It is pretty rare for Pro Wrestling WAVE to upload a full event to their WAVE Network, so when they do I feel obligated to review it. This is a big show for WAVE, with multiple title matches, a hardcore match, and an appearance by Chihiro Hashimoto! I will only be reviewing the Joshi matches, here is the card:

• Hiroe Nagahama, Mika Iida, and Moeka Haruhi vs. Miyuki Takase, SAKI, and Tae Honma
• Fairy Nihonbashi and Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Miki Tanaka and Sakura Hirota
• ASUKA vs. Chihiro Hashimoto
• Hardcore Match: Ayako Hamada and Yuki Miyazaki vs. Ryo Mizunami and Rina Yamashita
• WAVE Tag Team Championship: Rin Kadokura and Takumi Iroha vs. Mio Momono and Yumi Ohka
• Regina Di WAVE Championship: Misaki Ohata vs. Nagisa Nozaki

All the wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it.

Hiroe Nagahama, Mika Iida, and Moeka Haruhi vs. Miyuki Takase, SAKI, and Tae Honma

Mika and SAKI start the match and trade elbows, SAKI gets Mika to the mat first but Mika comes back with a side Russian leg sweep. Dropkick by Mika and she tags in Moeka, Hiroe comes in too and they both dropkick SAKI. Everyone poses on SAKI before Moeka gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a crossbody for two. SAKI sneaks in an atomic drop and tags in Tae, Tae pushes Moeka into her corner so Miyuki and SAKI can help attack her. Elbows by Tae but Moeka elbows her back and hits a running footstomp, she tags Mika back in and Mika hits a series of uppercuts. Tae avoids an elbow and applies a short armbar, but Mika quickly gets out of it. Irish whip by Mika but Tae hits a DDT, she picks up Mika but Mika rolls her to the mat and applies an ankle hold. Tae reverses it into an ankle hold of her own but Mika reverses it back, Miyuki eventually breaks things up and Tae drags Mika to the mat with a cross armbreaker takedown. That gets broken up as well, Tae tags in Miyuki and Miyuki dropkicks Mika a few times in the chest. Uppercut by Mika and she nails a sliding uppercut before making the tag to Hiroe. Dropkick by Hiroe and she hits a vertical suplex for a two count cover. Back up they trade strikes, Miyuki wins the exchange and Tae and SAKI both come in as they triple team Hiroe. Headbutt by Miyuki, she gets Hiroe on her shoulders and hits a rolling fireman’s carry for a two count. Miyuki gets on the second turnbuckle but Hiroe rolls out of the way of her dive, Moeka runs in and she hits a double wrist-clutch suplex. Dropkick by Mika to Moeka, and Hiroe follows with a missile dropkick for a two count. Hiroe picks up Miyuki and delivers a spear, but Miyuki barely kicks out of the cover. Backdrop suplex hold by Hiroe, and this time she gets the three count! Hiroe Nagahama, Mika Iida, and Moeka Haruhi win!

As much as a pleasure it is to see Hiroe Nagahama slowly grow into a solid wrestler, this match was a bit rough around the edges. Tae and Miyuki are still early enough in their careers that they could be great wrestlers one day, but they aren’t yet, and Moeka still has issues on some of the fundamentals. It was too short to be offensive, but a pretty skippable opener even though it was more painfully average than bad.

Fairy Nihonbashi and Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Miki Tanaka and Sakura Hirota

Now before the match starts, they switch teams, so it ends up being Ranmaru and Miki vs. Fairy and Sakura. I’m not sure how they officially handled this for their official results, but since it is a comedy match it doesn’t really matter. They end up switching again as Miki and and Fairy stand on the same side, but that also ends up backfiring and all four stare at each other again. They are taking “goofy” to a whole new level, I have no doubt this appeals to some people but I am not one of them. The teams go back to how we started, Fairy does Fairy things and Miki follows suit with a fairy dance of her own. Ranmaru comes in, shoulderblock by Miki to Ranmaru and Ranmaru does some slow motion comedy ala Kikutaro/Kamen. Fairy comes in with her wand and tries to toss Miki with it but Miki doesn’t go over. Sakura tags in and Fairy promptly throws her around with the wand, Sakura grabs Fairy’s arm and goes to walk the ropes, but Fairy breaks away and tries to wand her off the turnbuckle. Sakura ends up crotching herself on the top rope, she tags in Miki and Miki hits a few shoulderblocks onto Fairy. Ranmaru comes in but gets knocked to the mat as well, Sakura returns and Miki catapults her onto Ranmaru and Fairy. Miki and Sakura are thrown into each other, Miki chops all three of them in the head before pushing all three opponents to the mat. Miki covers all three with a single foot, and she picks up the three count! Miki Tanaka and Sakura Hirota win the match.

Even by Fairy and Sakura standards this seemed subpar, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to watch this match.

ASUKA vs. Chihiro Hashimoto

They tie-up to start and jockey for position, but neither can get a clear advantage. They go at it again, both wrestlers end up on the mat switching positions until Chihiro applies a guillotine. ASUKA gets out of it and Chihiro goes for a fireman’s carry, but ASUKA lands on her feet. ASUKA goes for one on Chihiro but Chihiro returns the favor, Chihiro goes for a stretch hold but ASUKA gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Fireman’s carry takeover by ASUKA and she applies an armbar, but Chihiro gets to the ropes. Back up, waistlock by Chihiro and she applies a modified abdominal stretch, but ASUKA gets the break. Gutwrench suplex by Chihiro and she covers ASUKA, getting a two count. She goes for a second but ASUKA reverses it into a suplex of her own, she goes up top and she delivers a missile dropkick followed by the Space Rolling Elbow. Dropkick by ASUKA, and she covers Chihiro for two. Chihiro drives ASUKA into the corner and hits a few shoulderblocks, scoop slam by Chihiro and she delivers a couple sentons for a two count cover. Chihiro picks up ASUKA but ASUKA slides away and hits a superkick, dropkick by ASUKA and Chihiro rolls out of the ring. ASUKA goes off the ropes and sails out onto Chihiro with a tope con hilo, ASUKA slides Chihiro back in and hits a series of elbows. Boot by ASUKA but Chihiro flips her to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker, but the bell rings as the ten minute time limit has expired. The match is a Draw. They continue to fight after the bell until they are finally separated, ASUKA wants five more minutes and it is granted, so the match re-starts!

Chihiro immediately tackles ASUKA and hits a rolling fireman’s carry, she gets on the second turnbuckle but ASUKA avoids the senton and dropkicks Chihiro into the corner. ASUKA goes for a moonsault out of the corner but Chihiro moves, ASUKA lands on her feet and she hits a dropkick followed by a springboard moonsault for a two count. ASUKA and Chihiro trade elbows, body block by Chihiro and she goes for a German suplex, but ASUKA lands on her feet and hits a suplex for two. ASUKA goes off the ropes but Chihiro hits a spear, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers the somersault senton for a two count. Chihiro scoops up ASUKA but ASUKA slides away, lariat by Chihiro but the cover gets two. Chihiro goes off the ropes but ASUKA dropkicks her, she goes off the ropes again but Chihiro lariats her and hits the waterwheel drop, but ASUKA barely gets a shoulder up. Chihiro goes up top and nails a diving somersault senton, but ASUKA applies a quick crucifix pin for two. Chihiro drags up ASUKA but ASUKA blocks the suplex and rolls up Chihiro for a two count. Boot by ASUKA and she slams Chihiro in front of the corner, she goes up top but Chihiro rolls out of the way of the moonsault attempt. Short range lariats by Chihiro but she can’t get the three count, another lariat by Chihiro but the bell rings before she can attempt another cover. The match is officially a Draw.

This match started slow and they made it too obvious they were going for a Draw, but once it picked up it really got going. The best part of the match was the five minute overrun, as they went from feeling each other out earlier in the match to just throwing bombs and trying everything to win. Both are still developing as wrestlers but they are getting there quickly, and in this case I don’t mind the Draw as it is a good starting point if they battle again later on. A quality midcard match, it had its flaws but overall it was entertaining.  Recommended

Ayako Hamada and Yuki Miyazaki vs. Ryo Mizunami and Rina Yamashita
Hardcore Match

In the ring with the wrestlers is already a table and various other weapons, so they won’t be wasting any time. There appears to not be tag rules as immediately start battling on the floor, throwing various weapons at each other. Miyazaki puts a ladder in the ring while Hamada takes Mizunami up into the crowd and tosses her into a wall. Miyazaki sets up a table at ringside, she drags Yamashita onto the table with her and drills her with a piledriver through it. Mizunami fights back against Hamada but gets kicked in the head for her troubles, she sets up Mizunami on a chair and goes for a lariat, but Mizunami moves and drop toeholds Hamada onto it. Yamashita has regained the advantage on her end and gets the push cart, Mizunami grabs a tire and hits Hamada with it. They finally all end up back at ringside, Mizunami hits Hamada with a trash can lid but Hamada boots her in the face. They all get in the ring with Hamada and Miyazaki in control, they both sit their opponents into a chair before delivering dropkicks. Yamashita is bleeding pretty good at this point while Miyazaki throws a chair at Mizunami’s head, Hamada lays the ladder over the top rope, she tries to throw Mizunami into it but Mizunami slams on the breaks. Hamada gets a chair while Mizunami gets the trash can lid, Hamada throws the chair at Mizunami’s head again and throws Mizunami face-first into the ladder. Mizunami gets hit in the head again with a chair as she is bleeding also, she gets tossed out of the ring while Hamada stays in with Yamashita, but Yamashita throws Hamada into a chair. Miyazaki returns and DDTs Yamashita, she gets the ladder and pins Yamashita into the corner with it but slips when she tries to run up the ladder. She hits Yamashita anyway before setting up and climbing the ladder, but Yamashita recovers and joins her, hitting a superplex down to the mat. Knee to the back of the head by Yamashita, she gets a board and cracks Miyazaki repeatedly in the head with it.

Yamashita goes up top while Mizunami feeds her a trash can, Yamashita puts on the trash can but Miyazaki moves when she goes for a dive. Miyazaki goes up top and tries to hit Yamashita with a sign, but she hits Hamada by accident. Mizunami finally gets back into the ring and helps double team Hamada, elbows by Mizunami to Hamada and Yamashita delivers a superkick. Lariat by Mizunami and she covers Hamada, but it gets a two count. Mizunami and Yamashita set up a table and a ladder in opposite corners, Hamada charges Mizunami but Mizunami suplexes her onto the ladder. Miyazaki returns with a chair and knocks down both her opponents, Miyazaki picks up Yamashita but Yamashita suplexes her onto a chair. Mizunami goes up top and tries to catapult the ladder into Miyazaki, which misses. Yamashita hits a backdrop suplex anyway for a two count, Mizunami puts the table across the corner and goes up top while Yamashita feeds her Miyazaki, but Miyazaki recovers and elbows Mizunami. Miyazaki gets Mizunami on her shoulders while standing on the table and hits an avalanche Samoan Driver, but Yamashita breaks up the cover. Miyazaki goes up top but Mizunami avoids the moonsault, Miyazaki blocks her lariat attempts with a chair until Mizunami punches through it, nailing Miyazaki in the head. She goes for a dragon suplex but Hamada runs in and breaks it up, lariat by Mizunami to Miyazaki and Yamashita follows with one of her own. Dragon suplex by Mizunami, but Hamada breaks it up. Mizunami picks up Miyazaki but Hamada tosses Yamashita into her, Miyazaki picks up Mizunami but Hamada kicks Miyazaki in the head by accident. Lariat by Yamashita to Miyazaki, Mizunami picks her up but Miyazaki sneaks in a kiss/cradle for two. Gedo Clutch by Miyazaki, and she picks up the three count! Ayako Hamada and Yuki Miyazaki are the winners.

While I do appreciate some variety on my wrestling cards, this one really didn’t hit the mark. It had some good spots in it, but also had some very noticeable mistakes and wrestlers would just disappear for long chunks of time. The ending was also really anti-climatic for a hardcore match, while it was a typical way for Miyazaki to win, I wouldn’t have minded something a bit more memorable to fit the match stipulation. It wasn’t necessarily bad, just random carnage with little purpose.

(c) Rin Kadokura and Takumi Iroha vs. Mio Momono and Yumi Ohka
WAVE Tag Team Championship

Takumi and Mio start the match, Takumi takes Mio to the mat and applies a side headlock before pushing her into the ropes. Rin comes in and they both elbow Mio, drop toehold/dropkick combination by NEW-TRA and Takumi hits a scoop slam. Snap vertical by Takumi, and she covers Mio for two. Takumi tags in Rin, Rin twists up Mio in the ropes and delivers a dropkick to the back. Another dropkick by Rin, Takumi comes in but Mio avoids a double dropkick and sends both her opponents to the mat. This gives her time to tag in Ohka, Ohka boots Rin a few times in the face but Rin snaps off a DDT before dropkicking Ohka. Ohka comes back and boots Rin again in the corner, Ohka tags in Mio and Mio scoop slams Rin. Rin blocks the next one and hits a slam of her own, but Mio grabs her and hits another scoop slam before applying a short armbar. Cross armbreaker by Mio but Takumi breaks it up, Mio tags in Ohka and Ohka puts Rin in a camel clutch. Mio runs in and dropkicks Rin, cover by Ohka but it gets two. Ohka tags Mio back in, assisted dropkick to Rin and Ohka slams Mio onto Rin for a two count cover. The beatdown of Rin continues until Mio accidentally dropkicks Ohka (twice), cannonball by Rin to Ohka and she covers the veteran for two. Rin tags Takumi, shoulderblock by Takumi to Ohka but Mio comes in to try to help. She doesn’t and Takumi handles both of them, kicks and elbows by Takumi to Ohka until a superkick sends Ohka to the mat.

Takumi picks up Ohka but Ohka switches positions with her and hits a DDT. Heel drop by Ohka and she boots Takumi in the face for two. Ohka tags in Mio, Mio goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody onto Takumi. Running crossbody by Mio, but Takumi kicks out of the cover. Takumi gets Mio on her shoulders and hits a helicopter slam, she goes for a powerbomb but Mio gets out of it. Superkick by Takumi and she goes for another powerbomb, but Mio slides down her back with a cradle for two. Mio goes off the ropes and applies the bodyscissors cradle, but Rin breaks it up. Mio charges Takumi and goes for the Code Red, but Takumi blocks it and drops Mio with the B Driver. Takumi tags in Rin, jumping DDT by Rin and she delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Ohka comes in and boots Rin, Mio goes for another Code Red but Rin blocks it and slams Mio onto Ohka. Takumi comes in and they hit a catapult Fameasser, cover by Rin but Mio gets a shoulder up. Rin goes off the ropes and cradles Mio, but Ohka breaks it up. Hurricanrana by Rin, but that gets broken up as well. Mio sneaks in a cradle of her own for two, Takumi tries to kick Mio but she hits Rin by accident. Chokebomb by Ohka to Rin, Mio applies a jackknife but Takumi breaks it up. Ohka gets Rin up and hits a delayed vertical suplex, Code Red by Mio but Takumi breaks it up again. Mio jumps on Ohka’s shoulders but Rin avoids it when Ohka tosses Mio down onto her, Mio goes off the ropes but Rin pops her up so that Takumi can hit a superkick. Rin grabs Mio and delivers a standing crucifix bomb for the three count! Rin Kadokura and Takumi Ohka are still the champions!

A decent match but I think they over-played the Mio/Ohka miscommunications to the point it was almost comical. Not all the spots were timed well so it looked like Mio was intentionally hitting her own partner, and there was just a lack of chemistry in general between Mio and Ohka. NEW-TRA looked good as they tend to however, and when they were in control the match was solid. Rin continues to improve and I think she has quite a future if she keeps at it as her moveset is really fun. Certainly more good than bad, the Mio/Ohka dynamic just took me out of the match a few times with how over-the-top or awkward some of their interactions were.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Misaki Ohata vs. Nagisa Nozaki
Regina Di WAVE Championship

Nozaki asks for a handshake but pulls in Ohata in the process to go for a choke, Ohata rolls out of it however and goes for a lariat, but Nozaki ducks it and goes for the choke again. Ohata bounces off the ropes to break out of the hold and hits a hard elbow, cover by Ohata but Nozaki applies the sleeper. Ohata manages to slide out of the ring to get out of it, Ohata snaps Nozaki’s neck over the top rope as she gets back in the ring but Nozaki applies a choke while Ohata is still on the apron. The referee forces her to break the hold, back in the ring Nozaki slaps Ohata in the chest but Ohata chokes her before slamming Nozaki’s head into the mat. Nozaki takes back over and puts Ohata in an abdominal stretch, single leg crab hold by Nozaki but Ohata gets to the ropes for the break. Kicks by Nozaki and she puts Ohata in a modified camel clutch, she lets go after biting Ohata’s arm but Ohata blocks her elbow attempt and stomps on Nozaki’s foot. Nozaki avoids Ohata’s dropkick attempts and applies a sleeper, but Ohata quickly gets into the ropes. Running boot by Nozaki, she goes onto the apron and tries to kick Ohata in the back of the head, but Ohata catches her leg and applies an ankle hold through the ropes. The referee eventually gets her to let go and she knocks Nozaki down to the floor, Ohata goes up top and dives down onto Nozaki with a plancha suicida. Back in the ring, Ohata goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, picking up a two count cover.

Ohata gets on the second turnbuckle but Nozaki recovers and joins her, Ohata slides under her and delivers a powerbomb for two. Ohata quickly goes back up top and hits a diving body press, but Nozaki kicks out of the cover again. Stunner by Ohata and she hits a low crossbody against the ropes, she charges Nozaki again but Nozaki hits her with a big boot. Another boot by Nozaki and she snaps off an underhook suplex for a two count. Nozaki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes for a suplex but Ohata pushes her off and the two trade strikes. Nozaki finally wins the battle with a big boot, she kicks Ohata in the back of the head before applying a roll into the sleeper hold. Ohata appears to go limp, Nozaki covers her but Ohata gets a shoulder up. Somato by Nozaki, but that gets a two count as well. She goes for the sleeper again but Ohata kicks her in the head and hits a release German, Nozaki pops up but Ohata drops her with a second release German suplex. Back fist by Ohata but Nozaki blocks the suplex attempt and slaps on the sleeper. Ohata rolls out of it this time and holds down Nozaki for a two count, boot to the face by Nozaki but Ohata kicks out of the cover. Nozaki goes off the ropes but Ohata avoids the boot and hits a back fist, Fisherman Buster by Ohata and she covers Nozaki for two. Ohata picks up Nozaki but Nozaki slides away, Ohata catches her with the Schwein however before nailing the Sky Blue Suplex Hold for the three count! Misaki Ohata is still the champion.

First, the good stuff. Misaki Ohata is a treat to watch and I’m happy she finally got a run of big matches in WAVE as she has deserved it for awhile. She has a variety of ways to beat down an opponent and her arsenal keeps her matches interesting. The pair have pretty good chemistry and there weren’t any noticeable miscommunications or issues. Now the not so good stuff – while I think it is cool that Nagisa Nozaki came back to Joshi, she really isn’t good enough for this level of match. Her offense is extremely one dimensional as the bulk of her moves are either boots or sleeper attempts. I hate when wrestlers release their submission holds for no reason, she beat Mizunami with the sleeper so why would she let go of it against Ohata? It just got a bit repetitive with her continually going for the same move, and because of that the match felt a bit too long (even though it wasn’t a long match). Overall I enjoyed it as it was pretty well-worked and exciting, I just hope that Nozaki grows her arsenal a bit before she has more high level matches.  Mildly Recommended

The post Pro Wrestling WAVE “Topaz” on 11/26/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

Hiroe Nagahama vs. Miki Tanaka

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

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

Aki Shizuku and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Yuiga and Natsu Sumire

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

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

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

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

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

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

AZM and HZK vs. Takumi Iroha and Rin Kadokura

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

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

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

Chikayo Nagashima and KAORU vs. Yuu Yamagata and Tomoko Watanabe

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

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

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

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Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• None

Signature Moves:

• Dropkick

In Action:

Coming Soon 

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