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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maria vs. Riko Kawahata

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

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

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

(c) Takumi Iroha vs. Yuu
AAAW Championship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*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.

Event: Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #962 ~ Osaka Ribbon 2019 II”
Date: May 25th, 2019
Location: Hirano Kumin Hall in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 286

I am finally reviewing my first Ice Ribbon event of 2019! I don’t intentionally neglect Ice Ribbon on the site. One of the reasons I watch less of them is that the main way they make “TV” is via Nico Pro, and they air their events with a little commentary box on the screen and it annoys me to no end. And its hard for me to watch a 2+ hour event that annoys me. At some point I’ll make a big Ice Ribbon DVD order and catch up. Anyway, I am putting up with the commentary box for this event because the matches are fire and I didn’t want to miss it. Here is the full card:

• Kyuri and Miyuki Takase vs. Makoto and Tsukushi
• Banny Oikawa vs. Matsuya Uno vs. Miyako Matsumoto
• Akane Fujita, Hiragi Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hamuko Hoshi, Ibuki Hoshi, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Rina Yamashita vs. Satsuki Totoro
• Maika Ozaki and Tequila Saya vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki
• ICExInfinity Championship: Maya Yukihi vs. Giulia

I love 65% of these wrestlers so this has to be good. As this aired on Nico, all matches should be shown in full. Every wrestler above has a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it.

Kyuri and Miyuki Takase vs. Makoto and Tsukushi

Kyuri and Miyuki attack before the bell rings, Makoto is isolated and attacked by both in the corner. They pose on Makoto until Tsukushi run in to even the odds, Makoto and Tsukushi take control and take turns doing front rolls over Kyuri’s body. Makoto stays in with Kyuri, Makoto chops Kyuri in the corner and hits a boot to the chest. Kyuri swats Makoto away and hits a Backstabber, but Makoto avoids her cartwheel kneedrop. Kyuri then avoids Makoto’s as well, she goes for a suplex but Makoto blocks it and applies an armbreaker. She switches it to an armbar but Kyuri wiggles to the ropes and forces the break. Makoto goes off the ropes but Kyuri hits a judo toss, Kyuri applies a submission before letting go and tags Miyuki. Miyuki picks up Makoto and dropkicks her in the corner, missile dropkick by Miyuki off the second turnbuckle and she hits a lariat. She gets Makoto on her shoulders but Makoto slides off, elbows and chops by Miyuki but Makoto catches her with a butterfly suplex.

Cartwheel into a double kneedrop by Makoto and she makes the tag to Tsukushi. Tsukushi dropkicks Miyuki in the corner and hits a second one,  cover by Tsukushi but it gets a two count. Tsukushi stomps on Miyuki’s foot but Miyuki catches her with a powerslam and tags Kyuri. Kyuri boots Tsukushi in the head and the two trade elbows, Makoto runs in and elbows Kyuri, with Tsukushi following with a dropkick. Tsukushi goes up top but Kyuri grabs her before she can jump off and drives Tsukushi chest-first into her knees. Miyuki connects on Tsukushi with a diving elbow, fisherman suplex hold by Kyuri but the cover is broken up. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi slides away, Makoto boots Kyuri and Tsukushi hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Tsukushi picks up Kyuri, she goes for the Denden Mushi but Kyuri rolls through it and cradles Tsukushi for two. They trade flash pins with neither having any luck, Kyuri goes off the ropes but Tsukushi catches her with a lariat. Tsukushi goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, and she picks up the three count! Makoto and Tsukushi are the winners!

A fun way to kick off the show. They didn’t get a lot of time so they did what wrestlers should do when there are time constraints – they got to the point. No feeling out process, just straight to the action. The teams worked well together but didn’t go overboard, which makes sense as neither are regular tag teams so they just did the best they could. Kyuri and Tsukushi have a very high ceiling and they got to show a few flashes of their skills here, a good way to open the event.  Mildly Recommended

Banny Oikawa vs. Matsuya Uno vs. Miyako Matsumoto

Triple lockup to start but they break cleanly, they create a headlock chain until they start trading armdrags and leg sweeps. After reaching a stalemate, Miyako is double teamed and eats a double dropkick. Matsuya holds Miyako while Banny goes off the ropes, but Banny dropkicks Miyako in the back. Banny throws Miyako into the corner but Miyako recovers and all three run at each other a few times in the corners. Banny goes for a cartwheel move but does it poorly, she goes for a crossbody on Matsuya but Matsuya catches her. Matsuya and Banny trade flash pins until Miyako comes in and puts them both in a submission hold at the same time. She lets go after a moment to focus on Banny, putting her in a Mexican Surfboard. Matsuya sneaks in to cover Miyako so she has to let go of it, she turns her attention to Matsuya but Banny recovers and Banny gets double teamed again. The union doesn’t last long as Banny dropkicks both her opponents, she covers them but she only gets two. Banny goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Miyako, but Matsuya breaks up the cover as she continually schoolboys Banny for two counts. Matsuya picks up Banny but still can’t keep her down, she goes for the F Crash but Banny blocks it and Miyako cradles her for two. Heel drop by Miyako, she puts Banny and Matsuya next to each other and goes up top, but Matsuya recovers first and scoop slams Banny for a two count. Miyako dives off the top but ends up hitting a footstomp on Banny, Matsuya slams Miyako onto Banny and then puts Miyako in a triangle choke while also having Banny in an armbreaker. Miyako gets into the ropes to force the break, Matsuya spears Miyako but Miyako jackknifes over both for two. Banny dropkicks Miyako out of the ring but Matsuya cradles her and gets the three count! Matsuya Uno is the winner.

This was pretty rough. It was doomed from the get go, as Miyako isn’t anywhere near good enough to keep this match together and triple threat matches are hard to pull off anyway. Banny didn’t do well, but its her first month of being in matches so I’ll cut her some slack. It had a couple cute spots but not enough to really justify the match happening at all, definitely skippable.

Akane Fujita, Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hamuko Hoshi, Ibuki Hoshi, and Fujimoto

Tsukasa and friends attack before the bell rings and attack their opponents in different corners before posing, triple bulldog and they isolate Mochi. Hamuko puts Mochi in a crab hold but Kurumi breaks it up, Hamuko picks up Mochi and tags in her daughter. Ibuki tries to slam Mochi but Mochi blocks it and hits a slam of her own. Mochi tags in Akane, Akane slams Ibuki and hits an elbow drop. Kurumi is tagged in as they work over the young Ibuki, Ibuki is put in the ropes and triple teamed by the Frank Sisters. Mochi returns and hits Ibuki with Mongolian Chops, but Ibuki hits a crossbody and makes the tag to Tsukasa. Tsukasa dropkicks everyone before focusing on Mochi, kicks to the back by Tsukasa but Mochi catches the PK account and hits a dragon screw. Bodyblock by Mochi, and she covers Tsukasa for two. Mochi knees Tsukasa but Tsukasa hits a dropkick, but Kurumi runs in and hits  hard shoulderblock. Triple body avalanche in the corner, face crusher by Mochi to Tsukasa and she covers her for two.

Mochi tags Kurumi, Kurumi goes off the ropes and dropkicks Tsukasa in the head. Seated sentons by Mochi and Kurumi, and Kurumi covers Tsukasa for two. Tsukasa recovers and applies an Octopus Hold, The Hoshis come in and apply submission holds as well. Kurumi gets out of the hold, step-up sunset flip by Tsukasa and she tags in Hamuko. Kurumi knocks over Hamuko with a hard lariat but Hamuko fires back with a lariat of her own. Hamuko is knocked down against the ropes and Kurumi hits a somersault senton before tagging in Akane. Shoulderblock by Akane, she picks up Hamuko but Hamuko blocks the slam. Hamuko hits a slam of her own, Tsukasa and Ibuki both come in and Ibuki is used as a weapon. Ibuki and Tsukasa pick up Hamuko but they can’t throw her onto Akane, but Tsukasa catapults off Hamuko’s back with a dropkick to Akane. Shining Onaka by Hamuko and she tags in Ibuki. Crossbody by Ibuki to Akane, Akane recovers and they trade elbows, Ibuki knocks down Akane with a rolling elbow before Tsukasa and Hamuko both come in to lend an extra hand.

Triple bodyblock to Akane, Ibuki scoop slams Akane and goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Mochi grabs her from the apron. Akane grabs Ibuki and hits a shoulder powerbomb, but Ibuki kicks out. Texas Cloverleaf by Akane but it gets broken up, Tsukasa and Hamuko go off the ropes but are intercepted by Mochi and Kurumi. Scoop slam by Akane to Ibuki, Akane and Mochi both get on Kurumi’s back and together they all hit a splash. Cover by Akane, but it gets broken up. Akane goes off the ropes but Ibuki slides between her legs and cradles Akane for two. Ibuki charges Akane but Akane gets her up, Ibuki slides off and both Tsukasa and Hamuko run in as all three roll over Akane. Cover by Ibuki, but Kurumi breaks it up. Mochi and Tsukasa take care of them, rotating Samoan Drop by Ibuki but Akane barely kicks out of the cover. Ibuki goes off the ropes but Akane catches her and delivers a modified Samoan Drop. Cover by Akane, but Ibuki barely kicks out. Akane picks up Ibuki and nails the Mikan de Pon, and she picks up the three count! Akane Fujita, Kurumi, and Mochi Miyagi are the winners!

A pretty entertaining midcard match. It wasn’t perfect as there were some rough spots and transitions, but generally speaking the teams worked together really well. I haven’t seen much of Ibuki but she seems to have a good foundation, and Akane Fujita is solid. I’m not sure if Kurumi’s push is stalled or she just doesn’t have a storyline right now but I’d like to see her in bigger matches, she provides something a bit different than a lot of the other Ice Ribbon wrestlers. Fast paced and chaotic, with all the wrestlers getting a chance to shine. About all you can ask for from this spot on the show.  Mildly Recommended

Rina Yamashita vs. Satsuki Totoro

Rina and Satsuki immediately charge each other after the bell rings, colliding with both wrestlers staying up. They take turns trying to knock each other over until Rina sends Satsuki crashing to the mat. Rina kicks Satsuki out of the ring and cracks her with a water bottle, Rina gets a chair and sits Satsuki onto at ringside. Rina runs all the way around the ring but Satsuki has recovered and hits Rina with the chair, scoop slam by Satsuki on the floor and she slides Rina back. Scoop slam attempt by Satsuki but Rina blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Rina throws Satsuki in the corner and hits a lariat, another lariat by Rina and she covers Satsuki for two. Scorpion Deathlock by Rina, she lets go after a moment and knees Satsuki in the back. Rina picks up Satsuki and tosses her down, kick to the ribs by Rina but Satsuki gets back up and they trade strikes.

Satsuki pushes Rina into the corner and they go back and forth with elbows, Rina throws Satsuki into the corner but Satsuki fires out of it with a hard shoulderblock. Body press by Satsuki and she puts Rina in a crab hold, but Rina gets to the ropes for the break. Satsuki picks up Rina but Rina puts her in a sleeper, Satsuki wiggles to the ropes and makes it to force a break. Rina goes off the ropes but Satsuki hits a hard shoulderblock, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Satsuki but Rina kicks out of the cover. Satsuki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, she gets back on the second turnbuckle and delivers a second one, but Rina kicks out of the pin. Satsuki goes all the way up this time but Rina recovers and joins her, hitting a superplex. Rina and Satsuki slowly get up, trading strikes as they do so, until Satsuki hits a crossbody for two. Satsuki goes off the ropes but Rina catches her with a lariat, she goes for a cover but Satsuki cuts it back for her own two count. Back up, kicks by Rina and she delivers a sliding lariat for two. Rina picks up Satsuki and hits a final lariat, picking up the three count! Rina Yamashita wins!

This wasn’t perfect, but it was good. There were a few minutes in the middle that they seemed to not be on the same page, or someone got the breath knocked out of them, but generally this was a fun hoss battle. Both have the size and believably to have this style of match, and when they were on their feet slugging it out, everything worked. I still am not sure if Satsuki is really ready yet as at times she looked lost, but a good effort by Rina Yamashita to put her over some and pull her through the match successfully. Mildly Recommended

Maika Ozaki and Tequila Saya vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

Risa and Suzu attack before the match, they stack their opponents in the corner but Maika surprises them with a lariat. Risa and Suzu are stacked on top of each other and are posed on, but things eventually get to normal as Saya stays in with Suzu. Saya stretches Suzu before tagging Maika, stomps by Maika and she puts Suzu in a Camel Clutch. Saya puts Suzu in a crab hold at the same time while Risa just watches, they eventually let go and Maika stomps on Suzu before tagging Saya back in. She attacks Suzu in the corner with Maika, Risa keeps wanting to help but Maika knocks her off the apron. Saya comes in but Suzu dropkicks her and tags in Risa, Maika enters but Risa lariats both of them. Risa gets Maika on her shoulders and then grabs Saya’s legs, giving her the ‘ol Giant Swing. That spot made no sense but it kinda looked cool so I’ll let it slide. She gives Saya another Giant Swing, Risa picks up Saya but Saya hits a back elbow. Schwein by Risa and she tags Suzu, dropkicks by Suzu and she covers Saya for two.

Risa runs in and they take turns hitting running double knees on Saya, cover by Suzu but it gets a two count. Suzu throws Saya in the corner but Saya hits a running crossbody, Maika comes in and she slams Saya onto Suzu before hitting a senton. She leaves, Saya charges Suzu while she is against the ropes but Suzu avoids her charge and dropkicks her in the back. Cutter by Saya and she sits down on Suzu’s head before tagging Maika. Elbow drops by Maika, she picks up Suzu and puts her in a bear hug. Backbreaker by Maika and she applies a stretch hold, she picks up Suzu but Suzu elbows her. They trade elbows until Suzu hits a jumping crossbody for two. Suzu throws Maika in the corner, Risa comes and they both hit running strikes. Scoop slam by Suzu, she picks up Maika but Maika blocks the suplex attempt. Maika lariats Suzu in the back of the head and hits a Karelin Lift, cover by Maika but it gets two. Maika goes off the ropes but Suzu hits a spear, Risa runs in to keep Saya away and Suzu goes for a few flash pins with no luck. Suzu clubs on Maika, she goes up top but Saya hits her from the apron. This gives Maika time to recover, she gets Suzu on her shoulders and tosses her to the mat while Saya hits a cutter. Saya gets on Maika’s back and they hit a senton, cover by Maika but it gets a two count.

Lariat by Maika but Risa breaks it up with a diving double knee. Suzu tags Risa, Risa picks up Maika but Maika slides away and cradles her for two. Boot to the head by Risa, she tries to toss Maika into the corner but Maika reverses it and both she and Saya hit running strikes. Maika throws Saya on top of Risa, she tries to get her up her shoulders but Risa elbows out of it and puts Maika in the Combine. Maika tries to get to the ropes but Risa picks her up and powerbombs her into the corner, running double knee by Risa and she hits a reverse double kneedrop for a two count. Suzu goes up top, she gets on Risa’s back and Risa hits a double kneedrop. Cover by Risa, but Saya breaks it up. Risa kicks at Maika, she goes off the ropes but Maika catches her with a spinebuster. Maika gets Risa on her shoulders but Suzu runs in and breaks things up, Saya takes care of Suzu before powerbombing Risa. Suzu knocks Saya out of the ring but Maika shoulderblocks Suzu, she goes off the ropes but Risa catches her with a dropkick. Ayers Rock by Risa but Maika gets fired up and hits a lariat for two. Maika goes off the ropes but Risa gets Maika on her shoulders and delivers the Schwein for the three count! Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki are the winners.

Something felt a bit off with the ending but the journey to get there was enjoyable. Suzu may not be too experienced but you wouldn’t know it from watching this match, some wrestlers just “get it” quicker than others and she is clearly one of those that gets it as she fit right in. Maika on the other hand was a bit off a few times but nothing that really impacted the match, and Risa was her usual incredible self. The match didn’t really have a structure to it of note but they kept the action going and for a match with no deeper purpose it worked fine. The end felt really sudden as Maika blew off Ayers Rock, successfully hit a move/got a near fall and then promptly got pinned, after a long-ish match I was expecting a hotter and more complex end stretch. Still, lots of great action here and a solid match, looking forward to watching Suzu’s career grow as I am sure she’ll just get better and better.  Recommended

(c) Maya Yukihi vs. Giulia
ICExInfinity Championship

They circle each other and lock-up, Maya pushes Giulia into the ropes and she gives a clean break. Giulia gets Maya into the ropes next but she elbows Maya instead of breaking, Giulia gets Maya in the corner and hits more elbows. Running boot by Giulia in the corner but Maya delivers a high kick, snapmares by Maya and she applies a chinlock. Giulia gets into the ropes, Maya lets go but quickly puts Giulia in an armbar. Giulia gets out of it and applies a headscissors, Maya reverses it but Giulia bites her hand. Snapmare by Maya and she kicks Giulia in the back and chest before kicking Giulia out of the ring. Maya goes out after her but Giulia chops her and the two trade blows. Maya gets the better of it but Giulia spits water in her face, Maya goes for a high kick but Giulia ducks and Maya kicks the ring post. Giulia works over Maya’s leg on the floor before rolling her in, she pulls Maya’s leg to the ring post and rams it into the post. Giulia gets back into the ring and keeps on Maya’s leg, she boots Maya in the back of the head and covers her for two.

Irish whip by Giulia but Maya reverses it, Giulia boots Maya back and hits a diving crossbody. Giulia and Maya stay on the mat and jockey for position, Maya applies a seated armbar but Giulia gets out of it and goes back to Maya’s leg. Maya slides away and applies an armbar, but Giulia gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Maya picks up Giulia, slaps by Maya and she knees Giulia against the ropes. Maya charges Giulia but Giulia avoids her running knee, she goes for a boot but Maya ducks it and kicks Giulia in the head. Maya goes for another kick but Giulia catches her leg and applies a leglock. Maya wiggles to the ropes to force the break, big boot by Giulia and she hits two more. Cover by Giulia, but Maya kicks out. Back up they struggle for position, reverse DDT by Giulia but she only gets a two. Maya comes right back with a STO, she goes off the ropes and boots Giulia hard in the head. Elbows by Maya, Giulia elbows her back but Maya catches her with a kick and a knee. Maya knees Giulia again, she puts her against the ropes and destroys her face with a running knee. Maya goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Maya but it gets two.

Maya goes off the rope but Giulia boots her, Maya boots her back but Giulia delivers a pump kick. Giulia goes up top but Maya recovers and tosses her off, Maya then goes up but Giulia joins her and powerslams her to the mat. Hammerlock by Giulia but Maya armdrags her and hits a high kick. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, they exchange elbows until Giulia hits three big boots. Giulia goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Giulia but it gets a two count. Giulia picks up Maya and delivers the Glorious Buster, but Maya kicks out of the pin. STF by Giulia but Maya makes it to the ropes, bootscrapes by Giulia but Maya breaks away from her and kicks her repeatedly. Buzzsaw Kick by Maya, she picks up Giulia but Giulia drops her with the Glorious Driver! Cover by Giulia, but Maya barely kicks out. Giulia picks up Maya and goes for the Spider Nest, but Maya slams her way out of it. Crystal of Snow by Maya, she picks up Giulia and drills her with a sit-out Tiger Driver ’91 for the three count pinfall! Maya Yukihi wins and retains the championship!

This far exceeded my expectations, both really elevated beyond their usual level to put on something memorable. Giulia’s leg work was well done and she went back to it enough that it didn’t feel like just wasted time, she was more than satisfied to win with a kneelock or STF as she wore Maya down. Maya’s strikes were just killer and it is possible she really did knock Giulia loopy as by the last minute or so the wheels came off a little as things were a bit sloppy. I’m willing to overlook that after such a grueling 25 minute match, Giulia clearly gave all she had and then some. The Tiger Driver was sick but a fitting exclamation point, after all that they had done to each other they needed something special to get the three count. A great display by both, it may not end up on a MOTY list but for their experience/skill levels I thought this was a great match and effort by both. Worth watching for sure, as long as you can tolerate an occasional commentary box in the corner.  Highly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon #962 ~ Osaka Ribbon 2019 II on 5/25/19 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 know that I haven’t reviewed Ice Ribbon in awhile, but there is a very good reason for that. All of their airings on Nico Nico they put a commentary box on the bottom side of the screen, showing the commentary as they discuss the event. Even if I did understand Japanese I’d find this incredibly annoying, imagine watching RAW and for the entire three hours the bottom side of the screen showed the commentators, its quite distracting. So I haven’t been watching their events. But, this show I got on DVD which means – no commentary box. Granted, it is a small show but at least we get to check out some of their newest rookies. Here is the card:

• Akane Fujita and Nori DATE vs. Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE
• Matsuya Uno and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro
• Kyuri vs. Tsukushi
• Risa Sera, Maya Yukihi, and Karen DATE vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE

Pretty small show, as always you can click on the wrestler’s names above to go to their roster page, including all the DATE wrestlers.

Akane Fujita and Nori DATE vs. Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE

Nori starts the match against her sister Nao, kicks by Nori but Nao kicks her back and hits a series of knees against the ropes. Nao and Nori jockey on the floor but neither gets the advantage so they tag in their teammates. Shoulderblock by Hoshi to Akane but Akane chops her in the chest, Hoshi chops her back but Akane knocks her to the mat and covers Hoshi for two. Akane tags in Nori but Hoshi clubs her, Hoshi rolls to the mat and she does her pose, which makes the rookie Nori laugh. Poor Nori isn’t used to Hoshi’s antics. Hoshi throws Nori in the corner and rubs her belly in her face, Nao comes in and they double team Nori in the ropes. Hoshi officially tags in Nao, Nao throws down Nori in the corner and Nori is attack by both her and Hoshi. Bulldog by Hoshi to Nori and she eats a double elbow drop for a two count. Nori fights back against Nao with an elbow and they trade strikes, thrust kick by Nori and she tags in Akane. Akane throws Nao in the corner and tosses her down by the hair, Akane throws Nao face-first into the mat and puts her in the camel clutch while Nori kicks her in the chest.

Senton by Akane, and she covers Nao for two. Nao comes back with a boot to Akane in the chest, cover by Nao but it gets a two count. Nao tags in Hoshi but Akane shoulderblocks her down, Nori runs in to hold back Nao while Akane puts Hoshi in a Scorpion Deathlock. Nori manages to break it up, Hoshi belly bumps Akane and hits the Shining Onaka for a two count. Hoshi gets on the second turnbuckle but Nori grabs her, Akane picks up Hoshi and slams her to the mat for two. Akane picks up Hoshi and tags in Nori, kick combination by Nori to Hoshi and she covers her for a two count. Hoshi grabs Nori but Nori hits a scoop slam, high kick by Nori to Hoshi but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Cartwheel kick by Nori to Hoshi, but Nao breaks up the pin. Nori goes off the ropes and kicks Hoshi in the chest, but Hoshi ducks the spinning kick and Nao kicks Nori into the corner. Hoshi and Nao pick up their opponents and hit Samoan Drops, scoop slam by Hoshi to Nori and she puts her in a crab hold. Akane eventually breaks it up, Hoshi goes off the ropes but Nori hits her with a kick to the chest. Nori goes off the ropes but Hoshi picks her up, Nori and Hoshi trade pins but both get two counts. Hoshi goes off the ropes and hits the Hamuroll, and Hoshi gets the three count! Hamuko Hoshi and Nao DATE win!

I was amused by this not necessarily because it was a great match, but just seeing wrestlers with MMA backgrounds in Joshi is nice since they bring something different to the table. I mean they are green as grass but its at least some variety. Nori laughing at Hoshi was funny, she just isn’t used to having to keep a straight face during such things, and no one looked bad. A decent way to kick things off.

Matsuya Uno and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro

Matsuya and Saya start the match, they trade wristlocks until Matsuya shoulderblocks Saya to the mat. Matsuya picks her up but Saya trips her and puts Matsuya in a camel clutch. Maruko runs in to help but Satsuki intercepts her and puts her in a camel clutch as well, but Matsuya makes it to the ropes to force the break. Irish whip by Saya but Matsuya hits a dropkick and makes the tag to Maruko. Maruko clubs Saya and stomps her into the corner, dropkick by Maruko and she puts Saya in a submission hold. Satsuki tries to break it up but Matsuya tosses her out of the ring, Maruko covers Saya but it gets a two count. Maruko goes for a slam but Saya blocks it, she goes off the ropes but Maruko delivers a dropkick. Maruko jumps over Saya in the corner but Saya connects with a rebound crossbody and makes the tag to Satsuki. Hard shoulderblock by Satsuki, she picks up Maruko and hits a scoop slam for two. Maruko pushes Satsuki off and elbows her in the chest, the two trade blows until Matsuya runs in to help. Maruko dropkicks Satsuki off her feet, she picks her up and throws her into the ropes, but Satsuki hits a double lariat on Matsuya and Maruko. Satsuki picks up Maruko, Maruko goes for a sunset flip but Satsuki sits on her.

Maruko dropkicks Satsuki and makes the tag to Matsuya, Matsuya goes up top but Satsuki blocks her diving chop and hits a shoulderblock. Two more shoulderblocks by Satsuki, and she covers Matsuya for two. Satsuki picks up Matsuya and hits a body avalanche in the corner, but Matsuya dodges the next one and schoolboys her for two. Matsuya tries multiple schoolboys with no luck, she picks up Satsuki but Satsuki hits a scoop slam and tags in Saya. Jumping crossbodies by Saya, she throws Matsuya into the corner before hitting a dropkick. Sunset flip by Saya from the second turnbuckle, but it gets a two count. Saya goes off the ropes but Matsuya catches her crossbody attempt and throws Saya to the mat. Springboard body press by Matsuya, but Saya gets a shoulder up. Matsuya goes off the ropes but Satsuki runs in and hits a shoulderblock, Saya goes up top and hits a diving crossbody but it only gets two. Saya picks up Matsuya but Matsuya grabs her legs and rolls her up for two. Matsuya tries a few more flash pins with no luck, Saya goes for Gran Maestro de Tequila but Matsuya blocks it. Satsuki comes in and lariats both Maruko and Matsuya, she goes up top and hits a somersault senton with Saya’s assistance. Saya now goes up top and hits a moonsault, she picks up Matsuya and delivers the Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Tequila Saya and Satsuki Totoro are the winners.

This certainly wasn’t good. Satsuki just debuted so I am not knocking her, but she really lagged behind here as she looked lost a few times and some of her strikes missed. Maruko is my favorite but did the least and some of the action was just disjointed. Everyone has to learn and practice makes perfect, but this wasn’t a good match.

Kyuri vs. Tsukushi

Kyuri and Tsukushi start by trading wristlocks, Tsukushi gets Kyuri to the mat and they jockey for position. Tsukushi applies a necklock and pulls Kyuri by the hair before tossing her down to the mat. Tsukushi runs on Kyuri’s back and goes for a stretch hold, but Kyuri gets into the ropes. Scoop slam by Kyuri and she stretches Tsukushi, she puts her into the ropes but Tsukushi switches positions with her and messes with Kyuri’s nose. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Kyuri catches her with a judo throw, neck drops by Kyuri and she covers Tsukushi for two. Kyuri starts on Tsukushi’s arm, tiger feint kick by Kyuri and she covers Tsukushi for another two count. Kyuri goes for a fisherman suplex but Tsukushi blocks it and applies a front guillotine, Kyuri gets out of the hold and hits the fisherman suplex hold for two. Kyuri goes up top and hits a diving body press, but that gets a two count as well. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi rolls her up and hits a footstomp. Tsukushi and Kyuri trade elbows until Tsukushi knocks Kyuri to the mat, Tsukushi picks up Kyuri and hits more elbows for two. Tsukushi gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, but Kyuri quickly applies a short armbar. Tsukushi gets into the ropes to force the break, Kyuri approaches Tsukushi but Tsukushi rolls her up for two. Kyuri goes for another flash cover with no luck, hard elbow by Tsukushi and she gets on the second turnbuckle. Kyuri gets her off the turnbuckles with a Codebreaker, Fisherman Driver by Kyuri but Tsukushi gets a shoulder up. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi and hits a cross armbreaker takedown, she reverts it into a seated armbar but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Kyuri picks up Tsukushi and hits a Blockbuster Suplex Hold, but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Kyuri wraps up Tsukushi’s arms and applied a submission, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I think a Draw has to be done perfectly in order to not annoy me, and this match did a Draw about as perfect as possible. The story here was Kyuri trying to surpass her old friend and tag team partner, and she damn nearly almost did but couldn’t find the right combination to get the job done before the bell rang. Afterwards, Kyuri was mad and went back after Tsukushi, so she clearly was not satisfied with just a Draw. This match was about Kyuri’s growth and I think it told that story about as well as a ten minute match can. Really enjoyable match as they have great chemistry and Kyuri could be a future star in the promotion as I think she is almost ready.  Recommended

Risa Sera, Maya Yukihi, and Karen DATE vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE

Karen and Miyako start the match, Miyako goes to the mat and challenges Karen but Karen promptly puts her in a heel hook. She gets rescued, then Karen goes on the mat and challenges Miyako, leading to her promptly putting her back into a heel hook. Miyako gets out of it and rolls up Karen, but Karen puts her in a triangle choke. Miyako gets Karen into the corner while still in the hold and tags in Tsukasa, Tsukasa throws Karen into the corners but Karen returns the favor. Tsukasa rams her again and chokes Karen in the corner, Tsukasa stomps her foot and tags in Hana. Hana picks up Karen but Karen ducks all her kicks, Karen kicks down Hana in the corner and tags in Maya. Maya goes for a kick but Hana blocks it, Hana puts Maya in a camel clutch but she lets go after a moment and goes for a scoop slam. Maya blocks it and elbows Hana, the two trade elbows until Maya hits a jumping knee in the corner. Hana kicks Maya in the stomach and boots her to the mat, cover by Hana but it gets two. Hana tags Miyako back in, but Maya scoop slams her. Miyako trips Maya and rolls her around the ring before putting her in a submission, but Risa breaks it up. Miyako picks up Maya but Maya hits an STO and covers Miyako for two. Maya tags in Risa, Risa puts Miyako in the Rocking Horse before hitting a double knee drop for two. Risa picks up Miyako but Miyako hits a Sling Blade and puts Risa in an Octopus Hold. Hana and Tsukasa join in the fun, but Risa makes it to the ropes to force the break. Miyako snaps Sera’s neck over the top rope and tags in Tsukasa, missile dropkick by Tsukasa and she dropkicks Sera in the corner.

Tsukasa and Sera trade elbows, Maya runs in and knees Tsukasa and Karen comes in also and armdrags Tsukasa into the corner. Running double knee by Risa, she covers Tsukasa but it gets two. Reverse Double Knee by Sera, but that gets a two count as well. Risa goes up top but Hana grabs her from the apron, then Miyako runs in and tosses Risa off the top turnbuckle. Double kick by Tsukasa and Miyako to Sera, Tsukasa covers Sera but it gets two. Tsukasa goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker, she goes off the ropes but Sera catches her with a dropkick. TKO by Risa and she tags in Karen, dropkick by Karen but Tsukasa blocks the scoop slam. Tsukasa puts Karen in an armtrap crossface, but Karen gets into the ropes. Tsukasa puts Karen in the ropes and chokes her, but Maya comes in and hits a missile dropkick. Sera also comes in, they pick up Karen and ram her into Tsukasa. Scoop slam by Karen, and she covers Tsukasa for two. Tsukasa puts Karen in a crab hold but Risa breaks it up. Tsukasa dropkicks both Sera and Maya, then her teammates come in and triple team Karen in the corner. Hana comes in but she hits a crossbody on Tsukasa by accident, Miyako tries to help but she hits Tsukasa by accident as well. Sunset flip by Karen to Tsukasa, but Tsukasa gets a shoulder up. Karen goes off the ropes and rolls up Tsukasa, but that also gets two. Karen goes off the ropes but Tsukasa kicks her back with both feet, cradle by Tsukasa and she picks up the three count! Tsukasa Fujimoto, Miyako Matsumoto, and Hana DATE are your winners!

First, I have to give Miyako credit since she didn’t do any comedy here aside from the quick bit at the beginning, so kudos to her. Its wild to watch a 14 year old rookie  going toe to toe with Tsukasa, they definitely are pushing the DATE wrestlers. Which is fine with me, hopefully they will be regulars and put enough training in wrestling to continue to improve. The match was fast paced and entertaining, a few iffy moments which you’d expect with a match with two rookies, but the veterans were all solid. I am still a bit concerned about Maya, she is getting a decent push but still is a bit awkward at times, I like her but she needs to continue to improve if she is going to put on high end main event style matches. A fun main event, wish it was a bit longer but I enjoyed it for what it was.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #799” on 4/29/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

So before I even get into it, a couple disclaimers. First, I am aware this is a small dojo event and that it wasn’t designed to be a high end show. Second, I am reviewing this on DVD, it did not air, so that is why you probably haven’t seen any of these matches. As part of my quest to review at least one event from the bigger promotions, I had to pick something from Ice Ribbon as their biggest event of the month (on the 29th) isn’t available yet and I didn’t want to get that far behind. And this show looked better than 1/3 which was the other show I was considering. Still, this show does have some potential, as all the stars of Ice Ribbon are doing something on the event. Here is the full card:

• Hiragi Kurumi and Tequila Saya vs. Kyuri and Matsuya Uno
• 235 vs. Mochi Miyagi vs. Tsukushi
• Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

See, an itty bitty show. But it will be shown in full, which is always nice. You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Hiragi Kurumi and Tequila Saya vs. Kyuri and Matsuya Uno

Saya and Matsuya kick things off, Matsuya pushes Saya into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Wristlock by Saya but Matsuya rolls out of it, kick to the chest by Matsuya and she tags in Kyuri. Body press by Kyuri, she sits up Saya and puts her in a stretch submission hold. Saya gets to the ropes for the break, crossbody by Saya and Kurumi comes in to pick up Saya and toss her into Kyuri. Elbow by Saya and she dropkicks Kyuri before making the tag to Kurumi. Dropkick by Kurumi and she puts Kyuri in a crab hold, but Kyuri gets into the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Kurumi but Kyuri ducks the lariat and hits a trio of neck drops for a two count cover. Short armbar by Kyuri and she reverts it into a double armbar, but Kurumi muscles out of it. Kyuri and Kurumi trade elbows, which goes better for Kurumi, and Kurumi hits a body avalanche in the corner. Cannonball by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton for a two count. Kurumi tags in Saya, dropkicks by Saya and she hits a scoop slam on Kyuri for a two count. Saya puts Kyuri in a stretch hold but Kyuri gets a foot on the ropes, Saya picks up Kyuri but Kyuri takes her to the mat. Backstabber by Kyuri and she makes the tag to Matsuya. Shoulderblock by Matsuya but Saya knees her in the stomach, she goes off the ropes but Matsuya hits a spear for a two count cover. Matsuya goes up top and hits a chopping chop to the head, but again her cover gets two. Matsuya goes off the ropes but Kurumi runs in and hits a lariat, dropkick by Saya and she covers Matsuya for two. Saya goes up top and hits a reverse diving crossbody, but Kyuri breaks up the pin. Saya goes up top again but Matsuya hits her from behind and schoolboys her for two. Matsuya tries a few more schoolboys with no luck, Matsuya picks up Saya and slams her to the mat but Kurumi breaks up the pin. After trading flash pins, Matsuya goes for a lariat but Saya catches it and applies Gran Maestro de Tequila for the three count! Saya Tequila and Kurumi win!

For a rookie match, it was acceptable, as while there were a few iffy moments that is to be expected. This is my longest look at Matsuya Uno so far, she seems fine but at her age I doubt she’ll ever get much of a chance to progress too far up the card. But she has the basics down anyway. Kurumi continues to be the bright spot in most matches I see her in, she is embracing her inner hoss-ness and has really improved in the last year. A decent way to kick off the show, not everything was smooth but the effort was certainly there.

235 vs. Mochi Miyagi vs. Tsukushi
Triple Threat Match

Tsukushi and 235 double team Miyagi to start since she has the size advantage, but Tsukushi flies out of the ring on a missed dropkick and Miyagi easily takes over on the isolated 235. Tsukushi returns but now she attacks 235 as well, Miyagi boots 235 in the head but Tsukushi dropkicks her, Tsukushi then decides to be friends with Miyagi but Miyagi shoulderblocks her. Footstomp by Tsukushi to Miyagi and they trade elbows, Tsukushi goes for a bodyscissors but Miyagi catches her. Tsukushi wiggles away and gets Miyagi over, but 235 returns and breaks up the festivities. 235 sends Tsukushi out of the ring and hits a crossbody onto Miyagi, seven more crossbodies by 235 and she covers Miyagi for two. 235 jumps on the second turnbuckle but Miyagi slaps her and tosses her off, Raideen Drops by Miyagi and she covers 235 for a two count. Facebuster by Miyagi, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the reverse splash, but Tsukushi goes up top and hits a diving footstomp onto her back. Tsukushi charges 235 but 235 moves, diving crossbody by 235 but Tsukushi kicks out. Back up, elbows by Tsukushi and she dropkicks 235 while she is against the ropes. Unprettier by Tsukushi, but 235 barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Miyagi returns and hits a Lou Thesz Press onto Tsukushi, she picks up 235 and hits a body avalanche against the ropes. Hard elbow by Miyagi but 235 elbows her back, inside cradle by 235 but Miyagi kicks out. 235 goes for a suplex but Miyagi blocks it and hits a few Mongolian Chops. Miyagi goes for a suplex but 235 reverses it into rolling verticals with a bridge, but Tsukushi breaks it up. Miyagi lariats 235 and picks her up, but Tsukushi missile dropkicks her from behind. Jackknife hold by Tsukushi to 235, and she picks up the three count! Tsukushi is the winner.

Realistically speaking, there wasn’t really any way this match was going to be particular entertaining. A short triple threat match really can only succeed if there are cute three way spots to amuse everyone, but this match only had maybe two of those. The rest of it was just them taking turns while the other waited outside, and since Miyagi and 235 are good but not great wrestlers the action itself was pretty bland. I love Tsukushi but there wasn’t a lot here to work with, they just didn’t have the time or the structure to really do a whole lot. Skippable match.

Maruko Nagasaki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

They get right into it when the bell rings, they trade Irish whips but Fujimoto gets Maruko on the mat first and kicks her hard in the back. She gets back up, wristlock by Fujimoto but Maruko reverses it. Fujimoto takes Maruko down and puts her in a leg submission hold, she lets it go after a moment and dropkicks Maruko in the corner. Cutter by Fujimoto, and she covers Maruko for a two count. Fujimoto picks up Maruko but Maruko cartwheels away and delivers a dropkick. Dropkick by Maruko and hits another one for a two count cover. Maruko goes for a cute handstand but Fujimoto has none of it and rolls her up for two. Maruko returns the favor but it has the same result, they get back up and trade elbows on their feet. Maruko rolls out to the apron and goes up top, but Fujimoto dropkicks her down onto the apron. Fujimoto goes up top and goes for a footstomp, but Maruko moves and runs around the ring on the apron. Fujimoto chases after her and catches her, she goes for a footstomp but Maruko moves and (mostly) hits a handstand body press on the apron. Fujimoto rolls back in the ring while Maruko goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Maruko picks up Fujimoto but Fujimoto gets her in a guillotine, Maruko flips out of it and she trips Fujimoto before covering her for two. Maruko goes for another dropkick but Fujimoto dodges it and they trade flash pins. Spear by Maruko, she goes for a pump handle move but Fujimoto gets out of it and hits a enzuigiri. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Fujimoto gets Maruko on her shoulders but Maruko slides away and rolls up Fujimoto for two. Maruko goes off the ropes but Fujimoto catches her with the High Angle Sunset Flip, getting her the three count pinfall! Tsukasa Fujimoto wins!

This pains me to type as Maruko gives it every ounce she has, but she isn’t there yet. Some of the ideas are good, but the execution just isn’t there. She’ll probably get it one day, hopefully, but as of January 2017 she still has a bit of work to do. For every good move this match had there was another move that just wasn’t hit right, and Fujimoto is borderline flawless so I know it wasn’t her fault. I still think its an above average match due to how good Fujimoto is and how hard Maruko was trying to impress, but it didn’t really click and it was too short to overcome the different issues. I think Maruko has a bright future but more practice is in order.

Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Hoshi and Matsumoto both attack as the match starts, they throw their opponents out of the ring and do fake dives before posing. Risa and Maya quickly return and beat down Matsumoto, as Risa stays in the ring with her and tosses down Matsumoto by the hair. Maya is tagged in and she keeps up the attack on Matsumoto, Risa returns and she puts Matsumoto in a crab hold. Back bodydrop by Risa, and she covers Matsumoto for two. Sera goes for a dropkick but Matsumoto avoids it and hits a footstomp, giving her time to tag in Hoshi. Maya comes in too but Hoshi shoulderblocks both of them, body avalanche by Hoshi to Risa and she hits a bulldog. Crab hold by Hoshi but Risa gets into the ropes, punches by Risa but Matsumoto knees her from the apron. Risa gets away and dropkicks Hoshi into Matsumoto, side slam by Risa and she covers Hoshi for two. Belly bump by Hoshi and she tags in Matsumoto and Matsumoto hits a face crusher onto Hoshi’s belly for a two count. Hoshi returns the favor by slamming Matsumoto onto Risa, Matsumoto jumps up on the second turnbuckle but Risa joins her. Risa puts Matsumoto on the apron but Matsumoto applies a hanging armbar, Risa gets out of it and she dropkicks Matsumoto out of the ring. Maya slides Matsumoto back in and gets in the ring as well, double running elbow to Matsumoto and Risa hits a running double knee strike for a two count. She tags in Maya, kicks by Maya and she hits a running knee.

Running boot by Maya but Hoshi breaks up the cover so Maya kicks Hoshi off the apron. Kicks to the back by Maya but Matsumoto ducks the PK, face crusher by Matsumoto and she covers Maya for two. Matsumoto goes up top and Hoshi helps her hit a somersault senton for a two count cover. Maya runs in and dropkicks Matsumoto, Maya puts Matsumoto in a modified STF but Hoshi breaks it up. PK by Maya, but again Hoshi breaks up the cover. Maya picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto kicks her back and hits a body press off the second turnbuckle. Matsumoto tags in Hoshi, chops by Hoshi and she shoulderblocks Maya over. Matsumoto comes in and hits a Shining Wizard, Shining Onaka by Hoshi but Maya bridges out of the cover. Hoshi goes up top and hits an assisted senton, but Risa runs in the ring and hits the Ayers Rock. Superkick by Maya, but Hoshi gets a shoulder up. Maya and Risa go for a double chokeslam but Hoshi ducks it and hits a double lariat. She goes off the ropes but Maya decks her with a kick to the head, they finally hit the double chokeslam but the cover is broken up. Maya picks up Hoshi but Hoshi wiggles away and hits a lariat. Northern Lights Suplex by Hoshi, Matsumoto goes up top and with the referee’s help hits a diving footstomp. Hoshi then goes up and delivers a diving body press, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi and Miyako Matsumoto win!

For a smaller show main event, no major complaints. Maya Yukihi has improved quite a bit in the last six months, working in OZ Academy probably helped. Matsumoto and Hoshi did a bit of comedy but not an excessive amount, and the match kept the pace up so it never dragged. Of course I’d prefer the last match on a card to go longer than 13 minutes and it felt like they had more they could have done, but Ice Ribbon Dojo shows aren’t going to do but so much. A solid match and pretty entertaining, although ultimately nothing special.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #778” on 1/7/17 Review 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.

There are small shows and there are really small shows, and this one falls in the latter category. It is unusual as there is a title match, but it is only a four match card and they are in one of the smaller arenas that they wrestle in. The show is really all about the main event, pitting Fujimoto and Matsumoto against each other in both of their anniversaries, but all the other Ice Ribbon regulars are wrestling as well. Here is the full card:

• Maika Ozaki vs. Tsukushi
• 235 and Risa Sera vs. Hiragi Kurumi and Maruko Nagasaki
• Hamuko Hoshi and Kyuri vs. Maya Yukihi and Mochi Miyagi
• ICExInfinity Championship: Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

Remember you can click on the names above to go to their profile on Joshi City.

Maika Ozaki vs. Tsukushi

Tsukushi and Ozaki circle each other to begin and trade wristlocks, Tsukushi kicks Ozaki to the mat and flings her down by the hair. Tsukushi runs on Ozaki’s back and puts her in a camel clutch, she then picks her up and rakes her face in the ropes. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Ozaki hits a series of shoulderblocks, cover by Ozaki but it gets two. Senton by Ozaki but Tsukushi blocks it when Ozaki tries to put her on her shoulders. Tsukushi applies a stretch hold but Ozaki gets a foot into the ropes to force a break, dropkick by Tsukushi but Ozaki hits a lariat. Ozaki gets Tsukushi on her shoulders and applies an Argentine Backbreaker, she throws her off and hits a trio of lariats but Tsukushi barely kicks out of the cover. Ozaki gets on the second turnbuckle but Tsukushi avoids the diving senton, footstomp by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Ozaki in the corner. Dropkick by Tsukushi, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. Tsukushi goes up top and nails a diving footstomp, and she gets the three count cover! Tsukushi is the winner!

A pretty basic opener. I don’t think I have seen Ozaki before, she seems fine and does more power moves than I am used to seeing from the other Actress girl’Z wrestlers. Tsukushi has a lot of spunk but this was a more based match than I am used to seeing from her, they slowed it down a bit considering the match placement on the card. Not a bad way to start but nothing special.

235 and Risa Sera vs. Hiragi Kurumi and Maruko Nagasaki

Nagasaki and 235 start but Sera comes in with a water gun. Mio stops her from using it, Kurumi gets in the ring and Sera is double teamed in the corner. Kurumi throws Nagasaki onto 235 and then hits a footstomp, Nagasaki picks up 235 but 235 slams her and tags in Sera. Sera puts Nagasaki in a crab hold and then into the Rocking Horse, double knee drop by Sera and she covers Nagasaki for two. Nagasaki fights off Sera with elbows and they trade shots, Sera throws Nagasaki into the corner but Nagasaki blocks her charge and they fall to the mat. Sera puts Nagasaki in an elevated crab hold but Kurumi breaks it up, Nagasaki dropkicks Sera and she makes the hot tag to Kurumi. Shoulderblocks by Kurumi and she hits a somersault senton, picking up a two count.

Hard shoulderblock by Kurumi, Sera tags in 235 but Kurumi catches her when she goes for a crossbody. Sera runs over and kicks Kurumi over, they throw Kurumi into the corner and they hit running strikes. Sera swings 235 into Kurumi, cover by 235 but Kurumi kicks out. 235 gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but the pin is broken up. Back up, elbows by 235 but Kurumi elbows her back, cannonball by Kurumi and she gets a two count cover. Kurumi picks up 235 but 235 sneaks in a sunset flip for two, 235 goes off the ropes but Kurumi hits a swinging side slam. Kurumi gets Sera and Nagasaki on her back, she walks over to 235 and she hits a body press, but 235 barely gets a shoulder up. Kurumi goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving body press, picking up the three count cover! Kurumi and Nagasaki are the winners!

This wasn’t great for a number of reasons. For wrestlers that interact quite a bit they didn’t have great chemistry, and a few of the sections looked clunky. On top of that, 235 just looked off most of the match and several exchanges looked botched. Kurumi and Sera are both great and had their good spots, but overall very skippable.

Hamuko Hoshi and Kyuri vs. Maya Yukihi and Mochi Miyagi

Hoshi and Kyuri charge their opponents to start and double team Yukihi and Miyagi, Hoshi stays in with Yukihi and they trade wristlocks. Yukihi tags in Miyagi, Miyagi spins Hoshi around but just makes herself dizzy in the process. They pose a bit because that is what they do but Yukihi and Kyuri run in to break it up. Hoshi tags in Kyuri, dropkick by Kyuri to Miyagi and she kicks her repeatedly in the back before hitting a PK for two. Miyagi gets away and tags in Yukihi, kicks by Yukihi to Kyuri and she hits a scoop slam. Miyagi comes in and they dance around Kyuri, but Kyuri avoids the double body press attempt. Hoshi comes in and Yukihi is double teamed, Kyuri officially tags in Hoshi and Hoshi puts Yukihi in a crab hold. She gets out of it, waist lock by Yukihi and she puts Hoshi in a Cobra Twist. Miyagi puts Kyuri in one as well, Hoshi goes off the ropes but Yukihi catches her with a big kick to the head.

Yukihi tags in Miyagi, seated sentons by Miyagi to Hoshi but Hoshi elbows her and they trade elbows. DDT by Miyagi but Hoshi blocks the Shining Belly Block. Body Block by Hoshi, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Miyagi brings her back down and goes for a double underhook facebuster. Hoshi blocks it and tags in Kyuri, lariats by Kyuri to Miyagi and she puts Miyagi in a cross arm submission. Tiger Feint Kick by Kyuri to Miyagi, and she covers her for two. Kyuri goes up top but Yukihi grabs her from the apron, allowing Miyagi to throw Kyuri to the mat. Shining Wizard by Miyagi to Kyuri, but it only gets a two count. Miyagi goes up top but Hoshi hits her from the apron with a red ball. Kyuri hits Miyagi repeatedly with her red ball of doom, then Hoshi comes in and hits a lariat. Kyuri goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Miyagi, but the cover gets two. Kyuri goes off the ropes but Miyagi hits a Lou Thesz Press, Miyakoko Clutch by Miyagi and she gets the three count! Yukihi and Miyagi win!

Like the last match, some good and some bad with nothing being really memorable. Really none of these four are great wrestlers so expectations were already low. Kyuri and Yukihi are still young so I won’t hold it against them (although I don’t think Yukihi has shown much progress), while Miyagi and Hoshi are half comedy wrestlers so their matches tend to be oddly structured. Maybe an average match but that is about it.

(c) Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto

They begin with intro submission trading and tie-ups, Matsumoto gets out of the ring and jumps on the microphone and whatever she said pissed off Fujimoto as she ran out after her. Matsumoto throws water at Fujimoto and the crowd, they put hats on and generally mess around with props at ringside. This is about what I was expecting on the serious-scale. Matsumoto does suplex Fujimoto in the stand which sounds like a real move but it was a super slow motion suplex that looked silly. They finally return to the ring after a few minutes and Fujimoto dropkicks Matsumoto in the ropes, but Matsumoto applies a hanging armbar. Face crusher by Matsumoto and she nails the Shining Wizard, but Fujimoto kicks out at two. Matsumoto gets on the top turnbuckle, but Fujimoto shakes the ropes to knock her off.

Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner and she hits another one, missile dropkick by Fujimoto and she puts Matsumoto in a facelock. Matsumoto gets into the ropes, Fujimoto puts Matsumoto on her shoulders but Matsumoto slides off and the pair trade elbows. Double underhook facebuster by Matsumoto, she picks up Fujimoto and but Fujimoto blocks the Rainmaker. Fujimoto goes off the ropes but Matsumoto ducks the elbow and hits the Rainmaker this time, but it only gets two. Double underhook side slam by Matsumoto, she goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls her up for two. Kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits two PKs, but Matsumoto gets a shoulder up. Fujimoto gets Matsumoto up on her shoulders but Matsumoto gets away and applies the Gedo Clutch for a two count. Enzuigiri by Fujimoto and she hits the Venus Shoot out of the corner. Fujimoto goes up to the top turnbuckle and she deliver the Mamamia Z for the three count! Fujimoto retains the championship.

Hmmm well, I will say that once they got the silliness out of the way, it was a ‘normal’ title match the last half of it with both doing their damnedest to win. I still couldn’t really buy Matsumoto as a threat, she has just been a midcard type half-comedy wrestler for too long and Fujimoto is the veteran ace of Ice Ribbon, so her losing here would have been quite the shock. They actually did work really well together and it never felt awkward/forced which is a plus, and if they had trimmed down the outside-the-ring portion it would have been a pretty solid match. Not a bad main event for a small house show, and Fujimoto is awesome, but overall not exactly a high end title match even though it had its entertaining sections.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “New Ice Ribbon #748” on 8/23/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon “10th Anniversary Show”
Date: May 4th, 2016
Location: Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium in Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,552

Welcome to the biggest Joshi event so far in 2016! As the name of the show implies, this is Ice Ribbon’s 10th Anniversary show, and they pulled out all the stops. The big story coming into the show was the return of Emi Sakura, one of the original founders and trainers of Ice Ribbon that left the promotion back in 2012. This isn’t a full time return, she just came back for the Anniversary show and it wouldn’t have been the same without her as she had such a big role for much of the promotion’s history. We also get a Meiko Satomura appearance and for some reason Kazunari Murakami showed up. Here is the full card:

• Bete Noire, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Hiroe Nagahama, Makoto, and Ryo Mizunami
• GENTARO and Takashi Sasaki vs. Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto, 235, and Ueki vs. Papillon Akemi and Kazunari Murakami
• Akane Fujita, Hamuko Hoshi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Kurumi, Manami Toyota, and Tequila Saya
• Triangle Ribbon Championship: Cherry vs. Misaki Ohata vs. Kyuri
• Kyoko Kimura vs. Maya Yukihi
• Meiko Satomura vs. Tsukushi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi and Emi Sakura
• ICExInfinity Championship: Risa Sera vs. Yuuka

You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile here on Joshi City, if I have one. I am going to go ahead and get this out of the way – the show aired on Samurai TV which means it was condensed to two hours. On top of that they still have the highlight packages, interviews, etc. so the in-ring time will be reduced which will lead to clipped matches. I don’t blame Ice Ribbon, yes if it was on Nico Nico it probably would air in full but no promotion is going to pass on being on a more popular channel. But it is still worth noting since this card had a lot of matches so many will be clipped.

Bete Noire, Matsumoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Nagahama, Makoto, and Ryo Mizunami

We join this match in progress, with Nagasaki and Nagahama up on their respective teammates shoulders playing chicken. Nagasaki wins by taking off Nagahama’s armband, but she is attacked by Makoto and company. Makoto and Nagasaki stay in as legal and Makoto hits a rolling senton for two. Nagasaki sneaks in a schoolboy for two and Makoto tags in Nagahama, and Nagahama dropkicks Nagasaki. Bridging suplex by Nagahama, she picks up Nagasaki but Nagasaki quickly applies a wrist-clutch roll-up and picks up the three count! The Maruko Army wins!

This was extremely clipped so I can’t really give an opinion on the match, aside to say that I thought it was neat that the Ice Ribbon rookie got to pick up the win. I haven’t gotten a chance to see much of her but what we really briefly saw here she looks good. A waste of Matsumoto, Makoto, and Mizunami but what can ya do, all these early matches will be clipped something fierce.

GENTARO and Sasaki vs. Kodaka and Miyamoto vs. Matsumoto, 235, and Ueki vs. Papillon Akemi and Murakami

Murakami and Matsumoto start off, Matsumoto slaps Murakami and then runs like hell. Sound decision. But she isn’t running from him, but up to a mat up on the stage so they can grapple. Murakami goes after her and rakes her face on the ramp, but Akemi comes to her rescue and everyone beats down Murakami. Wrestlers are brawling everywhere, with some staying on up the stage while others are in the crowd, pins are apparently legal up on the stage where Murakami is grappling with random wrestlers. Matsumoto is insanely up in the bleachers, she stands up on the rail and dives down onto wrestlers on the floor. We clip ahead to Matsumoto being in the ring on the top rope, about to do a move on Akemi, but Murakami comes in so she hops down. Murakami sits down on Matsumoto in the corner, Matsumoto rolls up Murakami with assistance and everyone holds down Murakami for the three count! Matsumoto, 235, and Ueki win!

I know I didn’t need to do something resembling play by play, but if you have a certain favorite wrestler and you don’t see their name above, then they didn’t do a hell of a lot on what was shown. We got no guns which seems like a wasted opportunity and needless to say it was too clipped up to really get into. A few nice spots though, love Matsumoto’s dive off the balcony.

Akane Fujita, Hamuko Hoshi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Kurumi, Manami Toyota, and Tequila Saya

This match actually starts from the beginning, with Hoshi and Kurumi trying to knock each other over with no luck. Kurumi is triple teamed and posed on, and we clip ahead to Kurumi hitting a powerslam on Fujita. Kurumi tagged Saya, crossbodies by Saya but she only gets a two on Hoshi. Dropkick by Saya, Fujita grabs Saya from the apron however and Hoshi hits a body avalanche. Hoshi tags Miyagi, Miyagi throws Saya into the corner so she can tag Kurumi back in. Chaos ensues as Saya and Toyota come in the ring, and Saya hits a diving crossbody. Missile dropkick by Kurumi to Miyagi, and she covers her for two. Kurumi goes up top and hits a flying body press, but the cover is broken up. Hoshi helps and throws Miyagi onto Kurumi, Fujita slams Kurumi and both Hoshi and Miyagi hit diving body presses. Miyagi picks up Kurumi but Kurumi kicks her and applies La Magistral for a two count. Lou Thesz Press by Miyagi and she hits another one for a two count. Miyagi goes up top and hits a guillotine leg drop for two. Cover by Miyagi on Kurumi, and she gets the three count! Fujita, Hoshi, and Miyagi win the match!

We got about half of this match, so we are getting better. It was clipped to highlight Kurumi, which is great as it is her first match back but it meant we didn’t get to see any Toyota which was sad. Kurumi did look really good in her return however, and for a fresh rookie, Saya did pretty well also. Hoshi and Miyagi are an acquired taste but are solid, and Fujita is fun as well. Too clipped up to recommend but it was nice to see Kurumi again.

(c) Cherry vs. Misaki Ohata vs. Kyuri

Kyuri is double teamed right off the bat, but then they turn on Cherry, which doesn’t go well as Cherry attacks them both in the corner. We clip ahead to Kyuri hitting a diving crossbody on both wrestlers, getting a two count on both. She hits another crossbody on Ohata before hitting a Back Stabber on Cherry, Ohata German suplexes Cherry onto Kyuri but it only gets two. Ohata picks up Cherry and hits a spinning chop followed by a dropkick, but Cherry dumps her out of the ring. Ne Kohistral by Kyuri on Cherry, and she gets the three count! Kyuri is the new champion!

While I doubt this match would have rocked my world anyway, it was only a five minute match and was clipped on top of that. I love Ohata so I hate seeing her in such a short match, but she did have the most memorable spot of the match so there is that. It isn’t worth skipping because it was too short, but if you are fan of any of these three there is not enough here to get excited about.

Kyoko Kimura vs. Maya Yukihi

Yukihi starts the match holding a whip and immediately uses it on Kimura, Ozaki gets up on the apron and helps as well until the referee finally calms things down. Yukihi looks like she is into S&M with the black outfit and the whip, which may or may not be what they are going for. Kicks by Yukihi and she hits a knee, Ozaki returns to the ring and she hits Kimura with a chain. Kimura knocks down Yukihi and jaws with Ozaki, boots by Kimura and she stomps on Yukihi’s face. Kimura gets a drink from a water bottle and slowly spits water onto Yukihi’s face, Yukihi doesn’t like that and fires up a bit and she hits a series of slaps. Lots of slaps by Yukihi. Yukihi goes up top and hits a somersault legdrop, cover by Yukihi but it gets two. Kimura slides behind Yukihi and applies a sleeper, Yukihi struggles but just as she is dozing off in runs Ozaki to break it up. Kimura and Ozaki trade elbows, Ozaki spits red mist into Kimura’s face and Yukihi rolls her up for a two count. Kicks by Yukihi, she covers Kimura but it gets another two. Yukihi gets a chain and hits Kimura in the head with it repeatedly, Ozaki holds Kimura but Yukihi kicks Ozaki by accident. Hard punch by Kimura and she hits a chokebomb, picking up a two count. Heel drop by Kimura and she puts Yukihi back in the sleeper, and this time no one is there to save Yukihi as she goes to sleep! Kimura gets the win.

This was clipped (I know I keep saying that but I don’t want people to think they are going to watch the full match), but I think we got the gist of it. I don’t… know if Yukihi is trying to be sexy with her black leather outfit as she whips people, but she is probably ticking off a few boxes of what some guys find desirable. Anyway, Yukihi still has issues with her strikes, her kicks and slaps both look weak. But when she wasn’t doing strikes, everything else worked well, with Kimura always being on point. Ozaki and Kimura had some good chemistry and the ending stretch was perfect. This is the best match of the card so far mostly due to Kimura, and overall it was entertaining.  Mildly Recommended

Meiko Satomura vs. Tsukushi

Satomura and Tsukushi start politely with a tie-up, Tsukushi dropkicks Satomura but Satomura shrugs it off. Satomura punches Tsukushi in the face but Tsukushi dropkicks her in the knee. Satomura blocks the hurricanrana and kicks Tsukushi in the head, sending her to the mat. Crab hold by Satomura and she applies a STF, she picks up Tsukushi and slams her hard back down. Short armbar by Satomura but Tsukushi inches to the ropes and forces the break. Satomura kicks Tsukushi in the chest but Tsukushi dropkicks her in the knee and hits another dropkick in the corner. Ankle hold by Tsukushi and she boots Satomura in the chest, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Tsukushi dropkicks Satomura in the corner but Satomura comes back with kicks. Hard elbow by Satomura but Tsukushi rolls Satomura to the mat and applies a kneelock. Satomura quickly reverses it but Tsukushi gets into the ropes, Tsukushi gets up and elbows Satomura but Satomura sends her back down. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her in the head, the referee starts a Ten Count but Tsukushi slowly gets up just to eat a backdrop suplex. Kicks to the chest by Satomura but Tsukushi elbows her and nails the tiger suplex hold for a nearfall. Tsukushi goes for the Harukaze but Satomura catches her legs and flings her to the mat, elbow by Satomura but Tsukushi slaps her. Harukaze by Tsukushi, but Satomura barely gets a shoulder up. Satomura gets away from Tsukushi and hits a Pele Kick, Death Valley Bomb by Satomura and she gets the three count! Meiko Satomura wins the match.

I liked this match a lot, I just wish that Tsukushi had gotten in a bit more. I know she is 18 and Satomura is… Satomura, but Tsukushi does have multiple title reigns so I wouldn’t have minded if she had a bit more success before losing. Tsukushi really only had two nearfalls, the rest of the match was her fighting an uphill battle. Which she did very well, and Satomura was deadly with her strikes in a very entertaining way. A match well worth watching, it just didn’t go to that next level to really pull me in.  Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi and Emi Sakura

Nakajima and Takahashi kick things off for their respective teams, they jockey for position on the mat but neither gets a clear advantage. Sakura and Fujimoto are tagged in as Sakura faces her trainee, elbows by Fujimoto and she dropkicks Sakura down. Sakura regains the advantage and slaps Fujimoto before tagging in Takahashi, backdrop suplex by Takahashi and she puts Fujimoto in a crab hold. Fujimoto gets to the ropes and Takahashi tags Sakura, Sakura throws down Fujimoto by the hair and chops her into the corner. Sakura puts Fujimoto in the Surfboard, stomps by Sakura and she slams Fujimoto to the mat. She tags Takahashi back in, elbows by Takahashi but Fujimoto returns fire. Fujimoto goes for a hurricanrana but Takahashi catches her and applies a crab hold. Fujimoto gets to the ropes and dropkicks Takahashi, giving her time to tag in Nakajima. Missile dropkick by Nakajima, Takahashi tags Sakura but Nakajima fights off both of them. German suplex by Nakajima to Takahashi and she hits running boots on both her opponents. Elbows by Nakajima to Takahashi but Takahashi slaps her and hits an assisted sidewalk slam for two. Sakura kicks Takahashi by accident, allowing Nakajima to hit a German suplex hold for two. Nakajima goes off the ropes but Takahashi catches her with a head kick, headbutt by Takahashi and she delivers a lariat. Nakajima crawls to her corner and tags Fujimoto, missile dropkick by Fujimoto but Takahashi slams her to the mat. Fujimoto elbows both Sakura and Takahashi, Sakura holds Fujimoto but Takahashi elbows Sakura by accident.

German suplex on Takahashi with a jackknife by Fujimoto, but it gets two. Fujimoto goes up top but Takahashi joins her and she delivers a superplex, sliding kick by Takahashi and she covers Fujimoto for two. Takahashi goes for a backdrop suplex but Fujimoto elbows out of it, Nakajima runs in but Takahashi hits a hard lariat on both of them. Spinning sit down powerbomb by Takahashi and she makes the tag to Sakura, Sakura picks up Fujimoto and hits a double underhook lift into a backbreaker. Another one by Sakura but Fujimoto gets back in control and kicks Sakura repeatedly in the chest and back. PK by Fujimoto, but it gets two so she hits another one. Takahashi breaks up the pin this time, Fujimoto goes for the Venus Shoot but Sakura reverses it with a powerbomb. Reverse Splash by Sakura, but Fujimoto bridges out of the pin. Kicks by Fujimoto, Sakura tries to return the favor but Nakajima runs in and catches her leg. Double missile dropkick to Sakura, but she kicks out of the pin. Venus Shoot attempt by Fujimoto but Sakura catches her ankle and applies a crab hold. Fujimoto eventually gets to the ropes, Nakajima is in the ring but Sakura superkicks her. Takahashi sits on the top turnbuckle, then Sakura Frankensteiners her onto Fujimoto. Sakura goes up top and hits the moonsault, but Nakajima breaks up the cover. Takahashi drops Nakajima with a backdrop suplex, Sakura goes back up top and both she and Takahashi hit diving body presses onto Best Friends. Sakura drags up Fujimoto and nails a Tiger Driver, but Fujimoto barely gets a shoulder up. She picks up Fujimoto again and drops her right on her head with a backdrop suplex, but again it gets two. Sakura goes up top and calls for the Nyan Nyan Press, but Fujimoto is up and kicks her before she jumps off. Nakajima joins Sakura up top and hits a gutwrench suplex to the mat, Tsukadora by Fujimoto but Sakura barely kicks out. Tsukka-chan☆Bomb by Fujimoto, but this time Takahashi breaks it up. Takahashi elbows Fujimoto but Nakajima takes care of her, enzuigiri by Fujimoto and she finally hits the Venus Shoot for the three count! Best Friends win!

This match was awesome, I enjoyed every minute of it. I was concerned going in that Sakura had been ‘off the grid’ for so long (still wrestling but mostly for Gatoh Move which doesn’t have the same level of wrestlers as Best Friends are) that she would have issues keeping up, but those fears were unfounded. She was really motivated against her former trainee Fujimoto, and since that was the pairing for the majority of the match I have to assume she wanted to help put over her star pupil. Sakura had two different reversals the first two times Fujimoto went for the Venus Shoot but couldn’t block it the third time, and there were so many convincing nearfalls in this match. I also loved that Sakura/Takahashi had miscommunications but Best Friends didn’t, as the more experienced team was more on the same page than the team that hadn’t wrestled together in many years. Some of the moves were just sick in their execution, and everyone came out of it looking strong as even though Sakura got pinned she showed she can still hang with anyone. Her best match in years and overall just a must-see match with not only great wrestling but emotion and meaning as well.  Highly Recommended

(c) Risa Sera vs. Yuuka

Yuuka immediately rolls up Sera with a bridge for two, she goes for another one but Sera reverses it and they return to their feet. They grab each other by the hair until Sera flings Yuuka down and stomps her in the corner. Crab hold by Sera and she then puts Yuuka in the Rocking Horse, Sera goes for a double knee drop but Yuuka moves and dropkicks Sera out of the ring. Yuuka goes up to the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Sera with a plancha, Yuuka slides Sera back in and goes up top, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Sera gets back up and they trade elbows, a hard elbow by Yuuka sends Sera to the mat and she covers her for two. Sera blocks Yuuka’s cross-legged move attempt and applies a high angle crab hold, but Yuuka gets to the ropes. Sera hits a reverse splash kneedrop to Yuuka’s back, elbow by Sera but Yuuka hits a tornado DDT out of the corner. Cross-legged suplex hold by Yuuka, but it gets two. Yuuka goes up top and hits the Angel Thunder, but again Sera gets a shoulder up. Yuuka kicks at Sera but Sera fights back with hard elbows to the back of the head. Falcon Arrow by Sera, she goes up top but Yuuka elbows her before she can jump off and joins her. Frankensteiner by Yuuka and she hits a cross-legged belly to back suplex hold for a nearfall. Sera catches Yuuka as she goes off the ropes with a fireman’s carry slam, she goes for the Ayers Rock but Yuuka reverses it with a roll-up. Sera elbows Yuuka down in the corner and hits a running double knee, Ayers Rock by Sera but Yuuka barely kicks out. Sera goes up top but Yuuka avoids the Diving Double Knee Drop, roll-up with a bridge by Yuuka but it gets two. A backslide with a bridge also gets two, Yuuka goes off the ropes but Sera catches her with an elbow. Ebisu Drop by Sera and she nails a sit-down powerbomb, but Yuuka kicks out. Sera goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the Diving Double Knee Drop, and she picks up the three count! Sera wins the match and is still the champion.

As I mentioned at the top, this was a rough spot for them. It was a perfectly fine match but it had little chance of being better than the two matches that came before it as while both have a lot of spunk they aren’t on the same level as Nakajima, Fujimoto, Sakura, etc. Yuuka in particular is still growing, seems like a bit of a stretch to put her in the main event of their biggest show but they must see a lot in her down the road. The emotion was there by the wrestlers and Sera has gotten a mean streak recently, but the transitions were shaky and I never brought into Yuuka having a chance of winning. Solid and fun, but that is about as far as it went.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “10th Anniversary Show” on 5/4/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are a few things of note about this event. First, it is quite short, with only four matches and no title matches. Second, the main event is shown with a commentary box at the bottom of the screen which may be great if you understand Japanese but to me it is just distracting. That all sounds negative, which it is, but we also get a Syuri singles match which is awesome, don’t get to see her in 1 vs. 1 situations very often. Here is the full match listing:

• 235, Makoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Akane Fujita, Kyuri, and Miyako Matsumoto
• Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka
• Syuri vs. Tsukushi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Remember you can click on any of the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile. Quick show, let’s get right to it.

235, Makoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Akane Fujita, Kyuri, and Miyako Matsumoto

Fujita and company charge their opponents to start but it doesn’t go well as Makoto and friends quickly take back over. Matsumoto ends up on the mat and all five of the other wrestlers dance around her, but Matsumoto moves as they all try to jump on her. Things settle down with Kyuri and 235 in the ring, Kyuri stretches 235 on the mat but Nagasaki breaks it up. Crossbodies by 235 to Kyuri but Kyuri applies a cross armbreaker, which is also broken up. 235 tags in Makoto and she works over young Kyuri, but Kyuri knocks Makoto to the mat. Backstabber by Kyuri and she rolls up Makoto, getting a two count cover. Makoto applies a sleeper but Kyuri gets out of it with a jawbreaker. Kyuri tags Fujita, elbow drop by Fujita to Makoto but Makoto hits a face crusher. Scoop slam by Makoto and she hits a cartwheel double knee drop for two.

Matsumoto runs in and hits a footstomp on Makoto, Fujita picks up Makoto but Makoto hits a butterfly suplex hold. Makoto tags Nagasaki, Nagasaki dropkicks Fujita but Fujita hits a scoop slam. Nagasaki wiggles away, thrust kick by Makoto to Fujita and 235 hits a diving crossbody. Uranage by Nagasaki to Fujita, but the pin is broken up. Over the shoulder slam by Fujita and she tags in Matsumoto, short armbar by Matsumoto and she applies a crossface, but Nagasaki gets to the ropes. Matsumoto and Fujita trade elbows, dropkick by Nagasaki and she goes up top, but Matsumoto avoids the missile dropkick. Fujita comes in and she slams Nagasaki, Matsumoto goes up top but Nagasaki gets her feet up when she dives off. Nagasaki goes for a few quick pins with no luck and all six wrestlers end up in the ring. Makoto spears both Fujita and Kyuri, Nagasaki grabs Matsumoto  but Matsumoto hits an extremely modified STO. Shining Wizard by Matsumoto and she gets the three count! Fujita, Kyuri, and Matsumoto are the winners.

Better than I was expecting, which I know is faint praise but at least it was pretty solid for an opener. Matsumoto’s comedy was kept really minimal which is fine with me as it gave Nagasaki and Fujita more time to work together. Makoto was really here just to hit a few spots and perhaps to help manage the match, she is on a different level than the other five so realistically there wasn’t a lot she was going to do within the match itself. Six wrestlers is a bit much for a sub-ten minute match as it makes it hard for any one wrestler to stand out but I thought that the rookie Nagasaki looked solid considering her experience level. Not a bad way to kick things off but nothing special either.

Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka

Miyagi and Yuuka are the first two in but their tag partners come in too, Nakamura and Yuuka get their opponents in the ropes and kick them in the chest. The Lovely Butchers make a comeback and hit double face crushers, Miyagi puts Yuuka in the corner and Yuuka gets the double belly smush. Yuuka DDTs Miyagi  but Miyagi puts Yuuka in an Argentine Backbreaker, running belly smash by Miyagi and she covers Yuuka for two. Dropkick by Yuuka and she hits a tornado DDT for a two count, she tags in Nakamori who kicks Miyagi in the chest before hitting a leg drop. Stretch
hold by Nakamori but Miyagi gets out of it and hits a swinging side slam for two. Dragon screw by Miyagi, she goes up top and hits a reverse splash for a two count cover.

Miyagi tags Hoshi, she trades elbows with Nakamori until Nakamori hits a backdrop suplex, but Hoshi blocks the Shining Wizard attempt. Running belly smash by Hoshi, and she gets a two. Hoshi goes up top but Nakamori throws her off, high kick by Nakamori and she hits the Shining Wizard. Nakamori tags Yuuka, Yuuka elbows Hoshi but Hoshi hits a running belly smash. Double belly smash by Hoshi and Miyagi but Yuuka blocks the double backdrop suplex. Nakamori goes up top as does Yuuka, and both hit missile dropkicks. Yuuka tries to pick up Hoshi but can’t, Lou Thesz Press by Miyagi and Hoshi rolls over Yuuka for two. Nakamori kicks Hoshi and Yuuka rolls her up, but Miyagi breaks up the pin. Yuuka goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but it gets only two. Hoshi lariats Yuuka, Samoan Drop by Hoshi but Yuuka kicks out of the cover. Miyagi goes up top and hits a diving body press, Hoshi then goes up and hits a diving body press as well, picking up the three count! The Lovely Butchers win the match.

This was a bit sloppy, with a number of moves just not being hit very smoothly. Most of them happened when Nakamori was in the ring, she just isn’t a very polished wrestler and a lot of what she does feels off. Hoshi and Miyagi aren’t my favorites anyway since they do stomach based offense… but they try to make it look serious instead of just being comedy so it comes across as odd. Yuuka I love but she wasn’t going to be able to save this match by herself. Limited redeeming qualities and a very skippable match.

Syuri vs. Tsukushi

They feel each other out to start, Syuri gets Tsukushi to the mat and twists on Tsukushi’s leg. They get back up and lock knuckles, Tsukushi takes Syuri down but Syuri quickly switches positions with her. Syuri works a headlock before kicking Tsukushi in the back, but Tsukushi returns to her feet and they circle each other again. Elbows by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Syuri through the ropes and to the floor. Back in, Stunner by Tsukushi and she runs on Syuri’s back before putting her in a stretch hold. Syuri slams Tsukushi and kicks her into the corner, running knee by Syuri and she covers Tsukushi for two. Sleeper by Syuri but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes, kicks by Syuri and she covers Tsukushi again for a two count. Syuri hits a jumping knee in the corner and hits a single arm suplex, Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Syuri stomps Tsukushi but Tsukushi ducks a lariat and hits a headscissors.

Dropkick by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Syuri in the back for a two count cover. Syuri and Tsukushi trade elbows, knee by Syuri and she hits the PK for two. Tsukushi quickly rolls up Syuri and hits a footstomp, missile dropkick by Tsukushi but Syuri kicks out of the pin. Release German by Syuri but Tsukushi comes back with one of her own, and both wrestlers are down. They trade elbows on their knees and as they get back up, Tsukushi charges Syuri but Syuri kicks her in the head. Syuri applies the short armbar but Tsukushi rolls out of it and hits a hard elbow. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Syuri shrugs her off and hits a German suplex hold for two. Running knee to the chest by Syuri but Tsukushi catches the next kick and puts Syuri in an ankle hold. Syuri gets into the ropes to break the hold, Tsukushi grabs Syuri and hits a scoop slam before going up top, delivering the diving footstomp for a two count. German suplex hold by Syuri and she nails a running knee, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

The best part of this match was just getting to see Syuri do her thing for 15 minutes, she is one of the best strike/submission wrestlers in Japan. Tsukushi kept up pretty well which is a credit to her and it was a really smooth match. Some of the transitions were a bit shaky however and I still am not a fan of draws unless there is a storyline reason for it. No reason for Syuri not to win here as there will likely never be a re-match anyway, but I guess they didn’t want their young star to lose to the outsider. A really solid match overall, but with a few small improvements it would have been really top notch.  Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Sera and Yukihi charge their opponents as soon as the bell rings but the veterans quickly take back over and double team Sera. Fujimoto kicks Sera in the back and applies a stretch hold before throwing her to the mat by her hair. Sera comes back with a dropkick and tags Yukihi, but Fujimoto promptly slams her and tags Nakajima. Nakajima tosses Yukihi around and hits a combination of strikes, she puts Yukihi in the ropes and hits a dropkick to the back. Yukihi fights back but Fujimoto dropkicks her, Irish whip by Fujimoto and she hits another dropkick for a two count. Nakajima returns and puts Yukihi in a crab hold, suplex by Nakajima and she covers Yukihi for two. Jumping knee by Nakajima in the corner and she hits a double underhook suplex. Knees by Nakajima and she boots Yukihi in the face. Another boot by Nakajima but Sera runs in, Yukihi hits a STO and tags Sera. Sera dropkicks Nakajima but Fujimoto runs in, Sera puts both her opponents in the corner and hits a running knee to the stomach. Sera puts Nakajima in a crab hold and then into the Rocking Horse. Double knee drops by Sera and she goes for a swinging side slam, but Nakajima reverses it. Fujimoto runs in and kicks Sera, Nakajima does the same and covers Sera for two. Back up they trade elbows, and Nakajima catches Sera with a bridging fallaway slam for two. Fujimoto is tagged in, Nakajima runs back into the ring and kicks Sera in the head. Double dropkick to Sera and they go up top, but Yukihi comes in the ring and they throw Best Friends off the top turnbuckles.

Nakajima and Fujimoto are thrown into the same corner and hit with running strikes, Fujimoto goes for a hurricanrana on Sera but Sera catches her and applies a crab hold. Sera kicks Fujimoto into the corner and hits a running knee, full nelson slam by Sera and she gets a two count. Enzuigiri by Fujimoto, Nakajima runs in and suplexes Sera and Fujimoto applies a Jackknife for two. Sera picks up Fujimoto and hits a reverse neckbreaker, she hits a reverse double knee drop and covers Fujimoto for two. Sera tags in Yukihi and hits a few shoulderblocks but Fujimoto knocks her back and they trade elbows. Sera runs in and Fujimoto eats a double dropkick. They go for a double chokeslam but Fujimoto flips out of it and hits a double dropkick. Nakajima comes in and Yukihi is double teamed in the corner, they both go up top and hit double missile dropkicks for a two count cover. Fujimoto puts Yukihi in a cross-arm submission, Nakajima goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody. Fujimoto goes up top but Sera catches her when she jumps up and nails Ayers Rock. Yukihi kicks Fujimoto in the head, Sera comes in and they hit a double chokeslam. Yukihi goes up top and hits a somersault senton, Fujimoto fights back with elbows but Yukihi nails her with a high kick. Double underhook suplex by Yukihi, but Fujimoto kicks out. Yukihi picks up Fujimoto but she slides away, Fujimoto rolls up Yukihi and she gets a two count. Fujimoto goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker to Yukihi, picking up a two. Fujimoto the Venus Shoot out of the corner, and she picks up the three count! Nakajima and Fujimoto win the match!

This was good but was missing something to take it to the next level. I don’t think that Yukihi is quite ready for this spot, there were several places that they didn’t seem to be on the same page and the match wasn’t the usual smoothness that I’ve come to expect from Joshi matches. There were also some really iffy transitions, for example towards the end when Fujimoto quickly recovered after Yukihi hit a combination of some of her better moves. I still enjoyed it as Nakajima and Fujimoto are top notch, but it was lacking in quite a few areas.  Mildly Recommended

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