I’ll provide context before each match if there is anything noteworthy I can find, although of course not all matches in wrestling have a set purpose (especially with Freelancers like Kana). All the matches below took place in NEO in 2009, directly after the matches on the Kana Special #2 review.

• August 29th, 2009 – Kana and Nanae Takahashi vs. Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• September 20th, 2009 – Kana vs. Ayumi Kurihara
• October 10th, 2009 – Kana and Nanae Takahashi vs. Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto
• November 22nd, 2009 – Kana and Nanae Takahashi vs. Natsuki Taiyo and Passion Ray

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

(c) Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kana and Nanae Takahashi
NEO Tag Team Championship

We kick off this DVD with a tag team championship match! Kana and Nanae Takahashi started teaming in 2008 as part of a group called “Passion Red,” however this is their first shot at a title together. Kyoko and Hiroyo won the titles on March 29th, 2009 against Kyoko Kimura and Atsuko Emoto, and this is their second defense of the title. Up to this point, Kana had never held a championship, and she looks to change that by winning the NEO Tag Team Championship. It should be noted this was just a midcard match on a smaller show, not the main event, which was a cage death match.

Hiroyo and Kana start the match and immediately start trading strikes, hard shoulderblock by Hiroyo but Kana drop toeholds her into the corner and Nanae runs in and dropkicks Hiroyo. Hip attack by Kana but Kyoko comes in to help, as Kana eats a double shoulderblock. Hiroyo tosses Kana down by the hair and hits a bodyblock, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Kana avoids the dropkick and kicks Hiroyo repeatedly in the chest. Kana goes for a hip attack and gets stuck in the ropes, dropkick by Hiroyo and she tags in Kyoko. Hip attacks by Kyoko and she flings down Kana by the hair, butt smash by Kyoko but Kana fights back with strikes. Kyoko puts Kana in a single leg crab hold but with Nanae’s help she makes it to the ropes, Kyoko tags in Hiroyo, scoop slam by Hiroyo to Kana and she hits a second one. Backbreaker by Hiroyo and she puts Kana in a crab hold, but it is quickly broken up. Hard elbows by Kana to Hiroyo and she hits a dropkick before tagging in Nanae, shoulderblock by Nanae and she hits an elbow drop. Nanae puts Hiroyo in the corner upside down and hits a body avalanche, crab hold by Nanae and Kana kicks Hiroyo in the chest while she is in the hold. Dropkick by Hiroyo and she makes the tag to Kyoko, Kyoko and Nanae take turns trying to knock each other over with lariats until Nanae dumps Kyoko over the top rope to the floor. Kana gets on the apron and uses a hip attack down onto Kyoko, Hiroyo wonders over and Nanae dives onto her with a tope suicida. Back in the ring with Kyoko, Kana hits a diving hip attack and Nanae follows with a reverse splash for two. Nanae hangs Kyoko over the top rope so both she and Kana and hit running strikes on her, Hiroyo comes in to help however and dumps Nanae over the top rope to the floor onto Kana. Hiroyo goes up top and dives out onto the ring on both her opponents, and she and Kyoko attack both of their opponents around the ring and into the stands. Kyoko and Nanae return to the ring, Kyoko gets Nanae on her shoulders and tosses her onto Hiroyo’s knee. She then throws Kana on top of Nanae, Hiroyo gets Kyoko on her shoulders and tosses her onto both of their opponents. Cover by Kyoko, but Nanae kicks out. Kyoko puts Nanae in submission but lets her go after a moment and tags in Hiroyo, STF by Hiroyo but Nanae gets to the ropes for the break. Stomps by Hiroyo and she tags in Kyoko, vertical suplex by Kyoko and she hits a second one before putting Nanae in a modified camel clutch.

Nanae gets away and tags in Kana, kicks to the leg by Kana and she stretches Kyoko’s leg. Kana mounts Kyoko and goes for the armbreaker, but Kyoko blocks it and gets Kana back to her feet. Kana goes for a hip attack but Kyoko doesn’t budge, she tries again but has no luck. Waistlock by Kana but Kyoko gets out of it, elbows by Kana and she sneaks in a schoolboy for two. She goes for another hip attack but Kyoko catches her and hits a release German, she picks up Kana but Kana slaps her. Kana catches Kyoko’s arm and applies a short armbar, but Kyoko gets to the ropes for the break. Kana keeps on Kyoko’s arm before applying a Dragon Sleeper, but Hiroyo breaks it up. PK by Kana, but Kyoko gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kicks by Kana but Kyoko delivers a hard lariat, she tags in Hiroyo and Hiroyo comes in the ring with a missile dropkick. Cover by Hiroyo, but it gets two. Hiroyo picks up Kana and gets her on her back, but Nanae runs in and kicks her. Hip attack by Kana and she dropkicks Hiroyo in the knee, hard kick by Kana and the referee temporarily stops the match so he can check on Hiroyo’s face. She’s determined able to continue, more kicks by Kana and she goes for an armbar, but Hiroyo blocks it and hits a series of elbows. Hiroyo kicks Kana in the face to make them even, Hiroyo gets Kana on her back but Kana slides off and applies an ankle hold, but it is broken up. Nanae hits a cutter onto Hiroyo, German suplex hold by Kana but Hiroyo kicks out. Nanae stays in and lariats Hiroyo, Kyoko lariats Nanae from the apron and Hiroyo hits a missile dropkick, but the cover only gets a two. Nanae goes for a diving lariat but Hiroyo kicks her arm, she goes off the ropes but Kana runs in and Hiroyo is hit with a double dropkick. Nanae goes for a reverse splash but Hiroyo catches her on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop. Kana and Nanae both kick Hiroyo, Nanae puts Hiroyo in an armtrap crossface while Kana has Kyoko in an armbar, Nanae changes her hold to a sleeper, but Hiroyo gets a toe on the ropes for the break.

Nanae goes off the ropes but Hiroyo catches her with a hard elbow, Hiroyo gets Nanae on her shoulders and hits a gutbuster but Nanae kicks out of the pin. Kyoko jumps on Hiroyo’s back to give more weight to her double kneedrop, but again Nanae kicks out. Hiroyo goes for the backdrop suplex but Nanae blocks it and hits a lariat, she picks up Hiroyo and nails the Falcon Arrow, but Kyoko breaks up the pin. Kana holds down Kyoko while Nanae picks up Hiroyo, Kana tries to kick Hiroyo but she kicks Nanae by accident. Backdrop Driver by Hiroyo to Nanae, but Kana breaks up the cover. Lariat by Kyoko to Nanae, she picks her up but Kana kicks Kyoko from behind. Nanae and Kana both attack Kyoko but Kyoko lariats both of them, Kyoko picks up Nanae and she nails a powerbomb for a two count. Kana runs in but Kyoko fights them both off, kicks by Nanae and Kana and Nanae covers Kyoko for two. Sliding Kick by Nanae to Kyoko, she goes up top but Kyoko joins her and hits a superplex. Kyoko picks up Nanae and nails a sit-down powerbomb, but Nanae gets a shoulder up. Kana runs in and hits a hip attack, Sliding Kick by Nanae but Hiroyo breaks up the cover. Hiroyo and Kana trade strikes but end up knocking each other down, Nanae hits Kyoko with a pair of backdrop suplexes and she hits a lariat, but Hiroyo breaks up the pin. Nanae goes up top and delivers the Refrigerator Bomb, but Kyoko barely gets a shoulder up. Nanae picks up Kyoko but Kyoko nails a lariat, Nanae hits a lariat of her own but Kyoko rolls her up for two. Kyoko and Nanae trade lariat attempts, Hiroyo runs in and hits a backdrop suplex on Nanae, but the bell rings as the 30 Minute Time Limit expires. The match is a Draw, Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto remain the champions.

For what really was just a midcard match that was clearly not the big attraction on the show, this was better than I was expecting. They started really slow, and the first ten minutes or so of the match was pretty uneventful as they had to waste some time to get to 30 minutes, but once the match got cracking it was pretty great. Kyoko is a stubborn wrestler but she has incorporated that into her gimmick, which makes it all the more special/memorable when her opponent does get one over on her. Kana and Hiroyo, while still fairly early into their careers, were both fantastic and all four have solid chemistry. I generally am not a big fan of draws but it was part of a bigger story here, and both teams were so close to winning in the long end stretch of the match. Overall an entertaining match with a lot more highs than lows, once they got past the slow start.  Recommended

Kana vs. Ayumi Kurihara

For NEO’s event at Korakuen Hall, Kana faces off against future best friend Ayumi Kurihara. Down the road, these two became a regular tag team as KanAyu, but at this point hey were still both young wrestlers trying to march their way up the card in NEO. This was a big show for NEO, but this match was the third match on the event so it wasn’t considered a big attraction.

Ayumi and Kana quickly start trading elbows and kicks, they bounce off the ropes and Ayumi dropkicks Kana as she goes for a hip attack. Kana gets an armbar applied but Ayumi reverses it into a front necklock, Kana gets out of the hold and she applies an ankle hold. Ayumi gets to the ropes to force the break, Kana jumps on the second turnbuckle but Ayumi slaps her and joins her. Ayumi applies an Octopus Hold while on the top turnbuckle, she releases it after a moment and dropkicks Kana while she is in the corner. Ayumi goes for a springboard move but Kana kicks her in the stomach, they trade waistlocks until Kana gets Ayumi to the mat with an armbar. Ayumi gets to the ropes for the break, kicks by Kana but Ayumi catches one and hits an elbow. Kana slaps her back, suplex by Kana but Ayumi gets her hand on the ropes to breaks up the pin. Kana kicks Ayumi into the corner and kicks her in the head, cover by Kana but it gets two. Ayumi drops Kana with an uranage, they slowly get up and Ayumi rocks Kana with an elbow. Dropkicks by Ayumi, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Ayumi goes for another uranage but Kana blocks it and hits a release German. Kana kicks Ayumi in the head but Ayumi elbows her back and covers Kana for two. Back kick by Kana and she kicks Ayumi in the head, she goes off the ropes but Ayumi ducks the hip attack and cradles Kana for two. Elbow by Ayumi, Kana goes for a suplex but Ayumi blocks it and they trade flash pin attempts. Ayumi grabs Kana and hits another uranage, but Kana kicks out of the cover. High kick by Kana, she picks up Ayumi but Ayumi applies an inside cradle for two. Head kicks by Kana, she goes off the ropes and nails the Billiken, but Ayumi barely kicks out of the cover. The bell then rings, as the Ten Minute Time Limit has expired. The match is a Draw.

Even though it wasn’t a very long match, it still had a lot of fun elements to it. Kana and Ayumi have great chemistry and were always comfortable working with each other, as the match had a lot of stiff strikes and suplexes. The uranages in particular were brutal but some of Kana’s kicks had just as much impact as they just laid into each other. Even though it wasn’t an important match they still were out there to impress, I wish they had more time but they worked well with that they were given. Overall a solid match.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Kyoko Inoue and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kana and Nanae Takahashi
NEO Tag Team Championship

Since their last match (the first match on this DVD) ended in a Draw, we get a re-match! The match is still not in the main event, just as it wasn’t last time, with a hardcore match featuring LCO getting the nod on this show. No real further explanation needed, as Kana again looks to win the first title in her young career.

Kyoko and Nanae immediately hit lariats to Kana and Hiroyo as the match starts, they face off and trade elbows until both are schoolboyed from behind. No idea who is legal or if it matters. Nanae goes after Hiroyo and both she and Kana connect with running strikes in the corner, snapmare by Nanae to Hiroyo and she stomps her repeatedly. Hard shoulderblock by Nanae, she tosses Hiroyo to the mat and puts her in a Camel Clutch. Nanae tags in Kana, she eats an elbow though before Hiroyo dropkicks her to the mat. Kyoko comes in and they shoulderblock Kana, double bodyblock  and Hiroyo hits another one in the corner. Kyoko does the same, Hiroyo then gets on the second turnbuckle and connects with the missile dropkick. Kyoko is tagged in, snap vertical suplex by Kyoko and she puts Kana in the Mexican Surfboard. Hiroyo comes in and boots Kana in the chest, Kyoko charges Kana but Kana kicks her back and goes for Kyoko’s arm. Kyoko pushes her away, running elbow by Kana and she cover Kyoko for two. Back kick by Kana and she hits a hip attack, sending Kyoko out of the ring. Hiroyo joins Kyoko down on the floor, Kana goes on the second turnbuckle and dives down onto Kyoko with a hip attack. Kyoko is rolled back in the ring, Nanae and Kana put her hanging on the top turnbuckle before both hit running strikes. Missile dropkick by Kana, Nanae then hits the Reverse Splash and Kana finishes the series with a PK. Cover, but Hiroyo breaks it up. Hiroyo stays in but Kana spits at her and rolls up Kyoko for two. Kana goes for a hip attack but Kyoko catches her and hits a German suplex, lariat by Kyoko and she tags in Hiroyo. Missile dropkick by Hiroyo, she elbows Kana against the ropes but Kana catches her arm and takes Hiroyo to the mat. Hiroyo gets into the ropes for the break, kicks by Kana and she covers Hiroyo for a two count. Kana goes for the Billiken but Kyoko intercepts her with a lariat, but Nanae runs in and helps Kana dropkick Hiroyo. Cutter by Nanae, and Kana drops Hiroyo with a German suplex hold for two. Irish whip by Nanae and she hits a body avalanche in the corner, Hiroyo returns with one of her own but Nanae hits another one. Hiroyo tosses Nanae onto the apron but Kana comes in with a reverse DDT to Hiroyo.

Refrigerator Bomb by Nanae, but Hiroyo barely gets a shoulder up. Nanae goes for the Reverse Splash but Hiroyo gets her feet up, Kyoko comes in and puts Nanae on her shoulders while Hiroyo does the same to Kana. Gutbuster by Kana, Hiroyo then tosses Nanae onto Hiroyo’s knee for a backbreaker, hurting Hiroyo in the process. Kyoko stays on Nanae and puts her in a crab hold while the referee checks on Hiroyo’s leg, but Nanae gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, Nanae and Kyoko trade strikes and lariats until Kyoko sends Nanae to the mat, Kyoko picks up Nanae but Nanae snaps off a backdrop suplex. Kana comes in and kicks Kyoko in the head, allowing Nanae to hit a second backdrop suplex for a two count cover. Nanae picks up Kyoko and puts her on the top turnbuckle, she goes for the Muscle Buster but Kyoko punches her off. Hiroyo is back (on one leg) but doesn’t help much, Nanae joins Kyoko up top and she hits a superplex. Cover by Nanae, but it gets two. Nanae goes back up top but Kyoko joins her and hits a superplex, Kyoko picks up Nanae but Kana kicks Kyoko in the leg. Kyoko punches Kana back before powerbombing Nanae, but Nanae kicks out of the cover. Kyoko drags up Nanae but Nanae hits a jumping kick, elbows by Kyoko but Kana kicks Kyoko in the leg.  Double Irish whip to Kyoko but Kyoko lariats both of them, Hiroyo limps over and hits a backdrop suplex on Kana while Kyoko hits a sit-down powerbomb on Nanae for a two count. Nanae gets up and trades lariats with Kyoko, a battle which Kyoko wins but Kana breaks up her cover attempt. Kyoko picks up Nanae but Nanae blocks the powerbomb attempt and hits a backdrop suplex. Kana and Nanae hit simultaneous kicks on Kyoko, Billiken by Kana and Nanae delivers a Sliding Kick for a two count. Nanae slams Kyoko to the mat, she picks her back up but Kyoko hits a short range lariat for two. Jumping kick by Nanae, Hiroyo comes in and elbows Nanae but Kana catches her with a German suplex. Kyoko is distracted by Kana, giving Nanae a chance to deliver a lariat. High kick by Kana to Kyoko, Nanae follows with a lariat and covers Kyoko for two. Another lariat by Nanae, and this time she gets the three count! Kana and Nanae Takahashi are the new champions!

Hiroyo was legitimately hurt with a torn ligament in her ankle (she missed about a month of action), which made the last five minutes of this match really disjointed since they had to do things on the fly. I doubt it changed the end result, but there were signs of miscommunication while they figured out what to do, and a fair amount of repeated spots. Up to that point I was really enjoying it, they didn’t waste any time getting the action sped up as they picked up where they left off a few months prior. Nanae “winning” the lariat battle and pinning Kyoko was a nice moment, and storyline-wise it kept Kyoko strong since she basically was fighting off both Kana and Nanae by herself by the end. Disappointing just due to Hiroyo’s injury, still a fun watch but not as good as the last match we saw between these teams.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Kana and Nanae Takahashi vs. Natsuki Taiyo and Passion Ray
NEO Tag Team Championship

Sometimes, your friend has something you want, and you just have to try to take it. All four of these wrestlers are in the Passion Red faction, with Nanae Takahashi and Natsuki Taiyo in particular being good friends. But championships are the most important thing in wrestling so those nice feelings are set aside as Natsuki and Passion Ray challenge for the belts. This is Kana and Nanae Takahashi’s first defense of the titles they won on October 10th from Kyoko Inoue and Nanae Takahashi.

Ray and Natsuki attack before the bell rings, they isolate Kana in the ring but she dropkicks Natsuki while Nanae hits a missile dropkick on Ray. All four trade strikes in the ring, Natsuki fights off both of her opponents before a recovered Ray hits a dropkick. The action spills to the floor, Ray gets on the apron and flips off of it onto Kana and Nanae. Natsuki then hits a triple jump plancha down onto both of them as well, Kana is rolled back into the ring and double teamed, ending with a double elbow drop. Kana drop toeholds Natsuki into the corner and tags in Nanae, dropkick by Nanae to Natsuki and she applies a front necklock, but Natsuki reverses it. Natsuki tags in Ray, Nanae and Ray lock knuckles until Nanae pushes Ray to the mat. Nanae picks Ray up with a headlock, shoulderblock by Nanae and the two trade elbows and slaps. Dropkick by Ray but Nanae kicks out of the cover. Natsuki is tagged in and she dropkicks Nanae repeatedly, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick before putting Nanae in a modified Camel Clutch. She switches the hold to a bodyscissors but Nanae gets out of it and applies a leg lock, headbutt by Nanae and she hits an elbow drop for two. Nanae tags in Kana, she goes for a hip attack but Natsuki rolls out of the way. She tries again and succeeds this time, kicks by Kana but Natsuki knocks her down and they trade kneelocks. They end up in the ropes for a break, Irish whip by Kana but Natsuki hits a jumping elbow strike.

Kicks by Natsuki and she tags in Ray, knees by Ray and she ties up Kana in the ropes so that she and Natsuki can attack her from the apron. Back in the ring, Ray picks up Kana but Kana kicks her into the ropes, Ray charges Kana but Kana delivers a dropkick. Hip attack by Kana but Ray slides out to the apron and hits a slingshot elbow drop for a two count. Kneedrops by Ray and she hits a running somersault senton, Kana fights back with slaps before punching Ray against the ropes. Running kick to the chest by Kana and they trade holds until Kana hits a reverse DDT. Kana tags in Nanae, lariats by Nanae in the corner but Ray kicks her back and chops her repeatedly. Space Rolling Elbow attempt by Ray but Nanae catches her and slams Ray to the mat. She goes for the Reverse Splash but Ray moves out of the way, Natsuki comes in and both hit slingshot dropkicks onto Nanae. Ray goes up top, Nanae charges in but Ray jumps down to the mat and applies a waistlock. Nanae elbows out of it but Ray snaps off a hurricanrana, Tiger Feint Kick by Ray and she covers Nanae for two. Ray goes up top but Nanae gets her feet up on the moonsault attempt, high kick by Kana to Ray and Nanae hits a backdrop suplex. Nanae goes up top and nails the Refrigerator Bomb, she picks up Ray but Ray flips out of the suplex attempt and hits a hurricanrana for a two count. Ray tags in Natsuki, Natsuki picks up Nanae but Nanae avoids the powerbomb. Kick to the back by Natsuki, she goes for a sunset flip but Nanae blocks it. Lariat by Nanae but Natsuki hits a release German, Nanae quickly returns to her feet and hits a jumping kick but Ray hits her from the apron when she gets on the top turnbuckle.

Natsuki joins Nanae and hits a powerbomb to the mat, but Nanae kicks out of the cover. Hard lariat by Nanae and she tags in Kana, knees by Kana and she kicks Natsuki in the chest. Kana picks up Natsuki and hits a neckbreaker, dropkick to the knee by Kana but Natsuki catches her next kick and goes for the Iguchi Bomb. Nanae breaks it up before she can hit the move, Kana goes up top but Natsuki armdrags her back to the mat. Natsuki goes up top and hits a moonsault while Ray also hits one on Nanae, but it gets a two count. Natsuki picks up Kana but Kana kicks her and applies the short armbar, Natsuki rolls out of it but Kana puts her in a crucifix hold. Natsuki gets to the ropes for the break, kicks by Kana and the two trade slaps. Spinning backfist by Kana, and she covers Natsuki for a two count. Kana picks up Natsuki and hits a few knees, Ray come sin and delivers her cartwheel powerbomb before Natsuki kicks Kana in the head for two. A rolling cradle by Natsuki also gets two, she goes off the ropes but Nanae cuts her off with a lariat. Nanae and Kana both hit running kicks onto Natsuki, but Ray breaks up the cover. Kana goes to kick Natsuki but kicks Nanae by accident, Momo☆Latch by Natsuki but Nanae breaks up the cover. Natsuki goes for the Taiyo-chan☆Bomb but Nanae kicks her in the chest before she can finish the move, high kicks by Kana and she covers Natsuki for the three count! Kana and Nanae Takahashi retain the championship.

One of the amusing things of watching these Kana and Nanae Takahashi matches now is that they really weren’t a great team in regards to teamwork. They noticeably aren’t on the same page, sometimes as part of the match but other times not related to the story they are telling. Natsuki and Ray are both really fun to watch, they actually did show a lot of quality teamwork and they kept the pace of the match up. The ending seemed pretty sudden, not that Kana’s head kicks aren’t deadly but for a main event title match I expected more of a hot end run. Overall it was good but not great, sold action throughout but felt a bit disjointed.  Mildly Recommended

The post Kana Special #3 DVD Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

As far as JWP events go, this is a pretty big one. First of all, Kana is on the card, which automatically elevates it. More importantly there is also a Hikaru Shida singles match as well as two title matches. How did I not review this event sooner? It sounds heavenly. Here is the full card:

– SAKI vs. Yako Fujigasaki
– Eri and KAZUKI vs. Hanako Nakamori and Kana
– Arisa Nakajima vs. Hikaru Shida
– JWP Tag Team and Daily Sports Tag Team Championship: Leon and Ray vs. Rabbit Miyu and Rydeen Hagane
– JWP Openweight Championship: Kayoko Haruyama vs. Command Bolshoi

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

SAKI vs. Yako Fujigasaki

They tie-up to kick things off and trade elbows before SAKI throws down Fujigasaki by her hair. Fujigasaki returns the favor but SAKI throws down Fujigasaki by her hair again. SAKI stomps on Fujigasaki but Fujigasaki hits a diving double chop for a two count cover. Fujigasaki applies a Muta Lock but SAKI gets out of it and hits a trio of snapmares before applying a stretch hold. Fujigasaki kicks SAKI and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Fujigasaki and she dropkicks SAKI. Face crusher by SAKI, cover, but it gets a two count. SAKI applies a crab hold, she releases the hold and goes for a reverse splash off the ropes, but Fujigasaki moves out of the way. Scoop slam by Fujigasaki and she covers SAKI for two. SAKI and Fujigasaki trade elbows until Fujigasaki hits a trio of dropkicks, Fujigasaki picks up SAKI but SAKI blocks the scoop slam. Backslide by SAKI, but Fujigasaki kicks out at two. SAKI applies a bodyscissors and rolls Fujigasaki around the ring before applying a Camel Clutch. Fujigasaki wiggles to the ropes to get the break, SAKI picks her up and hits a snapmare but Fujigasaki jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hits a sunset flip for a two count. A backslide doesn’t work either, Fujigasaki goes off the ropes but SAKI grabs her and applies a stretch hold. SAKI puts Fujigasaki in the Rocking Horse, she picks up Fujigasaki and hits a scoop slam. SAKI goes up to the top turnbuckle but Fujigasaki avoids the reverse splash. Fujigasaki goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she grabs SAKI and hits a wrist-clutch Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Scoop slam by Fujigasaki, she goes up top but SAKI avoids the diving bodypress. SAKI goes off the ropes and hits a pair of shoulderblocks. Another shoulderblock by SAKI and she covers Fujigasaki for two. SAKI picks up Fujigasaki but Fujigasaki sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Wing Clutch Hold by Fujigasaki, but it gets a two as well. Irish whip by Fujigasaki but SAKI hits a vertical suplex. SAKI slams Fujigasaki near the corner, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the reverse senton splash for the three count! SAKI wins!

I wouldn’t say this was good, I can’t really think of any positive words to say actually. There were a lot of things here that didn’t quite work, and when a vertical suplex is the big setup move for the finish it is not a great sign. It went longer than it needed to as they ran out of things to do around minute four, and aside from a unique finish there is no real reason to watch this one.

Eri and KAZUKI vs. Hanako Nakamori and Kana

Nakamori and Eri begin the match and Nakamori tosses Eri to the mat. Nakamori tosses her down again but KAZUKI kicks her from the apron. KAZUKI gets in the ring, they throw Nakamori into the corner and both hit running strikes. DDT by Eri and Nakamori eats a double dropkick. Eri and KAZUKI apply leg submission holds before letting the hold go, snapmares by Eri to Nakamori but Nakamori boots her to the mat and tags in Kana. Kana and Eri have an elbow battle that doesn’t go well for Eri, and Kana dropkicks Eri to the mat. They trade elbows again, dropkick by Eri but Kana stays up. Kana kicks Eri in the chest a few times but Eri catches one and applies an ankle hold. Kana rolls out of it but Eri gets the hold re-applied, Kana suplexes her way out of the hold but Eri hits a tornado DDT for a two count. Eri tags in KAZUKI and KAZUKI kicks Kana in the leg. Reverse double kneedrop by KAZUKI near the corner, she goes up top but Kana avoids the diving kneedrop. Nakamori comes in but KAZUKI kicks Nakamori back, Kana catapults off Nakamori’s back and kicks KAZUKI in the corner. Kana kicks KAZUKI and goes for the chickenwing, but KAZUKI gets out of it. KAZUKI picks up Kana but Kana blocks the cutter and kicks KAZUKI in the head for a two count cover. Crossface chickenwing by Kana but Eri gets by Nakamori to break it up. Kana tags in Nakamori, Nakamori goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on KAZUKI.

Nakamori goes up again and hits another missile dropkick, fisherman suplex by Nakamori to KAZUKI and it gets a two count. Nakamori kicks KAZUKI in the leg and goes off the ropes, but KAZUKI knees her in the stomach. KAZUKI goes up top but Nakamori kicks her and joins her. Eri comes in but Kana also runs in and she suplexes Eri. Avalanche Fisherman Buster by Nakamori to KAZUKI, but KAZUKI barely gets a shoulder up. Nakamori goes for a Capture Buster by KAZUKI blocks it, Kana comes in but KAZUKI ducks their kicks. KAZUKI drops Nakamori onto Kana, she picks Nakamori back up and slams her to the mat for a two count. KAZUKI tags in Eri and Eri dropkicks Nakamori. DDT by Eri, she picks up Nakamori but Nakamori hits a fisherman suplex. Eri comes back with another DDT, but the cover gets two. Codebreaker by KAZUKI to Nakamori, and Eri rolls up Nakamori for a two count. Eri and Nakamori trade strikes, Eri goes off the ropes but Kana elbows her. KAZUKI knocks down Kana and then hits a backdrop suplex onto Nakamori. Eri tries a few quick pins on Nakamori with no luck, Eri goes off the ropes but Nakamori boots her. KAZUKI boots Nakamori so that Eri can roll her up, but Kana breaks up the count. Kana and Nakamori both kick Eri, but KAZUKI breaks up the pin. Shining Wizard by Nakamori to Eri, but Eri barely gets a shoulder up. Nakamori picks up Eri and she plants her with the Chinkonka Driver, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori and Kana are your winners.

This had some good moments but the flow just felt off. It was utterly non-gripping in terms of being captivating, I think partly because it had no structure to speak of. It was just random action until the match randomly ended with no real drama or emotion. I love Kana but I still can’t recommend this match, just pretty average all things considered.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Hikaru Shida

After trading holds for a bit, armdrag by Shida but Nakajima armdrags her back. Irish whip by Shida and she knocks down Nakajima with a hip attack. Another hip attack by Shida and she hits a backbreaker. Shida punches Nakajima in the back, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a jumping knee for a two count. Shida applies a crab hold but Nakajima crawls to the ropes to force the break. Backbreaker by Shida but Nakajima plants her with a DDT followed by a dropkick. Nakajima applies a kneelock and then a single leg crab hold before pulling on Shida’s hair. Knee by Nakajima and she hits another one in the corner, Irish whip by Nakajima and she jumps up on the top turnbuckle, but Shida pushes her to the apron. Shida joins Nakajima on the apron and they trade elbows, a battle that Nakajima gets the better of as Shida crashes to the mat. Nakajima gets on the top turnbuckle but Shida throws a kendo stick at her to knock her to the floor. Nakajima gets a hair and hits Shida with it, and they trade blows with their respective weapons. Shida surprisingly gets the better of it and she hits Nakajima repeatedly with the stick. They battle around the ring, with Shida slamming Nakajima’s back into the apron. Nakajima throws Shida into the chairs as a retort before slamming her head into the ring post. Nakajima then gets on the apron and hits a missile dropkick down to the floor, Nakajima slides Shida back in and hits another missile dropkick. Shida elbows Nakajima as they trade shots, release German suplex by Nakajima and she knees Shida against the ropes. Running boot by Nakajima and she hits a footstomp to Shida’s stomach. Rolling Germans by Nakajima, she goes up top but Shida joins her and knocks Nakajima to the apron. Shida grabs Shida while on the second turnbuckle and suplexes Nakajima back into the ring. Shida goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Shida but it gets two.

Shida goes off the ropes and hits an enzuigiri, facebuster by Shida and she applies a chinlock. Nakajima gets to the ropes to get the break, Shida picks her up and hits a backbreaker. Shida picks up Nakajima again but Nakajima slides away and sneaks in a schoolboy for two. Release German suplex by Nakajima and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They trade elbows as they return to their feet, Shida goes off the ropes but Nakajima blocks the knee. Shida blocks Nakajima’s kick also but Nakajima drops her with a release dragon suplex. Elbows by Nakajima, she picks up Shida but Shida blocks the suplex. Nakajima goes off the ropes but Shida hits a jumping knee. Shida puts Nakajima on the top turnbuckle, she joins her but Nakajima headbutts her off. Shida avoids the diving footstomp however and knees Nakajima in the back, Three Count by Shida but Nakajima gets a shoulder up. Falcon Arrow by Shida, but again the cover gets two. Shida knees Nakajima in the head a few times, she tries to go off the ropes but Nakajima hits a package suplex for a two count. Nakajima goes for a dragon suplex but Shida blocks it and applies an inside cradle for two. Nakajima charges Shida but Shida hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Fireman’s carry backbreaker by Nakajima, she puts Nakajima on the top turnbuckle and drops her back-first onto the top turnbuckle. Cover by Shida, but Nakajima barely kicks out. Shida goes off the ropes and hits a Three Count, but Nakajima quickly rolls her up for two. German suplex by Nakajima but Shida hits a Three Count. Shida nails the Tamashii no Three Count, and she gets the three count pinfall! Hikaru Shida wins the match!

This was pretty fantastic. Nakajima and Shida are both high-level wrestlers and they got plenty of time here to do what they wanted to do. Shida’s focus on Nakajima’s back was well done as she did a ton of damage to it, and the weapon usage outside of the ring was brief but showed how serious both wrestlers were. They were both very on point with their strikes/suplexes and it stayed heated from bell to bell. A great match, check it out.  Highly Recommended

(c) Leon and Ray vs. Rabbit Miyu and Rydeen Hagane

This match is for the JWP Tag Team and Daily Sports Tag Team Championship. Miyu and Hagane attack before the match starts and isolate Leon in the ring. Leon kicks Hagane away and scoop slams Miyu on top of her before hitting a footstomp on her. Ray runs in and they hit a double dropkick on Hagane, cover by Leon but it gets two. Leon tries to slam Hagane with no luck, and Hagane slams her instead. Body press by Hagane but Leon easily kicks out. Hagane tags in Miyu and Miyu dropkicks Leon. Miyu throws Leon into the corner and stands on her, Irish whip by Miyu but Leon hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Leon tags in Ray, and Ray knocks down Miyu in the corner, she puts Miyu in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back. Ray covers Miyu but Miyu bridges out of it, she goes off the ropes but Leon kicks her from the apron. Miyu armdrags both of them, Hagane lariats Ray and Miyu hits a tornado DDT. Vertical suplex by Miyu and she tags in Hagane. Hagane dropkicks Ray but Ray hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Leon goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Hagane, she covers Hagane but it gets two. Hagane goes for a suplex but Leon lands on her feet, Leon goes for a spear but Hagane blocks it. Leon rolls behind Hagane’s back and dropkicks her in the head, and back up they trade elbows. Hagane goes off the ropes but Leon picks her up and drives Hagane into the corner so that Ray can hit a slingshot dropkick. Leon charges Hagane and hits a shoulder tackle, double Irish whip to Hagane but she hits a double lariat. Hagane picks up Leon and puts her upside down in the corner before hitting a body avalanche.

Miyu comes in to help and they double team Leon, Hagane goes to the corner and she hits a reverse splash for a two count. Hagane goes up top but Leon avoids the dive, knees by Leon but Hagane catches her with a powerslam. Hagane tags in Miyu and Miyu hits a missile dropkick. Miyu goes up top and hits another missile dropkick to Leon, but Leon kicks out of the cover. Miyu slaps Leon but Leon picks her up and tosses Miyu out of the ring. Hagane runs in but she gets dumped to the floor also, Ray goes for a moonsault but Hagane pulls her out of the ring, Miyu then goes up top and she dives out onto both Leon and Ray with a plancha suicida. Hagane gets on the apron, she picks up Miyu in a press slam and throws her onto both their opponents. Hagane rolls Leon back in, Miyu goes up top and she goes off Hagane’s shoulders with a senton. Hard elbow by Miyu, and she covers Leon for another two count. Miyu goes up top but Ray runs in and kicks her in the head before she can jump off. Leon joins Miyu up top and she hits an avalanche fisherman buster, cover by Leon but Miyu gets a shoulder up. Leon picks up Miyu but Miyu gets away, Leon destroys Miyu with a spear but Hagane breaks up the cover. Quick roll-up by Miyu for two, but Leon hits a heel kick.

Miyu ducks the next one, elbows by Miyu and she nails the Rabbit Suplex Hold but it is broken up by Ray. Spinning kick by Leon and she makes the tag to Ray while Hagane is also tagged in. Ray hits the Space Rolling Elbow in the corner followed by the Sling Blade, Ray picks up Hagane as Leon comes back in but Hagane hits a double backdrop suplex. Lariat by Hagane to Ray, Miyu goes up top as does Hagane, and Ray jumps off Hagane’s back with a footstomp. Reverse Splash by Hagane, but Leon barely breaks up the cover. Hagane goes up top again and she nails the diving body press, but Ray gets a shoulder up. Leon runs in and spears Hagane, with Ray following with a tiger feint kick. Ray picks up Hagane as Miyu goes up top, but Miyu missile dropkicks Hagane by accident. Leon goes up top and hits a Swanton Bomb, Ray follows with a moonsault but Miyu breaks up the cover. Miyu suplexes Ray and hits a cutter onto Leon, lariat by Hagane to Ray but it only gets two. Hagane goes for the Rainmaker but Ray ducks it and hits a hurricanrana, but Hagane rolls through it. Leon breaks that up, double superkick to Hagane and Leon hits another spinning heel kick as does Ray. Ray goes up to the top turnbuckle and she nails the Skytwister Press, picking up the three count pinfall! Leon and Ray are still your champions.

Another high caliber match, maybe a step below the last one but not by much. They didn’t waste time here doing things that didn’t matter, it was just constant action with strikes, suplexes, spears, and everything else. It was perfectly fluid as there weren’t any noticeable mistakes, and all four were smooth as they all showed great teamwork. Leon and Ray are really fun to watch, if you haven’t seen them wrestle before then you need to.  Recommended

(c) Kayoko Haruyama vs. Command Bolshoi

This match is for the JWP Openweight Championship. Haruyama knocks down Bolshoi right as the match starts but Bolshoi returns to her feet and they lock knuckles. Bolshoi goes for Haruyama’s arm but Haruyama gets out of it, Bolshoi applies a sleeper but Haruyama rolls away. Bolshoi goes for a triangle choke but that doesn’t work either as Haruyama slams Bolshoi to the mat to get out of it. Waistlock by Bolshoi and she applies a short armbar, Haruyama gets out of it and she hits a lariat. Irish whip by Haruyama and she blocks Bolshoi’s headscissors attempt. Haruyama applies a double underhook and hits a facebuster, she then picks up Bolshoi and hits a second one. Haruyama goes for a third but Bolshoi blocks it and they trade elbows. Lariat by Haruyama, she goes up top but Bolshoi smacks her and joins her. Haruyama snaps Bolshoi over the top rope and knocks her back into the ring, Haruyama goes up top but Bolshoi recovers and joins her again. Avalanche uranage by Bolshoi, cover, but Haruyama gets a shoulder up. Back up, Haruyama kicks Bolshoi into the corner and hits repeated short range lariats. Haruyama puts Bolshoi on the top turnbuckle but Bolshoi grabs her arm and applies an armbar. Bolshoi stays up top but Haruyama hits her and goes up as well, hitting a powerslam to the mat. Haruyama goes off the ropes and hits a sliding lariat, but Bolshoi kicks out of the cover. Haruyama picks up Bolshoi but Bolshoi hits a tiger feint kick followed by a palm strike. Another tiger feint kick and Bolshoi applies La Mistica, double reverse armbar by Bolshoi and she covers Haruyama for two. Tiger suplex hold by Bolshoi, but that gets two as well. Bolshoi picks up Haruyama and tries to get her on her shoulders, but Haruyama knees out of it. Dragon screw leg whip by Bolshoi but Haruyama hits a few lariats. Palm strike by Bolshoi, she gets Haruyama on her shoulders and she hits a Samoan Driver for a two count.

Bolshoi goes off the ropes but Haruyama picks her up and hits a modified Emerald Frosion for two. Haruyama stomps Bolshoi and goes up top but Bolshoi hits a palm strike. Haruyama hits a diving guillotine legdrop, she goes back up top and hits another one but Bolshoi barely kicks out. Haruyama picks up Bolshoi but Bolshoi hits a hurricanrana, but Haruyama rolls through it for two. Haruyama kicks Bolshoi, she picks her up but Bolshoi slides away and hits a palm strike. Lariats by Haruyama and she hits one final one for a two count. Haruyama picks up Bolshoi but Bolshoi hits a crucifix hold for two. Bolshoi charges Haruyama and delivers the Piko Knee Smash, she runs at Haruyama and hits a second one. One final Piko Knee Smash by Bolshoi, cover, but Haruyama barely gets a shoulder up. Bolshoi picks up Haruyama and hits a Michinoku Driver, but Haruyama again kicks out. Bolshoi goes off the ropes and hits a palm strike, but Haruyama fires back with a lariat. Another palm strike by Bolshoi but Haruyama hits a lariat. Haruyama and Bolshoi trade blows, with Haruyama hitting a lariat to win the battle. Haruyama goes off the ropes and hits another lariat, sliding lariat by Haruyama but the cover gets a two count. Haruyama picks up Bolshoi but Bolshoi gets on her shoulders, and she hits the Limelight for the three count! Bolshoi is the new champion!

And yet another high end match, this event really killed it with the last three matches. I am actually not a big fan of Haruyama but Bolshoi was on point the entire match, she brought the energy and the action that it needed and Haruyama played her part. Big moves, hard suplexes, and like the last few matches they didn’t waste a lot of time doing moves that didn’t matter. No real resting to speak of as Bolshoi is a physical specimen, they just went for it. Haruyama is a bit lumbering but Bolshoi made up for it, a great title match.  Recommended

The post JWP “Crunchy Hurricane in Shinjuku” on 7/11/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*Over the next few months, I will be slowly 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.*

As far as Joshi events go, this one is pretty massive. The attendance for the show is one of the higher attendances for a Joshi event so far this year, with a very respectable crowd for Korakuen Hall. Sendai Girls and Stardom have had an unofficial feud for the last six months but this is their first official promotion vs. promotion clash, which is something you rarely see these days. Invading wrestlers are normal, but a full blown six vs. six elimination match is another story. Here is the full card:

– Kyoko Kimura and Sareee vs. Alex Lee and Chikayo Nagashima
– Ray and Sakura Hirota vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett
– Sendai vs. Stardom 6 x 6 Elimination: Cassandra Miyagi, Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, Meiko Satomura, Mika Iwata, and Sendai Sachiko vs. Hiromi Mimura, Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, Kris Wolf, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe

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

Kyoko Kimura and Sareee vs. Alex Lee and Chikayo Nagashima

The entire card is not Sendai vs. Stardom, as this is more of a normal opener. Kimura is a Freelancer that frequently wrestles in Stardom, while Sareee hails from Diana. Alex Lee is a Freelancer but wrestles in Stardom a lot, while Nagashima is a Freelancer as well that bounces around to different promotions. So no real storyline going on here, just a match to warm up the crowd.

Looks like this match is joined in progress, which I am perfectly ok with. I know I complain about it sometimes but only if it is an important match, openers being clipped isn’t a big deal. We pick things up with Sareee and Lee in the ring, Lee tags in Nagashima but Sareee gets away and tags Kimura. Nagashima and Kimura trade boots, Lee comes back in to help but Kimura pokes them both in the eyes and hits a double facecrusher. Lee schoolboys Kimura from behind for two (is she legal?), Kimura is double teamed again while Sareee watches, as Lee hits a jumping knee. Tilt-a-whirl DDT by Nagashima, then Lee hits a tornado DDT. Chokebomb by Lee, but Sareee breaks up the cover. Sareee hits a German suplex on Lee, big boot by Kimura and she hits another one on Lee for the three count! Kimura and Sareee win the match.

There wasn’t much to this one, between it being clipped and most of the action being meddling. Some of these wrestlers are good but none really got a chance to shine, which is a bit of a shame but this show is about the big main event and I have my doubts that any other match will be memorable on this card.

Ray and Sakura Hirota vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett

Another random wrestlers type of match, at least on one side. Ray and Hirota are certainly not a regular team, as Ray is a serious talented wrestler while Hirota mostly does comedy shtick. Matsumoto and Garrett were not a regular team until a few weeks ago, but have been teaming recently in Stardom.  This is going to be a major styles clash and I am not sure exactly what to expect.

We join this one as Matsumoto is beating on Hirota (thank goodness it is clipped), and Matsumoto applies a crab hold. Hirota eventually gets to the ropes to force a break, but Garrett comes in the ring and puts Hirota in the Muta Lock. Ray breaks that up, and we jump ahead in the match to Ray and Matsumoto being in the ring together. German suplex by Ray and she tags in Hirota. Hirota grabs Matsumoto’s arm and runs up the corner, she walks the ropes but Matsumoto crotches her to knock her back to the ring. Hirota drops Matsumoto into the ropes and gives her the Oil Check, tiger feint kick by Ray and Hirota hits the half hatch suplex for a two count. Garrett comes in to help and hits a superkick on Hirota, backdrop suplex by Matsumoto and she picks up the three count! Your winners are Garrett and Matsumoto.

I said that I was glad it was clipped because Hirota comedy gets old to me pretty quick, so the shorter the match the better. Nothing against the other wrestlers but any match with Hirota in it just kinda becomes her style of match. But this was too short to even get an opinion on, I enjoy both Ray and Matsumoto quite a bit but they did very little here. Safe to skip, although that Oil Check was vicious.

Team Sendai Girls (Miyagi, Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, Satomura, Iwata, and Sachiko)
vs. Team Stardom (Mimura, Io Shirai, Hojo, Kris Wolf, Mayu Iwatani, and Watanabe)

This is a 6 vs. 6 Elimination Match. Each team starts with one wrestler in the ring, when a wrestler is pinned the next wrestler from that team comes in. This is repeated until a team is out of wrestlers. There is a ten minute time limit for each pairing, so if the time expires then both wrestlers are eliminated and the next two come in. There is no time limit if the contest comes down to just two wrestlers. Now that I got the rules out of the way, this is a big match as it is rare to have any promotion or factions battle that feel this important. The teams are pretty even, as both teams range from the best in the promotion to a couple less experienced wrestlers, so it balances out. I’m excited about it, let’s see how it plays out.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Momo Watanabe

Hashimoto immediately picks up Watanabe and puts her in the corner, Irish whip by Hashimoto and she hits a body avalanche. Watanabe comes back with a dropkick and hits another one, cover by Watanabe but it gets a two count. Hashimoto gets Watanabe to the mat and puts her in a leg submission, but Watanabe inches to the ropes to force a break. Watanabe goes off the ropes and hits a few dropkicks, but Hashimoto picks her up and hits a scoop slam. Another slam by Hashimoto and she covers Watanabe for two. Watanabe elbows Hashimoto but Hashimoto elbows her back and they trade blows.  Reverse STO by Watanabe and she hits a vertical suplex for a two count cover. Watanabe nails the Somato, but Hashimoto barely gets a shoulder up. Watanabe goes for a crossbody off the second turnbuckle but Hashimoto catches her and slams Watanabe to the mat.  Hashimoto deadlifts Watanabe back up and slams her again, and this time she gets the three count cover! Momo Watanabe is eliminated and Sendai Girls’ is winning the series 6-5.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Hiromi Mimura

Mimura comes in next for Stardom, she takes it to Hashimoto as soon as the bell rings, finally knocking her down with a series of dropkicks. Back up, spear by Hashimoto and she applies an armtrap headlock, Hashimoto picks up Mimura and applies a backbreaker before dropping Mimura to the mat. Fireman’s carry rolling slam by Hashimoto, she picks up Mimura and she hits a second one, but Mimura sneaks in a crucifix pin for a two count. The La Magistral gets the same result, dropkicks by Mimura but Hashimoto hits a judo throw and slaps on the cross armbreaker, forcing Mimura to tap! Mimura is eliminated, and Sendai Girls’ is up 6-4.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Kris Wolf

Wolf is the next wrestler down for Stardom. Wolf snapmares Hashimoto and kicks her in the back, but Hashimoto blocks her kick and applies a headlock on the mat. Wolf gets out of it but Hashimoto applies a full nelson, Wolf reverses it but Hashimoto quickly gets out of it. Kick by Wolf and she knees Hashimoto into the corner, kick to the back by Wolf and she covers Hashimoto for two. Wolf goes to the second turnbuckle but Hashimoto grabs her from behind, Wolf wiggles away however and hits a dropkick.  Wolf goes up top but Hashimoto avoids the dive and she delivers a Waterwheel Drop for the three count! Wolf is eliminated, and Sendai Girls’ is now up 6-3.

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Io Shirai

Shirai is the next Stardom wrestler to try to beat the dominating rookie. Hip attack by Hashimoto but Shirai kicks her when she goes for a second one, Hashimoto fires back with a series of hip attacks and covers she covers Shirai for two. Irish whip by Hashimoto but Shirai hits a dropkick out of the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. She hits another missile dropkick, cover by Shirai but it gets a two count. Shirai applies a double underhook, Hashimoto gets out of it and hits a rolling shoulder powerslam for two. Hashimoto picks up Shirai but Shirai gets away and kicks Hashimoto twice in the head.  Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, she tries to go up top but Hashimoto grabs her leg. Hashimoto charges Shirai but Shirai flips out to the apron and hits a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle. Double knee by Shirai in the corner, she goes up top and she nails the moonsault for the three count! Hashimoto is eliminated, Sendai Girls’ is up 5-3.

Io Shirai vs. Mika Iwata

Shirai draws another Sendai Girls rookie, the young Iwata. Iwata is fired up but Shirai absorbs her blows, Shirai returns fire with elbows but Iwata hasn’t given up and elbows her back. A dropkick by Iwata finally sends Shirai to the mat, she picks up Shirai but Shirai blocks the dropkick, kicks by Iwata but Iwata pushes her to the mat and applies a crab hold. Double knee to the back by Shirai and she hits a standing moonsault before applying a sleeper, camel clutch by Shirai but she releases the hold after a moment. Shirai kicks Iwata into the corner but Iwata moves when she charges in and kicks Shirai in the chest.  Dropkick by Iwata and she puts Shirai in a leg trap chinlock, but Shirai makes it to the ropes. Scoop slams by Iwata, she picks up Shirai and she hits a vertical suplex for a two count. Iwata tries to kick Shirai in the back but Shirai catches it, Iwata gets away from Shirai and she hits a bodyscissors roll-up for two. Kick to the back by Iwata and she kicks Shirai in the head for another two. This is fantastically fun by the way, I’d love to see them wrestle a longer match at some point. Iwata picks up Shirai but Shirai grabs her and hits an Air Raid Crash. Dropkick to the head by Shirai, she picks up Iwata and hits the package German suplex for the three count! Iwata is eliminated and Sendai Girls’ is up 4-3.

Io Shirai vs. Sendai Sachiko

They trade strikes to start their pairing, Sachiko knocks Shirai out of the ring and goes after her, but Shirai throws Sachiko into the crowd. Vertical suplex by Sachiko on the floor, and back in the ring Sachiko starts working on Shirai’s back. DDT by Sachiko and she hits another one, German suplex hold by Sachiko but it gets two. Sachiko goes up top but Shirai gets her knees up on the diving body press attempt, Sachiko stays in control at first but Shirai front flips away and hits a dropkick. Sachiko falls out of the ring, Shirai goes to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down to the floor. Back in, swandive dropkick by Shirai followed by the tiger feint kick, she goes for another swandive move but she falls off and crashes to the floor. Sachiko goes out to get her and brings Shirai back in the ring, but Shirai hits a scoop slam and this time connects with the swandive bodypress. Shirai goes up top but Sachiko headscissors her back to the mat and hits a jumping DDT. Superkicks by Sachiko and she hits a German suplex hold for two. Sachiko goes up top and she delivers the diving body press, but Shirai kicks out of the cover. Mounted elbows by Sachiko and she applies the sleeper, cover by Sachiko but it gets a two count. Palm thrust by Shirai and she kicks Sachiko in the head, tombstone by Shirai but Sachiko gets a shoulder up on the cover. A German suplex hold by Sachiko gets the same result, superkick by Sachiko and she hits a suplex hold of her own. They quickly trade pins and submissions as the time is getting close, but neither can get the win before the bell rings. The match is a draw, and both wrestlers are eliminated. Sendai Girls’ is leading Stardom 3-2.

Meiko Satomura vs. Kairi Hojo

The two rivals are the next two wrestlers in for their teams, they roughly feel each other out until Satomura kicks Hojo into the corner. Spinning chop by Hojo and she charges Satomura, hitting a spear and then a rolling neckbreaker for two. Hojo goes for another spear but Satomura catches her and applies a front necklock. Spinning kick by Satomura and she covers Hojo for a two count. Satomura goes for the Death Valley Bomb, Hojo slides away and she hits the Sliding D to Satomura. A Wing Clutch pin by Hojo gets two, she goes up top and hits a diving elbow strike. Sliding D by Hojo in the corner, she goes up top again but Satomura recovers and joins her. Hojo knocks Satomura to the mat but Satomura delivers a high kick and re-joins Hojo, but Hojo knocks Satomura to the floor. Satomura gets back on the apron and kicks Hojo in the head, Satomura gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a superplex back into the ring for two. Kicks by Satomura, and she levels Hojo with a high kick. Cartwheel Kneedrop by Satomura and she applies the sleeper, but Hojo gets to the ropes. Satomura goes up top but Hojo gets her feet up on the diving body press attempt.  Jumping footstomp by Hojo, she gets Satomura up and hits the Alabama Slam. Hojo goes up top and nails the beautiful diving elbow drop, cover by Hojo but Satomura gets a shoulder up. Hojo goes up top again but Satomura rolls out of the way this time, death valley bomb by Satomura but the pin attempt gets a two. She hits a second one, she tries to do a third but Hojo grabs her leg. While they struggle, the bell rings and the match is a draw. Both Hojo and Satomura are eliminated, leaving Sendai Girls with two wrestlers remaining and Stardom with one.

DASH Chisako vs. Mayu Iwatani

The next two representatives come in, Chisako dropkicks Iwatani but Iwatani blocks the hurricanrana attempt and applies a crab hold. Snapmare by Iwatani and she kicks Chisako hard in the back, but Chisako slaps her and they trade blows. Chisako wins the battle and dropkicks Iwatani in the face, Chisako clubs on Iwatani and dropkicks her again before attempting a pin. Iwatani regains the advantage and dropkicks Chisako out of the ring, she goes up top and dives out after her but Chisako moves and she lands on Shirai instead. Opps.  Chisako stomps on both of them before sliding Iwatani back in, dropkick by Chisako and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Another dropkick by Chisako and she hits a cutter, but Iwatani kicks out of the pin. Diving footstomp by Chisako, she goes up top and hits another one, but Iwatani bridges out of the cover.  Superkick by Iwatani and she snaps off a release Dragon suplex, they both slowly get up and Iwatani applies a crucifix pin for two. Kick to the head by Iwatani, she goes up top but Chisako recovers and joins her. Iwatani knocks Chisako off but Chisako climbs back and hits a Frankensteiner. Diving footstomp by Chisako, cover, but it gets two. She goes up top again but Iwatani avoids the diving body press, cradle by Iwatani but it gets two. They trade quick pin attempts as the time is running low, but neither gets a successful pinfall. Back up they trade elbows, Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but it also gets two. Back up, superkick by Iwatani, and she quickly hits the Fubukirana to get the three count! Chisako is eliminated, leaving the last two wrestlers.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Cassandra Miyagi

There is no time limit for the final pairing, the winner wins the main for their team.  Due to Iwatani just having wrestled for almost ten minutes, Miyagi controls the early potion of the match, throwing Iwatani around the ring. Iwatani fights back and hits a split legged armdrag off the ropes, but Miyagi avoids the dropkick and she knocks Iwatani to the floor. Miyagi takes Iwatani into the stands and tosses her around the bleachers, Miyagi brings Iwatani back to ringside and slams her onto the floor. Miyagi gets a stick but the referee stops her, then Satomura takes the stick from her as she doesn’t want Miyagi to get DQed. Back in the ring, dropkicks by Miyagi and she hits a front suplex before applying a stretch submission hold.  She picks up Miyagi but Iwatani hits two quick dropkicks, Miyagi throws Iwatani into the corner and she hits a jumping elbow. Face crusher by Miyagi and she kicks Iwatani in the head for two.  Elbow drops by Miyagi and she hits a backdrop suplex, delayed vertical suplex and she covers Iwatani for another two count.  Miyagi goes off the ropes but Iwatani catches her with a superkick, diving footstomp by Iwatani and she covers Miyagi for two. Iwatani goes up top but Miyagi avoids the bodypress, Miyagi now goes up top but Iwatani joins her and suplexes her to the mat. Crucifix slam by Iwatani, she picks up Miyagi but Miyagi blocks the dragon suplex and hits the ‘ol airplane spin. Miyagi goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, backdrop suplex by Miyagi but Iwatani kicks out of the pin. Miyagi hits three more but Iwatani fires back with the Sling Blade and they trade elbows as they slowly get up.  Superkicks by Iwatani, she goes up top and she delivers a diving footstomp for a two count.  Iwatani picks up Miyagi and she nails her version of the dragon suplex hold, picking up the three count pinfall! Team Stardom wins the match!

I am not even sure how to fairly evaluate a match like this, but I can say that it was a lot of fun to watch. Some of the pairings worked better than others. The rookies all looked good, especially Hashimoto, so even though those segments were short they were still solid and worth watching. The highlight was Shirai vs. Sachiko as I thought they had great chemistry, but I thought that Satomura/Hojo was the worst of the three times they have met in singles matches this year (but still good). The biggest issue is that while I really enjoy Miyagi’s character, she isn’t ready yet for a 15 minute singles match of this much importance. Iwatani was great, but Miyagi was clearly a few steps below and she is still a bit awkward in her wrestling. Which is normal for rookies, but rookies aren’t usually put in this type of situation. So while I though the match started strong, and peaked in the middle, the ending was a bit lackluster and predictable. Course that could also just be general exhaustion after watching an hour long match. One thing I loved is that while the teams stayed at ringside, there was no cheating. If this match happened in WWE there would have been run-ins, ref bumps, and all kinds of shenanigans. This was just two teams seeing which team was better, no extra craziness needed. I should also point out that it either wasn’t clipped at all or very very slightly, I didn’t time it but it was really long and there was no noticeable clippings. Entertaining and it had an epic feel to it, but certainly not without its fault.  Recommended
event reviewed on 12/1/15

The post Sendai Girls’ “Sendai Girls’ vs. Stardom” on 11/12/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

*Over the next month, I will be slowly 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.*

Even though JWP has had many events in 2014, this is the first event I have been able to track down for the year. I am sure more will pop up later, or I will just have to hunt around a little bit harder to find them, one or the other.  JWP has a small army of their own wrestlers but as you can see here they also use a lot of ‘outside talent’ as well. This was a big card for them as we have three title matches and other ‘big’ singles matches to help end the year in style. Here is the full card:

– Yako Fujigasaki vs. Yua Hayashi
– JWP Jr. Championship and POP Championship: Rabbit Miu vs. Eri
– Jaguar Yokota, KAZUKI, and Raideen Hagane vs. Manami Toyota, Tsukushi, and Neko Nitta
– KAORU vs. Kayoko Haruyama
– Hanako Nakamori vs. Kana
– JWP Tag Team Championship and Daily Sports Tag Team Championship: Command Bolshoi and Kyoko Kimura vs. Leon and Ray
– JWP Openweight Championship: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

I’m not sure I have seen all these ladies before, so it will be interesting to see how this event turns out.

Yako Fujigasaki vs. Yua Hayashi

They circle to start before going straight to trading elbows, they trade elbows near the ropes and Hayashi gets Fujigasaki into the corner.  Irish whip by Hayashi and she connects with a heel kick, she goes for a kick but Fujigasaki catches it.  Hayashi kicks her in the chest anyway, then hits a second kick and a third.  Hayashi goes off the ropes and delivers another kick, cover, but it gets a two count.  Armbar by Hayashi and she kicks Fujigasaki in the back.  Irish whip by Hayashi but Fujigasaki hits a dropkick.  Another dropkick by Fujigasaki and she hits a third dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Fujigasaki picks up Hayashi and goes for a slam but Hayashi lands on top of her for a two count.  Takedown by Hayashi and she applies a cross armbreaker but Fujigasaki gets a foot on the bottom rope.  Kicks to the side by Hayashi, she goes off the ropes but Fujigasaki connects with a dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Fujigasaki picks up Hayashi but Hayashi gets away, backslide by Hayashi but it gets two.  School boy by Hayashi, but it gets a two count as well.  Hayashi picks up Fujigasaki but Fujigasaki slaps her and puts her in a wing clutch hold for a two count.  Dropkick by Fujigasaki, cover, but it gets a two count.  Fujigasaki picks up Hayashi and delivers a Double-Wrist Armsault, and she picks up the three count.  Your winner:  Yako Fujigasaki

The results I found called it a “double-wrist armsault,” I’d have just called it a wrist-clutch northern lights suplex.  But no one asked me.  This was really basic and not good, I mean first one wrestler hit the same move four straight times, then the other hit the same move three straight times, not really thinking outside of the box here.  I don’t know much about either of these two and maybe this is all they are capable of, but a really short and not overly entertaining opener.

(c) Rabbit Miu vs. Eri

This match is for the JWP Jr. Championship and POP Championship.  Eri and Miu lock knuckles, Eri pushes Miu down but Miu comes back and throws Eri to the mat.  Wristlock by Miu, reversed by Eri, Miu rolls out of it and hits a series of knees.  Irish whip by Miu and she delivers a dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a one count.  Scoop slam by Miu and Miu applies a crab hold.  Miu picks up Eri and throws her into the corner before throwing her down by her hair.  Eri throws Miu to the mat by her hair and chokes her in the corner.  Eri picks up Miu and Eri hits a scoop slam.  Another scoop slam by Eri, cover, but it gets a two count.  Eri applies a cross armbreaker but Miu throws Eri to the mat.  Miu chokes Eri against the ropes, Irish whip by Miu but Eri hits an elbow smash.  Irish whip by Eri and she dropkicks Miu into the corner.  Irish whip by Eri, reversed, and Miu hits a jumping elbow.  Kick to the stomach by Eri and she hits a DDT, but Miu gets up and hits her own DDT.  Another DDT by Eri but Miu hits another one as well.  Elevated DDT by Eri, she goes off the ropes and hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Eri charges Miu but Miu pulls down the top rope, sending Eri to the apron.  Miu then gets a running start and dropkicks Eri out of the ring.  Miu goes out to the apron and hits a dropkick off the apron to the floor.  Miu slides Eri back into the ring, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a two count.

Miu applies a choke before pulling back on Eri’s hair.  Eri gets to the ropes to force a break, Miu goes off the ropes and hits a running knee.  Brainbuster by Miu, cover, but it gets two.  Miu picks up Eri, waistlock by Miu, Eri elbows her off and hits a DDT.  Eri picks up Miu but Miu ducks the lariat and hits a release German suplex.  Miu goes up to the top turnbuckle but Eri dropkicks her, sending Miu crashing to the floor.  Eri goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody down to the floor.  Eri picks up Miu and slides her into the ring, Eri goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick.  A second dropkick by Eri and she hits a third.  Cover by Eri, cover, but it only gets a two count.  Eri picks up Miu and hits a hard elbow but Miu elbows her back and they trade blows.  Eri and Miu trade lariats, until Eri punches Miu in the face.  Cover by Eri, but Miu gets a shoulder up.  Eri picks up Miu and hits a suplex, Eri goes up to the top turnbuckle but Miu recovers and joins her up top.  Superplex by Miu, she goes off the ropes and hits a running cannonball for a two count.  Miu picks up Eri and applies a waistlock, roll-up by Eri but it gets a two count.  Eri picks up Miu and she punches Miu in the head, cover, but it gets two.  Eri picks up Miu, backfist by Eri and she hits a few elbows.  Big boot by Miu, cover, but it gets a two count.  Waistlock by Miu and she hits a German suplex hold for a two count.  Miu picks up Eri and she hits the Rabbit Suplex Hold for a three count.  Your winner and still champion:  Rabbit Miu

This was a pretty good match and it had some cute spots.  Lots of DDTs, but I guess if you have to spam a move it may as well be one that you can hit from a lot of different angles.  I’m not sure if I had seen Eri before but she shows promise, she is still quite young.  It was in the right spot on the card, even though it was a title match they both are still young and figuring out how to structure matches.  Considering their age this was solid, and they really did go all out to put on an entertaining match. Mildly Recommended

Jaguar Yokota, KAZUKI, and Raideen Hagane vs. Manami Toyota, Tsukushi, and Neko Nitta

Hagane and Nitta start things off.  Waistlock by Nitta, reversed by Hagane but Nitta elbows out of it.  Hagane grabs Nitta by the tail and hits it with her elbow.  She then hands the tail to Yokota, and Yokota bites it.  KAZUKI then yanks the tail over the top rope, Hagane grabs her and throws Nitta down by the tail.  Yokota comes in and hits an elbow on Nitta in the corner, as does KAZUKI.  Hagane and KAZUKI apply wristlocks to Nitta, Yokota then comes in the ring and they post on Nitta.  Toyota and Tsukushi come in and break it up, Irish whip by Hagane to Nitta but Nitta hits a springboard armdrag.  Nitta tags in Tsukushi while Hagane tags in Yokota, and Tsukushi dropkicks Yokota.  Irish whip by Tsukushi but Yokota avoids the dropkick, Yokota goes off the ropes but Tsukushi dropkicks her.  Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Yokota hits a lariat followed by a delayed scoop slam.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Tsukushi clubs Yokota in the chest but Yokota elbows her back and they trade strikes.  Elbows by Tsukushi but Yokota elbows her hard to the mat and tags in KAZUKI.  Drop toehold by Tsukushi to KAZUKI and she knocks Hagane and Yokota off the apron.  Toyota and Nitta come in the ring and everyone runs over KAZUKI’s back, Tsukushi ties up Hagane in the ropes and Nitta hits a dropkick.  Toyota then hits a dropkick as well, with Tsukushi ending with one.  Crossbody by Tsukushi, cover, but it gets a two count.  Tsukushi goes off the ropes but KAZUKI knees her in the midsection.  Double knee drop by KAZUKI, cover, but it gets a two count.  KAZUKI tags in Hagane, Hagane picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi blocks the slam.  Irish whip by Tsukushi, reversed, but Hagane knocks Tsukushi to the mat.  Hagane picks up Tsukushi in a press slam and drops her to the mat.  Cover by Hagane, but it gets a two count.  Hagane picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi gets away, roll-up by Tsukushi but it gets a two count.  Tsukushi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Hagane recovers and joins her up top.  Tsukushi gets on Hagane’s back and applies a stretch hold while they are still on the top turnbuckle.  Tsukushi tries to pull Hagane off the turnbuckle and finally slams her to the mat with Nitta’s help.  Scoop slam by Tsukushi, cover, but it gets a two count.  Tsukushi tags in Toyota, and Toyota comes off the top with a missile dropkick.

Toyota picks up Hagane, Irish whip, but Hagane can’t shoulderblock Toyota down.  She tries again with no luck, and Toyota hits a big boot.  Scissors kick by Toyota, cover, but it is broken up.  Toyota picks up Hagane but KAZUKI kicks her from behind.  Double Irish whip to Toyota but Toyota ducks the lariat and Tsukushi comes off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody.  Hagane and KAZUKI catch her, but Toyota pushes them to the mat.  Toyota picks up Hagane, Irish whip, but Hagane hits a lariat.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Hagane tags in Yokota, Yokota charges Toyota but Toyota hits a snapmare.  Yokota returns the favor and applies the Octopus Hold, Irish whip by Yokota to the corner, reversed, but Yokota hits a hurricanrana when Toyota charges in.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Irish whip by Yokota, reversed, and Toyota hits the Oklahoma Roll.  Waistlock by Yokota but Toyota reverses it and hits a German suplex. Toyota tags in Nitta, Nitta goes up top but Yokota punches her and joins her.  Superplex by Yokota, cover, but it gets a two count.  Yokota picks up Nitta but Nitta dropkicks her in the knee.  Nitta hits Yokota with her tail, she goes off the ropes and performs a victory roll for a two count.  Irish whip by Nitta, reversed, and Yokota hits a backdrop suplex.  Yokota picks up Nitta and hits a fisherman suplex, and she tags in KAZUKI.  Hagane comes in too and Hagane hits a moonsault off the top turnbuckle.  KAZUKI then comes off the top with a diving double kneedrop, cover, but Toyota breaks it up.  KAZUKI goes off the ropes but Tsukushi cuts her off with a dropkick.  Nitta slaps Hagane, Tsukushi comes in the ring, double Irish whip to Hagane but Hagane hits a double lariat.  KAZUKI picks up Nitta and hits a K-Crusher, cover, but Nitta gets a shoulder up.  KAZUKI picks up Nitta and puts her onto her shoulders, but Nitta slides away.  Nitta hits a sidewalk slam to KAZUKI, then Tsukushi comes off the top turnbuckle with an assisted senton.  Nitta goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a corkscrew senton, cover, but it is broken up.  La Magistral by Nitta, but again it is broken up.  Nitta goes off the ropes but KAZUKI gets her onto her shoulders.  Nitta slides off her back and she rolls up KAZUKI for a two count.  KAZUKI hits a jawbreaker on Nitta, she gets her onto her shoulders and hits the Death by Roderick.  Cover, and she picks up the three count.  Your winners:  Jaguar Yokota, KAZUKI, and Raideen Hagane

I gotta admit, they didn’t have to ‘bring it’ but they did, to the best of their ability anyway.  For an undercard match with some legends I thought they would just be coasting, until they started hitting moonsaults and diving kneedrops and everything else.  I don’t want to overpraise it as there wasn’t much structure and it wasn’t very long, but for what they did it was quite entertaining.  I guess I would consider this a pleasant undercard surprise, when you go in expecting nothing and they hold your attention throughout the match.  Good effort all around.  Mildly Recommended

KAORU vs. Kayoko Haruyama

KAORU and Haruyama tie-up to start but they break cleanly.  Tie-up again but again they break.  KAORU stomps Haruyama on the foot, Irish whip to the corner, reversed, but Haruyama stops charging when KAORU gets her foot up.  Lariats in the corner by Haruyama once she puts her foot down, Haruyama goes off the ropes and she hits a lariat.  Cover, but it gets a two count. KAORU gets a board and tries to hit Haruyama with it, but Haruyama ducks.  KAORU finally pops Haruyama with it and hits hers again, KAORU picks up Haruyama but Haruyama hits a DDT.  Haruyama kicks KAORU in the face and connects with another high kick, she goes off the ropes but KAORU hits her with the board.  Cover, but the referee doesn’t count due to the shenanigans.  KAORU throws Haruyama out of the ring and goes out after her, and KAORU throws Haruyama into the ring post.  KAORU throws Haruyama into a bunch of chairs, she slides her back into the ring but Haruyama snaps off a German suplex.  Underhook facebuster by Haruyama, she picks up KAORU and she hits a second one.  Haruyama picks up KAORU and she hits a third one, German suplex hold by Haruyama but it gets a two count.  Back kick by Haruyama, she picks up KAORU and hits a scoop slam.  Haruyama goes up to the top turnbuckle but KAORU rolls out of the way of the leg drop and kicks Haruyama in the face.  KAORU goes up to the top turnbuckle but Haruyama rolls out of the way of the moonsault.  Haruyama charges KAORU but KAORU ducks it, Haruyama hits the lariat on the second try and picks up a two count.  A second lariat by Haruyama, but it gets another two count.  Haruyama picks up KAORU, she goes for a slam but KAORU slides away and hits the Excalibur.  KAORU picks up Haruyama and hits a second one, KAORU picks up Haruyama and she hits a third Excalibur.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Hurricanrana by KAORU, cover, but it gets another two.  La Magistral by KAORU, and she picks up the three count.  Your winner:  KAORU

What an odd little match.  KAORU hits her finisher three times, then a hurricanrana… then wins with La Magistral?  I was expecting a Haruyama hope spot or something, but there was nothing like that.  There was no lack of effort but the structure was head scratching from start to finish, I am not even sure what they were going for.  Maybe I didn’t get it, but it wasn’t for me even though the action itself was solid for the most part.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Kana

Kana offers a handshake to start the match but Nakamori kicks her in the head.  Nakamori kicks Kana into the corner, Irish whip, but Kana kicks Nakamori back.  She kicks her again but Nakamori delivers a high kick.  Nakamori grabs Kana but Kana blocks the slam attempt, elbows by Nakamori and she goes off the ropes, but Kana takes her to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker.  Nakamori struggles in the hold but eventually gets a foot on the bottom rope.  Kicks to the chest by Kana, she picks up Nakamori but Nakamori chops her in the chest.  Slap by Nakamori but Kana catches her arm and applies an armbar.  Kana reverts it into a cross armbreaker but Nakamori rolls to the ropes and gets a foot on the ropes again.  Kana wraps Nakamori’s arm in the ropes and stomps down on it.   Kick to the chest by Kana and she kicks Nakamori in the back.  More kicks to the chest by Kana but Nakamori hits an enzuigiri.  Sliding kick by Kana, she goes off the ropes but Nakamori delivers a high kick.  Sliding kick by Nakamori, cover, but it gets a two count.  Nakamori picks up Kana but Kana slaps her, Nakamori catches a kick by Kana and she hits a scoop DDT.  Cover, but it gets two.

Nakamori pulls Kana to the mat and applies a modified armbar, but Kana reverses it into an ankle hold.  Nakamori gets into the ropes to get the break, Kana picks her up but Nakamori elbows out of it.  Kana gets Nakamori’s back and she applies an Octopus Hold, she rolls Nakamori to the mat and she gets a two count.  Kick to the head by Kana, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Nakamori hits her and joins her up top.  Kana elbows Nakamori back to the mat but Nakamori hits a high kick.  Nakamori goes back up tight and hits a vertical suplex.  Nakamori goes for another kick but Kana ducks it, headbutt by Nakamori but Kana hits a trio of backfists followed by a high kick.  Cover by Kana, but it gets a two count.  German suplex hold by Kana, but that gets a two count as well.  Kana kicks Nakamori as she sits on the mat, cover, but it gets a two count.  Kana quickly applies the cross armbreaker, Nakamori rolls out of it but Kana applies a crossface chicken wing.  Nakamori gets out of it and she kicks Kana in the head, Kana goes off the ropes but Nakamori blocks the sliding kick before hitting one of her own.  Shining Wizard by Nakamori and she hits another one, cover, but it gets a two count.  Nakamori goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a jumping knee to Kana’s face.  Cover, but Kana barely gets a shoulder up.  Nakamori picks up Kana but Kana gets her back and slaps on the Kana Lock.  Nakamori struggles but it doesn’t matter, she is out and the referee stops the match.  Your winner:  Kana

Hmmm Kana.  Anyway, once I got over my affection for my favorite Joshi wrestler, I realized this was a good match but far from great.  Nakamori really took it to Kana, I will give her that, but so much of the offense ended up not really meaning that much.  There were tons of kicks to the heads, lots of arm submissions, but really all Kana needed was the Kana Lock in the middle of the ring and Nakamori was done.  I didn’t feel that Kana really wore down Nakamori to prepare for that move as it is a ‘put you to sleep’ move, not a ‘snap your arm’ move.  The strikes were generally snug and it was an even match so it was anyone’s game, I just wish the action through the match had some connection to the ending.  I still liked it, since it set a good pace and I couldn’t look way due to the Kana Factor, but it was really only a solid mid-card match at best.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Command Bolshoi and Kyoko Kimura vs. Leon and Ray

This match is for the JWP Tag Team Championship and Daily Sports Tag Team Championship.  Leon and Ray attack their opponents from behind to start the match, and they go outside the ring to battle it out.  Leon and Ray take their opponents near the stage and both jump off of it onto their opponents.  Leon throws Bolshoi into a row of chairs before taking her up into the crowd but Bolshoi and Kimura take back over.  Bolshoi gets on Kimura’s shoulders and they beat on Leon.  Bolshoi takes Leon back to the ringside area and they get back into the ring.  Bolshoi picks up Leon, Irish whip to the corner and Kimura hits a jumping elbow.  Bolshoi wraps Leon in the ropes and applies a stretch hold, but the referee gets her to break the hold.  Bolshoi tags in Kimura, Kimura picks up Leon and hits an armbreaker.  Kimura elbows Leon in the arm and then kicks her before choking Leon with her boot.  Kimura applies an armbar on the mat, but Ray breaks it up.  Kimura grabs Leon’s arm and tags in Bolshoi.  Bolshoi kicks Leon and clubs her in the back of the head.  Bolshoi kicks Leon back but Leon hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.  Leon tags in Ray and Ray hits a cartwheel elbow in the corner. Ray goes off the ropes and hits a Sling Blade on Bolshoi, cover, but it gets a two count.  Ray picks up Bolshoi, she goes off the ropes but Bolshoi kicks her.  Irish whip by Bolshoi, reversed, Kimura comes in the ring but Ray gets past them and hits a double dropkick.  Kimura and Bolshoi fall out of the ring, and both Leon and Ray dive out of the ring on them to the floor.  Ray slides Bolshoi back into the ring, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a cartwheel kick off the ropes to Bolshoi’s legs.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Ray picks up Bolshoi, waistlock by Ray but Bolshoi elbows out of it.  Bolshoi drops Ray onto the bottom rope, she goes off the ropes but Leon cuts her off.  Tiger Feint Kick by Ray, cover, but Bolshoi kicks out at two.  Ray positions Bolshoi in front of the corner, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Bolshoi gets her knees up when Ray goes for a moonsault.  Palm thrust by Bolshoi, cover, but it gets a two count.  Bolshoi tags in Kimura, Kimura grabs Ray and knees her into the corner.  Kimura puts Ray over the second rope and kicks Ray in the chest.  Slingshot doublestomp by Kimura and she kicks Leon off the apron.  Kimura picks up Ray and hits a shoulder breaker.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Kimura goes off the ropes but Ray avoids the doublestomp.  High kick by Ray and she hits another one followed by an enzuigiri.  Ray tags in Leon but Kimura kicks Leon as she charges in.  Elbow by Leon but Kimura elbows her back and they trade shots.  Kimura gets the better of it, Leon goes off the ropes but Kimura hits a bit boot.  Bolshoi runs in to attack Leon as well, swinging kick by Bolshoi and Kimura hits a running boot to the face.  Cover, but it gets a two count.

Kimura picks up Leon but Leon lands on her feet on the suplex attempt and drops Kimura onto her knee.  Leon goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kimura is up and joins her.  Kimura picks up Leon but Leon slides down her back and lands on her feet.  Ray kicks Kimura from the apron, Leon grabs Kimura and picks her up, holding her in the hair.  Ray then comes off the top turnbuckle and slams Kimura’s head back into the mat.  Cover by Leon but Kimura kicks out at two.  Leon goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kimura moves when she goes for the senton.  Kimura applies the sleeper to Leon while Bolshoi holds back Ray, Kimura waits for Leon to get up and delivers a headbutt, and she makes the tag to Bolshoi.  Bolshoi hits a palm thrust onto Leon but Leon hits a backbreaker.  Leon charges Bolshoi but Bolshoi hits a Tiger Feint Kick.  Tilt-a-whirl slam by Leon, cover, but it gets a two count.  Leon goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a frog splash, cover, but Kimura breaks it up.  Ray drops Kimura with a German suplex, Leon goes up to the top turnbuckle but Bolshoi hits a palm thrust.  Kimura and Bolshoi get their opponents up in different corners, Kimura hits a superplex and then Bolshoi hits an avalanche armdrag.  Cover by Bolshoi but it gets a two count.  Bolshoi hits a tiger suplex hold on Leon, but it gets another two.  Bolshoi goes off the ropes, Leon ducks the lariat, Bolshoi holds Leon for Kimura but Leon ducks and Kimura kicks Bolshoi.  Leon runs into Bolshoi, cover, but it gets a two count. Leon picks up Bolshoi and hits a scoop slam, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a rope walk dropkick onto Kimura.  Ray and Leon both superkick Bolshoi and then kick Kimura as well, they both go up top to different turnbuckles and hit stereo moonsaults/sentons.  Cover by Leon to Bolshoi, but it gets a two count.  Leon picks up Bolshoi and hits a fisherman buster, cover, but Kimura breaks it up.  Leon picks up Bolshoi again and goes for a second one but Bolshoi reverses it into a DDT.  Leon and Bolshoi trade slaps, Ray grabs Bolshoi from behind but Bolshoi moves when Leon charges in, causing Leon to hit Ray.  Bolshoi knocks over Leon, and both wrestlers are down on the mat.  Bolshoi charges Leon but Leon rolls up Bolshoi for a two count.  Kimura comes in, she headbutts Leon and then Bolshoi hits a jumping knee onto Leon.  Cover, but Ray breaks it up.  Bolshoi waits for Leon to get up but Leon catches her with a Capture Buster.  Leon quickly picks up Bolshoi and goes for a second one, Bolshoi briefly reverses it with a small package but Leon rolls through it and plants Bolshoi with another Capture Buster.  Cover, and she picks up the three count.  Your winners and new champions:  Leon and Ray

This was pretty hit and miss.  At times the moves looked great, but at other times moves were sloppy and just poorly hit.  It was almost like a toned down version of Sabu match – just try a bunch of cool stuff and as long as you hit 90% of it you’re doing ok.  But I get so spoiled by Joshi I just don’t expect to see mistakes. The spots they did hit did look really good and they were flying around the ring in a very exciting manner.  They also kept it going, it wasn’t a short match but there was no wasted time.  I wish it was more smooth from start to finish but it still had it’s entertaining parts.

(c) Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

This match is for the JWP Openweight Championship.  They get straight to it as they charge into each other, side headlock takedown by Nakajima but Fujimoto gets out of it, trip by Fujimoto but Nakajima bridges up.  Fujimoto throws Nakajima into the corner, reversed, Fujimoto jumps up to the top turnbuckle but Nakajima knocks her off and down to the floor.  Nakajima attacks Fujimoto with chairs up in the crowd and they walk up to the upper aisle.  Snapmare by Nakajima and she kicks Fujimoto in the face.  Fujimoto rolls Nakajima to the ground and returns the favor, Irish whip by Nakajima into the wall and Fujimoto delivers a dropkick.  Fujimoto picks up Nakajima and takes her back to ringside, and Fujimoto hits Nakajima with a chair.   Nakajima and Fujimoto trade elbows, and Fujimoto slides Nakajima back into the ring.  Fujimoto twists Nakajima in the ropes and she delivers a dropkick.  Fujimoto kicks Nakajima in the chest repeatedly and she throws Nakajima into the corner.  Fujimoto chokes Nakajima with her knee and she goes for a cutter, but Nakajima reverses it with a backdrop suplex.  Knee to the head by Nakajima and she knees Fujimoto repeatedly in the corner.  Nakajima picks up Fujimoto, Fujimoto goes for an enzuigiri but Nakajima ducks and hits a German suplex hold for a two count.  Nakajima goes up to the top turnbuckle but Fujimoto joins her, Nakajima knocks Fujimoto down into the tree of woe and she hits a doublestomp off the top turnbuckle.  Nakajima goes up to the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving doublestomp.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Nakajima picks up Fujimoto and knees Fujimoto in the face.  Nakajima goes off the ropes but Fujimoto delivers a dropkick. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets a two.  Fujimoto applies a crossface and then a cross armed submission hold, but Nakajima makes it to the ropes.  Kicks to the back by Fujimoto, she goes for an armdrag but Nakajima blocks it.  Waistlock by Nakajima but Fujimoto gets out of it, Fujimoto hits an enzuigiri and then kicks Nakajima in the head.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Fujimoto picks up Nakajima, she runs up the ropes in the corner but Nakajima kicks her down to the apron.  Nakajima then climbs up to the top turnbuckle and grabs Fujimoto’s head, slamming it into the apron as she jumps to the floor.  Nakajima returns to the ring with Fujimoto slowly following, but Nakajima kicks Fujimoto as she gets on the apron.  Nakajima then goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a doublestomp all the way down to the floor.

Nakajima gets back in the ring but her leg is hurt, so people at ringside check her out while Fujimoto is still lying on the floor.  She gets checked on too as Nakajima gets back up, and the referee starts a count.  Fujimoto slowly makes it back into the ring in time, Nakajima goes up to the top turnbuckle and she dropkicks Fujimoto.  She goes up top again and hits another missile dropkick.  Up goes Nakajima a third time and she again dropkicks Fujimoto in the head.  Cover, but Fujimoto gets a shoulder up.  Nakajima picks up Fujimoto and hits a backfist, Nakajima goes for a dragon suplex but Fujimoto rolls her up for a two count. Knee to the back of the head by Nakajima and she kicks Fujimoto in the face.  Nakajima picks up Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a scoop slam.  Kicks to the head by Fujimoto, she picks up Nakajima and hits two crucifix slams, but both get two counts.  Fujimoto picks up Nakajima, she runs up the corner and she kicks Nakajima in the head.  Fujimoto then goes off the ropes but Nakajima catches her and suplexes her to the mat.  Both wrestlers slowly get up and they trade elbows, Fujimoto ducks one and hits a series of uninterrupted elbows, sending Nakajima to the mat.  Fujimoto runs up the corner but Nakajima ducks the kick and punts her in the face, busting Fujimoto’s lip badly in the process.  Nakajima goes off the ropes but Fujimoto does also and applies the Venus Screw for a two count.  Fujimoto goes off the ropes, elbow by Nakajima but Fujimoto returns the favor.  Cutie Special by Nakajima, but it gets a two count.  Fujimoto goes off the ropes and hits a PK, cover, but it gets two.  Another PK, but again Nakajima kicks out.  Fujimoto and Nakajima trade slaps, elbows by Nakajima and she sends Fujimoto to the mat.  Cover, but Fujimoto barely kicks out.  Nakajima picks up Fujimoto and hits a trapped German suplex, but it only gets a two count.  Nakajima picks up Fujimoto again and she delivers the dragon suplex hold, and this time she gets the three count.  Your winner and still champion:  Arisa Nakajima

What a brutal match. And not brutal in a bad way, I mean it in a “Fujimoto needs medical attention” kind of way. I have to first make a small complaint – I know this happens in smaller promotions with less cameras, but I was annoyed the camera missed the doublestomp out to the floor. You could still kinda see it through the crowd but an epic spot like that needs more attention, especially considering I think it legitimately hurt both of them. But then Nakajima punted the hell out of Fujimoto’s face just for added drama anyway. Besides the brutality, the energy they showed was astounding, I got tired just watching them as even late in the match they were still going full tilt. Towards the end some of their strikes looked like they stopped having as much impact (such as the PKs) but I can chalk that up to exhaustion since it was very late in the match, and since ultimately those strikes didn’t lead to the end of the match it didn’t make either look weak. I really liked just about everything about this match, it just had that big time feel you want from the main event of a promotions’s biggest show of the year, and they put everything on the line and left me in awe. Just fantastic. Highly Recommended

event reviewed on 1/6/15

The post JWP “Climax 2014” on 12/28/14 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

After watching New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom, I got inspired to watch and review one of the biggest Joshi show of the last decade. Joshi promotions rarely run Sumo Hall, one of the most famous venues for professional wrestling, due to the obvious reason that Sumo Hall is huge and most promotions in general struggle to fill it enough to make the venture profitable. Stardom decided to take a chance in 2013, however, as one of the most popular and “recognizable outside the wrestling bubble” Joshi stars was having her retirement match. Before she started wrestling, Yuzuki Aikawa was a famous model in Japan and was also in an idol group. She joined Stardom in 2010, and instantly gained an even bigger following as a combination of her looks, charisma, and fighting spirit made her the most visible new Joshi star of that (brief) time period. This is why after wrestling for less than three years, she was having her Retirement Match at Sumo Hall and not a smaller venue, she exploded onto the scene and left while she was still at the top of her game. Stardom stacked the entire show for the special occasion, here is the full card:

• Risa Sera and Rutsuko Yamaguchi vs. Yui Yokoo and Sumire Yoshino
• Manami Toyota vs. Miho Wakizawa
• Kota Ibushi, Gota Ihashi, Lin Byron, and Mayu Iwatani vs. Michael Nakazawa, Hikaru Sato, Makoto, and Eri Susa
• Meiko Satomura vs. Takumi Iroha
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Act Yasukawa vs. Dark Angel
• High Speed Championship: Natsuki*Taiyo vs. Yuhi
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Kyoko Kimura and Hailey Hatred vs. Kairi Hojo and Natsumi Showzuki
• Kaori Yoneyama, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Syuri vs. Nanae Takahashi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, and Mika Nagano
• World of Stardom Championship: Alpha Female vs. Io Shirai
• Yuzuki Aikawa Retirement Match: Yuzuki Aikawa vs. Yoshiko

Big show! Let’s get to it.

Risa Sera and Rutsuko Yamaguchi vs. Yui Yokoo and Sumire Yoshino
Ryogoku Starting Over Stardom vs. Ice Ribbon

Risa and Sumire begin the match, they trade elbows against the ropes until Sera hits a dropkick. She tags in Rutsuko as Yui is also tagged in, Rutsuko boots Yui and she applies The Claw against the ropes until Sumire breaks it up. Yui and Rutsuko trade elbows, Rutsuko slams Yui into her knee but Yui returns the favor. Dropkick by Yui and she tags Sumire, Sumire goes for a cartwheel mule kick but Rutsuko moves out of the way and puts her in a crab hold. Sumire gets to the ropes to force a break, Rutsuko tags in Risa and Risa hits a series of dropkicks on Sumire. Schwein by Risa, she picks up Sumire but Sumire slides behind her and applies a sleeper. Sumire reverts the hold into a cross armbreaker but Sera gets a foot on the ropes. Cartwheel mule kick by Sumire and she tags in Yui, Yui goes for a chokeslam but Sera blocks it. RainSleeper by Yui but Rutsuko breaks it up, Risa picks up Yui and hits Ayers Rock but Sumire breaks up the cover. Risa goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, but Yui kicks out of the cover. Rutsuko comes in but she kicks Risa by accident, running elbow by Yui to Risa and she picks up the three count! Yui Yokoo and Sumire Yoshino are the winners.

I wouldn’t call this a good match, although it was generally inoffensive. Sumire was pretty rough around the edges, I am not terribly surprised she quit wrestling, and while Risa Sera is currently a really good wrestler she was still working out the kinks in 2013. Rutsuko stood out the most because she had the most personality, however Yui seemed like the most complete wrestler. A skippable opener, even if it is interesting to watch a match with young wrestlers from four years ago where three have already left the business.

Manami Toyota vs. Miho Wakizawa
All Japan Women’s Gold Tradition Ryogoku Advent

Wakizawa charges Toyota but Toyota hits a heel drop for a two count cover. Back up they trade slaps, a battle that Toyota wins, but Wakizawa fires back with elbows. Toyota bounces Wakizawa off the ropes and kicks her in the chest, Toyota charges Wakizawa but Wakizawa rolls her around the ring before covering Toyota for a two. Irish whip by Wakizawa but Toyota reverses it and gives Wakizawa a rolling cradle of her own. Toyota puts Wakizawa in the ropes but Wakizawa avoids the dropkick and kicks Toyota out of the ring. Wakizawa then goes up top and dives out onto Toyota with a plancha, she slides Toyota back into the ring and goes up top, connecting with a missile dropkick. Toyota gets back up but Wakizawa hits a Claw STO for a two count. Waistlock by Wakizawa but Toyota gets into the ropes, big boot by Toyota and she goes for the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex but Wakizawa rolls out of it and hits a German suplex hold. Wakizawa picks up Toyota but Toyota elbows her off, release German by Toyota and she goes for a moonsault, but Wakizawa gets her feet up. Fisherman suplex hold by Wakizawa, but Toyota kicks out.

Wakizawa goes up top and hits another missile dropkick, she returns to the top turnbuckle but Toyota boots her down to the floor. Toyota climbs the turnbuckle and dives out onto Wakizawa with her own plancha, taking out a random innocent on the floor in the process. Toyota rolls Wakizawa back in and hits a missile dropkick, another missile dropkick by Toyota and she covers Wakizawa for two. Toyota returns to the top but Wakizawa joins her, Toyota pushes her off and dropkicks Wakizawa in the back of the head. Moonsault by Toyota, but Wakizawa barely gets a shoulder up. Toyota picks up Wakizawa and hits a German suplex hold, she goes up top but Toyota joins her and hits a Frankensteiner, which Toyota rolls through for a two count. Straight Jacket German by Toyota, she goes up top but Wakizawa joins her and hits an avalanche fisherman buster for two. Another fisherman buster by Wakizawa, but again Toyota kicks out. Wakizawa picks up Toyota but Toyota kicks her and hits the Japanese Ocean Queen Bomb, she goes for the cover but lifts up Wakizawa before the three. Toyota then drags Wakizawa up and hits a release Japanese Ocean Cyclone Queen Bee Bomb. She goes for one final one, but Wakizawa slides down her back and applies the Backslide From Venom for the three count! Miho Wakizawa wins!

Afterwards, Wakizawa is in tears as she is overcome with emotion, and Toyota gives her a hug. Streamers are even thrown for Wakizawa, so to say this win meant a lot to her is an understatement.

It feels odd that a match that clearly meant so much to Wakizawa is just an undercard match. An undercard match on a stacked show, but still. Anyone that has never seen Toyota will be an awe at how any times she goes to the top turnbuckle, she always lived up there in her heyday and still does even though at the time of the match she was over 40 years old. I couldn’t say this was a great match but they definitely gave it their all, as both were dropping bombs and trying everything to get the win. Wakizawa kicked out of Toyota’s best offense, but at this stage of her career that just wasn’t really a big deal to Toyota as clearly the point here was for Wakizawa to overcome and get a win that meant a lot to her on a personal level. An interesting match that is worth watching, even if in a vacuum it seems out of place.  Mildly Recommended

Ibushi, Gota Ihashi, Lin Byron, and Iwatani vs. Nakazawa, Hikaru Sato, Makoto, and Eri Susa
Ryogoku Special MIX Eight Person Tag Match

Mayu and Eri are the first two in, wristlock by Eri but Mayu armdrags out of it. Eri tags in Nakazawa, Sato comes in too but Mayu grabs their wrists and hits a springboard split-legged double armdrag. Mayu dropkicks both of them but Nakazawa soon takes back over and he tags in Sato. Sato puts on his swim gear and starts working over Mayu in the corner. He tags in Makoto, Makoto snaps Mayu off the ropes before tagging in Eri. DDT by Eri and she hits a second one, Mayu fights back and they trade elbows. Elevated DDT by Eri, and she covers Mayu for two. She tags Nakazawa, Nakazawa straddles Mayu on the top rope and slides her uh crotch-first across the ropes. That’s as nice as I can put it. Sato comes in and puts Mayu in a crab hold, but Mayu gets into the ropes. Sato goes off the ropes but Mayu dropkicks him and she hits a vertical suplex for a two count. Mayu tags in Byron, Byron DDTs Sato but Nakazawa runs in and attacks her. Eri comes in too as does Makoto, but Byron fights them all off. Sato recovers but Bryon drops him on the second rope, she goes for the Tiger Feint Kick but Nakazawa jumps in the way. Bryon punches him in the balls and hits the Tiger Feint Kick anyway, she goes up top but Nakazawa grabs her before she can jump off. Backdrop suplex by Sato, he tags in Nakazawa while Ibushi is also tagged in.

Pele Kick by Ibushi and he connects with a kick combination, standing moonsault by Ibushi but Makoto breaks it up. DDT by Makoto to Ibushi, she then hits a footstomp followed by a cartwheel kneedrop. Nakazawa covers Ibushi but Ihashi breaks it up, kick to the chest by Ihashi to Nakazawa and he hits a cartwheel moonsault. Ibushi then follows with a running shooting star press and a moonsault off the second turnbuckle, but Nakazawa kicks out of the cover. He tags in Mayu, double wrist armsault by Mayu but it gets two. Mayu picks up Nakazawa and they trade elbows, Mayu slaps Nakazawa but he takes off his clothes and hits a spear. He takes off his underwear and goes for the Ultimate Venom Arm, Makoto tries to stop him so she gets it instead. He goes back to Mayu but Mayu blocks it, Sato tries to help Nakazawa get the hold applied but both teams run in and have a Test of Strength with the underwear. Makoto come sin but she goes against Nakazawa as does Eri, helping Mayu successfully block the hold. Makoto and Eri continue helping Mayu’s team, as all the women hit running strikes on Nakazawa in the corner. Mayu picks up Nakazawa, Eri chops Nakazawa in the chest and Mayu nails the dragon suplex hold for the three count! Kota Ibushi, Gota Ihashi, Lin Byron, and Mayu Iwatani are the winners.

This was a bit too DDT-y for me as their brand of comedy isn’t my favorite, but I did like Eri and Makoto switching teams as they agreed with me. Mayu was still a bit shaky but still learning, and everyone else looked fine. A bit longer than it needed to be but if you enjoy Nakazawa you may enjoy this match too.

Meiko Satomura vs. Takumi Iroha
Takumi Iroha Debut Match

The match starts slow but Iroha fires up Satomura by elbowing her against the ropes instead of giving a clean break. Iroha kicks Satomura when they lock knuckles but Satomura elbows her hard in the face and kicks Iroha into the corner. Jumping elbow by Satomura and she applies a front necklock, armbar by Satomura but Iroha gets into the ropes. Back up they trade elbows, uppercut by Satomura and she knocks Iroha into the corner. Iroha swats Satomura away and kicks her in the chest, uppercut by Iroha and she dropkicks her into the opposite corner. Iroha picks up Satomura and flips her into a cross armbreaker, she reverts it into a triangle choke before then changing it to an ankle hold when she can’t keep Satomura down. Satomura gets out of it with a jawbreaker, she attempts an Irish whip but Iroha blocks it and re-applies the triangle choke. Satomura gets into the ropes, Iroha slams Satomura to the mat and goes up top, and she hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Iroha picks up Satomura but Satomura elbows her off, she goes off the ropes but Iroha hits a powerslam for another two count. Backdrop suplex by Iroha, she picks up Satomura and goes off the ropes, but Satomura kicks her in the stomach and knocks her down with an uppercut. Kick to the head by Satomura, and Iroha rolls out of the ring hurt. Iroha is pretty out of it so Satomura goes to get her, she slides Iroha back in and covers her for two. Satomura picks up Iroha but Iroha dropkicks her, Satomura quickly kicks Iroha in the ribs and nails the cartwheel kneedrop. Seated armbar by Satomura, but Iroha quickly gets a hand on the ropes. DDT by Satomura, she goes up top and she hits the diving body press for a two count cover. Satomura goes for a Death Valley Bomb, Iroha gets out of it but Satomura kicks her in the ribs. Backdrop suplex by Satomura, she covers Iroha but lifts her head before the three count. Satomura puts Iroha in a sleeper hold, Iroha can’t get to the ropes and goes to sleep. Meiko Satomura wins!

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, perhaps with some benefit of hindsight. Iroha no longer wrestles in Stardom as she left the promotion to join Chigusa Nagayo’s Marvelous, however she has really developed into a solid wrestler. I wouldn’t say she was a complete natural as aside from a few cool submission moves she didn’t do anything to really stand out in this match, but she sold really well and nothing ever felt awkward. Satomura gave the rookie a fair amount of offense but this was before Satomura went full ass-kicker on Stardom, I doubt a wrestler today in their debut match would have as much luck. An above average match with an obvious result, but it was nice to see someone debut on such a big stage.

Act Yasukawa vs. Dark Angel
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They trade holds to start, Dark Angel gets Act to the mat but Act gets out of it and they return to their feet. Dark Angel gets Act to the mat again, she pushes Act into the corner and she delivers a dropkick. Snapmare by Dark Angel and she rolls up Act for a two count, Dark Angel goes for a lariat but Act ducks it and puts Dark Angel in the Stretch Muffler. Dark Angel gets to the ropes, Act hangs her upside down from the top rope before kicking her in the leg. Act continues on Dark Angel’s leg, Dark Angel jumps up on the top turnbuckle but Act pushes her down to the floor. Act then goes out to the apron and she hits a cannonball down onto Dark Angel, Act slides Dark Angel back in and hits the ACT Special for a two count. Act goes off the ropes and knees Dark Angel in the head, but again her cover gets two. Act goes for a neck swing but Dark Angel gets out of it and the pair trade elbows. Springboard dropkick by Dark Angel, Act rolls out of the ring but Dark Angel goes up top and dives out onto Act with a plancha suicida, completely flattening her.

Act looks incredibly hurt but after a minute she manages to get back into the ring, slingshot bodypress by Dark Angel and she gets a two count. Dark Angel goes for the La Reienera but Act gets out of it, dropkick by Act but Dark Angel gets out of the tombstone and puts Act in the double chickenwing armlock with a neckscissors, but Act is too close to the ropes and gets the break. Dark Angel picks up Act and hits the Stun Gun, suplex by Dark Angel but Act kicks out. Dark Angel picks up Act but Act blocks the pedigree, reverse STO by Act and she delivers the Senton Bomb off the second turnbuckle. Act goes up again but Dark Angel recovers and tosses her off, Dark Angel goes up but Act joins her and powerslams Act to the mat for a two count. Act goes up top but Dark Angel hits the rope to knock her off, Act rolls Dark Angel to the mat but Dark Angel kicks out of the cover. Grounded necklock by Act but Dark Angel suplexes out of it, La Reienera by Dark Angel and after Act can’t escape the referee calls for the bell! Dark Angel is the new champion.

I like both of these wrestlers but I felt the match fell a bit flat. Something seemed off, they weren’t always on the same page and some of the moves just weren’t hit very cleanly. Act is always a bundle of fun to watch as she has a wide variety of offense and the pacing/time felt right as Dark Angel knows how to lay out a match, it just never sucked me in as the story was never really there (the crowd also never really got into it either). Some quality spots, but overall it didn’t reach the level I was hoping for.

(c) Natsuki*Taiyo vs. Yuhi
NEO High Speed Championship

After some fast paced rope running, things calm down with wristlocks until Yuhi pushes Taiyo into the ropes and goes for a Tiger Feint Kick. Taiyo ducks that, Yuhi grabs her arm and she hits a diving armdrag out of the corner. Taiyo goes off the ropes and hits an elbow onto Yuhi, kicks to the ribs by Taiyo and she applies an armbar. She releases the hold after a moment, kicks by Taiyo but Yuhi fights back with elbows. Taiyo dropkicks Yuhi hard in the chest, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick. Running dropkick by Taiyo in the corner, and she covers Yuhi for two. Taiyo goes for the Iguchi Bomb but Yuhi hurricanranas out of it, quebrada by Yuhi but Taiyo kicks out of the cover. Yuhi goes up top but Taiyo quickly joins her and armdrags her to the mat, Iguchi Bomb by Yuhi but it gets a two. Kick by Taiyo but Yuhi blocks the Taiyo-chan☆Bomb, kicks by Yuhi but Taiyo catches one and pushes her to the mat.

Kick to the chest by Taiyo, she goes off the ropes but Yuhi slides away and kicks Taiyo in the chest. Ankle Hold by Yuhi but Taiyo gets to the ropes to force a break. Kicks by Yuhi and she hits a strike combination, handstand capoeira by Yuhi and she kicks Taiyo in the head for a two count. Yuhi goes up top but Taiyo avoids the Firebird Splash, Taiyo-chan☆Bomb by Taiyo but Yuhi gets a shoulder up. Hard elbow by Taiyo but Yuhi returns fire, knees by Taiyo but Yuhi gets into the ropes. Release German by Taiyo but Yuhi springs up and hits a German suplex hold for two. Taiyo goes for La Magistral but Yuhi blocks it, jumping kick by Yuhi and she delivers the Honey Flash, but Taiyo barely gets a shoulder up. Yuhi goes for a kick but Taiyo catches it and hits a leg trap suplex hold, but it gets two. Taiyo picks up Yuhi and puts her onto the top turnbuckle, Taiyo joins her and nails the Taiyo-chan*Spanish Fly, picking up the three count! Natsuki Taiyo is still the High Speed Champion!

This was a really fun match that delivered what it was aiming for – a fast paced entertaining midcard match that kept the fans engaged without overshadowing the bigger matches on the card. Yuhi was such a great young talent, she retired before she was even 18 so we’ll never know how great she could have been. This type of match was Taiyo’s specialty as she had a lot of different high speed offense, and even though the match was over ten minutes it flew by. I could watch this all day, far from a classic but just what the card needed to get the crowd back into it.  Recommended

(c) Kyoko Kimura and Hailey Hatred vs. Kairi Hojo and Natsumi Showzuki
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kairi and Natsumi try to attack before the bell, but it quickly backfires as Kimura Monster-gun takes over. Kairi stays in the ring with Hailey but Kyoko pulls Kairi out of the ring and they battle on the floor. Hailey throws Kairi into the ring post while Kyoko slides Natsumi into the ring, Kyoko puts Natsumi in the Tree of Woe and jumps down on her in the corner. Hailey comes in too as they double team Natsumi, Hailey stays in and works over Natsumi’s leg. Kyoko is tagged in and she puts Natsumi in a leglock, but Natsumi rolls up Kyoko for a quick two count. Kyoko goes back to the leg but Natsumi hits a crossbody and tags in Kairi. Kyoko and Hailey double team Kairi as they slam her into the mat, but Kairi gets away and hits a double spear. Another spear by Kairi onto Kyoko and she hits another one followed by a third. Kairi picks up Kyoko but Kyoko slides away and pushes Kairi to the mat. Kairi recovers and elbows Kyoko but Kyoko boots her in the face for a two count cover. Front necklock by Kairi but Kyoko reverses it, Kairi gets into the ropes but Kyoko slaps her in the face. Kyoko picks up Kairi and puts her in a sleeper, but Natsumi runs in and breaks it up.

Slaps by Natsumi to Kyoko, she goes back out to the apron and Kairi tags her in. Knees by Natsumi to Kyoko, running knee by Natsumi and she covers Kyoko for a two count. Natsumi goes off the ropes but Hailey hits her from the apron, Kyoko tags in Hailey and they kick Natsumi around the ring, Kairi comes in too but ultimately Kimura Monster-gun keeps the advantage. Natsumi kicks Kyoko in the head while Kairi spears Hailey, kick by Natsumi to Hailey and she tags in Kairi. Assisted kneedrop by Natsumi, she goes up top and hits a diving double kneedrop onto Hailey. Kairi then goes up top and nails the diving elbow drop, but Kyoko breaks up the pin. Hailey clears the ring, she picks up Kairi and snaps off a German suplex hold for two. Hailey picks up Kairi again and throws her into the corner, Kyoko returns and they double team Kairi. High kick by Hailey, and she covers Kairi for two. Hailey gets on the second turnbuckle and they hit an assisted Gory Special, but Natsumi breaks up the pin. Hailey picks up Kairi but Kairi spins away and applies the 4173 (Gedo Clutch) for the three count! Natsumi Showzuki and Kairi Hojo are your new champions!

I haven’t seen a ton of Hailey Hatred, and maybe I am just watching the wrong matches, but I have yet to see her in a match look good. Every spear by Kairi to Hailey just looked rough, as if Hailey had never sold a spear before, and so much of it felt awkward. Her German Suplex was nice but nothing else was smooth. To be fair, some of the Kyoko segments looked rough too, it just felt disjointed as hell. Natsumi and Kairi were spunky as you’d assume and there were some solid parts, but overall just too rough around the edges to recommend.

Kaori Yoneyama, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Syuri vs. Takahashi, Fujimoto, and Mika Nagano
Nanae Takahashi That’s Women’s Pro-Wrestling

Kaori and Fujimoto start off but they reach a stalemate and tag in Mika and Syuri. Mika takes down Syuri, kicks by Syuri but Mika slides away and hits mounted elbows. Mika goes for a cross armbreaker and gets it locked on, but Syuri gets a foot on the ropes. Nanae and Hiroyo are tagged in and they trade elbows, shoulderblock by Nanae and she throws down Hiroyo by the hair. Hiroyo returns the favor and hits a body avalanche before making the tag to Kaori. Abdominal Stretch by Kaori, she puts Nanae in the ropes so that her teammates can help her with the Stardom star. Syuri is tagged in next, Nanae slaps her but Syuri slaps her back and knees Nanae in the stomach. She goes off the ropes but Nanae delivers a lariat before making the hot tag to Fujimoto. Fujimoto kicks down all three of her opponents, Mika comes in and she dropkicks Syuri in the corner. Double catapult dropkick by Fujimoto to Syuri, she goes for a suplex but Syuri blocks it and hits a scoop slam. Syuri goes off the ropes but Fujimoto dropkicks her and tags in Mika, Mika and Syuri trade elbows, Syuri knees Mika into the corner and she hits a jumping knee. Suplex by Syuri, and she covers Mika for two. Mika goes for a cross armbreaker but it gets broken up, her teammates run in too however and Mika gets the hold re-applied. Mike gets out of it, knee by Mika but Syuri knees her back.

Syuri tags in Hiroyo and Hiroyo suplexes Mika with Kaori’s help. Hiroyo gets Mike on her back but Mika slides away and rolls up Hiroyo for two. Sleeper by Mika to Hiroyo, Nanae is tagged in and she lariats Hiroyo in the corner. Another lariat by Nanae, she goes for a suplex but Hiroyo blocks it. Hiroyo and Nanae trade elbows, Hiroyo slides to the apron and snaps Nanae’s neck over the top rope. Hiroyo goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she charges Nanae but Nanae kicks her back and they trade strikes. Roaring Elbow by Hiroyo, but Nanae gets a shoulder up. Reverse Double Kneedrop by Hiroyo, but Fujimoto breaks up the cover. Hiroyo tags in Kaori, diving senton by Kaori to Nanae and she gets a two count. Everyone stacks on Hiroyo so she can hit a heavy kneedrop, cover by Kaori but Nanae kicks out at two. Nanae is thrown into the corner but Nanae lariats all of her opponents, she goes up top and hits the Refrigerator Bomb for a two count. Nanae picks up Kaori but Kaori sneaks in a flash pin for two. German suplex by Nanae but Kaori knees her in the back of the head, she goes up top and delivers the Takako Panic for a two count. Kaori picks up Nanae, elbow by Nanae and she hits a lariat. Yoshi Tonic by Kaori, she picks up Nanae but Fujimoto hits the Venus Shoot on her. Nanae picks up Kaori and delivers the Falcon Arrow, but Hiroyo breaks up the pin. The ring clears, Nanae picks up Kaori and she nails the One Second EX for the three count! Team Nanae Takahashi wins!

While a match like this isn’t going to blow anyone away, it was a smartly worked match that kept at a decent pace while giving all the wrestlers a chance to shine. Its a shame that Mika stopped wrestling as I love me a good MMA gimmick (well not a gimmick in her case), and her pairing with Syuri was entertaining. Nanae Takahashi was the star of the match by design but looked good, and everyone played their role well with no mistakes or miscommunications. Nothing special in the long run but a solid match bell to bell and quality filler.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Alpha Female vs. Io Shirai
This match is for the World of Stardom Championship

After Alpha Female jaws with the crowd they tie-up, Io tries to shoulderblock Alpha Female over but it obviously fails. Chops by Io, she goes for a slam but Alpha Female blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Alpha Female throws Io into the corner but Io avoids her charge and hits a spinning headscissors followed by a standing moonsault for two. Io attempts to Irish whip Alpha Female but Alpha Female blocks it and hits a release German suplex. Alpha Female picks up Io and hits a German suplex hold, but Io kicks out at two. Clubs to the chest by Alpha Female and she hits a lariat, cobra clutch by Alpha Female but Io gets into the ropes for a break. Alpha Female picks up Io but Io lands on her feet on the suplex attempt and dropkicks Alpha Female into the corner. Space Rolling Elbow by Io but Alpha Female blocks the face crusher and delivers a release German. Alpha Female charges Io but Io ducks her lariat and applies the Tarantula in the ropes. Io releases it and goes for a swandive move, but Alpha Female grabs her before she can springboard and elbows her down to the floor. Alpha Female goes out after her and slams her into the apron, she puts Io against the ring post and goes for a lariat, but Io moves out of the way. Io then hits a Tiger Feint Kick around the ring post, she goes up top and delivers a moonsault down onto Alpha Female.

Alpha Female is rolled into the ring by Kyoko Kimura, Io gets on the apron and she hits a swandive dropkick to Alpha Female’s back. Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she hits another swandive dropkick, pinning Alpha Female for a two count. Armtrap Crossface by Io but Alpha Female muscles out of it, body avalanche by Io in the corner but Alpha Female elbows her in the other corner and they trade elbows. Palm strike by Io but Alpha Female elbows her hard in the face for a two count. Alpha Female charges Io but Io slides out to the apron, diving hurricanrana by Io and she hits a double knee strike in the corner. Alpha Female fires back with a lariat, she picks up Io and delivers a chokebomb, but Io barely gets a shoulder up. Cobra Clutch by Alpha Female but Io gets a foot on the ropes to force a break, Alpha Female picks up Io and goes off the ropes, but Io catches her with a Frankensteiner. Spinning kicks to the head by Io and she hits a standing moonsault followed by a moonsault off the second turnbuckle and top turnbuckle, but Alpha Female kicks out of the cover. Io goes for another hurricanrana but Alpha Female catches her and hits a Buckle Bomb. Alpha Female picks up Io and goes for a slam but Io blocks it and hits a Buzzsaw Kick. Io rains more Buzzsaw Kicks onto Alpha Female, rolling savate kick by Io and she hits a second one for a two count cover. They get up, kicks to the midsection by Io and she nails another rolling savate kick for the three count! Io Shirai is the new champion!

This match was good but weird. The ending felt… strange as while repeated kicks to the head is a solid way to win a match, it wasn’t one of Io’s regular ways and it would have been more impressive if she had won with a power move (like a bridging suplex). Odd ending aside, Alpha Female is one of the top female heels in all of wrestling and plays the part perfectly, she is strong enough to do just about anything but doesn’t mind taking the big bumps when needed to put over the ‘good guy.’ Watching the match four years after it happened, it didn’t really have an epic feel like you’d hope from the young local star defeating the evil gaijin for the promotion’s top championship, but it did show that Io is incredibly hard to beat, which is a theme that continues to this day. I liked it overall, but the ending was a bit flat and it didn’t feel as special as it was probably intended to be.  Mildly Recommended

Yuzuki Aikawa vs. Yoshiko
Yuzuki Aikawa Retirement Match

Aikawa and Yoshiko get right into it and end up on the mat, Yoshiko gets in the mount and holds down Aikawa. Aikawa hits an armdrag and kicks Yoshiko in the corner, figure four necklock by Aikawa and she rams Yoshiko’s head into the mat. Yoshiko kicks Aikawa into the corner and throws her down by the hair, bootscrapes by Yoshiko and she nails the running kick. Yoshiko puts Aikawa in the ropes and kicks her repeatedly in the chest, Irish whip by Yoshiko but Aikawa kicks her in the chest. Aikawa and Yoshiko trade elbow strikes, kicks to the leg by Aikawa but she poses for too long and Yoshiko bodyblocks her to the mat. Shoulderblocks by Yoshiko, she charges Aikawa in the corner but Aikawa hits a heel drop. Running body avalanche by Aikawa and she puts Yoshiko in a STF, but Yoshiko gets to the ropes. Aikawa goes for kicks but Yoshiko blocks them all and chokes Aikawa against the ropes. Aikawa goes for a fisherman suplex but Yoshiko gets out of it and hits a Codebreaker. Yoshiko applies a stretch hold before delivering a pump handle slam, she picks up Aikawa but Aikawa kicks her in the back. Fisherman suplex hold by Aikawa, but Yoshiko kicks out of the cover.

Hammerlock by Aikawa but Yoshiko slams her way out of it and hits a running senton. Another senton by Yoshiko and she hits one more for a two count. Yoshiko gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, cover by Yoshiko but Aikawa gets a shoulder up. Yoshiko goes up top again but Aikawa snaps her neck over the top rope. Yoshiko falls out of the ring, Aikawa goes up top and dives out onto her with a plancha suicida. Aikawa returns to the ring and waits for Yoshiko, Yoshiko eventually slides back in and Aikawa hits her with the Shining Yuzard. Yuzupon Kick Blue by Aikawa, but Yoshiko barely kicks out of the cover. Aikawa goes for the Tiger Suplex but Yoshiko gets out of it, Yuzupon Stunner by Aikawa but Yoshiko drops her with a fireman’s carry slam for two. Yoshiko goes for the Reverse Splash but Aikawa moves out of the way, jumping knee by Aikawa in the corner and she kicks Yoshiko in the head again. Another head kick by Aikawa, but again Yoshiko kicks out. Aikawa picks up Yoshiko and kicks her in the head, but Yoshiko comes back with a headbutt. They both slowly get up and trade slaps, kicks by Aikawa to Yoshiko’s back and she hits the Yuzupon Kick Red, but Yoshiko gets up and fires off lariats. Aikawa ducks one and hits the Tiger Suplex Hold, but Yoshiko kicks out. Another Yuzupon Kick Red, but Yoshiko still won’t stay down for three. Aikawa goes for another Tiger Suplex Hold but Yoshiko pushes her off and hits a lariat. Chokebomb by Yoshiko, she gets on the top turnbuckle and nails a diving senton for the three count! Yoshiko wins!

When you think about it, this result is really different and Stardom went ‘all in’ on Yoshiko by structuring the match this way. I mean Yoshiko was only 19, and not fully established. Aikawa very rarely got pinned once she was the star of the promotion, she never even lost her singles title and ended up forfeiting it when her retirement was planned. But on the biggest event in Stardom’s history, Yoshiko not only defeats the most popular wrestler in Stardom but takes literally every move that she has in the process. I mean Aikawa had nothing left, if you check her move list on wikipedia she did everything with no success. Then the first time Yoshiko hits the diving senton from the top, she gets the win. The crowd really didn’t react as they didn’t know how to, while Yoshiko was a rising star she wasn’t really on this level at this point and probably wasn’t expected to win. The crowd didn’t boo, they were just stunned. Anyway, the issue with the match was that it was just really back and forth with no real transitions at times. Aikawa would hit a few moves, Yoshiko would stand up and hit a few moves, and so on. It didn’t feel like either really had a plan, it was just both hitting moves randomly with little to tie it together. Aikawa never really got desperate or emotional, as even though it was a Retirement Match she had such a short career that it didn’t have that epic feel like the Dynamite Kansai Retirement Match I watched a few weeks ago.  The match was good, but nothing more than that, even though I admire Stardom’s balls for putting all their chips in one basket and really going for it.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom Champion Fiesta Ryogoku Cinderella on 4/29/13 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Lets take a walk down memory lane, back to when Kana and Nanae Takahashi actually liked each other. In 2008, while wrestling in NEO, a new faction was formed called Passion Red. For most of its run, Passion Red was just a three person stable, with Kana teaming up with Nanae Takahashi and Natsuki Taiyo. They were not a long term group, as Kana left in January of 2010, but they were quite popular during their run and it boosted both Kana and Natsuki Taiyo’s careers. Besides just being a team, they also promoted three shows together, with this being the first one (there were two more Passion Red events that took place after Kana left). All three wrestled on the show of course, but they also used many of the other more popular Freelancers available and a team from Sendai Girls’ as well. Here is the full card:

• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kana
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Emi Sakura
• Toshie Uematsu and Io Shirai vs. Yumiko Hotta and Natsuki Taiyo
• Fuka vs. Ray
• Nanae Takahashi, Natsuki Taiyo, and Kana vs. Meiko Satomura, Ryo Mizunami, and DASH Chisako

The event is unclipped so we get to watch the show in all its original glory.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kana

Matsumoto won’t shake Kana’s hand so Kana elbows her instead, Kana drops Matsumoto into the corner and hits a running hip attack to her back. Matsumoto fights back and stomps Kana but Kana connects with a series of kicks to Matsumoto’s ribs. Lariat by Matsumoto and she throws Kana into the corner, Matsumoto goes for a sleeper but Kana rolls out of it. Mounted slaps by Kana and she goes for an armbreaker, but Matsumoto rolls out of it and applies a side headlock. Matsomoto applies a reverse armbar but Kana gets to the ropes, scoop slam by Matsumoto and she hits an elbow drop. Camel Clutch by Matsumoto and she then applies a cross-legged submission before elbowing Kana in the back. Kana elbows Matsumoto into the corner and hits a hip attack, sleeper by Kana and she gets the cross armbreaker applied, but Matsumoto gets a toe on the ropes. Dropkick by Kana but Matsumoto returns fire with a lariat, Kana gets on the second turnbuckle but Matsumoto throws her off and puts her in a crab hold. Matsumoto picks up Kana and goes for a backbreaker, Kana slides away however and she dropkicks Matsumoto in the knee.

Cross kneelock by Kana but Matsumoto gets into the ropes, kicks to the leg by Kana and she puts Matsumoto in an Indian Deathlock while slapping Matsumoto in the face. Ankle hold by Kana but Matsumoto gets into the ropes, Kana charges Matsumoto but Matsumoto catches her with a sidewalk slam. Matsumoto gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Elbow by Matsumoto but Kana slaps her as they exchange blows, Kana wins the battle and she follows with a release German. Matsumoto replies with an elbow smash, both wrestlers slowly get up and trade elbow strikes. Matsumoto elbows Kana into the corner and hits a body avalanche, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Matsumoto gets Kana on her shoulders but Kana rolls off and applies an ankle hold. Matsumoto gets to the ropes again, kicks to the leg by Kana but Matsumoto catches one and pushes her off. Roaring elbow by Matsumoto, she picks up Kana and delivers a gutbuster for two. Kick to the gut by Kana and she kicks Matsumoto hard in the head, but Matsumoto gets a foot on the ropes when she covers her. Elbow by Matsumoto and she drops Kana on her head with a backdrop suplex, she covers Kana but the bell rings, as time as expired. The match is a Draw.

This was a great match between two of the best Joshi wrestlers of this era. Matsumoto and Kana are still tearing it up today, but 2009 was a good year for both as they had been wrestling for years so they knew what they were doing, but they still had that passion you most often see from wrestlers earlier in their careers. They were really laying in the strikes, and both wrestlers stayed focused on their method of winning as Kana constantly attacked Matsumoto’s leg while Matsumoto went for power moves. I can’t really think of anything bad about it at all, I wouldn’t have minded a conclusive ending but opening matches get a bit more leeway in that regard. A high end match between two high end wrestlers, and a great way to kick off a new promotion offshoot.  Highly Recommended

Arisa Nakajima vs. Emi Sakura

Sakura attacks Nakajima before introductions with a dropkick, quick sunset flip by Sakura but it gets a two count. Nakajima slaps Sakura but Sakura rolls her up again, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Nakajima joins her. Sakura slides under Nakajima and hits a powerbomb, she picks up Nakajima but Nakajima hits a DDT. Dropkick by Nakajima, she goes off the ropes but Sakura avoids her charge and hits a jumping kick from the second turnbuckle. Crossbody by Sakura into the corner and they go into a strike exchange, which Sakura gets the better of. Sakura swings Nakajima to the mat by her hair, drop toehold by Sakura and she rolls over Nakajima’s back before applying a STF. Nakajima inches to the ropes to force a break, hard elbow by Nakajima and she hits a double underhook suplex. Mounted elbows and slaps by Nakajima and she hits a Tornado DDT. Diving roll-up by Nakajima, but Sakura gets a shoulder up.

Nakajima goes for a suplex but Sakura blocks it and elbows Nakajima to the mat. Sakura sits Nakajima on the second turnbuckle and joins her, but Nakajima elbows her off and hits a missile dropkick. Nakajima waits for Sakura to get up but she doesn’t, Nakajima picks her up and slams Sakura before going up top, but Sakura gets her feet up so Nakajima jumps over her. Stomps by Nakajima in the corner, Sakura goes for a swinging neckbreaker but Nakajima blocks it and applies a sleeper. German suplex hold by Nakajima, but Sakura gets a shoulder up. Nakajima goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, but again Sakura kicks out of the pin. Nakajima picks up Sakura and goes off the ropes, but Sakura catches her with a backslide for two. Sakura quickly puts Nakajima in La Magistral, and she picks up the three count! Emi Sakura wins the match.

A difficult match to really get a cohesive opinion on. The action was all fine and I loved the amount of fire that Nakajima showed, she was the one acting like the grumpy veteran even if she was dressed like a school girl. But Sakura’s methodology didn’t seem to fit as she actually was the seasoned veteran but was mostly being slightly silly or going for flash pins. It felt like they had a role reversal. It was also short at under seven minutes, and it felt like it ended a bit suddenly as Sakura hadn’t done any real damage to Nakajima. The match is watchable due to Nakajima’s offense, but it felt too off to really recommend.

Toshie Uematsu and Io Shirai vs. Yumiko Hotta and Natsuki Taiyo

After they goof around with Toshie as Io wants to have fun with Taiyo and Hotta, things settle with Io and Hotta as the first two legal wrestlers. Io tries to dropkick Hotta with no luck, elbows by Io but Hotta grabs her arms and makes her form the Passion Red sign. Toshie runs in and boots Hotta to the mat, Taiyo comes in and she is double teamed in the corner. Taiyo takes back over with dropkicks and tags in Hotta, Io tries to fight back but Hotta doesn’t budge. Crab hold by Hotta to Io but Toshie breaks it up, Hotta elbows Toshie into the corner as Io goes for a roll-up, but Hotta reverses it into a cross armbreaker. Hotta tags Taiyo, wristlock by Taiyo to Io but Io throws Taiyo into the corner and hits a dropkick. Io tags in Toshie, Toshie throws down Taiyo by her hair and hits a running boot in the corner. Toshie picks up Taiyo, Toshie goes for lariats but Taiyo ducks it and hits a springboard crossbody for a two count. She tags Hotta back in, Hotta kicks Toshie in the back but Toshie dropkicks her in the head. Io comes in the ring to help Toshie with Hotta, Taiyo comes in too but Io hits Hotta with a Space Rolling Elbow in the corner. She goes for another one but Hotta catches her, Io takes Hotta to the mat and applies a crossface, but Taiyo breaks it up. Code Breaker by Io to Hotta and she applies an armtrap crossface, but Hotta gets into the ropes. Io goes off the ropes but Hotta hits a hard elbow, Hotta tags in Taiyo and Taiyo hits a diving body press for two. Taiyo and Io trade elbows, they go back and forth with Taiyo winning the sequence with a dropkick. Toshie flies in the ring with a missile dropkick, quebrada by Io to Taiyo but it only gets two. Io goes up top but Hotta grabs her, Taiyo joins Io and hits an avalanche armdrag. Taiyo goes for an Iguchi Bomb but Io reverses it with a hurricanrana, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she hits a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Io slams Taiyo in front of the corner, she goes up top but Taiyo avoids the body press. Triple Taiyo☆Chan La Magistral by Taiyo, she picks up Io and nails the Iguchi Bomb, the Io barely gets a shoulder up. Taiyo goes for a kick but Io ducks it, Hotta runs in and hits Io, Taiyo-chan☆Bomb by Taiyo and she gets the three count! Hotta and Taiyo are your winners.

Io Shirai is just one of those special talents, she is in 2016 and she was back in 2009. She was still early in her career but even here she is so fluid and still has the ability to connect with the crowd in any situation. Hotta went back and forth between being grumpy vet and playing along, while Toshie was having none of it. Not a lot of structure but solid tag teaming by both sides and a really well done closing stretch. Maybe not memorable in the grand scheme of things but a fun match that highlighted all four wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

Fuka vs. Ray

Ray and Fuka circled each other as both were slow to engage, Fuka takes Ray to the mat and applies a kneelock. Ray quickly gets out of it but Fuka takes her back down and goes for a cross armbreaker, but Ray gets out of it and goes for a Kimura. Sleeper attempt by Ray but Fuka blocks it and they end up in the ropes again. Ray stomps on Fuka and kicks her in the back, but Fuka returns the favor and hits a spinning headscissors. Tiger Feint Kick by Fuka and she goes for the armbreaker again, Ray blocks it so Fuka applies a triangle choke instead. Ray escapes it and puts Fuka in a crab hold, Fuka gets to the ropes and blocks Ray’s next submission attempt before putting her in an ankle hold. Ray gets out of it and dropkicks Fuka, she picks Fuka back up and chops her down into the corner. Irish whip by Ray and she hits a Space Rolling Elbow followed by a Stunner for a two count. Fuka knees Ray in the chest, she picks her up but Ray blocks the Fisherman Buster. Heel Drop by Fuka and she hits a Fisherman Suplex for a two count cover. Fuka goes off the ropes but Ray avoids her dropkick attempt and hits a jumping kick to the head. Cartwheel powerbomb by Ray, but Fuka kicks out of the cover. Ray goes up top but Fuka kicks her from behind, Fuka joins Ray but Ray pushes her off and hits a missile dropkick. Ray picks up Fuka and hits  German Suplex Hold, picking up a two count. Ray goes up top but Fuka avoids the moonsault attempt, Gannosuke Clutch by Fuka but it gets two. Ray and Fuka trade elbows before trading kicks, high kick by Fuka but Ray kicks her in the face back and covers her for two. Ray goes off the ropes and kicks Fuka in the head again, she picks up Fuka but Fuka kicks her as she does so and hits a release German suplex. Inside Cradle by Fuka, she charges Ray and hits a jumping knee. Doll F by Fuka, and she gets the three count! Fuka wins the match.

Fuka was also a MMA fighter and kickboxer (not a great one), thus all the ground work and submission holds. It was even more ground based than I was expecting but it was a nice change of pace after the last few matches and presented something a bit different, which is always appreciated. They had lots of quick transitions and neither stayed in the dominate position for long before they switched, which hurt the flow a bit but also kept the action interesting. I wouldn’t consider it a high end match as it lacked some emotion, but still solid throughout.  Mildly Recommended

Nanae Takahashi, Taiyo, and Kana vs. Satomura, Ryo Mizunami, and DASH Chisako

Taiyo and Chisako start the match for their teams, Taiyo elbows Chisako into the ropes but gives her a clean break. They trade wristlocks, Irish whip by Chisako but Taiyo trips her and runs over her back. Kana and Takahashi come in the ring and all three dropkick Chisako, Taiyo tags in Kana and Kana kicks Chisako repeatedly. Chisako fires back with a trio of dropkicks before tagging in Mizunami, Kana has recovered and the pair trade strikes. Dropkick to the knee by Mizunami and she hits a leg drop onto Kana’s head, picking up a two count. Kicks to the chest by Kana and she knees Mizunami into the corner so she can tag Takahashi. Deep chinlock by Takahashi but Mizunami gets out of it and applies a hammerlock. Takahashi gets out of that and knees Mizunami, Irish whip by Takahashi and the two collide with neither budging. Elbows by Mizunami but Takahashi shoulderblocks her to the mat, another shoulderblock in the corner by Takahashi but Mizunami floors her with a shoulderblock of her own. She tags in Satomura, Satomura locks knuckles with Takahashi and she wins the battle as she pushes Takahashi to the mat. Kicks by Satomura but Takahashi hits a sidewalk slam, picking up two. She tags in Taiyo, dropkicks by Taiyo but Satomura elbows her hard in the head. Kicks by Satomura, Chisako tags in and she dropkicks Taiyo in the corner before hitting a face crusher. More dropkicks by Chisako, and she covers Taiyo for a two count.

Taiyo slides under Chisako’s lariat attempt, they trade dropkick attempts before both go for flash pins. Chisako dropkicks Taiyo into the corner but Taiyo avoids her charge and drop toeholds her into the turnbuckles. Kana runs in and hits a hip attack, neckbreaker by Kana and Taiyo dropkicks Chisako in the face. Chisako recovers and trades elbows with Taiyo, Taiyo tries running up the corner but she trips, allowing Chisako to hit a neckbreaker. Chisako tags Mizunami, scoop slam by Mizunami and she hits a pair of leg drops. A crucifix pin by Taiyo only gets two, she goes off the ropes and rolls up Mizunami for another two count. Taiyo successfully runs up the corner this time and hits a crossbody, giving her time to tag in Kana. Kicks by Kana but Mizunami slams her back into the corner, Mizunami goes up top and she hits a diving shoulderblock for two. Mizunami picks up Kana but Kana slides away, hip attack by Kana and she hits a Reverse DDT for two. Kana waits for Mizunami to get up and hits a running hip attack, cover by Kana but it gets broken up. Kana picks up Mizunami and hits a Buzzsaw Kick, but she nudges her to her own corner so Satomura can tag in. Satomura does so, hip attack by Kana to Satomura and they trade leg kicks. Satomura wins the kick battle, jumping elbow by Satomura in the corner but Kana slaps her. Kick to the gut by Kana and she hits a German suplex hold, picking up two.

Seated Armbar by Kana, she tags in Takahashi but Satomura gets away from Takahashi and they trade elbows. Pele Kick by Satomura, she picks up Takahashi but Takahashi drops her on her head with a backdrop suplex. Lariat by Takahashi but Satomura elbows her to the mat, backdrop suplex by Satomura but Takahashi springs up from it and goes for a jumping kick. Satomura ducks it and hits a Death Valley Bomb, but it only gets two. Satomura goes for the Scorpio Rising but Takahashi blocks it and connects with a sliding kick for two. Uppercut by Satomura and she hits the cartwheel kneedrop, she tags in Chisako and Chisako comes in the ring with a missile dropkick. Cutter by Chisako, she picks up Takahashi but Takahashi hits a backdrop suplex. Takahashi goes for a Reverse Splash but Chisako moves, Mizunami and Satomura run in as Takahashi is triple teamed in the corner. Inside cradle by Chisako, but Takahashi kicks out. Enzuigiri by Takahashi, Taiyo and Kana come in so they can go for the Triple Powerbomb, but Satomura and Mizunami run in to prevent it. Hurricanrana by Chisako to Takahashi, kick to the head by Satomura and Mizunami hits a leg drop. Chisako goes up top and hits the diving body press, but Takahashi barely kicks out. Chisako goes up top again but Kana grabs her, Takahashi joins Chisako up top and she hits the superplex. Slaps by Takahashi and she hits a scoop pickup into a Stunner, but Mizunami breaks up the pin. Taiyo picks up Chisako in an Iguchi Bomb while Kana and Takahashi hit lariats off the second turnbuckle as she is hitting the move, Takahashi follows with the Nana☆Racka and she picks up the three count! Passion Red wins!

A fast paced and slightly chaotic match, but an entertaining main event. Takahashi did the bulk of the work for Passion Red, which makes sense as her partners both already had wrestled, and everyone seemed to be working hard to make the match a success. I liked the teamwork from both sides, someone was always ready to run in and help, which made the match feel more important as both teams were doing everything to win. Kana will always be the standout to me, her hip attacks are always are point, but Chisako and Mizunami both looked great as well. Six wrestler tags will never be a personal favorite of mine since they tend to be a bit too all over the place for my liking, but the action was all crisp even if there was no real structure to it to speak of. A fitting main event for Passion Red’s first show.  Recommended

The post Passion Red “1PASSION” on 1/10/09 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

In the last 10 years, since the fall of Joshi’s popularity in Japan, it has been rare for a Joshi event to air live on TV as usually it is shown either delayed on TV or live on niconico. It is even more rare for a promotion with no TV deal at all to get such a spot, but the retirement of Joshi legend Devil Masami was able to pull it off. MARVELOUS NIGHT V was shown live on GAORA in its entirety, with the show clocking in at almost three hours. Much of that was Masami’s retirement ceremony (approximately 45 minutes worth) but there was a full event as well as different promotions came together to send off Masami in style. Masami herself wrestled twice on the card, including in the opening against Nagayo, who come out of retirement (hold in your laughter) to take on her old foe. Here is the full card:

• Chigusa Nagayo, Yumiko Hotta, and Meiko Satomura vs. Devil Masami, Dump Matsumoto, and KAORU
• DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko vs. Ryo Mizunami and Yukari Ishino
• Ayako Sato and Hanako Kobayashi vs. Ray and Misaki Ohata
• Kana, Yumi Ohka, Cherry, and Moeka Haruhi vs. GAMI, Kyoko Kimura, Shuu Shibutani, and Bullfighter Sora
• Misae Genki vs. Yuki Miyazaki
• Azumi Hyuga, Leon, and Arisa Nakajima vs. Kayoko Haruyama, Command Bolshoi, and Kaori Yoneyama
• Noriyo Tateno vs. Takako Inoue
• Chikayo Nagashima and Sonoko Kato vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Manami Toyota
• Devil Masami Retirement Match: Devil Masami, Dynamite Kansai, and Carlos Amano vs. Aja Kong, Ran Yu-Yu, and Toshie Uematsu

Chigusa Nagayo, Hotta, and Satomura vs. Devil Masami, Dump Matsumoto, and KAORU

Nagayo and Masami start the match and they trade strikes, Masami shrugs off Nagayo’s strikes but Nagayo hits an armdrag. Masami goes all evil and scares Nagayo into the corner, she tags in Matsumoto who comes in with a kendo stick, which she uses to hit Nagayo repeatedly. Nagayo eventually grabs it and Hotta comes in and smacks Matsumoto in the face. Nagayo tags in Satomura but KAORU runs in and hits Satomura with a piece of table. Hotta returns and they double team Matsumoto, but Matsumoto comes back with a lariat to Satomura and tags in KAORU. KAORU hits Satomura with the table piece but Satomura hits a rebound elbow out of the corner followed by the Pele Kick. Hotta becomes legal somehow and elbows KAORU, Nagayo struts in and kicks KAORU in the head. Tiger Driver by Hotta to KAORU, but the pin is broken up when Matsumoto hits the referee with the kendo stick. Nagayo stays in with KAORU but Masami lariats her from the apron and comes in to hit a leg drop. Moonsault by KAORU, Masami picks up Nagayo but Nagayo uppercuts her, Nagayo goes off the ropes but KAORU hits her with the table piece. Matsumoto comes in while the crowd squeals, and Matsumoto stabs Nagayo in the head. She keeps stabbing Nagayo until she starts bleeding, Masami covers Nagayo but it gets a two count. Satomura comes in and they take turns kicking Masami, lariat by Nagayo but it gets a two count as Masami does a zombie kick out. Hotta tries to help but it backfires, KAORU comes in to spray mist at Nagayo but she misses and hits Masami by accident. Uppercut by Nagayo but Masami headbutts her, Fire Valley by Masami and she gets the three count! Masami, Matsumoto, and KAORU win!

After the match they all spoke and laughed with each other, so no hard feelings between the veterans. This is a really odd match as it was more of an exhibition, it was under eight minutes and the tag rules were rather loose to put it mildly. I really don’t think KAORU and Satomura were needed, the crowd was into anything with Nagayo, Masami, and Matsumoto and the rest were just filler to get the participant number up. Even watching it eight years later I completely get the fun of seeing Nagayo in there with Matsumoto and it was a unique way to start the show as it allowed Masami time to rest up before her real retirement match (plus a chance to retire the ‘gimmick’ character). I thought it was lighthearted and fun, but not much of a ‘real’ match in the traditional sense.  Mildly Recommended

DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko vs. Ryo Mizunami and Yukari Ishino

Chisako and Mizunami are the first two in, Chisako grabs Mizunami’s arm and Sachiko comes down off the top turnbuckle onto it. Mizunami puts Sachiko in a headlock and tags in Ishino, dropkicks by Ishino and she covers Sachiko for two. Back up they trade elbows, Sachiko wins the dual and she tags in her sister, who works over Ishino in the corner. Dropkicks by Chisako but Ishino quickly rolls her up for a two count before hitting a series of dropkicks. Ishino tags in Mizunami, scoop slam by Mizunami and she hits quick legdrops for a two count cover. Chisako comes back with dropkicks, Sachiko goes up top and hits a missile dropkick onto Mizunami. Even more dropkicks by Sachiko (lots of dropkicks in this match) and she hits a DDT, but Mizunami gets Sachiko up and hits a shoulder breaker. Mizunami tags in Ishino but Chisako runs in and dropkicks her, double dropkick to Ishino and Sachiko covers her for two. Sachiko jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hit a tornado DDT, Northern Lights Suplex by Sachiko but it gets a two count. Ishino gets Sachiko up on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Drop, she picks her up again but this time Sachiko wiggles away and hits a DDT. Scoop slam by Sachiko, Chisako comes in and Sachiko suplexes Chisako onto Ishino. Somersault senton by Sachiko, but Ishino bridges out of the cover. Sachiko picks up Ishino, Chisako boots Ishino in the head and Sachiko delivers a German suplex hold for the three count! Chisako and Sachiko are the winners.

It is interesting that Sendai Girls’ sent their babies for the offer match, but considering the match they had to follow it was probably for the best. Lots of rookie-based offense here, meaning lots of dropkicks and the like, but occasionally they would throw in something different to show they weren’t complete novices. Chisako and Sachiko were already working well together, they teamed for seven more years after this match so you can imagine how much better they got. A fun easy to watch opener-style match.

Ayako Sato and Hanako Kobayashi vs. Ray and Misaki Ohata

Ray and Sato begin the match, hard shoulderblock by Ray and she hits a springboard armdrag. Ray cartwheels away from Sato and both wrestlers go for dropkicks, Ray gets Sato in the ropes and chops her in the chest. Ray tags in Ohata, Ohata goes for a cross armbreaker but Sato gets into the ropes. Dropkick by Sato as Kobayashi comes in, and Ohata is double teamed. Dropkicks by Sato, and she covers Ohata for a two count. Ohata starts her comeback but Sato slips away and tags in Kobayashi, missile dropkick by Kobayashi but Ray kicks her from the apron. Kobayashi is double teamed and covered by Ohata for a two count, armdrag by Ohata and she hits a low crossbody. Ray goes up top and hits a cartwheel kick off the ropes, she picks up Kobayashi and hits an enzuigiri. Ray goes up top as does Ohata, but both wrestlers miss moonsaults. Kobayashi hits a diving crossbody on Ray, then Sato follows with a missile dropkick. Kobayashi picks up Ray and hits a fisherman suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Kobayashi goes up top but Ohata hits her before she can jump off, Ray goes up with her but Kobayashi pushes Ray to the mat and hits a diving crossbody. Ray hits a German suplex on Kobayashi, jumping kick by Ray and she nails a moonsault for the three count! Ohata and Ray are the winners.

A simple match, nothing bad but utterly forgettable. Ray was a great flyer and got a few chances to show it here, but no one else made much of an impression. With only six minutes they didn’t have much time anyway, mostly just filler.

Kana, Yumi Ohka, Cherry, and Haruhi vs. GAMI, Kimura, Shibutani, and Bullfighter Sora

Sora and Haruhi start off, Cherry comes in too but Sora hits a crossbody on both of them. Kana runs in and starts hip attacking everyone, until Kimura boots her in the head. Ohka comes in to help but so does GAMI, and GAMI hits everyone in the head with a horn. She gets dropkicked, then Team Kana pose on Gama and Sora. Team GAMI end up back in control as they do the triple leg submission hold spot in a circle as they run through the indy wrestling cliche spots until things settle back down with Sora and Haruhi still the legal wrestlers. They tag in Kana and Kimura, they trade elbows until Kimura headbutts Kana to send her to the mat. Shibutani missile dropkicks Kana, but Kana falls into her corner and tags in Cherry. Cherry hits a jumping lariat on Shibutani and tags in Haruhi, jumping seated sentons by Haruhi and she covers Shibutani for two.

DDT by Shibutani and she dropkicks Cherry before tagging in GAMI. GAMI is reluctant to go up top but eventually does so, she walks the ropes while holding Haruhi’s arm but eventually falls and crotches herself. GAMI picks up Haruhi but Haruhi puts her in a hanging submission, but GAMI gets into the ropes. Ohka is tagged in but GAMI catches her with a side Russian leg sweep and GAMI tags in Sora. Ohka boots Sora in the face and then boots GAMI, backdrop suplex by Ohka to GAMI and she covers her for two. Ohka goes up top but Shibutani grabs her, giving GAMI time to recover, Frankensteiner by GAMI and she covers Ohka for two. Atomic drop by Ohka to GAMI but GAMI levels her with a lariat. Fisherman buster by GAMI, but the cover is broken up. GAMI picks up Ohka but Ohka gets away, Sora tries to help but she hits GAMI by accident. Kimura then headbutts GAMI by accident and Ohka boots GAMI in the head for a two count. Tiger Suplex Hold by Ohka, and she gets the three count! Team Kana win!

A bit sloppy and disjointed for a match with wrestlers that are in theory familar with each other. Lots of comedy spots although it wasn’t all comedy, as Kimura and Kana had a nice exchange that ended way too quickly. Some miscommunications and nothing that really popped out, maybe everyone was told to keep it mild to not upstage the purpose of the evening. Another not bad but not special match which may be a recurring theme.

Misae Genki vs. Yuki Miyazaki

Miyazaki starts the match with a springboard armdrag but Genki blocks her dropkick, trip by Miyazaki and she catches Genki with a dropkick on the second try. Scoop slam by Miyazaki and the pair trade strikes, Genki throws Miyazaki in the corner and hits a series of chops. Big boot by Genki, and she covers Miyazaki for a two count. Genki goes for a chokeslam but Miyazaki blocks it and hits a chokeslam of her own. Miyazaki goes up top but Genki grabs her and chokeslams Miyazaki to the mat for two. Miyazaki grabs Genki around the waist and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Tiger suplex hold by Miyazaki but that gets a two as well, Miyazaki goes up top but Genki avoids the moonsault attempt. Sliding Kick by Miyazaki but Genki levels her with a lariat. Another lariat by Genki, she picks up Miyazaki and she hits an Emerald Frosion. Genki picks up Miyazaki again and nails the G-Driller, picking up the three count cover! Misae Genki wins the match.

Too short to get excited about but the action itself was good. Genki was a quality power wrestler, never outstanding but really solid and everything was hit convincingly. The transitions were bad enough to be annoying, no real meaningful selling until the last few moves, but with a five minute match what else can ya do. Not bad but it didn’t leave much of an impression.

Azumi Hyuga, Leon, and Arisa Nakajima vs. Haruyama, Command Bolshoi, and Yoneyama

Bolshoi and Hyuga start for their teams and trade quick holds on the mat with neither getting a clean advantage. Nakajima and Yoneyama tag in, Hyuga stays in to help but Yoneyama armdrags them both out of the ring. Leon then gets a running start in the ring, jumps up to the top rope and sails out onto everyone with a plancha suicida. Back in the ring, Yoneyama is triple teamed in the corner before Nakajima hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakajima tags Leon, spear by Leon and she hits two more for a two count of her own. Leon goes for a suplex but Yoneyama slides away and hits the Chaos Theory. Yoneyama tags in Haruyama, Stunner by Haruyama but Leon catches her with a backbreaker slam. Nakajima and Hyuga run in while Leon goes up top and hits a diving body press for two. Leon tags Hyuga who hits a double underhook unto a backbreaker, she goes up top and knocks down Haruyama with a missile dropkick. Hyuga picks up Haruyama but Haruyama lariats her in the back of the head and tags in Bolshoi. Hurricanrana by Bolshoi to Hyuga, she picks her up and hits a drop toehold into the ropes so that Haruyama and Yoneyama can dropkick her. Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and she goes for a satellite headscissors, but Hyuga blocks it and hits a backbreaker.

Running knee to the back of the head by Hyuga and she hits rolling German suplexes for a two count. Yoneyama runs in and kicks Hyuga, La Mistica by Bolshoi to Hyuga but it is quickly broken up. Nakajima comes in but Bolshoi rolls her to the mat and applies a kneelock until Leon breaks it up. Bolshoi tags in Haruyama, kick by Haruyama but Nakajima catches her with a bridging fallaway suplex. Elbows by Nakajima but Haruyama blocks the German suplex. More elbows by Nakajima but Haruyama levels her with a lariat.  Haruyama goes up top but Leon grabs her, giving Nakajima time to join Haruyama. Nakajima suplexes Haruyama off the top turnbuckle, Leon then hits a Swanton Bomb and Nakajima finishes with a diving footstomp for a two count cover. German suplex hold by Nakajima to Haruyama, but that gets a two as well. Nakajima goes up top but Yoneyama joins her and suplexes her back off. Haruyama picks up Nakajima and deliver the Keene Hammer but Leon breaks it up. Yoneyama goes up top and is fed Leon’s legs by Haruyama, they together hit an assisted double underhook facebuster on Leon while Yoneyama also sentons Leon. Haruyama goes back up and hits a diving legdrop, but Hyuga breaks up the pin. The bell rings just as she does so, and the time limit has expired. The match is a Draw.

This was definitely the best match on the card we’ve seen as far as wrestling goes, all six of them brought their A Game and were flying around the ring in impressive fashion. They seemed to always be on the same page and worked well together, nothing felt off or forced. With a ten minute time limit I don’t think six wrestlers were needed, four would have been fine as there wasn’t really time to showcase all the wrestlers, but everything they did was well done. It felt more like an exhibition which in a way it was, but it was still fun to watch.  Mildly Recommended

Noriyo Tateno vs. Takako Inoue

Takako kicks Tateno into the corner right off the bat, kick to the chest by Takako and she hits a DDT. More kicks by Takako but Tateno fights back with elbows, Mexican Surfboard by Tateno and she applies a facelock. Tateno stomps down on Takako’s hands and sends her off the ropes, but Takako snaps off a DDT. STF by Takako, she grabs Tateno by the hair but Tateno gets her back and goes for a suplex. Takako grabs the ropes to break it up, lariat by Tateno and she hits two more, German suplex hold by Tateno but it gets a two count. Tateno goes up top but Takako recovers and joins her, hitting an avalanche armdrag for two. Takako goes up top but Tateno avoids the Takako Panic, lariat by Tateno and she hits a diving body press for two. Tateno picks up Takako but Takako slides away and hits a backfist. Tateno blocks the next one however and drops Takako with a Death Valley Bomb, she picks Takako up but Takako slides away and rolls her up for the three count! Takako Inoue is the winner.

Another shorter match and probably the worst one on the show. It was pretty slow with some longer submissions for a match that wasn’t really long enough to sustain it. The match also ended really suddenly, it never felt like it really got going before it was suddenly over. A couple good moves and they worked well together, just not a very exciting match.

Chikayo Nagashima and Sonoko Kato vs. Mayumi Ozaki and Manami Toyota

Like any Ozaki match, the action quickly spills out to the floor as Toyota takes Nagashima up into the crowd. Both teams battle up near the entrance way and in the bleachers, they get back near ringside and Toyota dives off the top turnbuckle onto both Nagashima and Kato. They finally get back into the ring, Ozaki gets a chair and she hits Kato, Toyota then goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Ozaki gets a chain and hits Kato with that as well, but Kato ducks the next attempt and hits a release German suplex. She tags in Nagashima but Nagashima is tripped from the floor, Toyota comes in but Nagashima hits a double springboard armdrag on both of them. Kato slams Ozaki in front of the corner and Nagashima delivers a diving footstomp for a two count cover. Ozaki slaps Nagashima and tags in Toyota, Toyota goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick. She hits another one before putting Nagashima in the ropes so she can be attacked by the entire Ozaki Army. Toyota gets Nagashima on her shoulders but she wiggles away and hits a release German suplex. Diving leg drop by Kato, and she covers Toyota for a two count.

Kato goes for the dragon suplex but Toyota blocks it and rolls Kato around the ring. Toyota goes up top but Kato grabs her from behind and hits a release German. Dragon suplex hold by Kato to Toyota, but it only gets a two count. Toyota gets away from Kato as Ozaki throws a chain at Kato, German suplex hold by Toyota but it gets two. Toyota goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kato avoids her moonsault and hits a punt. She tags in Nagashima but Ozaki is also tagged in, sit-down powerbomb by Ozaki but it gets two. Ozaki gets on the second turnbuckle but Nagashima catapults up there and hits a Frankensteiner. Fisherman buster by Nagashima, but Toyota breaks up the cover. Toyota missile dropkicks Nagashima and Ozaki drops her with a dragon suplex hold for two. Ozaki goes for a Shining Wizard, Nagashima blocks it but Ozaki delivers the spinning backfist for a two count. Ozaki picks up Nagashima but Nagashima rolls her up for two. Hurricanrana by Nagashima, but Ozaki rolls through it, fisherman buster by Nagashima but Toyota breaks up the cover. The bell then rings, as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Well this was definitely action packed, they used every minute as best they could to put on an entertaining show. Not the type of match for people that are fans of long term selling, but it had tons of big moves and brutality like you would expect from an Ozaki match. All four got a chance to shine, with Toyota in particular looking really impressive as always. A really solid match, I wish it could have gotten more time so it could have had a real conclusion but still an enjoyable heavyweight sprint.  Recommended

Devil Masami, Dynamite Kansai, and Carlos Amano vs. Aja Kong, Ran Yu-Yu, and Toshie Uematsu

Masami and Yu-Yu start the match off, they start off politely until Uematsu comes in to help her partner. Masami shrugs off their chops and headbutts both of them, but Kong comes in and lariats Masami to the mat. Kong takes Masami out of the ring and chucks a chair at her, as all six wrestlers brawl at ringside. Kansai and Uematsu end up in the aisle near the balcony while Kong throws the steel plate from the barricade at Amano while somehow Masami made it back into the ring with Yu-Yu and puts her in a sleeper. Masami tags in Kansai, vertical suplex by Kansai to Yu-Yu and she covers her for two. Scorpion Deathlock by Kansai but Yu-Yu crawls to the ropes and she forces the break. Kansai tags in Amano and they hit Yu-Yu with a double shoulderblock, but Yu-Yu pushes back to her corner and tags in Kong. Kong chops Amano against the ropes and hits a lariat in the corner, cover by Kong but it gets two. Amano tries to fight back with headbutts but Kong smacks her to the mat and tags in Uematsu. Uematsu rakes Amano’s face and stomps her down in the corner, Irish whip by Uematsu but Amano hits a jumping lariat and tags in Kansai. Kansai grabs Uematsu and hits a lariat in the corner, but Uematsu dropkicks her in the knee and Yu-Yu runs in too so they can hit a double dropkick. Uematsu stays in but Kansai puts them both in the claw, she slams Yu-Yu to the mat but Uematsu blocks her slam and hits a suplex. Kansai fires back with a suplex of her own, Uematsu tags in Kong but Masami is tagged in as well. Kong kicks Masami in the mouth and hits a back bodydrop, but Masami avoid the elbow drop.

Kansai comes in but Kong lariats both of them. Kong tags in Yu-Yu, jumping elbow of sorts by Yu-Yu to Masami and she hits her with a knee. Yu-Yu tries to pick up Masami but Masami blocks it, knee by Yu-Yu but Masami throws her to the mat. Kong runs over and lariats Masami, Uematsu comes in and kicks Masami in the head which swings the advantage back to Yu-Yu, kick out of the corner by Yu-Yu and she covers Masami for two. Amano jumps off the top turnbuckle with a lariat to Yu-Yu, Uematsu comes in but Masami suplexes Uematsu onto Yu-Yu. Amano stays in and kicks Yu-Yu but Yu-Yu returns fire with an elbow and knocks Amano to the mat. Yu-Yu goes off the ropes but Amano hits a roaring elbow, she picks up Yu-Yu and hits a jumping lariat, but Yu-Yu knees her when she goes off the ropes again. Another knee by Yu-Yu and she hits a release German suplex, picking up a two count. Yu-Yu tags in Kong, Kong punches Amano to the mat but Amano fights back with headbutts. Kong has none of that and hits a hard lariat, she picks up Amano and delivers the brainbuster but the cover is broken up. Kong slams Amano in front of the corner, she goes up top but Masami pushes her back to the mat. Jumping lariat by Amano to Kong and she tags in Kansai. Kansai kicks Kong but Kong catches her with a backdrop suplex, but Kansai kicks out of the cover. Kansai goes up top, Kong goes to join her but Kansai slides out to the apron and kicks Kong in the head.

Splash Mountain by Kansai, but Yu-Yu breaks it up. Kansai goes up top but Kong avoids the footstomp and Uematsu comes off the top with a missile dropkick. Shining Wizard by Kong to Kansai, but the cover gets two. Kong goes up top but Kansai avoids the elbow drop, Kansai goes up again and this time she hits the diving footstomp, but Uematsu breaks up the cover. Masami is tagged in, she picks up Kong as Amano goes for a missile dropkick, but she hits Masami on accident. Kong tags in Uematsu, dragon suplex hold by Uematsu but Masami gets a shoulder up. Hard elbow by Yu-Yu to Masami but Masami fires up and lariats all three of her opponents. Masami picks up Uematsu but Uematsu slides away and Kong lariats Masami. Uematsu gets on Yu-Yu’s shoulders and hits a diving body press on Masami, but the cover gets two. Uematsu goes up top but Masami hits her before she can jump off, Yu-Yu runs in and grabs Masami however and Uematsu hits a missile dropkick. Masami pops up and lariats both of them, Kansai comes in and starts kicking people as Masami picks up Uematsu and hits a Liger Bomb for a two count. Yu-Yu has recovered but Masami scoops her up and nails the Fire Valley. She then hits it on Uematsu, but Yu-Yu breaks it up. Kong picks up Masami and hits her with a backfist, Uematsu gets behind Masami and nails a dragon suplex hold for the three count! Kong, Yu-Yu, and Uematsu are your winners!

After the match, Devil Masami had a Retirement Ceremony that lasted 45 minutes. It included wrestlers saying farewell with flowers, testimonials, and of course the streamers at the end. Masami couldn’t have looked happier, and it was a fitting end to a long and storied career.

It is really really hard to evaluate a match like this with star ratings. It isn’t designed to be a ‘great’ match in the traditional sense of the word, as the retiring wrestler generally has her friends or people she enjoyed working with in the match to make it enjoyable for them. I will say that the wrestlers were putting in maximum effort to send off their friend in style, we still had Splash Mountains and Diving Footstomps and everything between, they were in no way coasting. And it was nice that Masami got the loss as that is normal tradition, giving the win to the younger Uematsu. Overall I liked it due to not just the emotion but the effort level, not a high end match work-wise but still fun to watch and a match I am sure Masami was proud of.  Recommended

The post Marvelous “Devil Masami Retirement” on 12/30/08 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: CMLL-REINA International Junior Heavyweight Championship, International Ribbon Tag Team Championship, REINA X World Tag Team Championship, WNC Women’s Championship, JWP Tag Team Championship, and the Daily Sports Tag Team Championship
Tournaments Won: CMLL-Reina International Junior Championship Tournament (2011), WNC Kito Cup (2012)
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• May 4th, 2008 with Yoshida vs. Matsumoto and Ohata
• March 21st, 2011 vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• May 5th, 2011 with Sakura vs. Shida and Syuri
• October 18th, 2011 vs. La Silueta
• April 25th, 2013 vs. Nakajima vs. Bolshoi vs. Haruyama vs. Makoto vs. Storm vs. Syuri
• December 22nd, 2013 with Leon vs. Aki Shizuku and Aliya
• December 28th, 2014 with Leon vs. Command Bolshoi and Kyoko Kimura
• July 11th, 2015 with Leon vs. Rabbit Miu and Rydeen Hagane

Signature Moves:

• Backlash (Ariel Cartwheel into a Powerbomb)
• Beni Tennyo (Moonsault Knee Drop)
• Flash End (Avalanche Stunner)
• Linlin Spiral Clutch (Tilt-a-whirl Headscissors into a Schoolboy)
• Moonsault
• Shooting Star Press (rarely used)
• Sky Twister (Corkscrew Moonsault)
• Tiger Feint Kick

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• November 9th, 2009 – Kana and Nanae Takahashi vs. Natsuki Taiyo and Ray in NEO
• December 28th, 2014 – Command Bolshoi and Kyoko Kimura vs. Leon and Ray in JWP
• July 11th, 2015 – Leon and Ray vs., Rabbit Miu and Rydeen Hagane in JWP

In Action:

Coming Soon

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The post Ray appeared first on Joshi City.

Back in the early 90s, FMW was the first predominantly male promotion in Japan to have a women’s division, as up to that point men and women were separated into different promotions. That is largely how it still is today with large promotion, however many indy promotions have men and women wrestling together (now they wrestle against each other, however in FMW the divisions were kept separate). FMW died back in 2001, but the latest version popped up this year and use many of the same wrestlers that old school FMW did.

Since it wouldn’t be a true FMW event without women wrestling on the card as well, two of the seven matches featured Joshi wrestlers. This included a “inter-promotional match” with FMW facing off against JWP. Here are the two Joshi matches I will be reviewing:

– Kayoko Haruyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Miss Mongol and Miss Koharu
– Ayako Hamada vs. Ray

This naturally won’t be a long review, but since women were an important part of FMW I did not want to neglect the event altogether. Let’s get right into it.

Kayoko Haruyama and Tsubasa Kuragaki vs. Miss Mongol and Miss Koharu

Team FMW attacks before the bell rings but it immediately backfires, as Haruyama isolates young Koharu for a beatdown. Kuragaki takes a turn as well but Koharu hits a headscissors on Kuragaki and tags in Miss Mongol. Haruyama comes in the ring too but Mongol lariats both of them while the crowd voices their approval. Haruyama and Mongol trade strikes but they crush the referee in the corner, Mongol goes for the Bronco Buster on Haruyama but Haruyama moves and the referee is hit instead. The referee is hit again as he has now taken the most damage in the match, but he recovers pretty quickly as the action continues. Koharu comes in and they hit a double vertical suplex on Haruyama, but Haruyama hulks back up as Kuragaki comes in the ring. Double shoulderblock to Koharu and they put her in a double backbreaker, Mongol runs in but Haruyama takes Koharu so Kuragaki can put Mongol in a backbreaker as well. Diving leg drop by Haruyama to Koharu, but Mongol breaks up the pin. Mongol gets the whip but hits Koharu by accident, double underhook facebuster by Haruyama to Koharu but Koharu barely gets a shoulder up. Koharu sneaks in a backslide for two, Mongol comes back in but Kuragaki suplexes her. Haruyama goes up top as does Kuragaki, moonsault by Kuragaki and Haruyama hits a diving guillotine legdrop for the three count! Team JWP win the match.

This one started really slow but it picked up and the last few minutes were solid. Koharu is this adorable little thing and she almost didn’t fit in with three power wrestlers, which meant of course she was the one taking damage most of the match. Some of the transitions and strike portions didn’t look great as they weren’t being snug, but for a midcard tag match there was nothing wrong with it. Haruyama and Kuragaki are still awesome, Haruyama will be missed when she retires.

Ayako Hamada vs. Ray

This match was pretty clipped, which is disappointing since I enjoy both wrestlers. After feeling each other out (they didn’t clip that part), Hamada kicks Ray hard in the face for the first big move of the match. Hamada quickly goes for the moonsault but Ray moves, now Ray goes up top but Hamada gets her feet on on the moonsault attempt. High backdrop suplex by Hamada but Ray gets out of the powerbomb and they trade kicks. Tiger feint kick by Ray and this time she hits the moonsault, but Hamada kicks out of the cover. Hamada roars back with a lariat, sit-down powerbomb by Hamada but the cover gets two. AP Cross by Hamada, and she gets the three count! Hamada wins the match.

I am not sure what was clipped as only half of the match was shown, but it may explain why we went from “feeling out” to “dropping bombs” with no middle portion. What we saw was fine, both are quality wrestlers and Ray still flies around very well. A good showing by both but I can’t recommend a match clipped in half.

The post FMW on December 22 2015 Review – Joshi Matches Only appeared first on Joshi City.