Event: Prominence Pre-Launch Round 1
Date: January 16th, 2022
Location: Akihabara Talk Live BAR From Scratch in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 56
Broadcast: Streamed on Wrestle Universe

In late 2021, the Joshi world was rocked when five wrestlers from Ice Ribbon announced they were leaving the promotion to form their own team called Prominence. Mochi Miyagi, Suzu Suzuki, Akane Fujita, Risa Sera, and Kurumi decided to follow their hearts and create a hardcore stable of wrestlers, with the intention of invading other promotions and putting on their own events as well. This event, as the name implies, is a pre-launch of their promotion with the bigger goal to raise awareness. They also had a talk show after the wrestling matches so this was more than just an in-ring affair. Here is the full card:

• Hardcore Match: Mochi Miyagi vs. Suzu Suzuki
• Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita vs. Risa Sera
• Hardcore Match: Akane Fujita and Mochi Miyagi vs. Risa Sera and Suzu Suzuki

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. The event does not take place in a ring, rather near a small stage, so needless to say this will not be your typical wrestling presentation. Onto the show!

Mochi Miyagi vs. Suzu Suzuki
Hardcore Match

There are already various unusual weapons around the stage, as the two circle each other on the floor. They lock knuckles until Suzu stomps on Mochi, they trade holds but eventually reach a stalemate. Suzu gets a ball with plastic forks stuck in it while Mochi gets a whip, and Mochi whips the ball out of Suzu’s hands. Suzu avoids the next whip attempt and elbows Mochi, she gets a pot but Mochi takes it from her. After chatting, Mochi sits down on the stage and allows Suzu to whip her in the back, Suzu then sits and Mochi hits her with a metal ball. They repeat the process which Mochi gets the better of, and Mochi hits a scoop slam on the floor. Mochi puts the fork ball on Suzu and jumps off the stage, sitting down on the ball. This appears to hurt Mochi more than Suzu, which is logical, and Suzu cradles her for a two count. Waistlock by Suzu but Mochi elbows out of it, she gets the streamer gun but it jams. Suzu gets up on the stage and quickly rolls up Mochi, high kick by Suzu but Mochi blocks the German suplex. Mochi gets a board and hits Suzu in the head with it, cradle by Mochi and she picks up the three count! Mochi wins!

In this type of setting, the wrestlers aren’t going to be able to put on a high-end match, so the best they can hope for is to put on something fun. There wasn’t much to this, a couple painful looking spots but they were clearly limited by their surroundings. The ending was sudden, but since they have to wrestle again later there wasn’t any need to go all-out. A memorable spot or two, but hopefully the next couple matches use their environment a bit more creatively.

Akane Fujita vs. Risa Sera
Hardcore Match

Side headlock takeover by Risa to start the match but Akane quickly gets out of it, they circle each other on the floor before repeating the same process. Akane gets a bat with thumbtacks stuck to it and some baseballs, she gets up on the stage while Risa grabs her barbed wire-wrapped kendo stick and joins her. Akane throws Risa a pitch and Risa actually connects, sending the ball flying while she celebrates her success. They switch as Risa tosses Akane a pitch, but Akane misses. They try again but Akane misses again (by a lot, hopefully on purpose), they do it a third time before finally giving up. They switch again and this time Akane intentionally throws it too hard for Risa to hit it. She connects the second time however, but on the next toss she throws the barbed wire kendo stick, hitting Akane with it. Risa apologizes but Akane hits Risa repeatedly with the stick in retaliation before choking her. Akane drags Risa onto the stage, Kurumi holds Risa in place with the kendo stick while Akane throws baseballs at her. Akane then gets the thumb tack bat but Risa talks her out of using it, she gets free of Kurumi but Akane elbows her. Akane gets the kendo stick back and hits Risa with it, Akane gets Risa on her shoulder but Risa slides off and down to the floor.

Akane grabs her bat and jumps off the platform, ramming it into Risa’s chest. Risa quickly recovers and the two trade elbows, Samoan Drop by Akane and she covers Risa for two. Akane gets a chair and puts it on Risa’s chest, she gets up on the stage but Risa recovers and hits her with the chair before she can jump off. Risa pulls Akane back to the floor with her and hits the Schwein onto the chair for a two count. They both get back on the stage, Risa puts Akane on top of the kendo stick and puts her in a crab hold. She switches it to a grounded stretch hold while using the barbed wire kendo stick for extra leverage/pain, but Akane won’t submit. Risa lets go after a moment and throws the kendo stick at Akane, she gets Akane up on her shoulder but Akane wiggles away and headbutts her. Akane picks up Risa and gets a powerslam from the stage to the floor, cover by Akane but it gets two. Akane picks up Risa but Risa blocks the slam, elbows by Risa and she hits Akane with the kendo stick. Schwein by Risa, but Akane barely kicks out. Risa positions Akane and gets back on the stage, she sets up a little step ladder and dives off of it onto Akane with a double kneedrop. Cover by Risa, but the bell rings before the referee can complete the count. The match is a Draw.

One of my concerns for Prominence, just based on my own personal tastes in wrestling, is that it will occasionally go too far into the comedy genre. Comedy in wrestling is extremely hit and miss with me, usually miss, but regardless I generally prefer to have my comedy matches just be comedy matches. Them going from beating each other up, then a few minutes of goofy fun with baseballs, then back to beating each other up just breaks the match flow to me and I’d rather matches focus on one or the other. I really enjoyed the last few minutes of the match as they used their surroundings well and utilized the weapons in an intelligent manner without overdoing it. If I only looked at that portion this would have been a pretty entertaining match, but throwing in the comedy bits brought it down for me to just an “ok” match at best.

Akane Fujita and Miyagi vs. Risa Sera and Suzuki
Hardcore Match

They have some unique weapons with them, I’ll describe everything the best I can. Suzu and Risa charge their opponents to start the match, quickly getting the upper hand as they isolate Miyagi. Risa puts a chair on Miyagi’s back and hits a double kneedrop, she then puts the barbed wire kendo stick on her back and steps down on it. Another double kneedrop by Risa and she tags in Suzu, Suzu comes in with a pot full of… bands with tiny silver balls attached to them. Suzu picks up Miyagi but Miyagi slams her onto the bands for a two count. She tags in Fujita, Fujita puts the bucket over Suzu’s head and hits it with the kendo stick. Fujita picks up a metal bell and hits Suzu in the head with it, cover by Fujita but it gets two. She tags Miyagi, Miyagi puts the bucket back over Suzu’s head and hits it with her whip. She then removes the bucket so she can choke Suzu with the whip, using the stage for extra leverage. Cover by Miyagi, but it gets a two count. Fujita is tagged in, she brings her thumbtack bat into the match with her and rubs it into Suzu’s forehead. Fujita picks up Suzu who is now bleeding, while Miyagi keeps Risa at bay. Sleeper by Fujita, she lets go after a moment and hits Suzu in the head.

She tags Miyagi, Miyagi toys at Suzu with her whip but Suzu ducks out of the way and hits a spear. This gives her a chance to tag in Risa, Risa slams Miyagi and then drops Fujita on top of her. Risa throws the wrist bands at Miyagi before getting a steel chair, hitting Miyagi in the back with it. Cover by Risa, but Fujita breaks it up. They are sticking to the tag rules way more than I was expecting them to. Risa picks up Miyagi but Miyagi slides away and nails a DDT, Miyagi tags Fujita and Fujita lays a banner with small painful things stuck all over it onto Risa. Elbow drop by Fujita, but Risa kicks out of the cover. Miyagi runs in and sits on Risa, Fujita picks her up but Risa blocks Fujita from putting her on her shoulders. Risa gets her kendo stick and hits Fujita with it, Fujita slides away from Risa and holds her for Miyagi, but Miyagi accidentally shoots Fujita in the face with the streamer gun. Suzu dropkicks Fujita from behind while she fusses at Miyagi, Suzu sets up a chair and sits Fujita onto it. Suzu charges Fujita, Fujita gets up from the chair and goes for a slam, but Suzu wiggles away. Suzu ends up on the stage, Fujita joins her with the bat but Suzu ducks it and hits a cutter. Dropkick by Suzu, she lays the chair down on the floor but Fujita blocks the suplex attempt.

Miyagi lays the banner used earlier on the floor and tries to help Fujita suplex Suzu, but Suzu blocks it as Risa joins her side to help. Kurumi comes in to help Fujita and Miyagi, and they suplex Suzu and Risa onto the banner. Miyagi recovers first and gets onto the stage, jumping off with a seated senton for two. Miyagi picks up Suzu but Suzu elbows her as the two trade blows. Miyagi gets the advantage and hits a reverse splash off the stage, but Suzu kicks out. Miyagi picks up Suzu but Risa hits her in the head with a metal bell, Suzu gets on the stage while Risa helps her hits a backflip kneedrop. Suzu then jumps on Risa’s back before Risa hits a double kneedrop, but Fujita breaks up the cover. High kick by Suzu to Fujita and she throws her into Kurumi, Suzu picks up Miyagi but Miyagi hits a Lou Thesz Press for two. Miyagi gets up the stage but Suzu trips her and kicks Miyagi in the chest. Cover by Suzu, but Miyagi barely kicks out. German suplex hold by Suzu on the stage, and she picks up the three count! Suzu Suzuki and Risa Sera are the winners!

This match was the best one on the show, as they kept it mostly serious and had some unique plunder to use. Matches with random weird weapons can go off the rails, as they can become too focused on being unusual without being interesting, but for the most part I thought they avoided that here as they had normal weapons as well. They actually stuck to the tag rules which really surprised me in this setting, but the bulk of the match took place on the floor as they didn’t take full advantage of having a stage. It was hard to take the match too seriously just due to the bizarre setting, but they kept the action at a good pace and all four are good wrestlers. If this is a preview of what Prominence plans to present, it may be interesting but I hope they don’t lean too hard on having unorthodox weapons or the concept may wear thin.  Mildly Recommended

The post Prominence Pre-Launch Round 1 on 1/16/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1101 ~ Yokohama Ribbon 2021
Date: February 23rd, 2021
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 150
Broadcast Information: Streamed Live on Nico Nico PPV

It has been awhile since I checked in with Ice Ribbon, so let’s see what they are up to. Like with all promotions, 2020 was challenging for Ice Ribbon but they pushed through to still put on a lot of events and grew their International fan base in the process as they made most of their shows easily accessible. They continued that momentum in 2021 and started to have PPVs more often, which this event was, on Nico Nico. There is only one title on the line on this show, with Tsukushi Haruka taking on Thekla in the main event, but all the major wrestlers in the promotion are present. Here is the full card:

• Akane Fujita, Risa Sera, and Yappy vs. Banny Oikawa, Hiragi Kurumi, and Tae Honma
• Hamuko Hoshi vs. Miku Aono vs. Mochi Miyagi
• Rina Yamashita and Yuuki Mashiro vs. Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki
• Maika Ozaki, Maya Yukihi, and Ram Kaicho vs. Matsuya Uno, Totoro Satsuki, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• IW-19 Championship: Tsukushi Haruka vs. Thekla

All wrestlers have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. As this aired on PPV, all matches will be shown in full.

Akane Fujita, Risa Sera, and Yappy vs. Oikawa, Kurumi, and Honma

Team Yappy attacks before the match and triple team their opponents, as they all stack on Tae and Banny for a two count cover. Risa and Banny stay in as the legal wrestlers as Risa puts Banny in the Rocking Horse until Tae and Kurumi break it up. Double knee to the back by Risa and she covers Banny for two. Risa tags Akane, Akane throws Banny into the corner and hits a running shoulderblock. Elbow drop by Akane and she covers Banny for a two count. Akane tags Yappy but Banny throws Yappy into the corner, Banny charges Yappy but Yappy bumps her back and chokes her while sitting on the top turnbuckle. Yappy sits on Banny, but Banny kicks out of the cover. Irish whip by Yappy but Banny dropkicks her and makes the hot tag to Kurumi. Kurumi shoulderblocks Yappy, Akane and Risa come in to help but Kurumi throws them into each other. They try to knock over Kurumi but Kurumi hits a double lariat, she goes back to Yappy but Yappy blocks the powerbomb attempt and hits a back bodydrop. Leg drops by Yappy and she covers Kurumi for two. Yappy tags Risa, running elbow by Risa in the corner but Kurumi blocks the suplex attempt and the two trade elbows. Kurumi jumps on Risa’s back but Risa hits a Schwein for a two count cover. Risa picks up Kurumi but Kurumi throws her into the corner, body avalanche by Kurumi and she dropkicks Risa in the head.

Kurumi tags Tae, Banny comes in too and they double team Risa. Tae puts Risa in a kneelock but Risa gets to the ropes for the break, kicks to the leg by Tae and she dropkicks Risa in the knee. Risa gets away from her and puts Tae in an elevated crab hold, she flips Tae up and powerbombs her in the corner before hitting a running double knee strike. Reverse double knee drop by Risa out of the corner, Akane is tagged in and she joins Risa in shoulderblocking Tae. Akane slams Tae to the mat and covers her, but it gets two. Tae gets Akane down with a Fujiwara Armbar but Akane gets a foot on the ropes for the break, DDT by Tae and she covers Akane for a two count. Tae tags Banny, dropkick by Banny in the corner and she applies a modified armbar. Banny switches it to a cross armbreaker attempt but Akane gets into the ropes for the break. Banny goes up top but Risa hits her from the apron, giving Akane time to recover. Akane gets Banny on her shoulders but Banny slides off. Akane sits on her however, she goes for a cover but Tae dropkicks Akane to break it up. Armtrap crossface by Banny to Akane, but Yappy breaks it up. Banny goes off the ropes but Akane hits a shoulderblock, Yappy runs in with a seated senton before Risa hits a diving double knee drop off the second rope. Texas Cloverleaf by Akane, but Kurumi breaks it up with a superkick. Banny picks up Akane and kicks her in the head, Akane fires back with a shoulderblock however and covers Banny for two. Powerslam by Akane and she puts Banny in a cross-arm Camel Clutch, leading to the tap out! Risa Sera, Akane Fujita, and Yappy are the winners.

A generally inoffensive opener. Not everyone in this match is a great wrestler… not naming names so that Ice Ribbon Twitter doesn’t come after me but at times the action dragged a little bit and there were some awkward moments. Risa Sera shined the brightest, which is no surprise since she is so good, and Tae looked solid when she was in the ring. Nothing memorable in the slightest but not the worst way to begin an event.

Hamuko Hoshi vs. Miku Aono vs. Mochi Miyagi

All three circle to start, Miku is singled out first by the friends Mochi and Hamuko as they double team her in the corner. Double Irish whip to Miku but Miku rolls away and does the Hamuko pose on the mat. Mochi and Hamuko get on the mat and pose as well, they trade schoolboy covers but no one gets the three count and they end up posing again. Mochi and Hamuko go back to double teaming Miku before turning attention to each other, they both try to shoulderblock each other over until Hamuko finally sends Mochi to the mat. Crab hold by Hamuko but Miku interrupts things and trades strikes with Mochi. Dropkick by Miku in the corner and she kicks Mochi in the back a few times. Crab hold by Miku but Hamuko breaks it up, Hamuko throws Miku into the corner and rubs her belly on her. Miku goes for a scoop slam by Hamuko blocks it, Miku eventually delivers the slam anyway and applies a leg submission hold. Mochi helps as she rakes at Hamuko’s face, they both release Hamuko before Mochi attacks Miku from behind and covers both of them for two.

Hamuko recovers and she and Mochi both hit body avalanches on Miku, Mochi slams Hamuko onto Miku and both wrestlers try to cover Miku with no luck. Hamuko and Mochi push each other which gives Miku time to cover and hit a lariat on both of them. High kick by Miku on Hamuko and she lariats Mochi for a two count. Suplex by Miku to Mochi, but Hamuko breaks it up. Miku and Hamuko wait for Mochi to get up and both hit lariats, they go for a double vertical suplex but Mochi blocks it and DDTs both of them. Mochi positions Miku and Hamuko near the corner and goes for a Reverse Splash, but Hamuko moves and Mochi only ends up hitting Miku. Footstomp by Mochi to Miku, but Hamuko breaks up the cover. Body avalanche by Hamuko to Mochi and she nails the Shining Onaka for a two count. Hamuko goes off the ropes but Mochi hits the Lou Thesz Press, also getting a two count. Miku runs in but she gets a Lou Thesz Press as well, Mochi goes back to Hamuko but Hamuko reverses the press into a cradle for two. Onna no Shuunen (modified cradle) by Hamuko to Mochi, and she picks up the three count! Hamuko Hoshi is the winner.

My issues with Hamuko have probably been stated enough – she’s a solid enough wrestler but the blurry line between comedy and non-comedy makes it hard for me to take her seriously. Mochi is a hair better but not by much, so the ceiling for their matches for me is “mindless fun.” This match didn’t even reach that level as with the three way match rules it was just random offense with some mixed in flash pins with little of substance. I wouldn’t necessarily say the match was “bad” but it definitely was meaningless.

Rina Yamashita and Mashiro vs. Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki

Rina and Suzu start the match, Suzu works a headlock but Rina Irish whips out of it and avoids Suzu’s dropkick. Headlock by Rina, Suzu gets out of it but Rina hits a hard shoulderblock. Rina poses which gives Suzu time to kick her from behind, and both wrestlers tag out. Saori and Mashiro circle each other, Mashiro asks for a knucklelock and gets it, which quickly backfires. Saori dances on Mashiro’s hands and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Saori and she elbows Mashiro in the corner. Rina runs in and attacks Saori from behind, Rina jumps on Mashiro’s back but Mashiro collapses. Saori stumps on Rina and goes back to Mashiro, putting her in a chinlock. Stretch hold by Saori, Rina comes in but Suzu takes care of her. Saori lets go of Mashiro and tags Suzu, dropkick to the back by Suzu and she covers Mashiro for two. Suzu slams Mashiro repeatedly in the corner before driving her into the mat, she picks up Mashiro but Mashiro blocks the German suplex and dropkicks her in the back. This gives her time to tag in Rina, Suzu kicks Rina as Saori runs in but Rina suplexes both of them. Rina stomps on Suzu and goes for a suplex, but Suzu blocks it and elbows Rina in the chest. Rina elbows her back as they trade shots, Suzu goes for a high kick but Rina blocks it. Rina kicks Suzu in the head, cover by Rina but it gets a two count. Rina picks up Suzu but Suzu hits a jawbreaker and dropkicks Rina in the face for a two count. Irish whip by Suzu and she hits a spear, but that gets a two as well.

Suzu tags in Saori, Saori goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Saori charges Rina but Rina moves, Rina ducks the enzuigiri but Saori lands on her feet when Rina goes for a backdrop suplex. Anou boots Rina in the head before Suzu connects with a sliding dropkick from the apron, cover by Saori but it gets two. Rina kicks Saori but Saori delivers the enzuigiri, Rina fires back with a hard lariat however and both are down on the mat. Rina manages to tag Mashiro, Mashiro dropkicks Saori a few times and covers her for two. Mashiro gets on the second turnbuckle but Saori hits her before she can jump off, Rina grabs Saori from behind but Suzu then grabs Rina. They all end up on the mat except for Mashiro, Mashiro jumps down and picks up Saori, delivering a series of elbows. Boot by Saori, she picks up Mashiro but Mashiro blocks the Fisherman Suplex attempt. Rina cuts off Saori, giving Mashiro time to recover and apply an armlock. Suzu breaks it up, Mashiro gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for two. Mashiro goes off the ropes but Saori catches her with a sidewalk slam, but Mashiro barely kicks out. Saori goes up top but Rina runs in and joins her, hitting a superplex. Rina picks up Mashiro but Suzu dropkicks Rina from behind, double Irish whip to Rina and she gets booted in the chest. Saori goes back to Mashiro and Mashiro quickly applies a few flash pins for a two count. Saori finally grabs Mashiro and delivers the Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Mashiro kicks out. Saori quickly applies the Potering, and she gets the three count!  Saori Anou and Suzu Suzuki are the winners.

It didn’t reach the heights I was hoping for, but a perfectly watchable midcard tag match. Really the main thing holding the match together was just the quality of the wrestlers themselves, as it was a bit disjointed at times and they didn’t seem to have a real structure planned. Part of that was Mashiro, who is obviously still a work in progress, but even when she wasn’t in the ring something really didn’t click. Some of the pairings were fun, particularly when Suzu squared off with Rina, and the ending was exciting. Still the best match on the card up to this point, but nothing they did really elevated it beyond just another midcard match.

Maika Ozaki, Yukihi, and Kaicho vs. Matsuya Uno, Satsuki, and Fujimoto

Maya and Tsukasa start the match, they trade wristlocks until Maya gets a headlock applied but Tsukasa Irish whips out of it. Back kick by Maya but Tsukasa hits an armdrag, Maya returns the favor and the two eventually reach a stalemate. Tsukasa dropkicks Maya in the corner and tags Totoro, Totoro goes for a slap but Maya blocks it and hits a drop toehold. Dropkick by Maya and she tags in Kaicho. Mounted elbows by Kaicho, Maya and Maika come in the ring and they triple team Totoro. Ram puts Totoro in a Camel Clutch with the help of Maika while Maya kicks Totoro in the face. Tsukasa eventually breaks things up, Kaicho goes off the ropes but Totoro catches her before dropping her to the mat. Totoro and her friends all stand on Kaicho’s back Totoro picks up Kaicho and slams her face into the mat. Totoro stands on Kaicho’s back before covering Kaicho for a two count. Totoro tags Matsuya and Matsuya puts Kaicho in a leglock, but Maya breaks it up. Matsuya grabs Kaicho and puts her in an abdominal stretch, but Kaicho gets into the ropes for the break. Kaicho chops Matsuya but Matsuya elbows her back and the two trade shots. Matsuya punches Kaicho into the corner, Irish whip by Matsuya but Kaicho kicks her back and hits a face crusher.

Kaicho can’t get to her corner as Matsuya puts her in an ankle hold, but Maika breaks it up. Dropkick by Kaicho and she finally makes it to her corner to tag Maya, kick to the chest by Maya and she puts Matsuya in an Anaconda Vice. Matsuya gets out of it and applies a Fujiwara Armbar, but Maya slides away. Matsuya re-applies the hold but Maya gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Matsuya goes off the ropes and hits a shoulder tackle but Maya trips her when she goes off the ropes again. Matsuya trips her back and applies an ankle hold, schoolboy by Matsuya but it gets two. Maya goes back to the ankle but Maika breaks it up, spear by Matsuya and she covers Maya for two. Matsuya tags Tsukasa, Tsukasa goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Dropkick by Tsukasa in the corner and she covers Maya for two. Maya and Tsukasa jockey for position until Tsukasa applies an Octopus Hold but Maya gets into the ropes. Tsukasa goes off the ropes but Maya hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, running knee by Maya and she delivers a PK. Maya picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa reverses the suplex attempt into guillotine choke. Maya muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex anyway, cover by Maya but it gets a two count. Tsukasa trips Maya and hits a PK, senton by Totoro and Tsukasa goes for the Infinity but Maya blocks it. Kaicho runs in and hits a Codebreaker on Tsukasa, hard shoulderblock by Maika and Maya delivers an enzuigiri to Tsukasa for a two count.

Maya picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa nails an elevated Infinity, leaving both on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out as Maika and Totoro come in, elbows by Totoro but Maika hits a body avalanche in the corner. Hard shoulderblock by Maika, she picks up Totoro and tries to get her on her shoulders, but Totoro blocks it. Totoro gets Maika up but Maika slides away, Kaicho runs in but Matsuya grabs her from the apron. Scoop slam by Totoro by Maika and Tsukasa hits a PK, body press by Totoro but Maika kicks out. Maika goes off the ropes but Maya runs in and boots her, Tiger Feint Kick by Kaicho and Maika gets Totoro up on her shoulders in an Argentine Backbreaker. Matsuya breaks it up, Maika gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton to Totoro for a two count. Maika goes off the ropes but Totoro grabs her, Maika gets away however and hits a lariat for a two count. Maika goes up to the top turnbuckle but both Tsukasa and Matsuya run in to interrupt her, Totoro gets Maika on her shoulders and hits the Kamikaze for a nearfall. Matsuya hits a spear on Maika, Totoro gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving senton, but Maika gets a shoulder up on the cover. Totoro goes all the way up while Matsuya and Tsukasa hold her arms, helping her hit a somersault senton but the pin is broken up. Totoro scoops up Maika and drops her with a modified Samoan Driver and she picks up the three count! Tsukasa Fujimoto, Matsuya Uno, and Totoro Satsuki are the winners!

I have some mixed feelings about this match but definitely more good than bad. First the good – Totoro and Maika are both limited wrestlers but they stayed within their limits here and did what they do well, so they added to the match rather than taking away from it. Also, the segments with Maya and Tsukasa were really good as they have great chemistry. I didn’t love the inclusion of Matsuya, as she wrestles a completely different style and it didn’t mesh with everyone else. It felt like five of the wrestlers were on the same page while Matsuya was applying random submission holds that had no connection or meaning. Not that her style isn’t one that has a place in wrestling, of course it does, it just didn’t vibe here. Also, while I love Ram Kaicho, she seems to have lost some of her personality since wrestling regularly in Ice Ribbon, she’s talented but she feels more like ‘just another wrestler.’ No posing, flipping off anyone, etc. as she just blended in with everyone else. An enjoyable match overall, just with some flow issues due to Matsuya not fitting in.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Tsukushi Haruka vs. Thekla
IW-19 Championship

Thekla jumps off the top turnbuckle as the bell rings but Tsukushi greets her with a dropkick, Tsukushi works a headlock but Thekla Irish whips out of it and they go into a high speed exchange. Thekla hits an armdrag out of the corner but Tsukushi hits an armdrag of her own, Thekla goes off the ropes but Tsukushi avoids the dropkick as they eventually reach a stalemate. Thekla sits on the top turnbuckle but Tsukushi dropkicks her and throws her back to the mat. Tsukushi stomps on Thekla’s hand repeatedly and puts her in Camel Clutch, she lets go after a moment and ties up Thekla in the ropes. Dropkick to the back by Tsukushi and she covers Thekla for two. Tsukushi throws Thekla into the corner but Thekla avoids her charge and hits a hard dropkick. Monkey Flip by Thekla and she covers Tsukushi for two. Thekla stomps on Tsukushi and throws her face into the mat, eye rake by Thekla and she hits a few bootscrapes. Irish whip by Thekla but Tsukushi avoids her charge and slides to the apron, Thekla goes for a lariat but Tsukushi slides back in and elbows Thekla in the head. Knee to the midsection by Thekla and she kicks Tsukushi back, Thekla gets tied up in the ropes but she avoids Tsukushi’s dropkick and kicks her in the back for a two count. Thekla goes up top but Tsukushi joins her before she can jump off, she knocks Thekla off so she is hanging from the ropes over the apron and delivers a diving footstomp. Tsukushi quickly gets back into the ring and hits a running elbow on Thekla, cover by Tsukushi but it gets a two count.

Tsukushi goes up top but Thekla jumps up as well and suplexes Tsukushi down to the mat. Both wrestlers slowly get up, head kick by Thekla but Tsukushi fires back with a release German Suplex. They elbow each other as they slowly return to their feet, Tsukushi knocks Thekla to the mat first and kicks her when she tries to bridge up. Thekla quickly hits a series of vertical suplexes, but Tsukushi kicks out of the cover. Spear by Thekla, but Tsukushi barely kicks out of the cover. Thekla applies a bridging leglock, but Tsukushi gets into the ropes for the break. Thekla applies a double underhook but Tsukushi gets away, head kick by Thekla and she follows with a Buzzsaw Kick. Elbows by Thekla and she toys with Tsukushi, but Tsukushi elbows her hard and attacks Thekla while she is on the mat. Thekla gets to the ropes to try to escape but Tsukushi keeps on her, she drags Thekla back into the ring and drills her with a dropkick. Tsukushi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Tsukushi but Thekla kicks out. Tsukushi goes up top again but Thekla avoids the diving footstomp and hits a chop block. Thekla now goes up top and hits a diving footstomp of her own, covering Tsukushi for two. Double underhook into a slam by Thekla, she goes up top but Tsukushi gets her knees up on the body press attempt. Tsukushi quickly cradles Thekla and then goes for a La Magistral, but her pin attempts are unsuccessful. Thekla goes for some flash pins as well with the same result, Tsukushi cradles Thekla to the mat and hits a series of footstomps. Double underhook facebuster by Tsukushi, she goes up top and nails a diving footstomp for a two count. Tsukushi drags up Thekla and delivers a Tiger Suplex Hold, and she picks up the three count! Tsukushi Haruka wins and retains the championship!

A solid match, nothing that will blow you away but entertaining. Tsukushi has been an underrated talent for many years, as due to her age and the fact she was generally stuck in the midcard she didn’t get a ton of notice. She’s been great for awhile though and continues to be, I can’t call her a murder child anymore as she is an adult now but she hasn’t lost her aggression. The match was pretty non-stop as Tsukushi only has one speed, and Thekla was able to keep up. This is the first long singles matches I’ve seen with Thekla, she isn’t as crisp as Tsukushi but has a quality move arsenal and didn’t do anything to slow the match down or hold it back. The match was about 15 minutes and felt like it ended at the right time, no need to stretch something out just because its the main event. A good outing and first defense by Tsukushi, hopefully she continues to impress this year and gets more chances in big matches.  Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon #1101 Yokohama Ribbon 2021 on 2/23/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1044
Date: May 31st, 2020
Location: Ice Ribbon Dojo in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 0

Let’s jump right back to Ice Ribbon and give them another chance to impress. This is a bigger show than the last one I reviewed, as it has twice as many matches and also has a title match as well. Here is the full card:

All matches were shown in full, you can click on the wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City. Let’s hop to it.

Ibuki Hoshi, Miyagi, and Yappy vs. Matsuya Uno, Ishikawa, and Tsukushi

Team Miyagi attacks before the bell rings, they isolate the rookie Nao and all attack her in the corner. The lights don’t seem to fully be on, hopefully they fix that at some point. They all pose on Nao until Tsukushi strolls in and breaks things up, Matsuya comes in too and they do the same thing to Ibuki that had been done to Nao. Things calm down with Nao and Ibuki in the ring as the legal wrestlers, Ibuki slams Nao’s face into the mat before putting her in a Camel Clutch. Miyagi and Yappy both come in to taunt Nao, Ibuki eventually lets go and hits a body press on Nao’s back for a two count cover. Ibuki tags in Miyagi, Nao tries to fight back but eats a hard elbow. cover by Miyagi but it gets two. Miyagi puts Nao in a side headlock, Nao gets to the ropes for the break but Yappy comes in to help get Nao back to the corner. Yappy tags in and hits a scoop slam, another slam by Yappy and she hits a third to Nao for a two count cover. Yappy tags in Ibuki and Ibuki throws down Nao by the hair, Irish whip by Ibuki but Nao hits a jumping crossbody for two. This gives her time to tag in Tsukushi, Tsukushi dropkicks Ibuki and Yappy but Miyagi ducks when she goes for her. Matsuya comes in to help as they hit a spear/dropkick combination on their opponents, Tsukushi sets up Ibuki in the ropes and rakes on her face before dropkicking her in the back. Cover by Tsukushi, but it gets a two count.

Tsukushi picks up Ibuki but Ibuki chops her repeatedly in the chest, Irish whip by Ibuki and she hits a body avalanche. Tsukushi blocks the cutter attempt and hits a footstomp, Matsuya and Nao come in and both strike Ibuki in the corner. Dropkick by Tsukushi, and she gets a two count cover. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Ibuki catches her with a hard shoulderblock, Ibuki throws Tsukushi into the corner and hits another body avalanche, face crusher by Ibuki and she covers Tsukushi for two. Ibuki tags in Yappy, hip attacks by Yappy but Tsukushi elbows her back and the two trade blows. Tsukushi goes for a crossbody but Yappy catches her and slams her to the mat, Yappy picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi reverses the chokeslam attempt into a cradle for two. Tsukushi quickly tags Matsuya, dropkick to the face by Matsuya but Yappy blocks the STO and hits one of her own. Yappy throws Matsuya to the corner and hits a lariat, she charges in but Matsuya moves and hits a footstomp to her chest. Cover by Matsuya, but it gets a two count. Matsuya jumps on Yappy’s back and applies a sleeper, but Yappy slams back into the corner to break it up. Miyagi comes in and they both chop Matsuya in the corner, Bronco Buster by Yappy and she covers Matsuya for a two count.

Miyagi is tagged in, Ibuki comes in too and they both jump down onto Matsuya. Miyagi picks up Matsuya but Matsuya elbows her off and sneaks in a schoolboy for two. Cross kneelock by Matsuya as they finally turn on the lights in the arena (that took them awhile), but Tsukushi breaks it up. Matsuya waits for Miyagi to get up to go for the spear, but Nao really wants the tag so Matsuya tags her in. Nao goes for shoulderblocks on Miyagi but Miyagi stays on her feet, Tsukushi kicks Miyagi from the apron which helps Nao finally knock Miyagi over. Scoop slam by Nao, but her cover only gets two. Stunner by Tsukushi to Miyagi and Matsuya hits the F Crash, Nao hits a diving crossbody off the second turnbuckle but her cover is broken up. Nao goes off the ropes but Ibuki intercepts her, belly bump by Miyagi to the back of Nao and she covers her for two. Face crusher by Miyagi, Yappy jumps in and they both hit leg drops on Nao. Miyagi drags Nao up but Nao hits a back bodydrop, rolling cradle by Nao but it only gets two. Nao goes off the ropes but Miyagi catches her with a swinging side slam, Ibuki slams Nao to the mat and Miyagi follows with a Reverse Splash for the three count! Ibuki Hoshi, Mochi Miyagi, and Yappy

The focus of the match was on the rookie, which isn’t unusual in openers, which made it predictable but the action was decent enough. Not everyone here is a great wrestler so some parts were clunky, and I wish Tsukushi would have been more involved but its still valuable experience for the newer wrestlers in the bunch. At least they found the lights, so that should make the rest of the show easier to watch. A pretty average opener but nothing offensive.

Akane Fujita vs. Suzu Suzuki

Akane pushes Suzu into the ropes off the start, and she slaps Suzu in the belly before backing off. Tie-up again, this time Suzu gets Akane into the ropes but Akane blocks her strike and smacks her in the belly again. Akane goes off the ropes and hits a hard shoulderblock, but Suzu hits a drop toehold and slaps her repeatedly in the butt. Akane picks up Suzu and puts her across the top turnbuckle before stretching her over it, Suzu flops back into the ring and Akane hits a scoop slam. Akane applies a chinlock but releases it after a moment, she toys with Suzu before throwing her into the corner. Irish whip by Akane but Suzu slides out to the apron and snaps Akane’s arm over the top rope. Knees by Suzu and she dropkicks Akane in the side of the head, cover by Suzu but it gets a two count. Akane pushes Suzu and hits an elbow but Suzu returns fire, dropkick by Suzu and she slams Akane to the mat for a two count cover. Suzu picks up Akane and chops her in the chest, Irish whip by Suzu but Akane blocks it and elbows her. Akane charges Suzu but Suzu moves and holds down the top rope, sending Akane out to the apron. Suzu goes off the ropes but Akane quickly gets back in the ring and slams her to the mat, Akane picks up Suzu and throws her into the corner.

Shoulderblock by Akane, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Suzu recovers and kicks her off the turnbuckle and onto the apron. Suzu goes up top but Akane grabs her, she gets Suzu on her shoulder but Suzu slides off as they both end up on the apron. Suzu tries to suplex Akane off the apron but Akane blocks it, she slides Suzu back in the ring but Suzu shouldertackles her down to the floor. Suzu goes out after her and slides Akane back in, spear by Suzu and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Suzu picks up Akane and knees her in the stomach, but Akane blocks her jumping kick and applies the Texas Cloverleaf. Suzu quickly gets to the ropes for the break, Akane chops Suzu in the chest and hits a shoulderblock. Akane gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving shoulderblock, cover by Akane but it gets a two count. Akane gets Suzu on her shoulders but Suzu wiggles away and cradles her for two. Jumping kick by Suzu and she hits a modified reverse STO, but Akane kicks out of the cover. Suzu picks up Akane but Akane gets her on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop. Suzu rolls out of the cover attempt and kicks Akane in the head, she goes for Akane’s waist but Akane grabs the ropes. Suzu gets her off of them and nails a German suplex hold, but the bell rings before Mio can finish the count as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

While this felt more like a preview than a full blown match, I still enjoyed it. Since they were going the Draw route, I liked that they gave Suzu the visual pin at the end to show that really she had bettered her veteran opponent, she just needed a little bit more time to get the job done. Akane isn’t a high end wrestler but she is very good and led Suzu well here, there were a few awkward moments based around the apron spots which happens but overall it was smooth. A solid match that I hope leads to a bigger match between the two down the road.  Mildly Recommended

Risa Sera and Satsuki Totoro vs. Thekla and Tsukasa Fujimoto

Thekla and Satsuki start the match, they trade holds until Satsuki knocks over Thekla with a hard shoulderblock. She throws Thekla out of the ring while Risa does the same to Tsukasa, all four end up on the floor as Risa snapmares Tsukasa on the floor and goes for a footstomp. Tsukasa moves and gets Risa on the floor, she also goes for a footstomp off the apron but Risa moves as well. Tsukasa it appears knocks Risa into the camera, which sends them into a portal, leading to them battling on top of the Tokyo Dome. We eventually get back to reality as Satsuki and Thekla battle in the ring, Satsuki stomps Thekla into the corner before tagging in the returned Risa. Snapmare by Risa and she kicks Thekla in the back, she puts Thekla in the Rocking Horse before dropping her back to the mat and tagging Satsuki in. Satsuki clubs Thekla and slams her face-first into the mat, she sits on Thekla and applies a stretch hold. She lets go after a moment and puts Thekla in a crab hold, Tsukasa finally gets back from the parallel universe and breaks up the hold. Irish whip by Satsuki to Thekla but Thekla cradles Satsuki for two. She makes the tag to Tsukasa, Tsukasa dropkicks Satsuki but then throws Satsuki into Risa. Tsukasa pushes Satsuki down onto Risa before jumping on their back, Risa rolls out of the ring and Tsukasa hits a PK on Satsuki for two.

Tsukasa picks up Satsuki and goes for a slam, but Satsuki lands on top of her for a two count. Satsuki tags Risa, running elbow by Risa in the corner but Tsukasa fires back with a dropkick. Dropkick by Tsukasa in the corner but Risa catches her with Schwein, Risa grabs Thekla and gets her on her shoulders while also giving Tsukasa a Giant Swing. Risa pushes Tsukasa out of the ring and goes out after her, they return to the portal and end up getting attacked by a dinosaur. I worry about Ice Ribbon sometimes. They end up fighting in front of the Eiffel Tower, they eventually make it back to the Ice Ribbon Dojo and Risa throws Tsukasa into the ring. Risa puts Tsukasa on her shoulders but Tsukasa slides away and delivers the Infinity. Tsukasa picks up Risa and hits an enzuigiri, but Risa catches her with a Samoan Driver and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Both wrestlers tag out, Thekla and Satsuki trade elbows until Thekla puts Satsuki a flying armbar. She lets go after a moment but Satsuki blocks her kick, Satsuki goes off the ropes but Tsukasa catches her with a dropkick. Thekla and Tsukasa both hit 619s, cover by Thekla but it gets a two count. Spear by Thekla, but Risa breaks up the cover. Satsuki picks up Thekla and slams her to the mat, diving double kneedrop by Risa and Satsuki delivers a running senton for two. Risa takes care of Tsukasa, Kamikaze by Satsuki to Thekla but Thekla barely bridges out of the cover. Satsuki goes up to the top turnbuckle but Thekla rolls out of the way of the diving senton, quick cradle by Thekla and she picks up the three count! Thekla and Tsukasa Fujimoto are the winners.

I can’t even get mad about Risa and Thekla teleporting around the world, it was so silly all you can really do is shake your head. Beyond that, this was a little disjointed without a real focus to it. I can’t pinpoint a moment where it was bad, but the opposite is also true as I can’t think of any particular moments that were great either. It just kinda hummed along for 13 minutes, watchable but unspectacular. Too meandering for my tastes but the action was generally fine anyway.

Hamuko Hoshi vs. Maya Yukihi
IW-19 Championship

They start slow as they lock knuckles, side headlock by Maya but Hoshi reverses it. Maya Irish whips out of the hold but Hoshi hits a hard shoulderblock, Maya drops down but Hoshi drops down next to her with a pose. They get back up and trade armdrags, both trip each other and Hoshi covers Maya for a two count before posing again. They both return to her feet and trade wristlocks, chinlock by Maya and she clubs Hoshi in the head. Maya knees Hoshi repeatedly in the ribs and then in the arm, she goes for a slam but Hoshi blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Running body press by Hoshi, but it only gets a two count. Hoshi puts Maya in a crab hold but Maya inches to the ropes to get the break. Knees by Maya and she hits a STO, she picks up Hoshi and throws her into the corner before hitting a jumping knee. Hoshi fires back with a hard shoulderblock, cutter by Hoshi and she covers Maya for two. Hoshi stands on Maya’s hands and stomps down on them, she sets up Maya in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back for a two count cover. Hoshi throws Maya into the corner and hits a body avalanche, butt bumps by Hoshi but Maya kicks Hoshi and spanks her.

Maya kicks Hoshi’s leg out from under her and kicks her some more while she is in a seated position, but Hoshi gets back up and hits a series of lariats. Hoshi lariats Maya over the top rope down to the floor, she goes out after her and throws Maya into the steel steps. Hoshi pushes Maya against the railing and rubs her belly in her face, but Maya hits her and throws her head-first into the steps. Maya jumps up on the apron and kicks Hoshi in the chest while she is still standing on the floor, she finally gets back into the ring and waits for Hoshi. Maya goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Maya but it gets two. Maya quickly applies a choke but Hoshi gets to the ropes for the break. Maya picks up Hoshi but Hoshi blocks the suplex attempt, Maya goes off the ropes but Hoshi knocks her over with a belly bump. Missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle by Hoshi and she puts Maya in a STF, but Maya gets to the ropes. Back up, elbow by Hoshi but Maya elbows her back and they trade blows. Leg lariat by Maya to Hoshi and she hits a jumping knee, but Hoshi ducks the enzuigiri and drops Maya with a German suplex. Lariat by Hoshi and both wrestlers are down on the mat, Maya recovers first and hits a series of elbows.

Hoshi comes back with belly bumps and hits the Shining Onaka, Hoshi goes up top but Maya recovers and joins her. Superplex by Maya, she goes off the ropes but Hoshi catches her with a Death Valley Bomb. Maya is up first but Hoshi blocks her kick, Hamu Roll by Hoshi but Maya fires back with a running knee. PK by Maya, but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Maya goes for the Tiger Driver but Hoshi blocks it and hits a lariat, another lariat by Hoshi and she covers Maya for two. Hoshi goes up top but Maya gets her feet up on the diving body press attempt, superkick by Maya and she hits a back kick. Another head kick by Maya, but Hoshi kicks out of the cover. Maya goes for the Tiger Driver again and this time delivers it, but Hoshi kicks out again. Maya goes up top but Hoshi avoids the Swanton Bomb, but Maya quickly cradles Hoshi for two. Hoshi kicks Maya back and gets a quick cradle for her own two count, high kick by Maya but Hoshi cradles Maya for the three count! Hamuko Hoshi wins and is the new champion!

They were getting close to nineteen minutes at the end, which is why I think they both were going for flash pins. Anyway, this was a fun match. I’m biased as I adore Maya, I think she has both a great look and is a killer in the ring, the perfect combination. Hoshi can’t keep up with her but tried, they started slow but the last portion of the match was fast paced as both were going for the win. The match was hurt by the single cam set-up as it didn’t give the best angles on moves (such as Maya’s move on the steps, which desperately needed a camera cut), but they worked around that the best they could. Overall I enjoyed it as it was hard hitting and had very little downtime, but not a super high-end match.  Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1044 on 5/31/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1029
Date: March 14th, 2020
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 553

Since I finally got around to updating the Ice Ribbon Roster, it seemed only fitting to review a recent Ice Ribbon show. Even though wrestling events are being delayed or cancelled around the world, that isn’t stopping Ice Ribbon as they return to Korakuen Hall. This is a big event, as we see Suzu Suzuki take on Tsukasa Fujimoto and Hiragi Kurumi challenge Maya Yukihi. Plus we have a four-way ladder match! Here is the full card:

• Banny Oikawa, Miku Aono, Thekla, and Yappy vs. Matsuya Uno, Rina Shingaki, Syuri, and Tae Honma
• Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Maika Ozaki and Tsukushi
• Aja Kong vs. Ibuki Hoshi
• Suzu Suzuki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Ram Kaicho vs. Rina Yamashita vs. Risa Sera vs. Satsuki Totoro
• ICExInfinity Championship: Maya Yukihi vs. Hiragi Kurumi

As this event aired on Samurai TV!, some matches will be clipped. All the wrestlers have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Banny Oikawa, Aono, Thekla, and Yappy vs. Uno, Shingaki, Syuri, and Honma

We join the match in progress, with Rina and Banny in the ring. Rina applies a kneelock with The Joint Army running in also as all four members put someone on the other side in a submission hold. We jump ahead to Syuri being in the ring with Banny, Banny ducks Syuri’s kick and schoolboys her for two. Kick to the chest by Syuri and she tags in Uno, shoulderblock by Uno but Banny reverses the scoop slam into a cradle. Dropkick by Banny and she makes the tag to Yappy. Running leg drop by Yappy and she hits a backbreaker on Uno for a two count. Yappy goes off the ropes but Uno avoids the lariat and applies a sleeper, Joint Army protects her but Yappy rams Uno back into the corner to break the hold. Her teammates run in as Uno is attacked by all of them, Final Cut by Yappy but Syuri breaks up the cover. Yappy picks up Uno and goes for a chokeslam, but Uno blocks it and Tae hits a missile dropkick on Yappy. Diving crossbody by Rina and Syuri hits Yappy with a running knee. Uno picks up Yappy and slams her to the mat, but the cover is broken up. Uno gets Yappy up again and applies the RE:BORN Lock (cross armbreaker), and Yappy quickly taps out! The Joint Army win the match.

This was obviously way too clipped to really get a vibe of the match, but what they showed was fine. The Joint Army seems to work together really well which I think is all they wanted us to get out of this, and they effectively hid what I am sure were some awkward moments from the losing team. I wouldn’t have minded seeing a bit more of this match but considering the card I’m not surprised this match got chopped up.

Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Maika Ozaki and Tsukushi

The Lovely Butchers attack before the bell rings and end up getting both opponents in opposite corners, but Maika and Tsukushi both make a comeback. Miyagi and Hoshi take the opportunity to pose, which Maika and Tsukushi don’t appreciate as they stomp on the Lovely Butchers. Things settle down with Tsukushi and Miyagi in the ring as the legal wrestlers, and Tsukushi stomps down on Miyagi’s hands. Tsukushi twists Miyagi’s leg in the second rope before tagging in Maika, Maika stomps Miyagi against the ropes and chokes her with her boot. Maika offers Miyagi her hand but its all a ruse as she hits a Mongolian Chop, Miyagi returns fire and throws Maika into the corner before hitting a body attack. Maika comes back with a lariat, elbow drops by Maika and she covers Miyagi for two. We jump ahead in the match to Tsukushi and Hoshi being in the ring, running body attack by Hoshi and she tags Miyagi. Miyagi sits down on Tsukushi and hits a seated senton, cover by Miyagi but it gets two. Hoshi comes in and they both hit Tsukushi with body blocks, Hoshi picks up Miyagi and tosses her onto Tsukushi for a two count. Miyagi picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets away and applies a flying armbar. Maika comes in too and puts Hoshi in Argentine Backbreaker, but Miyagi gets into the ropes for the break.

Tsukushi elbows Miyagi but Miyagi elbows her back as they trade shots, Miyagi knocks Tsukushi down but Maika runs in and lariats her. Dropkick by Tsukushi while Miyagi is slouched against the ropes, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Hoshi comes in and lariats both Maika and Tsukushi, Miyagi recovers and they hit a double backdrop suplex on Tsukushi. Miyagi goes up on the second turnbuckle and hits a Reverse Splash, but Maika breaks up the cover. Hoshi goes to the top turnbuckle but Tsukushi avoids her body press, Miyagi also goes up top but Tsukushi joins her and hits a Frankensteiner for a two count. Maika goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, Tsukushi follows with a diving double footstomp but Hoshi breaks up the cover. Tsukushi picks up Miyagi but Miyagi blocks the Tiger Suplex, hurricanrana by Tsukushi but she lets go to hit footstomps. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Miyagi delivers the Mochiri Body Scissors, with Maika makes the save. Hoshi takes care of Maika, Miyagi picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets away from her and applies a jackknife cover for two. Halcaze by Tsukushi, and she picks up the three count! Maika Ozaki and Tsukushi are the winners!

A pretty by-the-numbers midcard tag match, but perfectly watchable. This was Miyagi’s first full match since she suffered an injury last July, and she didn’t seem to have any ring rust as she was her usual self. Tsukushi is one of my favorite wrestlers in Ice Ribbon and she was a bundle of fun here as always, alternating smoothly between killer moves and slick pinning situations with no hesitation. Nothing overly memorable but certainly a good enough match for where it was on the card.

Aja Kong vs. Ibuki Hoshi

They lock to to start to the match, Kong pushes Hoshi into the ropes but Hoshi switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Kong just looks at her when she goes for an Irish whip and blocks it, more elbows by Hoshi but Kong throws her into the ropes. Hoshi goes for shoulderblocks but Kong doesn’t budge, finally Kong clubs Hoshi with a lariat and kicks the kid out of the ring. Kong goes out after her and hits a vertical suplex on the floor, Kong gets a chair and cracks it over Hoshi’s head. She hits Hoshi with the chair again, the match clips ahead with them back in the ring but Hoshi’s situation has not improved in the meantime. Hoshi tries to fight back but Kong headbutts her back to the mat, Kong picks up Hoshi but Hoshi blocks the suplex attempt and elbows Kong in the chest. Kong doesn’t go down and fires back with a hard elbow, Hoshi struggles back to her feet and elbows Kong again, but Kong clubs her down. Hoshi slowly returns to her feet but gets elbows to the mat again, again she gets up but gets slapped in the face.

Kong goes for a lariat, Hoshi ducks it and goes for a schoolboy, but Kong blocks it. Hoshi moves when Kong tries to sit on her and delivers the Hamu Roll, but it only gets a two count. Kong drops Hoshi with a backdrop suplex, she picks Hoshi back up but Hoshi reverses the brainbuster attempt into an inside cradle for two. Hoshi delivers a series of mounted elbow strikes, she goes off the ropes but Kong lariats her. Kong gets on the second turnbuckle but Hoshi recovers before she can jump off and hits Kong from behind before tossing her to the mat. Hoshi hits a hard elbow and finally knocks Kong off her feet, cover by Hoshi but it gets two. Hoshi goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits the diving body press, but Kong kicks out of the cover. Hoshi picks up Kong and ducks the Uraken, elbow strike by Hoshi but her cover gets a two count. Hoshi goes up top but this time Kong avoids the diving body press, Kong gets her paint can and hits Hoshi in the head with it. Brainbuster by Kong, but Hoshi barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kong positions Hoshi, she gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the back elbow drop for the three count! Aja Kong wins!

There are few things in life I enjoy more than Aja Kong beating up a younger and smaller wrestler. It just fills me with happiness. So I enjoyed the bulk of this match, with Kong going way beyond what was needed to defeat a child just to prove a point. In a way its a compliment to Hoshi that instead of just putting her in a crab hold and winning, she hit her with a chair and dropped her with a brainbuster before driving her elbow into her soul. My only complaint actually is I think Hoshi had maybe one or two too many hope spots. The first elbow that knocked over Kong was fine, and the diving body press, but throwing in the second elbow strike just felt like overkill. But its hard to complain about a veteran giving a younger wrestler a bit of an extra rub. This over-delivered what my expectations were, a really fun quasi-squash match.  Recommended

Suzu Suzuki vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

Suzu and Tsukasa tie-up and trade standing submissions, armdrag by Tsukasa but Suzu avoids her charge and rolls up Tsukasa for two. They end up reaching a stalemate, Tsukasa gets Suzu to the mat and puts her in a kneelock, but Suzu quickly reverses it. Tsukasa reverses it back and starts working over Suzu’s leg, she sets up Tsukasa in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back. Cover by Tsukasa, but it gets two. Tsukasa throws down Suzu by the hair but Suzu cartwheels out of it when she tries again and delivers a dropkick. Tsukasa bridges out of the pin attempt and hits a dropkick of her own, she throws Suzu into the corner and knees her in the face. Running cutter by Tsukasa, and she covers Suzu for two. Tsukasa kicks Suzu repeatedly in the back but Suzu catches the PK and hits a dragon screw. Suzu tries to roll up Tsukasa but Tsukasa rolls through it, she goes for a PK again but again Suzu catches it and hits another dragon screw. Suzu applies a kneelock, she grabs Tsukasa’s arm to try to slow her down but Tsukasa gets to the ropes for the break. Running shoulder tackle by Suzu in the corner, she gets on the top turnbuckle but Tsukasa hits her before she can jump off and flings her back to the mat. Tsukasa rolls through it and tosses Tsukasa into the corner, she charges Tsukasa but Tsukasa catches her with a dropkick. Suzu throws Tsukasa into the corner but Tsukasa flips out of it and dropkicks Suzu, she follows up with another dropkick before hitting a scoop slam for two. Tsukasa applies a crossface but Suzu inches to the ropes to get the break.

Tsukasa runs up the corner but Suzu slides out to the apron and grabs her, she tries to throw her off and finally manages to do so as Tsukasa lands on the apron. Tsukasa rolls out to the floor, Suzu goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto her with a plancha suicida. Suzu slides Tsukasa back into the ring and hits a swandive missile dropkick, cover by Suzu but it gets two. Octopus Hold by Suzu, but Tsukasa walks to the ropes to force the break. Suzu goes for a suplex but Tsukasa blocks it and puts Suzu in a cross-arm submission. Suzu gets a toe on the ropes to force Tsukasa to let go, Tsukasa goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Tsukasa picks up Suzu but Suzu blocks the Yoshi Tonic, dropkick by Tsukasa and she hits a step-up enzuigiri. She goes off the ropes but Suzu catches her with a jumping front kick, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Tsukasa and Suzu return to their feet and trade blows, spinning kick by Suzu and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Suzu picks up Tsukasa goes for a German suplex, but Tsukasa lands on her feet and kicks her in the back. PK by Tsukasa, but Suzu kicks out of the cover. Tsukasa goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker, but the cover gets two. Tsukasa picks up Suzu but Suzu avoids the Infinity, jumping kick by Suzu and she covers Tsukasa for a two count. German suplex hold by Suzu, but Tsukasa gets a shoulder up. Suzu picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa quickly rolls her up, getting a two count. PK by Tsukasa, but that gets a two count as well so she hits another one. A third PK by Tsukasa, but Suzu won’t stay down for three. Tsukasa goes for the Venus Shoot but Suzu ducks it, cradle by Suzu but it gets two. Suzu picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa hits an enzuigiri, Infinity by Tsukasa but Suzu kicks out. Tsukasa goes for the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex but Suzu reverses it into a front cradle for the three count! Suzu Suzuki wins!

Quite a big win so early in Suzu’s career. Even though she won with a cradle, it was a highly competitive match up to that point so it wasn’t a fluke victory. The match started a bit rough as the early exchanges weren’t great, but the next 15 minutes flew by. For someone at her experience level, Suzu is really smooth, the only thing she is missing is a ‘super’ finishing move but her offense feels fresh and she certainly does feel like a future star in the promotion. Tsukasa led her well, I wouldn’t say it was her best performance as she spent much of the match trying to make Suzu look good but she was solid. It needed more drama or suspense to really elevate to a high end match, but still very entertaining and a good showcase for Suzu Suzuki.  Recommended

Ram Kaicho vs. Rina Yamashita vs. Risa Sera vs. Satsuki Totoro

The match starts the ladder already set up in the ring, all four charge for it but they stop each other. Totoro knocks over the ladder for… reasons and gets into a tug-of-war over it with Rina, with Kaicho and Sera helping. We clip ahead to Totoro climbing the ladder, but Rina stops her and pulls her out of the ring. Kaicho and Sera then both climb the ladder but Kaicho flips off Sera once they reach the hop. Totoro and Rina both return and tip over the ladder, with Sera being “trapped” underneath it and Kaicho on top of it. Totoro and Rina trade shoulderblocks until Rina knocks over Totoro, she then grabs Kaicho off the ladder and puts her down. The ladder is set up in the middle with Kaicho and Rina going to climb it, but they are stopped by their opponents. Sera powerbombs Kaicho into the corner and hits a double knee strike, but Rina hits her from behind. She tries to suplex Sera onto the ladder but Sera blocks it and the two trade elbows. Knee by Rina but Sera gets her on her back and hits a Schwein onto a ladder. She picks Rina back up but Rina wiggles away and hits a backdrop suplex onto the ladder. They both get back up and Rina hits a hard lariat on Sera, but Sera comes back with a Samoan Driver and both wrestlers are down on the mat. Totoro gets on the second turnbuckle but Rina avoids the diving senton, Sera puts a ladder on top of Totoro and tries to suplex Rina on it, but it is blocked. Kaicho then runs over to help Rina, and they suplex Sera onto the ladder that is on top of Totoro. We clip ahead to Rina tries to climb the ladder, but Totoro grabs her from behind and hits the Kamikaze. Totoro goes to climb the ladder but Kaicho throws chalk in her face, Kaicho and Rina both climb the ladder but Sera stops Kaicho from behind. Kaicho dives off the ladder with a crossbody onto Sera, Rina keeps climbing and she gets one of the cards! Rina Yamashita moves on to the title match.

Kaicho quickly tries to climb the ladder but Sera grabs her from behind and drops her with a Schwein. She goes to climb the ladder but Totoro gets back in the ring and stops her. Totoro picks up Sera and slams her in front of the corner, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton. Totoro puts the ladder on top of Sera and goes up top, but Sera recovers and joins her. Superplex by Sera (partially on the ladder), Sera sets up the ladder near the corner and climbs up to the very top before delivering a diving double kneedrop. Sera pushes Totoro out of the way, she sets up the ladder and climbs to the top, grabbing the other card! Rina Yamashita and Risa Sera win the match and will advance to the title match in May.

I’m not saying this was the worst ladder match I’ve seen, but it is probably pretty close. There were a lot of things not to like here. Ranging from the lack of selling for the few “big” bumps of the match, the occasional comedy elements, the weird spot with Sera acting like she was pinned under the ladder when she wasn’t… it just had a lot of issues. On top of that, with a third of the match cut, it was hard to really get invested in whatever they were doing as there were constant jumps in the action. There were some quality wrestlers in this match, but the final product simply wasn’t very good.

(c) Maya Yukihi vs. Hiragi Kurumi
ICExInfinity Championship

They get into a knuckle-lock to start, knees by Maya but Kurumi knocks her down with a hard shoulderblock. Maya trips Kurumi and dropkicks her, she goes off the ropes but Kurumi does too and Pounces her out of the ring. Maya gets back on the apron but Kurumi goes out to the apron also and drops her with a modified piledriver. Maya drops down to the floor with Kurumi joining her, Kurumi throws Maya into the chairs at ringside before picking her up and doing the same on the opposite side. Kurumi goes for a suplex on the floor but Maya blocks it, Kurumi clubs Maya but Maya ducks an elbow and Kurumi hits the ring post by accident. Maya wraps Kurumi’s arm around the post and pulls on it, she lets go but only to get a chair and press it into Kurumi’s arm. Maya slides Kurumi back in and kicks her in the back before going back to Kurumi’s arm. Maya charges Kurumi but Kurumi moves, Maya slides out onto the apron and snaps Kurumi’s arm over the top rope. Maya goes up top but Kurumi avoids her dive, STO by Kurumi and she hits a few footstomps on Maya.

Kurumi throws Maya into the corner and hits a lariat, she goes for a dropkick but Maya moves out of the way and hits a kneedrop onto her arm. PK by Maya and she applies a choke, but Kurumi gets to the ropes for the break. Maya goes off the ropes and knees Kurumi in the head, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for two. Maya kicks Kurumi and goes off the ropes, but Kurumi catches her with a powerslam. Dropkick by Kurumi and she covers Maya for two. Kurumi picks up Maya but Maya elbows her and the two trade shots, kick combination by Maya but Kurumi catches her with a superkick. Kurumi ducks the enzuigiri attempt and hits a snap German, but Maya gets back up and delivers the enzuigiri, leaving both wrestlers down on the mat. They slowly get up and trade elbows again, Maya takes Kurumi to the mat and goes for a cross armbreaker but Kurumi prevents her from fully locking it in. Maya switches to a Triangle Choke attempt instead but Kurumi slams her way out of it, Nut Driver by Kurumi and she covers Maya for two. Kurumi goes up top but Maya avoids the diving body press, Omiwatari to the back by Maya and she kicks Kurumi in the arm. Superkicks by Maya and she hits a Buzzsaw Kick, cover by Maya but Kurumi gets a shoulder up.

Maya waits for Kurumi to get up and hits another Omiwatari, cover by Maya but that gets a two as well. Maya goes up top but Kurumi gets up before Maya can jump off and joins her, superplex by Kurumi but she is too hurt to capitalize. Maya recovers first and kicks at Kurumi, but Kurumi slaps her and stomps Maya into the mat. Turnbuckle Cannonball by Kurumi, she picks up Maya but Maya sneaks in a cradle for two. Kick by Maya and she kicks Kurumi in the arm, she goes off the ropes but Kurumi levels her with a lariat for a two count. Kurumi picks up Kurumi and nails the reverse piledriver, but Maya gets a shoulder up. Modified piledriver by Kurumi and she follows that with a German suplex hold, but it only gets a two count. Kurumi sets up Maya and goes to the top turnbuckle, she delivers a diving body press but Maya reverses the cover into a two count. Maya goes for another flash pin before putting Kurumi into a Triangle Choke. She rolls Kurumi over so she can apply the Icicle Back Triangle, and Kurumi has no choice but to submit! Maya Yukihi wins and retains the championship.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but this match was pretty damn great. Kurumi may be young but she has been wrestling for a long time so she knows what she is doing, and Maya Yukihi is one of the most under-rated in-ring wrestlers in Joshi right now. I loved the arm work and the constant focus on it, and Kurumi respected that by giving the occasional arm shake which is all it takes to remind viewers that her arm is hurting even if she is on offense. Both wrestlers really stayed on task, with Kurumi going for high impact moves while Maya just wanted to knock Kurumi loopy enough to lock on a submission hold. Even though the match was 21 minutes there was no downtime, and the ‘outside the ring’ part was short and they stayed active so it didn’t feel like just wasting time like we sometimes see. Hard hitting and well-executed, this was one of the better Joshi matches I’ve seen so far in 2020.  Highly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #1029 on 3/14/20 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.

It is hard to summarize how important Manami Toyota was and always will be to Joshi Wrestling. That’s another column for another day, but from her career in AJW to her continued role in wrestling she has left a mark that will never be forgotten. This retirement show does a match style that isn’t uncommon at anniversaries or retirements, nor is it the first gauntlet match of Manami Toyota’s career. The idea behind the match is Manami Toyota will have a long series of singles matches, the vast majority of which have a one minute time limit (except the first and last few matches). The list of wrestlers she will be against includes old friends, current enemies, and everyone between. Some pairings will be serious, some will be playful, but its really about giving the wrestlers a chance to say goodbye in their own way. Of course, it is filmed for our enjoyment as well. This will be the longest match list of any show I will ever review, here is what we have in store for us:

• Manami Toyota vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Yumi Ohka, Maya Yukihi, and Alex Lee
• Manami Toyota vs. Tequila Saya
• Manami Toyota vs. Mochi Miyagi and Hamuko Hoshi
• Manami Toyota vs. Meiko Satomura
• Manami Toyota vs. Emi Sakura
• Manami Toyota vs. Rina Yamashita
• Manami Toyota vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki
• Manami Toyota vs. AKINO
• Manami Toyota vs. Risa Sera
• Manami Toyota vs. Drake Morimatsu
• Manami Toyota vs. Cherry
• Manami Toyota vs. Aoi Kizuki
• Manami Toyota vs. Yuki Miyazaki
• Manami Toyota vs. Bolshoi Kid
• Manami Toyota vs. Sakura Hirota and GAMI
• Manami Toyota vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• Manami Toyota vs. Sonoko Kato
• Manami Toyota vs. Leon
• Manami Toyota vs. Yuu Yamagata
• Manami Toyota vs. ASUKA
• Manami Toyota vs. Kaho Kobayashi
• Manami Toyota vs. Hikaru Shida
• Manami Toyota vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Manami Toyota vs. Ayako Hamada
• Manami Toyota vs. Chikayo Nagashima
• Manami Toyota vs. Ikuto Hidaka
• Manami Toyota vs.  Papillon Akemi
• Manami Toyota vs. Gabai-jichan
• Manami Toyota vs. Kanjyouro Matsuyama
• Manami Toyota vs. KID
• Manami Toyota vs. Small Antonio Inoki
• Manami Toyota vs. Otoko Sakari
• Manami Toyota vs. Isami Kodaka
• Manami Toyota vs. Ryuji Ito
• Manami Toyota vs. Carlos Amano
• Manami Toyota vs. Mima Shimoda
• Manami Toyota vs. Itsuki Yamazaki
• Manami Toyota vs. Bull Nakano
• Manami Toyota vs. Chigusa Nagayo
• Manami Toyota vs. Jaguar Yokota
• Manami Toyota vs. Mariko Yoshida
• Manami Toyota vs. Nanae Takahashi
• Manami Toyota vs. KAORU
• Manami Toyota vs. Kaoru Ito
• Manami Toyota vs. Tomoko Watanabe
• Manami Toyota vs. Takako Inoue
• Manami Toyota vs. Yumiko Hotta
• Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue
• Manami Toyota vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Manami Toyota vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Manami Toyota Retirement Match: Manami Toyota vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

There also will be a retirement ceremony, which I won’t “review” but I will still discuss at the end of the article. As I mentioned, the vast majority of these matches have a one minute time limit, except for the opener and the final series of matches against Tsukasa Fujimoto. There is a method to the madness, as for some sections the string of wrestlers in a row is promotion-based, then with the older veterans from Toyota’s heyday going last.

The event starts with by far the least fair match of the night, as Manami Toyota faces off against all four members of Ozaki Army. Mayumi Ozaki and Manami Toyota have been battling since the early 90s in AJW and never stopped, as they had matches in GAEA Japan and of course OZ Academy as well. The other members have less of a connection, but they still happily join in as Toyota is beaten by all four of them (plus of course Police). The match goes better once Toyota isolates Ozaki, but it doesn’t last long as Toyota is quadruple teamed and tosses out of the ring. Ozaki Army takes the fight into the crowd and pummel Toyota, Ozaki returns to the ring as the referee counts and Toyota is counted out! Ozaki Army win the match.

So on a night that Manami Toyota has over 50 matches, she starts out getting beaten with chairs and whatever other weapons they can find. Toyota eventually does make it back into the ring, at first Ozaki throws the flowers at her but eventually does pick them up and nicely hands them to her. The other members of Ozaki Army follow suit, except for Police, who throws a chair at her instead. Police was always an asshole.

Tequila Saya is next. Saya is an Ice Ribbon wrestler with limited interactions with Toyota over the years, with only a few tag matches between them. Toyota doesn’t seem to take Saya too seriously  as she sends her flying with a missile dropkick, moonsault by Toyota and she gets the three count! Manami Toyota defeats Tequila Saya. Toyota doesn’t get much of a chance to relax as its back to a handicap match, with Toyota facing off against the Lovely Butchers. They bring Manami a hat and instead of fighting, they all dance together. They even get Toyota do do their signature pose but they jump her while she is doing it and give her the double body block for the double pin three count! Manami Toyota falls for the second time tonight, but they still all pose together and no hard feelings are had.

Next down the ramp is the woman that has no chill – Meiko Satomura. Satomura and Toyota first wrestled in GAEA in the late 90s and had many encounters in the promotion of the years. Since GAEA Japan closed their paths have crossed a few times in Satomura’s Sendai Girls’ promotion. Satomura and Toyota have such a high level of respect for each other that it took time for them to lock up, Satomura eventually hits a DDT and cartwheel kneedrop but the minute has already expired and the match is a Draw. Gatoh Move wrestler and owner Emi Sakura enters the ring, Sakura immediately goes in with chops and delivers the low crossbody in the corner. Toyota slaps Emi Sakura, Riho runs in and with Toyota they pose over Sakura. Toyota puts Sakura in a camel clutch, and she submits! Manami Toyota gets her second win of the night.

Young WAVE wrestler Rina Yamashita is Toyota’s next challenger, Toyota boots her but Rina kicks out of her continuous covers. Rina connects with a hard shoulderblock but she is so excited she never covers Toyota and the time expires. They hug before Rina exits the ring and Tsubasa Kuragaki takes her turn. Kuragaki and Toyota began their battles in JWP back in 2006 and haven’t stopped, as they frequently were paired up in OZ Academy. Kuragaki gets Toyota in the corner and lariats her, she gets Toyota on her back in a backbreaker before she drops her to the mat. Kuragaki goes up top and nails a moonsault, but Toyota bridges out of the cover. Kuragaki picks up Toyota and lariats her, but the bell rings as the match is a Draw. Another hug, and fellow OZ Academy wrestler AKINO takes her spot.

Six matches down, lots more to go! AKINO is another common enemy and foe from OZ Academy, which was Toyota’s primary home the last several years. AKINO gets Toyota in the corner and bootscrapes her, but doesn’t go for the pin as time expires for the Draw. AKINO helps her up before Ice Ribbon wrestler Risa Sera charges the ring to take her shot at the retiring legend. A slew of Ice Ribbon wrestlers jump into the ring with Risa Sera and they all attack Toyota in the corner, Sera goes up top and she nails the diving kneedrop, she hits a second one but the bell rings before she can cover her so the match is a Draw. Almost all retirement matches at some point have a string where the retiring wrestler is attacked by tons of wrestlers in rapid succession, and it may not be the last time. But Toyota gets a special gift from the Ice Ribbon wrestlers after Sera’s match, and everyone poses for the camera.

Drake Morimatsu is next! You may not be familar with Drake, she current wrestles in GUTS WORLD, she started her career in FMW and is definitely an ‘old school’ veteran. She comes into the ring with a baseball bat and hits Toyota with it a few times, lariat by Drake and she covers Toyota, but pulls her up before the three count. Another lariat but she does the same thing, she hits a Samoan Driver but Toyota kicks out of the cover. Drake gets the bat again and hits Toyota with it, but the bell rings which saves Toyota from more carnage. I really enjoyed the feel of this one, very different as Drake showed her old FMW side with the weapon-based offense.

Cherry bops down to the ring, she repeatedly steps on Toyota’s toes and chops her in the face, but Toyota chops her back. Toyota wins the strike exchange but the bell rings, signifying the match is a Draw. Aoi Kizuki is next, Aoi is a young popular Freelancer that wrestles in a variety of promotions. Aoi immediately dropkicks Toyota and hits a jumping lariat, double wrist-clutch suplex by Aoi and she goes for the swivel body press, but Toyota gets her feet up. Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb by Toyota and she gets the three count! Toyota has won her third match of the evening. Aoi is laughing and smiling even as getting pinned, which is accepted in these situations as I am sure she was thrilled to be part of Toyota’s retirement show.

Next is Yuki Miyazaki, she charges Toyota but Toyota boots her. She goes up top but Yuki joins her and gives her a big ‘ol kiss. Superplex by Yuki and she puts Manami in a Compromising Position, where she stays until the bell rings for the One Minute Draw. Poor Toyota, that’s what happens when you wrestle Yuki. Bolshoi Kid comes down, this is I am assuming Command Bolshoi wrestling in her old gimmick, which is a more playful clown. Bolshoi Kid gives Toyota a little bag and they both throw things into the crowd, but Bolshoi Kid schoolboys her from behind for the three count! A rare loss for the gullible Manami Toyota, hopefully she learned something from this experience.

On paper, Manami Toyota vs. GAMI and Sakura Hirota looks normal, but it isn’t….. since both are dressed as Manami Toyota. So this is Manami Toyota vs. her two clones. The real Toyota is double teamed and imitated by the two impostors, Oil Check by Sakura and GAMI hits Toyota with her horn. Luckily for Toyota the bell rings and the match is a Draw. Up next is Kaori Yoneyama, she is affiliated with YMZ but wrestles in a bunch of promotions including OZ Academy and Stardom. Yoneyama wants Toyota to wave a flag she brought down to the ring, which she does, but Yoneyama schoolboys her from behind for a two count. Yoneyama goes for a roll-up but Toyota reverses it, getting the three count! Manami Toyota gets her fourth win of the night. OZ Academy wrestler Sonoko Kato takes her turn, lots of kicks by Kato as she is taking this one minute match very seriously. Cannonball by Kato and she nails the diving leg drop, but the bell rings as she makes the cover so the match is a Draw. Manami gives Kato a rolling cradle just for fun before Kato leaves the ring and the next wrestler enters.

Leon throws Toyota into the corner and spears her, another spear by Leon and she hits the Frog Splash, but Toyota kicks out of the cover. Heel drop by Toyota and she nails the Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb, but Leon barely kicks out of the cover and the bell rings, as time has expired. Leon barely survives and other Pure Dream wrestlers get into the ring as they all give Manami Toyota their final goodbyes. Yuu Yamagata is next, these two have had very limited interactions over the years even though they are seasoned veterans, as Toyota rarely wrestled in Pro Wrestling WAVE. Enzuigiri by Yuu but Toyota hits a snap vertical suplex and a second one The bell rings soon thereafter as the time has expired, making the match a draw!

WAVE wrestler ASUKA comes down and she hits Toyota with a springboard moonsault, dropkick by ASUKA and Toyota falls out of the ring. ASUKA dives out onto her with a tope con hilo, she then goes back up top and hits a missile dropkick down to the floor, in an homage to Toyota. Everyone is hurt outside the ring as the bell rings, as time has expired. ASUKA seems more hurt than Toyota as she likely regrets that spot, Toyota returns to the ring as my personal favorite Kaho Kobayashi enters. Kaho dropkicks Toyota and goes up top to hit a missile dropkick, elbows by Kaho and she covers Toyota for a two count. Boots by Toyota and she nails the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, and she picks up the three count! Manami Toyota defeats her fifth wrestler so far today.

Hikaru Shida takes the next shot (this is the 21st match for Manami Toyota so far), while her friend Syuri watches from ringside. Shida goes for hip attacks, at first Toyota blocks them with her own hip but she finally connects with one. Syuri comes in the ring and with Shida they both kick Toyota, but Toyota breaks out of the cover. Falcon Arrow by Shida, but the bell rings before she can make a cover so the match is a Draw. Syuri returns and both present Toyota with flowers, once she is able to get back up. Hiroyo Matsumoto and her Godzilla mask is next, she shakes Toyota’s hand but kicks her before putting the Godzilla mask onto Toyota. Body avalanche by Hiroyo, she takes the mask off Toyota and hits a missile dropkick. Toyota slowly gets up, Hiroyo allows her to go up top and she hits a missile dropkick as the bell rings, giving Toyota another Draw.

Ayako Hamada is the next challenger, Hamada immediately dropkicks Toyota but she misses the heel kick. Enzuigiri by Hamada and she hits a DDT, superkick by Hamada but Toyota kicks out of the pinfall. Samoan Driver by Hamada, but the bell rings before she can finish the cover, as Toyota escapes another match with a Draw. The rest of the WAVE wrestlers get in the ring and they pose with Toyota for a photo-op, signifying the end of the WAVE string of challengers.

Veteran Freelancer Chikayo Nagashima is Toyota’s next opponent, she has a long history with Toyota as they fought in both GAEA and OZ Academy over the years. Chikayo hits Toyota repeatedly with her jacket and puts her in the rolling cradle, this takes literally the entire match until Chikayo stops just in time to get the three count pinfall! Chikayo Nagashima defeats Manami Toyota! Never know what is going to happen in these matches. Ikuto Hidaka is next, Hidaka is a ZERO1 wrestler with limited interactions with Toyota over the years. Toyota dropkicks Hidaka as soon as the match starts but Hidaka strikes her back, snap German by Toyota and she hits a heel drop for a two count. Boots by Toyota but the bell rings before anything else of note happens, and the match is a Draw.

Things are going off the rails a bit, as Papillon Akemi is next. He wrestles in smaller promotions such as GUTS World and I have no idea how he got into this match. Kick and a snapmare by Akemi, but Toyota puts him in the rolling cradle, but the bell rings before she can finish the move for a cover. The match is a Draw. Gabai-jichan very very slowly comes down to the ring (he has an ‘old man’ gimmick so he can’t walk very fast), with Toyota getting impatient in the ring for him to hurry up. The referee starts the match and the 20 count, Toyota goes out to help Gabai-jichan get into the ring while they pose for pictures. Toyota helps roll Gabai-jichan into the ring but he knocks her back to the floor with his cane, and Toyota is counted out! Gabai-jichan wins by dubious means, but the crowd enjoyed it.

The series continues going down the wrong path as creepy wrestler Kanjyouro Matsuyama is the next one down. Matsuyama tries to attack Toyota with his fan, but she avoids it and hits him with it instead. They trade slaps until Matsuyama is thrown into the corner, she gets Toyota’s wrist and walks the ropes, but he falls off of them before he can finish the move. The bell rings, and the match is declared a Draw. KID is next, I can’t find anything online on who KID is, but Toyota promptly boots him in the face and gets the three count pinfall! Toyota gets her sixth win of the gauntlet. Small Antonio Inoki is next, we still have a few more goofy challengers, punches to the head by Small Inoki and he applies a Cobra Twist. He goes up top and hits the diving kneedrop, more kneedrops by Small Inoki and he hits an enzuigiri. He goes to put Toyota in an Octopus Hold but the bell rings, the match is a Draw!

Otoko Sakari (Alexander Otsuka) is the next opponent, as Toyota faces her second man of the night that is only wearing a thong. Strikes by Toyota, she goes for a sunset flip but Sakari blocks it. Sakari tries to get away but Toyota grabs him by the thong, pulling it down to expose Sakari. The referee finds this offensive so he rings for the bell, disqualifying Sakari, giving Toyota her seventh win so far! Isami Kodaka is next, he throws streamers at Toyota to distract her before kicking Toyota out of the ring and sailing out onto her with a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Kodaka grabs Toyota’s hair but Toyota kicks him low and delivers the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex Hold for the three count! Toyota gets her eighth win of the evening. Big Japan wrestler Ryuji Ito is the final male challenger in this intergender run of opponents, he comes down to the ring with a barbed wire board. He sets up the board in the corner but Toyota jumps him and tries to throw him into it. He blocks it and goes for a suplex, but Toyota reverses the suplex and puts the barbed wire board on the mat. Ito scoop slams Toyota onto the barbed wire board, but Toyota kicks out of the pin. Ito keeps her on the board, he goes up top and he nails the Dragon Splash for the three count! Manami Toyota is defeated by the Big Japan star.

Now we have reached a run of challengers from Toyota’s past. Retired wrestler Carlos Amano is first, Amano and Toyota held tag team championships together in both GAEA Japan and OZ Academy. They don’t want to wrestle, so they set up chairs in the ring and talk to each other instead. I can’t understand what they are saying, but they seem to be having a good time. Amano gives Toyota a letter, which she reads as the bell rings. The match is, obviously, a Draw. Mima Shimoda is next, with her friend and long time tag partner Etsuko Mita joining her at ringside. But Toyota won’t go at it alone, as old teammate and friend Toshiyo Yamada joins her at ringside as well to make everything fair. These four were friends and foes back in the mid-90s in AJW. Shimoda charges Toyota and hits a jumping neck drop, Mita runs in and chops Toyota in the chest as they both double team Toyota i the ropes. Yamada trips Shimoda from the floor, she gets in the ring as Toyota puts Shimoda in a camel clutch, kicking Shimoda in the chest. Around this time the bell rings, and the match is a Draw. Mita brings in a big present for Toyota and all four pose together in the ring.

Itsuki Yamazaki is next, she may be the least-known wrestler to casual fans as she retired back in 1991. You may know her better as part of the Jumping Bomb Angels, a popular Joshi tag team in the late 80s. She and Toyota also wrestled at Toyota’s 25th Anniversary Show, so the two made a strong bond during their brief time in AJW together. Yamazaki gets Toyota to the mat and starts working over her arm, Irish whip by Yamazaki and she hits a running elbow in the corner. Yamazaki pulls Toyota out of the ring and poses her for a picture, they get back in but the bell rings before she can do anything else, as the match is a Draw. Up next is Bull Nakano, yes THE LEGENDARY BULL NAKANO which obviously is exciting for me as I love Bull Nakano and this is her first televised match of any sort in over five years. Nakano looks great, and comes down to the ring with her nunchucks. Once the bell rings, she hits Toyota in the stomach with the nunchucks, but Toyota avoids the next shot and schoolboys Nakano for the three count! Manami Toyota wins and picks up her ninth victory so far.

Very few wrestlers could follow Nakano and not be a drop down in status, but Chigusa Nagayo is next. Nagayo is still a fairly active wrestler, she currently owns and promotes the wrestling promotion Marvelous. Nagayo and Toyota worked together quite a bit in GAEA Japan, and Nagayo already is tearing up before she even gets into the ring. They tie-up as both are getting emotional, but Toyota hits a scoop slam and covers Nagayo for the three count! They hug on the mat, as Manami Toyota wins her 10th match. Equally legendary Jaguar Yokota is next, as we reach a big string of wrestlers. Nakano, Nagayo, and Yokota are three of the biggest names in Joshi over the last 30 years and it feels really special seeing them all here to help send Toyota into retirement. Yokota is more stone-faced as they lock-up, Yokota kicks Toyota in the head and hits a somersault kick but the bell rings before she can further capitalize. The match is a Draw.

Mariko Yoshida is the next challenger, she also has had a great career and is best known for her work in ARSION. She’s also already crying before the match starts, Yoshida throws Toyota in the corner and boots her in the face. Toyota ducks the next boot but Yoshida puts her in the Spider Twist, luckily for Toyota the bell rings before she can submit, so the match is a Draw. Nanae Takahashi is next, she and Toyota both were in AJW together in the late 90s. Nanae charges Toyota and knocks her to the mat, Natsuki Taiyo comes in and dropkicks Toyota in the corner. Nanae grabs Toyota but Toyota drops her with the Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb, Nanae returns to her feet however and hits a Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb of her own for the three count! Nanae Takahashi wins the match!

It is now KAORU’s turn, KAORU is still an active wrestler and has battled with Toyota in a number of promotions over the years, ranging from AJW in the early 90s up to Marvelous and Diana just a few years ago. KAORU immediately hits Toyota repeatedly with her wooden panel, she picks up Toyota and suplexes her onto it but the referee won’t count the cover since she used the weapon. KAORU drags Toyota to the corner and tries to top the wood piece onto Toyota, but Toyota rolls out of the way as the bell rings. The match is a Draw as Kaoru Ito comes down, Ito and Toyota wrestled with and against each other many many times in the 1990s while wrestling AJW and also won the JWP Tag Team Championship together. Ito isn’t feeling the love as she immediately slams Toyota, Yoshida and another wrestler get in the ring and hit a double facecrusher. Diving footstomp by Ito, and she covers Toyota for the three count! Manami Toyota falls to Ito in painful fashion, but she gets a nice bouquet of flowers for her troubles.

The next challenger is Tomoko Watanabe, like Ito she wrestled with and against Toyota during much of their run in AJW in the 90s. The match starts but Watanabe wants a selfie with Toyota so they do that first. Lariat by Watanabe and she hits another one, a third lariat by Watanabe and a fourth, but as she goes for the cover the bell rings, and the match is a Draw. Former AJW wrestler Takako Inoue is next, they were usually on opposing teams in the tag division and kept wrestling after AJW folded in LLPW, OZ Academy, and Diana. Takako shakes hands but then grabs her baton, Toyota ducks the shot but Takako hits a DDT instead. Takako goes up top as Toyota joins her, but Takako hits an avalanche chokeslam for two. DDT by Takako and she goes up top again, but Toyota ducks the Takako Panic as the bell rings. The match is a Draw as they end the match with an embrace.

Veteran wrestler Yumiko Hotta is next, she has her chain with her of course. Hotta was one of Toyota’s main foes in their AJW years, and they had multiple title matches in their heyday. Hotta gets right to kicking Toyota but Toyota pushes her against the ropes, she charges Hotta but Hotta nails her with a heel kick. Cover by Hotta, but Toyota barely kicks out. Hotta picks up Toyota but Toyota sneaks in a cradle, she goes off the ropes but Hotta delivers another heel kick for the three count! Yumiko Hotta is the winner, as I think all these matches is starting to wear on Toyota a bit. Takako Inoue’s long time tag partner Kyoko Inoue is next (no relation), as we have seen with this set of wrestlers these two used to be common enemies in AJW. They eventually tie-up and Kyoko flings Toyota to the mat, Pyramid Driver by Kyoko Inoue but the bell rings as time expires, the match being declared a Draw. Some of the veteran wrestlers return to the ring again and give Toyota more flowers, as she prepares for Tsukasa Fujimoto.

The one minute time limit is out the window now, as Manami Toyota faces her last opponent, Tsukasa Fujimoto. While Manami Toyota didn’t train Fujimoto, their careers crossed several times as far back as 2011. Toyota was impressed with Fujimoto’s abilities, and in 2015 it was Tsukasa Fujimoto that Manami Toyota endorsed as her ‘successor’ and gave her permission to use all of the Japanese Ocean moves. So this is a fitting final opponent, as Toyota has her last match against the wrestler she believes will best continue her legacy. Before the match starts, Aja Kong gives Toyota some flowers – Kong and Toyota had a long match in late October which is likely why she wasn’t in the Gauntlet. Shinobu Kandori then comes down and gives Toyota flowers as well, she had a ‘final’ match with Toyota on October 22nd.

Tsukasa Fujimoto finally arrives and the match begins, Fujimoto immediately dropkicks Toyota and tries to get Toyota on her shoulders, but Toyota blocks it. Dropkick by Fujimoto as they reach a stalemate, Toyota twists up Fujimoto in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back. Fujimoto falls out of the ring, Toyota goes up top but Fujimoto recovers before Toyota can jump off and knocks Toyota to the floor. Fujimoto then gets on the top turnbuckle and dives down onto Toyota, Toyota returns to the ring but Fujimoto connects with a missile dropkick. Toyota recovers and puts Fujimoto in the rolling cradle, Toyota lets go and goes up top, delivering a missile dropkick. She goes up top again and hits another missile dropkick, but Fujimoto springs back to her feet and hits a dropkick of her own. Fujimoto sits Toyota in the corner and dropkicks her in the chest, she goes for the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex but Toyota blocks it and hits a heel drop. Cover by Toyota, but it gets a two count. Toyota gets up on the top turnbuckle and she nails the moonsault, but Fujimoto bridges out of the pin. Fujimoto gets up near the ropes but Toyota grabs her and goes for the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex. Fujimoto wiggles out of the hold and cradles Toyota for two, kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits a PK for a two count. Fujimoto goes up top but Toyota hits her she can jump off and joins her, Fujimoto goes over her back and hits an avalanche sunset flip powerbomb for two. Fujimoto goes for the Venus Shoot, but Toyota grabs her from behind and delivers the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the three count! Manami Toyota wins!

The match immediately starts again, elbows by Fujimoto and she goes up top, but again Toyota joins her. Fujimoto knocks Toyota into the Tree of Woe and hits the diving footstomp, cover by Fujimoto but Toyota kicks out. Venus Shoot attempt again by Fujimoto but Toyota blocks it the same way, Fujimoto slides off Toyota’s back this time and hits a series of jumping footstomps for two counts. Fujimoto gets Toyota on her shoulders and hits the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, but Toyota gets a shoulder up. Heel drop by Toyota, she grabs Fujimoto and decapitates her with a Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb. Both are slow to recover, Fujimoto picks up Toyota but Toyota snaps off a suplex. Toyota picks up Fujimoto and hits another Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb, and she picks up the three count! Manami Toyota wins for the second time against Fujimoto.

Fujimoto quickly gets back up as the final match begins, kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she goes up top, but Toyota boots her off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Toyota goes up top and dives down onto Fujimoto (and a slew of other wrestlers that wanted to be part of the last dive of Toyota’s career), she slides Fujimoto back in and goes up top, hitting a missile dropkick. Cover by Toyota, but it gets two. Toyota picks up Fujimoto and hits the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex, but Fujimoto gets a shoulder up. Toyota goes back up top but Fujimoto gets her feet up on the moonsault attempt, Fujimoto kips up and hits the Tsukka-chan☆Bomb, but Toyota kicks out. Fujimoto picks up Toyota and hits the PK, dropkick by Fujimoto and she hits a second one followed by a third. Fujimoto goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, which she follows with two more. Another missile dropkick by Fujimoto, she covers Toyota but it only gets a two count. Venus Shoot by Fujimoto, she grabs Toyota and delivers the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the three count! Tsukasa Fujimoto wins the final match in Manami Toyota’s career.

Following the match, many of the wrestlers Toyota faced tonight surround the ring, while Toyota says her final words. She gives Fujimoto her final blessings, and Fujimoto speaks for a moment as well. After that, per her wishes, a chair is brought into the ring and Toyota has her hair cut shorter, with her hair being donated to use for wigs for people that lost their hair due to medical issues. A photo and video slideshow then appears on the big screen, highlighting Toyota throughout her career, which continues for several minutes.

 

The post Manami Toyota Retirement Show on 11/3/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Risa Sera

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Isami Kodaka vs. Yumi Ohka

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

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

Aja Kong and SAGAT vs. Neko Nitta and Shuji Ishikawa

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

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

Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai

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

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

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

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

event originally reviewed on 7/1/15

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

It has been a long time since I reviewed a really random event, so here we go! CRYSIS is a faction led by Jaguar Yokota, one of the greatest wrestlers in Joshi history. It is a large stable, with wrestlers ranging from Chikayo Nagashima to TARU being part of the group.  Chigusa Nagayo also has a match, a rare televised appearance of the former AJW great and current owner of Marvelous. Also on the show, we get a wrestler debut (!) along with participation from Diana and WAVE. Here is the full card:

• ASUKA and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Ryo Mizunami and Megumi Yabushita
• Battle Royal with: Gabai-jichan, Hiroyo Matsumoto, KAORU, Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru, Mariko Yoshida, Mima Shimoda, Mochi Miyagi, and Yamada Man Pondo
• Choun Shiryu and Madoka vs. Kyoko Inoue and Kaoru Ito
• Street Fight: Chikayo Nagashima and KAZUKI vs. Jun Kasai and Buffalo
• Chigusa Nagayo, AKIRA, and Shiro Koshinaka vs. Seiji Miyane, Jaguar Yokota, and TARU

All of the Joshi wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name to go straight to it. As this aired on Nico Pro, the show is unclipped. For better or worse.

ASUKA and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Ryo Mizunami and Megumi Yabushita

Ryo and Tsukasa start things off, they trade wristlocks until Ryo pounds Tsukasa to the mat. Hard shoulderblock by Ryo but Tsukasa comes back with a dropkick, scoop slam by Ryo but Tsukasa bridges out of the cover and hits a dropkick. Jumping elbow by Ryo in the corner, Megumi comes over and holds Tsukasa so that Ryo can hit a lariat. Ryo tags in Megumi, Megumi has a belt with her and hits Tsukasa repeatedly with it. Megumi chokes Tsukasa with it, scoop slam by Megumi and she covers Tsukasa for two. Megumi applies a leg submission and then a chinlock, but Tsukasa gets to the ropes for the break. Megumi picks up Tsukasa and hits a scoop slam, double kneedrop by Megumi and she applies a crab hold. ASUKA breaks it up, Megumi picks up Tsukasa but Tsukasa hits a hurricanrana for two. Tsukasa tags in ASUKA, ASUKA boots Megumi repeatedly in the head before throwing her in the corner. ASUKA moonsaults over Megumi and dropkicks her, Space Rolling Elbow by ASUKA and she dropkicks Megumi in the head for a two count. Megumi quickly applies a cross armbreaker takedown but ASUKA gets a foot on the ropes, ASUKA goes off the ropes and hits a rebound crossbody for two. ASUKA tags in Tsukasa, Tsukasa kicks Megumi in the back but Megumi ducks the PK. Twisting bodypress by Tsukasa but Megumi puts her in a submission, Tsukasa wiggles to the ropes and manages to force the break. Tsukasa throws Megumi in the corner but Megumi applies a hanging armbar, Megumi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to Tsukasa’s arm.

Tsukasa fires back with a dropkick but Ryo hits her from the apron and Megumi drops her with a judo throw. She tags in Ryo, spear by Ryo to Tsukasa but Tsukasa blocks the uranage. German suplex by Ryo and she hits a legdrop for a two count. Ryo goes off the ropes but ASUKA dives off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody, double Irish whip to Ryo and ASUKA dropkicks her. Tsukasa dropkicks Ryo too, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. Tsukasa picks up Ryo but Ryo gets Tsukasa on her shoulders, Tsukasa flips off and rolls Megumi to the mat before hitting a PK. She tags in ASUKA, ASUKA goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Fireman’s carry takeover by ASUKA and she goes for Megumi’s arm, Megumi gets back up and hits a series of elbows. ASUKA charges Ryo but Ryo hits an overhead belly to belly, lariat by Ryo and she nails a uranage for a two count. Ryo drags up ASUKA but ASUKA blocks the full nelson, hard lariat by Ryo but ASUKA kicks out of the cover. Megumi comes in but ASUKA knocks them both down with a springboard moonsault, Tsukasa comes in and they both kick Ryo in the head. Gutwrench suplex by ASUKA, and she covers Ryo for two. Chokeslam by ASUKA, but Megumi breaks up the cover. ASUKA goes up top but Ryo rolls out of the way of the moonsault, superkick by ASUKA but Ryo knocks her down with a lariat. Megumi hits a German suplex onto Tsukasa while Ryo hits a lariat onto ASUKA, but ASUKA kicks out of the cover. Ryo picks up ASUKA and nails the Hot Limit, and she picks up the three count! Ryo Mizunami and Megumi Yabushita get the win.

Another good thing about wrestler produced shows is there tends to be very little fluff. This is a midcard-caliber match under normal circumstances, so the show really starts off with a bang as everyone here has the experience to put on a fun match. ASUKA continues to improve, and both Tsukasa and Ryo have main-event level skills so it didn’t feel like an opener at all. Solid match all the way around.  Mildly Recommended

Battle Royal
With Gabai-jichan, Hiroyo Matsumoto, KAORU, Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru, Mariko Yoshida, Shimoda, Mochi Miyagi, & Yamada Man Pondo

Yoshida targets Hiroyo right off the bat, but all the wrestlers end up in a giant headscissors chain, Gabai-jichan strolls in the ring and tries to roll them into a crab hold but he is too old and weak to do so. Miyagi does it instead but they roll into the ropes, Pondo and Ranmaru go after Miyagi but Miyagi rolls under then and poses. Pondo hits Ranmaru with a Stop Sign and poses as well, but Miyagi whips him and with everyone else covers Pondo for the three count! Yamada Man Pondo is eliminated. Ranmaru immediately schoolboys Miyagi, everyone else joins in and she is held down for three! Mochi Miyagi is eliminated. KAORU gets her board and starts hitting people with it, she tries to drop it onto Shimoda but Shimoda moves out of the way. KAORU tries to to the same with Yoshida with the same result, Hiroyo is up next but she also rolls out of the way. They hold down Ranmaru and KAORU drops it on her (or slightly misses, the camera couldn’t really see it), Gabai-jichan comes in but he tosses his cane to KAORU which makes her act old herself.

She tosses it to Hiroyo, Shimoda gets the cane next and Gabai-jichan knocks over both KAORU and Shimoda. KAORU and Shimoda are covered by the other participants, and both are counted down for three! Mima Shimoda and KAORU are eliminated. Hiroyo and Yoshida target Ranmaru but she avoids their attack, Gabai-jichan pushes Hiroyo over but everyone attacks him. Gabai-jichan schoolboys Ranmaru, and he gets the three count! Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru is eliminated! Gabai-jichan pokes Hiroyo with his cane, Yoshida tries to boot Gabai-jichan but Gabai-jichan moves and she kicks Hiroyo by accident. Hiroyo snaps Gabai-jichan’s cane and throws it to the mat, Irish whip to Gabai-jichan but he speeds up and lariats both of them. Vertical suplex by Gabai-jichan to Hiroyo, he goes to Yoshida but he hurts his back going for a powerbomb. Yoshida holds Gabai-jichan but Hiroyo lariats her by accident, Gabai-jichan slams Hiroyo on top of Yoshida and covers her for the three count pinfall! Mariko Yoshida is eliminated. Just Gabai-jichan and Hiroyo are left now, lariat by Gabai-jichan to Hiroyo and she goes for a powerbomb but Hiroyo lands on hop of him for the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto wins the Battle Royal!

As I mentioned above, Battle Royals in Japan are generally more humorous affairs. A few funny moments but overall not a whole lot to it, even if it is always nice to see Mariko Yoshida.

Choun Shiryu and Hagane Shinnou vs. Kyoko Inoue and Kaoru Ito

Inoue and Shiryu start the match and tie-up, Inoue pushes Shiryu into the ropes and she gives a clean break. They lock knuckles, Shiryu goes off the ropes but Inoue hits a hard shoulderblock. Shiryu stomps on Inoue’s foot and tags in Shinnou, kicks to the chest by Madoka but Inoue pushes him into the corner. Inoue tags in Ito, lariat by Ito in the corner but Shinnou dropkicks her back. Ito doesn’t go down, Shinnou goes for a suplex but Ito reverses it into a suplex of her own. Shinnou tries to lariat Ito but fails, and Ito gives Shinnou a hard lariat instead. Ito puts Shinnou in a crab hold, but Shinnou gets into the ropes for a break. Ito stomps down on Shinnou’s back before tagging in Inoue, Ito stays in and they both suplex Shinnou. Inoue tosses Shinnou by his head and hits a vertical suplex, elbow drop by Inoue and she tags Ito back in. Camel Clutch by Ito but Shiryu breaks it up, Ito picks up Shinnou but Shinnou flips out to the apron and hits a swandive dropkick. This gives him time to tag in Shiryu, Shiryu throws Ito into the corner and hits a running elbow followed by a pair of kicks and a diving thrust kick for a two count cover.

Ito knocks down Shiryu with a lariat and hits a footstomp, running splash by Ito and she covers Shiryu for two. Ito picks up Shiryu but Shiryu elbows her off, he goes off the ropes but Ito catches him with an uranage. Ito tags in Inoue, elbow by Inoue but Shiryu chops her back and they trade blows. Drop toehold by Shiryu and he goes for a Tiger Feint Kick, but Inoue catches him and drops Shiryu to the mat. Lariat by Inoue, and she covers Shiryu for a two count. Ito comes in to help but both she and Inoue run into each other by accident, dropkick dropkick to Inoue and Ito but Inoue hits a lariat on both Shiryu and Shinnou. They call out of the ring, Inoue goes out after them while Ito goes for a baseball slide, but she kicks Inoue by mistake. Shiryu gets in the ring and catapults off the referee and delivers a diving kick to Ito’s face. Inoue is slid back in and double teamed, cover by Shiryu but Ito breaks it up. Shiryu goes up top but Ito hits him before he can jump off, Inoue joins Shiryu and delivers a superplex. Diving footstomp by Ito, cover by Inoue but Shinnou breaks up the cover. Inoue picks up Shiryu and nails the Niagara Driver, cover by Inoue and she gets the three count! Kyoko Inoue and Kaoru Ito are the winners.

I enjoyed this match way more than I should have. Ito and Inoue are the ‘old school’ Joshi stars that don’t always feel the need to do things like sell for their opponents, and so few wrestlers do that these days it comes across as fresh and interesting. I don’t mean they are being jerks, its just the style, eventually Shinnou was able to knock over Ito which just made it a bigger moment. But for the most part Ito and Inoue were tossing around the male indie wrestlers so it had the opposite dynamic that you may think if you didn’t know the wrestlers. No complaints, Inoue and Ito can still go, an entertaining little match.  Mildly Recommended

Chikayo Nagashima and KAZUKI vs. Jun Kasai and Buffalo

Chikayo and KAZUKI attack before the match starts with chairs, Buffalo is isolated in the ring and double teamed with chair shots. KAZUKI puts a bucket over Buffalo’s head and kicks it, Kasai comes in the ring and trades strikes with Chikayo. KAZUKI attacks Kasai from behind with a chain but Kasai headbutts her, and the action spills out of the ring. Buffalo and Kasai take over on the floor, KAZUKI is put on a table while Kasai goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving splash onto KAZUKI. Kasai gets a barbed wire bat and pushes it into Chikayo’s head, Buffalo rolls Chikayo back into the ring and hits her with a back elbow. Buffalo stomps Chikayo and elbows her into the corner, running elbow by Buffalo and he tags in Kasai. Big boot by Kasai and he slices Chikayo’s face with… a board of some sort, leg drop by Buffalo from the apron and he kicks Chikayo in the head. Cover by Kasai, but it gets a two count. Kasai picks up Chikayo and bites her head, piledriver by Kasai and he covers Chikayo for two. Kasai brings a ladder into the ring but Chikayo kicks him low and hits both Kasai and Buffalo with the metal bucket. Chikayo goes up top and hits a diving footstomp to Kasai’s groin, KAZUKI hits Kasai repeatedly with a chain before hanging him over the top rope with it. KAZUKI pulls Kasai back into the ring and hits a couple reverse double kneedrops for a two count.

KAZUKI brings the ladder to the middle of the ring but Kasai suplexes her on it, he tags in Buffalo but KAZUKI drops him with a Codebreaker. Chikayo comes in but Buffalo lariats both of them, he puts the ladder on his neck and helicopters it into both opponents. Buffalo tries to push Chikayo with the ladder but KAZUKI helps push Buffalo into the corner, kicks by Chikayo and she hits Buffalo with a chair. KAZUKI goes up top and slams the ladder down onto Buffalo, then Chikayo goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp onto Buffalo and the pile of chairs/ladder. Chikayo grabs Buffalo but Buffalo kicks her in the stomach, Buffalo throws the ladder at Chikayo and makes the tag to Kasai. Kasai lariats Chikayo in the back of the head, another lariat by Kasai but KAZUKI breaks up the cover. Kasai picks up Chikayo and hits a scoop slam, he sets up the ladder and climbs it, but Chikayo joins him and spits red mist into his face. Kasai falls to the mat and Chikayo dives off the ladder with a footstomp. Cover, but Buffalo breaks it up. Fisherman Buster by Chikayo to Kasai, but Kasai kicks out. Chikayo gets a chair but Kasai blocks it and hits Chikayo with the chair instead. Kasai runs off the ropes repeatedly and hits a lariat, but the cover gets two. Kasai picks up Chikayo and delivers the double underhook facebuster, he scoop slams Chikayo in front of the ladder before climbing up and nailing the Pearl Harbor Splash. Cover by Kasai, and he gets the three count! Jun Kasai and Buffalo are the winners.

Like the last match, while I wouldn’t call this a MOTYC it was certainly really entertaining. Lots of brutal moves in this match, from the table splash to the footstomp to Kasai’s groin, as no one was holding back. Fast paced with never a dull moment, its one of those matches you can’t look away from. A nice change of pace from the type of action I usually see on Joshi shows, an enjoyable match overall if you’re into this sort of thing (crazy weapon-filled brawls).  Recommended

Chigusa Nagayo, AKIRA, and Shiro Koshinaka vs. Seiji Miyane, Jaguar Yokota, and TARU

Yokota and Nagayo start the match, Nagayo pushes Yokota against the ropes and she gives a clean break. Irish whip by Nagayo but Yokota ducks the heel kick, scoop slam by Yokota and she covers Nagayo for two. They tag out as TARU and Koshinaka come in, TARU tries to shoulderblock Koshinaka over but Koshinaka delivers a hip attack. Chinlock by Koshinaka but TARU kicks him in the stomach and both wrestlers tag out as AKIRA and Miyane become the legal wrestlers. AKIRA and Miyane trade holds, they end up on the mat but Miyane gets away from AKIRA and they face off again. AKIRA goes for a suplex but Miyane blocks it and hits a vertical suplex of his own, Octopus Hold by Miyane but Nagayo breaks it up. AKIRA tags in Koshinaka, hip attacks by Koshinaka to Miyane and he tags in Nagayo. Chops by Nagayo, Miyane returns fire but Nagayo chops him to the mat and kicks him against the ropes. Nagayo tags AKIRA but TARU comes in to help Miyane, they both suplex AKIRA before Miyane makes the tag to Yokota. Nagayo tags in too but TARU hits Nagayo from the apron, Yokota hits Nagayo in the stomach with a rod before choking her with it. TARU stays in as the legal wrestler and starts on Nagayo’s arm, he takes Nagayo out of the ring and tosses her around in the crowd. Back in the ring, kicks by TARU to Nagayo but Nagayo fights back and the two trade shots. TARU tags in Yokota, Miyane comes in too and they triple team Nagayo in the corner.

Kicks by TARU but Nagayo catches him with a backdrop suplex and tags in Koshinaka. Hip attack by TARU, Yokota and Miyane come in but they get hip attacks as well. Koshinaka goes up top and hits a diving hip attack onto TARU, cover by Koshinaka but TARU kicks out. Koshinaka tags AKIRA, AKIRA goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Miyane breaks up the cover. AKIRA goes off the ropes but TARU catches him with a chokebomb and tags in Yokota, AKIRA kicks Yokota however and tags in Nagayo. Nagayo grabs Yokota and hits a vertical suplex, waistlock by Nagayo but Yokota gets out of it with a roll-up for two. Nagayo tosses Yokota into the corner but Yokota catches her coming in and kicks her in the head. Nagayo pulls Yokota back to the middle of the ring and puts her in the Scorpion Deathlock, but TARU quickly breaks it up. Nagayo catches Yokota with a sidewalk slam, but TARU breaks up the cover. TARU and Yokota both suplex Nagayo, Miyane goes up top and hits Nagayo with a diving crossbody for a two count. Yokota then goes up top but Nagayo avoids her somersault senton, Koshinaka and AKIRA both come in and clear the ring so that just Nagayo and Miyane are left. Backdrop suplex by Nagayo to Miyane and she drops him with a snap piledriver, but Miyane gets a shoulder up. Scorpion Deathlock by Nagayo, and Miyane has no choice but to submit! Chigusa Nagayo, AKIRA, and Shiro Koshinaka win!

Unlike the other matches on this show with long-time veterans, this one was a bit too slow for my liking. It was just really by the numbers, the match was almost 20 minutes and the only interesting parts were when Chigusa Nagayo and Jaguar Yokota squared off. I am not sure of Miyane’s backstory but (obviously) he isn’t very good yet and negatively impacted the match during several of his segments. Its always a pleasure to see veteran wrestlers like Shiro Koshinaka or AKIRA, but the match was just a bit too long and listless. This would have worked better in the midcard, but as the main event it was a bit disappointing.

The post CRYSIS Produce on 7/23/17 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.

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.