelancer with no belts, so she’ll have an upward battle to maintain a Top 10 ranking.

10. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom)

Championships Held: Goddesses of Stardom Championship and the Artist of Stardom Championship
Biggest Matches: vs. Toni Storm on 4/1, with Kashima vs. Oedo Tai on 6/3, vs. Kagetsu on 8/12, vs. Utami Hayashishita on 9/24, with Kashima and Nakano vs. JAN on 9/30, vs. Momo Watanabe on 10/23
Best Match: vs. Utami Hayashishita on 9/24 in Stardom

Even though Mayu Iwatani has been officially skipped over to becoming the Ace of Stardom, she still had a really solid year. She held both the tag titles and trio titles in Stardom, and most importantly she also won the 5STAR Grand Prix. The Finals of the tournament is considered by some as one of the top Joshi matches of the year, as she defeated rookie phenom Utami Hayashishita. Her feud with Oedo Tai and Kagetsu continued and kept her in the spotlight, however she did go 0-3 in singles title matches. Mayu will always be a fan favorite and will continue to put on great matches, but she may be eternally in the upper mid-card role going forward.

12. Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNNG) – Nakajima only held one title in 2018, and she didn’t win it until December, but in regards to match quality she was among the best. She had really well regarded singles matches throughout the year against a variety of opponents, including against Misaki Ohata, Rina Yamashita, Mio Momono, Command Bolshoi, and Nanae Takahashi. She also continued wrestling with Tsukasa Fujimoto as Best Friends, one of the most talented tag teams in the world. While Nakajima doesn’t seem to be overly concerned with winning titles, as she ended the year with one hopefully that success will continue.

13. Maya Yukihi (Ice Ribbon) – Maya Yukihi slowly is making her case to become the true Ace of Ice Ribbon. Yukihi has two personalities – in Ice Ribbon she is the fan favorite while in OZ Academy she is part of the evil Ozaki Army and wields a whip. She has success as both versions of herself which is a big plus, and even though she isn’t regularly putting on high end matches she makes a point to shine at least a few times a year. Yukihi won the ICExInfinity Championship on the last day of 2018, as she goes into 2019 the top wrestler in the promotion.

14. ASUKA (Pro Wrestling WAVE) – ASUKA made history in 2018, becoming the first openly transgender wrestler to win the top title in a Joshi promotion. She won the Regina Di WAVE Championship from Takumi Iroha in June and held it until December, with two successful defenses between. She also teamed with Hana Kimura in WRESTLE-1, and overall participated in 10 different Japanese promotions over the course of the year. ASUKA became a Freelancer in 2019, opening up her options and she will have plenty of opportunities to grow in new environments as her career continues to move forward.

15. Takumi Iroha (Marvelous) – My personal bias may be coming through a bit, but I really love Takumi Iroha’s wrestling style as she always feels fresh in whatever promotion she is participating in. She did hold two Joshi titles during the year, including the top singles championship in Pro Wrestling WAVE. She was also the top wrestler in her home promotion of Marvelous, which thanks to their streaming service is an easy promotion to watch. I’m not sure what Iroha’s ceiling is with her current situation, but since Chigusa Nagayo has a good relationship with most promotions I am sure we will be seeing much more of her next year.

17. Risa Sera (Ice Ribbon) – Risa Sera fell from her throne of Ice Ribbon Ace, but what really set her apart in 2018 was her willingness and ability to go outside the box. Whether it be in a death match or a hardcore match, Risa Sera always kept things interesting and put on matches that you were going to remember. She had some title success as well as part of Azure Revolution with Maya Yukihi and ended the year as the Blast Queen, but the main factor that got her on this list was that she brings something different to the table. She may never become the consistent Ace of Ice Ribbon but she will always put on a entertaining show.

18. Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls’) – Aside from a brief run as the DDT KO-D Openweight Champion, Meiko Satomura was mostly quiet in Japan in 2018 as she took her talents outside of the country for a good percentage of the year. She still was on Sendai Girls’ events as well, but she mostly took a back seat to Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata. Satomura is still one of the top wrestlers in Japan skill-wise, however with her limited number of televised singles matches in Japan (six) she didn’t have as much of a chance to shine. Satomura will continue to be one of the best wrestlers in Joshi for years to come, but at 39 years old her time as the top wrestler in a promotion are likely over.

19. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom) – I will get some flack for putting a rookie with four months experience on this list, but I can handle it. Utami took the Joshi world by storm after her debut on August 12th, and just a month into her career had one of the best matches of the year against Mayu Iwatani. She didn’t miss a beat after the loss as she joined up with Momo Watanabe to win the Goddesses of Stardom League and then the belts themselves in November. Joshi hasn’t seen a wrestler like Utami in a long time, and at just 20 years old her potential is limitless. Barring an injury, I fully expect Utami to be in the Top 5 next year.

20. Maki Itoh (Tokyo Joshi Pro) – Maki Itoh is still developing in-ring and isn’t known for her technical abilities, but it is hard to deny the impact that she has had on fans just with her personality and charisma. She did win the DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship so she wasn’t title-less for the year, however she made a couple attempts at the Tokyo Princess Tag Team Championship with no success. Still, it is her presence that draws people to her, and if she can improve her wrestling skills (and doesn’t retire) she may move up this ranking next year.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2018 appeared first on Joshi City.