Rina Amikura Archives - Joshi City https://joshicity.com/tag/rina-amikura/ Reviews and Wrestler Profiles from Joshi Wrestling Sun, 07 Aug 2022 06:40:29 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.7 https://i0.wp.com/joshicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Rina Amikura Archives - Joshi City https://joshicity.com/tag/rina-amikura/ 32 32 93679598 Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3” on 7/8/22 Review https://joshicity.com/stardom-new-blood-3-july-8-2022-review/ Sun, 07 Aug 2022 06:40:29 +0000 https://joshicity.com/?p=20415 The young Miyu Amasaki challenges Giulia!

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Stardom New Blood 3

Event: Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3”
Date: July 8th, 2022
Location: Shinagawa Intercity Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 419
Broadcast: Streamed on YouTube

In early 2022, Stardom announced a new concept for the promotion that gives a bigger platform for less experienced Joshi wrestlers. As part of the idea, wrestlers from other promotions would also be invited to join, giving the events a unique feel and separating it from their normal events. Called “New Blood,” the first event was well received and the series continued, with this being the third show with the “New Blood” branding. The main event has Stardom’s Miyu Amasaki, who debuted this year, against one of the top wrestlers in Stardom – Giulia. But as mentioned, this is not an “all Stardom” affair as we also have wrestlers from Ganbare, JUST TAP OUT, PROMINANCE, Diana, and COLOR’S on the show plus Ram Kaicho. A pretty interesting line-up, here is the full card:

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it. As this aired on YouTube, every match will be shown in full.

Mai Sakurai vs. YuuRI
Mai Sakurai vs. YuuRI

We kick off the show with the first of many matches that will have a Stardom wrestler facing an outsider. Mai Sakurai debuted in AgZ in 2020 but joined Stardom in 2021 still relatively inexperienced. She hasn’t had a lot of success moving up the card since joining, thus why she is in the opener. She is against YuuRI, who started in JUST TAP OUT but joined DDT Ganbare just a year after debuting. Both of these wrestlers have a similar level of experience, so it should be a pretty even match.

YuuRI forces Mai to shake her hand, then dropkickers her into the corner. She charges in again but Mai moves, hitting a big boot followed by a dropkick. YuuRI avoids Mai’s elbow drop and hits a somersault senton, body press by YuuRI and she covers Mai for two. Camel Clutch by YuuRI and she pulls on Mai’s nose too for good measure, she eventually lets go but Mai blocks the scoop slam attempt as she hits one of her own. Stomp by Mai and she applies a Camel Clutch of her own, she lets go and knees YuuRI in the back. YuuRI elbows her and the two trade blows, YuuRI goes off the ropes and she applies a flying sleeper hold. Mai gets into the ropes for the break, YuuRI goes for the 619 but Mai moves out of the way. Mai goes off the ropes but YuuRI trips her before kneeing Mai in the back. Dropkick by YuuRI and she connects this time with the 619, jackknife cover by YuuRI but it gets two. YuuRI goes to the top turnbuckle but Mai recovers and elbows her before she can jump off, tossing YuuRI back into the ring. Boot by Mai and she hits two more before dropping YuuRI with a standing leg lariat. Mai picks up YuuRI but YuuRI pushes her off and applies a rolling Schoolboy for two. YuuRI goes to the top turnbuckle again and this time hits a missile dropkick, cover by YuuRI but it gets two. YuuRI goes off the ropes but Mai boots her, but YuuRI kicks out of the pin. Shining Yakuza Kick by Mai, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving elbow drop, but YuuRI reverses the cover. Both wrestlers get back up, YuuRI goes for a couple flash pins but they don’t work. Shining Yakuza Kick by Mai, she picks up YuuRI and delivers the Shining Buster for the three count! Mai Sakurai is the winner!

I am as impressed with YuuRI as I am unimpressed with Mai so they kinda cancelled each other out here. YuuRI has a variety of fun looking offense, I loved the running sleeper hold, and at her stage of experience she really looked good. Mai has a very limited moveset and doesn’t necessarily even hit those moves crisply, every promotion needs lower end wrestlers to eat pins and I doubt Mai will ever move past that unless she really ups her game. More good than bad thanks to YuuRI and a suitable opener for this type of event.

Ami Sourei vs. Nanami
Ami Sourei vs. Nanami

We are only at Match #2 but business is already picking up as we get a look at Ami “The Bodyguard” Sourei against the young Nanami. Ami just recently joined Stardom, she began her career in AgZ as Ami Miura and is a power-based wrestler. Nanami wrestles out of Diana, she is only 15 years old but has been wrestling for almost three years. Ami has the home field and size advantage so she is going to win, but hopefully the young Nanami gets to show off a bit in defeat.

They tie-up to start, Ami pushes Nanami into the ropes but Nanami switches positions with her and hits a series of elbows. Irish whip by Ami and they collide with neither going down, Nanami tries to knock over Ami a few more times but has no luck. Kick by Nanami but Ami hits a hard shoulderblock, Ami picks up Nanami and throws her into the corner. Ami puts Nanami across the second rope and hits a running body avalanche, cover by Ami but it gets two. Ami picks up Nanami and hits a scoop slam, crab hold by Ami but Nanami gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by Ami to the corner but Nanami shoulderblocks her down when she charges in, Nanami goes for a slam but Ami blocks it. Nanami eventually hits the scoop slam, but Ami kicks out of the cover. Nanami picks up Ami and drops her to the mat, rolling bodyscissors by Nanami but Ami breaks out and gets to the corner.

Nanami charges in but Ami moves, body avalanche by Ami and she chops Nanami in the chest. Ami gets Nanami on her shoulders and hits a death valley bomb, she puts Nanami in a crab hold but Nanami gets to the ropes. Ami picks up Nanami, Nanami elbows her off and the two trade blows. Nanami sneaks in a backslide and a schoolboy for two counts, cradle by Nanami but that gets a two as well. Nanami charges Ami and hits a knee, neckbreaker by Nanami and she hits a body press off the second turnbuckle for two. Ami ducks an elbow and delivers a lariat, she picks up Nanami and hits a second lariat for a two count. Ami picks up Nanami and puts her on her shoulders in the Argentine Backbreaker, Nanami struggles for a moment but has to submit! Ami Sourei is the winner!

This was an interesting match. New Blood shows are kinda in their own bubble as Stardom’s most recent acquisition really shouldn’t be having a 50/50 match with a mediocre 15 year old. But since the idea of the show is to give young wrestlers a chance, I won’t complain too much. It was odd that Nanami was at times presented as almost even when it came to strength and strikes since Ami was brought in as a “bodyguard” for God’s Eye, it definitely came across more as a way to showcase Nanami than a match within the Stardom universe. Which is fine, it just seems wasted on someone like Nanami who has shown minimal improvement since debuting years ago and likely will stay low on the pecking order in Diana. Not a bad match, but kinda weird and the action was never overly interesting.

Aoi, Misa Kagura, and Tomoka Inaba vs. Hanan, Momo Kohgo, and Saya Iida
Aoi, Misa Kagura, and Inaba vs. Hanan, Kohgo, and Saya Iida

As everyone knows, I am a big fan of Aoi so I am excited to see her on a Stardom event. JUST TAP OUT is a promotion run by wrestler TAKA Michinoku, that was spawned after TAKA left K-DOJO. They run their own events but are also a training ground for wrestlers that want to expand their career even if it means joining a new promotion (such as Maika and YuuRI have done). Aoi is my favorite but Inaba is their best Joshi wrestler. They are against a lower-level Stardom team, with the STARS trio of Hanan, Kohgo, and Iida. I’m not expecting much out of this one but hopefully the JTO team will get a chance to show off.

Inaba and Hanan start the match, they trade holds and end up on the mat with Hanan going after Inaba’s arm. Inaba gets away and they reach a stalemate, Hanan tags MIRAI while Aoi also tags in. Irish whip by MIRAI ad they both go off the ropes, armdrag by MIRAI and she delivers a dropkick. Aoi tags Misa so Iida also tags in, they bump chests until Iida knocks over Misa with a hard shoulderblock. She tags Momo as Hanan also comes in, and all three attack Misa. The ring eventually clears as Momo throws Misa into the corner, but Misa avoids her dropkick and hits a shoulderblock. Running senton by Misa and she covers Momo for two. Misa tags Inaba but Hanan and Iida both get in the ring too, Inaba takes care of both of them however before going back to Momo. Inaba throws Momo into the corner but Momo avoids her charge and hits a crossbody off the second turnbuckle for two. Dropkick by Momo, she goes for the Tiger Feint Kick but Inaba moves and punches Momo in the gut. Momo returns fire with a dropkick, she tags in Iida while Inaba tags Aoi.

Iida and Aoi trade strikes, chops by Aoi against the ropes and she hits a jumping double chop. Iida gets one of her own and tags Hanan, dropkick by Hanan to Aoi and they trade elbows. Judo toss by Hanan, she picks up Aoi but Aoi blocks the suplex attempt and hits a jumping forearm. This gives her time to tag Misa, dropkick by Misa into the corner and she hits a lariat. Misa jumps on Hanan’s back with a submission, the other members of JTO come in the ring and put a respective opponent in a submission hold as well. Misa cradles Hanan and puts her in a crab hold, but Hanan gets to the ropes for the break. Back up, STO by Hanan but her covers gets two. Hanan picks up Misa but Misa blocks the slam, she goes off the ropes and clubs Hanan for a two count. Momo picks up Misa and clubs her in the back, Iida goes up top and delivers a diving shoulderblock. Hanan jumps on Iida’s back as does Momo, and together they fall on Misa with a triple body press. Wrist-clutch suplex hold by Hanan, but it gets broken up. Iida and Momo clear the ring while Hanan hits a Fameasser on Misa, but Misa barely kicks out. Hanan picks up Misa and delivers a backdrop suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! STARS win the match.

More of a showcase for Stardom’s young wrestlers than doing a lot of favors for JUST TAP OUT, but not a bad match even if it was pretty basic. Every time I watch Hanan I forget how tall she has gotten, she got the most shine in this match and I wonder once she turns 18/graduates if they are looking to move her up the card. Everyone else looked fine but it Aoi didn’t get to really do anything and Inaba only got about 30 seconds to impress. Too short to really get going, mostly mid-card filler but at least Hanan looked good.

MIRAI vs. Suzu Suzuki
MIRAI vs. Suzu Suzuki

A stealth potential banger on a show that really is focused more on getting young wrestlers a chance to shine than putting on amazing matches. I am a big fan of both wrestlers, as Mirai Maiumi was really starting to put it together in Tokyo Joshi Pro before she joined Stardom and Suzu was the Future Ace of Ice Ribbon for a reason – she’s fantastic. A year ago I’d have never expected to see these two face off on a Stardom show, yet here we are. MIRAI has been pretty protected in Stardom since joining, but Suzu (now wrestling out of her own stable, PROMINANCE) hasn’t really lost yet either here so its a clash between two young but protected future stars. Should be pretty entertaining.

They tie-up to start, Suzu gets MIRAI into the ropes but she gives a clean break. MIRAI quickly pushes her into the ropes on the opposite side but also gives a clean break, headlock by Suzu and she gets MIRAI to the mat. MIRAI gets back up and escapes the hold, she applies her own headlock but Suzu gets out of it and kicks MIRAI against the ropes. Kick by MIRAI in return but Suzu knocks her out of the ring and throws MIRAI onto the floor. Hard elbow by Suzu on the floor and she throws MIRAI into a table at ringside before pushing her onto the ramp. Suzu joins MIRAI on the ramp but MIRAI blocks the scoop slam, elbows by Suzu and she finally hits the slam. She returns to the ring while MIRAI slowly recovers, MIRAI rolls back in and Suzu greets her with stomps. MIRAI gets back to her feet and elbows Suzu, she goes off the ropes but Suzu knees her and mushes MIRAI against the ropes. Suzu goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, MIRAI lands in the corner and Suzu drills her with a running knee. Cover by Suzu, but it gets two.

Waistlock by Suzu but MIRAI grabs the ropes to block the suplex, Suzu pulls her back but MIRAI elbows herself free. Kick by MIRAI and she rolls Suzu to the mat in a cross armbreaker, but Suzu gets to the ropes just as the lock is applied. MIRAI picks up Suzu, her Irish whip is reversed but MIRAI knocks down Suzu with a hard shoulderblock. MIRAI puts Suzu in a wrist-clutch Scorpion Deathlock, she releases the hold after a moment and covers Suzu for two. MIRAI keeps on Suzu’s arm and slams Suzu in front of the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Suzu elbows her from behind and joins her. Headbutt by Suzu and she delivers a Frankensteiner, head kick by Suzu and she covers MIRAI for two. Suzu picks up MIRAI but MIRAI spins away and slams Suzu face-first into the mat. MIRAI picks up Suzu and hits a headbutt, Suzu headbutts her back and both wrestlers collapse to the mat. They slowly return to their feet and trade elbows, Suzu wins the battle and picks up MIRAI just to elbow her some more. MIRAI ducks the next elbow attempt and hits a lariat, mounted elbows by MIRAI and she hits a half nelson slam for two. MIRAI puts Suzu in an armlock, she picks up Suzu but Suzu gets away and hits a superkick. Another kick by Suzu, and she covers MIRAI for two. Suzu gets MIRAI up but MIRAI elbows free, lariat by MIRAI and she hits a second one for a two count. MIRAI picks up Suzu, Suzu gets away as the bell rings but Suzu hits a German suplex anyway. Still, the match is over and declared a Draw.

As expected, a damn good match. The Draw here wasn’t surprising, no need for either of them to drop a fall on a throwaway show as both have bigger things going on. This was a fairly even match but MIRAI generally felt more on control, as Suzu wasn’t able to hit the German until the match was over while MIRAI rocked Suzu on several occasions. The action was smooth and they mixed in different offensive methods to keep the match interesting. These two have a better match in them on a bigger stage, but still a good showcase for both, really looking forward to seeing more of Suzu in Stardom.  Recommended

Ram Kaicho vs. Waka Tsukiyama
Ram Kaicho vs. Waka Tsukiyama

My excitement to seeing Ram in Stardom was slightly dimmed by seeing who she was against, but its still fun to see her in a new environment. Kaicho will likely never be a main event star for a promotion but she has a unique look, style, and charisma that makes her one to watch wherever she pops up. I am less bullish on Waka as in-ring she has never impressed me, but she does have a fun personality and plenty of fans. I’m not sure what to expect here but hopefully Kaicho makes a good impression.

Waka avoids Kaicho’s elbow to start and goes to flip her off, but Kaicho blocks her from doing so. Kaicho tries to then flip off Waka but she blocks it as well, trip by Kaicho and she goes off the ropes, but Waka delivers a dropkick. Waka picks up Kaicho but Kaicho kicks her in the knee, elbows by Waka and the two trade blows. Stomps by Kaicho and she gets Waka into the corner, kick by Kaicho and she drags Waka back to the middle of the ring to start working on her leg. Waka gets to the ropes for the break, Waka goes for an elbow by Kaicho moves and chokes Waka. Kaicho slams Waka’s head into the mat repeatedly, she picks up Waka but Waka jumps out to the apron and trips Kaicho when she charges at her. Dropkick to the back by Waka and she puts Kaicho in a stretch hold, but Kaicho gets to the ropes. Kaicho quickly hits a Codebreaker, she picks up Waka but Waka ducks the Rainmaker and hits a Complete Shot. Waka goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again and hits a second one for a two count. Waka argues with the referee so Kaicho dropkicks her from behind, she gets a hand full of powder and throws it into Waka’s face. Onryo Clutch by Kaicho, and she gets the three count! Ram Kaicho is the winner.

Just to address the elephant in the room – Waka came out with face paint that was meant to play mind games with Kaicho as it was basically the inverse of the face paint that Kaicho wears. Unfortunately the inverse looks like blackface, and while that was not the intent, it certainly upset some Western fans. Even though no offense was obviously intended, since Stardom does market to US fans its probably best if they were a little more aware of such things and err on the side of not offending part of their fanbase. Anyway, this match was pretty pedestrian. A fair bit of the action looked slightly off without being straight botched, it was like they were on different parts of the same page so they didn’t completely click. It was also short, but that may have been for the best. Not quite the spotlight I would have liked for Kaicho but she did her best, luckily this won’t be the last time we will see Kaicho in Stardom.

Haruka Umesaki, Rina, Ruaka, and Starlight Kid vs. Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Rina Amikura, and Yuko Sakurai
Haruka Umesaki, Rina, Ruaka, and Starlight Kid vs. Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka, Amikura, and Sakurai

A big eight wrestler tag match before we get to the main event. This is an interesting combination of wrestlers, as Umesaki joins Oedo Tai to take on two wrestlers from Cosmic Angels and two wrestlers from COLOR’S. Starlight Kid is the clear star of her team, although it will be fun to see Diana wrestler Haruka in a different environment. While Mina and Unagi are pretty solid wrestlers (and great personalities), Amikura and Sakurai are still developing so this will be a good chance for them. I don’t know if they will get enough time to get a spotlight on everyone, so it will be interesting to see who they decide to give the most attention to.

Team Mostly Oedo Tai attack before the bell rings with general chaos taking place, eventually Unagi is isolated and quadruple teamed. Rina stays in as the legal wrestler, she puts Unagi in the ropes and she is attacked by all four of her opponents again. Rina throws down Unagi by the hair and stomps her in the corner, she tags in Ruaka but Unagi hits a Codebreaker and makes the tag to Amikura. Body avalanche by Amikura to Ruaka and she hits a running senton for a two count. Amikura goes off the ropes but Ruaka does go over with the shoulderblock attempt, they take turns trying to knock each other over until Amikura hits a crossbody. The rest of her team comes in the ring as they hit a double body press on Ruaka, Amikura picks up Ruaka but Ruaka shoulderblocks her over and reluctantly tags Haruka. Unagi tags in too, they both miss moves until Unagi hits a heel drop. Unagi picks up Haruka but Haruka elbows her, and the two trade shots. Kick by Unagi but Haruka hits a jumping neckdrop followed by a footstomp. Mina runs in and helps out, leg drop by Unagi but Haruka kicks out. Unagi tags Mina, Mina picks up Haruka and hits a series of elbows. Mina goes off the ropes but Haruka catches her with a dropkick, hard elbow by Mina and she hits a Reverse DDT for two. Mina picks up Haruka and applies a front headlock, Haruka gets away and Runa comes in and hits a hip toss.

Senton by Ruaka to Mina and Haruka follows with a neckbreaker for a two count. Mina sneaks in a cradle which also gets two, suplex by Haruka but Mina drops her with a backfist. Starlight Kid and Sakurai are tagged in, shoulderblock by Sakurai and she hits a dropkick. Elbows by Sakurai but Starlight Kid connects with a jumping forearm, kicks by Starlight Kid but Sakurai hits another shoulderblock. Sakurai charges Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid moves, the rest of her team runs in and everyone hits running strikes on Sakurai. Cover by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. Double Irish whip to Sakurai but Amikura comes in and they knock down Rina and Starlight Kid with shoulderblocks. They fall out of the ring, Mina goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto the Oedo Tai blob at ringside. Amikura rolls Starlight Kid back in where her teammates are waiting, and Haruka helps Amikura slam Starlight Kid. Elbow drop by Sakurai, but the cover is broken up. Dragon Sleeper by Sakurai but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes, Sakurai grabs her but Starlight Kid slides away and Haruka dropkicks Sakurai. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and hits a quebrada, but Mina breaks up the cover. Amikura and Mina go off the ropes but get tripped from ringside, Unagi knocks down Starlight Kid but she eats a dropkick from Haruka and Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid goes up top and hits the swivel body press on Sakurai, but Sakurai barely gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid picks up Sakurai but Sakurai sneaks in a small package for two. Dropkick to the knee by Starlight Kid and she puts Sakurai in the Kuro Tora Leg Killing, with Sakurai quickly tapping out! Starlight Kid, Rina, Ruaka, and Haruka Umesaki are the winners.

I was worried at first they were going to let everyone but Starlight Kid get a chance, luckily they were just saving her for last. Starlight Kid is a step above the others here in terms of general excitement to watch, but there were several other quality wrestlers (Haruka, Unagi, Mina in particular) to hold the match together. Much of it was too random without a real story, but that is what happens in an eight wrestler tag match that only goes eleven minutes. The COLOR’S wrestlers aren’t high end but are fine with the basics, but coming out of the match per usual I was focused on how crisp Starlight Kid is. She’s really good. Anyway, a perfectly fine match with a few good peaks, but nothing to get too excited about.  Mildly Recommended

Giulia vs. Miyu Amasaki
Giulia vs. Miyu Amasaki

For the main event, the young Miyu Amasaki goes against Giulia, the leader of DDM. This is obviously a very lopsided match – Giulia is one of the top female wrestlers in the world while Miyu just debuted a few months ago. But that is the fun of these cards, this is a match that wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for this event, as it gives a young inexperienced wrestlers a chance to show off with one of the best. Miyu is far from getting a super rookie push like Utami but she is also no Lady C, landing somewhere in the middle in early exposure. We all know who is winning, and it probably won’t be close, but Giulia will likely be pretty giving to the rookie considering they are in the main event.

Giulia and Miyu lock-up, Giulia works a headlock and she gets Miyu into the ropes. Giulia gives a clean break, she blocks Miyu’s tackle attempt but they end up on the mat anyway with Giulia in the dominate position. Giulia goes for an armbreaker but Miyu quickly gets to the ropes for the break. Back up they lock-up, Miyu gets Giulia into the ropes this time but Giulia switches positions with her, she gives a clean break but Miyu elbows her in the chest. Giulia elbows her back which sends Miyu to her knees, she gets back up though and returns fire. Hard elbow by Giulia, Miyu connects with a few in return but Giulia tackles her and gets her back. Sleeper by Giulia but Miyu switches places with her, Giulia quickly rolls out of it however and Miyu grabs the ropes. Slam by Giulia and she gets in the mount position, Miyu tries to fight out of it and eventually rolls into the ropes to get the break. Giulia knocks Miyu into the corner and hits a dropkick, snapmare by Giulia and she applies a sleeper. Giulia picks up Miyu and hits a scoop slam, cover by Giulia but it gets two. Giulia picks up Miyu but Miyu snaps off a vertical suplex, she goes for the Space Rolling Elbow but Giulia moves. Miyu hits a dropkick anyway but Giulia doesn’t go down, a second dropkick doesn’t knock her over either.

Miyu runs at Giulia and this time hits a jumping DDT, cover by Miyu but it gets a two count. Miyu picks up Giulia and applies a double underhook, but Giulia gets out of it and hits a back bodydrop. Giulia goes for a cocky pin but Miyu grabs her leg and goes for a cross kneelock, she finally gets it locked in and Giulia gets to the ropes. Miyu stomps on Giulia’s leg and twists it in the second rope, dropkick to the knee by Miyu and she covers Giulia for two. Double underhook by Miyu but Giulia blocks it again, Giulia pushes Miyu off but Miyu delivers a dropkick. Miyu goes off the ropes but Giulia does too, Miyu spins Giulia around and nails a double underhook sit-out facebuster for a nearfall. Miyu elbows Giulia as they get up but Giulia hits a front dropkick, covering Miyu for two. STF by Giulia, but Miyu gets a hand on the ropes. Giulia picks up Miyu and drops her with a backdrop suplex, which Miyu is very slow to recover from. She eventually gets back up and is promptly dropkicked in the back for her trouble, Giulia goes to the top turnbuckle but Miyu doesn’t get up for a bit. Giulia patiently waits and hits a missile dropkick when she finally does, cover by Giulia but Miyu gets a shoulder up. Giulia picks up Miyu but Miyu gets her back and quickly cradles Giulia with a jackknife for two. Giulia quickly recovers, Miyu elbows at Giulia but Giulia grabs her and nails the Glorious Driver for the three count! Giulia is the winner.

Either Miyu is the best seller in wrestling or she was in serious pain by the end of this match. Probably the latter. Giulia was very giving here but also clever in how she did it, with her cockiness directly leading to Miyu getting in control. First was the cocky cover, allowing Miyu to get her to the mat, but Giulia also didn’t take Miyu’s kneelock seriously until it was locked on and too late. That little segment helped lead to Miyu getting a minute or two to show off and get a close fall or two, not that anyone thought they’d work but it was far from a squash match or a traditional “Veteran vs. Rookie” match. Its hard to recommend a match too highly when the winner is clear and one of the wrestlers is still pretty basic, but Miyu looked good in defeat and Giulia showed why she isn’t your typical top star. Overall a pretty good match and a fitting main event for this type of show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom “NEW BLOOD 3” on 7/8/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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20415
NOMADS’ “Freelance Summit” on 5/20/22 Review https://joshicity.com/nomads-freelance-summit-may-20-2022-review/ Sun, 05 Jun 2022 03:50:41 +0000 https://joshicity.com/?p=20319 Featuring the returns of Natsu Sumire and Kaho!

The post NOMADS’ “Freelance Summit” on 5/20/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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NOMADS' Freelance Summit Poster

Event: NOMADS’ Freelance Summit
Date: May 20th, 2022
Location: Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 470
Broadcast: Streamed on Zaiko

One of the more interesting developments in the last six months or so in the world of Joshi is wrestlers creating Freelancer stables that also put on their own events. We have COLOR’S, PROMINANCE, Rebel X Enemy, and here we get to watch my personal favorite: NOMADS’. NOMADS’ comprises of four wrestlers: Natsu Sumire, Maya Yukihi, Rina Yamashita, and Miyuki Takase. All are great. Course, as Freelancers, they are welcome and encouraged to wrestle all around the world on their own schedule, but they work together behind the scenes and will occasionally put on their own Freelance shows. Like this one, which is the first! As all four are very respected on the scene, they have a fair amount of influence to bring in the top Freelancers for the event. Particularly special about this card, besides the surprise match from Natsu Sumire, is the return of Kaho Kobayashi! Kaho is my stealth favorite and has been out of action for a year, so its great to see her back. Here is the full card:

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

Natsu Sumire vs. Miyuki Takase
Miyuki Takase vs. Natsu Sumire
Exhibition Match

The show starts out with a surprise, as Natsu Sumire was not scheduled to wrestle on the show. Natsu’s last match was back in 2020, as she took a long break to heal up injuries and pursue other ventures. No one knew for sure if she’d ever wrestle again, but here we are, with her in an unscheduled exhibition match. She faces off against fellow NOMADS’ wrestler Miyuki Takase, who we will see again later this evening. While the outcome to this isn’t in doubt, it will be great to see Natsu again, and I’m glad she is healthy enough to mix it up in the ring instead of just being a mouthpiece (which she is also very good at).

Natsu attacks Takase before the match starts and stomps on her, Natsu picks up Takase but Takase blocks the slam attempt and hits a snapmare. Another snapmare by Takase and a third, she puts Natsu in a bodyscissors and rolls her around the ring. She eventually lets go, scoop slam by Takase and she covers Natsu for two. Takase puts Natsu in the corner, she tries to pull her back out but Natsu holds on for dear life. Natsu asks for a breather and gets some water, the referee keeps Takase at bay while Natsu composes herself. Natsu finally recovers, she throws Takase into the opposite corner and hits a back elbow. Natsu calls for and attempts her famous Bronco Buster, but Takase slides under it and cradles Natsu for two. Takase stomps Natsu, Irish whip by Takase and Natsu collapses near the ropes. Dropkick by Takase, she gets Natsu on her shoulders but Natsu slides off and hits a jumping neckdrop. Natsu boots Takase in the face twice while she is against the ropes, cover by Natsu but it gets two. Natsu picks up Takase, Takase chops her and goes off the ropes but Natsu delivers a big boot. Natsu goes for the cover but the bell rings as she does so, as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

A five minute exhibition is clearly going to end in a Draw, but it was still great to see Natsu in the right place (both mind and body) to wrestle again. Natsu was never a high end wrestler and wouldn’t have beaten Takase anyway, but she is entertaining and has the charisma that not many wrestlers possess. Natsu has a lot of fans around the world that appreciate the qualities she brings to the table, as she is a fun change of pace that has comedic elements to her character but isn’t a full-blown comedy wrestler that is limited in what she can do. A fun way to kick off the show and it would be hard to complain about an unadvertised match anyway, nothing but positives to take away from a surprise Natsu Sumire match even if it was short with an obvious conclusion.

Momoka Hanazono vs. Tae Honma
Momoka Hanazono vs. Tae Honma

For the first official match on the show, Tae Honma takes on the younger Momoka Hanazono. Tae Honma recently returned from a long absence due to an injury, she came up in AgZ but went Freelancer after the promotion changed their direction. She recently announced she will be a regular in Ice Ribbon, so hopefully we will be able to enjoy more of her matches soon. Momoka is 22 years old and wrestles mostly out of Colega, she has been wrestling for three years but is pretty under-the-radar. Tae has the experience edge here, but its always nice to see lesser-known wrestlers get a match on a show that got a lot of attention coming in.

They both hype the crowd before Momoka decides to attack Tae from behind, they circle each other before tying up. Momoka gets Tae to the mat and twists her hair before throwing her into the corner. She gets a… bubble maker and holds it into Tae’s face, spraying her with bubbles. Momoka picks up Tae and slams her face into the mat, she gets the bubble maker again along with her plastic flower and sits on Tae’s back while spraying bubbles everywhere and choking her. I’m not really sure how to describe it so that’s the best I got. Momoka puts her toys away and Irish whips her, the referee decides to help and assists Momoka in kicking Tae in the chest. Momoka throws the referee to the mat before jumping off his back, hitting a footstomp on Tae for a two count. Irish whip by Momoka but Tae avoids the dropkick attempt and hits one of her own. Tae snaps Momoka’s arm, she picks up Momoka but Momoka elbows her and the two trade blows. Momoka kicks Tae in the shin and flips off everyone, but Tae kicks her in the shin back. Gut punch by Momoka, they do some shenanigans around the referee before Momoka hits a big spear on Tae for a two count. Momoka goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but that gets two as well. Irish whip by Momoka but Tae blocks it, she flings Momoka to the mat and puts her in an armbar. Momoka tries to get a hand on the ropes but Tae captures that arm too, Momoka keeps inching however and gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Tae goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Tae but it gets two. Tae picks up Momoka and gets her back in the Fujiwara Armbar, she applies the Tae Lock and Momoka has no choice but to submit! Tae Honma is the winner.

I think this is the first full match I’ve seen of Momoka, I like her methods. She is a little goofy but she can wrestle, and she got serious when she needed to. Fun personality, solid wrestling skills, maybe one to keep an eye on if she finds a better opportunity to shine down the road. Tae is really good of course and for a sub-ten match this was pretty entertaining as they kept things interesting and Tae’s focus on the arm was consistent. Nothing that will blow you away, but for an opener not given a lot of time I think it delivered.  Mildly Recommended

Six Woman Tag
Hikari Shimizu, Amikura, and Yuko Sakurai vs. Kaori Yoneyama, Ozaki, and Makoto

While this is a bit of an “event filler” match, that doesn’t mean it can’t be good. One team is comprised of wrestlers from COLOR’S, a group formed after AgZ decided to focus more on the ‘acting’ aspect which lead to an exodus of those that wanted to be more active in wrestling. Hikari has been the most successful of the three, with two tag team reigns under her belt, but all are still fairly early in their careers. They are against Kaori Yoneyama from YMZ (also known for her work in Stardom), the Freelancer Maika Ozaki (best known for her work in Ice Ribbon), and the super veteran Makoto. The teams are a little lopsided in regards to experience, doesn’t look good for the COLOR’s team here to pick up a win.

COLOR’S attack before the bell rings, they stack their opponents in the corner but the veterans soon take back over and isolate Amikura in the ring. They pose on Amikura, Shimizu and Yuko briefly pose with them before they help their tag partner out of the situation. Yoneyama is isolated in the ring as all three of COLOR’S run over her before hitting a triple body press. Things settle down with Yuko and Yoneyama as the legal wrestlers, Yoneyama grabs Yuko by the nose and chops it before tagging in Maika. Lariat by Maika in the corner and she hits an elbow drop for two. Maika puts Yuko in a camel clutch but it is quickly broken up, Yuko then puts Maika in a camel clutch but Maika muscles out of it. Irish whip by Maika but Yuko hits a dropkick and tags Amikura. Amikura and Maika take turns trying to shoulderblock each other over with no luck, kick by Maika but Amikura clubs her in the chest and finally shoulderblocks her to the mat. Amikura picks up Maika and chops her a few times, she gets Maika into the corner but Maika fires out of it with a hard shoulderblock, giving her time to tag Makoto.

Big boot by Makoto in the corner and she hits a double kneedrop for two. Makoto picks up Amikura, Amikura gets away but Amikura missing the senton attempt and Makoto is back on offense. Makoto goes off the ropes but Amikura clubs her and hits a twisting senton for two. She makes the tag to Shimizu, Shimizu comes in the ring with a diving crossbody which also gets a two count. Shimizu picks up Makoto, they go back and forth until Makoto blocks a Shimizu cradle attempt and hits a heel drop. Double underhook suplex by Makoto, but Shimizu kicks out of the cover. Makoto kicks Shimizu around but Amikura catches her with a powerslam, Shimizu then hits a footstomp off of Amikura’s back. Shimizu picks up Makoto, knee by Shimizu but Makoto drills her with a boot. Makoto picks up Shimizu but Shimizu slides away, superkick by Shimizu but Makoto delivers a spear. She goes off the ropes but Shimizu slams her, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They roll to their own corners and tag in Yuko and Yoneyama, shoulderblock by Yuko to Yoneyama but Yoneyama hits Mongolian Chops.

Yoneyama goes off the ropes but Yuko hits a scoop slam, she tries to go off the ropes but Maika hits her from the apron. Maika comes in, Yuko fights them off briefly but ultimately Maika and Yoneyama run through some double team moves successfully. Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle but hits her before she can jump off, Amikura gets Yoneyama on her shoulders and puts her upside down in the opposite corner. All three COLOR’S members attack Yoneyama, Yuko covers Yoneyama but it gets two. Yuko picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama cradles her, Yuko gets a Dragon Sleeper applied before hitting the Final Cut, but the cover is broken up. All six wrestlers end up in the ring, the veterans get the upper hand and Yoneyama cradles Yuko for the three count! Yoneyama, Ozaki, and Makoto are the winners.

This was a little rough around the edges but not actively bad. There were bound to be some issues here – the COLOR’S team are generally well trained and solid enough wrestlers, but they aren’t high end wrestlers either and sometimes there were some awkward moments. Facing off against new opponents no doubt didn’t help, as the chemistry wasn’t really there. The veteran team clearly had the experience edge but they didn’t really “control” the action as they probably should have, with the exception of Makoto who is pretty entertaining. The hot ending helped and it wasn’t long enough to be offensive, but if this match wasn’t on the show at all I don’t think it would have hurt anything as it just came across as midcard fodder.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kaho Kobayashi
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kaho Kobayashi

This is the match that got me to purchase the event. Anyone that knows me knows that I love Kaho Kobayashi and she is one of the more underrated wrestlers in Joshi. While I accept that she will likely never lead a promotion or have 25 minute main event matches, she is the perfect mid-card/upper mid-card wrestler that you can always depend on to have an exciting and entertaining match. She has all the tangibles (sharp in-ring wrestling) and intangibles (energy and charisma) to excel and I always am happy to see her on a show. I am particularly happy here as Kaho has been out for a year, and this is her return match after her layoff. She is against another great Freelancer, Hiroyo Matsumoto. I don’t see as much of Hiroyo these days as I don’t watch a lot of OZ Academy which is her main home, so its always a pleasure to see her. I couldn’t have booked a better match myself for this show, to give these two a singles match showcase. I can’t wait to watch it.

Kaho kicks Hiroyo during the handshake and starts on Hiroyo’s wrist, headlock by Kaho but Hiroyo Irish whips out of it and the two collide with neither going down. Hiroyo goes off the ropes as does Kaho, jumping shoulderblock by Kaho but Hiroyo stays up and knocks over Kaho with her own shoulderblock. Kaho kips up and hits an armdrag off the ropes, tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Kaho and Hiroyo falls out of the ring. Kaho goes off the ropes to do a dive but rolls back into the ring instead before posing to the crowd. Hiroyo seems annoyed as she returns to the ring, front necklock by Kaho but Hiroyo blocks the suplex attempt and hits one of her own. Hiroyo picks up Kaho and puts her across the second rope in the corner, she charges in and knees Kaho in the midsection. Double kneedrop by Hiroyo and she covers Kaho for two. Hiroyo stomps on Kaho and chops her in the corner, she chops Kaho around the ring as Kaho takes the abuse and asks for more. Kaho eventually Flair Flops, Hiroyo approaches Kaho but Kaho cradles her for two. Dropkick by Kaho and she stomps on Hiroyo’s foot repeatedly, Hiroyo blocks a slam attempt but Kaho wiggles away from her and dropkicks Hiroyo in the arm. Kaho gets Hiroyo on her shoulders but collapses under the weight, both wrestlers slowly get up and Kaho knocks over Hiroyo with a dropkick.

Another dropkick by Kaho and Hiroyo falls out of the ring, Kaho goes to the top turnbuckle and dives out onto Hiroyo with a plancha suicida. Kaho slides Hiroyo into the ring and goes up top again, hitting a missile dropkick for two. Kaho picks up Hiroyo, she goes off the ropes but Hiroyo blocks the cradle and hits a backdrop suplex. Hiroyo picks up Kaho and the two trade elbows, Kaho goes to stomp on Hiroyo’s foot but Hiroyo does so first and slams Kaho face-first into the mat. Reverse double kneedrop out of the corner by Hiroyo, but Kaho kicks out of the cover. Kaho fires up but Hiroyo elbows her, she goes for the Liger Bomb but Kaho gets away from her and hits a hurricanrana for two. La Magistral by Kaho, but that gets a two as well. Kick to the face by Kaho and she hits a Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Hiroyo kicks out. Kaho goes off the ropes but Hiroyo levels her with a back elbow, but Kaho rolls through the cover. Kaho goes for the 120% Schoolboy but Hiroyo rolls through it, elbows by Kaho but Hiroyo elbows her back. Step-up Enzuigiri by Kaho and she goes off the ropes, but Hiroyo levels her with a lariat. Hiroyo picks up Kaho and nails the Liger Bomb, cover by Hiroyo and she gets the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto is the winner!

While the match wasn’t long, it certainly hit all the right notes. Kaho hasn’t lost a beat as she really brought it to Hiroyo, she couldn’t match her strength so instead she focused on speed and wit. In the end, Hiroyo’s power was too much and she put away the smaller wrestler, but Kaho had several close nearfalls so it was certainly not a lopsided affair. Kaho using the Flair Flop as a possum move was great as it made me go from “well that was kind of goofy” to respecting her methodology. I loved that even though she was the higher ranked wrestler that Hiroyo still respected Kaho’s finisher (120% Schoolboy) by not kicking out of it, leaving it as a move that Kaho still had in her back pocket up to the end to get a flash win. Fast paced and entertaining from bell to bell, a typical Kaho match that may not end up being the match everyone remembers from the show but a really fun contribution to the event as we roll onto the big matches.  Recommended

ASUKA and Yuu vs. SAKI and Saori Anou
ASUKA and Yuu vs. SAKI and Saori Anou

Some of the top Freelancers on the Joshi scene collide as we work our way to the main event. I don’t think these wrestlers need much of an introduction but I’ll do a quick one anyway. ASUKA is a popular transgender wrestler that makes SEAdLINNNG her primary home, she wrestles in the US as VENY (likely to not confuse Western fans since she shares the same name as WWE’s Asuka). Yuu is a former Tokyo Joshi Pro wrestler who splits time between WAVE, Sendai Girls’, and OZ Academy. Saori Anou came up in AgZ and now frequently wrestles in Ice Ribbon and OZ Academy. And finally, SAKI is part of the COLOR’S Unit and also wrestles in Ice Ribbon, WAVE, and Gatoh Move. There really isn’t a “story” going into this match but all four are quality wrestlers so it should be a pretty good match.

ASUKA and Anou start the match, they do a pose off as they compete for the crowd’s attention, but that doesn’t last long as ASUKA hits Anou with a hard elbow. Anou elbows her back and they trade shots, headbutt by ASUKA but Anou avoids her boot and hits one of her own. Anou throws ASUKA into the corner but ASUKA hops on the top turnbuckle, leading to Anou backing off. She tags in SAKI while Yuu also tags in, Yuu and SAKI lock up and Yuu pushes SAKI into the corner. SAKI responds to her kindness with elbows, hard shoulderblock by Yuu but SAKI avoids her senton and hits a boot. She tags Anou but stays in the ring, they try to double team Yuu but Yuu hits a double crossbody on both of them. Yuu tags ASUKA, ASUKA chokes Anou with her boot in the corner with some help from Makoto who is at ringside. Sliding kick by ASUKA to Anou, and she covers her for two. ASUKA charges Anou but Anou catches her leg and hits a dragon screw. Anou starts on ASUKA’s leg but Yuu breaks things up, ASUKA picks up Anou and tags Yuu in. Yuu picks up Anou and hits a running elbow in the corner, cross armbreaker attempt by Yuu as SAKI tries to help her partner but ASUKA holds her back. Anou makes it to the ropes anyway, elbow drop by Yuu but Anou bridges out of the cover. Yuu tags ASUKA, ASUKA kicks Anou around the ring before putting her in Paradise Lock and posing on her.

Yuu sits on Anou which actually gets Anou out of the Paradise Lock, annoying ASUKA. ASUKA charges Anou but Anou rolls away and hits a step-up enzuigiri, giving her time to tag SAKI. SAKI kicks ASUKA and hits a vertical suplex, SAKI knees ASUKA in the corner and hits a Reverse Splash for two. SAKI picks up ASUKA but ASUKA pokes her in the eyes and delivers a dropkick. She tags in Yuu, shoulderblock by Yuu but SAKI lands in her corner and tags Anou. Missile dropkick by Anou, she goes for a slam but Yuu blocks it. SAKI comes in to help but Yuu hits a vertical suplex on both of them, Yuu puts Anou in a crab hold but Anou gets to the ropes for the break. Senton by Yuu and she covers Anou for a two count. Yuu gets up on the second turnbuckle but SAKI grabs her from the apron, running elbow by Anou and she joins Yuu. Frankensteiner attempt by Anou but Yuu catches her, Anou recovers and hits the Frankensteiner anyway followed by a sliding kick for two. Anou tags SAKI, SAKI goes to suplex Yuu but she can’t get her up. SAKI gets Yuu to the mat and puts her in an armtrap crossface, but Yuu gets a boot on the ropes for the break. SAKI goes off the ropes but Yuu tosses her to the mat, SAKI charges Yuu but Yuu hits a jumping crossbody. Yuu charges SAKI and delivers a cannonball, cover by Yuu but SAKI gets a shoulder up.

Yuu picks up SAKI but Anou runs in and boots her in the face, SAKI drives Yuu’s head into the mat and both wrestlers tag out. ASUKA and Anou trade boots, Anou gets ASUKA’s back and drops her with a release German. Anou picks up ASUKA and hits a step-up enzuigiri, superkick by ASUKA and she hits a second one for a two count. SAKI comes in but ASUKA hits a springboard moonsault off the ropes onto both opponents, with both falling out of the ring. Yuu gets in the ring, she drops down and rolls out onto both SAKI and Anou. ASUKA goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out with a moonsault, but SAKI and Anou both move out of the way. Anou and SAKI attempt to double team ASUKA but it backfires, and ASUKA hits Anou repeatedly with chairs. Anou regains the advantage as the brawl at ringside continues, ASUKA and Anou end up in the crowd while SAKI and Yuu follow. The referee eventually figures he has given them enough leeway returning to the ring and calls for the bell. The match is a Double Count Out.

While I am not a big fan of moderately random matches on shows like this not having a conclusive ending, this was still pretty good. I do think there are storyline reasons where count outs, draws, etc. are fine, but as a general rule if the match doesn’t have a *reason* for a non-ending I’d rather it have one, it just gives fans a more satisfying feeling. I am not sure if we’ll ever see a pay-off from this and if we don’t, what was the point? That aside, the action was solid but something was missing. There were multiple stories going on (ASUKA and Yuu not always getting along, Saori/ASUKA hating each other, random limb work?) but it didn’t really mesh into a cohesive tag match. The pieces were there, they just never really joined them together so the match didn’t have a lot of flow to it. Still a good match as these four couldn’t have a bad match if they tried, but a little disappointing as I feel it could have been even better.  Mildly Recommended

Maya Yukihi and Rina Yamashita vs. Miyuki Takase and Ryo Mizunami
Maya Yukihi and Rina Yamashita vs. Miyuki Takase and Ryo Mizunami

For the main event, we get three members of NOMADS’ plus popular Freelancer Ryo Mizunami. Mizunami’s appearance isn’t random – her and Takase are both in a group called MAX VOLTAGE so they have been teaming off-and-on for awhile. Same with Maya and Rina – even though they are both part of NOMADS’, they are also both members of Rebel X Enemy (a group led by Ram Kaicho) and team semi-regularly. A lot of different teams and stables around the Joshi indie scene. Beyond that, not a ton of backstory here, just four of the best Freelancers in Joshi battling it out in the main event, so I suspect they will put on a good show.

Takase and Maya start the match and start off trading holds, snapmare by Maya and she kicks Takase in the back. Takase wants more so Maya kicks her again, more kicks by Maya but Takase ducks the PK. Irish whip by Maya and but Takase hits an armdrag, kick to the chest by Maya but Takase kips up and chops Maya in the chest. They end up in a stalemate and both tag out, bringing in Ryo and Rina. Ryo and Rina lock knuckles, headlock by Ryo and she gets Rina to the mat. Rina gets back up and reverses the hold, they try to knock each other over with shoulderblocks with Rina eventually sending Ryo down. Rina knocks Takase off the apron as Maya comes in the ring, and they both attack Ryo while she is tied up in the ropes. Rina tags in Maya, kicks by Maya but Ryo elbows her back and the two trade blows. Maya gets the better of things, Rina returns and they go for a suplex but Ryo blocks it. Ryo knocks over both of them and stacks her opponents in the corner, lots of chops by Ryo and she hits a lariat on Maya. Cover by Ryo, but it gets a two count. She tags Takase but Maya kicks Takase and hits a backbreaker. Bootscrapes by Maya and she kicks Takase in the back, they trade strikes until Takase gets Maya against the ropes.

Lariat by Takase but Maya ducks the next one and hits a kick combination. Trip by Maya and she delivers a sliding kick, she tags in Rina and Rina lariats Takase in the corner. Scoop slam by Rina, Takase gets back up and Rina hits a hard elbow. Takase chops her in return but Rina hits another elbow and goes for a Sleeper. Takase runs into the corner to get out of the hold, Rina goes off the ropes but Takase catches her with a DDT followed by a cutter. Irish whip by Takase out of the corner, reversed, but Takase rebounds off the turnbuckle with a missile dropkick for two. Takase goes for a suplex but Rina easily reverses it into one of her own, she goes off the ropes but Takase hits a powerslam for a two count. She tags in Ryo, Rina and Ryo both connect with strikes until Ryo drops Rina with an overhead suplex. Rina quickly comes back with a backdrop suplex, sliding lariat by Rina and she covers Takase for two. Lariat by Rina, and she covers Ryo for two. Rina picks up Ryo but Ryo slides away and both wrestlers lariat each other to the mat. Rina tags in Maya, Maya goes to the top turnbuckle and comes in the ring with a missile dropkick. Jumping knee by Maya and she kicks Ryo in the chest for a quick two count. Maya rolls Ryo to the mat and applies a submission hold, but Ryo gets a toe on the ropes to force a break. Maya goes off the ropes but Ryo avoids her boot and Takase levels Maya with a spear.

Dropkick by Takase and she assists Ryo with a side slam, Ryo gets on the second turnbuckle as Takase hits a Kamikaze. Diving legdrop by Ryo, but Rina breaks up the cover. All four wrestlers trade running strikes, Rina lariats Maya by accident but on the second attempt she successfully lariats Ryo and Takase (and knocks out Maya in the process). Maya recovers and hits a dual superkick to Ryo, Rina goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving body press. Running knee by Maya, but Takase breaks up the cover. Maya charges Ryo but Ryo moves, strike combination by Maya but Ryo hits a hard lariat. Maya pops up just to eat another lariat, Ryo charges Maya but Maya kicks her to the mat. Buzzsaw Kick by Maya, and she covers Ryo for two. Sliding knee by Maya, but again Takase breaks up the cover. Maya picks up Ryo but Ryo blocks the Tiger Driver, high kick by Maya but Ryo blocks it again. Uranage by Ryo and she hits a spear, picking up a two count. Ryo goes off the ropes and delivers a hard lariat, she drags Maya back to her feet and nails the Hot Limit for the three count! Ryo Mizunami and Miyuki Takase are the winners!

One can’t help but compare this match to the one that came before it, as both had Freelance tag teams and went about the same amount of time. This match was much better, and a number of things helped it. First, both of the teams wrestled like they were a real team, lots of team work and fluid setups that kept the match interesting. It also had a real ending, which I appreciate, and there was more of a sense of urgency with all four of them. It didn’t hurt that Maya really brought her A Game, she is really underappreciated as far as in-ring ability goes and she was firing on all cylinders here. Ryo was more grounded, which I liked, and both Rina and Miyuki looked great as well. Just four talented wrestlers beating the hell out of each other for twenty minutes, what is not to love? Easily the best match on the card and worth watching, its going to slot below other matches in 2022 that maybe had more of a backstory and emotion behind it but as far as in-ring action goes it doesn’t get much better than this.  Highly Recommended

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Ice Ribbon #1183 Dojo Show on 3/5/22 Review https://joshicity.com/ice-ribbon-1183-dojo-show-march-5-2022-review/ Thu, 17 Mar 2022 05:07:03 +0000 https://joshicity.com/?p=20046 Our first look at Club Ice Ribbon!

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Ice Ribbon #1183 Poster

Event: Ice Ribbon #1183
Date: March 5th, 2022
Location: Ice Ribbon Dojo in Saitama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 38
Broadcast: Streamed Live on Club Ice Ribbon

Last month, Ice Ribbon launched a new streaming service – Club Ice Ribbon. Club Ice Ribbon shows different content than their Nico Pro channel, with its main ‘draw’ being they will air live all their dojo events. Other events will also be added on a delay, and there will be other special features, but the dojo events are the main attraction for people that just want to watch as much wrestling as possible. These are smaller shows, as the name implies, and likely will not have any title matches or big matches in general as those will be saved for non-dojo events. These are more designed to help get experience for the younger wrestlers while hopefully also putting on a good show. Here is the full card:

Lots of young wrestlers here, should be fun to see how they are coming along. All wrestlers on the event have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Ibuki Hoshi and Kiku vs. Kaho Matsushita and Sumika Yanagawa
Ibuki Hoshi and Kiku vs. Kaho Matsushita and Sumika Yanagawa

We start the event with some less experienced wrestlers, which will be a common theme throughout the night. Ibuki and Kaho are both under 20 years old and are two wrestlers that Ice Ribbon would love to develop into the next stars of the promotion. Kiku is a rookie but is also 43 years old, she is unlikely to be a future star in the promotion but its great that Ice Ribbon embraces people of all ages that want to live their wrestling dreams. Finally, Sumika is visiting from JUST TAP OUT, she started wrestling in late 2020 and is 31 years old. A unique combination but with similar experience levels.

Ibuki and Kaho start the match, they trade wristlocks and hammerlocks until Ibuki gets Kaho to the mat. Kaho quickly gets out of it and hits a dropkick, she tags in Sumika and Sumika elbows Ibuki against the ropes. Irish whip by Sumika but Ibuki hits a hard shoulderblock and tags Kiku. Kiku goes for a slam but Sumika blocks it and hits one of her own, snapmares by Sumika and she applies a stretch hold. Ibuki comes in to help but Kaho cuts her off and puts her in a stretch hold as well, before both teammates let go. Sumika pushes Kiku near the ropes and stands on her back, knee to the back by Sumika and she works a headlock. Kaho tags in, Kaho throws down Kiku by the head and kicks her in the corner. Camel Clutch by Kaho but she lets go after a moment and hits a scoop slam. She tags Sumika, Irish whip by Sumika and she hits a drop toehold. Sickle Hold by Sumika, but Kiku inches to the ropes to get the break. Sumika picks up Kiku but Kiku elbows her off, headbutt by Sumika but Kiku schoolboys her for the two count. This gives her time to tag Ibuki, shoulderblock by Ibuki to Sumika as Kaho runs in, Kaho tries to help but Ibuki dropkicks both of them. Ibuki goes back to Sumika, chop by Ibuki but Sumika catches her with a boot. Snapmare by Sumika and she applies a full nelson, but Ibuki gets to the ropes. Sumika sets up Ibuki in the ropes and hits a knee to her back, cover by Sumika but it gets a two count.

Sumika picks up Ibuki and throws her into the corner, jumping knee by Sumika but Ibuki delivers a Codebreaker. Both wrestlers end up knocking each other out, Sumika gets to her corner first and tags in Kaho. Kaho dropkicks Ibuki, she picks her up and the two trade strikes. Ibuki ends the duel by hitting a side Russian leg sweep, she quickly applies a submission hold from it but it gets broken up. Kaho ducks an elbow and delivers a dropkick, hard shoulderblock by Kaho and she follows with another dropkick for two. Ibuki slams Kaho to the mat and makes the tag to Kiku, Kiku goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick. More dropkicks by Kiku but Kaho eventually stands toe to toe with her as they trade elbows. Schoolboy by Kiku but Kaho gets out of it and applies one of her own for a two count. Dropkick by Kiku and she applies a modified Scorpion Deathlock, but it gets quickly broken up. Kiku kicks Kaho in the corner and hits a neckbreaker, but Kaho kicks out of the cover. Shoulderblock by Kaho and she puts her in a kneelock, but Ibuki breaks it up. Sumika gets rid of Ibuki, Kaho drops Kiku onto the mat and covers her for two. Leg hook slam by Kaho, but the cover gets broken up. Vertical suplex by Kaho, she picks up Kiku and nails a wrist-clutch half nelson suplex for the three count! Kaho Matsushita and Sumika Yanagawa win!

That started ok but it really went off the rails the last couple minutes, not sure what happened there. I’m never going to be but so hard on rookies/young wrestlers as there is still learning going on, but the execution here was pretty hit and miss. Sumika and Kaho both looked good in general, Ibuki had her moments but Kiku has the worst showing of the foursome with some iffy dropkicks and strikes. The sequence between Kaho and Kiku towards the end while Sumika stayed in the ring seemingly thinking a spot was coming for her but never did was awkward, clearly a misunderstanding of some sort but pretty noticeable. Good experience for all involved and Kaho shows some early promise, but not the tightest match with rookies I have seen, may have benefited by being half the time it was.

Totoro Satsuki vs. Yuko Sakurai
Totoro Satsuki vs. Yuko Sakurai

Our only singles match on the event, as Yuko challenges Totoro. Yuko started her career in AgZ but after the promotion “ceased” running wrestling events (which they did not actually do) she became a Freelancer as part of the Color’s unit. She debuted back in 2018 but she has not had much notable success in her career, thus why she is in the second match of a Ice Ribbon Dojo event. Totoro debuted in Ice Ribbon in 2017, she has developed into a solid midcarder but may have reached her ceiling. Not too high of expectations for this, but I am interested to see what Yuko can do.

Yuko starts the match trying to knock over Totoro but isn’t able to, as Totoro sends her crashing to the mat. Totoro picks up Yuko and throws her into the corner, Totoro mushes her with her foot but Yuko gets away and connects with an elbow. Yuko starts on Totoro’s back and puts her in a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and stomps her towards the ropes. Totoro stands up which sends Yuko flying, stomps Totoro and she stands on Yuko’s back. Totoro sits on Yuko’s back and stretches her, she lets go and picks up Yuko, leading to the two trading elbows. Yuko gets Totoro’s back but Totoro hiptosses her down, body press by Totoro and she covers Yuko for two. Totoro picks up Yuko but Yuko wiggles away and puts her in an abdominal stretch. Totoro gets to the ropes for the break, dropkick by Yuko and she covers Totoro for two. Lariat by Totoro but Yuko fires back with an elbow and shoulderblock. Yuko picks up Totoro and puts her in a dragon sleeper, but Totoro gets to the bottom rope. Yuko positions Totoro and goes to the top turnbuckle, but Totoro recovers and elbows her. Totoro gets Yuko on her shoulders but Yuko gets away and rolls her up for two. Yuko goes off the ropes but Totoro hits a crossbody for two. Kamikaze by Totoro, and she covers Yuko for two. Totoro goes to the second turnbuckle and nails a diving senton, and she picks up the three count! Totoro Satsuki is the winner!

A pretty standard bigger wrestler vs. smaller wrestler match. Totoro has improved over the years and works well within her limitations, although she didn’t have as much to work with here as they were really focused on the big vs. little storyline. As such, Yuko didn’t get a chance to show much, but she looked fine in what they did. A pretty basic match, nothing wrong with it but nothing particularly memorable either.

Asahi and Misa Kagura vs. Nao Ishikawa and Rina Amikura
Asahi and Misa Kagura vs. Nao Ishikawa and Amikura

Ice Ribbon gets some more help from outsiders, as the young Misa Kagura and Rina Amikura join the fray. The “Ice Ribbon” people on twitter are high on Asahi and Nao Ishikawa as having a strong future in the promotion and I haven’t watched them in awhile, so I am interested to see if there is some truth to that or wishful thinking. Misa Kagura debuted in 2020 and wrestles out of JUST TAP OUT, while Amikura is the part of the Color’s unit with Yuko Sakurai. This batch of wrestlers has slightly more experience/potential than those in the opener, so I am expecting a better structured and more fluid match here.

Nao and Misa start the match but Rina comes in too to give Nao some extra encouragement. She brings Asahi into the ring and both Rina and Nao hit shoulderblocks followed by body presses. They goof around with Asahi and Misa for a bit until things return to normally, hard shoulderblock by Nao to Misa and she tags Rina. Rina and Misa run into each other with neither going down, Rina finally knocks Misa over but Misa avoids the running senton and applies a side headlock. Drop toehold by Misa and she hits a senton, picking up a two count. Misa tags Asahi, Asahi picks up Rina and slams her head into the mat. Asahi boots Nao to the floor while Misa gets in the ring, as they double team Rina. Asahi picks up Rina but Rina chops her and the two trade blows, a battle that Asahi gets the better of. Asahi tosses Rina down by the head and pushes her down in the corner with her boot, Asahi picks up Rina but Rina catches her with a shoulderblock and a senton for two. Rina picks up Asahi and applies a backbreaker, she hangs Asahi upside down in the corner so that she and Nao can both hit running strikes. Cover by Rina, but Asahi kicks out. Rina gutwrenches Asahi but Asahi slides away and dropkicks Rina. Asahi goes off the ropes but Rina hits a rolling chop, giving her time to tag Nao. Cartwheel kneedrop followed by a body press by Nao, she picks up Asahi and hits a crossbody for two. Rina comes in, double Irish whip to Asahi and they hit a double shoulderblock. Misa runs in and hits a face crusher on both of them, but accidentally lands both on top of Asahi, so she causes more harm than good.

Nao picks up Asahi but Asahi avoids a strike and hits a Lou Thesz Press. Nao gets Asahi on her back before slamming her to the mat, cover by Nao but it gets two. Nao goes off the ropes but Asahi hits an armdrag, cradle by Asahi but Nao rolls through it and applies a leg submission hold. Asahi gets to the ropes to get out of the hold, Nao goes off the ropes but Asahi drop toeholds her into the second rope and hits the 619. Cover by Asahi, but Nao kicks out. Asahi tags Misa, stomps by Misa and she elbows Nao into the corner. Armdrags by Misa and she stomps on Misa some more, but Nao blocks the slam attempt and hits a scoop slam of her own. Nao sits down on Misa but Asahi kicks her in the head to break up the cover. Rina also comes in as Nao and Rina take back the advantage, shoulderblock by Nao to Misa and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Nao picks up Misa but Misa throws her into the corner, lariat by Misa and she jumps on Nao’s back with a standing submission hold. Rina makes it back in to break it up, Asahi gets rid of her while Misa puts Nao in a crab hold. Nao gets to the ropes to force a break, she goes off the ropes but Rina runs in and slams her. Jackknife cover by Nao, but Asahi breaks it up. Nao goes off the ropes but Misa catches her with a dropkick, Asahi goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick to Nao. Lariat by Misa, but Rina breaks up the pin. Misa picks up Nao and goes off the ropes, but Nao applies the Tachia Girl (cradle with a bridge) for the three count! Rina Amikura and Nao Ishikawa are the winners.

So if the main focus of these events is rookie/young wrestler evaluation and growth, looking at that is probably the most fair way to evaluate these matches. I’m not a huge fan of random mid-match goofiness, just a personal taste, so bell to bell not my general favorite match as they went to that “well” a few times with no real benefit. Asahi and Nao looked really good, they have all the basics down pat and have added a few intermediate moves to their arsenal as well. Misa and Rina were a step down from those two, nothing bad but a few moments that didn’t quite click right with Rina in particular at times looking a step behind. A perfectly acceptable basic match with a few bright points, but I’d like to see Nao and Asahi in a singles match to really see their potential.

Banny Oikawa and Tsukushi Haruka vs. Saran and Tsukasa Fujimoto
Oikawa and Tsukushi Haruka vs. Saran and Fujimoto

For the main event we get really our first two higher ranked wrestlers, as Tsukasa Fujimoto and Tsukushi anchor their respective teams. Fujimoto and Tsukushi need no introduction as they are the two top wrestlers in Ice Ribbon with multiple title wins between them. Saran debuted last summer and is only 13 years old, best case she is probably still a few years away from having a big role in the promotion but they are hopeful that she can develop into a quality wrestler. Banny has a shorter ceiling but since switching from a referee to a wrestler she has shown she can hold her own in the ring. I assume the vets will let the less experienced wrestlers get in most of the work, so I am curious to see how Saran has been coming along.

Saran is dressed like Tsukushi, who recently announced she is retiring, making the young wrestler quite sad. If she stays in wrestling, she’ll eventually get used to the sudden retirements we see so often in Joshi. Fujimoto and Tsukushi start the match, Fujimoto pushes Tsukushi into the ropes and hits an armdrag. They trade armdrags and flash covers, but they eventually end up in a stalemate. Fujimoto tags Saran, Saran and Tsukushi tie-up before they trade wristlocks. They then trade hammerlocks as they jockey for the advantage, Saran stomps on Tsukushi’s foot repeatedly which just makes Tsukushi mad as she throws her into the corner. Tsukushi returns the favor by stomping on Saran’s foot, Irish whip by Tsukushi but Saran catches her with a dropkick. Scoop slam by Tsukushi and she knocks Fujimoto off the apron, she goes back to Saran and puts her in a Camel Clutch. Tsukushi lets go and tags Banny, Banny picks up Saran and throws her down by the head. She does it a second time before pushing her down in the corner with her boot, Banny picks up Saran and sets her up in the ropes. Kicks by Banny and she tags Tsukushi back in, Tsukushi puts Saran’s hands on the mat and stands on them.

Banny returns, she throws Saran into the corner and delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Banny, she snapmares Saran and kicks her in the back before applying a submission hold. Fujimoto breaks it up, Banny goes for a crab hold but Saran quickly cradles her for two. This gives her time to tag Fujimoto, Banny briefly fights back but Fujimoto puts her in an Octopus Hold. Tsukushi breaks it up but Fujimoto delivers a dropkick to both of them, Banny kicks Fujimoto in the leg and delivers a heel drop to her back. Heel kick by Banny and she covers Fujimoto for two. Banny tags Tsukushi, Tsukushi goes for a roll into a footstomp but Fujimoto reverses it and kicks Tsukushi in the chest. Fujimoto picks up Tsukushi but Tsukushi elbows her and the two trade shots. Tsukushi wins the battle as she applies a step-over cradle followed by a low hurricanrana. Missile dropkick by Tsukushi but Fujimoto springs back up and hits a dropkick of her own. Saran runs in and also hits a dropkick, Fujimoto goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Fujimoto picks up Saran but they can’t execute whatever move they were going for (confused), snapmare by Fujimoto to Tsukushi and she kicks her in the back. PK by Fujimoto and she covers Tsukushi for a two count. Fujimoto tags Saran, dropkicks by Saran but Tsukushi bridges out of the pin. Saran pulls her back to the mat and kicks Tsukushi into the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Banny grabs her from the apron.

That gives Tsukushi time to recover but Saran gets Tsukushi in a sleeper, while Fujimoto comes in and puts Banny in a dragon sleeper. Tsukushi gets to the ropes for the break, elbows by Saran to Tsukushi but Tsukushi elbows her back. Tsukushi elbows a lot harder than Saran so Saran is feeling each one, Irish whip by Saran and she hits a crossbody. Saran goes to the top turnbuckle but Tsukushi recovers and knocks her off.  Dropkick by Tsukushi but her cover gets two. Running elbow smash by Tsukushi, but that gets a two count as well. Banny comes in and both strike Saran, Tsukushi goes to the top turnbuckle but Saran avoids the footstomp and schoolboys Tsukushi for two. Irish whip by Saran, reversed, but Saran flips out of the corner and sunset flips Tsukushi for a two count. Saran quickly goes to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, but Banny breaks it up. Saran goes off the ropes but Tsukushi catches her with a knee, low crossbody by Tsukushi but Saran rolls through the cover. Footstomp by Saran and she applies the Denden Mushi, but Banny breaks it up. Fujimoto dropkicks Banny out of the ring, Saran grabs Tsukushi’s arm but Tsukushi blocks whatever she was trying to do and applies the Tsuchigumo for the three count! Banny Oikawa and Tsukushi Haruka are the winners.

Aside from one really awkward spot towards the end, this match was pretty good. Saran is probably the smoothest young wrestler we’ve seen tonight, and even though I don’t love the idea of a new wrestler being a “clone” she did hit Tsukushi’s moves very smoothly. Obviously way too soon to say what her future holds but she seems to have a lot of potential. Fujimoto and Tsukushi acted as the vets you’d expect, looking sharp and keeping the match moving so it never wore out its welcome. Banny was just there but inoffensive, she didn’t add much to the match but she didn’t take away from it either. This mostly felt like an effort to spotlight Saran, which I think they did pretty well. A solid match and a fitting way to end a smaller dojo show.  Mildly Recommended

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Actwres girl’Z Act In Osaka on 10/18/20 Review https://joshicity.com/actwres-girlz-act-in-osaka-october-18-2020-review/ Mon, 09 Nov 2020 06:12:27 +0000 https://joshicity.com/?p=17761 Sekiguchi challenges Takase for the Championship!

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Actwres girl'Z Act In Osaka Banner

Event: Actwres girl’Z Act In Osaka
Date: October 18th, 2020
Location: Osaka 176BOX in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown

Its been a long time since I reviewed an AgZ event on the site, over a year and a half in fact, so I figured we were long overdue. AgZ has changed quite a bit since then as they’ve had issues lately keeping wrestlers. Which is a common issue with smaller promotions, they build stars and then they move on to bigger and better things. Luckily for them they still have Miyuki Takase, the star of the promotion, who is a great wrestler. They also still (for now) employ Sekiguchi and Tae Honma, plus they are using Freelancer Andras Miyagi. So there are some good wrestlers on their roster, but a lot of them are still learning so its best to go in with lower expectations. But I’m still looking forward to it, here is the full card:

As this aired on NicoPro, all matches should be shown in full. The wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Ayano Irie and Yuko Sakurai vs. Mai Sakurai and Yoshiko Hasegawa
Ayano Irie and Yuko Sakurai vs. Mai Sakurai and Hasegawa

We start with a tag match with some of the less experienced wrestlers in the promotion. All four of these wrestlers debuted after October of 2018, with the newest being Mai who debuted earlier this year. None have really ventured much outside of Actwres girl’Z and none have won any titles, so they are still in the “learning” phase (which they may never leave). Watching less experienced wrestlers can be fun as sometimes you can see something in one of them that is encouraging, lets see how these four are.

Ayano and Hasegawa start the match, they go into a knucklelock but Mai comes in to help her partner as Ayano is double teamed. Yuko runs in to even the odds, she then joins Ayano in double teaming Hasegawa. Ayano snapmares Hasegawa and dropkicks hers, cover by Ayano but it gets a two count. She tags in Yuko, snapmare by Yuko and she applies a headscissors. Hasegawa gets to the ropes for the break, Yuko picks her up and slams her into the mat. She tags Ayano, Ayano puts Hasegawa in a crab hold but Hasegawa gets into the ropes again. Ayano goes off the ropes but Hasegawa drop toeholds her into the second rope and Mai kicks her from the apron. Dropkick by Hasegawa and she rolls to her corner to tag Mai, Mai boots Ayano and elbows Yuko when she runs in to help her partner. Mai throws Ayano into Yuko, boot to Ayano but Ayano elbows Mai in the chest.

Drop toehold by Mai but Ayano avoids the elbow drop, dropkick by Ayano and she covers Mai for two. Ayano tags Yuko, shoulderblock by Yuko and she hits a running elbow in the corner. Another shoulderblock by Yuko and she covers Mai for two. Scoop slam attempt by Yuko but Mai blocks it, Mai goes off the ropes but Yuko catches her with a scoop slam for a two count. Mai gets away from Yuko and boots her in the head, she tags in Hasegawa and they throw Yuko into the corner. Dropkick by Hasegawa and Mai follows with a boot, snapmare by Hasegawa and she hits a PK for a two count. Elbows by Hasegawa, Yuko picks up Hasegawa but Hasegawa gets her back for a sleeper hold. Ayano quickly breaks it up, double Irish whip to Hasegawa and Hasegawa is hit with a double dropkick. Yuko applies a Cobra Twist but it gets broken up by Mai, Mai stays in and helps set up their opponents so that Hasegawa can hit a double crossbody. Yuko avoids Hasegawa’s kick and rolls her up for two, Hasegawa goes for a flash pin but Yuko reverses it into her own cover for the three count! Ayano Irie and Yuko Sakurai are the winners!

The good news here is that no one looked like they didn’t belong. Some of the movements were stiff but the match flowed along without any major issues. The bad news is that no one really stood out here either. Hasegawa looked probably the best from an overall package standpoint but generally speaking they came across as competent wrestlers but nothing more. Which probably is why they are where they are. A decent enough way to open the show but overall pretty skippable.

Andras Miyagi vs. Mari
Andras Miyagi vs. Mari

I hope one day that Andras Miyagi writes a book as her career has taken a hell of a path the last two years. She went from a promising young wrestler in Sendai Girls’ with multiple tag title reigns, to a solid midcarder in Stardom as part of Oedo Tai, to suddenly losing a lot in Stardom/leaving and doing lower level indie shows like this one. And not in big spots, she’s second from the bottom. I don’t know if her career changes were her choice or the promotions not wanting her back, but she’s definitely not taking the path that most wrestlers would want. She is against Mari, who started in REINA but joined Actwres girl’Z in 2018. Five years into her career she hasn’t found much success either, even though she does have a great look. Andras is still the favorite just based off her past success, but either way its just an odd spot to see her in.

Mari wastes time to start, which is one of her fun things to do, but they finally get into it as Mari kicks Andras repeatedly. They trade waistlocks until Mari puts Andras in a stretch hold, Rocking Horse by Mari and she lets go only to stomp on Andras’ back. Single leg crab hold by Mari but Andras rolls out of the ring, Mari goes out to the apron but Andras ducks her kick. Mari kicks her anyway and goes out to the floor, kicking Andras in the head. Mari slides Andras back in the ring and kicks her in the head again, cover by Mari but it gets a two count. Mari picks up Andras and puts her on her shoulders, but Mari slides off and schoolboys Mari for two. An inside cradle also gets a two count for Andras, she charges Mari but Mari kicks her back and delivers a superkick. Mari picks up Andras and hits a Samoan Drop, cover by Mari but it gets a two count. Mari picks up Andras and goes for a backslide, but Andras blocks it and applies her own backslide for two. Schoolboy by Andras but Mari rolls through it, Andras throws Mari into the referee and schoolboys her again for the three count! Andras Miyagi is the winner!

Its so odd just seeing Andras with this new “style.” She didn’t really even do an offensive move in this match, Mari just kicked her around until she finally was successful with a flash pin. I don’t even know what to think about it. Mari looked really good, for someone who hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities in wrestling I like her a lot. Her offense was tight and well done, I’m just eternally confused on what Andras is even bringing to the table these days. Maybe worth watching to see Mari but Andras didn’t do enough for me to recommend the match as a whole.

Hikari Shimizu and Misa Matsui vs. Momo Kohgo and Momo Tani
Hikari Shimizu and Matsui vs. Momo Kohgo and Momo Tani

Moving along, we get four wrestlers that also haven’t had a lot of success yet but are perhaps further along than the wrestlers we saw in the opener. None of these four have won any titles either but tend to branch out a bit more to other promotions, particularly PURE-J. Its still a little too early to know if any will really blossom, although at only 20 years old and with a wide range of participation in other promotions, Misa Matsui may be the furthest along. I haven’t seen them in awhile, so I am going in with an open mind to see who may show the most potential.

Hikari and Tani start the match and go right into a fast exchange, eventually reaching a stalemate. They tag in Misa and Kohgo, footstomp by Misa and she puts Kohgo in an armbar. She lets go after a moment and throws Kohgo into the corner, Misa stomps down Kohgo as Hikari helps from the apron. Misa picks up Kohgo and tags Hikari, snapmares my Hikari and she tags Misa back in. Irish whip by Misa and she hits a dropkick, footstomp by Misa and she covers Kohgo for two. Scoop slam by Misa and she tags Hikari, footstomp by Hikari and she tosses Kohgo down by the hair. Hikari applies a crab hold to Kohgo but she eventually lets go, Irish whip by Hikari but Kohgo reverses it and hits a dropkick. She rolls to her corner and tags Tani, running knee by Tani and she knees Hikari from the apron. Double kneedrops to Hikari’s back by Tani but Misa strolls in and kicks her from behind. Double Irish whip to Tani but Tani hits a double Codebreaker followed by a double running knee to both opponents. Tani goes back to Hikari’s back but Hikari kicks her and snapmares Tani before delivering a series of kicks. Hikari puts Tani in a choke hold but it gets broken up, Hikari throws Tani into the corner and hits a step-up kick for a two count. Hikari tags Misa, jumping crossbody by Misa and she gets a two count. Tani swats away a dropkick as they both return to their feet and trade strikes.

DDT by Misa and she covers Tani for two. Misa goes off the ropes but Misa connects with a Backstabber, double knee to Misa’s back by Tani and she puts Misa in a stretch hold. Misa gets to the ropes for the break, Tani gets on the second rope and hits a diving double knee to Misa’s back. Tani goes back to the stretch hold but this time Hikari quickly breaks it up, Tani tags Kohgo and Kohgo dropkicks Misa a few times. Scoop slam by Kohgo and she covers Misa for two. Kohgo applies a crab hold but Hikari breaks up the hold, Tani comes in two and Misa is double teamed in the corner. Kohgo picks up Misa but Misa gets away, putting Kohgo in the Octopus Hold. That gets broken up, Misa gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Misa picks up Kohgo but Kohgo blocks the suplex attempt, sunset flip by Kohgo but Misa reverses it and the two trade flash pin attempts. Hikari kicks Kohgo in the back before Misa delivers a low crossbody for a two count. Misa goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp, but Kohgo kicks out of the cover. She goes all the way up the next time but Kohgo avoids the footstomp attempt, schoolboy by Kohgo but it gets two as does La Magistral. Kohgo goes off the ropes but Misa dropkicks her, low crossbody by Misa and she hits two more. Cover by Misa, but Kohgo gets a shoulder up. Misa drags up Kohgo and she nails the MARU X MARU Suplex, picking up the three count! Hikari Shimizu and Misa Matsui are the winners.

This match won’t blow anyone away, but it was smartly worked and all four played their parts well. I really enjoyed Misa’s work on her opponents’ back, really any type of body part-focused offense I am going to be fan of if it is done well and they certainly were trying to tell a story. The Hikari/Misa team seemed to be the only one with a path to victory as the Momos weren’t doing much effective, looking mostly for flash pins and what not to try to win. So even though the presentation was a little lopsided, it never got boring over the 15 minutes and there was a definitive winner which I like. For a midcard tag match, they went a little beyond what I was expecting and put on a solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Ami Miura and Tae Honma vs. Rina Amikura and SAKI
Ami Miura and Tae Honma vs. Rina Amikura and SAKI

For fans of Joshi in general but not of Actwres girl’Z in particular, there should still be two recognizable names in this match. Tae Honma has a moderate amount of popularity and wrestles in Ice Ribbon a lot, she is also one of the most seasoned wrestlers on the show as she debuted in 2015. SAKI has been wrestling since 2012 and has been active in a slew of promotions over the years, including Gatoh Move, PURE-J, and WAVE. Miura and Amikura both are a little less experienced, with Ami Miura still being a rookie as she just debuted two months ago. A good combination of young/learning wrestlers and veterans, hopefully the vets can take control of the match and help the other two along.

Tae and SAKI start the match, SAKI works a headlock but Tae Irish whips out of it and rolls SAKI to the mat. Tae goes for a dropkick but SAKI avoids it, cradle by Tae but it gets two. SAKI picks up Tae but Tae slides away, schoolboy by Tae but that gets two as well. They tag out as Rina and Ami run in, SAKI returns as well and Ami is double teamed. Body press by Rina, but it gets a two count. Rina throws down Ami by the hair and hits a scoop slam, she tags in SAKI and SAKI stomps on Ami. SAKI tags Rina back in, Rina tries to shoulderblock Ami over but Ami stays up. They both try to knock each other over with no luck until Rina finally sends Ami to the mat. Back up they trade chops, Rina chops Ami into the corner but Ami hits a shoulderblock and tags Tae. Tae comes in the ring with a missile dropkick but Rina connects with a body avalanche in the corner followed by a shoulderblock. She goes for a running senton but Tae moves, body press by Tae and Ami jumps on Tae’s back before Ami hits another body press. Cover by Tae, but it gets a two count.

Rina chops Tae and goes off the ropes, but Tae catches her with a Fujiwara Armbar. Rina gets to the ropes for the break, hard shoulderblock by Rina to Tae and she hits a senton. Body press by Rina, but it gets a two count. Rina makes the tag to SAKI, rolling cradle by SAKI but it gets two. SAKI picks up Tae but Tae gets away, knee by SAKI and she puts Tae across the ropes in the corner. Running knee to the midsection by SAKI but Tae hits a running elbow in the other corner followed by a dropkick. Fujiwara Armbar by Tae and she switches it to a double armbar, but SAKI gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Tae goes off the ropes and dropkicks SAKI, she tags in Ami but SAKI boots Ami in the chest. Ami elbows SAKI and the two trade shots, knee by SAKI and she kicks Ami to the mat for two. SAKI goes for a suplex but Tae breaks it up, double Irish whip to SAKI but SAKI fights them both off. SAKI puts Ami in a crab hold, but Ami gets to the ropes for the break.

SAKI goes to the second turnbuckle but Ami rolls out of the way of the Reverse Splash, dropkick by Ami but SAKI blocks the scoop slam and puts Ami in a stretch hold. Rocking Horse by SAKI but Tae breaks it up, Rina comes in but Ami throws SAKI into Rina and hits a dropkick. Tae goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on both opponents, Ami picks up Rina and scoop slams her. Double chop by Ami to SAKI, she picks her up and hits a scoop slam for two. Ami goes to pick up SAKI but SAKI cradles her for two, big boot by SAKI but Tae elbows her in the chest. SAKI boots Tae before Rina hits a somersault senton on her, but Ami dropkicks SAKI. Ami Irish whips SAKI but SAKI blocks it and hits a snap vertical suplex. SAKI positions Ami and goes to the second turnbuckle, nailing the Reverse Splash for the three count! SAKI and Rina Amikura win!

Even though the bulk of this match was fine, something was missing. Unlike the last match there wasn’t really a focus or story told in any way, it was mostly just random action as they didn’t do much to even play up the experience dynamic. Even though SAKI is decent enough there is a reason she is an eight year pro wrestling in the mid-card of AgZ – there is little special about her and some of her offense is lackluster. I couldn’t get a great feel of the less experienced wrestlers but Ami seemed fine, and though I like Tae she didn’t do a whole lot in this match. Overall a perfectly watchable match but one with nothing memorable about it whatsoever as they seemed to just be going through the basic motions for the bulk of it.

Miyuki Takase vs. Kakeru Sekiguchi
(c) Miyuki Takase vs. Kakeru Sekiguchi
AgZ Championship

Time for the big main event, as Miyuki Takase defends her title against Kakeru Sekiguchi. Miyuki won the title last November in a tournament versus Himeka “Jumbo” Arita, which was a bit of a reset for the promotion after Saori Anou left and Reika Saki got injured, leaving the top of the promotion literally vacant. Miyuki really has grown into the role of Ace and this is her third defense of the title, which is impressive considering the pandemic took out a good chunk of the year for live wrestling shows. Kakeru is a solid challenger, as she is a three year vet and has been featured a lot in OZ Academy, which has given her a lot of experience. Both are really solid wrestlers and I expect them to go all-out in the first title match in AgZ since the pandemic began last Spring.

Kakeru elbows Miyuki instead of shaking her hand, Miyuki avoids her dropkick however and stomps Kakeru in the back. The two trade elbows until Miyuki hits a DDT, Miyuki chops Kakeru into the corner and she delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by Miyuki and she hits a scoop slam followed by a leg drop for two. Miyuki applies a single leg crab hold but Kakeru gets to the ropes, Miyuki stands on Kakeru’s back but Kakeru elbows her and they trade shots. Kakeru goes for a scoop slam but Miyuki reverses it into one of her own, Miyuki applies a guillotine choke but Kakeru gets out of it and the two end up in the ropes. They both get back up, takedown by Kakeru but Miyuki quickly gets in the dominate position and puts Kakeru in a submission hold. Kakeru quickly gets to the ropes, Miyuki chops Kakeru into the corner and hits a dropkick from the second turnbuckle. Miyuki dives off the second turnbuckle but Kakeru catches her with a Fujiwara Armbar, but Miyuki gets into the ropes. Kakeru twists on Miyuki’s arm and dropkicks her arm from the apron before snapping her arm over the top rope. Kakeru pulls Miyuki out of the ring and throws her into the ring post, Kakeru puts Miyuki’s hand on the apron and jumps down onto Miyuki’s arm.

Kakeru finally slides Miyuki back in but Miyuki pushes her off, scoop slam by Kakeru and she covers Miyuki for two. Kakeru applies an armlock but Miyuki wiggles to the ropes and forces the break. Miyuki elbows Kakeru and the two trade strikes, Kakeru wins the battle and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick. Slingshot doublestomp to the arm by Kakeru and she rolls Miyuki to the mat as she goes to the arm, but Miyuki lands too close to the ropes. Kakeru goes off the ropes but Miyuki catches her with a powerslam for two. Miyuki picks up Kakeru but Kakeru slides away and goes for the cross armbreaker, but Miyuki blocks it. Kakeru goes for a choke but Miyuki powerbombs out of it, Miyuki gets Kakeru on her shoulders and hits the Kamikaze. Miyuki goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving legdrop, cover by Miyuki but it gets two. Miyuki picks up Kakeru but Kakeru sneaks in a cradle for two, another cradle by Kakeru but that gets a two as well. Judo tosses by Kakeru and she hits a STO, picking up another two count. Kakeru picks up Miyuki and hits another STO, she goes off the ropes but Miyuki catches her with a lariat. Jackhammer by Miyuki, but Kakeru barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Miyuki comes out of it holding her arm so she is slow to capitalize, Kakeru is up first but Miyuki elbows her against the ropes. Miyuki goes off the ropes and hits a lariat, another lariat by Miyuki and she covers Kakeru for two.

Miyuki picks up Kakeru but Kakeru reverses the Jackhammer attempt into a guillotine choke. Miyuki manages to get a foot on the ropes for the break, Kakeru goes off the ropes and delivers the running STO for two. Kakeru stomps at Miyuki but Miyuki grabs her leg as she tries to go up top, Kakeru finally makes it but Miyuki joins her and hits a series of headbutts. Superplex by Miyuki and she puts Kakeru in a modified headscissors, but Kakeru gets a foot on the ropes. Miyuki picks up Kakeru and lariats her while she is against the ropes, cover by Miyuki but Kakeru barely gets a shoulder up. Miyuki gets Kakeru up and drops he with a Jackhammer, but again Kakeru kicks out. Lariat by Miyuki and she hits another one, but Kakeru reverses the cover into one of her own for two. Kakeru goes off the ropes but Miyuki hits a lariat, she gets Kakeru on her shoulders and hits a Samoan Driver. Miyuki drags Kakeru to her feet and nails the Jackhammer, and she gets the three count! Miyuki Takase wins and retains the championship.

A pretty great match between two quality young wrestlers. Kakeru’s arm work was really well done and Miyuki didn’t (completely) forget about the damage as she’d occasionally signal that it was bothering her throughout the match. Miyuki’s strategy seemed to be lariats and power moves, and the two meshed their two different win strategies together well to make a cohesive match. Nothing they did felt wasted and the 17 minutes went by pretty quickly, it felt like it ended at about the right time. The last few minutes were a bit too big-move-spammy which happens sometimes in title matches, it didn’t put a major damper on the match as a whole but it probably could have been tightened up a bit. Still, a great title match and a fitting conclusion to the event.  Recommended

The post Actwres girl’Z Act In Osaka on 10/18/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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Rina Amikura https://joshicity.com/joshi-wrestler-profiles/rina-amikura/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 19:03:54 +0000 http://joshicity.com/?page_id=12829 Profile for Joshi wrestler Rina Amikura.

The post Rina Amikura appeared first on Joshi City.

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Birth: January 20th
Height: 5’4″
Weight: Unknown
Background: Trained in Actwres girl’Z
Debut: May 13th, 2018
Promotions Wrestled For: Actwres girl’Z
Notable Partners: None
Other Identities: None

Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

  • None

Signature Moves:

  • Jumping Body Press
  • Senton

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

  • None

In Action:

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The post Rina Amikura appeared first on Joshi City.

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