Keep in mind of course this ranking is purely subjective because it is based 95% on the quality of their matches, not accomplishments won or how many tours they were on. Please note this is based solely on the wrestler’s matches in Stardom and is not a ranking of the wrestler considering their career as a whole. The following wrestlers are excluded from the list: Cat Power (only had one match), Kris Wolf (contracted Stardom wrestler), and Alex Lee (Freelancer used by many Joshi promotions). Without any further ado, here is my Official List of Best Gaijins in Stardom, 2016 Edition:

1. Kay Lee Ray Stardom Matches in 2016: 15 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Matches in Stardom: vs. Iwatani on 1/17 and vs. Shirai on 9/22	2. Toni Storm Stardom Matches in 2016: 17 Titles Won in Stardom: SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 7/24	3. Evie Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: Artist of Stardom Best Match in Stardom: vs. Iwatani on 2/21
4. Kellie Skater Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: Artist of Stardom Best Match in Stardom: Hyper Destroyers vs. Three Daughters on 2/28	5. Alpha Female Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 3/26	6. Leah Vaughan Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: with Wolf vs. Oedo Tai on 8/5
7. Viper Stardom Matches in 2016: 17 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 2/21	8. Santana Garrett Stardom Matches in 2016: 8 Titles Won in Stardom: Wonder of Stardom Best Match in Stardom: vs. Hojo on 5/15	9. Chelsea Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Hojo on 8/5
10. Tessa Blanchard Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Shirai on 9/4	11. Diosa Atenea Stardom Matches in 2016: 14 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: Oedo Tai vs. Three Daughters on 6/11	12. Kaitlin Diemond Stardom Matches in 2016: 13 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: Oedo Tai vs. Thunder Rock on 2/21
13. Shanna Stardom Matches in 2016: 12 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Storm on 8/5	14. Blue Nikita Stardom Matches in 2016: 9 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. KLR on 8/28	15. Courtney Stewart Stardom Matches in 2016: 5 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Hojo on 8/28
16. Chelsea Green Stardom Matches in 2016: 5 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: Elimination Tag on 2/7	17. Queen Maya Stardom Matches in 2016: 6 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: vs. Iwatani on 4/29	18. Lizzy Styles Stardom Matches in 2016: 3 Titles Won in Stardom: None Best Match in Stardom: n/a

And there we have it! I’ll have a more complete list with more details after the year has ended. By then, Stardom will have used over 20 different gaijin wrestlers, which is a lot of foreign talent for any promotion in the world, let alone a Joshi promotion. Some have worked out well, some have not, but either way it certainly adds something different to their cards. Hopefully in 2017 they will focus on the gaijins that performed well in the promotion as quality is better than quantity, but with new native wrestlers debuting soon they may not need to use as many gaijin talent in the future. I’ll check back in January to update a final list, since Chelsea Green has another tour coming up she in particular has an opportunity to move up the rankings if she has some bigger matches.

The post Stardom Gaijins in 2016 – A Complete Ranking appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Gold May”
Date: May 15th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 910

About once a month, Stardom has a big event at Korakuen Hall, and they always go all out to put on an entertaining show. Here we get two big title matches, with Hojo looking to take the belt away from the often vacant Santana Garrett and Shirai battling against her tag team partner Mayu Iwatani for the #1 championship in the promotion. Plus we get Matsumoto killing a rookie and two giant gaijins going toe to toe. Here is the full card:

• Alex Lee, Azumi, and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina, Haruka Kato, and Starlight Kid
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Natsumi Maki
• Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiromi Mimura, Jungle Kyouna, and Momo Watanabe
• Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Santana Garrett vs. Kairi Hojo
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani

You can click on the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City. As this event was shown on Stardom World (just on a ringside camera, so multi-camera setup) the matches will not be clipped.

Alex Lee, Azumi, and Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina, Kato, and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and Yoneyama begin for their teams and trade holds but neither gets a real advantage so they tag in Azumi and Nishina. Azumi immediately gets the upper hand, her teammates come in and Nishina is triple teamed. Nishina comes back with a pair of dropkicks and she puts Azumi in a crab hold, but Azumi rolls out of it and tags in Lee. Kicks by Lee to Nishina and she throws her down by her hair, but Nishina hits a face crusher and covers Lee for two. Starlight Kid and Kato come in and they all dropkick Lee, Kato stays in but Lee knees her in the gut. Kato gets Lee’s back and rolls her to the mat with a cross armbreaker, but it is quickly broken up. Lee superkicks Kato a few times and hits a double underhook suplex, but the cover is broken up. Lee tags Yoneyama and she attacks Kato, but Starlight Kid comes in and hits Yoneyama with the Shiranui. Kato hits a diving crossbody on Yoneyama and tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid rolls up Yoneyama and gets a two count. Yoneyama gets fed up and slams Starlight Kid, she tags in Azumi and they trade elbows. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she hits a diving body press off the second turnbuckle, but the cover is broken up. Azumi suplexes Starlight Kid and hits a trio of DDTs, but again the pin is interrupted. Yoneyama and Lee are pulled out of the ring while in the ring Azumi goes for a Wing Clutch Hold, but Starlight Kid rolls though it and hits a standing moonsault for the three count! Nishina, Kato, and Starlight Kid are your winners.

Starlight Kid finally gets the big win over her arch rival! Needless to say a six wrestler tag that goes seven minutes is going to have some issues really getting moving but it was still an easy watch. The kids seem to be progressing and the veterans did their part keeping the match together. A few rough patches here and there but not a bad way to kick things off.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Natsumi Maki

Maki wants Matsumoto to dance and do her pose as the match starts, which she does, but then Matsumoto kicks Maki in the gut. Maki applies a wristlock and poses again, giving Matsumoto time to knee her in the stomach. Matsumoto shrugs off a dropkick and throws down Maki by her hair, double kneedrop by Matsumoto and she rakes Maki’s face in the ropes. Chops by Matsumoto and she hits a scoop slam, cover by Maki but it gets two. Maki slides away from Matsumoto and applies a sleeper, but Matsumoto slams her into the corner to break it up. Armdrag by Maki and she applies a crucifix pin, Matsumoto kicks out and breaks Maki with a backbreaker. Body Avalanche by Matsumoto and she puts Maki in an Argentine Backbreaker, leading to Maki submitting! Matsumoto wins the match.

If I had to describe Maki as succinctly as possible, I would call her “full of energy but unpolished.” The crowd likes her, she has a bubbly personality and some bendy moves, but she is still early in her career in terms of some of the finer points of wrestling. Course she is still young and that is why she is wrestling early on the card, to gain some experience. Matsumoto is great of course and seemed to be having a great time also, but either way it was just a short opening-style match. A few cute spots though.

Diosa Atenea, Kagetsu, and Kimura vs. Mimura, Kyouna, and Watanabe

Atenea refuses to shake hands with the rookies, and quickly regrets her decision as all three of the rookies jump her. Atenea gets hit with many dropkicks but Atenea regains the advantage on Momo and kicks her out of the ring. Oedo Tai beats the rookies around the ring while Atenea returns with Momo, elbow by Atenea and she tags Kimura. Kimura throws Watanabe around by her hair before tagging in Kagetsu, as Momo plays the role of Face in Peril. Watanabe dropkicks Kimura and makes the hot tag to Kyouna, and Kyouna shoulderblocks all the members of Oedo Tai. Crossbody by Mimura (with help from Kyouna), but Oedo Tai gets all the rookies into submission holds. Atenea stays in with Kyouna and they trade elbows, kicks by Atenea but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam. Momo returns but Atenea tags Kagetsu, she goes for a swandive dropkick but Watanabe runs under it. Watanabe hits an armdrag. Missile dropkick by Watanabe, and she makes the tag to Mimura. Dropkicks by Mimura and she hits a DDT, cover by Mimura but it gets two. Rolling leglock by Mimura but all of Oedo Tai runs in and breaks it up. They stay in to attack the rookies, Mimura is isolated and they slam her to the mat. Kyouna runs in and hits a triple crossbody, she goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody on Kagetsu. Kyouna picks up Mimura and drops her into Kagetsu, but Kimura breaks up the pin. Kagetsu gets a parking sign and hits all three of the rookies with it, Kimura returns and they both boot Mimura in the chest. Mimura fires back with elbows to Kagetsu but Kagetsu gets her on her shoulders and hits the Ebisu Drop for the three count! Oedo Tai win the match.

Its a good idea in these Oedo Tai matches for Kagetsu to get the final pin, since she is new to the promotion it helps put her over a bit as more than just a lackey. The match was fine, lots of solid action and the rookies continue to grow early in their careers. Since I adore Wolf and Act I don’t mind them cheating when applicable, and Kimura does a solid job of being the base of the group. Everyone got a bit of a chance to shine, no real memorable moments but a good midcard match that flowed well.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya

Alpha smashes Maya’s tiara before the match even starts to set the early tone, and Alpha immediately attacks Maya in the corner. They trade elbows until Alpha knocks Maya out of the ring, Maya gets a chair and sits down at ringside to re-group. Alpha grabs her by the hair but Maya hits Alpha in the head with the chair and covers her for two. Stomps by Maya and she clubs on Alpha’s chest, but Alpha finally blocks a shot and returns the favor. Big boot by Maya and she hits a second one, body avalanche by Maya and she hits an elbow drop for a two count. Maya goes to pick up Alpha but Alpha puts her in a triangle choke, but Maya gets a foot on the ropes. Vertical suplex by Alpha and she picks up Maya, but Maya slides away. Maya lariats Alpha out of the ring but Alpha pulls her out with her and throws her into the chairs at ringside. Alpha rams Maya into the apron, they battle up onto the stage and Female slams Maya onto the hard floor. Alpha gets Maya back into the ring but Maya blocks the Omega Slam and hits a lariat. DDT by Alpha, she picks up Maya but again Maya elbows herself free and hits a sidewalk slam for a two. Maya charges Alpha but Alpha levels her with a lariat, she picks up Maya and powerbombs her into the turnbuckles. Omega Plex by Alpha, and she picks up the three count! Alpha Female wins.

There were certainly some issues here, as Maya is limited and the pacing was off at times, but they did make up for it with some big moves. If this was the main event it would have been disappointing, but as a ‘special attraction’ monster gaijin collision and a change of pace match I thought it worked pretty well. Alpha is just so strong, I haven’t ever seen another wrestler hit moves to Maya like she does, and Maya was game for anything. A bit of a guilty pleasure match but definitely different from everything else on the card which is always a plus. I enjoyed it but no promises that you will, especially in a vacuum where it being a change of pace style match won’t matter as much.

(c) Santana Garrett vs. Kairi Hojo

They immediately start trading elbows and they take turns striking each other in the corner. Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett and she throws down Hojo by the hair, Hojo tosses Garrett out to the apron and slams Hojo into the turnbuckles, Garrett goes up top and flings Hojo out of the ring. Tope Suicida by Garrett, she pulls Hojo near the apron and puts her in a stretch hold while the referee tries to get her to let go. She eventually does and throws Hojo into the ring post before sliding her back into the ring. Garrett starts working on Hojo’s arm, Hojo goes up to the corner and goes to do her springboard move but she loses her balance and jumps out of the ring onto no one. That must have hurt. But she gets back into the ring like a trooper but Garrett kicks her in the face and covers Hojo for two. Shoulderblock and a neckbreaker by Hojo, she puts Garrett in a leg submission and then an arm submission before letting the hold go. Back up they trade elbows, Hojo goes off the ropes but Garrett catches her with a superkick. Enzuigiri by Garrett, but when get they back up Hojo levels her with a spear. Ikari by Hojo, she picks up Garrett and hits a Final Cut. Hojo goes up top but Garrett joins her, Hojo pushes Garrett into the Tree of Woe and hits a jumping footstomp to the chest. Hojo delivers the Sliding D and she covers Garrett for a two count. Hojo goes up top but Garrett blocks the Diving Elbow Drop and applies a short armbar. Garrett kicks Hojo in the head and drops her with a DDT, she nails the Shining Star Press but Hojo barely gets a shoulder up. After trading pin attempts, Garrett picks up Hojo and hits a handspring elbow, but Hojo catches her with a spinning double chop. Hojo picks up Garrett and hits a leg clutch bridging suplex, but Garrett kicks out. Hojo slams Garrett in front of the corner, she goes up top and delivers the Diving Elbow Drop for the three count! Kairi Hojo wins the match and the Wonder of Stardom Championship!

A very good match, not quite great in-ring wise but a necessary match to get the belt off of Garrett and continue Hojo’s storyline. I am not thrilled with every Stardom title (eight total) being held by three wrestlers but that is just where the promotion is right now, hopefully it gets resolved soon as the upper midcard is non-existent. The match itself was generally entertaining, Garrett doesn’t have a ton of chemistry with Hojo but they worked together pretty well and the crowd was into just about everything Hojo did. Good match with some emotional moments, but with some odd transitions and illogical decisions by both wrestlers that took it down a peg or two.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani

Before the match even starts, Iwatani asks that the match have no time limit, which Shirai agrees to. They go through an extended feeling out process as Iwatani is all business, Iwatani tries to elbow Shirai but Shirai has none of it and pulls her by the hair. Iwatani flips Shirai to the mat and kicks her repeatedly, Shirai gets back up and they run the ropes until Shirai dropkicks Iwatani out of the ring. Shirai gets a running start and then sails out onto Iwatani with a plancha suicida, she goes up top but Iwatani kicks her to send Shirai back to the floor. Diving plancha by Iwatani to the floor, she goes for a dragon suplex but Shirai reverses it and hits a German suplex onto the floor. Stiff kicks by Shirai before she rolls Iwatani back in and hits a slingshot footstomp. More kicks by Shirai and she dropkicks Iwatani in the head, dragon screw by Shirai and she hits a hard palm strike. Shirai stays in control on the mat and flings Iwatani in the corner before hitting a running double knee strike.

Iwatani comes back with an armdrag and a headscissors before drilling her with a dropkick. Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, she goes up top but Shirai throws her back down. Iwatani joins Shirai and guillotines her on the top rope, Shirai is leaned over the second rope and Iwatani hits a footstomp to her back. Iwatani goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, cover by Iwatani but it gets two. Iwatani goes for the dragon suplex but Shirai blocks it and she hits a German suplex of her own for a two count cover. Iwatani kicks Shirai but Shirai blocks the hurricanrana and applies a crab hold. Iwatani gets into the ropes, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she hits the swandive dropkick for two. Armtrap Crossface by Shirai, but Iwatani gets out of it and kicks her in the head. Palm strikes by Shirai but Iwatani catches her with a pair of superkicks, but Shirai catches her from behind and hits a big suplex. Texas Cloverleaf by Shirai, she picks up Iwatani and she delivers a tombstone piledriver.

Shirai goes up top but Iwatani avoids the moonsault, high kick by Iwatani and Shirai rolls to the apron. Iwatani joins her on the apron, she picks up Shirai and and nails a dragon suplex! Shirai flops to the floor and lands on her head for extra measure, Iwatani rolls back in the ring while Shirai slowly regains her bearing and barely makes the count. Iwatani hits a German suplex hold as soon as Shirai returns, but she gets a two count. Iwatani goes for the reverse hurricanrana but Shirai blocks it, frog splash by Iwatani but it gets a two as well. Dragon suplex hold by Iwatani, but Shirai barely gets a shoulder up. She goes for another one but Shirai blocks it and hits a tiger suplex. Package German suplex hold by Shirai, she goes up top and nails the moonsault for the three count! Io Shirai is still the champion!

Being the company ace has both its advantages and disadvantages. Io Shirai has to always be at the top of her game, luckily she is always up for the challenge as in the last year she has pretty much developed into the perfect character. She manages to still be pleasant but deadly serious and deadly accurate with her moves, she isn’t a heel but rather just really confident in her abilities and she pulls it off as well as anyone in wrestling. Iwatani was wrestling as the underdog all match, as her ‘big match’ moves couldn’t get her the win and she made a few miscues here and there. The only complaint about the match would just be that Io took so much damage and came back quickly to win but that is just who she is, if you are going to beat Io you will either have to sneak out a win or kill her, just normal moves aren’t going to do the trick. Mayu is still young, she’ll get more chances, so a loss here doesn’t hurt her or her story. An incredible match that had all the elements I look for in wrestling, just a must see.  Highly Recommended

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Event: Stardom “Golden Week Stars #2”
Date: May 8th, 2016
Location: Saitama Prefectural Industrial Center in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 235

The final event before Stardom’s big show at Korakuen Hall on May 15th! This is a particularly small offering by Stardom, with only four scheduled matches, but since it is the last event to help promote the upcoming title matches there is still some significance. In the last match, with future opponents teaming up I assume something interesting is bound to happen. Here is the full card:

• Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Starlight Kid
• Diosa Atenea and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett
• Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Kairi Hojo and Hiromi Mimura
• Alpha Female and Queen Maya vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani

A unique variety here with a main event that won’t go well, let’s see how it works out.

Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid begin the match and they go back and forth with armdrags, they trade elbows until Starlight Kid hits a monkey flip. Dropkick by Starlight Kid and she kicks Azumi in the face, Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle but Azumi avoids her dive and puts her in La Magistral for a two count. Roll-up by Azumi but Starlight Kid reverses it and hits a standing moonsault for the three count! Starlight Kid gets the pin and a point.

Yoneyama enters the ring to face off with Starlight Kid, dropkicks by Starlight Kid and she puts Yoneyama in a crab hold. Starlight Kid stomps on Yoneyama and hits a standing moonsault, she hits a frog splash off the second turnbuckle but the pin attempt gets two. Yoneyama blocks the Shiranui  and hits an atomic drop, standing senton by Yoneyama and she puts Starlight Kid in a Giant Swing. Crab hold by Yoneyama and Starlight Kid submits! Yoneyama gets a point.

Azumi returns to square off with Yoneyama, Yoneyama chops Azumi but Azumi sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Crab hold by Azumi but Yoneyama gets to the ropes, senton by Azumi but Yoneyama hits a delayed scoop slam. Starlight Kid trips Yoneyama from the floor, dropkick by Azumi and she suplexes Yoneyama for a two count. Yoneyama blocks the La Magistral attempt and throws Azumi to the mat, but Starlight Kid grabs Yoneyama from the apron which gives Azumi time to apply a Wing Clutch Hold. Yoneyama rolls out of it however and she holds down Azumi for a three count! Yoneyama has two victories and wins the match!

A simple match, although Starlight Kid getting a pinfall is different since she typically doesn’t win anything. I did like that Starlight Kid was cheating for Azumi during the last fall, as if Azumi had pinned Yoneyama it would have given Starlight Kid a chance to win the match. Just a basic opener.

Diosa Atenea and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett

Atenea and Garrett start off, but Kimura immediately attacks Garrett from behind. Matsumoto comes in and helps Garrett even the odds, and Garrett hits the Space Rolling Elbow in the corner. Oedo Tai regains the advantage as the action spills out of the ring, and Atenea bites Garrett in the head. Atenea and Garrett get back in the ring, lariat by Garrett and she covers Atenea for two. Atenea elbows Garrett and tags Kimura, Kimura grabs Garrett and throws her around the ring by her hair. Kimura spanks Garrett in the ropes and then jumps down on her back before tagging in Atenea. Jumping lariat by Atenea and she puts Garrett in a wristlock before tagging Kimura back into the ring. Kimura works over Garrett’s arm but Garrett snaps off a hurricanrana and makes the hot tag to Matsumoto. Matsumoto clears the ring before throwing Oedo Tai in one corner and hitting a body avalanche.

Matsumoto goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Kimura gets away from Matsumoto and kicks her in the head, they trade running strikes until Kimura applies an Octopus Hold. Kimura tags Atenea and she armdrags Matsumoto, Matsumoto flips Atenea out to the apron but Atenea comes back in the ring with an diving armdrag. Matsumoto slams Atenea to the mat and tags Garrett, Garrett and Atenea trade blows until Garrett hits a flying headscissors. Superkick by Garrett but Kimura blocks the Shining Star Press, allowing Atenea to cover Garrett for a two. Kimura comes in with a rod and hits Garrett in the head with it, Atenea grabs Garrett with Kimura and they double team Garrett in the corner. Atenea puts Garrett in the Scorpion Deathlock but Matsumoto breaks it up. Garrett kicks Atenea, Garrett gets on Matsumoto’s back (with Kimura) and Matsumoto hits a double kneedrop on Atenea. Matsumoto powerbombs Atenea, Shining Star Press by Garrett and she gets the three count! Garrett and Matsumoto are the winners.

I have determined that Atenea isn’t gelling very well in Stardom. That isn’t to say she is a bad wrestler as it is a different style, but there were a few things here that didn’t quite line up correctly. Beyond that the match was fine, nothing special but nothing offensive. Garrett looked good, she seems to be getting more accustomed to the Stardom style which is a shame in a way as I don’t think she will be in Stardom much longer. Just a decent midcard match.

Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Kairi Hojo and Hiromi Mimura

The rookies Mimura and Kyouna kick things off and they trade holds until Mimura hits a dropkick, but she misses her next one and both wrestlers tag out. Hojo and Watanabe go off the ropes, Watanabe pancakes one too many times and Hojo hits a footstomp on her back. They trade quick pins with no luck before facing off again, Kyouna and Mimura both come in the ring but JKGReeeeN stack their opponents in the corner for some double teaming. Mimura is chopped by both wrestlers in the ropes, scoop slam by Watanabe and she tags Kyouna. Kyouna puts Mimura in a crab hold, Hojo throws her a rope to try to help her to the ropes but Kyouna has none of that and breaks it up. Mimura gets away and hits a low crossbody to Kyouna, giving her time to tag in Hojo. Hojo chops Kyouna in the chest, shoulderblock by Hojo and when Kyouna runs in she eats a springboard elbow smash. Mimura comes in and Hojo catapults off of her with an elbow strike. They bring in their rope and tie up Kyouna and Watanabe, they get free after a moment and Kyouna catches Hojo with a powerslam.

Kyouna picks up Hojo and puts her in the corner and hits a body avalanche, Kyouna stomps Hojo but Hojo catches her with a spear. Hojo tags Mimura, dropkick by Mimura and she connects with another one to Kyouna. Rolling leglock by Mimura but Kyouna eventually makes it to the ropes, big lariat by Kyouna and she covers Mimura for two. Kyouna tags Watanabe, stomps by Watanabe to Mimura and she dropkicks Mimura in the corner. Another dropkick and she hits a series of vertical suplexes, but Mimura quickly rolls her up for two. Watanabe and Mimura trade elbows, Mimura tries for a few more quick pinning situations but all get a two. Kyouna comes in when Hojo does and tosses her to the mat, Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle and hits Mimura with a missile dropkick. Watanabe gets on Kyouna’s shoulders and hits a double kneedrop, but Hojo breaks up the cover. Watanabe picks up Mimura but Mimura wiggles away and tags in Hojo. Diving elbow smash by Hojo and she hits a double chop to Watanabe’s chest for a two count. Kyouna kicks Hojo from the apron and then comes in to further help, double vertical suplex to Hojo and Watanabe covers her for two. Somato by Watanabe to Hojo, but Mimura breaks up the cover. Kyouna comes in, Mimura hits a crossbody and Hojo dropkicks them over. Spinning chop by Hojo to Watanabe, Mimura returns and Hojo nails Watanabe with a Sliding D. Mimura takes care of Kyouna while Hojo goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the Diving Elbow Drop for the three count! The Kai-Hiro Pirates win!

This match got a lot more time than I was expecting, and they used it pretty well. Since all four are familar with each other it was a pretty smooth match, a few very minor hiccups but nothing major which is all you can ask for with a group with so little experience. I love the teamwork in these matches, and Watanabe is really in her element in tag team matches as sometimes she loses her way a bit in longer singles matches. An entertaining match, and it gave Hojo something as she takes the older but less experienced Mimura under her wing.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female and Queen Maya vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani

Alpha and Iwatani begin the match for their respective teams, Alpha quickly gets the advantage which brings in Shirai and Maya. Maya gets Shirai on her back as they both apply backbreakers, Maya eventually lets Shirai go and Iwatani hits a headscissors on Alpha. Sunset flip by Iwatani and she rolls up Alpha again, but both times Alpha kicks out. Iwatani tags Shirai, and Alpha elbows Shirai hard in the chest. Maya tags herself in which pisses off Alpha so they are the first team to get annoyed with each other, which leads to Maya getting double teamed by Iwatani and Shirai in the corner. Iwatani charges Maya but Maya pulls Shirai in front of her, causing Shirai to hit Iwatani by accident. Shirai and Iwatani regain themselves and both dropkick Maya, but Maya avoids the next double team move. Alpha is still mad at Maya and comes in to elbow her, leading to them fighting in the corner. The referee has seen enough from them and calls the match off, leading to a No Contest.

Shirai gets on the microphone and says that is not a satisfactory ending, and since neither teams were in sync that they should re-start the match but with different partners. She picks Alpha (smart!), so now we are getting a new match!

Alpha Female and Io Shirai vs. Queen Maya and Mayu Iwatani

This gives her time to tag in Alpha while Maya is also tagged in, lariats by Alpha and she slams both Maya and Iwatani. Suplex by Alpha to Maya and then she suplexes Iwatani onto Maya. Alpha pounds on Iwatani’s chest and chokes her in the ropes, she puts Iwatani in a backbreaker before throwing her into the corner. Alpha tags Shirai, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she hits a swandive dropkick. Shirai hits a footstomp on Iwatani and hits a dragon screw, Iwatani goes for a dragon suplex but Shirai blocks it. Leglock by Shirai but Iwatani gets to the ropes, back up Iwatani slaps Shirai but Shirai slaps her back. Palm strikes by Shirai but Iwatani drops her with a Sling Blade. Kick to the head by Iwatani and she makes the hot tag to Maya. Maya knocks Alpha off the apron, she grabs Shirai but Shirai kicks Maya in the head. Running double knee by Shirai in the corner, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Maya elbows her and joins Shirai up top. Alpha comes in too and powerbombs Maya, Shirai hits a moonsault but Iwatani breaks up the cover. Maya tries to kick Shirai but boots Iwatani by accident, Maya chokeslams Shirai and covers her for two. Maya elbows Alpha and picks up Shirai, but Shirai slides away and Alpha lariats Maya. German suplex hold by Shirai, and she picks up the three count! Alpha Female and Io Shirai are the winners!

For a ‘storyline’ match this was fine, but for in-ring action it was probably the worst Stardom main event of 2016. Any match with Io Shirai and Iwatani is going to be good, and Alpha Female is a guilty pleasure of mine, but with such a strong focus on having the teammates turn on each other it took a bit of the rhythm out of the match. It was too foreshadowed what was going to happen so it didn’t come across as a surprise, and they should have just made the final pairing the original pairing. The Iwatani/Shirai parts were well done as they work really well together, it just wasn’t a very exciting main event. It served its general purpose but overall a bit disappointing.  Mildly Recommended

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Event: Stardom “Golden Week Stars #1”
Date: May 3rd, 2016
Location: Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 310

Stardom has finally started a new tour, as after the Cinderella Tournament we are moving in a new direction. This is a pretty laid back show, as events at Shin-Kiba 1st RING tend to be, with no title matches. The biggest match is the main event, which acted as a Prelude to their big show at Korakuen Hall on May 15th. Here is the card:

• Alpha Female vs. Azumi, Hiromi Mimura, and Starlight Kid
• Alex Lee vs. Diosa Atenea vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Momo Watanabe
• Jungle Kyouna and Queen Maya vs. Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura
• Io Shirai and Santana Garrett vs. Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani

This is a quick one, lots of opportunities for the rookies though.

Alpha Female vs. Azumi, Hiromi Mimura, and Starlight Kid

Mimura is the first one in but she quickly changes her mind and tags in Azumi. She has no luck either and tags Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid goes for dropkicks but Alpha doesn’t budge. Mimura and Azumi both come in but Alpha fights them off and drops Azumi to the mat. Mimura dropkicks Alpha and Azumi hits a DDT while Alpha is on her knees. Backflip into a moonsault by Starlight Kid, all three cover Alpha but it only gets two. Alpha gets back on her feet, Mimura tries to slam her which obviously doesn’t work. Slam by Alpha and she elbows Mimura into the corner, Azumi and Starlight Kid come in but Alpha throws all three in the corner. Alpha charges in, but Starlight Kid and Azumi move so she only splashes Mimura. Azumi hits Alpha with a chair which gives Mimura a chance to apply her rolling leglock, Starlight Kid comes in and hits Alpha with a pole. Alpha gets to the ropes, Azumi dropkicks Alpha but Alpha swats her away. Azumi escapes and tags Starlight Kid, high kick by Azumi and they all try to lift Alpha, but they can’t. Fuka (!!!) gets on the apron and comes in to help, and together all four are able pick up Alpha and toss her to the mat. Body press by Starlight Kid, but Alpha kicks out. Starlight Kid applies a sleeper while Mimura get her chain, but Alpha shakes off Starlight Kid and tosses Mimura to the mat by the chain instead. Lariat by Alpha, Azumi and Starlight Kid come in but Alpha stacks them on top of Mimura and sits on all three for the three count! Alpha Female wins!

Honestly this match was more entertaining than it had any right to be on paper. It wasn’t a squash in the traditional sense of the word as The Rookies had several two counts and had Alpha off her feet on a few occasions, which is a few more than I was expecting. Seeing Fuka come into the ring was fun, she is one of the trainers so it made sense she would come into help her young trainees against a much larger opponent. Just a fun little opener but it gave everyone a chance to shine and was very effective.  Mildly Recommended

Alex Lee vs. Diosa Atenea vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Atenea is double teamed to start but Yoneyama quickly turns on Lee and stomps down both of her opponents. Lee boots Yoneyama out of the ring but Atenea avoids Lee’s missile dropkick and puts her in a stretch hold. Yoneyama returns and trades armdrags with Atenea, Yoneyama rolls up Atenea but Lee breaks it up. Yoneyama and Lee trade elbows, jumping knee by Lee and she hits a double underhook suplex for a two count. Lee applies a short armbar but Atenea breaks it up, Lee kicks both Atenea and Yoneyama and hits a double dropkick. La Magistral by Atenea to Lee but it is broken up, superkick by Lee to Atenea and Lee suplexes Atenea. Armbar by Lee to Atenea and she puts her in a cross armbreaker, but Yoneyama covers Lee and gets the three count! Kaori Yoneyama is the winner.

Not a whole lot to say about this one, just a simple triple threat that was just what you’d expect. Not a great sign that Atenea is already in these types of matches, she may end up just being a one-and-done gaijin invader. Very skippable.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Momo Watanabe

Watanabe doesn’t waste any time as she attacks Matsumoto before the bell rings, dropkicks by Watanabe but Matsumoto finally has enough and gives the kid a hard elbow. Matsumoto stands on Watanabe near the ropes and hits mounted elbows before putting her in a triangle choke. Watanabe gets into the ropes to get the break, she comes back with elbows but Matsumoto kicks her in the head. Matsumoto goes up top but Watanabe elbows her and she hits a dropkick followed by a double knee strike. Watanabe gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she gets on the second turnbuckle again but Matsumoto reverses the tornado DDT into a delayed vertical suplex. Body avalanche by Matsumoto in the corner, and she covers Watanabe for two. Matsumoto and Watanabe trade elbows, an exchange Watanabe doesn’t fare well in, Matsumoto goes for a backdrop suplex but Mom reverses it into a roll-up for two. Watanabe kicks Matsumoto in the chest but Matsumoto fires back with a roaring elbow. Big lariat by Matsumoto, she delivers the backdrop suplex and Matsumoto picks up the three count! The winner is Hiroyo Matsumoto.

The best thing about this match is that everything was smooth. In a few other recent Watanabe matches she has seemed off in a few places, which is expected but still notable. Here there were no such issues, everything was really fluid and Matsumoto led the kid pretty well. Watanabe got in a bit of offense but was never on the cusp of winning as she never had a series of impact moves in a row, which is a bit of a shame but not too surprising since Matsumoto is ranked well above Watanabe. A fun mid-card match but not much more than that.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyouna and Queen Maya vs. Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura

Maya and Kagetsu start the match with Maya taunting Kagetsu, Kimura comes in and puts Kagetsu on her shoulders so she is the same size as Maya and together they fight her off. Double dropkick to Maya but Mays drops Kagetsu with a backdrop suplex before tagging in Kyouna. Kimura tags in too, Kyouna is pulled out of the ring and everyone brawls out on the floor. Kimura and Kyouna return after a moment, and Oedo Tai poses with her up on the apron. Kagetsu is tagged back in and she dropkicks Kyouna, Kimura returns and she starts working on Kyouna’s leg. Kyouna fights back with elbows, she tries to shoulderblock Kimura over but Kimura spits in her face. Kyouna finally manages to knock her off her feet and tags in Maya, Maya boots Kimura but Kimura boots her back. Sidewalk slam by Maya, and she covers Kimura for two.

Maya goes for a chokeslam but Kimura blocks it and tags Kagetsu. Swandive missile dropkick by Kagetsu and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner, she tries to pick up Maya but Maya elbows her off. Big spear by Kagetsu, she picks up Maya but Maya boots her away and hits a scoop slam. Swinging side slam by Maya and she tags in Kyouna, shoulderblocks by Kyouna and she catches Kagetsu with a powerslam for a two count. Backbreaker by Kyouna but Kagetsu uses the referee to get out of it, Kyouna goes to shoulderblock her but Kagetsu pulls the referee in front. Kimura comes in with a metal rod and starts hitting people, but she hides it before the referee recovers. Samoan Drop by Kagetsu, but Maya breaks up the cover. Maya then lariats both Kagetsu and Kimura, chokeslam by Maya to Kagetsu and Kyouna gets on her shoulders to hit a diving body press for two. Act comes up and spits Sake at Maya, Kagetsu hits a sign and hits Kyouna in the head with it. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu and Kyoko Kimura are the winners.

A good and effective match, although not necessarily memorable. There were a handful of really nice spots here, such as Kyouna hitting the splash off of Maya’s shoulders, although I have to say it was a bit odd for Maya to suddenly be on the ‘good guy’ side after being the monster heel during her run in Stardom dating back to last summer. The beatdown on Kyouna was fine but generally uninspired, I did like the ending though with as usual Act getting involved and Kagetsu cheating to win. I don’t mind having a heel cheating faction in any promotion, as long as it doesn’t get too out of hand as it adds some variety to the cards. Overall a decent match, and again I am glad to see Oedo Tai picking up some wins here in the midcard.

Io Shirai and Santana Garrett vs. Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani

Hojo and Iwatani jump their opponents before the match even starts, they knock their opponents out of the ring and Hojo hits a jumping elbow off the apron. Iwatani then goes up top and delivers a diving crossbody down onto both Shirai and Garrett. Hojo and Garrett return to the ring, Iwatani comes in too and Garrett is double teamed. Hojo continues the beating of Garrett, she tags in Iwatani and Iwatani picks up where Hojo left off. Iwatani kicks Garrett repeatedly, Hojo returns and she elbows Garrett into the corner. Garrett fights back and kicks Hojo into the corner, Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett and she kicks Hojo in the chest. Garrett makes the hot tag to Shirai, Iwatani comes in too and she gets into it with Shirai which gives Hojo a chance to recover. Shirai smacks Iwatani to the mat and then dropkicks Hojo, catapult elbow by Shirai as she jumps off of Hojo to hit the move but Hojo blocks the double underhook facebuster. Garrett knees Hojo from the apron to help Shirai get back into control, she puts Hojo in a stretch hold while Garrett does the same to Iwatani. Shirai stomps down Hojo in the corner but Hojo hits a big spear when Shirai charges in for the double knee. Hojo tags Iwatani, Iwatani and Shirai trade elbows until Iwatani hits a headscissors.

Shirai avoids Iwatani’s dropkick and stands on her throat, more kicks by Shirai and she puts Iwatani in the armtrap crossface. Iwatani makes it to the ropes, she avoids Shirai’s Tiger Feint Kick and drills her with a dropkick while Shirai is against the ropes. Iwatani goes for the dragon suplex but Shirai elbows out of it, high kick by Iwatani and she hits a superkick. Another one by Iwatani and she hits a third, again Shirai gets out of the dragon suplex and Shirai drops Iwatani with a German suplex hold for two. Garrett and Hojo are both tagged in and trade strikes, Garrett rolls Hojo into a pin attempt but Iwatani breaks it up. Hojo goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop, she is slow to cover which gives Shirai time to break it up. Hojo puts Garrett in a stretch hold, Iwatani goes up top and hits a diving footstomp onto Garrett’s midsection. Garrett is set up in the Tree of Woe, Hojo goes up top but Shirai comes over and pulls Hojo off the top turnbuckle while simultaneously hitting a swandive missile dropkick on Iwatani. Shirai is truly the best in the world. Garrett goes up top and hits a diving crossbody on Hojo, but it gets two.Rolling vertical by Garrett into a DDT, she goes for the Shining Star Press but Hojo grabs her leg and Iwatani hits an enzuigiri. Iwatani goes to kick Garrett but kicks Hojo by accident, Shirai runs in and she hits a tombstone piledriver on Iwatani but landing on top of Hojo. Shirai goes up top and hits a moonsault, Shining Star Press by Garrett and she gets the three count! Garrett and Shirai win the match.

I am at the point now that when I watch a Stardom main event, I am just so focused on Io Shirai that sometimes I forget about everyone else. Which isn’t really fair since all four of these wrestlers are great, but Shirai’s presence just tends to dominate. This is the best that Garrett has looked in Stardom, she was still a bit clunky in parts but that is only in comparison to three wrestlers that are more comfortable beating the crap out of each other since they have been doing it for years.  Lots of hard hits, smooth action, and Iwatani slowly tapping into her inner evil knowing that is what she will need to beat the Ace. Overall a great main event, which is the status quo for Stardom.  Recommended

The post Stardom Golden Week Stars #1 on 5/3/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Cinderella Tournament 2016”
Date: April 29th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1050

The Cinderella Tournament is a massive one day tournament in Stardom, with 16 participants. The tournament is single elimination, and every match has a ten minute time limit (except the Final, which is 30 minutes). If the time limit expires, both wrestlers are eliminated from the tournament. Also, wrestlers can win not only by pinfall and submission, but also by throwing their opponent over the top rope. Here are all the First Round matches:

• Dark Match: Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid (winner is inserted into the tournament vs. Kyoko Kimura)
• Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou
• Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett
• Kyoko Kimura vs. TBD (Dark Match Winner)
• Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu
• Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya
• Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai

Just as a warning, with a ten minute time limit and multiple matches in one night, some of these matches will be really short. Also, keep in mind that if both wrestlers in a match are eliminated, their opponent in the next round gets a Bye, so we may not get the full slate of matches as there will no doubt be a Draw or two along the way.

Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid begin and trade wristlocks, they then exchange elbows but both miss their dropkicks. They tag out, Yoneyama avoids Nishina’s charge as Azumi comes in and they double team Nishina. Nishina and Yoneyama trade elbows, Nishina avoids Yoneyama’s charge this time and she hits a dropkick. Face crusher by Nishina and she hits a dropkick, covering Yoneyama for two. Nishina tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid tries to dropkick Yoneyama over but is not successful. Drop toehold by Starlight Kid and she hits the Tiger Feint Kick, Shiranui by Starlight Kid to Yoneyama and she covers her for two. Starlight Kid tries to slam Yoneyama but Yoneyama reverses it and tags in Azumi. Azumi and Starlight Kid trade elbows until Azumi hits a dropkick, vertical suplex by Azumi and she gets a two count cover. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and Nishina runs in with a Somato to Azumi. Starlight Kid goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, but Yoneyama breaks up the pin. Yoneyama stacks Nishina and Starlight Kid on top of each other and drags Azumi to her corner so she can tag in. She does so, Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama to Starlight Kid and she gets the three count! Yoneyama wins the match and is in the Cinderella Tournament!

About as good as one can hope for from a four minute opening match. The concept made no sense, if only one wrestler could go on in the tournament, why would a wrestler ever tag out or even allow their own teammate to attempt a pin? Probably should have been a four way. But the action was fine and the ‘right’ wrestler won since Yoneyama probably deserved to be in the tournament in the first place.

 
Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou

Kyouna has a new outfit, so you know that she means business. She attacks Anou right from the start and stomps her into the corner, she goes for a body avalanche but Anou moves. Anou and Kyouna trade elbows, dropkick by Anou and she hits a shoulderblock. Anou starts working on Kyouna’s leg and puts her in a figure four leglock, but Kyouna makes it to the ropes. Sidewalk slam by Anou, but the cover gets two. Anou goes for the fisherman suplex but Anou blocks it, sunset flip by Anou but Kyouna kicks out. Anou goes off the ropes but Kyouna hits a shoulderblock, lariats by Kyouna and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but Anou recovers. Anou tries to push her off and over the top rope, but Kyouna blocks it so Anou hits her rolling fisherman suplexes instead for a near three count. Anou picks up Kyouna and slaps her, she goes off the ropes but Kyouna catches her with a lariat. Kyouna slams Anou, she goes up top and she nails the diving body press for the three count! Jungle Kyouna wins and advances in the tournament.

An issue we will see throughout the entire tournament is the time limit, but it didn’t matter too much here since rookie matches are generally short anyway. I thought this was a really solid match from these two, it was to the point but everything made sense and was hit well. These two have gotten pretty familar with each other, which is always a plus, and while Anou’s random leg work didn’t end up meaning anything it made sense she’d try to take out the larger wrestler’s base. Good way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett

After some quick limb work, armdrag by Garrett and she dropkicks Lee to the mat. Lee comes back with a superkick, she snapmares Garrett and kicks her hard in the back for a two count cover. Kicks by Lee in the corner and she hits a scoop slam, another slam by Lee but the pin gets another two. Lee applies a short armbar but Garrett gets to the ropes, Lee goes for a suplex but Garrett knees out of it and elbows Lee against the ropes. Irish whip by Garrett and she hits a lariat, another lariat by Garrett and she hits a side Russian leg sweep. Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett, Lee hits a few knees but Garrett kicks her back to the mat. Lee avoids the superkick and hits a high kick of her own, cover by Lee but it gets two. Lee gets on the second turnbuckle but Garrett avoids the missile dropkick, superkick by Garrett and she nails the Shining Star Press for the three count!  Garrett is the winner and advances in the tournament.

Not a whole lot to this one, they kept the pace up but since it was a sub-five minute match you would expect that. The action was fine and the right wrestler won, since Garrett holds a title they needed to get her out of the first round, and Lee was a safe person to beat since she is an opener wrestler. Not a bad watch but nothing exciting or memorable about it.

Kyoko Kimura vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Yoneyama attacks Kimura from behind and hits the Chaos Theory, but Kimura kicks out of the pin attempt. Yoneyama tries more quick pins with no luck, kick to the head by Yoneyama but Kimura catches her with a choke. Yoneyama gets out of it by pushing off the ropes but Kimura quickly applies a sleeper, Yoneyama rolls out of it and she knees Kimura in the back of the head. Knee to the face by Yoneyama, and she covers Kimura for a two count. Big boot by Kimura, she goes off the ropes and hits another big boot, but Yoneyama bridges out of the pin. Yoneyama goes off the ropes but Kimura catches her with another big boot and picks up the three count! Kimura wins the match and advances in the tournament.

I think I can say without much hesitation that this was the best two minute match I have ever seen. I mean sure you’d like to see them go longer, but from the Chaos Theory to the vicious boots at the end everything was really entertaining. While you hate to see a veteran like Yoneyama go down that quickly, at least it took some hard hits to knock her out, and they both hit their moves so crisply. A really fun match, wish it went a few more minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe

They both go for dropkicks to start the match with no luck, Hojo stomps Watanabe down in the corner but Watanabe comes back and connects with a dropkick. Camel Clutch by Watanabe, she picks up Hojo but Hojo blocks the suplex. Hojo and Watanabe trade elbows, Hojo chops Watanabe to the mat and she covers her for two. Hojo chops Watanabe into the corner and she hits a running shoulder tackle followed by a neckbreaker for a two count cover. Crab hold by Hojo, but Watanabe crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Hojo stomps on Watanabe’s back and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Watanabe shakes the ropes and dropkicks Hojo out of the corner. Missile dropkick by Watanabe but Hojo avoids the Somato, elbow by Hojo but Watanabe returns fire. Watanabe ducks the rolling chop and hits the rolling vertical suplexes, cover by Watanabe but it gets two. Somato by Watanabe, but Hojo barely kicks out of the pin. Hojo clubs Watanabe and connects with the spinning chop, Irish whip by Hojo and she delivers the spear for two. Backfist by Hojo, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Hojo is the winner and advances in the tournament.

I had to laugh at Watanabe missing the first time she tried to knock Hojo off the top, that type of mistake is easier to accept when you’re dealing with a 16 year old. This was a good match, fast paced and besides the aforementioned spot everything synced up well. Watanabe is easy to root for, being the underdog, but Hojo was just too much for her as Watanabe isn’t ready to pin someone on her level. I am surprised she made no attempt to throw Hojo over the top rope as that is really the only logical way she could have won this match. Overall a fun match between two high energy wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani

Mimura dropkicks Iwatani before the match starts to get the quick advantage, small package by Hiromi but it gets a two count. Iwatani briefly takes back over but Mimura rolls her up a few more times, but she isn’t able to secure a three count. Iwatani kicks Mimura but Mimura fires back with elbows, Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani but it gets two. Iwatani goes to the second turnbuckle but Mimura avoids the footstomp, roll-up by Mimura but it gets two. Elevated DDT by Mimura, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving crossbody for two. La Magistral gets a two as well, Mimura goes off the ropes but Iwatani catches her with another suplex. Hard superkick by Iwatani, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp for two. Iwatani goes all the way up this time, she hits the frog splash and she picks up the three count! Iwatani wins and moves on in the tournament.

Perhaps a step down from the last few matches, however part of that was by design. Mimura kept trying for quick pins, which is a smart way to go about it but isn’t quite as much fun to watch as a back and forth match. Iwatani was bringing the pain here, with a really stiff kick and the footstomp, so clearly she wasn’t messing around. A fun quick match, but it didn’t click as well as many of the others in the first round.

 
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu

Kagetsu attacks Matsumoto before the match (recurring theme for underdogs), she tries to throw her over the top rope but Matsumoto holds on. Matsumoto fights off Act while hanging there, she pulls Kagetsu onto the apron with her and gets back in the ring. Kagetsu hops back into the ring and applies a small package, but it gets two. Kagetsu and Matsumoto trade elbows, which Matsumoto gets the better of, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu delivers a dropkick. Kagetsu pushes Matsumoto into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, missile dropkick by Kagetsu and she puts Matsumoto in a cross arm submission. Matsumoto reverses it into an elevated crab hold, but Kagetsu gets into the ropes. Matsumoto gets Kagetsu on her shoulders but Act helps from the apron, Kagetsu applies a schoolboy but it gets a two count. Samoan Drop by Kagetsu, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto gets away and rolls up Kagetsu for two. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, but Kagetsu barely gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu gets a bat and tosses it to Matsumoto, the referee tries to take it from her which gives Kagetsu time to connect with a high kick. Kagetsu gets the bat but Matsumoto blocks it when she goes to hit her, Matsumoto throws the bat back at her and hits a body avalanche against the ropes. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, and she gets the three count! Matsumoto wins the match and advances in the tournament.

A liked the structuring of this one, Kagetsu had a clear plan on how to score the upset and tried her best to utilize it. This is much better than two wrestlers going at it with neither thinking in advance on how they are going to pick up the win, even in the wrestling-world preparation is always a good thing. There was very little downtime, which is good since the match was short, and overall it was pretty enjoyable. Plus it kept my prediction alive which I appreciate on a personal level.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya

They start with a shoving match, they go into a Test of Strength until Maya knees Alpha in the stomach. Snapmare by Alpha and she clubs Maya in the chest, cover by Alpha but it gets two. Maya goes for a lariat but Alpha doesn’t go down, boot by Maya but Alpha hits a vertical suplex. Alpha picks up Maya and slams her to the mat, she charges her but Maya holds down the top rope and Alpha lands on the apron. Maya boots her back into the ring and picks up Alpha, but when she swings her around the referee is accidentally knocked out. Alpha puts Maya in an armtrap crossface, Maya taps but the referee is still out. Alpha looks at the referee, Maya has time to recover and she lariats Alpha over the top rope to the floor! Queen Maya wins the match and moves on the tournament.

A flat match, partially intentionally because (spoiler!) these two are signed to have a match after this one happened so the feud isn’t over yet. I am never a big fan of the ref bump/wrestler doesn’t notice/loses due to being confused thing, I know they needed a way to get one of these two monsters to lose but it didn’t really work for me. Accomplished its goal of continuing their feud, but not a great match.

Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai

Shirai goes right at Atenea but Atenea kicks her off and hits a hurricanrana. Armdrag by Atenea but Shirai tosses her out to the apron, she tries to knock her to the floor but Atenea hits her back and flips into the ring. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Atenea and she drops a few elbows onto Shirai’s back. Atenea puts Shirai in a submission hold but Shirai gets out of it and hits a double footstomp onto Atenea’s midsection. Back up they trade elbows, Atenea throws Shirai into the corner and swings her legs over the second rope before dropping her with an elbow. Atenea gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a body press, but it gets a two count. Atenea goes up again but Shirai avoids the senton, La Magistral by Shirai but Atenea gets a shoulder up. Running double knee by Shirai in the corner and she delivers the double underhook facebuster for two. Shirai goes for a suplex but Atenea elbows her off, Shirai hits a palm strike and this time she hits the German suplex hold for the three count! Io Shirai wins and advances.

Not Io’s best match, but what I did enjoy was one small detail I thought was great – Shirai immediately tried to throw Atenea over the top rope to get the quick win. Everyone should have been doing that, but very wrestlers were, meanwhile the Ace that doesn’t have to was trying it to save her energy for the next two rounds. Sometimes it is the little things. Beyond that I thought the match wasn’t much above average, it never really felt like it got going as the shorter time wasn’t used as well here as it was in other matches. Not bad but it could have been better.

It is time for the Quarterfinals! The matches weren’t shown in the same order as the brackets, so it doesn’t line up with the order I reviewed them above. Here are the matches:

• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna
• Queen Maya vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett
• Io Shirai vs. Kyoko Kimura

Let’s get right to the next round in the Cinderella Tournament.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna attacks Matsumoto before she can even get into the ring, she leaves the ring herself (not over the top of course) and throws Matsumoto around on the floor. Kyouna throws Matsumoto into the ring post before hitting a body avalanche, she slides Matsumoto back in the ring and hits a series of elbows. Matsumoto comes back with her own elbows but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam for two. Kyouna goes up top and hits a diving body press, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto blocks the lariat. Both wrestlers go for lariats, but Matsumoto sends Kyouna to the mat first. Sliding lariat by Matsumoto, and she picks up the three count! Matsumoto advances!

Like Kimura/Yoneyama, this was a high quality two minute match. While I don’t like seeing any wrestler lose in just two minutes, at least Kyouna went all out and held nothing back the two minutes she got. Matsumoto hit hard and often and needless to say it was very high paced. A fun match that worked well, even though I naturally would have liked a few more minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Queen Maya vs. Mayu Iwatani

Maya wants to lock knuckles but Iwatani stomps on her foot instead, she slides away from Maya’s lariats but her elbows have no impact. Maya throws Iwatani against the ropes, Iwatani goes for a springboard move but Maya catches her and throws her to the mat. Maya goes for a chokeslam but Iwatani elbows out of it, slap by Maya and she tries to chokeslam Iwatani over the top rope but she lands on the apron. Iwatani kicks Maya over the top rope, she gets on the turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Iwatani, but Maya quickly kicks out. Iwatani applies a sleeper but Maya flings Iwatani over her head to get out of it. Big chokeslam by Maya, she covers Iwatani but she is too cocky with it and Iwatani gets a shoulder up. Maya is mad, she picks up Iwatani and goes for another one, but Iwatani rolls her up for a two count. Quick crucifix pin by Iwatani before Maya can get up, and she picks up the three count! Iwatani wins and moves on to the next round.

The best word I can use to describe this match is ‘effective.’ It did exactly what it was trying to do, the story was clear but it was told well, with Maya bringing the strength while Iwatani tried to find sneaky ways to win. Maya has a killer chokeslam and Iwatani sells everything like death anyway, I think if they had a bit more time they could put on a pretty solid match. It accomplished its goal, probably not a great match in a vacuum but it worked in a tournament setting.

Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett

Hojo stomps on Garrett instead of shaking hands, she elbows Garrett down in the corner and delivers a Sliding D, but Garrett kicks out of the cover. Hojo goes for the Alabama Slam but Garrett blocks it, they trade elbows but neither gets an advantage. Monkey flip by Garrett and she holds down Hojo’s arms, but Hojo bridges out of the pin. Garrett throws Hojo into the corner and hits the Space Rolling Elbow, bulldog by Garrett and she covers Hojo for a two. Hojo comes back with a big spear, superkicks by Garrett and Hojo rolls out of the ring (under the bottom rope). Garrett gets a running start and sails out onto Hojo with a tope suicida (between the top and middle rope), she slams Hojo into the apron and slides her back in the ring. Vertical suplex by Garrett and she applies the Muta Lock, but Hojo gets a foot on the ropes. Garrett charges Hojo but Hojo moves, kick by Garrett and Hojo tries to run up the corner, but she slips. Hojo knocks down Garrett and tries again with a better result, as she hits a springboard elbow for two. Hojo applies a stretch hold but Garrett gets out of it, Final Cut by Hojo and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but Garrett recovers and hits her in the chest. Garrett goes for a headscissors but Hojo catches her and tosses her back to the mat. Hojo charges Garrett but Garrett gets her in a headscissors and tries to toss Hojo out of the ring. Hojo lands on the apron, Garrett goes to the apron also but Hojo kicks her so she is lying down on the apron. Garrett blocks the Sliding D attempt and tries to superkick Hojo off the apron, but Hojo hangs onto the ropes. She manages to get back in the ring, Garrett kicks Hojo in the head and covers her for two. DDT by Garrett, she goes for the Shining Star Press but Hojo grabs her leg and applies the Ikari. Garrett gets to the ropes, Hojo goes up top but Garrett avoids the diving elbow drop. Garrett goes for the cross armbreaker but Hojo wiggles to the ropes and forces a break. Hojo is up first and hits the spinning backfists, but the bell rings as time as expired. Both Hojo and Garrett are Eliminated from the tournament.

I went into this round thinking this one could steal the show, but it was a bit of the opposite. Garrett and Hojo are both great wrestlers, no doubt about that, but they have no chemistry to speak of. Besides the obvious mistakes there were some other just really awkward moments where they didn’t appear to be on the same page at all. When they were in sync, the action was great, but they weren’t in sync the whole match and it is just more noticeable when a match isn’t terribly long. I think (and hope) they will have a better match next time, it wasn’t that the match was bad, it just wasn’t up to either’s normal standard and was overall a disappointment.

Io Shirai vs. Kyoko Kimura

They start slow with wristlocks but things go up a notch as Kimura flings around Shirai by her hair. Shirai quickly rolls up Kimura for two, she hits a German suplex hold but it gets the same result. Kimura rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope, Shirai goes to do a dive but Act spits Sake at her from the apron before he can complete the dive. Kimura pulls Shirai out of the ring and throws her into a row of chairs, as the other members of Oedo Tai help. Back in the ring, Kimura gets a metal rod while Kagetsu comes into the ring and throws Shirai at the referee when his back is turned. Kagetsu hits Shirai with a bat, they both go off the ropes and boot Shirai in the chest. Kagetsu goes up top while Kimura picks up Shirai, and they both slam Shirai to the mat as the referee finally recovers. He gets Kagetsu out of the ring before starting his count, and Shirai gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu returns but Shirai backflips past them and dropkicks both out of the ring. She then goes out to the apron, Act runs over but Shirai boots her to the floor before hitting a moonsault down onto Kimura and Kagetsu. Shirai rolls Kimura back in and hits the swandive missile dropkick, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she goes up top, nailing the Rider Kick! Cover, but Kimura gets a shoulder up. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, she goes for a moonsault but Kimura gets both feet up. Back up, elbows by Kimura but Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana for two. Big boot by Kimura and she headbutts Shirai, covering her for a two count. Kimura tries to throw Shirai over the top rope but they both end up on the apron, where someone has set up a table on the floor nearby. They both walk onto the table, Kimura chokebombs Shirai onto the table which causes it to break and both crash to the floor. Kimura tries not to touch the floor in the process, but the referee says they hit the floor at the same time. Shirai and Kimura are both Eliminated.

A lot of different things going on in this match but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ending spot was unique, but what Kimura should have done was toss Shirai off the table as by hitting the move each of them did hit the floor at just about the same time, so the referee ruling was correct. Shirai having to fight off Oedo Tai was fun, I have no issue with the Ace having to overcome the odds and nothing felt over the line since Oedo Tai doesn’t have top tier wrestlers in it at the moment (besides Kimura). Shirai busting out the Rider Kick showed the importance of winning and it was pretty hectic from bell to bell. The ending was a bit odd, but still a really fun match and a good way to end the second round.  Mildly Recommended

Because two of the last four matches ended with both wrestlers being eliminated, there is no Semifinals as only Iwatani and Matsumoto survived the Quarterfinals. So we are going straight to the Finals, with Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto!

Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Iwatani won’t shake Matsumoto’s hand before the match and attacks her from behind, looks like Iwatani isn’t in the mood to place nice today. Iwatani avoids Matsumoto in the corner and hits a high kick followed by a spinning headscissors and a dropkick while Matsumoto is against the ropes. Iwatani hits the dragon suplex hold, but Matsumoto barely gets a shoulder up and rolls out of the ring. Iwatani goes up to the top turnbuckle but Matsumoto throws a chair at her, she then gets up on the apron and powerbombs Iwatani onto the apron. Iwatani flops out to the floor (she had gone under the top rope to get to the turnbuckle, so this did not eliminate her), Matsumoto goes after her and tosses her around at ringside. Matsumoto takes Iwatani up onto the stage and hits a backbreaker, she picks up Iwatani and throws her off the stage onto some of the Stardom rookies. They finally return to the ring, Matsumoto puts the dinosaur mask on Iwatani’s head and hits a body avalanche in the corner. Hilarious visual. Matsumoto goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Matsumoto puts Iwatani on her shoulders and applies a backbreaker, but Iwatani gets out of it and elbows Matsumoto.

Kick by Iwatani but Matsumoto hits a hard elbow, crucifix bomb by Iwatani but Matsumoto kicks out. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp, she hits another one and covers Matsumoto for two. She goes up top a third time but this time Matsumoto recovers and joins her, as she goes to the well one too many times. Iwatani jumps off the top and grabs Matsumoto from behind, and she hits a release dragon suplex. Iwatani goes up top  and goes for a body press, but Matsumoto gets her knees up. Matsumoto is up first and nails a powerbomb before putting Iwatani in an elevated crab hold. Iwatani gets to the ropes, Matsumoto picks up Iwatani and drops her with a gutbuster. Knee by Matsumoto and she goes off the ropes, but Iwatani catches her with a superkick. Two more superkicks by Iwatani but Matsumoto turns her inside out with a lariat. Iwatani slowly gets up near the ropes, Matsumoto charges her and lariats Iwatani onto the apron. Matsumoto tries to kick her off to the floor but Iwatani hangs onto the ropes, Matsumoto charges Iwatani but Iwatani flips over the top rope and hurricanranas Matsumoto onto the apron with her. Both wrestlers get up on the apron, having both gone over the top rope so if either fall to the floor they lose. High kick by Iwatani but Matsumoto blocks the headscissors attempt. Iwatani gets back in the ring as Matsumoto tries to hang on, dropkick by Iwatani and Matsumoto falls to the floor! Iwatani has won the match and is the winner of the 2016 Cinderella Tournament for the second straight year!

Post match, Iwatani goes to the back and puts on the Cinderella dress. She gets on the microphone and announces she is using her wish to challenge Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship, which was expected. Io Shirai and other wrestlers take their turns on the microphone, then Yoko Bito comes down! Yoko Bito was a former Stardom wrestler that was forced to retire due to injuries back in 2012, you can read more about her here. She announces her return to Stardom as the crowd roars, so we end the event with two title matches set up for next month (Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani and Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett) and the return of Yoko Bito to Stardom.

This was by far the best match of the tournament but it still had its issues. I can’t say I like the Finals having the same over-the-top rules, it makes sense during the tournament itself but I wish the Finals was just a regular match. I also didn’t love Iwatani twice hitting the dragon suplex since it has been a really well protected move, but both times here not only did it not get a pin but Matsumoto was back on offense pretty quickly. Those two minor complaints aside, this was a great match. Matsomoto is so violent, and yet quirky at the same time, I loved both the apron and stage spots as well as putting the dinosaur head onto Iwatani. Iwatani as the fiery youngster worked well, and her starting the match by sneaking up behind Matsumoto underscored the importance of the match and showed her understanding that she needed every advantage she could get. Really fun, I wish it had ended with a pinfall or submission but still worth going out of your way to see.  Recommended

The post Stardom Cinderella Tournament on 4/29/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

It is time for Stardom’s Cinderella Tournament! This is the second year Stardom has run the tournament, with the winner of the tournament being granted one wish (and gets to wear a pretty Cinderella dress). Last year’s winner, Mayu Iwatani, used her wish to challenge Kairi Hojo for the World of Stardom Championship, so the assumption is that the winner will challenge for one of Stardom’s titles. The Cinderella Tournament is a one-night tournament and this year has 16 participants. Every match in the tournament is a singles match with the following stipulations:

• Tournament is Single Elimination
• All matches up to the final have a 10 Minute Time Limit (Finals have a 30 Minute Time Limit)
• If the Time Limit expires, the match is a Draw and both wrestlers are Disqualified
• If both wrestlers are eliminated by Draw, their opponent in the next round gets a Bye
• Wrestlers can win by pinfall, submission, or throwing their opponent over the top rope

Aside from the dark match, the entire event on April 29th will be the tournament, so there will be a maximum of 15 matches (there will likely be less, since at least a match or two will end in a draw which will eliminate both wrestlers). Here are all the matches in order:

• Opening Tag Match: Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid (winner of this match will be inserted into the tournament)

First Round

• Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu
• Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai
• Kyoko Kimura vs. TBD (winner from opening tag match)
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya
• Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe
• Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett

Quarterfinals

• Kyouna/Anou vs. Matsumoto/Kagetsu
• Atenea/Shirai vs. Kimura/TBD
• Alpha/Maya vs. Iwatani/Mimura
• Garrett/Lee vs. Hojo/Watanabe

Semi-Finals

• Kyouna/Anou/Matsumoto/Kagetsu vs.  Atenea/Shirai/Kimura/TBD
• Alpha/Maya/Iwatani/Mimura vs. Garrett/Lee/Hojo/Watanabe

Finals

Tournament Predictions

Now that we got all the facts out of the way, who is going to win the tournament? Remember, with the time limit and ‘over the top’ elimination, there can be many upsets without the stars of the promotion taking a pin. There are a few different directions that Stardom can go, but here are my odds of each wrestler winning:

Jungle Kyouna (50:1) – Of all the rookies, Kyouna has the best chance of winning. She is the strongest of the three so she will be harder to toss over the top rope, and she is the toughest so she will not be easy to pin. Still, she faces an uphill battle only six months after debuting.

Saori Anou (250:1) – Anou is affiliated with Actress girl’Z, however she has been a constant in Stardom since last fall. She has never had a pinfall of any substance in Stardom, and since she is affiliated with a different promotion she is ranked on the same level as the Stardom rookies even though she has been wrestling longer than they have. Anou isn’t ready for a singles title shot at this stage of her career.

Hiroyo Matsumoto (4:1) – I have Matsumoto as my favorite to win the tournament. She is a highly respected veteran and can beat any wrestler in this tournament under normal settings, let alone with over-the-top-rope rules. She would be a fresh wrestler for the singles title scene in Stardom as she has not challenged for a singles title since 2012. She still has the obstacle of being a Freelancer, but Stardom has put titles on Freelancers in the past so it would not be unheard of for the promotion.

Kagetsu (40:1) – Kagetsu is who I will be rooting for, I don’t think she is going to win but I think it would be a nice surprise. A few things working against her – she is relatively new to the promotion, she doesn’t have any big pinfalls in Stardom, and she is in the heel group. But it would freshen things up and she is a great wrestler, I would have her odds higher but her first round match is an extremely tough one.

Alpha Female (100:1) – I love Alpha Female but this is not her tournament to win, I see her losing via Draw (maybe even in the first round). First, she already had a title shot this year, and Stardom will likely use this tournament to find a new challenger. Secondly, can you see Alpha Female wearing that gaudy dress? I sure as hell can’t.

Queen Maya (50:1) – Even though she hasn’t been in the promotion since last summer, I think she has a better chance than Alpha Female in the battle of monster gaijins even though I don’t see a heel winning. She would be a fresh match-up against one of the champions, and she seems to be more open to wearing a dress than Alpha Female. Still a low probability but it wouldn’t shock me if she made it far or even won.

Hiromi Mimura (200:1) – Mimura is the oldest of the rookies but is definitely ranked below Kyouna, plus she is really small so she can be easily disposed over the top rope. Not going to be her this year.

Mayu Iwatani (8:1) – Of the Threedom, I think she has the best chance to win. I don’t think her winning last year will hurt her, as she as grown a lot in the last year and if she challenged Io Shirai it would open up a few different storylines. Plus she could build herself up into “Ms. Cinderella” if they continue to do this tournament every year.

Alex Lee (325:1) – Unaffiliated wrestler that mostly stays towards the beginning of the cards wrestling against children. Not going to win this tournament.

Santana Garrett (6:1) – I know that Garrett is never around but hear me out. They have to keep her strong since she is the last wrestler to pin Io Shirai in a singles match, plus she does hold a title. If she won the tournament, she could challenge Io Shirai for another championship, and since she has already pinned her in the past it would be a fresh but believable title match. Either way I don’t see Garrett being pinned, if she does lose it will be by Draw or over-the-top-rope elimination.

Kairi Hojo (12:1) – Since Hojo already challenged Shirai this year, the only way I can see her winning if she challenges Garrett instead of Shirai for the Wonder of Stardom. Which wouldn’t be unheard of. But I think of the Threedom team she has the least likely chance of winning, even though the chance is always there as she fits the Cinderella profile and is a fan favorite.

Momo Watanabe (20:1) – I can see this happening on some level, even though I don’t think it is likely. She is only 16 but has had battles against the top wrestlers and held her own. She would work well (like Hojo) with the Cinderella theme and would be a solid defense on one of the smaller shows. Definitely the most likely winner between all the rookies/young wrestlers, remember that Koguma reached the finals last year, it likely will not be two top wrestlers battling at the end of the tournament.

Diosa Atenea (350:1) – She has so much going against her (new wrestler to the promotion, no big wins, part of heel stable) that I can’t see any chance of her winning this. I don’t see her getting past Io Shirai.

Io Shirai (10:1) – Shirai is the ace of the promotion and thus is able to win anything at any time, but winning here wouldn’t make a lot of sense as she is already at the top. The only justifiable reason is if she uses the ‘wish’ to challenge Garrett, but she could do that without the tournament win. These types of tournaments are set up to make it easy to eliminate a top star without them losing face, which is what I expect to happen here.

Kyoko Kimura (15:1) – Of the members of Oedo Tai, Kimura has the best odds of winning. Like Matsumoto, she is a very respected veteran that has been wrestling in the promotion for a long time. She hasn’t had a singles title show since 2013, and since she is retiring this year it would be a nice way for her to go out on top. I still wouldn’t call it likely, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened.

TBD (750:1) – This spot opened up due to Lizzy Styles having a family emergency, and it will be determined by the winner in the opening tag match. I assume the winner will be Yoneyama, but either way, a wrestler being inserted into the tournament this late is not going to win it.

If you have any other questions about the tournament, I can be found on Twitter!

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