And we are back with more Catch the WAVE! WAVE is releasing these matches in a random way, as they tend to do, and these matches are not on the WAVE Network for reasons unknown. But I tracked them down anyway. These tournament matches are from different days but I will put the date before the match listing. I am also reviewing one match that wasn’t in the tournament because I love both participants. Here are the matches being reviewed (in chronological order):

May 3rd

• Catch the WAVE: Hikaru Shida vs. Rina Yamashita
• Catch the WAVE: Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

May 10th

• Catch the WAVE: Chikayo Nagashima vs. Meiko Tanaka
• Catch the WAVE: Cherry vs. Rabbit Miu
• Catch the WAVE: DASH Chisako vs. Hibiscus Mii
• Catch the WAVE: Hikaru Shida vs. Kaori Yoneyama

May 15th

• Konami vs. Misaki Ohata
• Catch the WAVE: ASUKA vs. DASH Chisako

May 17th

• Catch the WAVE: Melanie Cruise vs. Tsukushi
• Catch the WAVE: Misaki Ohata vs. Yuuka
• Catch the WAVE: Hiroe Nagahama vs. Sareee

These matches are all clipped, just a heads up.

Hikaru Shida vs. Rina Yamashita

They start fast as Yamashita lariats Shida out to the apron, Shida goes up top but she misses the missile dropkick. Mounted elbows by Yamashita but Shida returns fire and they go back and forth. Back up, hip attack by Shida and she hits a second one before sliding Yamashita’s head over the apron and hitting a knee lift. Backbreaker by Shida, and she covers Yamashita for two. Back up the two trade elbows, Shida goes off the ropes but Yamashita clubs her in the chest. Knee by Yamashita and she lariats Shida twice in the corner before covering her for a two count. Yamashita applies the sleeper but Shida quickly gets out of it and hits a series of knees. Yamashita gets the sleeper re-applied, but Shida rolls into the ropes to force a break. Shida blocks the backdrop suplex but Yamashita hits a vertical suplex instead before hitting the backdrop suplex for a two. Yamashita goes up top but Shida joins her and superplexes Yamashita back into the ring. Three Count by Shida, but Yamashita gets a shoulder up. Falcon Arrow by Shida, she goes off the ropes but Yamashita catches her with a lariat.She goes off the ropes but Shida this time catches her with a backbreaker before applying the Stretch Muffler. Shida picks up Yamashita and hits a backbreaker from a fireman’s carry, but the cover gets a two count. Shida puts Yamashita on the top turnbuckle, she goes for the backbreaker onto the turnbuckles but Yamashita slides away. Yamashita grabs Shida from behind and hits an avalanche backdrop suplex for a two count. Quick hurricanrana by Shida but Yamashita blocks the jumping knee and hits a lariat. Another lariat by Yamashita and she hits the Rainmaker for a two count. Yamashita bounces off the ropes multiple times before hitting Shida with a hard lariat, and she picks up the three count! Yamashita is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

This match was borderline fantastic and perfect. Yamashita has really been impressing me the last few months, it helps she is against a seasoned and skilled veteran but she really stepped up and is showing more dimensions than I knew she had. Everything here was hit hard and looked great and it was just non-stop (only a minute or two was clipped at the most). I wish it was longer as its hard to call a ten minute match one of the best matches I’ve seen in awhile, but it really was pretty much flawless in the amount of time that they had. Definitely worth hunting down, especially if you have not seen Yamashita wrestle before.  Highly Recommended

Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

After a slow start, Yoshiko gets the first advantage as she slams Hamada’s head into the mat. Both wrestles go for shoulderblocks with no luck, they start trading elbows until Hamada hits a release German suplex. Front roll into a slap by Hamada but Yoshiko hits a lariat out of the corner before hitting some bootscrapes. Running boot by Yoshiko but Hamada applies an abdominal stretch, Yoshiko reverses it however and goes for a running senton, but Hamada rolls out of the way. PK by Hamada, and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Hamada goes for a moonsault but Yoshiko rolls out of the way, enzuigiri by Hamada and Yoshiko rolls out of the ring. Hamada goes up top but Yoshiko quickly returns to the ring and joins her, Hamada flips over her and she hits a powerbomb. She goes for another one but Yoshiko gets out of it with a back bodydrop, big lariat by Yoshiko and she covers Hamada for two. Hamada comes back with her own lariat, she goes off the ropes but Yoshiko picks her up and hits a Samoan Drop. Running senton by Yoshiko, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Hamada avoids the diving senton. Hamada charges Yoshiko but ends up on the apron, and Yoshiko knocks her to the floor. Yoshiko gets on the apron and charges Hamada but Hamada lariats her in the leg, sending Yoshiko out to the floor as well. Hamada takes Yoshiko up on the apron and hits a DDT, Yoshiko falls to the floor as Hamada goes for a moonsault, but Yoshiko moves and Hamada lands on Takahashi instead. They pair battle on the floor as Yoshiko hits a running senton, but during this the time limit expires. The match is a Double Countout, so Yoshiko gets one point since she is the younger wrestler.

Generally speaking, this was a solid match. There were a few minor communication issues which happens sometimes with two wrestlers not as familar with each other, but they recovered well when it did happen. They did a good job showing they didn’t like each other with all the brawling after the match ended, not sure why they don’t like each other but it doesn’t matter as long as they are good at conveying it. Lots of hard hits and entertaining back and forth action with both coming out of the match looking strong.  Mildly Recommended

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Meiko Tanaka

Tanaka attacks Nagashima before the bell rings, as young underdogs tend to do, and she hits a pair of hard shoulder tackles in the corner. Nagashima slides away from Tanaka and hits a big boot before kicking Tanaka out of the ring. Nagashima goes out after her and throws Tanaka into the chairs at ringside before sliding her back in the ring, Nagashima gets on the apron but Tanaka shoulder tackles her back to the floor. Tanaka tries to prevent Nagashima from returning to the ring before the count but she barely makes it, they trade elbows until Tanaka hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam for a two count. Tanaka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, headbutts by Tanaka but Nagashima boots her in the head. Uranage by Nagashima, and she covers Tanaka for two. Nagashima goes up top but Tanaka avoids the footstomp, sunset flip by Nagashima but Tanaka rolls out of it. Tanaka catches Nagashima’s rana attempt and hits the rolling fireman’s carry roll again, she goes up top but she misses the diving senton. Big boot by Nagashima and she nails the Fisherman Buster for the three count! Nagashima wins and gets two points in the tournament.

Probably my favorite part of the match was Tanaka trying so hard to win by count out, she knew her chances of beating the veteran via pinfall or submission were a bit slim. The match had a lot of repeated moves for a match that wasn’t very long, I liked the amount of fire that Tanaka showed but the action itself was a bit lackluster. Not a bad match but definitely a step down from the last two we watched.

Cherry vs. Rabbit Miu

Cherry quickly goes for an armbreaker and a triangle choke, but Miu gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Miu sends Cherry out of the ring and dives out to the floor with a plancha suicida, Miu tries to stop Cherry from returning to the ring but she eventually manages to do so. Vertical suplex by Miu, she goes up top and she hits a diving footstomp for a two count. They trade pins with no luck for either, Stunner by Miu and she hits a German suplex hold for two. Dragon screw by Cherry and she applies a figure four, Miu rolls out onto the entrance way ramp but Cherry keeps the hold applied. She releases it and tries to get back into the ring, but Miu stops her and hits a hard elbow, sending Cherry off the ramp. Cherry tries to slide back in the ring but she doesn’t make the count as the bell rings. The match is a Double Countout, Miu gets one point since she is the younger wrestler.

It is an interesting strategy we saw in the last two matches, as honestly getting one point isn’t probably going to be enough to help a wrestler win the Block anyway. but I guess one point is better than no points. Too short to get excited about and I think both of these wrestlers hover around the ‘average’ line, but nothing was done poorly. Overall not a bad match but utterly forgettable.

DASH Chisako vs. Hibiscus Mii

Chisako dropkicks Mii before she can even get into the ring, she takes Mii up onto the ramp and attacks her near the entrance. Back into the ring, Chisako slams Mii into the mat and hits multiple footstomps, but Mii comes back with a heel kick. We clip ahead to Chisako being back in control, Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but it gets a two count. Chisako goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, Chisako charges her in the apron but Mii slides out onto the apron and hits a diving crossbody off the top turnbuckle. STO by Mii, she goes up top again but Chisako gets her feet up when she dives off. Crucifix slam by Chisako and she dropkicks Mii while she is in the corner. Chisako goes up top but Mii rolls out of the way of the Hormone Splash, La Magistral by Mii but it gets two. Big lariat by Mii, she goes up top but Chisako joins her all the way on the top turnbuckle to hit an avalanche cutter. Chisako goes back up top and nails the Hormone Splash, and she picks up the three count! Chisako wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

Chisako is so fantastic, she really didn’t get all the credit she deserved as for years she has been seen as just a tag team wrestler. This was too short/clipped to get excited about but everything that they showed us was really good. Mii stepped up and they were both hitting big moves to show how important these two points were, it wasn’t just your average mid-card match with nothing on the line. Not long enough to recommend but still fun to watch.

Hikaru Shida vs. Kaori Yoneyama

After the usual opening back and forth, Shida hits the big move of the match as she delivers a hurricanrana and hip attacks Yoneyama in the head. She goes for a knee lift but Yoneyama moves out of the way and hits a jumping knee off the apron. Yoneyama goes up top and dropkicks Shida in the back, she applies an ankle hold but Shida gets into the ropes. Shida rolls out to the entrance ramp but Yoneyama goes after her and the two trade elbows. Vertical suplex by Shida, she pulls Yoneyama to the turnbuckle as she gets on the second turnbuckle and she superplexes Yoneyama back into the ring. Backbreaker by Shida and she hits a second one before covering Yoneyama for two. Shida puts Yoneyama in the corner and hits a running knee, she goes up top but Yoneyama joins her and tosses her to the mat. They trade strikes with Yoneyama ending the exchange with two running knees, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a diving senton for two. She goes for a diving senton off the top but Shida moves and hits a Three Count. Fireman’s carry into a backbreaker by Shida, but Yoneyama barely gets a shoulder up. Shida puts Yoneyama on the top turnbuckle but Yoneyama slides away from her and applies a jackknife hold for two. Chaos Theory by Yoneyama, but Shida again kicks out. Jumping knee by Shida and she hits the Falcon Arrow, but it gets a two count cover. They both go for quick pins and Shida hits a suplex, but the bell rings as the time as expired. The match is a Draw, Shida gets one point in the tournament as she is the younger wrestler.

Everything I watch needs two Shida matches, she is just so good. Yoneyama is good as well so this was a quality match, I wish that more of it was shown but what they showed was great. They never slowed down or gave the fans a chance to become too relaxed as suddenly they’d hit a big move like the Chaos Theory or Three Count to make you pay attention. Lots of convincing nearfalls, while a Draw here worked it didn’t feel like they were going for the Draw the entire match. More clipped than I would prefer but still a really solid match.  Recommended

Konami vs. Misaki Ohata

Konami goes for Ohata’s arm straight away and puts her in a cross armbreaker, but Ohata rolls to the ropes to get a break. Ohata flings down Konami by her hair and hits a Curb Stomp, cover by Ohata but it gets a two. Irish whip by Ohata but Konami kicks her in the chest and delivers a dropkick. More kicks by Konami and she hits a PK, back up they trade elbows until Ohata hits a running crossbody while Konami is crouched against the ropes. Missile dropkick by Ohata and she goes for a diving body press, but Konami rolls out of the way and hits a running knee for a two count. Konami applies an ankle hold but Ohata gets out of it, high kick by Konami and she applies a fisherman suplex hold for two. Konami goes off the ropes but Ohata catches her with an elbow, rolling double chop by Ohata and she hits a German suplex hold for the three count! Misaki Ohata is the winner.

This was a short match by design more so than heavily clipped, but I still enjoyed it. Ohata and Konami are both so crisp, nothing felt awkward or out of place as they kept the pace up from bell to bell. Both have high impact offense, I would love to see them in a longer match but what they did was still entertaining. I can’t really find anything bad to say about it aside from just the length, keep an eye out for Konami as she continues to develop.  Mildly Recommended

ASUKA vs. DASH Chisako

We join this one in progress with Chisako attacking ASUKA in the corner, nailing her with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Chisako and she hits a cutter, she goes to the top turnbuckle but ASUKA avoids the diving footstomp. Irish whip by ASUKA and she dropkicks Chisako into the corner, Space Rolling Elbow by Asuka and she dropkicks Chisako for a two count. Hard elbows by Chisako and she dropkicks ASUKA right in the face, Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but it gets a two count. Chisako goes up top again and this time she nails the diving footstomp, cover by Chisako but ASUKA bridges out of it. Chisako goes for the Hormone Splash but ASUKA rolls out of the way, elbows by Chisako but ASUKA knocks her to the mat with a hard elbow of her own. Scoop slams by ASUKA, she goes up top but Chisako avoids the moonsault. Rolling bodyscissors cover by Chisako for a two, she goes off the ropes but ASUKA kicks her in the head. More superkicks by ASUKA and she hits a gutwrench suplex, but Chisako kicks out of the cover. ASUKA picks up Chisako but Chisako quickly applies a cross armbreaker and she picks up the three count! Chisako wins the match and gets two points.

One of the more clipped matches in this airing, but I can say with some confidence that ASUKA is steadily improving. She has always shown a good amount of promise, she missed it here but she has a beautiful moonsault, and Chisako is the type of veteran that will only make her look even better. ASUKA has been wrestling less than a year so there are going to be some growing pains but she looked as good here as you could hope from a 17 year old rookie. Too clipped, but solid action.

Melanie Cruise vs. Tsukushi

Cruise teases Tsukushi with her height advantage, the referee gets down so that Tsukushi can stand on his back but Cruise pulls her down and tosses Tsukushi across the ring. Tsukushi goes for dropkicks but Cruise shrugs them off at first, they finally start having an impact but Cruise avoids her missile dropkick. Delayed vertical suplex by Cruise and she chokes Tsukushi in the corner, leg drop by Cruise and she covers Tsukushi for two. Backbreaker by Cruise but Tsukushi sends her to the mat with a spinning headscissors, missile dropkick by Tsukushi and she hits a Stunner, elbows by Tsukushi and she boots Cruise in the head. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Cruise catches her when she goes for a missile dropkick. Cruise slams Tsukushi to the mat, Tsukushi goes for a rana but Cruise catches her. Tsukushi rolls down Cruise’s back and applies a wheelbarrow victory roll, but it only gets two. She goes off the ropes again but Cruise boots her in the face. Monster chokeslam but Cruise, and she picks up the three count! Melanie Cruise wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

A bit of a lopsided match, the 18 year old 4’10” wrestler didn’t stand much of a chance against the giant gaijin, but she put up a good fight anyway. Tsukushi got in a few hope spots but I never thought she had a real chance of winning here, Cruise was just too much to overcome. Not quite at squash levels but pretty close, not much to this one aside from Cruise’s great chokeslam.

Misaki Ohata vs. Yuuka

They immediately start trading elbows, dropkick by Yuuka and Ohata falls out of the ring. Yuuka goes up top but Ohata elbows her to the floor and the pair battle around the ring. Back in, dropkick by Yuuka and she elbows Ohata to the mat before hitting a running Angel Thunder for two. Ohata snaps off a DDT and hits a crossbody while Yuuka is against the ropes, getting a two count of her own. Ohata hits her own Angel Thunder, she goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody. Tornado DDT by Yuuka, she goes up top and she hits her own diving crossbody for two. She goes up top again but Ohata avoids the Angel Thunder, Ohata goes up but Yuuka joins her and hits a Frankensteiner. Yuuka gets on the top turnbuckle and hits the Angel Thunder, but Ohata gets a shoulder up on the cover. Ohata hits a quick headscissors roll-up and a low crossbody, but Yuuka rolls through it. Rolling German suplexes by Ohata but Yuuka applies a bodyscissors roll-up for two. Running elbow by Yuuka and she nails a Jaguar Backdrop Hold, but Ohata gets a shoulder up. Back up they trade elbows and chops, spinning double chop by Ohata and she hits a German suplex hold for two. DDT by Yuuka and she rolls up Ohata with a bridge for a two count, Ohata retakes control and she nails the Sky Blue Suplex Hold for the three count! Misaki Ohata wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

I am not sure if this match or Shida/Yamashita was my favorite match on the show, I may give the opener the nod but this was still a great match. So many awesome suplexes, I am on record of loving the Angel Thunder as a unique but effective looking move, and these two worked really well together. I wish that more of it was shown, they had great chemistry and everything felt so smooth. High end match between two very talented wrestlers.  Recommended

Hiroe Nagahama vs. Sareee

The young pair start off fast as they trade elbows, both wrestlers throw each other down by the hair until Nagahama hits a dropkick in the corner. Nagahama applies a bodyscissors but Sareee quickly gets out of it, kneelock by Sareee but Nagahama reverses it. Single leg crab hold by Nagahama, but Sareee gets a hand on the ropes. Scoop slam by Sareee but Nagahama hits a few dropkicks, cover by Nagahama but Sareee bridges out of it and hits a dropkick of her own. Back up they trade elbows, jumping elbow by Nagahama and she covers Sareee for two. Sareee shrugs off the suplex and rolls up Nagahama before hitting a quick footstomp. Sareee goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she gets on the top turnbuckle again and she hits a second one. Both wrestlers go for quick pins with no luck, Northern Lights Suplex by Nagahama but it gets a two. Sareee goes off the ropes and dropkicks Nagahama, but Nagahama comes back with the Kasadora for a two count. German suplex hold by Sareee, she picks up Nagahama and she nails the uranage for the three count! Sareee wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

A step down from what we have seen so far today, but that is more of a compliment to the rest of the show as this match was solid too. Nagahama has been showing a lot of fire lately and has really stepped up for the tournament, and Sareee was great as always. Love her suplexes, her strikes…. just about everything about her. The match ended a bit suddenly but it was clipped a bit so we may have missed some of the lead up to the final move. Overall just a fun match between two young wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

The post WAVE “Catch The WAVE 2016” Part 2 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Thanks to the wonderful new WAVE Network that launched today (I wrote a guide on how to sign up here), I am finally able to watch the Catch the WAVE Tournament! This year the tournament is massive, with 32 wrestlers participating. They are split into eight blocks of four wrestlers, and within each block every wrestler will wrestle everyone else in their block once. A win is worth two points, and in the case of a Draw (15 minute time limit) then the younger wrestler in the match gets one point. After all the block matches are done, the winner of each block go into the eight wrestler single elimination knockout round until a winner is crowned! Here are the blocks:

Needless to say, it is a long tournament. The first night of the tournament kicked off with a bang, at the famous Korakuen Hall! Here is the full match list:

• Hiroe Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Meiko Tanaka, Natsu Sumire, and Tsukushi
• Ayako Hamada, Nagashima, Fairy Nipponbashi, Fujigasaki, and Yuu Yamagata vs.  ASUKA, Hikaru Shida, Kobayashi, Haruhi, and Shimono
• Catch the WAVE Silver Gray Block: Kagetsu vs. Yoshiko
• Catch the WAVE Pompadour Pink Block: Cherry vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Catch the WAVE African Violet Block: Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita
• Catch the WAVE Mandarin Orange Block: DASH Chisako vs. Yuki Miyazaki
• Catch the WAVE Regatta Blue Block: LEON vs. Mika Iida
• Catch the WAVE Chrome Yellow Block: Aoi Kizuki vs. Ryo Mizunami
• Catch the WAVE Orion Blue Block: Hanako Nakamori vs. Misaki Ohata
• Catch the WAVE Italian Red Block: Sareee vs. Yumi Ohka

That is a lot of matches! Many of them will be short though, which is normal in tournaments like this so its not as massive as it looks. As always, you can click on the wrestler’s name to go to their profile if I have one for them here on Joshi City.

Hiroe Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Meiko Tanaka, Sumire, and Tsukushi

Nagahama and Tanaka are the first two in, Tanaka gets the early advantage but Nagahama’s teammates run in to help. Tanaka’s come in too and we end up with a triple suplex spot, with Tanaka’s team winning the battle. Nagahama is temporarily isolated but she suplexes Tanaka and tags in Yuuka. Tornado DDT by Yuuka, but Tanaka kicks out of the cover. Tanaka tries Yuuka into the corner and hits a running shoulder tackle, missile dropkick by Tanaka and she puts Yuuka on her shoulders, but Yuuka slides away. They exchange elbows until Tanaka hits a big spear, cover by Tanaka but it gets two. Tanaka tags Tsukushi, dropkick by Tsukushi and she hits the Unprettier followed by a low dropkick against the ropes. Crossbody by Tsukushi, but it gets a two count. Yuuka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she tags in Miyu but Tsukushi bulldogs her. Hard kick to the head by Miyu and she hits a vertical suplex on Tsukushi, picking up a two count. Elbows by Miyu but Tsukushi elbows her back and hits a missile dropkick for two. She tags Sumire, elbows by Miyu to Sumire as Nagahama comes in, but Tanaka comes in too and spears both of them. Diving crossbody by Tsukushi, then Sumire hits one too for a two count on Miyu. Elbow by Miyu but Sumire sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Miyu takes back over and goes up top, hitting a diving footstomp. Cover, but Sumire’s teammates break it up. German suplex hold by Miyu and she gets the three count! Nagahama, Miyu, and Yuuka win.

I don’t want to over-hype an opener match, but this one was really fun. Tsukushi is fantastic and while not all the wrestlers here are top notch, they did a good job of focusing on the ones that are. Very fast paced, no real pause in the action for the whole match. This to me is what an opener should be – something to get the crowd excited with solid fast paced action. A nice way to kick things off, there is a lot of young talent in this match that will be a big deal in Joshi within the next few years.

Hamada, Nagashima, Nipponbashi, Fujigasaki, and Yamagata vs.  ASUKA, Shida, Kobayashi, Haruhi, and Shimono

The first two in are Nipponbashi and Kobayashi. I have to say that it pains me to see two of my favorites, Kobayashi and Shida, stuck in a ten wrestler tag that likely won’t be overly serious or memorable. Not a whole lot happens to start the match, until ASUKA and Hamada are tagged in and they trade holds. Hamada ducks ASUKA’s springboard crossbody but ASUKA ducks Hamada’s heel kick and delivers a dropkick. Hamada takes back over and hits a lariat, they tag out as Haruhi and Nagashima come in. Haruhi hits a nice hurricanrana and a Northern Lights Suplex but Nagashima boots her in the face and hits a face crusher. Shimono comes in to help but Hamada comes in and lariats both of them, Nagashima goes off the ropes but she boots Hamada by accident. Shida and Fujigasaki are tagged in, and Shida hits a hip attack. Yamagata comes in and trades strikes with Shida, backbreaker by Shida but Yamagata ducks the running knee. Code Breaker by Yamagata and she tags Nipponbashi, she brings in a light saber while Shida gets her kendo stick. They battle it out with their weapons with neither getting an advantage, but Nipponbashi knocks Shida out of the ring. We clip ahead with Kobayashi being set up for a double team move, but Nipponbashi hits Hamada by accident. ASUKA runs in and hits a springboard crossbody, she picks up Nipponbashi and she hits a suplex. We clip ahead again as Haruhi hits a diving footstomp on Nipponbashi, Kobayashi goes to pick up Nipponbashi but she gets an Oil Check from Fujigasaki. Yamagata slams Kobayashi, Hamada goes up top and they hit an assisted footstomp on her. Denden Clutch by Nipponbashi on Kobayashi and she gets the three count! Team Hamada wins the match.

For a slightly clipped (about four minutes) ten wrestler tag, this one had some good spots. ASUKA looks good for a rookie, Kobayashi is always a treat, and the Nipponbashi comedy was kept to a minimal. Fine for an undercard match but nothing more than that, skippable unless you’re a die hard fan of one of the wrestlers.

Kagetsu vs. Yoshiko

Yoshiko works the headlock to start, Kagetsu gets out of it and she hits a springboard armdrag. Yoshiko tags Kagetsu to the mat and works her over with stomps, she picks her up but Kagetsu catches her with a dropkick. Kicks by Kagetsu and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner, dropkick by Kagetsu and she applies an arm submission hold. Yoshiko gets to the ropes, Kagetsu flips out to the apron but Yoshiko blocks the swandive dropkick and drags Kagetsu back into the ring. Sliding lariat by Yoshiko and she hits a running senton, diving senton attempt by Yoshiko but Kagetsu moves out of the way. Kagetsu slams Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a Codebreaker. Cross armbreaker takedown by Kagetsu but Yoshiko slams her way out of it, Kagetsu charges Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a fireman’s carry slam. Short armbar by Kagetsu but Yoshiko gets into the ropes, high kick by Kagetsu and she hits a Ebisu Drop. Kagetsu picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko gets away and destroys Kagetsu with a lariat. Cover by Yoshiko and she gets the three count! Yoshiko gets two points in the tournament.

This was a short match, made even shorter by slight clipping, but I loved what I saw. They played off each other really well, with Yoshiko using her strength and Kagetsu using her speed, and the ending was great as it was such a hard hit that it was understandable that she could hold down Kagetsu long enough to get the three. I also liked that when Kagetsu blew a spot, she just moved on. You could actually see her thinking about re-doing the spot and making Yoshiko wait, which would have been silly, but changing her mind and just skipping it. Some wrestlers never learn that, I don’t mind when a wrestler missteps, it only annoys me when they immediately do the spot again. Overall about as good as a five minute match can be.  Mildly Recommended

Cherry vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

Cherry immediately gets Fujimoto to the mat, Fujimoto gets up but Cherry applies a triangle choke. Fujimoto gets a foot in the ropes and puts Cherry in a cross-arm submission, but this time it is Cherry that gets a foot on the bottom rope. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner and she hits another one, scoop slam by Fujimoto and she covers Cherry, but Cherry applies an armbreaker. Northern Lights Suplex by Cherry, she goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls her up for two. Fujimoto picks up Cherry and kicks her, they trade quick pin attempts on the mat but neither have any luck. Both wrestlers go off the ropes, Fujimoto wraps up Cherry in the Tsukadora and picks up the three count! Fujimoto wins the match and gets two points.

This match was super short but good. These little sprints are fun to watch, they work well in a tournament setting on a card with lots of matches… it wouldn’t be satisfactory on a five match card but here it didn’t feel out of place. Seeing Cherry wrestle seriously is always a treat (in DDT a lot of her matches have comedy elements) and Fujimoto was on fire as always. An easy watch between two seasoned veterans, as Fujimoto is set up well for the next round. Too short to recommend but still entertaining.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita

They charge each other right as the bell rings as Yamashita hits a lariat, Yoneyama comes back with a roll-up but Yamashita hits another lariat in the corner. Yoneyama bridges out of the pin and knees Yamashita, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Knee to the back of the head by Yoneyama, she picks up Yamashita but Yamashita hits a lariat followed by a backdrop suplex. Yamashita goes up top but Yoneyama recovers and joins her, suplexing Yamashita back to the mat. Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the diving senton, but Yamashita kicks out. Yoneyama goes all the way up this time but Yamashita gets her feet up on the senton attempt and hits a lariat for a two count. Sleeper by Yamashita but Yoneyama rolls out of it. Another lariat by Yamashita, she picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama kicks her in the head. Yamashita kicks her back but Yoneyama quickly hits the Yone-ZOU for the three count! Yoneyama wins and gets two points in the tournament.

My main issue with Yamashita is that she is a lariat spammer. I like her in tag matches where she can just hit her spots and tag out, but even in this super short match she hit more lariats than I feel like counting. Yoneyama was great here and hit everything well, but I am generally not a fan of wrestlers hitting the same move over and over as just gets old, so a skippable match overall.

DASH Chisako vs. Yuki Miyazaki

This one starts quick (or was well clipped) as Chisako hits a hurricanrana on Miyazaki and dropkicks her in the back, face crusher by Chisako and she covers Miyazaki for two. Dropkick by Chisako in the corner but Miyazaki blocks the cutter, kick to the arm by Chisako and she applies a short armbar. Miyazaki gets to the ropes but Chisako re-applies it only for Miyazaki to get to the ropes again. They trade elbows, Chisako sneaks in the cutter and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Chisako goes up top but Miyazaki avoids the footstomp and suplexes Chisako into the turnbuckles. Ebisu Drop by Miyazaki, she goes on the second turnbuckle but Chisako recovers and joins her. Frankensteiner by Chisako but Miyazaki rolls through it, quick diving footstomp by Chisako off the second turnbuckle and then from the top turnbuckle, but Miyazaki barely kicks out of the cover. Chisako goes up top a third time but Miyazaki gets her feet up and dropkicks Chisako in the head. German suplex hold by Miyazaki, but it gets a two. DDT by Miyazaki, she goes up top but Chisako avoids the moonsault and applies an inside cradle for two. Wheelbarrow suplex by Miyazaki, they both get up and Miyazaki applies a quick pin for two. Miyazaki gets on the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault, but Chisako somehow barely gets a shoulder up. Time is running out as Chisako goes for a quick pin, but Miyazaki levels her with a lariat. Tiger suplex hold by Miyazaki, but that gets a two as well. Before they do can anything else, the bell rings as the time expires. The match is a Draw, Chisako gets one point because she is the younger wrestler.

This was the best clipped in half match I have ever seen. Now I recognize with eight minutes missing that they easily could clip out the slower parts, or any awkward moments, but what they showed was just fantastic. So many big moves, the footstomps, moonsault, tiger suplex… you’d think this was a title match and not just a mid-card tournament. This is the best I have seen Miyazaki look since returning and Chisako was on point. A high end heavily clipped encounter.  Recommended

LEON vs. Mika Iida

Iida goes to shake LEON’s hand but attacks her instead, quick pin attempts by both wrestlers but neither can get three. Iida catches LEON with an armbar and then a cross armbreaker, but LEON gets a foot in the ropes. Dropkick by Iida while she is against the ropes and she hits a missile dropkick, picking up a two count. Uppercuts by Iida but LEON catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, Texas Cloverleaf by LEON but Iida gets out of it. LEON gets on the top turnbuckle and walks the ropes before dropkicking Iida, and she covers her for two. Iida goes for a quick roll-up but LEON kicks out and then slams Iida to the mat. LEON goes up top and hits a diving body press, but it gets two. After Iida tries more pin attempts without getting a three, Iida goes off the ropes but LEON decks her with a spear. Iida blocks the Capture Buster but LEON hits a heel kick, Capture Buster by LEON and she gets the three count! LEON wins and gets two points in the tournament.

While this match had some really hard hits, there wasn’t a whole lot to it. It was a short match that was slightly clipped further, and mostly was comprised of quick pin attempts with a few strikes and submission holds between. It was obviously pretty fast paced and nothing was bad about it, just not long enough to really recommend.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Ryo Mizunami

Kizuki attacks Mizunami before the match starts with elbows but Mizunami comes back with a spear, lariat by Mizunami but Kizuki rolls her up for two. Powerslam by Mizunami and she hits a quick legdrop, she goes to run off the ropes but Kizuki grabs her. Elbows by Mizunami but Kizuki bridges out of the cover and hits a running senton. Jumping lariat by Kizuki and she applies a backbreaker over her knee, German suplex hold by Kizuki but it gets two. Another jumping lariat by Kizuki and hits a German suplex, but Mizunami springs to her feet and hits a lariat. Lariat to the back by Mizunami but Kizuki sneaks in an inside cradle for a quick two. Kizuki goes off the ropes but Mizunami catches her with a lariat, Kizuki rolls up Mizunami and this time she gets the three count! Mizunami is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

This was the shortest match of the night and not long enough to get excited about. I will say though that it is nice to see Kizuki wrestling more seriously as she has been throwing in more comedy spots in her matches lately, looks like everyone is bringing their best for this tournament. Some hard hits but not enough action due to the sub-three minute time.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Misaki Ohata

Nakamori and Ohata quickly get into a strike exchange until Ohata hits a German suplex, sliding crossbody by Ohata and she hits a few more German suplexes. Nakamori comes back with kicks and hits a Shining Wizard, and she covers Ohata for two. Nakamori picks up Ohata and kicks her hard in the face, more kicks by Nakamori and she kicks Ohata against the ropes. Nakamori applies a submission hold on the mat but Ohata gets a foot on the ropes, Nakamori picks up Ohata but Ohata connects with a DDT. Ohata kicks Nakamori into the corner and hits a sliding crossbody, tornado DDT by Ohata and she covers Nakamori for a two count. Ohata goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again but this time Nakamori recovers and joins her. Elbows by Ohata and she crossbodies Nakamori down to the mat, but Nakamori hits an enzuigiri. Running kick by Nakamori and she delivers a fisherman buster for a two count cover. Nakamori picks up Ohata but Ohata hits a crucifix bomb, spinning chop by Ohata and she hits a fisherman buster for two. Ohata picks up Nakamori but Nakamori sneaks in a schoolboy. Spinning chop by Ohata, she goes off the ropes but Nakamori catches her with a high kick. Another hard kick to the head by Nakamori, and she covers Ohata for the three count! Nakamori wins the match and picks up two points in the tournament.

Surprising result, but tournaments should have surprises. I don’t think that Nakamori is a very good wrestler, she is a solid hand but not much more then that. Ohata is great, her offense is hard hitting and pretty diverse, and she keeps her matches interesting. Nakamori in her defense was really on point with some of her strikes, and with a slight clipping the match stayed intense. A pretty entertaining albeit short match.  Mildly Recommended

Sareee vs. Yumi Ohka

Sareee swats Ohka’s hand away as she is in no mood for a friendly handshake, dropkicks by Sareee and she follows those with a missile dropkick. Another missile dropkick and she hits a third, cover by Sareee but it gets two. Ohka blocks the uranage and drops Sareee onto the top rope before booting her in the face. Another boot by Ohka while Sareee is in the ropes and she kicks her a third time before mushing her into the corner. They trade boots and dropkicks, fisherman suplex hold by Sareee and she gets a two count. Ohka blocks the German and the pair trade elbows, boot by Ohka and she hits Sareee with a series of knees. Sareee comes back with mounted elbows but Ohka boots her again, she goes for another but Sareee swats her away and hits a German suplex. Ohka blocks the uranage again but Sareee rolls her up and hits a footstomp. Another dropkick by Sareee while Ohka is against the ropes but Ohka connects with a backdrop suplex. Ohka goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, she applies an armbreaker but Sareee is too close to the ropes. Kick to the head by Ohka, Sareee goes for a quick pin but Ohka blocks it. Heel drop by Ohka, she goes off the ropes but Sareee rolls her up for two. Sareee tries more quick covers with no luck, Ohka grabs Sareee and drops her with a brainbuster. Ohka goes off the ropes but Sareee catches her with an uranage, cover by Sareee but Ohka barely kicks out. Sareee goes off the ropes but Ohka hits a Chokebomb, big boot by Ohka and she gets the three count cover! Ohka wins the match and picks up two points in the tournament.

I think that Ohka is a bit limited in her move set, but in shorter type sprints it isn’t quite as bad. Sareee is just a great young wrestler, so much fire and while she throws a lot of dropkicks she also has a variety of suplexes she uses as well. It really felt like she was a going to pick up the upset at various times, and even though she wasn’t able to, she put on a solid performance in the main event at Korakuen Hall. I wouldn’t have minded if it went a little longer and it was slightly clipped, but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Mildly Recommended

The post Pro Wrestling WAVE “Catch the WAVE” on 4/10/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

After the excitement of the SEAdLINNNG show, this one will be a bit more mellow. No title matches here, nothing controversial, just a standard show from Sendai Girls’ today. That doesn’t mean we won’t get some good matches, as all the rookies are here and we get the veterans KAORU and Chisako in the main event. Here is the full card:

• Alex Lee and Mika Iwata vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee
• Cassandra Miyagi vs. Rabbit Miyu
• Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Chikayo Nagashima
• Meiko Satomura vs. Rydeen Hagane
• DASH Chisako vs. KAORU

As always, click on the names above to go straight to the wrestler’s profile on the website. The matches generally got enough time to do something memorable, lets see if there are any hidden gems here.

Alex Lee and Mika Iwata vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee

Tanaka and Iwata kick things off, they trade hard elbows until Tanaka shoulderblocks Iwata and tags Sareee. Dropkick by Sareee but Iwata returns the favor, Lee comes in and together they superkick Sareee. Sareee comes back with a slam and  a dropkick, giving her time to tag in Tanaka, and Tanaka takes Iwata to the mat. Stomps by Tanaka and she tags Sareee, Sareee stomps down Iwata and throws her down by her hair. Dropkick by Iwata and she finally tags in Lee, kicks by Lee and she delivers a knee in the corner. Suplex by Lee but Sareee hits a dropkick, Tanaka runs in and they take turns attacking Lee. Sareee tags Tanaka in, hard shoulderblock by Tanaka and she headbutts Lee. Big spear by Tanaka but Lee catches her with a superkick, kick to the head be Lee and she covers Tanaka for two. Lee gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she tags in Iwata and Iwata hits a series of dropkicks on Tanaka. Iwata kicks Tanaka into the corner but Tanaka picks up Iwata and drives her into the corner.

Running shoulder tackle by Tanaka, she picks up Iwata but Iwata sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Tanaka makes her pay for it with a spear, she tags in Sareee and Sareee dropkicks Iwata three times. Iwata goes up top but Lee grabs her, Iwata recovers and throws Sareee to the mat. Dropkick by Iwata and she covers Sareee for two. Sareee and Iwata trade elbows, Irish whip by Sareee but Iwata rolls her up for two. Enzuigiri by Iwata, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody. Vertical suplex by Iwata, she goes off the ropes but Tanaka runs in and spears her. Dropkick in the ropes by Sareee, then both she and Tanaka dropkick Iwata from the apron. They get on different corners and both hit missile dropkicks, she covers Iwata but Lee breaks it up. Fisherman suplex hold by Sareee, but Iwata gets a shoulder up. Lee runs in and kicks Sareee in the head, kick by Iwata and she goes off the ropes, but Sareee catches her with a German suplex hold for the three count! Sareee and Tanaka win the match.

Not as smooth as I was hoping for but still some solid action. Iwata and Sareee both really stood out here (Iwata by design since Lee wasn’t in the match much) when they were both in the ring the exchanges were great. Other times however they didn’t seem to be on the same page, not all the moves were hit crisply and there was a bit of dead time in the match. Good here and there, but overall a bit disappointing.

Cassandra Miyagi vs. Rabbit Miyu

I like Miu’s new ring gear, looks more grown up, she is really short but at least she looks like a more serious wrestler. Miyagi gets the early advantage with a shoulderblock but Miu comes back with a dropkick. Miyu charges Miyagi, Miyagi holds down the top rope so Miu tumbles out of the ring but Miu doesn’t make it (she is really short) so Miyagi throws her out anyway. Miu regains the advantage out on the floor and hits Miyagi with a water bottle, scoop slam by Miyagi and she throws Miu into the crowd. They finally return to the ring, elbow by Miyagi and she hits a face crusher for a two count. Dropkicks by Miyagi and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Miu elbows Miyagi away and they trade shots, hard elbows by Miu but Miyagi blocks the suplex. Tornado DDT by Miu and she finally hits a suplex for a two count. Miu goes off the ropes but Miyagi catches her with the airplane spin. Miyagi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick and she hits an atomic drop, picking up two. Miu blocks the suplex attempt and rolls up Miyagi for two, Stunner by Miu and she hits a running elbow for a two count. Crossface by Miu but Miyagi gets a foot on the ropes, she hits a running boot and a sliding elbow strike for another two.  La Rabitstral by Miu, and she gets the three count! Miu is your winner.

The issue with Miyagi is that she still has a ways to go in-ring as she still seems a bit awkward and unsure of herself. The gimmick itself is good, we need more crazy wrestlers in the world, but her actual wrestling isn’t at a high enough level to compete against the bigger stars in the promotion. Miu isn’t the type of wrestler to rescue another wrestler that is struggling, she is a solid hand but at this stage that is about it. So they worked the match smartly, keeping it under ten minutes and having some outside the ring action to kill time, but once they were exchanging blows in the ring the match suffered a bit. Not an unwatchable match but just pedestrian and with some rougher spots, Miyagi is still young but isn’t quite there yet.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Chikayo Nagashima

Nagashima quickly goes on the offense and throws down the rookie by her hair, Nagashima slams Hashimoto to the mat and puts her in a camel clutch while raking her face. Hashimoto gets out of it and hits a fireman’s carry takeover, she goes for Nagashima’s arm but she blocks the hold. Scoop slam by Hashimoto and she returns the favor with a camel clutch, eye rake by Nagashima but Hashimoto knocks her into the corner. Hip attacks by Hashimoto but Nagashima boots her back and hits a face crusher. Dropkick by Nagashima and she boots Hashimoto out of the ring before throwing her into the crowd. After battling outside the ring they return, Nagashima gets a chair and hits Hashimoto with it a few times. Nagashima sits Hashimoto in the chair and hits a big boot, she hits another one but Hashimoto fires back with elbows. Hip attack by Hashimoto and she hits a couple more, cover by Hashimoto but it gets a two count.

Headscissors by Nagashima and she dropkicks Hashimoto, she gets the chair again but Hashimoto kicks it out of her hand and hits a hard elbow. Somersault senton by Hashimoto and she puts Nagashima in a crab hold, but Nagashima gets into the ropes. Hashimoto picks up Nagashima but Nagashima elbows her and hits a Stunner. Nagashima gets the chair and boots it into Hashimoto, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. German suplex hold by Nagashima, but Hashimoto gets a shoulder up. Hashimoto and Nagashima exchange elbows, Nagashima gets the triangle choke applied and then puts Hashimoto in a short armbar, but Hashimoto gets into the ropes. Boot by Nagashima but Hashimoto ducks the next one and suplexes Nagashima, she picks her up but Nagashima hits a sunset flip. Nagashima gets the armbar re-applied but Hashimoto gets out of it. Uranage by Nagashima, but Hashimoto barely kicks out of the cover. Nagashima goes off the ropes but Hashimoto catches her with a bodyslam, Nagashima comes back with a big boot and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, and she hits a missile dropkick. She goes for a cover but the bell rings as the time limit as expired. The match is a Draw.

I talk up the rookies of Sendai Girls’ on a pretty regular basis but they aren’t doing them a lot of favors on this show. Hashimoto’s impressive features are her strength and her wrestling, but she did little either here as this was a “Nagashima” style of match. Which meant mostly brawling, some weapons, and generally very little structure to speak of. I never got the sense that either were ever on the brink of winning, yes they hit some of their bigger moves but neither got more than a couple in a row before the other was back in control. No doubt a good match for Hashimoto’s experience, wrestling different type of matches is a good thing, but just watching it today it wasn’t much better than average.

Meiko Satomura vs. Rydeen Hagane

They start slow as they lock knuckles and go to the mat, Satomura works the headlock but Hagane Irish whips out of it. Shoulderblock by Hagane and she applies a chinlock, but Satomura gets out of it and works on Hagane’s leg. Hagane gets out of it and slams Satomura to the mat before applying a chinlock, Satomura breaks the hold and elbows Hagane against the ropes. Satomura throws Hagane in the corner and hits a jumping elbow, rebound elbow strike by Satomura and she covers Hagane for two. Kicks by Satomura and she elbows Hagane to the mat, she goes off the ropes but Hagane catches her with a powerslam. Hagane puts Satomura in the corner and hits a body avalanche, lariats by Hagane and she hits a Reverse Splash for two. Hagane picks up Satomura but Satomura applies a short armbar, DDT by Satomura and she hits the cartwheel kneedrop for a two count. Irish whip by Satomura but Hagane shoulderblocks her.

Satomura quickly gets back up and hits uppercuts, kick to the head by Satomura and she gets a two count. She goes for a backdrop suplex but Hagane blocks it and hits a backdrop suplex of her own. Hagane goes off the ropes and hits a series of lariats, but Satomura kicks out of the cover. Hagane hits another backdrop suplex, she goes all the way up top and delivers the Reverse Splash, but Satomura barely gets a shoulder up. Hagane picks up Satomura and hits two short lariats, but Satomura catches the third and applies the armbar. Kicks by Satomura, Hagane hits a lariat but Satomura kicks her in the head. They trade blows with Hagane knocking down Satomura first, but Satomura comes back with a kick. Satomura blocks a lariat, she gets up Hagane and delivers the Death Valley Bomb for the three count! Meiko Satomura wins the match.

This just never clicked, even though there were a few great exchanges there was just no chemistry. I’m not really sure what was going on here but it was hurt by Hagane’s very limited move set and shaky transitions. There were a couple minutes towards the end that they seemed to be getting into it, but then it was suddenly over. For a ten minute match there was just too much time wasting towards the start, and it even ended flat as Satomura had issues getting Hagane up for the finish. Satomura is a world class wrestler but this is probably the worst singles match I have seen her have in while.

DASH Chisako vs. KAORU

KAORU attacks Chisako from behind before the match starts, she gets her piece of table and whacks Chisako in the head with it. She tries to drop it on her too but Chisako catches it, KAORU kicks Chisako and slams her to the mat. Chisako takes over and and twists up KAORU in the ropes, Chisako applies a headlock on the mat but KAORU gets out of it. Now it is KAORU that puts Chisako in the ropes and rakes on her nose, facebuster by KAORU and she covers Chisako for two. KAORU picks up Chisako but Chisako dropkicks her and hits a flipping neckbreaker. KAORU kicks Chisako and boots her in the face, she picks her up but Chisako rebounds out of the corner and hits a facebuster. Chisako goes for a suplex but KAORU knees out of it and the two trade elbows back and forth. Bodyscissors into a roll-up by Chisako but her quick pin attempts don’t work, backdrop suplex by KAORU but Chisako is too close to the ropes on the cover. KAORU picks up Chisako but Chisako wiggles away, she goes for a suplex by KAORU blocks it.

Elbows by Chisako but KAORU levels her with a big boot, brainbuster by KAORU and she goes up top, but Chisako recovers and joins her. KAORU keeps pushing off Chisako but Chisako continues to charge in, and eventually Chisako hits the superplex for a two count. KAORU smacks Chisako with a piece of table and then hits a suplex onto it, cover by KAORU but the referee won’t count due to the table usage. KAORU goes to hit her with it again but Chisako blocks it and dropkicks the table into KAORU’s face. Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but the cover only gets two. Chisako goes up top and hits the diving footstomp, but again KAORU kicks out of the cover. Chisako throws KAORU into the corner and hits a dropkick followed by a running cutter for two. Chisako goes up top again but KAORU rolls out of the way of the Hormone Splash. They trade boots back and forth, release German by Chisako and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but KAORU dropkicks her as she jumps off. Excalibur by KAORU and she delivers a second one, but it only gets two. KAORU hits a third Excalibur, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the Valkyrie Splash for the three count! KAORU wins!

By far the best match on the card, although that isn’t saying a whole lot. They had pretty good chemistry together and always appeared to be on the same page, which we haven’t seen a lot of on this show unfortunately. I was a bit surprised by the result, but KAORU is a very respected veteran so she can really win against any wrestler on any given day. I thought she worked in her weapon spots well, they enhanced the match without overwhelming it. Probably not overly memorable in the long run but I definitely enjoyed it, a fun match to end the event on a high note.  Recommended

The post Sendai Girls’ on 2/28/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

This is event that has been talked about for almost two months, and it finally aired early this morning. The big talking point about this match, of course, is the return of Yoshiko. For those that are newer to Joshi, last February Yoshiko was in a match against Act Yasukawa which lead to Yoshiko intentionally injuring Yasukawa. The incident got a lot of press in Japan, and eventually Yasukawa was forced to retire, as her already damaged eye was further injured by Yoshiko. Yoshiko resigned from Stardom, but re-appeared in January in SEAdLINNNG. Nanae Takahashi is friends with Yoshiko, and left Stardom around the same time that Yoshiko did as there was a lot of backstage dissension. So that leads to this event, with Yoshiko having her first match in over a year. There are other fun things on this show though, as many great wrestlers are on the event. Here is the full card:

• Emi Sakura vs. Konami
• Command Bolshoi and MIZUKI vs. Kagetsu and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Dynamite Kansai, Takako Inoue, and Yuki Miyazaki vs. “Big Bang” Nicole, Meiko Tanaka, and Sareee
• Rina Yamashita and Syuri vs. Ryo Mizunami and Yumiko Hotta
• Nanae Takahashi vs. Yoshiko

There is a lot of potential for goodness here, let’s see how it goes.

Emi Sakura vs. Konami

Konami gets the early advantage with a running knee to the head, but Sakura comes back with a swinging neckbreaker. Sakura’s lip is already bleeding as she throws Konami in the corner and hits a crossbody. Sakura goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a footstomp followed by a reverse splash for two. She goes all the way up this time but Konami avoids the moonsault, high kick by Konami and she hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Buzzsaw Kick by Konami, but Sakura gets her foot on the ropes. She goes for another one but Sakura ducks it, backslide by Konami but it gets two. Double underhook into a twisting slam by Sakura, she goes up top and she nails the Nyannyan Press for the three count! Sakura is your winner!

This is about as good as a short opener can be, even though it was clipped. Konami is so good with her strikes, if she stays in wrestling she is going to be a high level Freelancer in the near future. Sakura balanced well between giving Konami a shot while still being the veteran in control, as she stayed a step ahead of Konami for much of the match. Too little was shown to recommend highly but it was still a really solid way to kick things off.  Mildly Recommended

Command Bolshoi and MIZUKI vs. Kagetsu and Tsukasa Fujimoto

Kagetsu and MIZUKI start off the match, they trade armdrags until Kagetsu kicks MIZUKI in the face. Kagetsu slams MIZUKI but MIZUKI comes back with a dropkick. Kagetsu hits her own dropkick as they go back and forth, Fujimoto runs in and MIZUKI hits a crossbody on both of them with a little help from Taiyo. Bolshoi comes in to face off with Fujimoto, and she hits a reverse STO. Fujimoto kicks Bolshoi and they go through a similar exchange going back and forth until Bolshoi quickly rolls up Fujimoto for a two count. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, MIZUKI comes in the ring and she trades elbows with Fujimoto. MIZUKI hits a headscissors on Taiyo by accident, then Fujimoto dropkicks Taiyo in the corner. Just because. Taiyo hits a dropkick of her own, MIZUKI rolls up Taiyo but it gets a one count (not a legitimate one of course). Taiyo and Fujimoto spill outside the ring while everyone else keeps wrestling inside of it, and Kagetsu slams Bolshoi into the corner.

Missile dropkick by Kagetsu but Bolshoi catches her with a reverse double armbar. Kagetsu muscles out of it but Bolshoi puts her in a stretch hold. Taiyo makes her break it and they go through a comedy bit with Taiyo getting the better of Kagetsu and Fujimoto. Fujimoto dropkicks Taiyo out of the ring but Bolshoi takes care of both of them, she covers Fujimoto but it gets a two count. Kagetsu hits a missile dropkick on Bolshoi, Samoan Drop by Kagetsu but MIZUKI drops her with a swandive crossbody. Fujimoto grabs MIZUKI but it is broken up, and all four of them run the ropes. MIZUKI is isolated in the ring, suplex by Kagetsu but Bolshoi breaks up the cover. MIZUKI and Fujimoto trade quick pin attempts while Bolshoi knocks Kagetsu out of the ring before diving out with a pescado. Fujimoto slams MIZUKI in the ring but MIZUKI keeps getting up. MIZUKI goes for a wing clutch hold but Fujimoto reverses it, and Fujimoto applies the Venus Clutch for the three count! Kagetsu and Fujimoto are your winners.

A bit too silly for my personal tastes. I like Taiyo a lot, I wish she would just start wrestling again as she clearly has the passion for it, but all of her matches as a referee are pretty similar. I don’t know if there was an official or unofficial rule but Taiyo kept making everyone run off the ropes even when it wasn’t really logical, so there was very little structure. There were some really well done spots and it was a smooth match, just a bit too goofy and random for me.

Dynamite Kansai, Takako Inoue, and Miyazaki vs. “Big Bang” Nicole, Tanaka, and Sareee

Kansai and Sareee kick things off, Kansai elbows Sareee hard but with Tanaka’s help, Sareee dropkicks Kansai to the mat. Sareee goes for a slam but Kansai has none of it and hits a slam of her own. Kansai tags Inoue, DDT by Inoue and she stands on Sareee by the ropes. Inoue puts Sareee in a submission and Kansai kicks Sareee in the chest. Miyazaki is in next as Sareee continues taking the beatdown until she fires back with elbows, giving her time to tag in Tanaka. Tanaka and Sareee double team Miyazaki in the corner before Tanaka dropkicks her in the ring. Sareee is tagged back in but Miyazaki knocks her down with a jumping lariat, jumping elbow in the corner but Sareee rolls away from her and rolls up Miyazaki for two. Miyazaki kicks Sareee and hits a dropkick, she drags Sareee’s head over the bottom rope and hits a leg drop. Sliding apron kick by Miyazaki, Inoue and Kansai come in to the ring to hold off Sareee’s friends while Miyazaki puts Sareee in a submission hold.

Tanaka manages to break it up, Inoue is tagged in and she trades elbows with Sareee, dropkick by Sareee and she rolls Inoue to the mat before hitting a footstomp. Sareee tags in Nicole and Nicole sits down on Inoue for a two count. High kick by Inoue and she tags Kansai, kicks to the leg by Kansai but Nicole hits a body avalanche in the corner. Handstand body press by Nicole and she tags in Tanaka, Tanaka goes for shoulderblocks but Kansai doesn’t go down. Kansai applies THE CLAW but Tanaka is saved, they Irish whip Kansai but Kansai lariats both of them. Kansai kicks Tanaka and tags Miyazaki, Miyazaki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. TKO by Miyazaki and she covers Tanaka for two. Miyazaki goes up top but Sareee grabs her, Tanaka tries to join Miyazaki but Inoue pulls her off. Miyazaki goes for the moonsault but Tanaka gets her feet up, now Tanaka goes up top and she hits a diving senton for a near three count. High kick by Miyazaki but Tanaka fires back with a spear. Kansai runs in and lariats Sareee, Miyazaki kisses Tanaka and rolls her up for two. Gedo Clutch by Miyazaki and she gets the three count! Kansai, Inoue, and Miyazaki win the match.

A mixed bag with some good wrestling, but it didn’t really have a lot of cohesiveness and there really didn’t need to be six wrestlers. Nicole did very little as did Inoue, it wouldn’t have hurt the match if this was just a four woman tag team affair and the wrestlers had more of a chance to shine. Tanaka has really stepped up her game the last few months, she looked the best here as she hit everything well and was always on the same page as her veteran opponents. The ending was chaotic but entertaining, it didn’t drag on too long before Miyazaki snuck in the win. More good than bad for sure as there were some nice sections, but it needed either more time or less wrestlers to really gel.  Mildly Recommended

Rina Yamashita and Syuri vs. Ryo Mizunami and Yumiko Hotta

Yamashita and Mizunami take the first rotation, they are familiar with each other so a smart way to begin. They start slow with strikes and submissions, they both try to knock each other over until Yamashita shoulderblocks Mizunami down. Mizunami returns the favor and then elbows Yamashita in the corner, running lariat by Mizunami and she covers Yamashita for two. Hotta is tagged in, she trades strikes with Yamashita until Yamashita hits a back bodydrop. Kick to the chest by Yamashita but Mizunami comes into the ring to help Hotta. Yamashita lariats Hotta and tags Syuri, kicks by Syuri to Hotta and she knees her into the corner. Jumping knee by Syuri and she kicks Hotta in the back, cover by Syuri but she gets two. Syuri goes for Hotta’s arm but Hotta gets into the ropes, Hotta knees Syuri in the stomach to regain the advantage and they take turns kicking each other in the back. Yamashita and Mizunami are both tagged in, suplex by Yamashita and she puts Mizunami in the sleeper. Mizunami throws Yamashita to get out of the hold and they trade lariats, elbows by Mizunami but Yamashita knocks her to the mat. Yamashita suplexes Mizunami and applies the sleeper again, but Hotta breaks it up. Syuri is in the ring but Hotta hits a face crusher on both of them, lariat by Mizunami on Yamashita but Syuri breaks up the cover. Spear by Mizunami on Yamashita, but the cover only gets two. Mizunami gets Yamashita on her back but Yamashita reverses it into a sleeper. Hotta breaks it up, Syuri comes in to take care of Hotta, Syuri kicks Mizunami in the head and Yamashita applies a sleeper. Syuri kicks Mizunami again to speed up the process, Yamashita keeps the hold applied on the mat and Mizunami is out! Yamashita and Syuri are the winners of the match.

My main issue here is a good chunk of the match was clipped, which is never ideal. The match was a bit disjointed because of that, I will say that I loved Yamashita’s fire here. My opinion of Yamashita fluctuates, I do think she is limited but she showed a lot of emotion and it really made the match feel important. There wasn’t enough Syuri shown though, she is my favorite of the bunch and I wanted to see her face off against Hotta more. Unfortunately the main thing she did here was the ‘we take turns sitting down and being kicked’ thing which I don’t particular like. What I did like was the ending, really loved Syuri kicking Mizunami in the head to ‘enhance’ Yamashita’s sleeper. It made the ending memorable and still kept Mizunami strong at the same time. It probably was great in full, as presented it was still decent but nothing too memorable long term.  Mildly Recommended

Nanae Takahashi vs. Yoshiko

They tie-up to begin, Takahashi gets Yoshiko to the mat but Yoshiko gets into the ropes. After jockeying for position for a few minutes things get more heated as they pull at each other’s hair, Takahashi finally knocks over Yoshiko with a shoulderblock and she slides Yoshiko out of the ring. Yoshiko gets back in the ring when Takahashi goes out after her however, and Yoshiko catches Takahashi with elbows when she followers her. Stretch hold by Yoshiko but Takahashi reverses it, Samoan Drop by Yoshiko and she throws Takahashi in the corner. Takahashi moves when Yoshiko charges in and stretches her on the mat before putting her in a camel clutch. Takahashi stomps on Yoshiko and hits a dropkick in the corner, bootscrapes by Takahashi and she knees Yoshiko in the head. More elbows by Takahashi while she challenges Yoshiko to fire back, Yoshiko does but Takahashi lariats her against the ropes. Takahashi chops Yoshiko in the corner but Yoshiko jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hits a lariat. Knees by Takahashi but Yoshiko hits a hard shoulderblock and gives Takahashi her own bootscrapes. Codebreaker by Yoshiko but Takahashi comes back with a running senton, Takahashi charges Yoshiko in the corner but Yoshiko slides out to the apron.

Takahashi lariats Yoshiko off the apron to the floor, Takahashi goes off the ropes and she sails out of the ring with a tope suicida. Takahashi throws Yoshiko around the bleachers and hits her with a chair before bringing her back into the ring. Takahashi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, lariats by Takahashi in the corner and she covers Yoshiko for two. Takahashi goes up top but Yoshiko gets her feet up on the diving body press attempt. Takahashi and Yoshiko trade lariats until they both lariat each other to the mat. Back up, slaps by Takahashi but Yoshiko knocks her to the mat with a lariat. Running senton by Yoshiko, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she delivers the diving senton for a two count. Yoshiko goes all the way up this time but Takahashi cuts her off and joins her, hitting a superplex back into the ring. Back to Belly Piledriver by Takahashi, but Yoshiko kicks out of the cover. Takahashi picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko slides away and applies a sleeper. Takahashi barely gets a foot on the ropes to break the hold, Yoshiko slaps Takahashi but Takahashi slaps her back and hits a sliding kick for two. Elbows by Takahashi but Yoshiko catches her with a lariat, cover by Yoshiko but Takahashi barely kicks out. Takahashi fires back with her own lariat, she goes up top but Yoshiko recovers and they trade elbows while Takahashi is sitting on the top turnbuckle. Takahashi knocks Yoshiko down and goes for a missile dropkick, but Yoshiko catches her in mid-air with a lariat and covers her for the three count! Yoshiko wins the match!

First, I just have to say that watching Yoshiko wrestle doesn’t bother me. I know it does some people and that is understandable, but its not something I’ve ever had an issue with when it comes to wrestling…. I can still watch Benoit, TARU, and Invader I matches and Yoshiko is below them on the ‘horrible people’ scale. So now that we got that out of the way, I thought this was a really entertaining match that was only hurt by the fact it started slow and Yoshiko took time to get going. I don’t blame her since she hadn’t wrestled a normal match in 13 months but the first five minutes or so were really slow paced which is not usually how Yoshiko matches go. Once she got into the grove however the action was really solid, I was shocked that Yoshiko won, clearly they plan to make Yoshiko a big part of the promotion going forward. The ending was unique and memorable and there was no overkill at all, which is a nice change from many Takahashi main event matches. Overall I liked it a lot, solid action throughout and a good re-introduction for Yoshiko.  Recommended

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It is JWP time! JWP is not nearly as big as it was back in the heyday of Joshi but it is still plugging along and has some quality wrestlers. This event starts their annual Tag League The Best Tournament, a single elimination tournament this year that has been a tradition in Joshi for decades. Off and on. Anyway here is the full card (wrestlers with profiles on this site are clickable if you need more information on the wrestler):

• Cat Power and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Kagetsu and Sawako Shimono
• JWP Tag League The Best Round 1: Akane Fujita and Leon vs. Konami and Syuri
• JWP Tag League The Best Round 1: KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee
• Command Bolshoi and Makoto vs. Kyoko Kimura and Hanako Nakamori
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Rabbit Miu

All the matches got time so let’s see if any delivered.

Cat Power and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Kagetsu and Sawako Shimono

Kagetsu and Fujigasaki start off but Cat Power quickly comes in and Kagetsu is double teamed. Shimono joins her partner and they get the upper hand temporarily, but it doesn’t last long. Fujigasaki is double teamed again, Kagetsu kicks her in the back and tags in Shimono. Shimono puts Fujigasaki in a surfboard before tagging Kagetsu back in, scoop slam by Kagetsu and she covers Fujigasaki for two. Shimono comes back in as Fujigasaki is double teamed again while Cat Power watches from the apron, but she finally hits Kagetsu and Fujigasaki hits a missile dropkick for a two count. She tags in Cat Power as Shimono comes in too, but Cat Power lariats both of them. Lariat by Cat Power on Kagetsu, she picks up Kagetsu and hits a scoop slam. Elbow drop by Cat Power but Kagetsu fires back with a spear. She tags Shimono, lariat by Shimono in the corner but she can’t knock over Cat Power with shoulderblocks. She finally sends her to the mat but Cat Power slides away from her and applies a sleeper.

Shimono gets out of it but Cat Power kicks her in the chest. Superman Punch by Cat Power and she tags in Fujigasaki. Missile dropkick by Fujigasaki and she hits another one, covering Shimono for two. Shimono knees Fujigasaki but Fujigasaki hits a hard elbow followed by a double wrist suplex for a two count. Cat Power comes in and slams Shimono, diving body press by Fujigasaki but it gets a two count. Shimono is sent off the ropes but Kagetsu comes in with a double swandive missile dropkick on both opponents. Shimono and Kagetsu both elbow Fujigasaki, Samoan Drop by Shimono but it gets two. Cat Power tries to help but she lariats Fujigasaki by mistake, lariat by Shimono to Fujigasaki and she gets a two count cover. Fujigasaki sneaks in a backslide and a wing clutch hold cover, but neither can keep Shimono down. Fujigasaki goes off the ropes but Shimono catches her with a lariat, Kagetsu kicks Fujigasaki in the head and Shimono drops her with a Ebisu Drop for the three count! Kagetsu and Shimono win!

It is nice when promotions don’t have short meaningless openers but get straight to it with a well-structured match that gets a decent amount of time. This won’t rock anyone’s world but it was perfectly watchable and never slowed down throughout. Kagetsu was the standout here, which is no surprise, but no one really lagged behind even if not all of it was perfectly fluid. A straightforward and decent opener.

Akane Fujita and Leon vs. Konami and Syuri

Fujita and Konami are the first two in and start politely, but Syuri kicks Fujita from the apron and helps Konami kick Fujita around the ring. Fujita shoulderblocks Syuri as Leon comes in, and they both hit somersault sentons on Konami. Fujita tags Leon, Leon stomps Konami and applies a stretch hold on the mat.  Konami gets out of it and tags Syuri, Syuri grapples with Leon, scoop slam by Leon and she tags Fujita. Syuri quickly hits a Backstabber and tags Konami, kicks by Konami and she hits a PK for a two count cover. Fujita blocks a suplex and slams Konami, but Konami jumps on her back with a sleeper. Schoolboy by Konami, but Fujita kicks out.Elbow by Konami but Fujita catches her with a suplex and tags Leon. Running shoulder tackle by Leon in the corner, Konami comes back with kicks but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Leon but Syuri breaks it up, Konami gets Leon down and goes for the armbreaker but Leon blocks it. Leon tries to powerbomb out of the hold but Syuri pushes her over to help Konami lock it in, which Fujita quickly breaks up. Konami tags Syuri and Syuri kicks Leon repeatedly in the chest before hitting a jumping knee.

Single arm suplex by Syuri and she goes for a cross breaker, but Leon scoots to the ropes to force a break. Syuri goes to kick Leon but Leon moves, Fujita comes in and helps Leon hit a missile dropkick for two. Knee by Syuri but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Leon goes up top and nails a Frog Splash, but Konami breaks up the cover. Knees by Leon but Syuri blocks the Capture Buster and hits a jumping knee. Leon falls in her corner and tags Fujita, shoulderblocks by Fujita  and she hits a powerslam. Chop to the chest by Fujita and she applies a crab hold while Leon does the same to Konami but Syuri gets to the ropes. Syuri and Fujita trade elbows, running knee by Syuri but Fujita barely kicks out. Knee by Syuri to Fujita and she kicks her with Konami, but the cover gets two again. German suplex by Syuri, she goes for another one but Leon runs in with a spear. Michinoku Driver by Fujita, but she gets a two count. Fujita goes off the ropes but Syuri catches her with a high kick, Leon comes in but she gets one too. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, and she gets the three count! Syuri and Konami win the match and move on in the tournament.

This was fun, I liked it. The “good” about this match is the general presence of Syuri and just how smooth and snug she is with everything, she elevates just about any match she is in, but everyone here held their own. There was constantly something going on, moves were either being reversed or teammates were running in, which kept he pace at almost a fever pitch at times. That worked to the match’s detriment as well as there wasn’t a lot of structure, a lot of the time it was just random move after random move. Still an enjoyable watch though.  Mildly Recommended

KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee

We start with Tanaka and Hagane, and Hagane promptly starts tossing Tanaka around the ring. Sareee kicks Hagane from the apron to help and Hagane is double teamed until KAZUKI makes the save. KAZUKI and Hagane take turns dropping knees on Tanaka, KAZUKI stays in as legal and puts Tanaka in a crab hold. Tanaka reaches the ropes, backdrop suplex by KAZUKI and she applies a bodyscissors. Tanaka bites KAZUKI’s foot to get out of it and tags Sareee, but KAZUKI elbows Sareee hard to the mat. She tags Hagane but Sareee slips away and applies a grounded front necklock. Hagane helps KAZUKI out of the situation but Tanaka comes in and KAZUKI is double teamed. Sareee sneaks in a roll-up for two, kick by Sareee but KAZUKI connects with a few knees before dropping Sareee with a double underhook lift into a gutbuster. She tags Hagane, Hagane picks up Sareee and delivers a military press slam for two. Sareee slides away from Hagane and hits a roll-up into a footstomp, but Hagane slams her again to the mat. Dropkick by Sareee and she connects with a second one, German suplex by Sareee and she tags Tanaka.

Tanaka tries to knock over Hagane with no luck, Hagane shoulderblocks Tanaka to the mat but Tanaka applies a sleeper. Lariats by Hagane in the corner and she hits a Reverse Splash, but Tanaka barely gets a shoulder up. Drop toehold by Tanaka, Sareee runs in and they both dropkick Hagane. Both then hit missile dropkicks, spear by Tanaka and Sareee goes up top to hit an assisted somersault senton. Tanaka goes up and they do the same thing, cover by Tanaka but KAZUKI barely breaks it up. Hagane fights back with a lariat on Tanaka and tags KAZUKI, but Tanaka picks up KAZUKI and hits a fireman’s carry roll. Tanaka goes up top and hits a dropkick after Sareee suplexes KAZUKI, but KAZUKI hits a double Codebreaker. Somato by KAZUKI to Tanaka, Hagane returns as they focus on Sareee, knocking her to the mat. Tanaka goes for a double spear but it is blocked, and they put her in a double Argentine Backbreaker. Sareee breaks it up but the Diana wrestlers are stacked in the corner before KAZUKI hits a double kneedrop. KAZUKI grabs Tanaka and delivers the Death-By-Roderick, getting the three count! Hagane and KAZUKI win the match and enter the next round in the tournament.

A much more traditional tag match than the last one. The first half followed the normal tag formula of isolating the weakest opponent, Tanaka in this case, until the hot tag happened and after that it turned more into what you’d expect from a Joshi tag. That being of course fast paced, lots of teammate assistance, and general chaos. I thought it worked since Tanaka was the natural one to target, and the big vs. little dynamic worked well here since Hagane really does carry herself as a monster wrestler even though she isn’t much bigger than her opponents. Overall a solid tag team match.  Mildly Recommended

Command Bolshoi and Makoto vs. Kyoko Kimura and Hanako Nakamori

Makoto and Nakamori begin, as Nakamori throws Makoto around like a child. She tags Bolshoi so Kimura also tags in, they grapple on the mat but neither gets an advantage. Both tag out again as we go back to the first pairing, kicks by Nakamori and she hits a leg drop. More kicks by Nakamori and she tags Kimura as the beatdown on Makoto is under way. as Kimura has no sympathy on Makoto. Nakamori kicks Makoto while she is twisted in the ropes, but Makoto hits a big boot on Nakamori and tags Bolshoi. Bolshoi palm strikes Nakamori and applies an ankle hold, but Kimura comes in and puts her in a sleeper. Makoto joins them and puts Kimura in a sleeper but Nakamori does the same to her. Bolshoi fights off both Kimura and Nakamori, but she goes down to a missile dropkick by Nakamori. Kimura is tagged in and Bolshoi applies an armbreaker over the ropes, she rolls Kimura back in and applies a grounded necklock.

Kimura reverses it into a kimura lock but Bolshoi reverses it back. Kimura boots Bolshoi but Bolshoi fights back and they trade blows. Bolshoi wins the exchange, she picks up Kimura but Kimura snaps off a backdrop suplex. Nakamori and Makoto are both tagged in, backdrop suplex by Nakamori but Makoto nails a big kick. Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and Makoto applies a double underhook suplex for a two count cover. Makoto goes up top but Nakamori avoids the crossbody, they trade quick pin attempts but they are broken up. Kimura headbutts Makoto and hits a chokebomb, Nakamori goes up top and she hits a diving knee strike but Bolshoi breaks up the cover. Nakamori knees Makoto and rolls her up but the pin is broken up again. Makoto goes on a spearing spree and hits a cartwheel kneedrop on Nakamori, but Kimura breaks up the cover. Kick to the head by Nakamori, she picks up Makoto but Makoto sneaks in a schoolboy. Another quick pin doesn’t work, and the bell rings signifying that time has expired. The match is a Draw.

My opinion of non-tournament draws is well documented, I don’t like them unless there is a storyline reason for it which there wasn’t here. This is a small event in front of 190 people, someone can take a fall to give the match a more satisfying conclusion, it wouldn’t hurt any of the wrestlers. Anyway this wasn’t bad but it took awhile to get going. The last three minutes or so were fast paced and flowed really well and there was some solid action here, but overall it was ‘just another match’ with nothing memorable.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Rabbit Miu

Miu immediately proves my point as she dropkicks Nakajima as her name is announced, starting the match with a bang. Miu even has a new outfit I haven’t seen before, perhaps showing her new serious side, but Nakajima quickly suplexes her and dropkicks Miu out of the ring. That was a fun burst while it lasted. Back in things slow down a bit as they go to the mat, Nakajima gets a sleeper applied but they roll into the ropes to force Nakajima to release her. Nakajima flings around Miu by her hair and goes for the sleeper again but Miu gets out of it, Nakajima gets an armbreaker applied but again Miu wiggles out of the hold. Elbows by Miu and now she is the one doing the hair throwing, but Nakajima hits a knee in the corner. She misses the next one and Miu dumps Nakajima out of the ring, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out out of the ring, but she misses Nakajima. Nakajima takes full advantage and beats Miu with chairs before putting a chair on her head and standing on it. Nakajima then gets on the apron, tosses a chair to Miu and then dropkicks it into her face.

Nakajima is no longer messing around, they return to the ring and Nakajima hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakajima boots Miu some more, Miu fights back with elbows and she knocks down Nakajima with a dropkick. Miu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, roll-up by Miu but it gets two. More elbows by Miu, Nakajima goes for a suplex but Miu lands on her feet and hits a trio of German suplexes of her own. Miu goes for a roll-up hurricanrana but Nakajima counters it with a powerbomb. Back up they trade elbows, Miu goes off the ropes but Nakajima catches her with a bridging fallaway slam for a two count. Rolling Germans by Nakajima, she picks up Miu and hits a high knee. Running knee by Nakajima, she goes up top but Miu joins her and hits a superplex. Knees by Miu and she nails the Rabbit Suplex but Nakajima barely gets a shoulder up. Miu elbows Nakajima but Nakajima elbows her back and sends Miu to the mat. Package German by Nakajima, but Miu kicks out at two. Dragon suplex hold by Nakajima, and she gets the three count! Arisa Nakajima is the winner.

A really good match, hurt more by the fact there was just one camera in the back filming than anything else. Most the action outside the ring was missed, which was a pivotal part of the match, and strikes just don’t have the same impact from so far away. I did like that Nakajima gave Miu everything here, Miu had several chances to win and hung tough with Nakajima, never looking out of her league. So even in defeat this will only help Miu, and certainly not hurt her. Very fluid match and nothing felt wasted, the 15 minutes went by quickly. I also loved how vicious Nakajima was being, this wasn’t a feel-good type of match, the veteran was really laying in the shots and it was great. A fun match and a fitting main event for the show, definitely worth watching for a fan of JWP or Joshi in general.  Recommended

The post JWP Recapture: Tag Tournament on January 31, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: WAVE “Yokohama WAVE”
Date: January 9th, 2016
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 182

We finally get to check in with WAVE, as their first full event of the year has been aired. This is a small show in most respects, it is at a smaller venue and has no title matches. However the matches all got a decent amount of time and all the major stars of WAVE are here, so there is still potential for the event to deliver. Here is the full card:

• ASUKA and Yumi Ohka vs. Hiroe Nagahama and Moeka Haruhi
• Natsu Sumire vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Hikaru Shida vs. Mika Iida
• Fairy Nipponbashi vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Ayako Hamada and Yuu Yamagata vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee
• Kaho Kobayashi and Rina Yamashita vs. Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami

A pretty full show, let’s get right to it.

ASUKA and Yumi Ohka vs. Hiroe Nagahama and Moeka Haruhi

ASUKA and Nagahama are the first two in but Haruhi soon runs in and helps Nagahama out. This brings in Ohka and now it is Nagahama being double teamed as she is stomped on the mat, scoop slams by ASUKA and she tags in Ohka. Ohka and ASUKA take turns slamming Nagahama, elbow drop by Ohka and she covers Nagahama for two. Nagahama finally fights back and Haruhi comes off the top with a dropkick, giving Nagahama time to tag in Haruhi. Haruhi dropkicks ASUKA, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Haruhi picked up ASUKA but ASUKA hits a rebound crossbody and tags in Ohka. Ohka boots Haruhi in the corner and does it again, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody for two. Haruhi whips off a hurricanrana, quick footstomp by Haruhi and she hits a diving footstomp for a two count. Nagahama is tagged in, she dropkicks Ohka around the ring and covers her. Ohka and Nagahama trade elbows, jumping elbow by Ohka but Nagahama dropkicks her. Ohka gets Nagahama’s back and applies a cross arm stretch hold, big boot by Ohka and she hits another big boot but Nagahama gets a hand on the ropes on the attempted cover. Ohka tags ASUKA, Space Rolling Elbow by ASUKA and she follows with a dropkick. ASUKA goes off the ropes but Nagahama catches her with a suplex. Ohka comes back and they hit a double vertical suplex on Nagahama, they then drop Haruhi on her as well. Missile dropkick by ASUKA, she goes up top but Nagahama avoids the moonsault. Ohka boots ASUKA by accident, Nagahama quickly puts ASUKA in the Kasadora and she picks up the three count! Nagahama and Haruhi are your winners.

This wasn’t a bad way to start the show. Ohka is good at one thing, booting people in the face, and she did that well here as the big veteran presence. The other wrestlers looked fine, they tagged in and out (and just randomly ran in and out) enough to keep the action fresh. ASUKA continues to come along well for someone that just debuted four months prior, and Nagahama is finally starting to show some spunk as well. Overall a simple but fine way to begin.

Natsu Sumire vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

After trading elbows to begin, Fujimoto gets Sumire to the mat but Sumire switches positions with her and applies a camel clutch. Sumire dropkicks Fujimoto but Fujimoto dropkicks her back and hits a cutter for a two count cover. Crossface by Fujimoto, she puts Sumire in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back. Fujimoto rolls Sumire around the ring but Sumire sneaks in a backslide for two. Fujimoto kicks Sumire in the back but Sumire ducks the PK and hits a dropkick. Fujimoto fires back with a dropkick and hits another one in the corner, but Sumire hits a jumping lariat. Dropkick by Sumire and she goes up top, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Kick by Fujimoto and she kicks Sumire in the chest, Sumire sneaks in a roll-up but she gets a two count. Dropkick by Fujimoto and she hits a scoop slam, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Gokurakugatame by Fujimoto, and she picks up the three count! Fujimoto wins the match.

One reason that Sumire is still having issues moving up the card is she is developing very slowly. Here she wasn’t bad but she wasn’t particularly good either, a bit clunky and stiff, and the match didn’t ever really click. Much of the action was ok but it was just basic, mostly dropkicks and the like. Not actively bad but still a skippable match, Sumire is still a bit away from making a real impact.

Hikaru Shida vs. Mika Iida

They play nice to start with wristlocks and armdrags, Iida gets Shida to the mat but Shida slides away and applies a Stretch Muffler. Iida reverses it into a cross armbreaker but Shida slams her in the corner to get out of it. Hip attack by Shida but Iida rolls her up before hitting a reverse STO. Seated armbar by Iida and she starts working on Shida’s arm, but Shida rolls away from her and hits a hurricanrana followed by a hip attack. Shida pulls Iida’s head over the apron and hits a running knee lift, they return to the ring and Shida applies a rolling single leg crab hold. Backbreaker by Shida and she then puts Iida in a crab hold again, but Iida gets to the ropes. Vertical suplex by Shida and she throws Iida to the corner, but Iida slides out to the apron and snaps Shida’s arm on the top rope. Iida goes up top and snaps her arm again, but Shida boots her when she goes to the top turnbuckle again and suplexes Iida back into the ring. Running knee to the back of the head by Shida but Iida blocks the next attempt and applies a cross armbreaker. Shida gets to the ropes but Iida dropkicks her in the head and then hits a missile dropkick. Shida blocks the fisherman suplex and hits a jumping knee, Shida goes off the ropes but Iida trips her and rolls up Shida for two. Shida gets Iida on her shoulders and hits a backbreaker, running knee by Shida but Iida barely kicks out of the cover. Iida goes for a bodyscissors but Shida slams her way out of it and hits a Falcon Arrow. Three Count by Shida, she picks up Iida and delivers the Go To Sleep. Three Count by Shida, and she gets the three count cover! Shida is your winner.

A solid midcard match, I enjoyed it. Shida did what she does well, focus on the back before knocking off Iida’s head, and Iida at least planned for the arm and stuck with the plan for the entire match. Shida didn’t do a lot to sell the arm between sets, but Iida didn’t do a lot of real damage to it either aside from the late cross armbreaker. This was a bit of a dialed back Shida match but it was still fun, and Iida put up a tough fight.  Worth a casual watch for sure.  Mildly Recommended

Fairy Nipponbashi vs. Miyako Matsumoto

For the first time in my life I am not going to do anything resembling play by play for this match, as there is no point. There was lots of dancing, posing, and things like that because that is what both of these wrestlers do anyway. The most interesting part was Mio, as Mio got involved several times including getting physical with both wrestlers. It was done in a comedic way of course, as they got Mio to do a bit of a dance herself and occasionally refusing to count. The match ended after the wrestlers had each other in submissions at the same time and both taped out, Mio thought about it for a moment and eventually called the match a No Contest.

The only reason to watch this is for Mio Shirai. I don’t really love this type of comedy, Nipponbashi and Matsumoto are a bit too goofy for my tastes. But Mio interjecting herself throughout added a different element to the match that did help it a bit. Not a good match, but if you miss Mio it is worth a watch.

Meiko Tanaka and Sareee vs. Las Aventureras (Ayako Hamada and Yuu Yamagata)

The Diana team attacks before the match starts and isolate Hamada in the ring until Yamagata charges back in to help her partner. Yamagata and Tanaka stay in as the legal wrestlers, chops by Yamagata and Hamada comes off the top with an ax handle. Hamada slaps Tanaka in the corner and hits a rolling senton, Yamagata comes back in as Tanaka tries to get on offense with limited success. Hamada takes her turn dominating Tanaka until Sareee finally comes in to assist, Tanaka puts Hamada in a crab hold but Yamagata breaks it up. Hamada and Tanaka trade shots with Tanaka standing strong against the veteran, but Hamada eventually knocks her to the mat. Boot by Hamada but Tanaka headbutts her before tagging in Sareee. Dropkicks by Sareee to Hamada but she swats away the missile dropkick attempt, Yamagata comes in but Team Diana both dropkick their opponents. Hamada and Sareee trade elbows, Hamada again wins the exchange and she covers Sareee for two. Hamada goes for a moonsault but Sareee moves out of the way, German suplex by Sareee to Hamada and she goes up top, but Hamada kicks her as she jumps off. Slingshot stomp by Yamagata, Hamada picks up Sareee and hits a backdrop suplex for two.

Codebreaker by Yamagata to Sareee but Sareee fights back as they trade chops. In a recurring theme, the veteran wins the duel but Sareee snaps off a vertical suplex followed by a footstomp. Dropkick by Sareee while Yamagata is in the ropes, fisherman suplex hold but Sareee but Yamagata gets a shoulder up. Sareee tags in Tanaka, shoulder tackles by Tanaka in the corner but Yamagata hits an enzuigiri. The pair trade dropkicks, jumping elbow by Yamagata and she goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick. Hamada comes in and kicks Tanaka in the head but Tanaka spears both of them, Sareee then jumps off the apron with a crossbody down onto Hamada. Sareee returns and both she and Tanaka dropkick Yamagata. Missile dropkick by Sareee and Tanaka, cover by Tanaka but it gets two. Assisted senton by Sareee, Tanaka goes up top and nails the diving senton, but Hamada breaks up the pin. Yamagata slides away from Tanaka and hits a Backstabber, enzuigiri by Hamada and Yamagata follows with a buzzsaw kick. Sareee comes in but gets double teamed for her trouble, Yamagata positions Tanaka and Hamada goes up top and hits a diving footstomp. Dual running kicks to Tanaka and Yamagata hits a Somato for two. Yamagata picks up Tanaka and nails the Air Raid Crash, and she gets the three count! Yamagata and Hamada win!

This was a fun match with a well done young wrestler/veteran dynamic throughout. The story was simple, the WAVE team was clearly better as they kept winning the exchanges, but the Diana team was spunky and had several really close falls as they were hard to put down for good. They showed Tanaka some respect with her taking so much offense at the end before getting pinned, and all four had a chance to shine with Tanaka being the most impressive. This is actually probably the best match I have seen with Tanaka, really solid performance by her here. Best match of the night so far, check it out.  Recommended

Kaho Kobayashi and Rina Yamashita vs. Avid Rivals (Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami)

Kobayashi and Ohata are the first two legal wrestlers and they quickly go to the mat before trading armdrags with neither getting a clear advantage. Yamashita and Mizunami are tagged in, they take turns trying to knock each other over which Mizunami gets the better of. Yamashita returns the favor and tags Kobayashi, Kobayashi goes for dropkicks but Mizunami is a brick wall. Ohata is tagged in and they take turns beating the smaller Kobayashi for several minutes, as Kobayashi is the perfect rag doll. After Kobayashi eats a variety of offense, including double leg drops and a curb stomp, she finally hits a dropkick on Mizunami and makes the hot tag. Yamashita cleans house with shoulderblocks and a double lariat, suplex by Yamashita and she covers Mizunami for a two count. Yamashita and Mizunami trade elbows, Ohata comes in and she hits a sliding crossbody on Yamashita in the corner. Tornado DDT by Ohata, she goes up top but Yamashita ducks the diving crossbody. Yamashita goes for a kick but Ohata catches it and applies an ankle hold. Seated armbar by Ohata to Yamashita but she gets out of it and hits a lariat.

Backdrop suplex by Yamashita and she tags Kobayashi, missile dropkick by Kobayashi to Ohata, Yamashita comes in and they hit Ohata with a double shoulderblock, but Mizunami runs in and helps. Kobayashi is double teamed, crossbody by Ohata but it gets a two count. Rolling Germans by Ohata and she holds the last one on Kobayashi for two. Ohata tags Mizunami, Mizunami picks up Kobayashi and she hits an overhead suplex. Running leg drop by Mizunami and she quickly applies an Anaconda Vice but it is broken up, Kobayashi dropkick Mizunami but Mizunami slams Kobayashi to the mat and Ohata hits a diving body press. Mizunami goes up top but Yamashita joins her and hits a superplex. Mizunami is double teamed, fisherman suplex hold by Kobayashi but it only gets two. Mizunami comes back with a lariat, another lariat by Mizunami but Kobayashi kicks out of the cover. Yamashita returns and elbows Mizunami, hurricanrana by Kobayashi but Ohata breaks up the pin. 120% School Boy by Kobayashi, but that is broken up as well. Kobayashi goes off the ropes but Mizunami hits a lariat, dragon suplex hold by Mizunami but the bell rings as time as expired. The match is a Draw.

I don’t love draws that seem to not have a real purpose, neither of these teams are champions and it is not a tournament, for such a small show it would have nice to have had a real conclusion to it. But I enjoyed the action itself, Kobayashi and Ohata are two of my favorites and any time they were both in the ring it was heavenly. Yamashita and Mizunami are solid too and the action flowed really well, especially in the last few minutes of the match. Sometimes things can get a little awkward when wrestlers are flying everywhere but everything was really smooth here. A really fun match, just with a disappointing end results. Mildly Recommended

The post WAVE Yokohama WAVE on January 9th, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: SEAdLINNNG “Let’s Make Miracle Year 2016” 
Date: January 11th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 811

Welcome to an early review of Joshi Puroresu! A few weeks ago I purchased a subscription to view Samurai TV live as it airs. That means I can bring you new Joshi reviews as they happen, without having to wait until they appear on DailyMotion or another video streaming service. Look for quicker reviews going forward, as long as I wake up in time anyway.

SEAdLINNNG is promoted by veteran Nanae Takahashi, and she started the promotion soon after leaving Stardom in the Spring of 2015. This is SEAdLINNNG’s third wrestling event, with many wrestlers from the past shows returning along with some new faces as well. Some are really new, at least to Joshi fans, as wrestler “Big Bang” Nicole opens the show. We also get participation from Diana, REINA, Sendai Girls’, and Gatoh Move before closing with a big match between Takahashi and Tanaka! Plus there is a bit of a surprise too, which by now you’ve probably heard about anyway. Here is the full card:

• “Big Bang” Nicole vs. Meiko Tanaka
• Aoi Kizuki and Yuki Miyazaki  vs. Kaoru Ito and Takako Inoue
•  Konami and Sareee vs. Ryo Mizunami and Syuri
• Ayako Hamada and “Kotori” vs. Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura
• Masato Tanaka vs. Nanae Takahashi

Without further ado, let’s get to it.

“Big Bang” Nicole vs. Meiko Tanaka

Nicole immediately pushes around the smaller and younger Tanaka, but Tanaka gets Nicole to the mat and starts working over her leg. This doesn’t work out as Nicole switches positions with her, they get back up and Tanaka tries to knock over Nicole with repeated shoulderblocks. Nicole ends up shoulerblocking her over for trouble, armdrag by Nicole and she sits on Tanaka for a two count. Tanaka flips herself to the apron, she returns to the ring and dropkicks Nicole for a two count. Scoop slam by Nicole but Tanaka gets her in the corner and hits repeated shoulder tackles. She goes for a spear but Nicole blocks it and hits a DDT. Nicole squishes Tanaka in the corner, Tanaka wiggles away but Nicole hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Back up, big spear by Tanaka, she picks up Nicole and hits a fireman’s carry slam of her own for  a two count. Tanaka goes up top but Nicole avoids the senton, Big Bang (front flip piledriver) by Nicole and she gets the three count! “Big Bang” Nicole is your winner.

They get an A for effort, no one was coasting here, but it was a bit rough around the edges. I have never seen Nicole before, she is clearly trained so they didn’t pull someone that didn’t deserve to be there, but this was a difficult spot for both as Tanaka has limited experience against gaijin monsters. This lead to some spots just not looking right, I will admit I had to chuckle when they both did fireman carry slams back to back as it just seemed so unusual. I will admit to not at all expecting Nicole to hit a front flipping piledriver so there is definitely that anyway. This was good experience for the Tanaka and not a bad first time display for Nicole, but just a bit too disjointed.

Aoi Kizuki and Yuki Miyazaki  vs. Kaoru Ito and Takako Inoue

Kizuki and Miyazaki attack before the match starts, Miyazaki stays in the ring with Ito but the veterans take control of the match early as they take turns working over Miyazaki on the mat. Miyazaki tries to come back with a missile dropkick but misses, she grabs Inoue and puts her in a double underhook submission of some sort before hitting a DDT. Leg drop by Miyazaki, she leaves the ring and hits a sliding dropkick while Inoue’s head is over the bottom rope. High kick by Inoue and she covers Miyazaki for two before tagging Ito. Big lariat by Ito, she picks up Miyazaki but Miyazaki hits a quick suplex. Miyazaki goes for a moonsault but Ito gets her knees up, running footstomp by Ito and she hits an elbow drop for two. Miyazaki gets away from Ito with a head kick and tags in Kizuki quickly hits three running sentons.

Kizuki picks up Ito but Ito blocks the suplex attempt, Miyazaki comes in to help but Ito hits a jumping crossbody on both of them. Kizuki and Miyazaki are taken out of the ring and Ito hits a double baseball slide, Inoue has come over too and she attacks Miyazaki around the ring while Ito handles Kizuki. Kizuki is rolled back in but she slides away as Miyazaki rolls in, lariat by Miyazaki to Ito and Kizuki rolls her up for two. Back up, Ito quickly hits a lariat and a sit-down powerbomb, but Miyazaki breaks up the pin. Ito tags Inoue, but Inoue is double teamed by Kizuki and Miyazaki. Northern Lights Suplex by Kizuki to Inoue, but Inoue hits an avalanche arm drag. Miyazaki helps again as she knocks Inoue to the mat, Kizuki goes up top and nails the Swivel Body Press but Ito breaks up the cover. German suplex hold by Kizuki but Inoue drills her with a high kick. Ito lariats Inoue by accident but then manages to lariat Kizuki, Yoshikobushi by Inoue to Kizuki and she gets the three count! Ito and Inoue win!

First of all, Takako Inoue is still a babe at age 46, she hasn’t lost a thing. This match was a lot more fast paced than I was expecting with three older veterans in there, but they really kept the pace up and there was never a dull moment. Everything was executed well and both teams worked together, I was afraid it would end up like a series of singles matches if they weren’t as familiar with each other but that wasn’t the case. I went in with low expectations but this exceeded them, a pretty good midcard match between the veterans, everyone looked really inspired.  Mildly Recommended

Konami and Sareee vs. Ryo Mizunami and Syuri

Sareee and Mizunami kick things off, they trade hammerlocks until Mizunami starts working the headlock. Taiyo helps Sareee free herself, dropkick by Sareee as Konami comes in and they try to throw Mizunami over the top rope, but she lands on the apron and quickly gets back in the ring to hit a double spear. She tags Syuri, sleeper by Syuri to Sareee but Sareee gets to the ropes. After bouncing off the ropes Sareee finally manages to dropkick Syuri and tags Konami, kicks by Syuri to the young Kana-trained wrestler and she hits a Backstabber followed by a PK. Syuri tags Mizunami, knees by Mizunami in the corner and she hits a lariat. High speed legdrops by Mizunami, cover, but Sareee breaks it up. Sareee pushes down Taiyo and goes after Mizunami, but Mizunami kicks her out of the ring. She then gets mad at Taiyo also but Taiyo avoids her and hits a running elbow. Cover by Taiyo but no one counts since she is the referee. Taiyo and Syuri leave the ring while Mizunami is double teamed, back in they all run off the ropes until Syuri dropkicks Mizunami.

I am not sure why she dropkicked her teammate but the match has gotten a bit off the rails. Sareee dropkicks Syuri while she is against the ropes, kick to the chest by Konami and she covers Syuri for barely a two count. Mizunami returns as Syuri applies a hanging armbar to Konami, Mizunami tries to dump Sareee over the top rope but she lands on the apron. Syuri and Sareee end up on the apron together, Taiyo charges them but she falls over the top rope to the floor. Luckily she can’t be eliminated since she is the referee, Sareee is double teamed in the ring and Mizunami lariats Sareee for a two count. Big spear by Mizunami, she goes up top but Konami kicks her from the apron. Mizunami lands out on the apron also, Sareee kicks her but ends up on the apron instead. Mizunami gets back in the ring and hits a spear, but Sareee somehow doesn’t fall to the floor. Mizunami charges Sareee again, but Sareee avoids the charges and Mizunami goes over the top rope onto the apron. Sareee dropkicks Mizunami, Mizunami falls to the floor and Taiyo calls for the bell! Konami and Sareee win the match.

Anytime Taiyo is a referee in SEAdLINNNG, it isn’t going to be a normal match, I think she misses wrestling quite a bit as she always gets involved even if it is not logical for her to do so. The match was way too random to get a grip on with not everything making sense, I don’t mind some weirdness in my wrestling but usually it is still based on something. I do like all four of these wrestlers a lot and there were some bright parts, but the utter lack of any kind of structure or meaning threw me. An above average match with a more playful twist and an easy watch but too all over the place for my personal tastes even though these are some of my favorite wrestlers.

Ayako Hamada and “Kotori” vs. Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura

Sakura is not overly amused by this situation but she has no issues facing off against her young trainee. Hamada and Satomura are the first two legal wrestlers but they mostly do introductory chain wrestling while the crowd claps politely. Sakura and Kotori are tagged in, Kotori gets Sakura’s arm and runs up the corner before hitting an armdrag. Satomura runs in to help, as if Sakura really needed it, and works over young Kotori on the mat. I am not sure who this referee is but he is massive, towering over the wrestlers in the ring, which is really unusual. Things settle back down as Sakura tosses Kotori to the mat, but Kotori hits a dropkick and tags Hamada. Hamada puts Sakura in a Surfboard before Kotori hits another dropkick, Hamada then picks up Kotori and helps her kick Sakura again. Sakura is double teamed while giant referee watches, Hamada gets on the second turnbuckle but Sakura avoids the senton. Hamada and Sakura trade chops with theatrics until Sakura tags in Satomura, slam by Hamada and she tags Kotori. Satomura gets Kotori to the mat quickly and wraps her in a knot, Sakura comes in and they hit an assisted gutbuster.

Sakura then hits a cutter on Satomura so that she lands on Kotori, which Satomura didn’t appreciate, she goes back to Kotori but Kotori puts her in an Octopus Hold. That didn’t last long but Kotori tags in Hamada, back kick by Satomura but Hamada delivers the heel kick. High kick by Hamada, she goes up top but Satomura avoids the moonsault. Kick by Satomura and she tags Sakura, they trade move attempts with neither connecting until Sakura sneaks in a backslide for two. Hamada blocks La Magistral and hit an enzuigiri, she goes up to the second turnbuckle but Sakura joins her and hits a Frankensteiner. Big backdrop suplex by Sakura but Kotori dives in with a crossbody, moonsault by Hamada to Sakura but Satomura breaks it up. Kotori puts Sakura in the Octopus Hold while Hamada does the same to Satomura, but they get out of the holds and Sakura hits a double underhook backbreaker on Kotori. Sakura goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a somersault senton, but Kotori gets a shoulder up. Judo Throw by Kotori, she goes off the ropes but Sakura hits a spinning backbreaker. Another backbreaker by Sakura but Hamada kicks her in the head, allowing Kotori to get a roll-up two count. Kotori tries to throw Satomura with little luck, but she flips Hamada onto her instead. Kotori tries to roll up Sakura but Sakura blocks it and applies La Magistral for the three count! Sakura and Satomura are your winners.

They didn’t quite reach the level that I was hoping for but it was still an enjoyable match. Satomura was feeling a bit grumpy and didn’t give young Kotori a whole lot, which isn’t shocking, but Sakura of course did and the match gave all four a chance to shine. I liked that Kotori was highlighted for much of the match and the exchange with Sakura at the end was really done well, obviously they are very familar with each other and you could tell as they have great chemistry. A solid match, there was no ‘wow’ moment or particular part that really left an impression, but still enjoyable overall.  Mildly Recommended

Masato Tanaka vs. Nanae Takahashi

Oh no the referee has a head cam, please don’t let them use that often.  They feel each other out to start, shoulderblock by Tanaka but Takahashi returns the favor. Tanaka chops Takahashi against the ropes, he charges Takahashi but Takahashi moves and he tumbles out of the rope. Tope Suicida by Takahashi and she attacks Tanaka with a chair, but Tanaka gets the chair and hits her back. Tanaka slams Takahashi on the floor before they return to the ring, jumping elbow by Tanaka in the corner and he puts Takahashi in a chinlock. Takahashi reverses positions with him but Tanaka gets away and hits a scoop slam. Takahashi slaps him but he slaps her back, Tanaka charges Takahashi but she slams him to the mat. They trade elbows near the corner, an exchange Tanaka gets the better of, and he hits a pair of lariats. Takahashi comes back with a vertical suplex, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Lariats by Takahashi in the corner and she hits a release German, she goes off the ropes but Tanaka levels her with a spear. Tanaka puts Takahashi on the top rope and snaps her head on the top rope before hitting  lariat, sending Takahashi to the floor.

Tanaka gets out a table and puts Takahashi on it, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a body press onto Takahashi and through the table! He returns to the ring with Takahashi very slowly following, suplex by Tanaka and he covers Takahashi for two. Takahashi fights back but Tanaka elbows her hard in the head, powerbomb by Tanaka and the referee checks on Takahashi. Yoshiko suddenly appears at ringside to cheer on Takahashi, Tanaka goes up top but Takahashi gets her knees up on the body press attempt. Takahashi now goes up top but Tanaka also gets his knees up on her dive and both wrestlers are on the mat. Back up they trade strikes, big lariat by Takahashi and she nails the back to belly piledriver for a two count. Takahashi goes up top and delivers a diving body press, but Tanaka gets a shoulder up on the pin attempt. Takahashi picks up Tanaka but Tanaka hits a quick brainbuster, he goes for a Sliding D but Takahashi avoids it. Sliding D by Takahashi, but Tanaka barely gets a shoulder up. One Second EX by Takahashi, but that gets a two as well. She goes off the ropes but Tanaka levels her with a lariat, he goes up top and this time hits the diving body press for two. Tanaka sets up Takahashi, he goes off the ropes and he nails the Sliding D for the three count! Masato Tanaka is the winner.

A really fun and straight forward match, a nice change of pace since it was more serious and hard hitting than all the other matches on the card. Tanaka’s big matches tend to focus around big moves and short term selling, and this match fit that formula as while both were dropping bombs they weren’t overly concerned with focusing on a certain area or selling any particular move for too long (aside from the big table spot). Which is fine as that is just the match structure, but it helps to know the style of match you are getting into. This was a very even match as they went back and forth throughout, both seemed determined to put on an entertaining match for the show’s main event. The head camera worn by the referee wasn’t used much so it wasn’t a distraction, and for those that don’t want to see Yoshiko she did very little even at ringside and didn’t even appear until the end. The selling for big moves was a bit off for me and I’d have liked Tanaka’s transition from being hit with the One Second EX to winning to have been smoother, but overall a really entertaining match.  Recommended

The post SEAdLINNNG on January 11th, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: WAVE Young OH! OH! Tournament (2015)
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• September 16th, 2015 with Sareee vs. Jumonji Sisters  (title challenge)
• October 30th, 2015 vs. Yuuka
• November 20th, 2015 vs. Rydeen Hagane  (title challenge)
• September 9th, 2019 vs. Takumi Iroha
• February 23rd, 2020 vs. Nagisa Nozaki  (title challenge)

Signature Moves:

• Dropkick
• Jackknife Hold
• Kamikaze
• Lariat
• Spear

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• January 9th, 2016 – Ayako Hamada and Yuu Yamagata vs. Tanaka and Sareee in WAVE
• January 11th, 2016 – “Big Bang” Nicole vs. Meiko Tanaka in SEAdLINNNG
• January 31st, 2016 – KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane vs. Tanaka and Sareee in JWP
• February 28th, 2016 – Alex Lee and Mika Iwata vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee in Sendai Girls’
• March 7th, 2016 – Kansai,Inoue, and Miyazaki vs. “Big Bang” Nicole, Tanaka, and Sareee in SEAdLINNNG
• May 10th, 2016 – Chikayo Nagashima vs. Meiko Tanaka in WAVE
• January 17th, 2020 – Hibiki, Nozaki, and Takumi Iroha vs. Takase, Shingaki, and Syuri in WAVE
• April 26th, 2020 – Hibiki and Mei Hoshizuki vs. Maria and Takumi Iroha in Marvelous

In Action:

Kamikaze

Lariat

Spear

Back to Joshi Freelancers

The post Hibiki appeared first on Joshi City.

• “Big Bang” Nicole defeats Meiko Tanaka with The Big Bang (8:02)
• Kyoko Inoue and Takako Inoue defeat Aoi Kizuki and Yuki Miyazaki when Takako hits Kizuki with the Yoshikobushi (14:14)
• Over The Top Rope Rules: Konami and Sareee defeat Ryo Mizunami and Syuri when Sareee eliminates Mizunami (11:49)
• Emi Sakura and Meiko Satomura defeat Ayako Hamada and “Kotori” when Sakura pins “Kotori” with La Magistral (14:27)
• Masato Tanaka defeats Nanae Takahashi with the Sliding D (19:46)

My opinion – Nanae Takahashi has nothing to lose if she does bring in YOSHIKO. While the SEAdLINNNG events have not necessarily been failures, they have not gained a lot of traction as Korakuen Hall was less than half full for this event. Bringing in a controversial figure like YOSHIKO can be risky, but since the connection with Takahashi is well known it would seem less like a publicity stunt so the risk is minimal. We will have to wait and see what comes of this as nothing official was announced, but I would not be surprised if YOSHIKO returns to the ring. SEAdLINNNG needs a spark and YOSHIKO might be just the person to give it to them.

Results and pictures from Battle News

The post SEAdLINNNG on January 11th Results, and YOSHIKO Returns! appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: SEAdLINNNG ~ Let’s Make MIRACLE YEAR 2016!
Date: January 11th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan

• Meiko Tanaka (Diana) vs. “Big Bang” Nicole
• Kaoru Ito (Diana) and Takako Inoue (LLPW-X) vs. Yuki Miyazaki and Aoi Kizuki
• Sareee (Diana) and Konami (REINA) vs. Ryo Mizunami (WAVE) and Syuri (REINA)
• Ayako Hamada (WAVE) and “Kotori” (Gatoh Move) vs. Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls’) and Emi Sakura (Gatoh Move)
• Nanae Takahashi vs. Masato Tanaka (ZERO1)

This is “Big Bang” Nicole’s second match in Japan, she hails from North Carolina and also wrestles under the name Roni Nicole.  I will have the results and the fallout of the event tomorrow!

The post SEAdLINNNG ~ Let’s Make MIRACLE YEAR 2016! on January 11 appeared first on Joshi City.