Weekly Pro EXTRA: Women’s Wrestling Erokawa Vol. 1 Details:

Official Title: Weekly Pro Wrestling Magazine EXTRA: Women’s Wrestling Erokawa Vol. 1
Release: February 1st, 2012
Pages: 84
Cost: ¥1,200
Where to Buy: Third Party Vendors (eBay, Mercari, Buyee, etc.)

The first volume of Weekly Pro EXTRA: Women’s Wrestling Erokawa featured the following wrestlers:

• Yoko Bito
• Kana
• Mio Shirai
• Hikaru Shida
• Makoto
• Yuzuki Aikawa

Its interesting to see that eight years later, these are still some of the most popular wrestlers on the current or recently-current scene, with the only exception being Aikawa as she retired back in 2013. For the ‘gravure’ section, approximately 40 pages were devoted to the six above wrestlers, with each getting several pictures to themselves. As the photos were taken separately there are no group pictures, as at the time all were in different promotions aside from Yuzuki and Yoko who were both wrestling out of Stardom.

The rest of the magazine includes other Joshi content, including a section highlighting Bull Nakano’s retirement event and an article about Mayu Iwatani and Arisa Hoshiki. While the target audience will be those that enjoy the modeling photoshoots, there is plenty of other content in this edition as well that may interest a wide variety of fans. The bulk of the pictures are in color (including all the gravure pictures), however some other pages are in black and white. Considering the popularity of some of the wrestlers involved, this is a quality magazine even for modern Joshi fans. Here is a sample of pictures from the magazine:

The post Weekly Pro EXTRA: Women’s Wrestling Erokawa Vol. 1 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

Finally an Oz Academy event popped up on the Internet, so in order to have as many promotions represented as possible I had to review it as soon as possible. This event is a pretty big one for Oz Academy, as it has the return of Sonoko Kato as well as an Oz Academy Openweight Championship match. Here is the full card:

• AKINO vs. Sonoko Kato
• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Kyusei Sakura Hirota and Hamuko Hoshi vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Mio Shirai
• Dynamite Kansai, Aja Kong, and Manami Toyota vs. Hikaru Shida, Syuri, and Kaho Kobayashi
• OZ Academy Openweight Championship: Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Kagetsu

All of the Joshi wrestlers above profiles on the website, you can click on their names to go straight to it. This event aired on GAORA TV in a two hour block, so some matches will be clipped. 

AKINO vs. Sonoko Kato

AKINO starts off the match with a hurricanrana but it gets a two count. They trade elbows and then high kicks. Dragon screw by Kato and she kicks AKINO into the corner. Cannonball by Kato and she hits an avalanche cannonball for two. AKINO slaps on an armbar but Kato hits a neckbreaker and applies a Dragon Sleeper. Kato goes up top but AKINO hits a superplex. High kick by AKINO and she hits a backdrop suplex. Kato hits a dragon suplex hold, but it gets a two count. High kick by Kato and she boots AKINO in the head. Kicks by AKINO and they trade elbows as they slowly return to their feet. Kato picks up AKINO and hits the Kowloon’s Gate, but it only gets a two count. Kato goes for a kick but AKINO catches her with a powerbomb. They trade elbows, AKINO catches Kato with a running elbow smash and quickly covers her for the three count. AKINO is the winner!

The ending was a bit sudden as it felt like they still had a few more minutes in them, but it wasn’t a bad match. I guess since it was Kato’s return match from injury they wanted to just keep it simple. Not a bad way to open the show, it had some hard hitting action and no overkill.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Miyako Matsumoto

This match is Joined in Progress, proving that there is a God. We pick up as Matsumoto falls on top of Yoneyama and dances around the ring. Yoneyama then dances around and hits a back splash. Yoneyama goes to the second turnbuckle but Matsumoto moves and hits a Shining Wizard. Scoop slam by Matsumoto, she goes up top but Yoneyama gets her feet up when she jumps off. Northern Light Suplex by Yoneyama but it gets a two count. Yoneyama goes up top and hits a senton for another two. Yoneyama cradles Matsumoto from behind and she picks up the three count. Kaori Yoneyama wins.

This was painful but luckily it was really clipped.

Kyusei Sakura Hirota and Hamuko Hoshi vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Mio Shirai

This one is also Joined in Progress, with Shirai and Hirota in the ring. Ozaki is tagged in and she hits a senton onto Hirota for a two count. Hirota is whipped in the face and is literally attacked by everyone. Triple powerbomb to Hirota but Hirota slips away from Ozaki. DDT by Ozaki and she hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two. Chops by Hirota and she hits the Oil Check. Hirota kisses Ozaki and hits a suplex for a two count. Shirai accidentally hits her friends with her pole and Hirota hits a schoolboy on Ozaki for the three count. Hirota and Hoshi are the winners.

This match was equally not good, mid-card Oz can be brutal. I can’t believe this match was 18 minutes, that would have been the worst 18 minutes of my life if it had not been so heavily clipped.

Dynamite Kansai, Aja Kong, and Manami Toyota vs. Hikaru Shida, Syuri, and Kaho Kobayashi

We start the match with Kansai and Kobayashi in the ring, Kong is in the ring too and they take turns slamming Kobayashi. Scoop slam by Toyota as well and everyone slams Kobayashi over and over. Toyota hits a double underhook slam and applies a cross arm submission. Toyota tags in Kong and everyone attacks Kobayashi in the corner. Piledriver by Kong but the cover is broken up. Kobayashi dropkicks Toyota but Toyota boots her and hits a dropkick. Toyota goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Toyota goes for a slam but Kobayashi rolls her up. Oklahoma Roll by Toyota but Kobayashi hits a dropkick and tags in Syuri. Kicks by Syuri to Toyota, Kong comes in but both Syuri and Shida dropkick them. Toyota is thrown in the corner, knee by Shida and Syuri hits one as well. PK by Syuri, cover, but Toyota kicks out. Syuri and Toyota trade elbows, an Toyota hits a German suplex. Heel drop by Toyota but it gets two. Kansai is tagged in and she lariats Syuri in the corner. Syuri gets away from Kansai and hits a backstabber following by a running knee. Shida comes in to help but Kansai hits a double lariat. Syuri knees Kansai and slaps on a cross armbreaker, but Kansai gets to the ropes. Syuri tags in Shida and Shida hits a missile dropkick. Jumping knee by Shida in the corner but Kansai catches the second one and flings Shida to the mat. Shida applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Kong breaks it up. Armbreaker by Shida but Kansai catches her with a backdrop suplex.

Kansai tags in Kong and she trades elbows with Shida. German suplex by Kong and she kicks Shida in the head. Hurricanrana by Shida and she hits Kong with a kendo stick repeatedly. Enzuigiri by Shida but Kansai runs in and lariats her. Vertical suplex by Shida and she hits a running leg kick for two. Shida hits Toyota and Kansai with her kendo stick but Kong hits her with a metal box. Shida tags in Kobayashi, and Kobayashi dropkicks Kong. More dropkicks by Kobayashi, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Syuri comes in and kicks Kong but Toyota comes in and kicks Kobayashi. Kansai lariats Syuri and scoop slams Kobayashi. Kong and Kansai run into each other and Shida hits them both with kendo sticks. Kobayashi goes up top but Kong kicks her in the stomach. Lariat by Kong but the pin is broken up. Kong drops Kobayashi on her head with a backdrop suplex, she then hits a Brainbuster on Kobayashi for the three count. Kansai, Kong, and Toyota are the winners.

I am not going to lie, I really loved this match. Kobayashi is so feisty and easy to root for, and both teams made the match seem really important by constantly inferring, breaking up pins, etc. Really it was Kobayashi that made the match as she takes monster offense so well, but the whole match just clicked for me. The time flew by and unlike what the last match would have been it was a great way to spend 15+ minutes. Only knock was the first few minutes were cut out, wish I could have seen the whole thing.  Highly Recommended

(c) Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Kagetsu
Oz Academy Openweight Championship

Kuragaki pushes Kagetsu into the ropes and she hits a shoulderblock. Dropkick by Kagetsu but Kuragaki hits a lariat. Body press by Kuragaki and she hits a pair of lariats in the corner. Kuragaki gets Kagetsu on the mat but Kagetsu gets to the ropes. Dropkick by Kagetsu and she hits a vertical suplex. Lariat by Kuragaki and she hits an exploder. Kuragaki goes up top, Kagetsu joins her but Kagetsu slides out to the apron and kicks Kuragaki back to the mat. Kagetsu goes for a swandive move but Kuragaki hits her back out to the floor. They battle outside the ring and Kuragaki applies an Argentine Backbreaker. Kagetsu kicks Kuragaki and she grabs Kuragaki’s arm as she jumps off the second deck, snapping her arm over the railing. She then pulls Kuragaki back to the floor and slams her into the apron. Kagetsu kicks Kuragaki from the apron and Kagetsu hits a swandive plancha to the floor. Swandive dropkick back in the ring by Kagetsu but Kuragaki knocks Kagetsu to the mat. Kuragaki goes for a suplex but Kagetsu reverses it into a bulldog. Kicks by Kagetsu but Kuragaki slams Kagetsu to the mat.

Kuragaki goes up top but Kagetsu elbows her. Kuragaki throws Kagetsu to the floor and hits a missile dropkick. Scorpion Deathlock by Kuragaki but Kagetsu gets to the ropes. Kuragaki goes up top but Kagetsu rolls out of the way of the moonsault and kicks Kuragaki in the chest. Kagetsu goes up top and hits a diving double knee to Kuragaki’s arm. Armbar by Kagetsu but Kuragaki gets to the ropes. Kuragaki and Kagetsu trade elbows but Kagetsu hits a judo throw before applying the cross armbreaker. Kuragaki powerbombs out of it, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu rolls up Kuragaki for a two. Death valley bomb by Kagetsu and she hits a cross armbreaker takedown. La Magistral by Kagetsu but it gets a two count. High kick by Kagetsu but Kuragaki catches her with a backdrop suplex. Another backdrop suplex by Kuragaki and she hits a lariat. Kuragaki picks up Kagetsu and hits the Metal Wing. Kuragaki picks up Kagetsu and goes for it again but Kagetsu lands on her feet and kicked Kuragaki in the head. Lariat by Kuragaki, she picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu gets away. Kuragaki levels her with another lariat and she hits a Falcon Arrow for the three count! Tsubasa Kuragaki wins and retains the championship.

A really solid match and a fun back and forth. I wish Kuragaki had sold the arm a bit at some point but Kagetsu stayed on it at least, and it was a good ‘power offensive vs. submission holds’ match dynamic. The time of the match felt just right and it wasn’t clipped. The show started really slow but ended with two entertaining matches. Recommended

event reviewed on 2/9/15

The post Oz Academy “The Wizard of OZ” on 1/11/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I’ll provide context before each match if there is anything noteworthy I can find, although of course not all matches in wrestling have a set purpose (especially with Freelancers like Kana). All the matches below took place in NEO during the summer of 2009.

• July 5th, 2009 – Kana and Ayumi Kurihara vs. Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• July 5th, 2009 – Kana and Ayumi Kurihara vs. Yoshiko Tamura and Fuka
• July 25th, 2009 – Kana vs. Aya Yuki
• August 8th, 2009 – Kana, Natsuki Taiyo, and Nanae Takahashi vs. Kyoko Inoue, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Fuka
• August 15th, 2009 – Kana, Nanae Takahashi, and Natsuki Taiyo vs. Yoshiko Tamura, Mio Shirai, and Io Shirai

All wrestlers on the DVD have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to their profile for additional information.

Kana and Ayumi Kurihara vs. Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto

We kick off the DVD with a pair of matches for the Mid Summer Tag Tournament in NEO. This was the first tournament match on the show, pitting Kana and her friend Kurihara (known as a team as KanAyu) against veteran Kyoko Inoue and young wrestler Hiroyo Matsumoto. Kyoko was one of the top wrestlers in NEO in 2009, and while Hiroyo was only three years into her career she already had several title wins so she was no slouch either. Kanayu started teaming in 2009 so they were still a new team, they would continue tagging until Ayumi retired in 2013.

Ayumi and Hiroyo start things off, Hiroyo tosses Ayumi into the corner before squashing her with her rear end. Inoue comes in and they double team Ayumi, but Ayumi gets away from them as Kana comes in to help. With Ayumi in control now, she Irish whips Hiroyo but Hiroyo hits a shoulderblock. Sidewalk slam by Hiroyo, and she covers Ayumi for two. She tags Inoue but Ayumi avoids Inoue’s charge in the corner, she goes for a double knee but Inoue blocks it. Ayumi drop toeholds Inoue into the corner, Kana runs in and hits a hip attack but Ayumi delivers a dropkick. Kana and Ayumi both try to suplex Inoue but Inoue reverses it into a double vertical suplex, Inoue throws Ayumi into the corner but Ayumi applies an armbar over the top rope. Ayumi gets on the top turnbuckle but Hiroyo grabs her from the apron, Inoue joins Ayumi and Inoue hits a superplex. Cover by Inoue, but Ayumi gets a shoulder up. Back up they trade blows, vertical suplex by Inoue but Ayumi quickly gets back up only to eat another vertical suplex. Big lariat by Inoue, she goes for a powerbomb but Ayumi slides away and hits a fisherman suplex. Ayumi tags Kana and Kana comes in with a diving hip attack, Seated armbar by Kana and she goes for a cross armbreaker, but Inoue blocks it. Kana goes for a triangle choke instead but Inoue slides out of it and kicks Kana. Inoue quickly applies an ankle hold but Hiroyo breaks it up, Inoue knocks Kana against the corner but Ayumi snaps Inoue’s neck on the top rope.

Hip attack by Kana, she goes for a German suplex on Inoue but Inoue blocks it. Ayumi elbows Inoue to help but Inoue still blocks it, both Ayumi and Kana attack Inoue but Inoue lariats both of them. Inoue picks up Kana but Kana blocks the powerbomb, knee by Kana but Inoue hits another lariat and goes for the powerbomb again. Ayumi breaks it up but Inoue hits a double lariat before tagging in Hiroyo. Hiroyo elbows Kana, body avalanche by Hiroyo to Kana but Kana kicks her in the stomach. Kana tags Ayumi, Ayumi cradles Hiroyo but it gets two. Double knee facebreaker by Ayumi, Kana runs in and hits Hiroyo with a hip attack. Dropkick by Ayumi, Kana hits Hiroyo with a German suplex and Ayumi delivers a missile dropkick for two. Ayumi picks up Hiroyo and hits another double knee facebreaker, hip attack by Kana but Inoue breaks up Ayumi’s cover. Inoue tosses Kana out of the ring, Inoue and Hiroyo hit a double shoulderblock on Ayumi, they pick up Ayumi and swing her down to the mat. Hiroyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hiroyo but it gets two. Hiroyo picks up Ayumi but Ayumi slides away, Inoue lariats Ayumi and Hiroyo hits a body avalanche for two. Inoue puts Ayumi on her shoulders and drops her back-first onto Hiroyo’s knee, Argentine Backbreaker by Hiroyo and she flips Ayumi into a gutbuster, but Ayumi barely kicks out. Backdrop Suplex by Hiroyo, but Kana breaks up the cover. Hiroyo picks up Inoue and goes for a Liger Bomb, but Ayumi reverses it into a cradle for the three count! Kana and Ayumi Kurihara win and advance in the tournament.

For an early match on the card this was good, but Kyoko Inoue really brought the match down. Inoue is known for being a bit selfish and she was at her worst here, winning just about every battle with Kana and Ayumi and giving them nothing. For example, Kana teased the German suplex on Inoue, Ayumi even came in to help, Kana tried again, but Inoue just lariats both of them and never gives that rub back. So that was disappointing, but the other three were fantastic and I really enjoyed it when they were the ones interacting. Ayumi was a great wrestler that sadly retired before I really got into Joshi, but I love going back and watching her. Kana of course was Kana, and Hiroyo’s moves have so much impact. A quality match that was dragged down by an uncooperative veteran.  Mildly Recommended

Kana and Ayumi Kurihara vs. Yoshiko Tamura and Fuka

The next match on the DVD is part of the tournament on the same night as the previous match. In the Semi Final, Kana and Ayumi Kurihara face off against two of the better wrestlers in NEO – Yoshiko Tamura and Fuka. Tamura was the most successful wrestler in NEO history, with over 1,500 days holding either the singles or tag team championship. She retired when NEO closed on the last day of 2010. Fuka everyone knows today as the trainer in Stardom, she didn’t have the title success of her partner but gained a large following and produced many of her own shows. In the first round, Tamura and Fuka defeated Aya Yuki and Minori Makiba to reach the Semi Final.

Kana and Tamura start off, knees by Kana and they trade slaps back and forth. Kana gets Tamura to the mat but Tamura reverses positions with her, Kana gets Tamura in a headscissors and both wrestlers return to their feet to trade strikes again. Kana wins the battle and tags in Ayumi, dropkick by Ayumi and she elbows Tamura in the corner. Tamura elbows her back and they trade strikes, knees by Tamura but Ayumi puts her in an Octopus Hold. Fuka tries to break it up but Kana cuts her off and puts Fuka in a Scorpion Deathlock. Ayumi releases the hold after a moment, she goes off the ropes but Tamura catches her with a DDT and tags in Fuka. Fuka comes in the ring with a missile dropkick but Ayumi lands in her corner and tags in Kana, kicks by Kana to Fuka but Fuka kicks her in return and they trade blows. Kana wins that battle too and delivers a Buzzsaw Kick, she picks up Fuka but Fuka kicks her in the head for a two count cover. Fuka tags in Tamura, dropkick by Tamura to Kana and she hits a neckbreaker. Tamura goes to pick up Kana but Kana rolls her to the mat and hits a reverse DDT. Kana applies a choke but Fuka breaks it up, Kana goes for the German but Tamura blocks it. Ayumi runs in with a double knee facebuster to Tamura, and this time Kana is able to hit the release German on Tamura. Dropkick by Ayumi to Tamura, Kana follows with the hip attack but Fuka breaks up the cover. Kana picks up Tamura but Tamura elbows her off, Ayumi flies in with a missile dropkick but Fuka comes in and kicks both of them. Tamura takes out both Ayumi and Kana, Fuka comes in but she kicks Tamura by accident. Cradle by Kana to Tamura, but Tamura barely kicks out. Kana picks up Tamura but Tamura elbows her, Tamura swings Kana to the mat and rolls her up for two. Ayumi comes in but Tamura gets rid of her, Fuka grabs Ayumi while Tamura DDTs Kana. Tamura picks up Kana, Kana gets away but Fuka kicks Kana in the head. Running elbow smash by Tamura on Kana, and she picks up the three count! Yoshiko Tamura and Fuka win, advancing to the Finals of the tournament.

While this was a shorter match than the last one, it was certainly better. Tamura is the opposite of Inoue – those spots that Inoue wouldn’t do, Tamura actually did in this match even though she is the Ace of NEO. Kana won strike battles with Tamura and in general, Kana and Ayumi dominated the match. Tamura still showed that she was the best wrestler and overcame them to get the win, but it felt like a real battle, not like a veteran going through the motions. Fast paced with lots of solid strikes, everyone came out of it looking strong. Really entertaining match.  Recommended

Kana vs. Aya Yuki

Jumping ahead 20 days, Kana opened the second night of the Summer Night Fire tour against Aya Yuki. Aya is better known to many fans as Hatsuhinode Kamen, a more comedic wrestler that was a regular in Stardom for a couple years. She had a quiet career with only two title wins, however she hold the NEO Tag Team Championship toward the end of the promotion’s run.

Kana and Aya immediately start trading elbows, kicks by Kana but Aya hits a shoulderblock. Hip attack by Kana but Aya blocks the second one and stomps Kana to the mat. Shoulderblock by Aya and she applies a headlock, Kana gets out of it and they jockey for position. Kana gets in the mount and applies a guillotine but Aya gets out of it, Kana stays in dominate position and goes for Aya’s ankle, applying an ankle hold. Aya tries to reverse it but Kana blocks it and goes back to Aya’s leg, applying a single leg crab hold. Aya gets out of it and goes for Kana’s leg, Kana blocks that but Aya gets into the mount and elbows Kana repeatedly in the chest. They finally return to their feet, elbows by Kana and she hits a hip attack in the corner. Aya comes back with a hard shoulderblock, another one by Aya but Kana avoids the third and applies a front guillotine. Kana rolls Aya to the mat and applies a short armbar, Aya gets out of it and tosses Kana down before hitting a second turnbuckle diving shoulderblock for two. STF by Aya but Kana gets a hand on the bottom rope, Aya picks up Kana but Kana hits her with a hip attack. Schoolboy by Kana, Aya kicks out but Kana drops her with a reverse DDT. A high kick by Kana is blocked, vertical suplex by Aya and she hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam for two. Kana snaps off a German suplex hold, they trade slaps back on their feet until Aya boots Kana to the mat. Another kick by Aya, she goes off the ropes but Kana blocks the boot and hits a hard elbow. Kana puts Aya in the Wakigatame, really pulling back on the arm and Aya has no choice but to submit! Kana wins!

A pretty simple match, lots of mat work that didn’t go anywhere but as the opening match that wasn’t too surprising. Some of the ground game was pretty awkward, definitely not the smoothest and I was happy when they returned to their feet. Kana looked the better of the two with crisper strikes and a more entertaining variety of moves, I wouldn’t call it a bad match but it was certainly lacking in some areas. Worst match on the DVD so far, and from looking at the matches coming up I assume it will stay that way.

Kana, Natsuki Taiyo, and Nanae Takahashi vs. Kyoko Inoue, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Fuka

The next night of the tour saw Kana teaming with Passion Red teammates Natsuki Taiyo and Nanae Takahashi. Passion Red formed in 2008 with these three as the founding members, they also promoted their own shows as well before Kana left the group in early 2010. They are against grumpy veteran Kyoko Inoue, the young but already impressive Hiroyo Matsumoto, and the striker Fuka. Since this was the main event of the show, I expect a bit more out of Inoue than we saw earlier and hopefully an entertaining match.

Kana and Fuka kick things off, they trade strikes and holds until Takahashi and Taiyo run in to help dropkick Fuka. Kana tags in Takahashi but Fuka gets Takahashi to the mat in an ankle hold, Hiroyo comes in and helps double team Takahashi. Inoue gets in on it too as Takahashi eats a double shoulderblock, but Takahashi grabs Hiroyo by the hair and throws her to the mat. They trade elbows, Irish whip by Takahashi and she hits a sidewalk slam on Hiroyo for two. She tags in Taiyo, dropkicks by Taiyo and she stands on Hiroyo in the corner. Taiyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Taiyo but it gets two. Hiroyo comes back with a lariat and a dropkick of her own, giving her time to tag in Inoue. Taiyo jumps over Inoue’s back and rolls up Inoue for two, she runs up the corner and goes for a crossbody, but Inoue ducks. Inoue stretches Taiyo but it gets broken up, Takahashi and Taiyo go to suplex Inoue but Inoue blocks it. Kana kicks Inoue from behind as Inoue tries to fight them off, Inoue avoid the triple dropkick and tags in Fuka. Fuka knees Taiyo but Taiyo dropkicks her and tags in Kana. Kicks by Kana but Fuka hits a pump kick, boot by Fuka and she covers Kana for a two count. Kicks by Fuka but Kana drop toeholds her into the corner before her teammates come in to help triple team Fuka. They leave after a moment, Kana goes for a hip attack but Fuka moves and kicks Kana in the head. Knees by Fuka but Kana catches her with a release German and tags in Taiyo. Running elbow by Taiyo, she avoids Fuka’s kicks and hits a leg sweep followed by a dropkick.

Fuka kicks Taiyo back, more kicks by Fuka before Hiroyo and Inoue both come in to beat down Taiyo. Taiyo is thrown in the corner but she avoids all three of her opponents, she knees Inoue before hitting an armdrag/dropkick combination out of the corner. Powerbomb by Taiyo to Fuka, but Fuka kicks out. Fuka comes back with a DDT, jumping knee by Fuka and she covers Taiyo for two. She tags in Hiroyo, missile dropkick by Hiroyo but Taiyo blocks the crab hold attempt. Taiyo spins away but Hiroyo hits a spinning gutbuster, crab hold by Hiroyo but Takahashi breaks it up. Elbows by Hiroyo, Taiyo tries to run over her back but Hiroyo briefly blocks it, Taiyo rolls her up anyway but it gets two. She makes the hot tag to Takahashi, Takahashi goes for a powerbomb on Hiroyo but Hiroyo back bodydrops out of it. Back up they trade elbows, hard shoulderblock by Hiroyo and Inoue comes in as they both hit lariats onto Takahashi. Inoue gets Takahashi on her shoulders and throws her back-first onto Hiroyo’s knee, gutbuster by Hiroyo and Inoue jumps on her back for a super double kneedrop. Hiroyo goes for a backdrop suplex but Takahashi elbows out of it, Fuka comes in and kicks Takahashi in the head, and Hiroyo delivers her backdrop suplex for a two count when the pin is broken up. Hiroyo tags in Inoue, Inoue and Takahashi trade elbows and then trade lariats, with Takahashi eventually lariating Inoue to the mat for two. Takahashi goes up top as Taiyo comes in but Inoue pushes Taiyo away and joins Takahashi. Superplex by Inoue to Takahashi, she goes up top as Hiroyo comes in the ring, but Takahashi fights off Hiroyo and joins Inoue, hitting a superplex of her own.

Taiyo then hits a diving body press onto Inoue, Takahashi follows with one of her own but Inoue barely kicks out. Inoue lariats Takahashi, she goes off the ropes but Kana runs in with a hip attack. Sliding Kick by Takahashi to Inoue, but her cover is broken up. Takahashi picks up Inoue and hits a backdrop suplex, cover by Takahashi but Inoue kicks out. Takahashi tags in Kana, diving hip attack by Kana and she schoolboys Inoue for two. Kana quickly applies an ankle hold but Fuka and Hiroyo break it up, Billiken by Kana but again the cover is broken up. Takahashi sails out of the ring onto Hiroyo with a tope suicida, while in the ring Kana puts Inoue in a choke. Inoue gets a toe on the ropes to break it up, Kana goes off the ropes but Inoue reverses the hip attack attempt with a release German suplex. Inoue picks up Kana but things break down as both teams run into the ring, Inoue and Kana are left alone and Inoue hits a lariat. Powerbomb by Inoue, but Taiyo breaks up the cover. Inoue picks up Kana again but Taiyo dropkicks her, Takahashi clears the ring and helps Kana with Inoue, Buzzsaw Kick by Kana to Inoue but the cover gets two. Kana picks up Inoue but Inoue hits a short range lariat, Inoue picks up Kana and nails the Niagara Driver for the three count! Kyoko Inoue, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Fuka are the winners.

To give credit where credit is due – Inoue had on her working boots on this night (as much as she ever did at this point in her career) and bumped around quite a bit to help Passion Red look stronger. My main complaint about the match is a selfish one, as I just wish that Kana was in the match more since Takahashi did the bulk of the work. But I enjoyed much of what they did, Hiroyo and Inoue work really well together and had some quality sections, and Taiyo is always a bundle of constant motion. It wouldn’t have been a bad main event for a small show, but nothing really popped out as overly memorable even though it stayed entertaining from start to finish. A fun match from Passion Red.  Recommended

Kana, Nanae Takahashi, and Natsuki Taiyo vs.  Yoshiko Tamura, Mio Shirai, and Io Shirai

Unlike the last match, this one was in the midcard, but still has some heavy hitters. Kana is joined again by her Passion Red teammates, but their opponents are quite different than the week before. Yoshiko Tamura was the undisputed Ace of NEO and their top wrestler, she was no spring chicken in 2009 but hadn’t lost a step. She is joined by two sisters that current Joshi fans may be familiar with – Stardom’s Ace Io Shirai and the legendary Mio Shirai. Well, legendary to me. This was pretty early in both of their careers, as they were still honing their skills. Anytime I get to watch young Io and Mio I am excited, and since the match got plenty of time I have high expectations.

Kana and Mio start the match and immediately trade kicks, Irish whip by Kana but Mio delivers a dropkick and tags in Io. Io dropkicks Kana a few times but Kana swats one away and kicks Io in the back. Dropkick by Kana and she tags in Taiyo, and Taiyo throws down Io by the hair. Taiyo slides out to the apron, Io goes for a Tiger Feint Kick around the ring post but Taiyo moves and kicks Io out of the ring. Back in the ring, Taiyo stays in control before tagging in Takahashi, Taiyo comes in too and they triple team Io. Snapmare by Takahashi and she puts Io in a camel clutch, she lets go after a moment and applies a crab hold instead. Mio eventually comes in and breaks it up, Irish whip by Takahashi and she hits Io with a hard shoulderblock. Suplex by Takahashi, but Io breaks out of the cover. Takahashi tags in Kana, Irish whip by Kana but Io hits a crossbody and tags in Tamura. Knees by Tamura, Kana fights back and takes Tamura to the mat, but Tamura puts her in an armbar. Kana manages to roll out of it and applies a guillotine, dropkick by Kana and she tags Takahashi. Takahashi stomps on Tamura but Tamura kicks her back and drops Takahashi with an Ace Crusher. Knees by Tamura and she tags in Mio, dropkick by Mio to Takahashi but Takahashi absorbs the blow and elbows Mio. Body Avalanche by Takahashi in the corner but Mio blocks her second attempt and kicks Takahashi. Takahashi catches one and the two trade blows, backdrop suplex by Takahashi and she covers Mio for two. Taiyo grabs Mio from the apron and Mio eats a triple dropkick, they all end up on the floor and Taiyo dives out onto the crowd with a triple jump plancha, but she ends up only landing on her own partners.

Io then goes up top and dives out onto Passion Red with a plancha of her own, Takahashi is slide into the ring and triple teamed until Tamura and Io finally go back to the apron. Tornado DDT by Mio out of the corner, and she tags in Tamura. Dropkick by Tamura and she plants Takahashi with a DDT, knees by Takahashi but Tamura knees her back and hits a cutter. Tamura charges Takahashi in the corner but Takahashi avoids her and hits a release German suplex, Takahashi goes for a backdrop suplex but Tamura blocks it. Lariat by Takahashi but Tamura fires back with an elbow smash, jumping kick by Takahashi and she tags in Kana. Kana kicks Tamura and applies a schoolboy into an ankle hold, but Tamura gets to the ropes for the break. Kana goes for an Irish whip but Tamura blocks it and applies a kneelock, Kana inches to the ropes and makes it for the break. Suplex by Tamura, she picks up Kana but Kana hits a reverse DDT for two. Elbows by Tamura but Kana returns fire with kicks, cover by Kana but Mio breaks it up. Kana drags up Tamura and hits a German suplex hold, she quickly applies a Wakigatame but Tamura gets a foot on the ropes. Io and Mio run in and kick Kana, Tamura picks up Kana and hits a DDT. Full nelson slam by Tamura, but Takahashi breaks up the cover. Tamura tags in Io, Irish whip by Io to the corner and Mio hits a jumping knee on Kana. Tamura hits a knee as well before Io follows with a Space Rolling Elbow and a face crusher.

Armtrap Crossface by Io, but Takahashi comes in and breaks it up. Kana slaps Io, Io slaps her back but Kana catches her with a hip attack. Another hip attack by Kana and she kicks Io repeatedly before pushing her against the ropes with her boot. Sliding hip attack by Kana, she covers Io but she gets a shoulder up. Kana tags in Taiyo, missile dropkick by Taiyo and she delivers the Iguchi Bomb for two. Taiyo goes for a kick but Io avoids it and rolls up Taiyo, Tamura snaps Taiyo’s neck on the top rope before Io hits a springboard body press. Swandive dropkick by Io and she delivers a Tiger Feint Kick for two. Io tags in Mio, kicks by Mio to Taiyo and she hits a STO for a two count. Kick by Mio but Taiyo avoids the next one, she goes for the Iguchi Bomb but Io runs in to help Mio block it. Mio and Io both slam Taiyo before Tamura dropkicks her, Mio picks up Taiyo and kicks her some more, but Taiyo dropkicks Mio in the knee. Heel kick by Mio in the corner, Kana goes up top and jumps off with a diving hip attack onto Mio. Jackknife cover by Taiyo, but Tamura breaks it up. Taiyo goes up top but Mio kicks her and pulls Taiyo back to the mat, Tamura elbows Taiyo and Mio follows with a high kick. Io comes in and they hit the assisted DDT, Tamura then goes up top and hits a somersault senton, but Takahashi breaks up Mio’s cover. Mio picks up Taiyo but Taiyo ducks the enzuigiri and cradles Mio for two. Thrust kick by Taiyo, but Io breaks up her cover. Kana and Taiyo get on the second turnbuckle and lariat Mio while Taiyo hits a powerbomb, diving body press by Taiyo and she picks up the three count! Passion Red win the match!

This one was missing something from the last match I can’t put my finger on, but it was still a good match. Young Io and Mio are always entertaining, they aren’t necessarily refined yet but all the pieces are there. I think the match just had too many parts where they appeared to not know what was next or they were filling time, lots of stomping/kicking sections that felt like filler. Not everything felt like it had a purpose, and parts of the middle dragged. But it really picked up by the end and I like that both teams worked together so well, like they were real units and not just randomly thrown together for a match. The wrestler quality was certainly there and generally the action was exciting, but it definitely felt more like a midcard match (which it was) than a main event.  Mildly Recommended

The post Kana Special #2 DVD Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

After a few long months we are returning to Oz! That might be a bad pun. Anyway this is an Oz Academy super show of sorts as it is a joint show with Pro Wrestling WAVE and Zuban (Zuban is the parent company of Pro Wrestling WAVE). So we get some matches from the Catch the Wave Tournament and other random matches as well as wrestlers from both promotions collide. Here is the full card:

• Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kana and Konami
• Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Rina Yamashita vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki, Hikaru Shida, and Sawako Shimono 
• CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Round 3: Cherry vs. Ryo Mizunami
• Aja Kong and Mei Lee vs. Dynamite Kansai and Fairy Nipponbashi
• Chikayo Nagashima and Ayako Hamada vs. Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata
• CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Round 3: “Kyusei” Sakura Hirota vs. Misaki Ohata
• Mayumi Ozaki, Miyako Matsumoto, Mio Shirai, and Yumi Ohka vs. Moeka Haruhi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hiroe Nagahama, and Mika Iida

Most of the Joshi wrestlers above profiles on the website, you can click on their names to go straight to it.

Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kana and Konami

Konami and Kagetsu start off the match and they trade holds on the mat, Kagetsu gets the better of it and she throws Konami into the corner because she wants Kana.  Kana tags in, Kana gets Kagetsu to the mat but Kagetsu applies a side headlock.  Kana Irish whips out of it but fails at the shoulderblock.  They trade elbows but Kana hits a hip attack.  Kana picks up Kagetsu, Irish whip, but Kagetsu hits a dropkick.  Kagetsu tags in Kobayashi, dropkick by Kobayashi and she hits another one, but Kana stays up.  Kobayashi dropkicks Kana in the knee and then in the head, but Kana elbows her and kicks Kobayashi in the back.  Kana tags in Konami, and Kagetsu kicks Kobayashi in the corner.  Snapmare by Konami and she kicks Kobayashi, but Kobayashi hits a scoop slam.  Crab hold by Kobayashi but Konami makes it to the ropes.  Kobayashi tags in Kagetsu, Kagetsu knocks Kana off the apron and they both kick Konami.  Face crusher by Kobayashi and Kagetsu dropkicks Konami in the face.  Senton by Kobayashi and Kagetsu drops Kobayashi onto Konami.  Double elbow drop to Konami, Kagetsu picks up Konami and drives her into the corner before hitting a jumping elbow.  Konami fights back with kicks and she hits a schoolboy for two.  Konami tags in Kana and she hits a missile dropkick on Kagetsu. Kana kicks Kagetsu in the chest repeatedly, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a hip attack. 

Elbows by Kana and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Kobayashi breaks it up.  Kagetsu hits a high kick to Kana and she goes for a suplex, but Kana blocks it and spins her down into a short armbar.  Front necklock by Kana but Kagetsu suplexes out of it.  Kagetsu tags in Kobayashi and they trade elbows, Kobayashi grabs Kana but Kana gets the cross armbreaker applied.  Kagetsu quickly breaks it up and she rolls up Kana for a two count.  Fisherman suplex hold by Kobayashi, but Kana kicks out.  Kobayashi goes off the ropes but Kana hits a back kick followed by a sliding kick before tagging in Konami.  Konami kicks Kobayashi in the chest and she nails a high kick, she wraps up Kobayashi in a submission hold but Kagetsu breaks it up.  Konami applies an Octopus Hold to Kobayashi while Kana takes care of Kagetsu, but Kagetsu gets away from Kana and breaks it up.  Kana and Konami Irish whip Kobayashi but Kobayashi gets away and Kagetsu hits a swandive crossbody on both of them.  Senton by Kobayashi, she goes up top but Konami avoids the missile dropkick.  Schoolboy by Konami, but it gets two, as does the backslide.  Kick by Konami, she goes off the ropes but Kobayashi catches her with the 120% School Boy for the three count! Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi win!

This is one of the best openers I have seen in a good while.  First of all this was serious Kana, not face paint Kana, and while I enjoy her no matter what it is always nice to see her ass kicking side.  Lots of smart submissions and hard strikes here and the young wrestlers really held their own.  The only thing that hurt it was the one hard camera as the action was on point throughout, great way to start the show.  Recommended

Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Yamashita vs. Kuragaki, Hikaru Shida, and Sawako Shimono

Yamashita and Shimono start off but AKINO promptly come in to help and Shimono is double teamed.  Yamashita clubs Shimono and she hits a running double chop for a one count.  Back up they trade shots, lariat by Shimono but Yamashita returns the favor.  Judo throw by Shimono and she hits a seated senton for two.  Shimono tags in Shida and Shida hits a hip attack.  Irish whip by Shida but Yamashita blocks the next hip attack, hurricanrana by Shida and this time she connects with the hip attack.  Knees by Shida but Yamashita boots her for a two.  Yamashita tags in Toyota, Toyota wraps up Shida in the ropes but Shimono intercepts her.  Toyota puts her in the ropes also, but Kuragaki intercepts her this time.  Toyota hits a crossbody on all three of them as AKINO and Yamashita come in the ring, and all three hit dropkicks.  Shida hits an enzuigiri on Toyota but Toyota catches the hip attack.  Shida hits a vertical suplex and she tags in Kuragaki.  Jawbreaker by Kuragaki and she throws Toyota to the mat.  Toyota is triple teamed in the corner and Kuragaki hits a hard lariat.  Toyota rolls Kuragaki around the mat and she covers her for two.  Toyota goes up top and kills both herself and Kuragaki with a moonsault and she tags in AKINO. 

Missile dropkick by AKINO, she picks up Kuragaki but Kuragaki hits a backdrop suplex.  AKINO hits one of her own and she hits a bulldog.  Superkick by Kuragaki but AKINO hits a kick combination.  Lariats by Kuragaki but AKINO delivers a high kick.  Big lariat by Kuragaki and she tags in Shimono.  Shida runs in too as Shimono hits shoulderblocks on AKINO, Shimono picks up AKINO and she hits a Samoan Drop for two.  AKINO kicks Shimono in the head and she hits a backdrop suplex.  Cover, but it gets two.  AKINO goes for a PK but Shimono ducks it, AKINO applies a stretch hold but Shida hits her with a kendo stick.  Yamashita knocks Shimono into Shida, Toyota boots AKINO and Shimono applies a schoolboy for a two count.  Shimono positions AKINO, she goes up top but AKINO joins her.  Kuragaki throws AKINO back to the mat and Shimono hits a seated senton for two.  Shimono picks up AKINO but AKINO delivers a high kick.  Another kick by AKINO but Kuragaki breaks up the cover, the ring finally clears out, Shida hits AKINO from the floor with the kendo stick but AKINO snaps off a hurricanrana on Shimono for the three count! Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Rina Yamashita win the match.

This match way exceeded my expectations.  The middle section with Kuragaki and AKINO was just awesome.  Everyone looked good, it was fast paced, and it felt important.  Could have used more time and it took a bit of time to get going but still an entertaining tag match.  Recommended

Cherry vs. Ryo Mizunami

This match is part of the CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Tournament.  Mizunami hits a spear right off the bat, she then hits a leg lariat but it gets a two count.  Mizunami picks up Cherry and she hits a lariat, but Cherry fights back and hits a STO.  Mizunami hits a back bodydrop followed by a pair of leg drops but Cherry avoids the third. Dragon sleeper by Cherry and she hits a Final Cut for two.  Cherry goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Mizunami and she hits an armdrag. Northern Lights Suplex hold by Cherry but it gets a two count.  Elbows by Mizunami and she hits a spear for a two count.  Cherry goes off the ropes and she kicks Mizunami in the head, powerslam by Mizunami but Cherry rolls her up for a two count.  Mizunami gets Cherry up on her shoulders and she hits the Argentine Facebuster, but Cherry rebounds and hits a series of chops.  Lariat by Mizunami and she hits a dragon suplex hold for two.  Diving Guillotine Leg Drop by Mizunami and she picks up the three count! Ryo Mizunami wins the match.

I won’t say this was a great match but a sprint was the right way to go.  Cherry doesn’t do much for me and if this was 15 minutes it wouldn’t have worked.  Mizunami is really good though and her moves were really on point. Too short to get excited about but still solid.

Aja Kong and Mei Lee vs. Dynamite Kansai and Fairy Nipponbashi

Kong and Nipponbashi start off but Kansai comes in the ring too and dancing around the ring. She gets Lee to dance too and it is Kong’s turn, but she leaves. They get her to come back but she won’t dance so Kansai kicks her.  Crossbody by Kong to Kansai and she pounds on Nipponbashi.  Kong tags in Lee so she can dance around with Nipponbashi.  Scoop slam by Nipponbashi and she hits a second one.  Nipponbashi tags in Kansai, and Lee and Kansai share a dance (this is not an overly serious match), but Lee punches her in the chest and tags in Kong.  Kong kicks at Kansai but Kansai takes off her mask and powers up.  Kansai and Kong trade lariats until Kansai knocks Kong off her feet.  Kansai picks up Kong and she delivers a high kick, but Nipponbashi gets her to put the mask back on.  Kansai covers Kong with the wand, but it gets two.  Kansai tags in Nipponbashi, Nipponbashi has the wand but Kong hits her and tags in Lee.  Nipponbashi throws around Lee with the wand so Lee tags Kong back in.  Nipponbashi tries the wand on Kong but Kong just shrugs.  Lee comes in, and she flies across the ring via wand wave.  It still doesn’t work on Kong but after a talking to, Kong finally is knocked over by the wand.  Kansai comes in and they all comfort Kong, and Nipponbashi gives Kong the wand to use.  Kong tries to use the wand but it doesn’t work for her, so she gets a metal box and hits them all in the head with it.  Kong hits a brainbuster on Nipponbashi, and she gets the three count! Aja Kong and Mei Lee win the match.

Ok so this was silly but Kong helped make this match by not playing along, finally doing it, and getting annoyed when no one else returned the favor.  So while it isn’t my thing it had a good story anyway, if you are a fan of Fairy’s comedy you’ll enjoy it.

Chikayo Nagashima and Ayako Hamada vs. Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata

Nagashima and Kato start off and they lock knuckles, kicks by Kato and she hits a shoulderblock.  Kato kicks Nagashima in the back, Yamagata comes in the ring and Nagashima is double teamed.  Kato tags in Yamagata, Yamagata elbows Nagashima and she kicks Nagashima in the head.  Yamagata throws Nagashima into the corner but Nagashima applies an armbar over the top rope.  Nagashima tags in Hamada, Hamada headbutts Yamagata and she locks knuckles with her before stomping on Yamagata’s hands.  Hamada picks up Yamagata but Yamagata chops her.  They go back and forth  until Hamada knocks Yamagata into the corner, Yamagata ducks the rolling chop as Kato runs in but Hamada knocks Kato back.  Hamada grabs Yamagata’s arm, she walks the ropes and flips both Yamagata and Kato to the mat.  Nagashima runs in and hits a double face crusher, enzuigiri by Hamada but Yamagata hits a headscissors.  Yamagata tags in Kato, kicks by Kato to Hamada and she knocks her to the mat.  Nagashima grabs Kato from the apron to help, Kato ducks Hamada’s heel kick and Yamagata hits a jawbreaker on Hamada.  Cannonball by Kato to Hamada, she goes up top and Kato hits a cannonball off the top turnbuckle for a two.  Kato picks up Hamada, kick by Kato but Hamada punches her back.  Hamada wins the kick battle, she picks up Kato and hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count.  Hamada tags in Nagashima, Nagashima goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets two.  Nagashima picks up Kato and knees her, she goes off the ropes but Kato catches her with a release German suplex.

Kato goes for a kick but Nagashima catches it and hits a quick leg whip.  Hamada runs in to help but she accidentally hits an enzuigiri on Nagashima.  Yamagata comes in and boots Nagashima, then Kato hits a rolling kick for two.  Kato goes to the second turnbuckle but Hamada rolls in and smacks her.  Nagashima climbs up with Kato and she hits a Frankensteiner.  Hamada goes up top and she hits a moonsault on Kato, Nagashima picks up Kato and she hits an uranage but the pin is broken up.  Nagashima goes off the ropes but Kato catches her with a powerbomb.  Head kick by Kato, cover, but it gets two.  Kato hits a dragon suplex hold by Nagashima, but the pin is broken up.  Yamagata is tagged in and she elbows Nagashima in the corner.  Yamagata goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick on Nagashima.  Nagashima catches Yamagata with an uranage, but Yamagata kicks out.  Nagashima picks up Yamagata, Hamada and Kato both run in, and Hamada helps Nagashima hit a tornado DDT.  Nagashima picks up Yamagata and she hits a fisherman buster, but Kato breaks it up.  Nagashima goes off the ropes and she hits a hurricanrana, but Kato breaks it up.  Head kick by Yamagata, she picks up Nagashima and she hits the Schwein, but Hamada breaks it up.  Enzuigiri by Yamagata to Nagashima but Nagashima rolls her up for two.  Kato goes up top and hits a diving leg drop on Nagashima, Yamagata picks up Nagashima and she delivers the La Ayakita for the three count! The winners are Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata.

This started slow but really picked up by the end.  Lots of fun back and forths and the end was just chaos but in a good way.  It could have used some tightening up but all four of these women can go, definitely a fun watch.  Mildly Recommended

“Kyusei” Sakura Hirota vs. Misaki Ohata

This match is part of the CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Tournament.  Hirota and Ohata shake hands to start, they go to the mat but neither can get an advantage.  Back up they lock knuckles and Ohata flings Hirota to the mat.  Ohata boots Hirota in the corner but Hirota applies a grounded necklock.  Crab hold by Ohata and she gives Hirota a curb stomp for a two count.  Irish whip by Ohata but Hirota hits a back splash off the ropes, wristlock by Hirota but Ohata shrugs her off.  Small package by Hirota but it gets two.  Face crusher by Hirota, she grabs Ohata’s arm and walks the ropes and hits a springboard armdrag.  Ohata goes off the ropes and hits a crossbody, back elbow by Ohata and she hits a running crossbody in the corner.  Ohata goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody.  Waistlock by Ohata but Hirota rolls her up for a two count.  Ohata elbows Hirota but Hirota hits a lariat.  Hirota and Ohata trade elbows but Hirota applies a small package for two.  Irish whip by Hirota and she hits a rebound elbow strike.  Hirota kicks Ohata, she picks her up and Ohata hits a series of elbows.  Release German by Ohata and she hits a second one.  Another one by Ohata, she goes for a crucifix roll-up but Hirota blocks it.  Hirota goes to the ropes and hits a quebrada, but it only gets a two count.  Hirota goes up top and does a handstand but Ohata powerbombs her.  Ohata gets Hirota’s back and hits a crucifix bomb, but it gets a two count.  Ohata grabs Hirota and hits a fisherman buster, but Hirota barely gets a shoulder up.  Hirota trips Ohata and she hits an Oil Check, La Magistral by Hirota but it gets two.  Ohata picks up Hirota but Hirota hits a one arm suplex hold for two.  Hirota goes off the ropes, Ohata goes for a fisherman buster but Hirota cuts it back and rolls up Hirota for the three count! Sakura Hirota wins!

This is probably the best Hirota singles match I’ve seen, Ohata is great.  Hirota still had her silly moments and I don’t think she is a good wrestler, but Ohata controlled this one very well.  I liked the ending, cutbacks are a good way for underdogs to win and Hirota got in enough offense that it didn’t seem fluky.  Solid match, better than I expected.  Mildly Recommended

Mayumi Ozaki, Miyako Matsumoto, Mio Shirai, and Yumi Ohka 
vs. Moeka Haruhi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hiroe Nagahama, and Mika Iida

Matsumoto and Iida start off and they trade some introductory holds until Iida hits a dropkick.  Armdrag by Iida but all her teammates come in to help.  The action spills outside the ring, chairs are thrown around but it’s hard to see with the lighting.  Iida and Matsumoto return to the ring and Iida hits a missile dropkick for two.  Iida tags in Nagahama but Matsumoto beats down Nagahama and hits a scoop slam.  Iida tags in Shirai, and Nagahama is quadruple teamed in the corner.  Shirai grabs Nagahama and hits a vertical suplex for a two count.  Shirai applies a crab hold but it is broken up, Ohka gets in the ring and they take turns booting Nagahama.  Big boot by Ohka, cover, but Haruhi breaks it up.  Ohka tags in Matsumoto but Nagahama rolls up Matsumoto for a two count.  Dropkick by Nagahama and she tags in Fujimoto.  Fujimoto dropkicks all her opponents, snapmare to Matsumoto and she kicks her in the back.  Fujimoto tags in Haruhi and Haruhi applies a camel clutch to Matsumoto.  Haruhi tags in Iida, and Iida throws Matsumoto down by her hair.  Iida scoop slams Matsumoto and he does it a second time for a two count.  Iida tags in Nagahama, Nagahama slams Matsumoto and she delivers a dropkick.  Nagahama tags Haruhi and Haruhi throws down Matsumoto by her hair.  Iida is tagged in but Matsumoto gets away with help from interference and tags in Shirai.  Shirai boots Iida and covers her for two.  Short armbar by Shirai but Iida hits a reverse STO.  Dropkick by Iida but Ozaki chokes her with her whip.  Shirai goes for a kick but Iida catches her leg and applies an ankle hold. 

Shirai gets to the ropes, Iida hits a capture suplex hold but it gets two.  Iida tags in Fujimoto and she dropkicks Shirai in the corner.  Fujimoto picks up Shirai but Shirai elbows her and they trade shots.  Dropkick by Fujimoto but Shirai boots her back and applies a necklock over the top rope.  Shirai goes for a missile dropkick but Fujimoto moves out of the way.  Kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits a PK for a two count.  Fujimoto applies a crossface but it is quickly broken up.  Shirai gets a stick and bops people with it, cover by Shirai but it gets two.  Shirai tags in Ohka, Ohka stomps on Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a dropkick.  Fujimoto applies a cross-arm submission but Ohka gets out of it.  Ohka swings Fujimoto around the ring, and Fujimoto is triple teamed against the ropes.  Diving Crossbody by Ohka, cover, but Fujimoto kicks out.  Ohka hits a heel drop but the pin is broken up.  Fujimoto fights back and tags in Haruhi, and Haruhi hits a diving crossbody on Ohka for a two count.  Haruhi hits a hurricanrana out of the corner and then she applies a headscissors into an armbar, but it is broken up.  Big boot by Ohka and she hits a backdrop suplex.  Ohka picks up Haruhi and she hits a brainbuster for another two.  Fujimoto runs in and hits a Shining Wizard, then Iida dropkicks Ohka against the ropes.  Haruhi hits a diving footstomp (lots of random stuff is happening, I’m keeping up the best I can), chaos ensues but things settle down with Haruhi and Ohka still in the ring.  Haruhi goes off the ropes but Ohka catches her with a chokebomb for two.  Big boot by Ohka, cover, and she gets the three count! Ozaki Army wins!

This was a bit crazy but it had to be as not all of these wrestlers are particularly great.  So it helped hide the flaws, even though the match did go so long that some of those flaws started peeking through anyway.  This could have been condensed but it is a very typical Oz main event, this is just the kind of match they enjoy.  Wrestling-wise it was pretty average but it kept my attention.

The post OZ Academy X ZABUN ~dagaya~ [ZEN] on 5/10/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*I am slowing bringing my Joshi Reviews from Puroresu Central over to Joshi City so I can have all my Joshi reviews in one place. Some features of my current reviews on this site may be missing as my style has changed over the years, however I will have it match the Joshi City review format as closely as I can. The original review date can be found at the bottom of the review, I will try not to make any major changes to the text unless I see something that needs clarifying or correcting.*

• Chikayo Nagashima vs. Risa Sera
• Hamuko Hoshi, Hiroshi Fukuda, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Misaki Ohata, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Aoi Kizuki vs. Cherry vs. Dynamite Kansai vs. Kaho Kobayashi
• Isami Kodaka vs. Yumi Ohka
• Aja Kong and SAGAT vs. Neko Nitta and Shuji Ishikawa
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai

Some potential here for goodness, let’s see how it goes. All the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it.

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Risa Sera

Sera attacks Nagashima from behind to start and she hits a shoulderblock, but Nagashima boots her in the head.  Nagashima applies an armbar over the top rope and she steps on both of Sera’s hands.  Nagashima mushes Sera in the face with her boot but Sera hits a scoop slam followed by some running double knee drops.  Sera goes for a monkey flip but Nagashima has none of it and hits a footstomp.  Another footstomp by Nagashima, she picks up Sera and they trade elbows until Sera hits a dropkick.  Crab hold by Sera, she picks up Nagashima and she hits a Schwein for a two count.  Nagashima goes off the ropes and she hits a spinning headscissors followed by a dropkick.  Nagashima goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover, but it gets two.  Knees by Nagashima but Sera picks up Nagashima and hits an Attitude Adjustment for another two count.  Sera hits a running double knee in the corner, reverse double knee drop off the turnbuckles by Sera but Nagashima kicks out.  Sera picks up Nagashima but Nagashima quickly rolls her up for two.  German suplex hold by Nagashima, but Sera kicks out at two.  Nagashima charges Sera but Sera hits a hard elbow.  Sera goes up top but Nagashima joins her and hits a Frankensteiner.  Cover, but Sera gets a shoulder up.  Back up, Sera goes off the ropes but Nagashima hits a big boot.  Fisherman Buster by Nagashima and she picks up the three count!

This was a really solid way to open up the show.  Nagashima and Sera are both good wrestlers and they put together a somewhat short but fast paced and to the point match with little wasted time.  Good way to start things off.  Mildly Recommended

Hamuko Hoshi, Fukuda, and Miyagi vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Misaki Ohata, and Tsukasa Fujimoto

Hoshi and Ohata start off, wristlock by Hoshi but Ohata reverses it.  Ohata tags in Fujimoto and they all triple team Hoshi while he is in the ropes.  Fujimoto throws Hoshi into the corner but Hoshi teammates run in and Fujimoto is triple teamed in the corner.  Hoshi tags in Miyagi and Miyagi hits a body avalanche in the corner.  Miyagi mounts Fujimoto in the corner and rubs her belly into Fujimoto’s face, but Fujimoto somehow survives and kicks out of the cover.  Fujimoto throws down Miyagi and she tags in Ozaki, and Ozaki whips Miyagi in the corner.  I mean literally whips her.  Miyagi sneaks in an inside cradle but Ozaki kicks out of it and tags in Ohata.  Irish whip by Ohata and she hits Miyagi with the whip.  Curb stomp by Ohata and she tags in Fujimoto.  Fujimoto kicks Miyagi in the back and twists her belly before tagging in Ozaki.  Ozaki throws Miyagi to the mat and she hits a corkscrew senton from the top for a two count.  Irish whip by Ozaki and she kicks Miyagi for another two count before applying a seated armbar. Ohata is brought back in as Miyagi plays face(?) in peril, until Miyagi finally hits a running belly bump and tags in Fukuda.  Fukuda shoulderblocks Ohata and kicks her, he goes up top but Ohata punches him in the stomach when he jumps off.  Fukuda rakes Ohata in the eyes, his teammates come in and all three of them hit body blocks on Ohata.  Lariat by Fukuda but Fujimoto breaks up the cover.  Tiger Feint Kick by Fujimoto, Ozaki grabs Fukuda and hits a release German suplex.  PK by Fujimoto, running body press by Ohata while Fukuda is sitting on the mat but it only gets a two count.  Ohata tags in Ozaki, Ozaki whips Fukuda in the corner and then chokes him, Ohata and Fujimoto come in and they all take turns whipping Fukuda.  Ozaki goes up top, Fukuda tries to convince her not to attack him so Ozaki climbs back down.  Everyone comes into the ring while Fukuda is still talking away and they take turns singing, but they can’t get Ozaki to do it.  Finally Ozaki does sing as everyone jumps around happy, Fukuda applies a small package to Ozaki but it gets a two count.  Quick kick by Ozaki, she gives Fukuda a small package of her own and she picks up the three count!

Just a bit too long and a bit too silly for me. There were some decent wrestlers hiding in this match, I love Ohata for sure, but this match just didn’t do a lot for me.  Very skippable.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Cherry vs. Dynamite Kansai vs. Kaho Kobayashi

Everyone attacks Kansai right off the bat, hitting rolling sentons and a triple falling headbutt.  They pick her up but Kansai elbows all three of them, Kansai throws all three in the corner and she lariats Cherry and Kobayashi because Kizuki moved.  Kansai scoop slams Cherry while Kizuki cheers her on, and Kizuki poses with Kansai.  Kizuki sneaks in a roll-up on Kansai for a two count, and Kansai kicks her in the ribs.  Kobayashi comes in and dropkicks Kansai in the head twice but Kansai blocks the fisherman suplex.  Lariat by Kansai and a cover, but it is broken up.  Cherry and Kizuki Irish whip Kansai but Kansai and Cherry end up elbowing Kizuki.  Cherry puts Kizuki in a figure four, then Kansai puts Kizuki in a necklock.  Kobayashi then puts Kansai in a necklock, Cherry runs over and puts Kobayashi in a necklock but releases the hold so she can put Kizuki in a crab hold (rolling them all over in the process).  Kizuki pushes Cherry off of her, both Kizuki and Kobayashi convince Kansai to go after Cherry but they all end up triple teaming Kansai in the corner.  Kansai starts booting them back, Cherry covers Kobayashi but Kizuki breaks it up.  Kizuki hits a jumping lariat on Kansai, double Irish whip to Kansai and Kansai eats a double dropkick.  Senton by Kizuki and Kobayashi back and forth, double cover by the duo but Kansai kicks out.  Kobayashi and Kizuki charge Kansai but Kansai puts them both in the claw.  Double lariat by Kansai and she lariats Cherry as well.  Kansai goes for Splash Mountain on Cherry but both Kobayashi and Kizuki break it up.  German suplex by Kizuki to Kansai and then the all hit dropkicks.  Triple dropkick to Kansai, Kansai goes for a crossbody on all three but they roll through it and pick up the three count!  Kizuki, Cherry and Kobayashi are declared the winners!

In theory this was not a tag match but they quickly realized that keeping down Kansai was the key to success.  I actually didn’t hate it even though it’s silly on paper, since Kizuki and Kobayashi are such high energy.  Kizuki almost was having too much fun, lots of smiles throughout from everyone but Kansai, almost as if she wasn’t in on the joke.  Definitely above average and a decent mid-card match.

Isami Kodaka vs. Yumi Ohka

They trade holds to start with Kodaka getting the first advantage, they then trade elbows but Kodaka throws Ohka into the corner. Punch to the stomach by Kodaka and he hits the baseball slide elbow smash (he was safe).  Ohka fakes she us running towards Kodaka but Kodaka cowers in the corner.  Ohka moves when Kodaka charges in and hits an elbow drop, stomps by Ohka but Kodaka regains the advantage and applies a chinlock.  Stomps by Kodaka but Ohka punches him before hitting a scoop slam.  Big boot by Ohka in the corner but Kodaka avoids the next one and hits a boot of his own.  Kodaka goes for a suplex but Ohka blocks it into a vertical suplex, she goes off the ropes and she boots Kodaka in the head.  She does it a second time and a third, she goes for a backdrop suplex but Kodaka lands on his feet and applies a submission hold.  Ohka gets out of it and they trade elbows, Ohka stomps on Kodaka’s foot and kicks him but Kodaka connects with the super kick. Back up Kodaka delivers a dropkick, he covers Ohka but it gets two.  Scoop slam by Kodaka in front of the corner, he goes up top but Ohka avoids the diving double knee.  Big boot by Ohka and she hits a backdrop suplex, but Kodaka avoids the next boot.  Chokebomb by Ohka, but Kodaka gets a shoulder up.  Heel drop by Ohka, she picks up Kodaka but he blocks the tiger suplex.  Roll-up cover by Kodaka for two and he kicks Ohka in the side of the head.  Kodaka picks up Ohka and drills her with a brainbuster, but she barely kicks out of the cover.  Kick to the back of the head by Kodaka and he nails the Isami-Ashi Zan for the three count cover!

This wasn’t as bad as I was expecting since I don’t think much of Ohka.  I thought it was smartly worked once we got through the beginning, it was a bit repetitious at times since Ohka is limited but they did the dynamic very well.  Kodaka didn’t hold back of course because Ohka is a woman which just helped make her look more legitimate, it never felt like a “gender” thing which is a plus.  Not great but certainly watchable.

Aja Kong and SAGAT vs. Neko Nitta and Shuji Ishikawa

Kong and Ishikawa start off, side headlock by Ishikawa but Kong Irish whips out of it.  They take turns failing at shoulderblocks  until Kong manages to shoulderblock Ishikawa down, but Ishikawa immediately returns the favor.  Nitta and SAGAT are tagged in and Nitta hits SAGAT with her tail, Ishikawa comes in and they hit a double shoulderblock.  Ishikawa and Nitta both scratch SAGAT and stand on him near the ropes.  Nitta tries to go off the ropes but SAGAT grabs her by the tail and tags in Kong.  Kong pulls around Nitta by the tail before tying her to the top rope with it.  Chops by Kong and she keeps hitting Nitta by the tail, scoop slam by Kong but Ishikawa runs in and scratches her back.  Kong tags in SAGAT and SAGAT chokes Nitta by her tail, Nitta sneaks in a bodyscissors roll-up but it gets two.  Nitta tags in Ishikawa and Ishikawa shoulderblocks both SAGAT and Kong.  Ishikawa lariats SAGAT in the corner and he hits a backdrop suplex for a two count cover.  Irish whip by Ishikawa but SAGAT kicks him back, they trade elbows and SAGAT hits a DDT.  Cover, but it gets two.  Knee to the stomach by Ishikawa and he hits a vertical suplex.  Ishikawa tags in Nitta and Nitta hits a dropkick off the second turnbuckle.  Nitta picks up SAGAT and goes for a suplex, but SAGAT blocks it.  Nitta goes off the ropes and hits a springboard elbow, Ishikawa comes in the ring and he slams SAGAT to the mat.  Ishikawa picks up Nitta and throws her into SAGAT, picking up a two count.  Nitta and Ishikawa both attack SAGAT in the corner, Ishikawa gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp.  Nitta hits (well not really) a corkscrew senton, but Kong breaks up the cover.  Ishikawa takes care of Kong but SAGAT hits a Samoan Drop on Nitta.  SAGAT tags in Kong, Kong picks up Nitta and she hits a lariat.  SAGAT returns but Ishikawa comes in the ring and lariats both of them.  SAGAT is thrown into Nitta, while Kong gets a metal bucket and hits Ishikawa with it.  Wheelbarrow suplex by Kong to Nitta but Ishikawa breaks it up.  Kong picks up Nitta and she nails the brainbuster, picking up the three count!

Another goofy match on the card, I guess no one wanted to upstage Mio in the main event. There were a few cute spots with Kong and Nitta, it was just the third match with some comedy type spots in it so I’d rather have seen something a bit different. Certainly nothing to get excited about.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai

Time for the reason I am watching this event in the first place, two of my favorites. They start slow, trading holds on the mat with neither having much luck. Back up Nakajima hits a big boot and throws Shirai into the corner before throwing her to the mat by her hair. She does it again, Irish whip by Nakajima and she delivers a dropkick for a two count. Seated armbar by Nakajima and she applies a wristlock before kicking Shirai in the chest. Nakajima applies a stretch hold and then a bodyscissors, stomp by Nakajima and she puts Shirai in a sleeper. Shirai gets up and slams her way out of it, she goes for the cross armbreaker but Nakajima blocks it. Stretch Muffler by Nakajima but Shirai gets to the ropes. Shirai puts Nakajima in the ropes and boots her hard in the back of the head, crossface by Shirai and she kicks Nakajima in the face. Eye poke by Shirai, she puts Nakajima in the corner and kicks her in the chest. Snapmare by Shirai and she kicks Nakajima in the back, cover by Shirai but it gets two. Camel Clutch by Shirai but Nakajima gets out of it and they trade elbows back on their feet. DDT by Nakajima and she dropkicks Shirai in the head, Irish whip by Nakajima to the corner and she hits a high knee. Dropkick out of the corner by Nakajima, cover on Shirai but Shirai kicks out. Kick by Nakajima, she picks up Shirai but Shirai hits a leg sweep and applies the figure four necklock. Nakajima gets out of it, she pulls down the rope when Shirai charges her and Shirai lands out on the apron. Shirai and Nakajima trade elbows but Nakajima wins the battle and knocks Shirai down to the floor. Nakajima then gets up on the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Shirai with a plancha suicida. Nakajima throws Shirai around the floor and throws chairs on top of her before hitting a footstomp (I am assuming since it is off camera). Shirai fights back and throws Nakajima into the ring post before slamming her head into the apron. Shirai gets up on the apron and hits a jumping kick onto Nakajima, she then hits a vertical suplex out on the floor. Shirai hits Nakajima with a chair and chokes her, but the referee finally gets her to stop so Shirai elbows her instead.

Shirai finally rolls Nakajima back in the ring, she gets up on the top turnbuckle and applies a necklock over the top rope. Shirai goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Shirai but it gets a two count. Shirai gets a chair and sets it up in the middle of the ring, she puts Nakajima on it and boots it into Nakajima’s face. Shirai picks up Nakajima but Nakajima ducks the enzuigiri and hits a suplex. Running boots by Nakajima while Shirai is against the ropes, cover by Nakajima but it gets two. Nakajima gets a chair and she hits Shirai in the face with it, she then breaks it over Shirai’s head and Shirai rolls out of the ring. Shirai gets up out on the floor but Nakajima hits a baseball slide and goes after her, throwing Shirai into the ring post. Nakajima rolls Shirai back in and goes up top, and she hits the missile dropkick for a two count. German suplex hold by Nakajima but that gets a two count as well, rolling Germans by Nakajima and she holds the last one for another two count. Nakajima goes up top, but Shirai recovers and joins her, Nakajima pushes Shirai off but Shirai gets a chair and hits her with it. Back up Shirai goes and she hits an avalanche powerslam, kick to the head by Shirai but the cover gets two. Both wrestlers are slow to get up and they trade elbows as they return to their feet, and Nakajima knocks Shirai back to the mat. Shirai gets back up and hits a high kick, heel drop by Shirai and she covers Nakajima for a two count. Shisenkō by Shirai, she picks up Nakajima and she nails the double underhook facebuster. Running kick by Shirai, cover, but Nakajima barely gets a shoulder up. Shirai waits for Nakajima to get up but Nakajima catches the Egukeri and applies an ankle lock. Running knee by Nakajima, she picks up Shirai but Shirai applies a sleeper. Figure four necklock by Shirai but Nakajima manages to get a foot on the ropes. Shirai suplexes Nakajima back to the middle of the ring and re-applies the hold, but Nakajima gets to the ropes again. Nakajima snaps off a release German suplex, elbows by Nakajima and she hits the Dharma Style German, but the bell rings just as she does so and the match is a Draw.

Shirai agrees with me that draws are lame and does not want to end her show that way, so after a few minutes of discussion the match restarts! Shirai immediately hits a hurricanrana, but Nakajima kicks out. She goes for the Tsuchigumo but Nakajima blocks it, but Shirai applies the Jorōgumo into a roll-up for two. Shirai goes off the ropes but Nakajima elbows her, knee by Shirai but Nakajima hits a bridging fallaway slam for two. Kick to the side of the head by Nakajima, she picks up Shirai and hits a few elbows. Shirai fights back with a hard headbutt, Tsuchigumo but Shirai but Nakajima gets a shoulder up. Headbutt by Shirai to the now bleeding Nakajima, she goes for a kick but Nakajima ducks it and hits elbows. Nakajima punches Shirai in the face, she picks up Shirai and nails the Dharma Style German Suplex Hold, and this time she gets the three count!

This really was a great match, only hurt by the fact it was filmed on a hard camera. That was really only an issue because a good chunk of the match in the middle was out on the floor, and with the camera some things were hard to see and others were missed entirely. Also, even though it was a hard hitting match some of that is lost when the view is a bit far away. That being said, what a match by these two as it had everything you could ask for… hard strikes (Shirai even busted open Nakajima with a headbutt), suplexes, submissions, memorable moves, the works. For a 30+ minute match it never felt like it was dragging, and of course I love the match was re-started and they didn’t end things with a draw. Really a must-see match by these two, with the only downside being the action missed due to not having a multi-camera setup. Highly Recommended

event originally reviewed on 7/1/15

The post Mio Shirai Produce “M.I.O. 4” on 6/19/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: Ice Ribbon ICEx60 Championship, Ice Ribbon International Ribbon Tag Team Championship, OZ Academy Openweight Championship, OZ Academy Tag Team Championship, WAVE Tag Team Championship, DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship, and the Union Fly to Everywhere World Championship
Tournaments Won: TLW World Young Women’s Tag Team Tournament (2009)
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• September 19th, 2011 vs. Ken Ohka
• September 23rd, 2012 vs. Hikaru Shida
• November 27th, 2012 vs. Sexy Star
• April 21st, 2013 with Kana vs. Misaki Ohata and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• August 31st, 2014 vs. Ladybeard
• February 14th, 2015 vs. Io Shirai
• March 15th, 2015 with Tsukushi vs. Maki Narumiya and Risa Sera
• June 7th, 2015 vs. AKINO
• July 26th, 2015 with Io Shirai vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Mayu Iwatani

Signature Moves:

• Figure Four Necklock
• Egukeri
• Hurricanrana
• Jorōgumo
• Shisenkō
• Tsuchigumo

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Retired Wrestlers

The post Mio Shirai appeared first on Joshi City.

I am not sure if everyone that visits Joshi City is aware, but I also run an online shop that sells wrestling items from Japan called the Puro Central Shop. All the items I sell are in my possession and ship from the United States.

Currently, I have a number of Joshi-related items, including some rare autograph cards and DVDs. You can see my full list of Joshi items available here, all the items I have listed below are for sale as of the time of this post (many items I have only one of, and once they are gone I may not get in more). I try to add new products at least once a week, next week I will have some items from Marvelous!

The post Joshi Items for Sale at the Puro Central Shop appeared first on Joshi City.

NEO Ladies was a Joshi promotion that had many re-starts but was running in some form from 1998 to 2010. Originally it was a break-off promotion from All Japan Women, and the name was supposed to be Nippon Women’s Wrestling but they had a trademark issue with New Japan Pro Wrestling.  So they went with NEO Ladies instead. Kyoko Inoue was the Ace of the promotion, but over the years other wrestlers made their name in NEO including Natsuki Taiyo, Nanae Takahashi, Hiroyo Matsumoto, Ayako Hamada, and many others.

This show took place towards the end of NEO’s run, but they still had a great roster. A bit of everything is here, including a title match, some comedy, some legends, a debut, and Kenny Omega in an Intergender Match. Here is the card:

• Aya Yuki vs. Natsumi Kawano
• Fuka and Asami Kawasaki vs. Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Dump Matsumoto vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Kenny Omega vs. Natsuki*Taiyo
• Mima Shimoda, Kyoko Kimura, Atsuko Emoto, and Tomoka Nakagawa vs. Makoto, Mio Shirai, Io Shirai, and Yukari Ishino
• Emi Sakura vs. Kyoko Inoue
• NEO Tag Team Championship: Nanae Takahashi and Kana vs. Yoshiko Tamura and Ayumi Kurihara

I am skipping one match since it is a battle royal against West Gate Pro Wrestling, a promotion I am not overly familiar with and it was more of a comedy match anyway. Since the event was squeezed down to two hours, some matches will be clipped.

Aya Yuuki vs. Natsumi Kawano

Yuuki pushes Kawano to the ropes to start, Kawano fires back with an elbow but Yuuki throws her around by her hair. Kawano sneaks in a schoolboy but it doesn’t work, dropkicks by Kawano and she covers Yuuki for two. Scoop slam by Yuuki, she picks up Kawano and boots her in the chest before posing to the crowd. Shoulderblock by Yuuki and she hits a second one, a third shoulderblock by Yuuki and she covers the rookie for a two count. Running elbow drop by Yuuki, but again Kawano kicks out of the cover. Yuuki chokes Kawano and throws her to the mat, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Yuuki and she gets the three count! Aya Yuuki wins!

Even though it was short it was actually more even at the beginning than I was expecting. Either Yuuki is ranked even lower than I thought or they had some hopes for Kawano, as the veteran took it pretty easy on her. Kawano didn’t show anything here to make you think she’d be a star, her dropkicks wouldn’t have passed the Meiko Satomura Test, but it was only her first match after all. Nothing much to it.

Fuka and Asami Kawasaki vs. Hikaru Shida and Tsukasa Fujimoto
Super Dimension Encounter ~ Athtress vs. Muscle Venus

Kawasaki and Shida start off the match but both are promptly jumped from behind, Shida and Fujimoto isolate Fuka but Kawasaki returns to help her partner out. Fuka and Kawasaki both hit knees to the chest but things settle back down, judo throw by Shida to Kawasaki and she hits a second one. Kawasaki kicks Shida in the back but Shida ducks the PK, another judo throw by Shida and she tags in Fujimoto. Fujimoto hits a rebound crossbody on Kawasaki but Kawasaki levels her with a boot to the face. Northern Lights Suplex by Kawasaki, but it gets a two count. Fujimoto sends Kawasaki into the ropes but Fuka kicks her from the apron, giving Kawasaki time to recover. Kawasaki tags in Fuka, kicks by Fuka to Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Sunset flip by Fujimoto but Fuka reverses it and they go back and forth with quick pins. Tiger Feint Kick by Fujimoto, she covers Fujimoto but Fujimoto bridges out of the pin. We clip ahead to Shida being in the ring with Fuka, lariat by Shida and Fujimoto hits Fuka with a Tiger Feint Kick. Shida picks up Fuka but Fuka kicks her, Kawasaki comes in but Kawasaki kicks Fuka in the head by accident. Shida picks up Fuka and hits a delayed vertical suplex, but Fuka kicks out of the cover. Kawasaki walks over and hits Shida with a heel drop, Fuka picks up Shida and she delivers the Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Fujimoto breaks up the cover. Fuka picks up Shida and hits the F Crash for the three count! Fuka and Kawasaki are the winners.

I am not sure if this is a sacrilegious thing to say but I have never been really impressed with Fuka in-ring. Very attractive, apparently a solid trainer, but her strikes never had a lot of impact and the F Crash is not a good finisher since it looks weaker than what we expect from wrestlers in Japan. Its a WWE-looking finisher if you will. I am not too familar with Kawasaki but she looked good here, solid kicks, and Shida is always a treat. A short match made shorter by clipping, a few fun moments but that is about it.

Dump Matsumoto vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto
Matsumoto #1 Decision Match

Dump goes right after Miyako and levels her with a lariat, body press by Dump and she kicks Miyako out of the ring. She turns to Hiroyo, Hiroyo tries to knock over Dump but Dump absorbs her blows. Hiroyo tries to pick up Dump but can’t, Miyako returns and tries to help Dump but Dump shoulderblocks Miyako back to the mat. Dump flings Miyako by her hair and Hiroyo dropkicks Miyako, Miyako keeps sliding to the apron to escape but Dump pulls her back in so that Hiroyo can hit another dropkick. Hiroyo dropkicks Dump but it has no impact, release German by Dump to Hiroyo but Miyako has returned and tries to elbow Dump. Meanwhile Hiroyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Dump, finally knocking her to the mat. Miyako dances around while Hiroyo holds down Dump, Dump eventually gets up and gets her kendo stick, hitting both Hiroyo and Miyako. Miyako rolls out of the ring but Dump goes out after her and throws her into the stands. Miyako runs away from Dump and returns to the ring, she celebrates but Hiroyo grabs Miyako from behind and hits the backbreaker into a gutbuster for the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto wins and is the best Matsumoto.

As I mentioned this was more goofy filler than anything else, Dump Matsumoto does a lot of ‘comedy matches while still killing people with weapons’, it is almost one of her things these days. I always enjoy seeing Dump and Hiroyo is great, but just a short match with limited valuable aside from a few possible laughs.

Kenny Omega vs. Natsuki*Taiyo
High Speed Alternate World

Omega tosses Taiyo to the mat after the bell rings and poses, Omega applies a wristlock but Taiyo reverses it before Omega throws her to the mat again. Armdrag by Taiyo and she hits another one, Omega applies a front necklock but Taiyo gets onto the ropes to force a break. The referee tries to step in but Taiyo pushes him away, armdrag by Taiyo and she hits a dropkick. Taiyo kicks Omega into the corner, Irish whip but Omega flips away from her. Omega goes for a hurricanrana but Taiyo reverses it into a powerbomb for a two count. Kicks and slaps by Taiyo but Omega comes back with a jumping kick of his own, Aoi Shoudou by Omega but Taiyo kicks out of the cover. Headbutts and another jumping kick by Omega, he goes to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick to Taiyo’s back. Snap dragon suplex hold by Omega, but Taiyo gets a shoulder up. Omega picks up Taiyo, slaps by Taiyo but Omega hits a release snap dragon suplex. The referee starts a ten count, Taiyo tries to get up but he can’t, and she gets counted down. Kenny Omega wins by KO.

This was too clipped down to recommend, since the match went almost ten minutes I assume that Taiyo got in a bit more offense than this. As it was, the point was for Taiyo to show how tough she is and she did, kicking out of several of Omega’s moves and almost making the ten count at the end. Omega has never minded selling for much smaller wrestlers since he is one of the few that understands it helps everyone to make your opponent look good, and everything they showed was crisp. In full this may have been a match worth hunting down, but not so much in this abridged form.

Mima Shimoda, Kimura, Emoto, and Nakagawa vs. Makoto, Mio Shirai, Io Shirai, and Ishino
Shimoda and Amandora Blitz Union

Shimoda and company attack before the match starts and there are still streamers everywhere, Shimoda stays in with Io and she kicks her in the chest. Shimoda chokes Io in the ropes and throws her down by the hair, her teammates come in the ring and they all post on Io. We clip ahead to Io hitting a missile dropkick on Shimoda, giving her time to tag in Makoto. Armdrag by Makoto and she kicks Shimoda in the chest, jumping kick by Makoto and she covers Shimoda for two. Makoto goes for a double underhook but Shimoda gets out of it, roll-up by Makoto but it gets two. Shimoda’s teammates keep trying to help but it backfires each time, Io sails in with a missile dropkick on Shimoda and Nakagawa and they all stomp on Shimoda. The young underdogs take turns attacking Shimoda in the corner, handstand kneedrop by Makoto and she hits a second one for a two count. Makoto picks up Shimoda and nails the cross arm fisherman suplex hold, but Shimoda barely gets a shoulder up. Makoto’s friends return but they all miss dropkicks, then Shimoda kicks each one of them in the head. German suplex by Shimoda to Makoto and she hits a heel drop for a two count. Shimoda picks up Makoto and hits a tiger suplex hold, but Io breaks up the cover. Shimoda’s friends clear the ring while she puts Makoto on the top turnbuckle, avalanche suplex by Shimoda and she gets the three count! Shimoda and friends win the match.

As is a recurring theme on this show, it was just too clipped to get a real feel of the action. The only legal wrestlers we saw the entire match were Shimoda, Io, and Makoto, which is disappointing when there were five other wrestlers around (I am assuming in a 15 minute match that there were more tags than that). It was fun to watch, a few things were silly like everyone waiting for Shimoda’s heel drops and not everything was smooth, but I always enjoy seeing Joshi babies. Not great since Shimoda was the focus but not bad either.

Emi Sakura vs. Kyoko Inoue
Joshi Puroresu MVP

Sakura dropkicks Inoue right as the bell rings which sends Inoue to the floor, Sakura gets on the top turnbuckle and sails out onto her with a plancha suicida before sliding back into the ring and hitting a tope suicida. Sakura gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down to the floor, making three dives by Sakura in the first 20 seconds of the match. Sakura puts Inoue on a table at ringside and goes up to the top turnbuckle, she hits the Nyan Nyan Press but the table doesn’t break, probably making it even more painful for both. Sakura doesn’t care and gets back in the ring, Inoue joins her and Sakura hits a somersault senton for a two count. Sakura goes up top again but Inoue has had enough and clubs her in the head, Inoue joins Sakura but Sakura hits a sunset flip powerbomb for a two count. Sakura goes up top again but again Inoue joins her, and this time Inoue delivers a superplex. Lariat by Inoue, she picks up Sakura but Sakura chops her in the chest. Inoue absorbs the blows and floors Sakura with a hard elbow, Sakura gets back up but Inoue hits a lariat. Big powerbomb by Inoue, but Sakura kicks out of the cover. Inoue picks up Sakura but Sakura slides away and applies La Magistral for a two count. Lariat by Inoue, she waits for Sakura to get up but Sakura ducks the lariat attempt and hits a low flying crossbody for the three count! Emi Sakura wins!

This match wasn’t clipped, it was just a short match. Sakura sure knows how to get the most out of a match that goes less than five minutes, hitting half a dozen high spots within the first 30 seconds of action. It was an entertaining heavyweight sprint, a spotfest for sure but it came across as a special attraction match between two veterans. Inoue getting beaten like this shows the respect she had for Sakura, since technically she was the founder of a rival promotion. I actually enjoyed it for what it was, as I like seeing Sakura fly around the ring, but not long enough to get too excited about.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Nanae Takahashi and Kana vs. Yoshiko Tamura and Ayumi Kurihara
NEO Tag Team Championship Match

Kana and Kurihara begin the match and immediately trade strikes, Kana jumps on the second turnbuckle but Kurihara dropkicks her out of the ring. Kurihara goes up top and dives out of the ring onto both Kana and Takahashi, she slides Kana back in where Tamura is waiting and they both attack Kana in the corner. Double cutter to Kana but Kana avoids the double vertical suplex only to eat a STO. Takahashi has also come in the ring, they are tied together on the mat and both are dropkicked in the head. Tamura stays in with Kana and hits a bridging vertical suplex, picking up a two count. Kana fights back with elbows and kicks but Tamura blocks one and hits a DDT. Suplex by Tamura, she picks up Kana but Kana slaps her in the face and kicks her in the chest. Kick to the head by Kana, and she covers Tamura for two. Kana tags in Takahashi, lariat by Takahashi in the corner but Tamura avoids the next one and delivers a high kick. Kurihara runs in and dropkicks Takahashi, Takahashi lariats out of the ring while Kana knocks Tamura out as well. Kana hits a hip attack off the apron onto Tamura, Takahashi gets a running start in the ring and sails out onto both of her opponents with a tope suicida. Kana waits while Tamura is slid back in and hits a diving hip attack onto Tamura off the top. Takahashi then goes up top and hits the Refrigerator Bomb, but Tamura gets a shoulder up. Takahashi goes for a backdrop suplex but Tamura lands on top of her and then hits a backdrop suplex of her own. Takahashi quickly comes back with a backdrop suplex but Tamura then hits another one. A final backdrop suplex by Takahashi ends the series as both are slow to get up, both wrestlers elbow each other until Takahashi hits a lariat for a two count. Tamura blocks the next lariat attempt and rolls Takahashi to the mat, fancy inside cradle by Tamura but it gets a two count. Tamura picks up Takahashi but Takahashi drives her back into the corner, neckbreaker by Tamura and she goes up top, but Takahashi joins her. Avalanche side slam by Tamura, Kurihara goes up top and Tamura helps her hit a somersault senton. Cobra Clutch Suplex by Tamura and she covers Takahashi, but Kana breaks it up.

Tamura tags in Kurihara, Kurihara goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Double knee by Kurihara in the corner and she slaps Takahashi to the mat, dropkick by Kurihara but Takahashi kicks her back and slaps her hard in the face. Cutter by Takahashi, but Kurihara kicks out. Takahashi goes for the reverse splash but Kurihara gets her knees up and hits a Codebreaker. Dropkick by Kurihara while Takahashi is against the ropes, Kana runs in to kick Kurihara and she trips Kurihara while Takahashi hits a lariat. Takahashi goes off the ropes but Kurihara sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Kana comes in but she kicks Takahashi by accident, Tamura then comes in and she elbows Takahashi. Dropkick by Kurihara to Takahashi, but the cover gets two. Kurihara goes off the ropes but Takahashi levels her with a lariat, Takahashi kicks Kurihara in the head but Tamura breaks up the cover. Takahashi tags in Kana, Kana picks up Kurihara and kicks her into the corner. Kana kicks the shit out of Kurihara for a bit but Kurihara catches one and slaps Kana in the face. German suplex hold by Kana, but Kurihara gets a shoulder up. Takahashi comes in and they both hit running kicks to Kurihara, punt kick by Kana and she hits a second one, but Tamura breaks up the cover. Kana goes off the ropes but Tamura intercepts her with an elbow, Takahashi tries to help but she lariats Kana by accident. Uranage by Kurihara, but Takahashi breaks up the pin. Jumping kick to the back of the head by Takahashi to Kurihara, then she hits a Blue Thunder Driver on Tamura. Spinning backfist by Kana to Kurihara, but Kurihara barely kicks out of the cover. Kana goes for a high kick but Kurihara ducks it and hits a uranage, she then drops Takahashi with one as well. Kurihara picks up Kana and hits another uranage, Tamura comes in and they nail the Tamashii wo Hitotsu Ni (Kudo Driver/Back to Belly Piledriver) that I’ve never seen done in my life. Cover on Kana, but Takahashi breaks it up. Kurihara waits for Kana to get up and nails an elevated running double knee strike, and she picks up the three count pinfall! Your winners and new champions are Yoshiko Tamura and Ayumi Kurihara

I mentioned this match had to deliver, and God did they. This was just as stiff as you may imagine, but what was more impressive was that they just went non-stop from bell to bell while keeping the action smooth. I loved that the younger/less experienced wrestlers got the chance to shine by leading the final stretch of the match, and while Tamura was towards the end of her career here her skills had not diminished. The match had everything I could ask for – high flying, Kana kicks, suplexes, “Holy Shit” moments, and suspense. A high end tag match for sure, it is no surprise that Kurihara and Kana’s success and popularity continued to grow after this, both were great in this match. Definitely worth tracking down.  Highly Recommended

The post NEO Women’s Wrestling Carnival 2009 on 12/31/09 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I am a bit later with this review then I wanted to be, Stardom was distracting me. This was a big show for Oz Academy though, and features the best that the promotion has to offer. We have Hikaru Shida, Mission K4, and a big title defense with Mio Shirai refereeing the match! Here is the full match listing:

• Hikaru Shida vs. Yumi Ohka
• Aja Kong, Dynamite Kansai, and Rina Yamashita vs. AKINO, Kagetsu, and Kaho Kobayashi
• Aoi Kizuki vs. Mayumi Ozaki
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Manami Toyota vs. Kaori Yoneyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki
• OZ Academy Openweight Championship: Sonoko Kato vs. Arisa Nakajima

Every match gets enough time to do something fun, so let’s see how it goes.

Hikaru Shida vs. Yumi Ohka

Both wrestlers have their respective weapons as the match begins, with Ohka and her whip winning the exchange. More whipping by Ohka and she boots Shida in the corner a few times before putting Shida in a crossface. Ohka drops knees on Shida and puts her in a sleeper but Shida fights back with hard elbows. Ohka rakes Shida’s eyes and drops her with a DDT for a two count. Shida snaps off a hurricanrana and hits a hip attack, she pulls Ohka’s head over the apron and from the floor hits a running knee lift. Shida returns to the ring and grabs Ohka from the corner, but Ohka knocks her back and hits a diving crossbody for two. Vertical suplex by Shida but Ohka returns the favor, dragon screw leg whip by Shida and she delivers a Fisherman Buster. Ohka gets her whip and hits Shida with it before choking her in the corner. Ohka goes up top but Shida kicks her down to the apron, she gets on the second turnbuckle and suplexes Ohka back into the ring for a two count.

Stretch Muffler by Shida but Ohka reverses it into a reverse armbar. Shida reverses it back but Ohka gets into the ropes, Shida charges Ohka but Ohka drops her into the ropes and hits a big boot. Backdrop suplex by Ohka and she nails Shida with a heel drop for a two count cover. Ohka gets her whip again and whips Shida with it, whip-assisted Back Stabber by Ohka and she chokes Shida until the referee gets her to stop. Ohka goes for a big boot but Shida ducks it and hits Ohka with her kendo stick. Three Count by Shida, but Ohka gets a shoulder up. Ohka blocks the Falcon Arrow but Shida knees Ohka in the back of the head and now is able to connect with the move for two. Shida gets the kendo stick again but Ohka boots it out of her hand. Chokebomb by Ohka, she kicks Shida but Shida delivers with a jumping knee. Three Count by Shida, but again Ohka kicks out. Shida gets Ohka on her shoulders and nails the Go To Sleep but Ohka throws the referee at Shida and whips her again. Running big boot by Ohka, and she holds down Shida for the three count! Yumi Ohka wins!

Most of the time, Ohka doesn’t impress me too much these days but I enjoyed this one. It was a well contested back and forth, both are comfortable with each other so everything felt smooth with all the reversals and transitions. Ohka had her whip but Shida brought in her kendo stick so it still felt like a fair exchange. My one issue is that Shida hit pretty much all her finishers (or versions of them) on Ohka with no luck, but went down pretty easy with just a big boot. The big boot is Ohka’s finisher but usually she sets it up better or hits it multiple times in a row, it just felt that it ended too quickly. Overall a solid match, it just needed a few more minutes at the end to make the ending not feel rushed.  Mildly Recommended

Aja Kong, Dynamite Kansai, and Rina Yamashita vs. AKINO, Kagetsu, and Kaho Kobayashi

We start with AKINO and Yamashita going at it, with AKINO getting the early advantage, she tags in Kagetsu and Kagetsu dropkicks Yamashita in the face. Yamashita fires back with a shoulderblock and tags Kansai, and Kagetsu plays the face in peril while Kansai and Kong toss her around the ring. Kong puts Kagetsu in a camel clutch so Kansai can kick her in the chest, then Kansai puts Kagetsu in the camel clutch so that Kong can do the same. Kong tags Yamashita and Yamashita slams Kagetsu before hitting an elbow drop for two. Kansai returns but Kagetsu dropkicks her a few times and makes the hot tag to Kobayashi. Kobayashi dropkicks Kansai but can’t suplex her as Kansai reverses it into a suplex of her own. Kobayashi gets away from Kansai but her elbows have no impact but she
keeps hammering away, dropkick by Kobayashi but Kansai returns the blow and kicks Kobayashi in the back. Kansai tags in Yamashita, Yamashita shoulderblocks Kobayashi and hits a backdrop suplex for a two count.

Kagetsu runs in and they both dropkick Yamashita, Kobayashi then tags in Kagetsu and some comes into the ring with a swandive missile dropkick. Kagetsu and Yamashita trade elbows but Mission K4 come in to help, jumping knee by Kagetsu in the corner and she spears Yamashita for a two count. Kagetsu and Yamashita trade elbows again but Yamashita levels her with a lariat and tags Kong. Kong picks up Kagetsu and puts her in a sleeper but Kagetsu gets out of it and hits a cross armbreaker takedown, but Kong gets a foot on the ropes. Kagetsu jumps up to the top turnbuckle and hits a footstomp onto Kong’s arm, she picks up Kong but Kong kicks her back. Kagetsu calls into her corner and tags AKINO, kicks by AKINO to Kong and she covers her for two. AKINO picks up Kong, jawbreaker by AKINO as Kobayashi runs in but Kong suplexes both of them. Yamashita comes in and helps Kong hit a double backdrop suplex, and she tags in Kansai. Kansai kicks AKINO but AKINO slaps on an ankle hold, Kansai crawls to the ropes and she forces a break.

Kansai puts AKINO in a sleeper but it is broken up, she goes for a backdrop suplex but AKINO lands on her feet. Yamashita elbows AKINO as Kong comes in, but AKINO avoids their charge and hits a backdrop suplex on Kansai. Palm strike by Kansai on AKINO and she drops her with a backdrop suplex, covering her for two. Kansai picks up AKINO but AKINO slides away and Kobayashi dropkicks her. Assisted tornado DDT by Kobayashi to Kansai, and AKINO hits a buzzsaw kick for two. Yamashita dropkicks AKINO as the wrestlers take turns knocking each other out of the ring, Kansai and Kong both lariat AKINO, Kansai goes for Splash Mountain but AKINO reverses it with a hurricanrana for two. Kong runs in and hits AKINO with a paint can, she then gets on the top turnbuckle and hits an elbow drop. Kansai picks up AKINO and this time she nails the Splash Mountain for the three count! Kansai, Kong, and Yamashita are your winners.

A really fun match with everyone showing maximum effort to tie everything together. As you would expect, Mission K4 work together really well, a very fluid team that is always on the same page. Kong and Kansai had their working boots on, running around the ring like it was the 1980s, and they all did their part. A fast paced and well executed tag match that went far beyond my expectations, one of the better random mid-card six woman tags I have seen in awhile.  Recommended

Aoi Kizuki vs. Mayumi Ozaki

Ozaki is accompanied to the ring by Police, Kizuki gets the early jump on Ozaki as she hits a dropkick followed by a pair of running sentons and a jumping swivel bodypress. The fun doesn’t last for long as Ozaki throws a chain at Kizuki and hits her with it repeatedly before hanging Kizuki over the top rope. Police continues the assault on the floor, they take her up into the balcony and hit her with more chairs before returning to ringside. They finally return to the ring (all three of them) and Kizuki is hit with a chair some more. Kizuki finally gets away from Ozaki and puts her in a STF, but it is broken up. Seated armbar by Ozaki but Kizuki wiggles to the ropes to force a break, Police comes in the ring but Kizuki avoids the chair shot and drops him with a jumping lariat. Kizuki slams Ozaki to the mat and then drop toeholds Police on top before hitting a running senton. Kizuki picks up Ozaki and hits a jumping lariat on her, suplex by Kizuki but Ozaki kicks out of the cover. Kizuki goes up top and nails the Swivel Body Press, but Police breaks up the cover. Police lariats Ozaki on accident, Kizuki rolls up Ozaki but the pin is again interrupted. Spinning double chop to the throat by Ozaki, she picks up Kizuki and hits another one but Kizuki kicks out of the cover. Ozaki-kick by Ozaki, and she gets the three count! Mayumi Ozaki wins the match.

This is not my style of match, although I was impressed with the beating that Kizuki took. Ozaki Army matches do a bit too much inference, I get that by default Ozaki matches are no-DQ but seeing three people vs. one an entire match gets old to me when it is a regular occurrence. Plus the main event is going to be like that so its even worse when you know multiple matches on the card will have that style. I adore Kizuki and she played a good underdog here, there was just too many outside interruptions for my tastes.

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Manami Toyota vs. Kaori Yoneyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki

Matsumoto and Yoneyama kick things off but Toyota is tagged in after Matsumoto gives Yoneyama a hard shoulderblock. Kuragaki runs in as things quickly break down and Toyota is double teamed. Toyota regains the advantage on Yoneyama and tosses her by her hair before putting her in a submission hold. Toyota tags Matsumoto and she stomps on Yoneyama, Yoneyama fights back with chops but Matsumoto dropkicks her for a two count. Crab hold by Matsumoto but it is broken up, Matsumoto and Toyota stay in control as they double team Yoneyama. Yoneyama manages to dropkick both of them and crawls to her corner to tag in Kuragaki, jawbreaker by Kuragaki on Matsumoto but Kuragaki lariats both her and Toyota before hitting a double backdrop suplex. Kuragaki goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Matsumoto kicks out. Matsumoto gets away from Kuragaki and hits a shoulderblock, she tags Toyota and Toyota hits a missile dropkick. Big boot by Toyota, she puts Kuragaki in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back.

Toyota goes up top but Yoneyama grabs her, giving Kuragaki time to recover. Kuragaki throws Toyota to the mat and lariats Matsumoto, Kuragaki goes off the ropes and lariats Toyota for a two count. She tags Yoneyama, Yoneyama picks up Toyota but Toyota drills her with a big boot for a two count. Yoneyama dropkicks Toyota, Irish whip by Yoneyama but Toyota rolls her around the ring. Toyota goes up top and delivers a moonsault, but Kuragaki breaks up the pin. Matsumoto comes in and puts Yoneyama in a backbreaker into a gutbuster, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the reverse double knee splash but it only gets a two count. Knees by Matsumoto but Yoneyama hits a face buster, Toyota runs in and boots Yoneyama and they slam Yoneyama onto Kuragaki. Yoneyama sneaks in a few quick pins for a two count. Roaring back elbow by Matsumoto, she picks up Yoneyama but Kuragaki lariats her. More lariats by Kuragaki, Yoneyama covers Matsumoto but Toyota breaks it up. Yoneyama goes up top but Matsumoto avoids the diving senton, missile dropkick by Toyota and Matsumoto powerbombs Yoneyama into Kuragaki. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, but Kuragaki breaks up the pin. Matsumoto puts a powerbomb, but Yoneyama cuts it back and covers Matsumoto for the three count! Yoneyama and Kuragaki are the victors.

As far as random veteran tag team matches go, this one was pretty pedestrian. Nothing was bad, but there was little sense of urgency and there was little effort to do anything overly memorable. I don’t mean that to say they were just sleep walking through the match, but it was just very forgettable. The teamwork was fine and it never dragged, it just stayed pretty average. One of those skippable mid-card tag matches, even though its always a pleasure to see Toyota.

(c) Sonoko Kato vs. Arisa Nakajima

They start in a surprisingly normal fashion, jockeying for position on the mat. They get into an elbow exchange, kicks by Kato but she is pulled out of the ring by Police and the chaos begins. Kato is attacked by chairs before Nakajima dives off the apron with a missile dropkick. Kato is beaten around the ring by various people with various weapons, Nakajima and Kato return after a moment but so does Police as they continue to to attack Kato. Ohka comes in too as does Ozaki to strike Kato in the corner, Nakajima picks up Kato but Kato hits a jawbreaker. German suplex hold by Kato, but it gets a two count. Kato kicks Nakajima in the corner and hits a cannonball, Kato goes up top but Police grabs her. Nakajima goes up too but Kato pushes her off. Diving cannonball by Kato, but the cover only gets two. Knees by Kato but Nakajima knees her back and hits a release German. Ohka comes in to help but Mission K4 has finally had enough as Kagetsu comes in to dropkick Nakajima. Kato threatens Mio but Nakajima grabs Kato from behind and hits a German suplex. Nakajima applies a stretch muffler but Kato gets to the ropes, Nakajima goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for two.

Nakajima goes for a suplex, Kato blocks it but Nakajima hits Kato with a chair. Police and Ohka come in the ring as well as Ozaki, Nakajima dropkicks the chair into Kato and covers her for two. Nakajima elbows Kato, Police and Ozaki both hit Kato before Nakajima hits a package German, but AKINO breaks it up. Nakajima goes for the dragon suplex but Kato blocks it, and Kagetsu hits a swandive dropkick on Nakajima. Kobayashi then hits her with a fisherman suplex, Kato goes up top and delivers the diving guillotine leg drop but Police breaks up the cover. Kato picks up Nakajima and hits a release dragon, but Nakajima returns the favor and both wrestlers are down. Elbows by Nakajima but Kato delivers a heel kick, Police runs in but he hits Nakajima on accident. Kagetsu dropkicks Police, Kato picks up Nakajima and nails the Kowloon’s Gate, but Fujimoto breaks up the pin. Ohka returns but she whips Nakajima on accident, another Kowloon’s Gate by Kato but Mio counts really slow and Nakajima kicks out. Nakajima headbutts Kato and hits a German suplex hold, fast count by Mio but Kato kicks out in time. AKINO comes in and kicks Nakajima, Ozaki tries to spit red mist at AKINO but she misses and hits Nakajima instead. Dragon Valley by Kato, Mio counts slow but Nakajima never kicks out and she is forced to count to three! Sonoko Kato retains the championship.

The main factor helping this match is that Nakajima and Kato are both great wrestlers so when they were doing normal wrestling things it was really snug and well executed. Also, unlike the last Ozaki Army match on this card, Kato had her friends down at ringside which helped her quite a bit. I still prefer big title matches not turn into big eight people craziness with an evil referee on top of that, as it is virtually impossible to get into a grove with constant interruptions. Also the last few minutes were a bit too slap-sticky with each Ozaki member coming in and missing Kato in almost comedic fashion. I’ve love to see Nakajima and Kato do a straight match as they are both upper level wrestlers, as it was there is still more good than bad here but too much Ozaki Army for me.  Mildly Recommended

The post Oz Academy “The Wizard of OZ” on 1/10/16 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.