Event: PURE-J Opening Battle
Date: January 8th, 2022
Location: Tokyo White Studio in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 53
Broadcast: PURE-J’s Youtube Subscription Service

PURE-J doesn’t get a lot of love with Western Joshi fans, but they continue to put on regular events that are available to a global audience. PURE-J switched their streaming service from Filmuy to Youtube to start the year, but are still providing the same quick uploads of their events. This is their first show of 2022, and is a very typical PURE-J card as every match is veteran vs. less experience wrestler with a clear winner (PURE-J doesn’t do a lot of upsets). Even with obvious winners, the action in PURE-J tends to be solid so I am looking forward to checking it out. Here is the full card:

• Chie Ozora vs. Kakeru Sekiguchi
• KAZUKI vs. Madeline
• Crea vs. Leon
• AKARI vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Hanako Nakamori vs. Momo Tani

All wrestlers on the show have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go to it. As the event streamed on Youtube, all matches will be shown in full. Let’s get to it.

Chie Ozora vs. Kakeru Sekiguchi

Tie-up to start and Kakeru applies a wristlock, Chie reverses it and the two trade holds. Side headlock takedown by Kakeru but Chie quickly gets out of it, kick by Kakeru and she stomps Chie to the mat. Snapmare by Kakeru and she applies a stretch hold, she lets go after moment just to put Chie in another one. Single leg crab hold by Kakeru, but Chie makes it to the ropes for the break. Kakeru throws Chie into the corner, Irish whip by Kakeru and she delivers a dropkick. Chie bridges out of the pin attempt and hits a dropkick of her own, another dropkick by Chie and she hits a couple more. Scoop slam attempt by Chie but Kakeru blocks it and hits one of her own for a two count. Crab hold by Kakeru, she lets go after a moment and stomps on Chie in the back. Chinlock by Kakeru and she pulls on Chie’s nose, elbows by Kakeru but Chie jumps on on the second turnbuckle and grabs Kakeru by the wrist. Chie walks the ropes before hitting an armdrag, dropkick by Chie and she applies a stretch hold in the ropes.

Chie lets go and dropkicks Kakeru in the back, she picks up Kakeru but Kakeru elbows her and the two trade blows. Kakeru applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Chie rolls out of it and applies one of her own, bridging hammerlock by Chie but Kakeru gets to the ropes for the break. Chie hits a missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle, but her cover gets two. Chie goes for a fisherman suplex but Kakeru blocks it, dropkick by Kakeru and she hits two more. Fujiwara Armbar by Kakeru but Chie wiggles to the ropes for the break. Kakeru sets up Chie in the ropes before going out to the apron, dropkicking Chie in the arm. Missile dropkick by Kakeru off the second turnbuckle, she then goes all the way up top and drills Chie with another missile dropkick for a two count. Kakeru goes off the ropes but Chie catches her with a dropkick, sunset flip by Chie but it gets two. Chie rolls Kakeru around the ring and cradles her, but that gets a two as well. Chie tries for more flash pins but Kakeru keeps reversing it, fisherman suplex hold by Chie but Kakeru barely kicks out. Chie goes off the ropes but Kakeru catches her with a judo toss, two more tosses by Kakeru and she covers Chie for two. STO by Kakeru, but Chie barely kicks out. Kakeru goes off the ropes and delivers a running STO, and this time she picks up the three count! Kakeru Sekiguchi is the winner!

This was a perfectly acceptable opener. Chie has the basics down pat but she does need to work on her presentation – with her current look it is going to be difficult to be taken but so seriously. That’s an easily fixable problem however, and its not unusual for wrestlers to get an attire makeover once they get more experience. Kakeru is a little too young and… good to get this spot, I’d rather have seen her in more than a “rookie” match but she’s always fun to watch. A pretty basic match but watchable anyway.

KAZUKI vs. Madeline

Command Bolshoi is also in the ring in addition to the referee, holding a paper fan. I don’t know why and I’m not curious enough to scroll twitter to figure it out but the match “theme” is celebrating the Japanese New Year so probably connected. They tie-up to start, Madeline pushes KAZUKI into the ropes and the wrestlers at ringside draw on her face with a pen. This will be a recurring situation throughout the match. Wristlock by Madeline but KAZUKI reverses it, Madeline reverses it back and walks the ropes while holding KAZUKI’s wrist. Madeline drops down into an armbar, allowing the ringside wrestlers to draw some more on KAZUKI’s face. Madeline keeps on KAZUKI’s arm but KAZUKI rolls away and knees Madeline in the chest. KAZUKI goes for a crab hold and gets it applied, but Madeline eventually makes it to the ropes for the break, leading to her match getting drawn on. I am starting to think that if a wrestler gets into the ropes, their face is going to get some ink. Knees by KAZUKI against the ropes but Bolshoi hits her in the head with the paper fan. Madeline goes for a Triangle Choke but KAZUKI muscles out of it and hits a Codebreaker. Running double knee by KAZUKI, she picks up Madeline and hits a double underhook gutbuster.

Scoop slam by KAZUKI, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double kneedrop for two. KAZUKI goes up top but Bolshoi runs over and hits her with the fan again. This gives Madeline time to recover and toss KAZUKI to the mat, she gets on the second turnbuckle but KAZUKI pulls her back down. Madeline sneaks in a sunset flip before applying a cross kneelock, but KAZUKI gets to the ropes for the break. Both wrestlers are too close to the ropes so both of them get drawn on, as by now their faces are pretty decorated. Both wrestlers slowly get up, knee by KAZUKI but Madeline kicks her back as the two trade blows. Bolshoi hits both of them with the paper fan while they battle it out, Madeline gets the better of it but she isn’t able to hold down KAZUKI for the three count. Crucifix slam by Madeline, but that gets a two as well. Madeline goes off the ropes but KAZUKI catches her and dumps Madeline near the ropes so that she can be drawn on again. Double underhook by KAZUKI but Madeline slides away, Bolshoi hits KAZUKI with the paper fan but Madeline takes it from her so she can use it. She hits both KAZUKI and Bolshoi with it (and Tessy too for good measure), but Bolshoi takes it back and KAZUKI applies the Sarutahiko Hold for the three count! KAZUKI is the winner!

A little too silly for my tastes. A lot of random stuff going on, between the wrestlers outside of the ring and Bolshoi in it, which lead to constant action but didn’t really help the wrestlers get into a good flow as there were constant interruptions. I like Madeline a lot but just not a lot to this one, easily forgettable lower card fodder.

Crea vs. Leon

Crea attacks Leon right from the front and goes for a few flash pins, but she doesn’t have any luck. Crea goes off the ropes and boots Leon in the face, but Leon rolls away from her cover attempts and gets out to the apron. Leon shoulder tackles her through the ropes and gets back in the ring, hitting an armdrag followed by a dropkick. Snapmare by Leon and she elbows Crea in the top of the head, she applies a bodyscissors and rolls Crea around the ring with it applied but Leon gets into the ropes to force a break. Leon throws Crea into the corner and delivers a dropkick, scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton for two. Leon applies a facelock but lets go after a moment, stomps by Leon but Crea chops her back and they trade shots. Crea chops Leon to the mat and goes for a cover, but Leon kicks out. Crea throws Leon into the corner and delivers a running boot, but Leon fires back with a spear. Double underhook by Leon into a sunset flip, but Crea reverses it and they trade flash pins.

Leon kicks Crea against the ropes but Crea blocks her running boot and applies an ankle hold. Leon gets out of it and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, she gets Crea on her back but Crea rolls off and applies a schoolboy for two. Spear to the back by Leon and she applies a Texas Cloverleaf, but Crea gets to the ropes. Shoulder tackle to the back by ll, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. She tries again for the Texas Cloverleaf but Crea kicks her away, waistlock by Crea and she gets the ankle hold re-applied. She keeps it on while grapevining Leon’s leg, but Leon gets to the ropes for the break. Crea goes for a kneelock but Leon quickly rolls out of it and puts Crea in a single leg crab hold. Crea gets out of it and rolls up Leon, but it gets two. Takedown by Crea and they trade flash pins again, with neither getting the three count. High kick by Crea and she hits a bridging suplex for a two count. Crea goes to the top turnbuckle but Leon avoids her diving body press, spear by Leon and she jackknifes Crea for a two count. Leon goes for a suplex but Crea pushes her off, high kick by Leon and she levels Crea with a spear for a two count. Leon positions Crea and goes to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Mad Splash for the three count! Leon wins!

Even though they went a little heavier on the ‘flash pins’ than I’d prefer, this was still pretty good. Crea has come a long way in the last year but she didn’t get much of a chance to show it off here, aside from not looking out of place against Leon. I wish Crea had done a little work on the ankle prior to the ankle holds, but she was too focused on quick pins to really put a plan together. In spite of her lack of plan, the action was fluid and their reversals were well-executed so there was more good than bad, but it could have been a few levels higher if they had structured it in a more interesting manner.  Mildly Recommended

AKARI vs. Rydeen Hagane

They trade waistlocks to start before ending up on the mat, but neither can get an advantage and they return to their feet. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a hard shoulderblock, Rydeen applies a modified camel clutch before letting her go and stomping AKARI in the back. Rydeen stands on AKARI’s back near the ropes, Irish whip by Rydeen but AKARI reverses it and hits an armdrag followed by a dropkick. AKARI goes for a scoop slam but Rydeen blocks it and hits a scoop slam of her own. Running body press by Rydeen, but it gets a two count. Rydeen picks up AKARI and throws her into the corner, Irish whip by Rydeen but AKARI avoids her charge and hits a back elbow. Rydeen tries again with no luck, AKARI jumps on the second turnbuckle but Rydeen tosses her to the mat. AKARI goes for a suplex but again Rydeen blocks it, AKARI then goes for Rydeen’s arm and finally gets Rydeen down in a Fujiwara Armbar. AKARI goes for the cross armbreaker but Rydeen muscles out of it, AKARI snaps Rydeen’s arm over her shoulder and delivers a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. AKARI picks up Rydeen and hits a series of elbows, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a Samoan Drop.

Rydeen picks up AKARI but AKARI wiggles away, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a backbreaker. Crab hold by Rydeen but AKARI gets to the ropes for the break, stomps by Rydeen and she hits a lariat against the ropes. Spinning heel kick by Rydeen, which gets her a two count cover. Rydeen gets AKARI up on her shoulders but AKARI slides off and puts Rydeen in an armtrap crossface. Rydeen gets a boot on the ropes for the break, pump kick by AKARI and she hits the 619. AKARI clubs Rydeen in the chest and covers her, but Rydeen kicks out. Dropkick by AKARI, she goes to the top turnbuckle and connects with a missile dropkick. Kick to the head by AKARI and she hits another pump kick, but her covers gets another two. AKARI picks up Rydeen but Rydeen hits a superkick, she goes off the ropes but AKARI levels her with a lariat. AKARI tries to get Rydeen on her shoulders but its blocked, AKARI goes for a few cradle pins but none of them work. Elbows by AKARI but Rydeen knocks her down with a lariat, she picks up AKARI and nails a backdrop suplex for a two count. Rydeen positions AKARI and goes to the top turnbuckle, delivering the 100k Press (Diving Body Press) for the there count! Rydeen Hagane is the winner.

They tried to tell a long story in a condensed match, and while they somewhat pulled it off I probably would have gone in a different direction. The direction they went was “AKARI can’t do big moves to Rydeen, but overcame that and was able to hit the moves” but since the match was only ten minutes, the “struggle” section of the match wasn’t very long. AKARI struggled for maybe two minutes and from there it was a pretty normal power vs. technique match until the end. Which is a fine match structure as well but they would have saved a few minutes if they went straight to that. AKARI has come a long way but at some point she is going to have to pick up some wins or her progress will be for naught. Not a bad match as Rydeen is a solid hand, but with only ten minutes they were a bit limited in what they could do.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Momo Tani

They lock knuckles which is a battle Hanako easily wins, she throws Momo to the mat but Momo fires back with a dropkick. More dropkicks by Momo but Hanako doesn’t go down, Momo elbows Hanako in the corner but Hanako kicks her in the head. A dropkick by Momo finally sends Hanako to the mat, Momo puts her near the ropes and jumps down knee-first onto Hanako’s back. Hanako recovers and kicks Momo but Momo drop toeholds her into the second rope, running double knee to the back by Momo and she poses on Hanako’s back. Armdrags by Momo, she picks up Hanako but Hanako blocks the slam attempt and hits one of her own. Hanako sets up Momo in the ropes and kicks her in the chest repeatedly, she then puts Momo in the ropes on the other side and does the same thing again. Snapmare by Hanako and she kicks Momo in the back, Momo fires back with a knee however and slams Hanako to the mat. Knee drop by Momo and she applies a submission, but Hanako gets a foot on the ropes for the break.

Momo goes off the ropes and goes for a knee, but Hanako blocks it and pushes Momo to the mat. Kicks to the leg by Hanako and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Momo eventually gets to the ropes. Hanako throws Momo in the corner and chokes her with her boot, heel kick by Hanako but Momo avoids the next strike and slides out to the apron. Momo applies a choke before returning to the ring, pressing her knee into Hanako’s neck. Running jumping knee by Momo and she hits a double knee strike in the corner, neckbreaker by Momo and she covers Hanako for a two count. Hanako quickly recovers and trades strikes with Momo before sending Momo to the mat with leg kicks. Hanako drops Momo into the second rope and nails a running boot to the head, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Hanako, but Momo kicks out. Hanako applies the Stretch Muffler but Momo crawls to the ropes to force the break. Hanako picks up Momo, Momo pushes her away so Hanako kicks Momo repeatedly in the head. Hanako charges Momo but Momo avoids her boot and knees Hanako in the back.

Running double knee strike by Momo to the back of Hanako, she hits a knee from the apron before going up top, but Hanako cuts her off before she can jump. Hanako grabs Momo but Momo slides away, kick by Hanako but Momo knees her in the midsection. Codebreaker by Momo and she hits a running double knee to Hanako’s face, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers the diving jumping knee for a two count. Momo goes off the ropes but Hanako avoids the Somato and kicks Momo in the back. Hanako goes to the top turnbuckle but Momo joins her, this doesn’t work out well for her as Hanako chokeslams her down to the mat. Hanako picks up Momo but Momo sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Boot by Hanako, she goes off the ropes but Momo hits a Codebreaker. Cradle by Momo, but Hanako kicks out. Somato by Momo, but that gets a two count as well. Momo goes to the corner and hits a double kneedrop, she picks up Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the chest. High kick by Hanako, she nails the Shining Wizard and picks up the three count pinfall! Hanako Nakamori is the winner.

For a main event, there was just too large of a skill level gap to give Momo any chance of winning. That’s not to say that she didn’t try, and Hanako gave her plenty of offense, but for the last match on the card I’d prefer a more even match (even if the winner isn’t in doubt). I like Momo’s knee-based offense a lot, I’d like to see a bit more growth though and I am not sure if it will happen in PURE-J, which is one of the most “traditional” Joshi promotions in regard to maintaining the pecking order. Hanako looked solid as she always does, she rarely elevates matches unless in just the right situation but she can keep a match engaging. A typical solid but non-spectacular PURE-J match.  Mildly Recommended

The post PURE-J Opening Battle on 1/8/22 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J at Kame Dojo
Date: June 26th, 2021
Location: Kame Dojo in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: Unknown
Broadcast: Streamed on Filmuy

Even though they are probably the least popular promotion to Western fans, and their reviews here on Joshi City get the lowest number of clicks, I just can’t quit PURE-J. Something about them is just alluring. Part of it is their shows are short, as I am a busy person and sometimes its easier to find time to watch a show under an hour long than a three hour extravaganza. Their wrestlers are also all very solid and no-nonsense, I know what I am going to get with PURE-J. This event has something a little special, which is Madeline in the main event! Here is the full card:

• Leon vs. AKARI
• Chie Ozora and Crea vs. KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane
• Hanako Nakamori vs. Madeline

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 match streamed via an online service, all matches will be shown in full.

Leon vs. AKARI
In PURE-J, it doesn’t really matter where you are on the card since their events only have a few matches anyway, so its not unusual or a sign of disrespect to have the veteran Leon and title holder AKARI in the opener. Leon is a 20 year veteran that has mostly had tag team success in her career and now seems content being one of the leaders of a small promotion. AKARI has been in PURE-J since 2019 and comes into the match the Princess of Pro Wrestling Champion. This of course is a non-title match, but this certainly won’t be a squash as AKARI has really been rising in PURE-J in the last year and seems poised to be the future of the promotion.

AKARI throws Leon in the corner during the pre-match handshake, elbows by AKARI but Leon elbows her back and applies a headlock. AKARI Irish whips out of it but Leon hits a shoulderblock, they trade armdrags and eventually end up back on their feet in a stalemate. They get right back into it and trade holds, Leon gets AKARI to the mat but AKARI fights back to her feet and applies an arm wringer. Snapmare by Leon and she slides AKARI over for a two count. Scoop slam by Leon and she hits an elbow drop, somersault senton by Leon and she covers AKARI for two. Camel Clutch by Leon but AKARI fights to the ropes and gets there for the break. Stomps by Leon and she chops AKARI in the corner, AKARI throws Leon into the corner however and delivers a lariat. AKARI puts Leon in a Tarantula, she lets go after a moment and dropkicks her in the back. Vertical suplex by AKARI, and she covers Leon for two. AKARI tries to get Leon on her shoulders but Leon flips away, Leon charges AKARI but AKARI drop toeholds her onto the second rope.

Leon avoids the 619 but AKARI applies a Fujiwara Armbar, she switches it to an armtrap crossface but Leon gets to the ropes for the break. Irish whip by AKARI but Leon reverses it and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Leon picks up AKARI but AKARI slides away and cradles her for two, Leon throws AKARI into the corner and hangs her in an inverted Tree of Woe before delivering a dropkick. Double underhook suplex by Leon and she covers AKARI for a two count. Texas Cloverleaf by Leon but AKARI eventually gets to the ropes, stomps by Leon but AKARI elbows her and the two trade strikes. Leon clubs AKARI in the back but AKARI hits a pump kick, 619 by AKARI and she hits a Northern Lights Suplex Hold for two. She goes for the Muy Bien but Leon blocks it at first and eventually gets to the ropes for the break. Back kick by AKARI but Leon catches her with a spinning slam for a two count. Leon goes up to the top turnbuckle but AKARI avoids the body press, La Magistral by AKARI but it gets two. Leon spins away from her but AKARI still cradles her for a two count. AKARI tries another flash pin with no luck, she goes off the ropes but Leon delivers a spear. She waits for AKARI to get up but AKARI avoids the next spear attempt, they both go off the ropes and Leon nails the Beast Spear for the three count! Leon is the winner.

A solid opener, and you can tell these two train together as the action was very very smooth. For a ten minute match, a lot was going on and neither wrestler had a very long segment for themselves before the other would take their turn. If you prefer matches with one wrestler dominating and the other wrestler having to over-come, this wasn’t that as they went for fluid chain wrestling and constant exchanges. A pretty good match, it lacked a deeper level as much of the action was light, but still very well executed.  Mildly Recommended

Chie Ozora and Crea vs. KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane
For the “everyone else available” match on the card, we get two of the less experienced wrestlers in PURE-J against the regular tag team of WANTED. These teams are incredibly uneven – Chie and Crea have under 175 matches under their belts combined while WANTED have 31 years of wrestling between them. WANTED are also former tag team champions in PURE-J, holding the belts for almost a year. KAZUKI and Rydeen are hard to beat under any situation so Chie and Crea have an uphill battle in front of them.

Chie and Crea have some fluffy wrestling attires that may distract me during this match. Chie and KAZUKI start the match, they trade holds back and forth until Chie grabs KAZUKI’s wrist and walks the ropes before hitting an armdrag. Dropkick by Chie, Crea comes in and they double team KAZUKI in the corner. Crea helps Chie hit a footstomp, but KAZUKI avoids their dropkicks and stomps on both of them. She tags in Rydeen, Chie and Crea are stacked in the corner before both KAZUKI and Rydeen connect with running strikes. Knee by KAZUKI to Chie and Rydeen takes over, hitting a scoop slam. Crab hold by Rydeen but Chie inches to the ropes to get the break. Stomps by Rydeen but Chie sneaks in a schoolboy for two, giving her time to tag Crea. Rydeen elbows Crea and hits a scoop slam, butt bomb by Rydeen and she stands on Crea’s back. Rydeen applies a reverse chinlock and then a bodyscissors, Rydeen lets go and hits a scoop slam. Body press by Rydeen, but Crea kicks out. Crea tries to knock over Rydeen with shoulderblocks with no success, chops by Crea but Rydeen hits a body avalanche in the corner. Backbreaker by Rydeen, she picks up Crea but Chie runs over and breaks up Rydeen’s hold. She stays in and they both try to suplex Rydeen, but Rydeen won’t budge. They let go and take turns elbows Rydeen, but Rydeen hits a lariat on both of them. Rydeen catapults Chie onto KAZUKI’s knees, she goes back to Crea and they do the same to her.

Rydeen goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the Reverse Splash, but Crea kicks out of the pin. Superkick by Rydeen but Crea gets Rydeen to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker. KAZUKI breaks it up, Crea tags in Chie and Chie comes in with an ax handle to Rydeen’s arm. Dropkick to the arm by Chie and she applies a hanging armbar over the top rope. Chie lets go after a moment and keeps on Rydeen’s arm, getting her to the mat in an armbar. Chie applies a hammerlock with a bridge but KAZUKI gets away from Crea and breaks it up. Chie goes off the ropes but Rydeen kicks her into the corner, lariat by Rydeen and KAZUKI comes in to knee Chie. KAZUKI stays in and hits a double underhook gutbuster, cover by KAZUKI but it gets two. KAZUKI goes off the ropes but Chie avoids her knee attempt, she cradles KAZUKI but it gets two. Chie goes for a fisherman suplex but KAZUKI blocks it, Crea cuts off KAZUKI and then Chie is able to deliver rolling fisherman suplexes for a two count. Crea superkicks Rydeen while Chie gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving sunset flip for two. Chie tags Crea, KAZUKI blocks the suplex attempt but Crea applies an ankle hold. KAZUKI gets to the ropes for the break, running boot by Crea and she cradles KAZUKI for a two count. Chie and Crea go up to different corners and both hit missile dropkicks, but KAZUKI barely kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI hits a Codebreaker on both Chie and Crea, Rydeen comes in and they both hit running strikes in the corner. Reverse double kneedrop by KAZUKI on Crea out of the corner, cover by KAZUKI but Crea barely kicks out. TKO by KAZUKI, but Chie breaks up the pin. KAZUKI quickly puts Crea in the Sensei Hold II, and Crea has to submit! WANTED are the winners.

Crea and Chie are interesting wrestlers. Both have pretty solid in-ring skills, with Chie being the early standout, but they don’t have good looks. Their outfits just don’t scream ‘serious wrestler’ which is a shame as first impressions do matter. But that is an easily fixable issue for down the road, for now they are still learning and seem to be coming along pretty well. WANTED are one of the top tag teams in PURE-J for a reason, they both have the power wrestling style down pat and deliver on all their moves with authority. There really wasn’t anything particularly ‘bad’ about this match, it wasn’t overly exciting and the winner was never in doubt but in typical PURE-J fashion it was well-executed and didn’t overstay its welcome. Another solid match on the show.  Mildly Recommended

Hanako Nakamori vs. Madeline
Time for the main event and a big match for the delightful Madeline! Nakamori is having a long stretch of matches to celebrate her 15th anniversary, and this is one such match. Even though she hasn’t held the main title in PURE-J for the last year, she is still considered the Ace of the promotion until someone can take that title from her, and she does come into this match as one half of the tag team champions. She is against Madeline, a popular wrestler from Diana that frequently visits other smaller promotions. Madeline isn’t on Nakamori’s level so the winner is not in doubt, but she is an energetic wrestler so the match should be fun nonetheless.

Madeline goes for a takedown to start, Nakamori briefly blocks it but Madeline is able to get Nakamori to the mat. Nakamori switches positions with her as they jockey for position but neither can get a clear advantage before they break cleanly. Side headlock by Nakamori, Madeline Irish whips out of it but Nakamori boots her in the chest. Nakamori picks up Madeline but Madeline hits a jumping crossbody, kick to the back by Madeline but  Nakamori gets up and returns the favor. Madeline tries again with a snapmare and kick to the back, but Nakamori does the same as she is doing better in this back and forth. Nakamori sits down and Madeline connects with a series of kicks to her back, Madeline lets Nakamori do the same but Nakamori kicks her in the chest to win the battle. Nakamori grabs Madeline’s wrist but Madeline pulls her off the turnbuckles, now it is Madeline that gets Nakamori by the wrist and she walks the ropes while doing a balancing trick before hitting an armdrag. Madeline sets up Nakamori in the ropes and kicks her from the apron, she returns to the ring  and hits a front flip into an ax handle. Madeline goes for a slam but Nakamori blocks it and hits one of her own. Kicks to the leg by Nakamori and she applies a single leg crab hold, but Madeline gets to the ropes. Kick by Nakamori in the corner but Madeline avoids the next one, boot by Madeline and she covers Nakamori for two. Madeline transitions to the armbreaker but Nakamori blocks it and applies the Stretch Muffler. Madeline reverses it into an armbar but Nakamori quickly gets a foot on the ropes, kick to the leg by Nakamori but Madeline kicks her back and the two trade blows.

Headbutt by Nakamori but Madeline returns the favor, boot by Nakamori and she hits a second one. Nakamori hits a leg drop from the apron while Madeline’s head hangs over the second rope, she then goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakamori picks up Madeline and elbows her, Madeline keeps getting back up but Nakamori continues the strike assault. Nakamori goes off the ropes but Madeline tackles her and hits mounted punches, punches by Madeline while Nakamori is against the ropes and she hits a backfist. Madeline grabs Nakamori but Nakamori hits a fisherman suplex, she goes to pick up Madeline but Madeline puts her in an armbar. Nakamori gets to the ropes to force a break, Madeline charges Nakamori but Nakamori kicks her in the midsection. High kick by Madeline and she hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Kick to the chest by Madeline and she goes for a bridging pin, but Nakamori pushes her off. Madeline cradles Nakamori anyway for a two count, she applies a double armbar but Nakamori gets to the ropes. Madeline charges Nakamori but Nakamori kicks her, Madeline returns fire with elbows and she applies a small package for two. Head kick by Madeline but Nakamori nails a head kick of her own, Shining Flower by Nakamori but Madeline barely kicks out. Nakamori waits for Madeline to get up and hits a second Shining Flower, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori is the winner.

Some wrestlers have a special talent that is hard to put into words. Madeline isn’t the best in-ring wrestler but she has a great blend of unique offense, strikes, submissions, and just a general likable quality that makes her hard to stop watching. She does a lot of small things well and utilizes a lot of underdog tactics that long time veterans could learn from. Nakamori is a solid wrestler that helped keep the match together, but in the end it was Madeline that left more of an impression. Madeline’s arm work was well done but it always felt like Nakamori’s match to lose, and the match ended pretty suddenly when Nakamori connected with a few big moves in a row. I wouldn’t have minded a few more minutes but PURE-J matches rarely go long, generally I am a fan of that so I won’t complain too loudly. Overall a well worked and entertaining match between a seasoned veteran and a unique talent in Madeline.  Recommended

The post PURE-J on 6/26/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Fight Together
Date: April 11th, 2021
Location: Itabashi Green Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 110
Broadcast Information: Streamed on PURE-J Filmuy Channel

Excited to take a look at PURE-J for the April Streaming Service Evaluation, an often forgotten Joshi promotion. PURE-J has a pretty solid streaming service and uploads most of their shows, which is great as otherwise we wouldn’t get to watch them very often. This is actually a big event for the promotion, with a notable singles match for Hanako Nakamori and a championship title match. Here is the full card:

• Chie Ozora vs. Megumi Yabushita
• KAZUKI vs. Misa Matsui
• AKARI and Mari vs. Crea and Makoto
• Hanako Nakamori vs. Yumi Ohka
• PURE-J Openweight Championship: Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rydeen Hagane

All matches were shown in full. To visit a wrestler’s profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above.

Chie Ozora vs. Megumi Yabushita

Chie goes for a dropkick right off the start but Yabushita swats her away, stomps by Yabushita and she hits a dropkick of her own for two. Chie goes off the ropes and connects with the dropkick this time, snapmare by Chie and she applies a sleeper hold. She lets go after a moment and switches to a bodyscissors, but Yabushita gets out of it and applies a cross-leg submission. Yabushita picks up Chie and hits a snapmare before flinging Chie around by the hair. Sleeper by Yabushita but Chie gets a toe on the ropes to force the break. Yabushita picks up Chie and hits a scoop slam, double kneedrop by Yabushita and she hits a couple more scoop slams for two. Chie fights back with an elbow and the two trade shots, Yabushita gets Chie down and puts her in an armbar. Chie again gets to the ropes for a break, Yabushita grabs Chie’s arm and applies an armbar hanging over the top rope. She lets go after a moment, Chie reverses a wristlock into one of her own but Yabushita reverses it back.

Chie regains the advantage and tries to walk the ropes while holding Yabushita’s arm, but she falls off (not on purpose). Back in the ring, Chie rolls Yabushita to the mat and applies an ankle hold, but Yabushita makes it to the ropes. Small package by Chie and she applies a kneelock, but Yabushita rights out of it and puts Chie in a crab hold. She switches it to a cross armbreaker attempt, but Chie gets to the ropes for the break. Chie gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Chie but it gets a two count. Chie charges Yabushita and goes over her back for a cradle, but Yabushita kicks out again. Rolling Cradle by Chie, but that gets two as well. Chie picks up Yabushita and hits a Fisherman Suplex Hold, but Yabushita gets a shoulder up. Chie goes off the ropes but Yabushita catches her with a judo toss, armbreaker by Yabushita but Chie gets to the ropes. Yabushita picks up Chie but Chie sneaks in a few more flash pins for two. Bridging suplex by Yabushita, she quickly puts Chie in a cross armbreaker and Chie submits! Megumi Yabushita is the winner.

I’m surprised about how even this match was, which probably says more for Yabushita than it does for Chie. Yabushita is a pretty entry-level veteran so she doesn’t really lose anything by giving a rookie so much offense. Chie is still early in her career so no judgement here, but the botches always stick out and I’m just glad she wasn’t hurt when she slipped off the ropes. Otherwise she looked fine although she didn’t pop off the screen either. A decent opener in the sense that Chie got some experience and Yabushita was a good base for showing her around the ring in a competent manner.

KAZUKI vs. Misa Matsui

They lock up to start, Misa gets KAZUKI into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Misa steps on KAZUKI’s foot but KAZUKI kicks her in the stomach, Misa gets KAZUKI to the mat and delivers a sliding kick. Misa goes for a scoop slam but KAZUKI blocks it, hitting a scoop slam of her own for a two count. Crab hold by KAZUKI but Misa inches to the ropes to force the break. KAZUKI grabs Misa by the hair but Misa lands on her feet on the hair whip attempt, snapmare by Misa and she applies a bodyscissors. She lets go after a moment, knee to the stomach by KAZUKI and she throws Misa into the corner. Irish whip by KAZUKI and she hits a running knee, another Irish whip by KAZUKI but this time Misa flips over her and hits a dropkick. More dropkicks by Misa but KAZUKI stays up, elbows by Misa but KAZUKI blocks the suplex attempt. Knee by KAZUKI but Misa hits a jumping crossbody for two. Armbar by Misa but she lets go after a moment and stomps on KAZUKI. Misa goes off the ropes but KAZUKI knees her in the stomach, another knee to the stomach by KAZUKI (that’s kinda her thing) but Misa grabs her arm and goes for an armbar. KAZUKI gets to the ropes for a break, knee by KAZUKI and she hits another one.

KAZUKI picks up Misa and hits a double underhook slam onto her knee for a two count cover. KAZUKI picks up Misa and puts her in the corner across the ropes, she then gets on the top turnbuckle but Misa slides out to the apron. She tries to slam KAZUKI into the turnbuckle but KAZUKI blocks it, Misa returns the favor however and elbows KAZUKI. Misa gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Fisherman suplex hold by Misa, but that gets a two as well. Misa goes up top but KAZUKI avoids her diving footstomp, Misa quickly applies an Octopus Hold but KAZUKI gets to the ropes. Misa charges KAZUKI and hits a low crossbody, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp for a two count. Waistlock by Misa but KAZUKI gets to the ropes, Misa charges KAZUKI but KAZUKI drops her with a Codebreaker. Running double knee by KAZUKI and she hits a reverse double kneedrop for a two count. KAZUKI picks up Misa but Misa slides away, backdrop suplex by KAZUKI and she covers Misa for two. KAZUKI picks up Misa but Misa slides off and goes for a sunset flip, but KAZUKI blocks it. Misa goes for a few more flash pins with no luck, Samoan Cutter by KAZUKI but Misa barely kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving kneedrop, cover by KAZUKI but Misa bridges out of the pin. KAZUKI quickly goes all the way up to the top turnbuckle and hits another diving kneedrop, and this time she picks up the three count! KAZUKI is the winner.

I’ve mentioned before that I like when wrestlers focus on a certain aspect of offensive strategy but KAZUKI takes it a little too far. I am just imagining her waking up one day and saying “I am going to only knee people in the stomach, that’s my thing now.” In her defense, at least her finishing moves also focus on knees to the stomach, but I just wish she had more ‘set up’ moves than the common kitchen sink. It just gets a bit repetitive. Misa looked good here, hit all her spots well and has a nice variety of offense. I really enjoyed the match when Misa was on offense, and if KAZUKI would just change her offense up this would have been a sneaky good match. Its still solid though and a good showcase for Misa, she certainly has potential.  Mildly Recommended

AKARI and Mari vs. Crea and Makoto

AKARI and Crea start the match, they trade wristlocks until AKARI gets Crea to the mat. Crea gets away and they reach a stalemate, they lock knuckles and go into a quick exchange which ends with a AKARI dropkick. Mari comes in but so does Makoto and she helps Crea get the advantage. AKARI is thrown into the corner and double teamed, cover by Crea but it gets a two count. Crea tags Makoto, Makoto stomps on AKARI and she hits a springboard crossbody. Double kneedrop by Makoto, and she covers AKARI for two. Irish whip by Makoto but AKARI hits a dropkick, giving her time to tag in Mari. PK by Mari but Makoto kicks her back, dropkick by Makoto and she covers Mari for two. Makoto goes off the ropes and boots Mari, she grabs Mari but Mari throws her to the mat and applies a leglock. Crea breaks it up, boots by Mari to Makoto but Makoto drop toeholds her into the second rope. Stomps by Makoto and she tags Crea, she tries to shoulderblock Mari to the mat but Mari stays on her feet. Kick to the stomach by Mari but Crea ducks the high kick and finally shoulderblocks Mari to the mat. Crea puts Mari in a Sickle Hold but Makoto holds back AKARI, but AKARI gets free and breaks up the hold.

Crea picks up Mari but Mari kicks her in the leg, Crea elbows her back and the two trade shots. Crea hits a series of elbows but Mari returns with a series of kicks, she knocks Crea to the mat and follows with a PK for two. Mari picks up Crea and gets her on her shoulders, hitting a Samoan Drop for a close two count. Mari picks up Crea but Crea catches her kick and applies an ankle hold. Mari gets to the ropes for the break, dropkick to the back by Crea and she covers Mari for two. She tags Makoto, Makoto knees Mari in the stomach and boots her twice for a two count cover. Makoto throws Mari into the corner but Mari kicks her back and hits a facecrusher. Mari puts Makoto in a Rocking Horse, but she lets go after a moment and goes for a Gory Special. Makoto blocks that and hits a DDT, kick to the ribs by Makoto and she hits the handstand double kneedrop for two. Makoto picks up Mari but Mari blocks the double underhook, high kicks by Mari and she covers Makoto for a two count. Mari tags AKARI, AKARI throws Makoto into the corner and hits a running elbow. Makoto avoids the next one and knees AKARI, but AKARI slides out to the apron and with Mari’s help she hits a missile dropkick for a two count.

Northern Lights Suplex Hold by AKARI, but that gets a two as well. AKARI picks up Makoto but Makoto hits an armdrag, she applies an armbar but AKARI gets to the ropes for the break. Makoto picks up AKARI and hits a suplex, she goes to the corner and tags Crea. Crea goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Crea but AKARI kicks out. AKARI blocks the suplex and hits a Pump Kick, but Crea boots her back for a two count. Crea applies an armbar, but Mari breaks it up. Drop toehold by AKARI and she hits Crea with a Tiger Feint Kick, she quickly applies an armtrap crossface but Crea gets out of it and applies a crossface of her own. Mari breaks it up, Crea goes off the ropes but AKARI catches her with a cradle for two. La Magistral gets a two as well, Crea then tries her own flash pin but that also gets two. Makoto spears AKARI, Crea goes off the ropes and hits a bodyscissors takedown for a two count. Crea goes off the ropes again but this time AKARI catches her with a vertical suplex, AKARI applies Muy Bien and Crea quickly taps out! AKARI and Mari are the winners!

This match is peak PURE-J. Pretty well worked, technically sound wrestlers and a decent pace, but nothing particularly spectacular or memorable. I’ve always liked Mari, she has a good look and wrestles with a sense of urgency, she is kinda hiding in Actwres girl’Z but she’s a bundle of fun. The rest all looked fine, just a few minor hiccups but generally the match flowed well from bell to bell. I’m not as sold on Crea as I am on Mari but she didn’t do anything to stand out in a bad way, which sometimes is all you can ask for with less experienced wrestlers. A good match, no major complaints even if it never reached the next level.  Mildly Recommended

Hanako Nakamori vs. Yumi Ohka

They quickly get into it as Ohka hits a hip toss, but Nakamori fires back with a lariat and they end up with a stalemate. They lock knuckles but break cleanly, elbow by Ohka but Nakamori kicks her when she charges in. Elbow by Ohka and she hits a big boot in the corner, another boot by Ohka and she covers Nakamori for two. Ohka picks up Nakamori and slams her face into the mat, she stands on Nakamori’s back and does a little dance. Double kneedrop by Ohka, she picks up Nakamori and hits a scoop slam. Headscissors by Ohka but Nakamori gets to the ropes, Irish whip attempt by Ohka but Nakamori blocks it and kicks her in the back. Kick to the chest by Nakamori and she hits a legdrop, she puts Ohka in the ropes and goes out to the apron so she can kick her repeatedly in the chest. Running kick to the back by Nakamori and she covers Ohka for two. Nakamori picks up Ohka but Ohka stomps on her foot, knees by Ohka and she puts Nakamori in the ropes. Repeated kicks to the face from the apron by Ohka, she get back into the ring and does the same on the other side of the ring.

Irish whip by Ohka to the corner and she delivers a running boot, she tries another Irish whip but Nakamori reverses it and kicks her in the corner. Ohka comes back with another boot but Nakamori returns with a lariat, they trade waistlocks until Nakamori drops down and kicks Ohka in the head. Nakamori drops Ohka onto the second rope and boots her from the apron, Nakamori goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakamori applies a modified armbar but Ohka gets to the ropes, Nakamori charges Ohka and boots her into the ropes. She charges Ohka again but Ohka drops her onto the top rope, boot by Ohka and she hits another one from the apron. Back in, running boot by Ohka and she covers Nakamori for two. Ohka picks up Nakamori but Nakamori blocks the suplex, kick combination by Nakamori and she ends with a PK. Nakamori goes up top but Ohka avoids her charge, cross-arm Backstabber by Ohka and she keeps the hold applied on the mat. She lets go after a moment, Ohka goes off the ropes and boots Nakamori in the face for a two count. Ohka goes up top but Nakamori recovers and joins her, but Ohka elbows her back to the mat. Nakamori gets back up and re-joins her, hitting a superplex but she is too hurt to make a cover.

Nakamori is up first and kicks Ohka, but Ohka kicks her back and they trade boots. Ohka wins the boots duel, she goes off the ropes but Nakamori hits an enzuigiri. Ohka quickly hits a backdrop suplex but Nakamori drops her with a fisherman buster. Ohka fires back with a brainbuster, and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They both slowly get back up, headbutt by Nakamori but Ohka boots her to the mat. Ohka picks up Nakamori but Nakamori delivers a strike combination, running kick by Nakamori and she covers Ohka for two. Nakamori goes up top and nails the Destiny Hammer, but Ohka barely kicks out of the cover. Nakamori drags up Ohka, she goes off the ropes but Ohka nails the Choke Bomb for two. Heel drop by Ohka, but Nakamori gets a leg on the ropes to break up the pin. Ohka goes off the ropes and boots Nakamori in the face, but Nakamori recovers and they trade flash pins. Buzzsaw Kick by Nakamori, but Ohka kicks out. Nakamori picks up Ohka but Ohka hits a release Dragon Suplex. Big boot by Ohka but the bell has rung as the time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Certainly an interesting match, I will give them that. They started a little slow as veterans tend to do but at a certain point one of them must have yelled ITS GO TIME as they went straight to no selling and bomb throwing like they were wrestling at Budokan. I’ll give them credit for not dogging it on a small non-televised event but if you like selling and what not this is not the match for you as no matter what move was being done to them it may as well have been a finger poke. They went back to a more reasonable speed at the end, either because they were legitimately tired or they knew time was coming and had to get to the right spot, which was actually nice as it would make sense that they wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace they had for a few minutes there. All in all I enjoyed it, the no selling was both ways so no one was being disrespected and they went out there with the goal of putting on something memorable. Which it was and will likely overshadow the main event. A very strike-heavy but entertaining match, all things considered.  Recommended

(c) Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rydeen Hagane
PURE-J Openweight Championship

Kaori applies a waistlock but Rydeen shakes her off, she tries again but Rydeen shoulderblocks her down. Rydeen goes for a body press but Kaori moves and hits a running senton. Kaori goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a hip toss, lariat by Rydeen in the corner and she hits a second more. Short-range lariats by Rydeen and she applies a crab hold, but Kaori gets to the ropes for the break. Rydeen sits down on Kaori’s back before picking her up and clubbing Kaori in the back. Rydeen gets Kaori on her back but Kaori slides away and applies a waistlock, Rydeen drives Kaori into the corner to get her off but Kaori avoids her lariat attempt. Kaori twists Rydeen’s leg in the second rope and dropkicks it, elbow drops to the leg by Kaori and she twists on Rydeen’s knee. She lets go after a moment and hits a senton on Rydeen’s leg, but Rydeen elbows her and hits a sidewalk slam for two. Rydeen picks up Kaori but Kaori cradles her to the mat and applies a kneelock. Rydeen crawls to the ropes and forces the break, running knee to the back by Kaori and she hits a satellite DDT for two. Kaori picks up Rydeen and applies a waistlock, Rydeen gets out of it and drops Kaori with a Samoan Drop. Lariat by Rydeen and she hits a second one, cover by Rydeen but it gets two.

Rydeen goes for a powerbomb but Kaori gets out of it, superkick by Rydeen and she delivers a heel kick. Rydeen positions Kaori and goes to the second turnbuckle, hitting a reverse splash senton for a two count cover. Rydeen goes all the way up the next time but Kaori avoids the moonsault, Kaori rolls Rydeen to the mat and applies a cross kneelock. Rydeen barely gets a boot on the ropes to force a break, knee to the back of the head by Kaori and she hits one from the front. More running knees by Kaori and she covers Rydeen for a two count. Kaori picks up Rydeen but Rydeen reverses the sunset flip powerbomb. Rydeen goes back up top but Kaori recovers and grabs her leg from behind. Kaori manages to toss Rydeen back down to the mat, she goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving senton but Rydeen barely gets her shoulder up. Kaori returns to the top turnbuckle but Rydeen joins her, Kaori gets Rydeen’s back but Rydeen blocks the sunset flip powerbomb attempt by sitting down on Kaori. Rydeen picks up Kaori and tosses her with a backdrop suplex, lariat by Rydeen but Kaori applies a crucifix cover for two. Rydeen stomps Kaori’s run with a lariat, Samoan Driver by Rydeen but Kaori kicks out. Rydeen picks up Kaori and nails the Shouten Kai, cover by Rydeen and she gets the three count! Rydeen Hagane is the new champion!

A lot of little things to look at here. First, its interesting that this was the 4th longest match on a five match card, not that any of the matches on the show were long but clearly they thought a shorter and more compact match was the way to go here. Yoneyama did everything she could to help get Rydeen over which she was in the perfect place to do, her losing does nothing to her legacy and by beating an outsider it gives Rydeen a handful of fresh challenges so she can prove she’s the best in PURE-J. Rydeen hit all her power spots well, and it helped that Yoneyama is small so the moves looked more impressive. Yoneyama’s leg work was good but Rydeen did nothing to sell it when a move wasn’t being applied, it was a logical story to tell so I’m not faulting it but I wouldn’t have minded if Rydeen struggled a bit doing… anything in the latter half of the match due to the knee work. Overall a perfectly fine match, Rydeen got to show off her power moves and won decisively which is all one can hope for. Hopefully she can have a meaningful run after waiting so long to win the title and prove it wasn’t just a fluke win over a veteran outsider.  Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together on 4/11/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Fight Together 2021
Date: February 7th, 2021
Location: Itabashi Green Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 85
Broadcast Information: Streamed on PURE-J’s Streaming Service

Sometimes I like to take a step back and review a smaller show that may not be talked about that much around Joshi circles online, and this is one of those times. PURE-J, to put it nicely, is at the lowest level of Joshi promotions. They already were struggling, then lost Manami Katsu and Mari Manji to make the situation worse. What they lack in quality wrestlers they try to make up for with solid fundamentals and bringing in wrestlers from other promotions to help. This event does have a title match, as AKARI faces Momo Tani in the finale of a tournament to crown a new Princess of Pro Wrestling Champion after it was vacated by Suzu Suzuki. Here is the full card:

• Misa Matsui vs. Rydeen Hagane
• KAZUKI vs. Makoto
• Chie Ozora and Leon vs. Hanako Nakamori and Madeline
• Princess Of Pro Wrestling Championship: AKARI vs. Momo Tani

As this streamed on PURE-J’s own streaming service, matches will be shown in full. All wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Misa Matsui vs. Rydeen Hagane

They tie-up to start, Rydeen pushes Misa towards the ropes but Misa hits a series of elbows. Dropkick by Misa and she tries to toss Rydeen by the hair, but Rydeen blocks it and hits an elbow. Rydeen throws Misa by the hair into the corner and stomps her down, scoop slam by Rydeen and she hits a running body press for two. Rydeen picks up Misa and slaps her in the back repeatedly, Irish whip by Rydeen but Misa avoids her charge and hits a dropkick. She goes for a crossbody but Rydeen catches her and slams Misa to the mat, Misa avoids the body press however and hits a double footstomp on Rydeen’s back. Hard elbow by Rydeen but Misa jumps out to the apron, she goes to the top turnbuckle but jumps off when Rydeen charges in and puts Rydeen in a Fujiwara Armbar. She switches it to a cross armbreaker attempt, but Rydeen mostly blocks it and slams Misa into the corner to break the hold. Lariat by Rydeen and she hits a second one, she goes for a powerbomb but Misa wiggles away. Backbreaker by Rydeen and she puts Misa in a crab hold, but Misa gets to the ropes for the break. Rydeen charges Misa and hits a body avalanche to Rydeen’s back, but Misa returns fire with a dropkick.

She goes for another crossbody, Rydeen catches her but Misa hits a DDT. Dropkick by Misa and she covers Rydeen for two. Misa picks up Rydeen and applies an Octopus Hold, but Rydeen muscles out of it. She goes for a lariat but Misa ducks it and promptly re-applies the Octopus Hold, but Rydeen gets to the ropes to force the break. Misa goes off the ropes and dropkicks Rydeen in the back, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody. Misa goes all the way up top and drops Rydeen with a missile dropkick, but Rydeen barely kicks out of the cover. Misa picks up Rydeen but can’t get her over with a suplex, elbows by Misa but Rydeen delivers a superkick. Rydeen charges Misa and hits a lariat, cover by Rydeen but Misa gets a shoulder up. Rydeen positions Misa and hits a twisting Reverse Splash out of the corner, but Misa kicks out of that as well. Rydeen drags up Misa, Misa slides away from the suplex attempt however and cradles Rydeen for two. Rydeen fires back with a sliding lariat, she picks up Misa but Misa sneaks in another flash pin for a two count. After another failed flash pin, Misa goes off the ropes but Rydeen hits a lariat. Rydeen picks up Misa and delivers a Uranage for the three count! Rydeen Hagane wins the match.

You know, this was a pretty solid match. Rydeen may never be a superstar but she is very serviceable and stays within her limitations, in the right situation she rarely has a bad match. Misa showed a lot of spunk and fire, actually controlling more of the match than I was expecting but she did it with speed which was the way to go. The match fell apart a little bit at the end as Misa was holding her own enough that I didn’t think going the ‘flash pin’ method repeatedly was necessary, but overall a good way to open up the show.  Mildly Recommended

KAZUKI vs. Makoto

KAZUKI knees Makoto to the mat to start and applies a wristlock, but Makoto rolls out of it and reverses it. They trade holds until Makoto hits an armdrag and applies an armbar, but KAZUKI rolls to the ropes for the break. Snapmare by Makoto and she dropkicks KAZUKI in the back, she picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI knees her in the stomach. Double kneedrop by KAZUKI, she snapmares Makoto and applies a sleeper hold. She lets go after a moment so she can throw down Makoto by the hair, knees by KAZUKI in the corner and she applies a single leg crab hold. Makoto gets to the ropes to break the hold, KAZUKI picks her up and throws Makoto into the corner. Irish whip by KAZUKI to the corner but Makoto avoids her charge, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers a diving crossbody. Double kneedrop by Makoto, and she covers KAZUKI for two. Makoto picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI knees her and the two trade blows. KAZUKI catches a kick and throws Makoto into the corner, knees by KAZUKI and she puts Makoto across the middle rope.

KAZUKI climbs to the top turnbuckle and hits a double kneedrop to Makoto’s stomach, KAZUKI picks up Makoto but Makoto slides away and dropkicks KAZUKI in the knee. Schoolboy by Makoto and she puts KAZUKI in a kneelock, but KAZUKI gets to the ropes. Double underhook suplex by Makoto and she knees KAZUKI in the ribs for a two count. Makoto tries to get KAZUKI on her shoulders but KAZUKI knees her, spear by Makoto and she covers KAZUKI for two. Makoto waits for KAZUKI to get up and charges, but KAZUKI knees Makoto in the stomach. Running double knee by KAZUKI, she hits a reverse double kneedrop off the second turnbuckle but Makoto kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI goes all the way up top and nails a diving single kneedrop, but Makoto gets a shoulder up. KAZUKI picks up Makoto but Makoto blocks the suplex attempt and hits a back bodydrop. Makoto kicks KAZUKI in the head, cradle by Makoto but it gets a two count. Makoto goes off the ropes but KAZUKI catches her in a sunset flip and they trade flash pins. KAZUKI monkey flips Makoto to the mat and cradles her for the three count pinfall! KAZUKI is the winner.

So we are 2/2 on matches ending with a flourish of flash pins. Its not that I don’t see the use in flash pins, they can come in quite handy, but its a kinda lazy way to do the end stretch of a match that up to that point was more based on power moves and strikes than speed and cunning. This was a tiny step down from the last match but still pretty good, my main issue is just the lack of cohesion between their offensive tactics. I would have loved if KAZUKI had won with some sort of back or gut impact move, but that didn’t happen, and Makoto was all over the place. This was just two vets going through a ten minute match they can probably do in their sleep, and while it was perfectly watchable it wasn’t overly inspired either.

Chie Ozora and Leon vs. Hanako Nakamori and Madeline

Madeline and Chie start the match, both go for dropkicks but neither connect. They trade strikes, Irish whip by Chie but Madeline hits a crossbody. Chie bridges out of the pin and delivers a dropkick, cover by Chie but it gets two. They trade mounted elbows, arm drag by Madeline and she tags in Nakamori. Snapmare by Nakamori and she kicks Chie in the back, she throws Chie into the corner and delivers a series of kicks. Chie avoids her charge however and goes for a schoolboy, giving her time to tag in Leon. Leon and Nakamori tie-up but break cleanly, they trade holds but neither gets a clear advantage. Leon avoids Nakamori’s kick and hits a footstomp on her back, running elbow by Leon in the corner but Nakamori returns the favor with a kick in the other corner. Madeline comes in the ring and they double team Leon, armdrag by Leon to Nakamori and she delivers a dropkick. Leon tags Chie, dropkicks by Chie but Nakamori shrugs them off and boots Chie around the ring. Running boot by Nakamori and she covers Chie for two. Madeline returns but Leon does as well and both Chie and Leon hit dropkicks. Leon throws Nakamori into the corner, dropkick by Chie and Leon hits one as well. Leon leaves, Chie slams Nakamori and covers her for two. Irish whip by Chie but Nakamori blocks it and hits a neckbreaker. Leg drop by Nakamori, she picks up Chie and tags in Madeline. Madeline applies a hanging armbar over the top rope but is forced to break it after a moment, Irish whip by Madeline but Chie hits a dropkick and tags Leon.

Scoop slam by Leon, she goes off the ropes and hits a somersault senton for two. Leon puts Madeline in a stretch hold but releases her so she can deliver a series of chops. Irish whip attempt by Leon but Madeline reverses it and hits a front flip into a high kick in the corner. Leon isn’t amused and spears Madeline, she goes for a double underhook but Madeline gets out of it. Leon elbows Madeline to the mat as Madeline tries to fight back, Madeline goes for a crossbody but Leon catches her and slams her to the mat. Drop toehold by Madeline and she runs on Leon’s back, Madeline goes off the ropes but Leon hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Leon puts Madeline in a crab hold but Nakamori breaks it up, Leon and Nakamori get into it until Madeline schoolboys Leon from behind for two. Leon drives Madeline into the corner but Madeline sneaks in a sunset flip which gives her time to tag Nakamori. Nakamori boots Leon and delivers a kick combination, she gets Leon on her shoulders and tosses her off before delivering a kick to the chest. Shining Wizard by Nakamori, but Leon gets a shoulder up. Nakamori picks up Leon but Leon hits a DDT, Nakamori fires back with a kick however and the two trade blows. Leon catches Nakamori with a capture suplex, spear to the back by Leon and she puts Nakamori in a stretch hold. She lets go and goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a missile dropkick to Nakamori’s back for a two count. Leon goes for a capture buster but Nakamori blocks it and hits an enzuigiri, tilt-a-whirl slam by Leon and she goes to the top turnbuckle, hitting a Frog Splash for two. Leon picks up Nakamori but Nakamori fights her off, high kick by Nakamori and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They slowly get up and trade elbows, Leon goes off the ropes but Nakamori avoids her charge and kicks Leon in the chest. Madeline runs in as things break down.

High kick by Nakamori but Leon levels her with a spear, and she makes the tag to Chie. Jumping shoulder tackles by Chie to Nakamori and she covers her for two. Chie goes off the ropes but Nakamori kicks her in the chest, Nakamori drops Chie on the second rope and hoots her from the apron. Nakamori goes up top but Chie recovers and joins her, Nakamori pushes Chie back down however but Leon runs in and hits a spear on Nakamori after she jumps off. Chie goes off the ropes but Nakamori boots her in the face, high kick by Nakamori and she covers Chie, but Leon breaks it up. Nakamori tags Madeline, dropkicks by Madeline to Chie and she covers her for two. Madeline applies a Fujiwara Armbar but Chie rolls out of it, stomps by Madeline and she goes for a powerbomb, but Chie blocks it. Leon elbows Madeline and Chie puts Madeline in a kneelock, but Nakamori breaks it up. Chie picks up Madeline but Madeline pushes her off, and the two trade strikes. Jumping shoulder tackle by Chie and she covers Madeline, but it gets two. Chie goes off the ropes but Nakamori kicks her, both Madeline and Nakamori kick Chie again before Madeline delivers a suplex for two. Nakamori and Leon trade high kicks while Chie and Madeline keep at it, Irish whip by Madeline but Chie hits a sunset flip for two. They go back and forth with flash pins until Nakamori breaks the exchange up, Leon comes in and spears both Madeline and Nakamori. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Chie to Madeline, but Nakamori breaks it up. She goes for another one but Madeline reverses it into a small package for two. Madeline quickly puts Chie in another cradle pin, and this time she gets the three count! Hanako Nakamori and Madeline are the winners!

This is why you don’t have every match end with trading cradle pins, it just loses some of its excitement at some point. They got plenty of time here and all four wrestlers got a chance to shine (or at least a chance to show what they had), which in these matches is about all you can hope for. I wouldn’t say this was the most well structured match and there were some slow moments, but that is to be expected with some less experienced wrestlers involved. Leon and Nakamori’s exchanges were quality however as they have good chemistry, and when the vets were in control the match clicked. As was the case with the last match I’d have preferred a more definitive ending, but overall it was a pretty entertaining mid-card tag match.  Mildly Recommended

AKARI vs. Momo Tani
Princess Of Pro Wrestling Championship

They circle each other to start before trading holds, Irish whip by Momo but AKARI hits a hard shoulderblock. Dropkick by AKARI but Momo hits an armdrag, Momo throws down AKARI by the hair a few times and stomps AKARI down in the corner. Momo flings AKARI around the ring some more before covering her for a quick two count. Momo applies a crab hold but AKARI crawls to the ropes to force the break. Momo goes off the ropes and knees AKARI in the back, but AKARI returns with a dropkick and hits a scoop slam for two. AKARI applies an armtrap facelock but Momo gets to the ropes, AKARI chops Momo in the corner and hits a running elbow. Momo avoids her next charge and hits a running knee, but AKARI gets on the turnbuckle and chokes Momo. AKARI applies a Tarantula over the second rope, she lets go after a moment and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. AKARI goes for a suplex but Momo pushes her away, running knee by Momo and she slams AKARI’s head into the mat. Double kneedrops to the back by Momo, she goes off the ropes and hits a running double knee strike. Momo applies a stretch hold but AKARI gets out of it, boot by Momo but AKARI hits a drop toehold.

AKARI keeps Momo’s legs trapped in a submission but Momo gets to the ropes, back up they trade elbows until Momo hits a swinging neckbreaker. Running double kneedrop by Momo, but her cover gets two. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a jumping knee strike, she goes off the ropes but AKARI drop toeholds her into the second rope and hits a Tiger Feint Kick. Northern Lights Suplex Hold by AKARI, but Momo gets a shoulder up. AKARI rolls Momo to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Momo gets into the ropes. Codebreaker by Momo but AKARI hits a pump kick, AKARI charges Momo but Momo catches her with a flash pin for two. Running double knee by Momo in the corner and she hits a reverse double kneedrop, but AKARI kicks out at two. Diving double kneedrop by Momo, but that gets a two as well. Momo goes up top again but AKARI elbows her and tosses her back to the mat. AKARI rolls Momo to the mat and applies La Magistral, they trade flash pins but neither gets the two count. Vertical suplex by AKARI but Momo hits a Backstabber, Somato by Momo but AKARI reverses the cover. Momo goes off the ropes but AKARI catches her with a lariat, AKARI takes Momo to the mat and puts her in the Muy Bien. Momo struggles for a moment but is forced to submit! AKARI wins the match and the Princess of Pro Wrestling Championship!

A fitting main event for a smaller show, although on a “normal” Joshi event this would be sitting firmly in the midcard. Pretty well-worked and I really like Momo’s double knee based offense. She is very consistent with it which I appreciate and she had enough different ways to attack that it never got stale or felt overused. AKARI continues to get better each time I see her and they had good chemistry even though they are from different promotions. It was a little short to give too high of a recommendation to but there was nothing really wrong here at all, and hopefully its the start of making the Princess of Pro Wrestling Championship a little more meaningful again.  Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together 2021 on 2/7/21 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J “Fight Together”
Date: July 12th, 2020
Location: Kame Dojo in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 30

While some promotions are just slowly adding wrestling events to their schedule in this new pandemic world we live in, PURE-J is ramping them up as they have already had five events since the beginning of June. This is a very recent show of theirs and was distributed on their new streaming website. Not a big card as there are no title matches, but it does have three singles matches which I tend to prefer. Here is the full card:

• Crea vs. Rydeen Hagane
• AKARI and Leon vs. KAZUKI and Momo Tani
• Hanako Nakamori vs. HIRO’e
• Manami Katsu vs. Mari Manji

All matches are shown in full, the wrestlers on the card have profiles on Joshi City and you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Crea vs. Rydeen Hagane

They trade waistlocks to start, Rydeen gets Crea to the mat and puts her in a stretch hold. Crea gets out of it and the two return to their feet, kick by Rydeen and she applies a wristlock. Crea reverses it but Rydeen reverses it back as they trade holds, Rydeen slams Crea’s head into the mat before stomping on her. Rydeen throws down Crea by the hair and kicks her into the corner, she goes for a slam but Crea reverses it into a cradle for two. Crea sits on Rydeen’s back before putting her loosely in a submission hold, Rydeen gets back up and hits a trio of hard shoulderblocks for two. Scoop slam by Rydeen and she hits a body press for another two count, she picks up Crea and throws her into the corner. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a body avalanche, she goes for a powerbomb but Crea gets out of it. She goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a backbreaker, crab hold by Rydeen but Crea gets into the ropes for the break. Rydeen butt bombs Crea to the mat before rolling her over for a two count, she picks up Crea but Crea hits a series of elbows. Rydeen clubs her to the mat for her trouble, Crea fights back again but eats another club to the back. Irish whip by Rydeen but Crea hits a dropkick, she hits a second and a third but Rydeen stays on her feet. Elbows by Crea and she hits an armbreaker, she goes for a second but Rydeen blocks it and applies a sleeper. Crea quickly gets out of it and dropkicks Rydeen in the corner, jumping elbow by Crea and she finally dropkicks Rydeen off her feet for a two count cover.

Crea goes for the cross armbreaker, Rydeen blocks it so Crea applies a seated armbar instead. Rydeen muscles out of the hold but Crea kicks her in the arm, Crea gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick. She goes up top and hits another missile dropkick, cover by Crea but it gets a two. Crea quickly applies a double armbar, she lets go after a moment and goes for the double wrist armsault but Rydeen blocks it. Crea goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a powerslam for a two count. Rydeen picks up Crea but Crea elbows out of the uranage, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen spins her onto her shoulders and puts her in the Argentine Backbreaker. She tosses her off after a moment and hits a lariat, Samoan Drop by Rydeen and she positions Crea in front of the corner. Rydeen gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the Reverse Splash, but Crea barely kicks out. Rydeen goes all the way up but Crea avoids the Reverse Splash attempt, lariat by Rydeen but Crea schoolboys her into the ropes. Crea goes for another cradle, but this time she gets a two count. Crea picks up Rydeen and delivers the double wrist armsault, but Rydeen barely gets a shoulder up. Crea goes off the ropes but Rydeen pushes her off and hits a lariat, she picks up Crea but Crea quickly rolls her up for two. Crea goes off the ropes but Rydeen hits her with a hard lariat, she picks up Crea and drops her with the uranage for the three count! Rydeen Hagane is the winner.

This was clunky at times but in the end probably accomplished its goal which was to make Crea look somewhat credible before losing to the veteran. There is a reason that Rydeen never really elevated up the card – she is solid enough but not great, and struggles to elevate less experienced wrestlers. Her power moves look good but some of the transitions and sequences didn’t come off well and it was pretty disjointed. It probably went a tad longer than it needed to, at almost 12 minutes, as they didn’t have a ton of ideas. Crea did get her spots in and had some nearfalls, its too early in her career to know if she will be a quality wrestler down the road but she isn’t quite there yet. Not bad for an opener, but still a skippable match.

AKARI and Leon vs. KAZUKI and Momo Tani

Momo and AKARI start things off, they trade holds but ultimately reach a stalemate. Armdrag by Momo and she applies a reverse chinlock, but AKARI gets into the ropes for the break. Shoulderblocks by AKARI but Momo kicks out of the cover, and AKARI tags in Leon. Leon throws Momo into the corner and hits a dropkick, scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton for two. Leon picks up Momo but Momo reverses the slam attempt into a cradle, dropkick by Momo and she tags KAZUKI. Knees by KAZUKI in the corner as she knees Leon around the ring, AKARI comes in however and with Leon they dropkick KAZUKI off her feet. Running kneedrop by Leon and AKARI hits one as well, Leon tags AKARI and AKARI delivers a dropkick. Another dropkick by AKARI but KAZUKI quickly kicks out of the cover, she goes for a slam but KAZUKI blocks it and hits one of her own. KAZUKI tags Momo, Irish whip to the corner by Momo and she hits a jumping knee. AKARI blocks the slam attempt but KAZUKI comes in to help, they both go for a vertical suplex but AKARI blocks it.

Leon comes in but KAZUKI and Momo both hit Codebreakers on their respective opponents, running double knees by KAZUKI and Momo and they both drop knees onto one opponent’s back. Double Irish whip and both Momo and KAZUKI hit knees, Leon rolls out of the ring and Momo knees AKARI in the back of the head. Cover by Momo, but AKARI kicks out. Momo goes off the ropes but AKARI hits a drop toehold, she keeps Momo’s legs wrapped up in a submission but Momo makes it to the ropes. Northern Lights Suplex by AKARI, but it gets a two count. She tags Leon, shoulder tackle by Leon in the corner but Momo blocks the double underhook. Knees by Leon but Momo elbows her back, hard elbow by Leon and the two trade blows. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Leon and she puts Momo in a crab hold but it gets broken up, Leon goes off the ropes but KAZUKI knees her from the apron. Backstabber by Momo to Leon and she puts her in a stretch hold, but AKARI breaks it up. Momo grabs Leon and hits a swinging neckbreaker, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double knee for two. She tags in KAZUKI but Leon knees her, KAZUKI knees her back but Leon tosses her into the corner.

Leon goes up top but KAZUKI avoids her dive, spear by Leon and she covers KAZUKI for two. Leon tags AKARI, AKARI goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for two. AKARI goes for the cross armbreaker but KAZUKI gets out of it, stomp by KAZUKI but AKARI elbows her in the corner. She goes for a suplex but KAZUKI blocks it, knees by KAZUKI but AKARI hits a pump kick. AKARI rolls KAZUKI to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Momo quickly breaks it up. KAZUKI gets AKARI onto her shoulders and hits a cutter, cover by KAZUKI but Leon breaks it up. KAZUKI drags AKARI to the corner and gets on the second turnbuckle, but AKARI avoids her double knee and cradles her for two. Leon spears KAZUKI, AKARI follows with a Tiger Feint Kick before cradling KAZUKI again for a two count. Momo distracts Leon and AKARI, giving KAZUKI time to recover and hit a Codebreaker on both of them. Double running knee strike by KAZUKI and Momo, and KAZUKI covers AKARI for two. KAZUKI goes off the ropes and drills AKARI with the K Sword, and she gets the three count! KAZUKI and Momo Tani are the winners!

This was a step up from the last match. Momo wrestling like a mini-KAZUKI is interesting, they have teamed before so clearly she has rubbed off on her as they hit similar moves. KAZUKI throws a lot of knees but not all of them well, for a move to spam honestly the knee to the midsection isn’t the most interesting so I wish there was a bit more variety in her offense. Leon looked great as she tends to, the match just kinda lacked a story or flow to it. For a midcard tag it was perfectly fine but probably forgettable at the end of the day.

Hanako Nakamori vs. HIRO’e

HIRO’e gets a jump on Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the corner and throws HIRO’e down by the hair. HIRO’e returns the favor, they trade kicks and shoulderblocks until HIRO’e shoulderblocks Hanako to the mat. HIRO’e picks up Hanako and hits a vertical suplex, cover by HIRO’e but it barely gets two. Back up, kick by Hanako and she snapmares HIRO’e before kicking her in the back. Kick to the chest and leg drop by Hanako, she picks up HIRO’e and kicks her in the corner. Hanako charges HIRO’e but HIRO’e moves, elbow by HIRO’e but Hanako avoids her shoulder tackle attempt. HIRO’e rebounds out of the corner with a crossbody for two, she picks up Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the leg. HIRO’e elbows her back as they trade strikes, Codebreaker by HIRO’e and she dropkicks Hanako while she is against the ropes. HIRO’e picks up Hanako but Hanako blocks the Northern Lights Suplex, HIRO’e goes off the ropes but Hanako drops her onto the second rope and boots her from the apron. Hanako goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Hanako but it gets two. Hanako applies an armbar but HIRO’e gets to the ropes, running boot by Hanako and she goes to the top turnbuckle, but HIRO’e elbows her before she can jump off.

They trade elbows while Hanako is still sitting on the top turnbuckle, headbutt by Hanako and she goes for a powerbomb out of the corner, but HIRO’e blocks it and hits a Codebreaker. HIRO’e goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, Northern Lights Suplex by HIRO’e but Hanako kicks out. HIRO’e picks up Hanako, Hanako blocks the suplex at first but HIRO’e eventually hits the German suplex. Hanako immediately gets up and hits a German suplex of her own, but HIRO’e returns with a backdrop suplex followed by a German suplex for a two count cover.  Elbows by HIRO’e and hits the spear, but Hanako gets a shoulder up. Sunset flip by HIRO’e, but that gets a two count as well. Kasadora by HIRO’e, but again Hanako kicks out. Boot by Hanako and she kicks HIRO’e in the head again, but HIRO’e reverses her cover attempt into one of her own for two. After a failed cradle, HIRO’e charges Hanako but Hanako kicks her in the head. Another head kick by Hanako, but her cover only gets two. Hanako picks up HIRO’e and drops her with the Requiem Driver, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori wins!

I am not sure the nice way to say this, nor am I sure if I should even bother try to say it nicely, but there is a reason HIRO’e stayed in the WAVE midcard for her entire 5+ year career. She is spectacularly average, bringing little to the table. That’s not to say she is bad, as her fundamentals are solid and unlike in the last two matches there weren’t any miscommunications or times where a wrestler looked out of place. But she doesn’t leave a strong impression. They tried to tell a bit of a story, with the underdog HIRO’e trying to sneak in a win against the highly ranked Hanako, but Hanako wasn’t really bothering with any sort of long term selling so most of her hope spots were quickly dashed when Hanako easily took back over control. She was “trying” to make HIRO’e look good but in the end she didn’t really, since none of HIRO’e’s offense had any impact beyond the moment. The ending came out of nowhere, as HIRO’e had been in pretty good shape, which just hammers in my previous point. Overall it wasn’t bad, but in the end neither one came out looking any better than they came in and if this was anyone’s first exposure to Hanako they wouldn’t be too impressed.

Manami Katsu vs. Mari Manji

They circle before tying up, Mari gets Manami into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Manami grabs her and the two take turns with elbows, Mari throws Manami into the corner and delivers a running back elbow. Manami fires back with a lariat and a running boot, rolling cradle by Manami and she holds down Mari for a two count cover. Mari is pretty dizzy after being rolling around for so long as Manami stomps on her, she picks up Mari and they try to shoulderblock each other over. Mari eventually grabs Manami and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Manami lands on top of her. Mari goes off the ropes and finally shoulderblocks Manami over, she picks up Manami but Manami reverses the backdrop suplex attempt into a bulldog. Double underhook by Manami but Mari gets out of it and the two trade strikes. Manami charges Mari but Mari chops her to the mat, she picks up Manami and puts her on the top turnbuckle before joining her, applying a modified dragon sleeper. She lets go after a moment and brings Manami back to the ring with a backdrop suplex, cover by Mari but it gets two. She puts Manami in an armbar but Manami gets to the ropes for the break, Mari picks up Manami and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Another leg sweep by Mari and a third, she puts Manami in a submission hold but again Manami gets to the ropes.

Mari picks up Manami but Manami pushes her off and hits a Stunner, boot by Manami and she hits a lariat. Running boot by Manami while Mari is against the ropes but Mari avoids the next one, Mari charges Manami and delivers a running elbow. Boot by Mari and she hits another one, followed by a dropkick. Mari picks up Manami but Manami snaps off a Samoan Drop, lariat by Manami and she covers Mari for two. Manami puts Mari in front of the corner and hits a Reverse Splash, cover by Manami but it gets a two count. Manami grabs Mari but Mari gets away and hits a vertical suplex, she rolls over Manami but Manami covers her for two. Jawbreaker by Mari and she rolls over Manami again, this time holding her down for a two count. Mari picks up Manami and hits a back bodydrop, she goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving senton for two. Mari picks up Manami and levels her with a back elbow, but Manami kicks out of the cover. Mari goes off the ropes but Manami catches her with a lariat, sliding lariat by Manami but Mari reverses the cover into one of her own for two. Manami kicks Mari in the head, she picks her up and hits a German suplex for a two count. Back up, uppercut by Manami and she nails the Orange☆Blossom for the three count! Manami Katsu is the winner.

This was the best match on the card, which may be a low bar but it was a fitting main event for a small dojo-style show. Its interesting that they are having Mari basically go 50/50 with Manami. Mari is actually older than Manami and has a slight size advantage, which may play into their thinking, or they think long term she has more potential as a title challenger. She’s pretty good in the ring, PURE-J doesn’t really do high workrate matches so she fits in well in the promotion that focuses on the basics. A good enough match, nothing that will blow you away but it flowed well and ended before it felt too stretched out.  Mildly Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together on 7/12/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Fight Together!
Date: June 7th, 2020
Location: Kame Dome in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 30

PURE-J isn’t a promotion I review very often, and there are a few reasons for this. One is, they normally don’t make tape a whole lot so they have less events available to review. They also aren’t very popular to Western fans, so no one reads the reviews. And finally, they are a very ‘basic’ promotion with no frills and limited talented wrestlers. While those are all good reasons, I am reviewing them today to try out their new streaming service on Filmuy. An expensive service, but a service nonetheless. One additional perk is this was actually filmed in front of a (small) audience, who I am sure will make little to no noise but its still nice to see them. Here is the full card:

• AKARI vs. Mari Manji
• Kurea vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Hanako Nakamori and KAZUKI vs. Leon and Manami Katsu

As this aired on PURE-J’s new streaming service, all matches are shown in full. You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go straight to their profile on Joshi City.

AKARI vs. Mari Manji

Mari gets AKARI in a wristlock to start, AKARI reverses it but Mari switches it back. Headscissors by Mari but AKARI gets out of it, snapmare by Mari and she applies a bodyscissors. AKARI reverses the hold into a front necklock and applies a leg submission hold, but Mari gets to the ropes for the break. AKARI goes for a slam but Mari blocks it and hits one of her own, elbow drops to the back by Mari and she throws down AKARI by the head. She throws her down again, Irish whip by Mari and she hits a hard shoulderblock. Another shoulderblock by Mari and she hits a third, crab hold by Mari but AKARI gets to the ropes to force a break. Mari throws AKARI into the corner and elbows her in the chest, Irish whip by Mari and she hits a running elbow. AKARI returns the favor in the opposite corner, AKARI applies an armbar over the top rope but lets go after a moment and the two trade strikes in the middle of the ring. Chops by Mari and she Irish whips AKARI, but AKARI hits a front dropkick. AKARI hits two more dropkicks, cover by AKARI but it gets a two count. AKARI picks up Mari but Mari blocks the suplex attempt, waistlock by Mari but AKARI elbows out of it. Mari goes for another suplex but AKARI blocks it, Mari drives AKARI back into the corner and she chops her in the chest.

Mari puts AKARI on the top turnbuckle and joins her, she puts Mari in a reverse necklock before letting go and dropkicking AKARI when she falls down into the Tree of Woe. Mari gets AKARI back to the mat and hits a side Russian leg sweep, she hits a second one before putting AKARI in a submission hold. AKARI inches to the ropes but Mari puts her in a crucifix cover for two. Mari goes for a backdrop suplex but AKARI reverses it and applies an ankle hold. She lets go after a moment, AKARI picks up Mari and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. AKARI gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a front dropkick, she goes all the way up the next time and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Armtrap crossface by AKARI but Mari manages to get a toe on the ropes for the break. AKARI picks up Mari but Mari blocks the suplex attempt and hits a vertical suplex of her own. They trade elbows as they slowly return to their feet, Irish whip by Mari but AKARI dropkicks her. Boot by AKARI and she cradles Mari for a two count cover. AKARI picks up Mari and hits a hard elbow, Tiger Feint Kick by AKARI and she puts Mari in La Magistral for two. AKARI goes off the ropes but Mari avoids her boot and delivers a backdrop suplex for two. Mari picks up AKARI hits hits a hard elbow, rolling cover by Mari and she picks up the three count! Mari Manji is the winner.

Mari and AKARI are both fundamentally sound, and this match showed that. There were some structure issues, like submission holds released for no reason to get to the next spot and an awkward moment or two, but when they got to the action it was solid. Their progression will be slow due to being in a lower level promotion but both can hold their own and aren’t the worst less experienced wrestlers I’ve seen this year. Nothing overly memorable but perfectly fine for an opener with newer wrestlers.

Kurea vs. Rydeen Hagane

They get right into it trading holds, wristlock by Kurea buy Rydeen rolls out of it and snapmares Kurea. Kurea applies a quick crucifix pin which Rydeen kicks out of, Rydeen grabs Kurea and tosses her down by the hair. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a hard shoulderblock before putting Kurea in a Camel Clutch, she lets go after a moment and elbows Kurea in the chest. Kurea returns fire but Rydeen knocks her back to the mat, Kurea gets to her feet but is knocked down again. Irish whip by Rydeen and she hits a dropkick, cover by Kurea but it gets a two count. Scoop slam by Rydeen and she hits a running body press for two. Rydeen picks up Kurea, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a body avalanche. She tries to Irish whip Kurea again but Kurea reverses it and hits an elbow, dropkicks by Kurea but Rydeen doesn’t go down. Hard shoulderblock by Rydeen but Kurea gets away from her and dropkicks Rydeen in the knee. Kurea dropkicks Rydeen while she is sitting on the mat, Irish whip by Kurea but Rydeen catches her with a backbreaker. Rydeen gets Kurea on her shoulders and puts her hanging in the corner, body avalanche by Rydeen and she hits a lariat. Crab hold by Rydeen, Kurea crawls to the ropes but Rydeen eventually lets go and picks her up.

Elbows by Kurea but Rydeen hits her to the mat, Kurea returns and elbows Rydeen repeatedly in the chest but she is knocked down again. More elbows by Kurea while Rydeen absorbs the blows, she goes off the ropes but Rydeen catches her with a powerslam for two. Rydeen picks up Kurea but Kurea avoids the Rainmaker and kicks Rydeen in the arm, she does it a second time before twisting her arm in the top rope. Kurea takes down Rydeen and slaps on the cross armbreaker, Rydeen wiggles around Kurea ends up with a reverse armbreaker instead. Rydeen gets a foot on the ropes to force the break, Kurea goes up top and nails a missile dropkick, cover by Kurea but it gets two. Fujiwara Armbar by Kurea but Rydeen gets to the ropes for the break, Kurea picks up Rydeen but Rydeen blocks the double wrist armsault. Kurea elbows Rydeen’s arm and applies an armbar, but Rydeen muscles her up onto her shoulders with an Argentine Backbreaker. She tosses her off after a moment and hits a lariat against the ropes, Reverse Splash by Rydeen but Kurea barely kicks out. Kurea sneaks in a schoolboy for two, she goes for another flash pin but it gets two as well. Kurea applies an armtrap crossface but Rydeen is too close to the ropes, Kurea goes off the ropes but Rydeen drops her with a hard lariat. Rydeen goes for a sliding lariat but Kurea ducks, Kurea charges Rydeen but Rydeen catches her with a backdrop suplex for two. Rydeen picks up Kurea and gets her on her shoulders, sit-down powerbomb by Rydeen and she picks up the three count! Rydeen Hagane is the winner!

At first I was concerned as the match started really slow and plodding, looking like the type of match a wrestler may have in their debut. But about halfway through they kicked it up a notch, Kurea started fighting back with a plan and the rest of the way was pretty good. The arm work by Kurea was well done and was a realistic way for her to win, not trying to out-power Rydeen but taking a limb instead. Rydeen always looks competent with her power moves, she isn’t a high end wrestler but she can get by. If the whole match was at the tempo of the second half I could give the match a solid recommendation, but even as it is I was pleasantly surprised by the end result.  Mildly Recommended

Hanako Nakamori and KAZUKI vs. Leon and Manami Katsu

Manami and KAZUKI insist on starting the match, they lock up and Manami pushes KAZUKI into the ropes before giving a somewhat clean break. Side headlock by Manami but KAZUKI Irish whips out of it, they both try to knock each other over until KAZUKI succeeds. KAZUKI throws Manami into the corner, Irish whip but Manami prevents her charge. They tag out, Hanako and Leon circle each other and trade holds until they reach a stalemate. Back on their feet they trade strikes, Hanako goes off the ropes but Manami kicks her from the apron and gets in the ring. Hanako is double teamed in the corner, double boot by Leon and Manami and they put Hanako in the ropes so they can chop her from the apron. Scoop slam by Leon and she covers Hanako for two. Leon picks up Hanako and applies a sleeper, Hanako gets back to her feet but Leon tags in Manami. Scoop slam by Manami and she puts Hanako in a crab hold, she lets go after a moment and applies a Camel Clutch. She picks up Hanako and hits a double underhook into a backbreaker, Leon is tagged back in and she stomps Hanako around the ring. Leon throws Hanako into the corner and hits a running back elbow, Manami returns but KAZUKI comes in too and hits a double Codebreaker on both of them.

This gives Hanako a chance to tag her in, KAZUKI knees Manami against the ropes before hitting a running knee on Leon. Leon and Manami get the upper hand and hits a double shoulderblock, kneedrop by Leon to KAZUKI and Manami hits one as well. KAZUKI is thrown into the corner but she knees both of her opponents, KAZUKI clubs on Leon and gets her on her shoulders, but Leon blocks the cutter attempt and hits a double footstomp. She tags in Manami who hits a running footstomp as well, Manami goes off the ropes and boots KAZUKI in the side of the head. She tries to do it again but KAZUKI catches her foot, knees by KAZUKI and she tags Hanako. Hanako boots Manami repeatedly in the face, she goes to the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick. She goes up top again and hits a second one, cover by Hanako but it gets a two count. Fisherman Buster by Hanako and she hits a Shining Wizard, but Manami gets a foot on the ropes to break up the cover. Hanako goes up top but Manami ducks her dive, Leon runs in and kicks Hanako to the mat. Manami and Leon both put one opponent in a submission hold, they let go after a moment and Manami boots Hanako repeatedly in the head. Manami hits a Samoan Drop in front of the corner, Reverse Splash by Manami and she covers Hanako for two. German suplex hold by Manami, but KAZUKI breaks it up. Leon charges Hanako in the corner and hits a series of shoulder tackles, double underhook by Leon but Hanako spins out of it. Elbows by Leon, she goes off the ropes and elbows Hanako hard in the chest.

Hanako gets back up and kicks Leon, the two trade strikes until Leon gets Hanako to the mat and kicks her in the back. Head kick by Leon and she puts Hanako in the Texas Cloverleaf, but KAZUKI quickly breaks it up. Leon picks up Hanako, knees by Hanako and they trade elbows. Manami and KAZUKI tag themselves in when their teammates fall into their corner, face crusher by Manami but KAZUKI back bodydrops out of the double underhook. Manami returns the favor but KAZUKI hits another back bodydrop as well, hard elbow by Manami but KAZUKI returns fire with knees to the midsection. An elbow by Manami sends KAZUKI to the mat, she picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI blocks the German suplex. Hanako kicks Manami in the head and KAZUKI follows with a Code Breaker, running knee by KAZUKI and she covers Manami for two. KAZUKI goes up top but Manami uppercuts her and climbs the turnbuckle as well, Hanako grabs Manami from behind however and pulls her back into the ring. Diving Double Kneedrop by KAZUKI, but Leon breaks up the cover. Knees by KAZUKI but Manami catches her with a backfist, lariat by Manami and she covers KAZUKI for two. Manami goes up top and nails the diving elbow drop, but Hanako breaks up the cover. Knee by Hanako to Manami but Leon spears her, KAZUKI trades flash pins with Manami but neither can get the three count. Sliding lariat by Manami, she picks up KAZUKI and hits an uppercut. Lariat by Manami, and she covers KAZUKI for the three count! Leon and Manami Katsu are the winners.

One interesting thing is a match like this normally may have had a long ‘outside the ring’ brawling period, but since they are staying in the ring due to having the crowd there, they were almost forced to be more focused for almost 20 minutes. Aside from being unable to do dives (which isn’t really PURE-J’s style anyway) they weren’t holding back any and the pace stayed pretty high from bell to bell. There was lots of teamwork, as would be expected, and since they are all on about the same level there wasn’t a long control segment which led to more consistent action. Really solid match between four wrestlers that know what they are doing, it never really rose to the level of must-see action (probably not helped by the single cam setup) but a fitting main event for a small show.  Recommended

The post PURE-J Fight Together! on 6/7/20 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Even though I am months behind in reviews, I had to jump ahead to take a look at this recent event from PURE-J. I am watching this event on NicoPro, a streaming service in Japan that streams wrestling events from a wide range of wrestling promotions (the show is no longer available on the service at the time of this review, since shows are only available for seven days). I have written a guide on how to sign up for NicoPro, highly recommended! Both the service and the guide. PURE-J Pure Slam Vol. 8 may not be the biggest show of the year for the promotion, but it does feature a championship match. Here is the full card:

• KAZUKI vs. Momo Tani
• AKARI and Kurea vs. Makoto and Moeka Haruhi
• Drake Morimatsu vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Leon and Miyuki Takase vs. Manami Katsu and Mari Manji
• PURE-J Openweight Championship: Hanako Nakamori vs. Rina Yamashita

As this aired on NicoPro, the matches are unclipped. It also has that annoying commentary box in the corner, which I will tolerate. All the wrestlers have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

KAZUKI vs. Momo Tani

They circle each other to start before tying up, they trade wristlocks until KAZUKI cranks on a headlock. Momo Irish whips out of it but KAZUKI shoulderblocks her down, KAZUKI picks up Momo but Momo dropkicks her to the mat. More dropkicks by Momo and she goes for a sleeper hold, she gets it locked in but KAZUKI doesn’t seem too bothered and wiggles out of it. Front necklock by KAZUKI, she lets go after a moment and clubs Momo in the back. Scoop slam by KAZUKI and she hits a running double kneedrop for a two count cover. Crab hold by KAZUKI, she lets go after a moment and flings around Momo by her hair. Snapmare by KAZUKI and she applies a sleeper, she then puts Momo in a bodyscissors before slamming her head-first into the mat. KAZUKI goes for a double underhook but Momo blocks it, knee to the stomach by KAZUKI but Momo boots her from behind. More knees by KAZUKI but Momo hits a running double knee strike while KAZUKI is against the ropes. KAZUKI recovers and knees Momo again, but Momo schoolboys her from behind for two. Back up they trade elbows, Backstabber by Momo and she hits a running double knee to the back of KAZUKI’s head. Multiple double kneedrops by Momo to KAZUKI’s back follow and she puts KAZUKI in a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and dropkicks KAZUKI in the side. More double kneedrops by Momo and she stretches KAZUKI again, she covers KAZUKI but it gets a two count.

Momo goes for a scoop slam but KAZUKI blocks it and hits one of her own, Momo throws KAZUKI into the corner but KAZUKI avoids her charge and knees her in the midsection. Another knee by KAZUKI, she puts Momo across the second rope in the corner and hits a double kneedrop to her midsection. Reverse double kneedrop by KAZUKI, but Momo kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI gets Momo on her shoulders but Momo slides off and hits a Codebreaker, but KAZUKI comes back with own of her own. KAZUKI picks up Momo but Momo slides away and hits the Somato for a two count. Momo goes off the ropes and hits another Somato, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double kneedrop for two. Momo picks up KAZUKI and knees her in the head, she goes off the ropes but KAZUKI gets her on her shoulders. Momo slides off and applies a sleeper hold, KAZUKI slams Momo back into the corner to get her off but Momo slides out to the apron and applies the sleeper over the top rope. Tessy gets her to break the hold, Momo gets back in the ring and cradles KAZUKI to the mat for two. Momo goes for another Somato but KAZUKI moves and knees Momo in the back of the head, double underhook facebuster onto her knee by KAZUKI but Momo barely kicks out of the cover. KAZUKI picks up Momo and delivers a Somato, but Momo again kicks out. KAZUKI positions Momo, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving kneedrop for the three count! KAZUKI is the winner.

So many knees in this match. Lots of knees. If you like knees, this is the match for you! This may be the first I’ve seen of Momo and she seems fine, KAZUKI is probably not the easiest wrestler to work with as Momo can’t do the same things to her she may be able to do to the Actwres girl’Z wrestlers, but there weren’t any noticeable mistakes or miscommunications. For a knee-fest it was decent enough, not a lot of rhyme or reason to it but not a bad way to open up the event.

AKARI and Kurea vs. Makoto and Moeka Haruhi

The rookies attack the veterans from behind before the match starts because of course they did, they isolate Makoto and both hit dropkicks. AKARI stays in with Makoto and applies an Argentine Backbreaker, but Moeka breaks it up. AKARI grabs Makoto and puts her in a stretch hold while tied up in the ropes, she lets go after a moment and covers her for two. Makoto fires back with a big boot and tags in Moeka, Moeka tosses AKARI down by the hair but AKARI knocks her to the mat with a shoulderblock. Armdrag by AKARI and she dropkicks Moeka near her corner before tagging in Kurea. Kurea applies a headscissors but Moeka gets out of it and applies a headlock, she brings Kurea to her corner and tags in Makoto. Makoto stands on Kurea’s midsection before bouncing her off the ropes, cover by Makoto but it gets a two count. Moeka is tagged back in and hits an ex handle to Kurea’s back, Moeka goes off the ropes and hits a footstomp for two. Moeka throws Kurea in the corner and tags in Makoto, Makoto throws Kurea into the corner and delivers a big boot. double kneedrops by Makoto and she covers Kurea for two. Makoto kicks at Kurea but Kurea comes back with a dropkick, she goes for a scoop slam and finally hits it for a two count. Kurea gets the hot tag to AKARI, dropkick by AKARI but Makoto boots her. AKARI gets on the second turnbuckle and applies an armbar, she lets go and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Irish whip by Makoto but AKARI blocks it and rolls her to the mat with kneelock. Makoto wiggles to the ropes to get the break, AKARI goes off the ropes but Makoto catches her with a double underhook suplex.

Cartwheel double kneedrop by Makoto, she covers AKARI but AKARI barely kicks out. Makoto tags Moeka, running knee by Moeka in the corner and the two trade elbows. AKARI applies a short armbar, Moeka tries to roll out of it but AKARI applies La Magistral for a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by AKARI, but that gets a two count as well. AKARI tags Kurea, lariat by Kurea and she hits a shoulderblock on Moeka for two. Kurea goes for a cross armbreaker but Moeka blocks it and applies a single leg crab hold. AKARI eventually breaks it up, Makoto comes in too but the veterans both eat dropkicks. Kurea stomps on Moeka but Moeka knees her in the stomach, cross armbreaker takedown by Kurea but Makoto breaks it up. Kurea gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, AKARI hits one as well and Kurea follows up with a final missile dropkick for a two count. Kurea goes off the ropes but Moeka drop toeholds her onto the second rope, she ties up Kurea and both she and Makoto kick her in the back. Running footstomp by Moeka, but Kurea kicks out of the cover. Moeka picks up Kurea but Kurea sneaks in a small package for two. Kurea tries a few more flash pins with no luck, wrist-clutch Northern Lights Suplex by Moeka but Kurea bridges out of the hold. Moeka gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp, but AKARI breaks up the cover. Makoto runs in to spear AKARI, Moeka goes up to the top turnbuckle this time and hits the diving footstomp for the three count cover! Makoto and Moeka Haruhi are the winners.

To be honest, this was far better than I was expecting. Sometimes having low expectations is the way to go. AKARI and Kurea both looked pretty smooth here considering their experience and they didn’t wrestle like rookies as they had a variety of moves at their disposal (especially AKARI) and had several near falls. Moeka can afford to be giving to rookies since no one takes her seriously anyway but I was surprised that Makoto was equally generous, it made for a far more even and competitive fight than I assumed it would be. Both teams worked together well and the match hummed along at a decent pace, they got enough time without it feeling like it went too long. For an undercard match with two rookies I was surprisingly entertained by this, AKARI and Kurea will stay under the radar as long as they are in PURE-J but both seem to have a pretty solid base knowledge of wrestling. All in all, pretty solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Drake Morimatsu vs. Rydeen Hagane

Drake and Rydeen give a halfhearted handshake before the match before attempting to shoulderblock each other over with neither having any luck. Drake clubs Rydeen but Rydeen finally manages to shoulderblock her down, with Drake immediately rolling out of the ring. Rydeen goes out after her but Drake throws her into the chairs at ringside, she rolls Rydeen back in and hits her with a baseball bat. Irish whip by Drake and she hits Rydeen with the baseball bat again, the referee chastises her but doesn’t do anything besides that. Rydeen kicks the baseball bat away from her and the two trade elbows, Drake wins the battle and kicks Rydeen against the ropes. Hammerlock by Drake, she twists Rydeen’s arm in the top rope and yanks down on it. Drake stomps on Rydeen’s arm before hitting a legdrop on it, Drake applies a submission hold but Rydeen gets a foot on the ropes. Wristlock by Drake, she lets go after a moment and elbows Rydeen in the head. Irish whip by Drake but Rydeen reverses it and hits a hip toss. Running body press by Rydeen, but Drake kicks out of it. Stomps by Rydeen, she goes off the ropes but Drake catches her with a lariat. Cover by Drake, but it gets a two count.

Drake keeps on Rydeen’s arm but Rydeen eventually throws her into the corner and hits a lariat. Rydeen goes for a powerbomb but Drake back bodydrops out of it, Rydeen grabs Drake again but Drake elbows her off. Rydeen hits a lariat but Drake stays up, Drake tries too but gets the same result. They both go off the ropes and lariat each other to the mat, Drake is up first and she gets a chair, hitting Rydeen in the back with it. Rydeen tries to take it from her but Drake doesn’t let her as the chair slides away, lariat by Drake but Rydeen literally drops her with a sidewalk slam. Rydeen goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse splash, but Drake gets a hand on the ropes. Rydeen goes all the way up top this time but Drake recovers and hits her, tossing Rydeen back to the mat. Facebuster by Drake, she cradles Rydeen but Rydeen gets a shoulder up. Drake picks up Rydeen but Rydeen hits a lariat, backdrop suplex by Rydeen and she covers Drake for two. Rydeen positions Drake and goes up top, but Drake rolls out of the way of the moonsault attempt. Lariat by Drake, but Rydeen kicks out of the pin. Drake picks up Rydeen and delivers the Michinoku Driver, cover by Drake and she gets the three count! Drake Morimatsu wins!

That was the longest ten minutes of my life. Its confusing to me that PURE-J would have Drake Morimatsu come in, a relic from the past but still a bit of a name for hardcore fans, and just have her pretty easily beat one of their better veteran hands. Its one thing if she beat a rookie, that’s part of the process, but Rydeen is no rookie. And it wasn’t a good match anyway, with Drake wasting a chunk of the match doing arm work that meant nothing, some awkward parts, and little in the way of drama. I’m not sure why this existed but it didn’t need to, no one needs to watch this unless they are just really curious to see Drake Morimatsu wrestle in 2019.

Leon and Miyuki Takase vs. Manami Katsu and Mari Manji

The opening handshake doesn’t go well as Manami and Mari immediately go on the attack, they double team their opponents in the corner and both hit body avalanches. Miyuki is isolated but Leon returns and she helps Miyuki take back control. Miyuki and Leon chop Mari repeatedly in the chest before Miyuki dropkicks Mari in the back, legdrop by Miyuki and she tags in Leon. Snapmare by Leon and she puts Mari in a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and dropkicks Mari into the corner. Mari recovers and the two trade chops, Irish whip by Leon but Mari sneaks in a schoolboy for two. This gives Mari time to tag in Manami, Manami drives Leon into the mat and puts her in the Mexican Surfboard, she lets go and elbow drops Leon in the back before covering her for two. Snapmare by Manami and she puts Leon in a bodyscissors, she rolls Leon around the ring while she is in the hold before stopping the roll for a two count pin attempt.  Manami goes for a backdrop suplex but Leon kicks off the ropes and hits a bulldog, giving her time to tag in Miyuki. Miyuki dropkicks Manami in the corner but Manami fires back with a lariat, big boot by Manami but Miyuki blocks the Bulldog and dropkicks her in the back. Sling Blade by Miyuki, Leon comes in and they both hit running strikes in the corner, double vertical suplex to Manami and Miyuki covers her for two.

Manami gets up and the two trade elbows, they reach as stalemate until Manami hits a Stunner followed by a Bulldog. superkick by Manami and she covers Miyuki for two. Manami tags Mari, shoulderblocks by Mari to Miyuki and she covers her for a two count. Mari goes off the ropes but Miyuki catches her with a powerslam, she rolls to her corner and tags Leon. Leon hits a running shoulder tackle in the corner, Mari pushes her away but Leon delivers the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Leon but Manami breaks it up, Leon picks up Mari and hits the butterfly suplex for two. Manami kicks Leon from the apron, Mari hits a side Russian leg sweep on Leon and puts her in a submission hold. Mari picks up Leon but Leon blocks the backdrop suplex, elbows by Mari and she knocks down Leon with a back elbow. Mari tags Manami, facebuster by Manami to Leon and she hits a double underhook facebuster. Manami then hits a slingshot double underhook suplex, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Leon avoids the Reverse Splash attempt. Mari comes in and they hit the Magic Killer, lariat by Manami to Leon but her cover only gets two. Manami goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop, but Miyuki breaks up the cover.

Manami picks up Leon but Miyuki runs in and dropkicks her, shoulder tackle by Leon to Manami and Miyuki delivers a missile dropkick. Leon hits a missile dropkick of her own, cover by Leon but Manami kicks out. Leon goes for the Capture Buster but Manami blocks it and hits a Stunner, Mari comes in but Leon hits a spear on both of them. Miyuki comes back and hits slams Manami in front of the corner before Leon delivers a Frog Splash, but Mari breaks up the pin. Leon picks up Manami, she goes off the ropes but Manami avoids her spear and hits a superkick. Uppercut by Manami, Leon goes off the ropes but Manami fists her in the face and tags Mari. Miyuki is also tagged in, elbow by Mari and she covers Miyuki for two. Mari throws Miyuki into the corner but Miyuki rebounds out of it with a missile dropkick, lariat by Miyuki and she hits a diving forearm off the second turnbuckle. Miyuki picks up Mari but Mari slides way, superkick by Manami to Miyuki but Leon kicks Mari. Backdrop suplex by Mari to Miyuki, she picks her up but Miyuki cradles her for two. Manami boots Miyuki to help, Mari cradles Miyuki but that gets a two as well. Mari goes off the ropes but Leon hits her with a shoulder tackle, lariat by Miyuki but the cover is broken up. Miyuki picks up Mari and hits a vertical suplex, but Mari gets her foot on the ropes when she goes for the pin. Miyuki positions Mari and goes to the second turnbuckle, hitting a diving legdrop for the three count! Leon and Miyuki Takase win the match.

A fun fast-paced match, with all the wrestlers doing their part. It was the good type of that Joshi tag team chaos, with wrestlers running in at will and the referee not really doing anything to discourage it, making the match pretty much non-stop action. This type of match rarely makes any ‘year end’ lists but are great for the midcard as they keep the viewers captivated. Miyuki looked great as she always does but no one felt like they were lagging behind, and Leon did a solid job of keeping everything together. There really was nothing wrong with it that I can think of, obviously the structure was all over the place and there really wasn’t a “story” (isolating the weakest wrestler, etc.), but still an enjoyable match to just sit back and watch.  Recommended

(c) Hanako Nakamori vs. Rina Yamashita
PURE-J Openweight Championship

Hanako and Rina start the match respectfully, no one is getting jumped in this one as they go into a knuckle-lock. Hard shoulderblock by Rina, she charges Hanako again but Hanako holds down the rope and Rina lands on the apron. Rina snaps Hanako’s neck on the top rope but Hanako dropkicks her in the back, sending Rina out of the ring. Hanako goes out after her and tosses Rina around ringside, she goes for a kick but Rina ducks and Hanako kicks the ring post. Lariat by Rina while Hanako is against the apron, she slides her back in and tosses Hanako down by the hair. Hanako doesn’t like that and snapmares Rina before kicking her in the back, Rina gets to her feet and elbows Hanako, she voluntarily sits down and lets Hanako kick her in the back in return. They go back and forth in such a manner until Hanako wins the duel, she picks up Rina but Rina scoop slams her. Rina puts Hanako in the ropes and knees her in the back, Rina elbows Hanako in the corner but Hanako avoids her charge and hits a heel kick. Big boot by Hanako but Rina fires back with a lariat, another lariat by Rina and she covers Hanako for two. Rina picks up Hanako but Hanako kicks her and tosses Rina into the ropes, Hanako goes to the apron and kicks Rina in the head, she gets up on the top turnbuckle and delivers a missile dropkick for a two count. Hanako twists Rina into a submission but Rina gets into the ropes, Hanako picks up Rina but Rina hits a vertical suplex.

Hanako goes off the ropes and kicks Rina in the chest, she goes up to the top turnbuckle but Rina recovers and joins her. Hanako sends back to the mat with a chokeslam, she waits for Rina to get up and delivers a Shining Wizard for a two count. Hanako goes up top again and nails the Destiny Hammer, but again Rina kicks out of the cover. Hanako ascends the turnbuckle again but this time Rina rolls out of the way as she goes for a diving legdrop, they both are slow to recover and trade elbows when they return to their feet. High kick by Hanako and she hits a second one, she covers Rina but it gets a two count. Rina quickly gets Hanako’s back and applies a sleeper hold, but Hanako wiggles to the ropes and gets there to force a break. Rina kicks Hanako and hits a lariat, she goes off the ropes and hits a sliding lariat for a two count cover. Rina picks up Hanako but Hanako pushes her away, enzuigiri by Rina but Hanako fires back with one of her own. Release German by Rina, she picks up Hanako but Hanako hits a fisherman buster. Both are slow to get to their knees as they trade elbows, Hanako ducks a Rainmaker attempt but Rina still levels her with a lariat for two. Rina picks up Hanako and goes for Splash Mountain, but Hanako slides away. Hanako applies a short armbar but Rina rolls out of it, Hanako kicks Rina in the head but Rina knocks her down with a lariat. Jumping kick by Hanako, she picks up Rina and kicks her in the head. Buzzsaw Kick by Hanako, but Rina kicks out of the cover. Hanako picks up Rina and nails the Requiem Driver, and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori wins and retains the championship!

As expected, this was an entertaining and hard hitting match. If you’ve seen any matches from these two, you know what to expect – lots of hard strikes with an occasional suplex or power move mixed in for good measure. They didn’t waste time with pointless submissions or limb work that would go nowhere, it was just two wrestlers throwing everything at each other for 20 minutes. There were some selling issues late, as there tends to be with this match style, and some of the transitions of control were suspect (or didn’t exist at all), but the time passed quickly and it felt like it ended about when it should have which this event has been good for. I also liked that Rina never hit the Splash Mountain, that’s her killer move and teasing it without landing it was the right way to go. A great main event for a smaller PURE-J show.  Recommended

The post PURE-J Pure Slam Vol. 8 on 11/4/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: PURE-J Bolshoi Retirement ~ Thank You!!
Date: April 21st, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,530

One of the neat and sad things about Joshi is that when wrestlers retire by their own choice (i.e. not counting the AJW forced retirements), they generally mean it. When a Joshi wrestler sets up a retirement show and goes through the whole ceremony, there is a pretty good chance the wrestler will never participate in another match, aside from maybe a farewell battle royal for another retiring wrestler. Command Bolshoi is a legend that first debuted in 1991, which made her one of the longest tenure Joshi wrestlers still on the scene. Since most Joshi careers seem to last 4 to 7 years (at best), having a 27 year career is monumental and the fact she stayed in JWP/PURE-J for her entire run makes her even more special. Last year, Bolshoi announced her plans to retire so she has done a farewell tour in 2019, with this event being her official retirement show. Here is the full card:

• Battle Royal: Aiger, Arisa Nakajima, Bolshoi Kid, Chihiro Hashimoto, Emi Sakura, Giulia, Jaguar Yokota, Kyoko Inoue, Makoto, Moeka Haruhi, Saori Anou, Shinobu Kandori, Tsubasa Kuragaki, Yumiko Hotta, and Yumi Ohka
• Manami Katsu, Mari Manji, and Yako Fujigasaki vs. AKARI, KAZUKI, and Rydeen Hagane
• PURE-J Openweight Championship: Leon vs. Hanako Nakamori
• Command Bolshoi Farewell Gauntlet Match
  • Command Bolshoi vs. Hanako Nakamori
  • Command Bolshoi vs. Kaori Yoneyama
  • Command Bolshoi vs. Mayumi Ozaki

This event was shown on Nico so there won’t be any match clipping. All wrestlers above have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it. I know the PURE-J roster page needs a hug, I’ll get it updated this weekend.

Aiger, Arisa Nakajima, Bolshoi Kid, Chihiro Hashimoto, Emi Sakura, Giulia, Jaguar Yokota, Kyoko Inoue, Makoto, Moeka Haruhi, Saori Anou, Shinobu Kandori, Tsubasa Kuragaki, Yumiko Hotta, and Yumi Ohka
Battle Royal

The match starts with roughly half the wrestlers already in the ring, Bolshoi Kid is schoolboyed by Emi Sakura but the pin is broken up. They all kick at Emi for trying to pin Bolshoi Kid so early in the match, they make a knucklelock chain and Bolshoi walks the ropes with all of them tied up, but she gets pulled back off the ropes and they all start elbowing each other. Everyone jumps Kyoko Inoue and dumps her out of the ring, and Kyoko Inoue is eliminated. Yumiko Hotta is attacked by the wrestlers in the ring while she is in the corner, Ohka and Anou then boot Sakura but Ohka then boots Anou. Sakura puts Ohka in a Mexican Surfboard but Bolshoi covers Sakura while she has the move applied and picks up the three count! Emi Sakura is eliminated. At the moment only Hotta, Anou, Bolshoi, and Ohka are in the ring, Ohka tries to boot Anou but Anou holds down the top rope and Ohka tumbles out of it, so Yumi Ohka is eliminated. The majority of the rest of the wrestlers join the party so now the ring is quite full, Giulia and Anou get into it until Kuragaki, Bolshoi, and Haruhi start posing together.

Kuragaki and Hashimoto trade shoulderblocks, lariats by Kuragaki in the corner but Hashimoto knocks her down with a shoulderblock. Kuragaki and Hashimoto are attempted to be pinned with no luck, and things break down when Aiger finally gets in the ring. Giulia and Anou are so scared of Aiger they bail out of the ring, so Giulia and Saori Anou are eliminated! Hotta isn’t scared of her and they have an exchange, Aiger gets a chain and gives Hotta one end of it. They start a tug of war but all the other wrestlers help Hotta, they then all cover Hotta and pick up the three count! Yumiko Hotta is eliminated. Hotta is annoyed at Aiger for causing her to get pinned and faces off with her, Aiger wants none of it and runs out of the ring, taking herself out of the match. Aiger is eliminated! Everyone remaining creates a headscissors chain, Shinobu Kandori finally joins the festivities and she breaks up the chain. Kandori squares off against everyone but they wait to engage while Jaguar Yokota joins the match as well. Bolshoi shakes hands with both of them and they pose for pictures, but all three get schoolboyed from behind for their troubles. None work, Haruhi charges Kandori but Kandori puts her in an armbar and Haruhi quickly submits! Moeka Haruhi is eliminated. Makoto goes after Yokota, but Yokota slaps her in a Cobra Twist and Makoto taps out as well, Makoto is eliminated!

Arisa Nakajima and Bolshoi trade strikes, Bolshoi wins the battle and then armdrags all the wrestlers left in the ring. And the referee. Bolshoi kicks Nakajima and hops on Kuragaki’s back, directing Kuragaki around the ring as she lariats everyone. Bolshoi jumps on Kuragaki’s shoulders and delivers the Limelight, and she gets the three count! Tsubasa Kuragaki is eliminated. Nakajima drop toeholds Bolshoi into the ropes but she botches the Tiger Feint Kick (as a homage to Bolshoi), she lands on the apron and Hashimoto knocks her off to the floor! Arisa Nakajima is eliminated. We are down to Bolshoi, Hashimoto, Yokota, and Kandori. They attempt to knock Bolshoi off the apron and onto the floor, but both times wrestlers are ringside catch her and push her back onto the apron until Bolshoi is able to return to the ring. All the eliminated wrestlers return to the match so they can hit running strikes on Bolshoi in the corner, cover by Kandori but the cover is broken up. Nakajima goes up top and dives off, but lands on Kandori, Hashimoto, and Yokota on accident. The eliminated wrestlers run in and cover all three of them, Kuragaki sits Bolshoi on top of the pile and the referee counts to three! Shinobu Kandori, Chihiro Hashimoto, and Jaguar Yokota are all eliminated. Bolshoi Kid is the winner!

As I mentioned at the top, these are lighthearted affairs and not intended to be taken seriously. There were a lot of cute spots throughout and they kept the match quick enough that the shenanigans never got old. Everyone working together to help Bolshoi Kid win was a nice touch, and its always fun to see legends like Kandori and Yokota mixing it up with their old friends. A nice way to kick off the event and since retirement shows tend to get sad it was a good idea to start with a fun and easy-going match.  Mildly Recommended

Manami Katsu, Mari Manji, and Yako Fujigasaki vs. AKARI, KAZUKI, and Rydeen Hagane

Yako and Rydeen begin the match, Yako gets Rydeen into the ropes but she gives a clean break. Yako goes for a crossbody, Rydeen catches her but Yako’s teammates kicks her over and stays in the ring to triple team Rydeen. Eventually Rydeen’s team helps out and they shoulderblock their opponents over before Rydeen tags in AKARI. Yako armdrags AKARI but AKARI returns the favor and hits a pair of dropkicks, Yako comes back with a hard shoulderblock and she tags in Manami. AKARI elbows Manami but AKARI connects with a jumping shoulderblock, she puts Manami in a backbreaker but it gets broken up. Manami gets AKARI up and hits a Samoan Drop, superkick by Manami and she covers AKARI for two. AKARI tags Mari, elbows by Mari and she covers AKARI for a two count. Mounted elbows by Mari but AKARI puts Mari in an armbar, La Magistral by AKARI but Mari kicks out. Dropkick by AKARI and she tags in KAZUKI, Rydeen comes in too and they triple team Mari in the corner. Backbreaker by Rydeen and KAZUKI kicks Mari in the head, but Yako and Manami run in to even the odds. Team KAZUKI stays in control, they stack all three of their opponents across the ropes in the corner, and KAZUKI hits a reverse double kneedrop on them all. KAZUKI goes up top and hits a reverse double kneedrop on Mari, cover by KAZUKI but it is broken up. KAZUKI grabs Mari but Mari hits a back bodydrop, she applies an Octopus Hold (mostly) while her partners keep everyone else at bay, cover by Mari but it only gets two. Mari tags in Yako, hip attacks by Yako to KAZUKI and they trade knees to the midsection.

Deadlift bridging suplex by Yako, but KAZUKI kicks out. Yako goes up top but Rydeen comes in and elbows her before she can jump off, Rydeen grabs Yako and press slams her onto KAZUKI’s knees. Somato by KAZUKI to Yako, but Yako gets a shoulder up. Rydeen stays in, lariats by Rydeen to Yako and she hits a backdrop suplex. Rydeen goes for a Reverse Splash but Yako moves and hits a hip attack, Mari and Manami come in and assist on beating down Rydeen. Tiger suplex hold by Yako to Rydeen, but KAZUKI breaks it up. Manami stays in the ring and trades lariats with Rydeen, with neither wrestler going down. Rydeen finally knocks down Manami, sliding lariat by Rydeen but Manami kicks out of the cover. Rydeen gets on the turnbuckle but Manami grabs her from behind and hits a powerbomb, she goes up top but KAZUKI grabs her from the apron. Rydeen elbows Manami and joins her, superplex by Rydeen and AKARI hits a diving footstomp off the second turnbuckle. KAZUKI follows with a diving kneedrop, Rydeen then nails a moonsault but her cover is broken up. Rydeen picks up Manami and slams her to the mat, but again her cover is broken up. Rydeen positions Manami while KAZUKI goes up top, but Mari and Yako interrupt them before they can complete a move. Rydeen lariats both of them for their trouble, she goes back to Manami but Manami nails a backfist. Another backfist by Manami, she picks up Rydeen and she hits a hammerlock German Suplex for a two count. Manami goes up top and hits a jumping elbow strike, she quickly goes up again and nails a diving elbow drop for the three count! Manami Katsu, Mari Manji, and Yako Fujigasaki are the winners.

A little rough at times but overall fine. Not all of these wrestlers are “quality wrestlers” to put it nicely, the recent versions of JWP/PURE-J haven’t really churned out great wrestlers as they are so small it is probably hard for them to attract talented athletes. So we get wrestlers like Manami, Yako, and Mari who try hard but don’t have the natural ability to make everything look smooth. Rydeen and KAZUKI are both pretty good power wrestlers and the match was solid when they were in the ring, but there were other segments that just fell flat. Probably the right winner and I know they want to try to build up Manami, but she still isn’t quite there yet and there is no way of knowing for sure if she ever will be.

(c) Leon vs. Hanako Nakamori
PURE-J Openweight Championship

Leon works a headlock to start but Hanako gets away, they trade wristlocks until Hanako knocks down Leon with a kick combination. Leon chops Hanako into the corner but Hanako avoids her spear attempt, Hanako goes to the opposite corner but Leon connects with two running shoulder tackles. Leon goes up top, Hanako avoids her charge but Leon hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Leon gets Hanako on her back and applies a stretch hold, she lets go after a moment and the two trade strikes. Leon dumps Hanako out of the ring to the floor, she goes up top and dives down onto Hanako with a plancha. Leon tells the crowd to move out of the way to give her running room and she spears Hanako against the apron. Leon slides Hanako back in the ring and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Leon but it gets two. Texas Cloverleaf by Leon but Hanako gets to the ropes, Leon charges Hanako but Hanako moves and kicks Leon in the stomach. Hanako goes off the ropes but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl slam, she goes up top but Hanako gets her feet up on the Frog Splash attempt. Hanako boots Leon over the top rope to the floor, she goes out to the apron and hits a jumping knee down to the floor.

Hanako slides Leon back in and delivers the Shining Wizard, cover by Hanako but it gets a two count. Hanako goes up top but Leon avoids her diving knee, she ducks Hanako’s kick attempt in the corner and joins Hanako on the top turnbuckle, but Hanako boots her into the Tree of Woe. Kicks by Hanako, she pulls Leon back up and hits a Fisherman Buster for a two count. Hanako returns to the top turnbuckle and nails the Destiny Hammer, cover by Hanako but Leon gets a shoulder up. Hanako goes for the Capture Buster but Leon pushes her away and hits a release German. Leon goes up top but Hanako kicks her before she can jump off, Hanako joins Leon but Leon spears her down to the mat. Spear by Leon, she covers Hanako but Hanako kicks out. Leon picks up Hanako and kicks her in the head, she goes off the ropes but Hanako hits a head kick of her own and both wrestlers are down on the mat. They slowly get back up and start trading elbows, spinning kick by Leon but Hanako hulks up and kicks Leon in the head. They trade kicks until Hanako knocks down Leon with a step-up kick, and again they are both down. Leon goes for a spear but Hanako moves, head kick by Hanako and she delivers the Chikonka Driver but Leon gets a shoulder up.

Hanako goes up top but Leon shakes the ropes before she can jump off and eventually joins her, headbutt by Leon and she tosses Hanako to the mat with a Spider German. Leon turns around and delivers the Frog Splash, she goes back up top again and hits the diving footstomp but Hanako kicks out of the cover. Leon drags Hanako up and drops her with the Capture Buster, but again Hanako manages to kick out. Leon goes off the ropes but Hanako knees her when she goes for the spear, Leon goes for another Capture Buster but Hanako blocks it. Leon reverses the block into a cradle, but it gets a two count. They both go for quick pins with no luck, Hanako goes for a kick but Leon ducks it and hits a German suplex. Leon goes off the ropes twice and levels Hanako with a spear, but Hanako rolls out of the cover. Leon picks up Hanako and goes for the Capture Buster, Hanako blocks it and catches her with a Chikonka Driver, but Leon rolls through it for a two count. Head kick by Hanako and she delivers a kick combination, La Rojo by Hanako and she picks up the three count! Hanako Nakamori is the new champion!

Leon may be 38 years old but she can still go. This match far exceeded my expectations, Hanako Nakamori and Leon knew this may be the biggest crowd that PURE-J is ever in front of and they really brought it. Even though it went 15 minutes the action was non-stop, as they went at the fast pace that Joshi wrestling has become known for. Leon wrestled like the underdog as I figured she would, and really threw everything at Hanako, but once Hanako kicked out of her big moves she was in trouble. My only complaint is I wish that Hanako had to do a bit more at the end to put Leon away since Leon had such a long segment of big moves, but the Chikonka Driver/head kicks/La Rojo is a killer combination so it still didn’t feel like an “out of nowhere” win. I don’t say this often about PURE-J but this is a must-see match.  Highly Recommended

Command Bolshoi Retirement Series Gauntlet Match
Singles matches vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Kaori Yoneyama, and Hanako Nakamori

Command Bolshoi vs. Mayumi Ozaki – They circle each other to start before locking up, Ozaki gets Bolshoi in the ropes but she gives a clean break. Ozaki stomps on Bolshoi’s foot and scoop slams her, she gets her chain and hits Bolshoi in the head with it. More chain strikes by Ozaki but Bolshoi grabs her arm and applies an armbar over the top rope. Armbreaker by Bolshoi but Ozaki quickly puts her in a sleeper hold, Bolshoi struggles but eventually makes it to the ropes for the break. Ozaki puts Bolshoi in the ropes so that other members of the Ozaki Army could assist her as they pose for the crowd. Irish whip by Ozaki but Bolshoi slides away and hits a palm strike. Bolshoi rolls Ozaki to the mat and applies a kneelock, she reverts it into a modified figure four but Ozaki gets to the ropes (with some help) to get a break. Bolshoi picks up Ozaki but Ozaki gets her back and tosses Bolshoi to the mat. Ozaki gets her chain again and hits Bolshoi with it, but Bolshoi comes back with a palm strike as they trade blows. They fight over the chain until Bolshoi runs in with a Piko Knee Smash, cover by Bolshoi but it gets a two count. Bolshoi picks up Ozaki but Ozaki hits a backfist followed by a jumping kick, but her cover gets two as well. Bolshoi puts Ozaki in a modified Dragon Sleeper, but the bell rings as the five minutes has expired. The match is a Draw.

Command Bolshoi vs. Kaori Yoneyama – Yoneyama is crying as the match starts but it turns out to be a ruse as she quickly schoolboys Bolshoi for a two count. She tries a few more flash pins but they don’t work, she charges Bolshoi but Bolshoi puts her in a Fujiwara Armbar. Yoneyama tries to roll out of it but fails in her first few attempts so Bolshoi switches to a cross armbreaker and then into a seated armbar. Yoneyama gets into the ropes for a break, she begs off Bolshoi and Bolshoi allows her to get up. Yoneyama asks for a knucklelock but she steps on Bolshoi’s foot, Mongolian Chops by Bolshoi and both wrestlers punch each other in the stomach. Bolshoi and Yoneyama trade strikes, waistlock by Yoneyama but Bolshoi slides away. Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama, but it only gets a two count. Mounted elbows by Yoneyama, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails a diving senton, but Bolshoi kicks out of the cover. Knees by Yoneyama, she goes off the ropes but Bolshoi hits a knee of her own followed by an uppercut and a Tiger Feint Kick.  Bolshoi-shiki Wakigatame by Bolshoi in the middle of the ring, Bolshoi switches it into a cradle but the bell rings before the referee can complete her three count as time expires. The match is a Draw.

Command Bolshoi vs. Hanako Nakamori – They circle to start, kicks by Nakamori but Bolshoi catches one and applies an ankle lock. Nakamori gets out of the hold and applies a waistlock, but Bolshoi kicks out of it and palm strikes Nakamori in the face. Bolshoi goes off the ropes but Nakamori catches her with a fisherman buster, head kick by Nakamori and she goes up top, but Bolshoi recovers and elbows Nakamori from the turnbuckle down to the floor. Bolshoi gets out on the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto Nakamori, she rolls her back in but Nakamori blocks the tiger suplex attempt. Palm strikes by Bolshoi but Nakamori fires back with a head kick, Bolshoi gets Nakamori in the ropes and hits the Tiger Feint Kick followed by another palm strike for a two count cover. Bolshoi nails Nakamori with the Piko Knee Smash, but Nakamori gets a shoulder up on the cover. Bolshoi picks up Nakamori but Nakamori blocks her suplex attempts and hits a Michinoku Driver. Nakamori drags Bolshoi up but Bolshoi quickly hits a Fisherman Buster, cover by Bolshoi but it gets two. Tiger suplex hold by Bolshoi, but that gets a two count as well. The two trade strikes on their knees before returning to their feet, palm strikes by Bolshoi and she knocks down Nakamori for two. Bolshoi picks up Nakamori but the bell rings before she can do anything else, as the time has expired. The match is a Draw.

Gauntlet matches are not an uncommon method for a wrestler to go out when retiring, but this one was set up a bit differently. Generally I really enjoyed it, the five minutes gave the wrestlers a bit more time to get something going so it wasn’t just a one minute sprint, and even though there was no winner I liked that Bolshoi was on the cusp of winning in all three matches so it felt like she could have won with just another minute or two. I wish that Yoneyama had wrestled more of a straight match, I know in YMZ and Stardom she has been more playful for awhile but for a retirement match I wouldn’t have complained if serious Yoneyama had shown up for one last run. Still, this was a fun walk down memory lane and Bolshoi was given a chance to shine against a nice variety of former opponents to close out her career.  Recommended

At the conclusion of the show, we have the retirement ceremony for Command Bolshoi, which is shown in full. Wrestlers can look very different in street clothes so I won’t try to identify all the wrestlers that came into the ring to wish Bolshoi a happy farewell, but some of those in attendance included Manami Toyota, Jumbo Hori, Yukari Omori, Dynamite Kansai, Cuty Suzuki, and many others. We also got a video message from Devil Masami, which shows how special Command Bolshoi was as Masami doesn’t show up very often at wrestling functions these days. Finally we get a photo montage, Bolshoi gets one final salute, and she is carried off into the sunset.

The post PURE-J Bolshoi Retirement ~ Thank You!! on 4/21/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

SAKI vs. Yako Fujigasaki

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

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

Eri and KAZUKI vs. Hanako Nakamori and Kana

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

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

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

Arisa Nakajima vs. Hikaru Shida

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(c) Kayoko Haruyama vs. Command Bolshoi

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

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

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

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If I was to ask the more casual fan which promotion has the biggest attendances each year, they’d probably guess Stardom, however they would be wrong. No promotion pops a big crowd like Sendai Girls’, and this show is no exception with over 2,000 fans in attendance. Its a massive show for Sendai Girls’, as both of their titles are up for grabs. We also get a rare Jaguar Yokota sighting, as well as Meiko Satomura teaming with Aja Kong and Nanae Takahashi. Here is the full card:

• Jaguar Yokota vs. Manami
• Eiger vs. Hana Kimura vs. Rydeen Hagane
• Alex Lee and Heidi Katrina vs. Aasa Maika and KAORU
• Aja Kong, Meiko Satomura, and Nanae Takahashi vs. Mika Shirahime, Mio Momono, and Rin Kadokura
• Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship: Hikaru Shida and Syuri vs. Cassandra Miyagi and DASH Chisako
• Sendai Girls’ World Championship: Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Chihiro Hashimoto

Sadly, this aired on Samurai TV which means they squeezed all of these matches into two hours. Most of the wrestlers on the card have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Jaguar Yokota vs. Manami

They tie-up to start, Jaguar pushes Manami into the ropes but she gives a clean break. She does the same thing the second time, Manami asks Jaguar to lock knuckles but she elbows the legend instead. Three dropkicks by Manami sends Jaguar to the mat, but Jaguar sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Side headlock takedown by Jaguar, Manami gets out of it but Jaguar puts pressure on her legs before applying a crab hold. Manami gets to the ropes to force a break, rolling front headlock takedown by Jaguar and she puts Manami in a body scissors. Jaguar picks up Manami and applies a wristlock, Manami reverses it but Jaguar takes her back to the mat with a side headlock takedown. Chinlock by Jaguar but Manami gets out of it and applies a hammerlock, Jaguar reverse it back however and picks Manami back up off the mat. Manami sneaks in a backslide for two, Jaguar slaps her but Manami catches Jaguar with a dropkick. Two more dropkicks by Manami and another, but Jaguar stays on her feet. Finally Manami knocks Jaguar over, cover by Manami but Jaguar easily kicks out. Jaguar picks up Manami and elbows her in the chest, scoop slam by Jaguar and she hits a somersault legdrop for two. Double underhook suplex by Jaguar, but Manami gets a shoulder up on the cover. Elbows by Jaguar, Manami returns fire but Jaguar puts her in the Cobra Twist and Manami submits! Your winner is Jaguar Yokota.

As I figured, this was mostly just Jaguar helping to teach Manami how to chain wrestle and things like that. It went longer than you’d expect, over eight minutes, I guess Jaguar wanted to give the 12 year old an extended session. Technically solid since its Jaguar, but a pretty normal rookie vs. veteran match.

Eiger vs. Hana Kimura vs. Rydeen Hagane

We join this in progress, with Eiger doing her bit with Hana while Rydeen tries to tell Hana where Eiger is. Rydeen throws the referee at Eiger to free Hana, Rydeen and Hana both attack Eiger but she rolls under their lariat attempt and hits a DDT onto Rydeen. She then DDTs Hana as well, Eiger gets on the second turnbuckle while Rydeen hits Hana with a shoulderblock. Rydeen elbows Hana while Eiger returns, Eiger falls on top of Hana but Rydeen breaks up the cover. Waistlock by Rydeen by Eiger, Eiger reverses it but Hana rolls up Rydeen from behind for two. Hana rolls up both of them for another two count, she goes off the ropes but eats a kick from Rydeen and Eiger. Chokeslam by Eiger to Hana, Rydeen Irish whips Eiger but Eiger stares at her. Hana dropkicks Rydeen on top of Eiger, and Rydeen picks up the three count! Rydeen Hagane wins!

This was heavily clipped, which is fine. Eiger is funny, I enjoy the bit but I don’t need to see it for too long. A decent enough comedy match but I wish that Hana Kimura could have had a bigger match, seemed like a bit of a waste of her skills. If you like Eiger, a non-offensive way to spend four minutes but that’s about it.

Alex Lee and Heidi Katrina vs. Aasa Maika and KAORU

We join this match in progress as Lee covers Aasa, she picks her up and knees Aasa repeatedly in the head. Kicks the Lee but Aasa returns with a dropkick, more dropkicks by Aasa and she covers Lee for two. Lee knees Aasa but Aasa hits a back bodydrop, scoop slam by Aasa and she covers Lee for two. Aasa tags in KAORU, KAORU comes in with her board and hits Lee in the head with it before hitting a vertical suplex. The referee won’t count the pin due to shenanigans, KAORU puts Lee in front of the corner and pretends like she is going to drop the board onto her, but she jumps down and hits Lee in the head with it instead. Lee comes back with knees, jumping knee by Lee in the corner and she hits a double underhook suplex for two. Lee picks up KAORU but Aasa runs in and hits her from behind, Lee breaks through the double team and kicks both of them before hitting a double face crusher. Kick by Lee, and she covers KAORU for two. Lee tags in Heidi, elbows by Heidi and she hits a butterfly suplex for a two count cover. Lee comes in but Aasa does too and knocks Lee out of the ring, cradle by KAORU to Heidi and she hits Heidi with the board. KAORU goes up top but Heidi grabs her from behind, she goes for a powerbomb but KAORU reverses it with a hurricanrana. She hits Heidi with the board before tagging in Aasa, running body blocks by Aasa and she covers Heidi for two. Aasa goes off the ropes but Heidi kicks her in the stomach, Giant Swing by Heidi and she covers Aasa for two. Over the shoulder slam by Heidi, but KAORU breaks up the cover. Lee throws KAORU out of the ring and tries to kick Aasa, but she nails Heidi in the head by accident. KAORU then tries to hit Heidi with the board piece but hits her own partner by mistake, Heidi runs up to Aasa but Aasa cradles her for two. Aasa goes off the ropes but Heidi hits a hard shoulderblock, Heidi slams Aasa in front of the corner and Lee comes off the top with a diving footstomp. Heidi then goes to the second turnbuckle and delivers the Diving Guillotine Drop, and she picks up the three count! Alex Lee and Heidi Katrina win!

I’ve only watched a few matches with Heidi but I continue to be impressed with her. I haven’t seen her yet in a big singles match but she always looks good in tag matches. This was the best I’ve seen Alex look as well, so while the match was clipped she looked more natural than in the past. Aasa still has a ways to go and KAORU was mostly gimmick here, so I wouldn’t say it was a high end match or anything, but a perfectly watchable midcard tag.

Aja Kong, Satomura, and Nanae Takahashi vs. Mika Shirahime, Momono, and Rin Kadokura

The match begins with Rin against Nanae, Nanae tosses Rin around the ring and throws her into the corner before hitting a series of chops. Lariat by Nanae, she picks up Rin but Rin Irish whips her only to eat a shoulderblock. Takedown by Nanae but Rin gets out of it and both women return to their feet. They tag out as Mika and Meiko come in, they trade kick attempts until Meiko lands one to the midsection. Meiko tosses Mika to the mat and puts her in a side headlock, Mika gets out of it but Meiko slams her back into the corner and applies a front headlock. Mika suplexes out of the hold and they both return to their feet, tagging in the last pair of wrestlers. Mio looks so tiny next to Kong, she goes for elbows but Kong pushes her back and asks for Mika. Mika tags in, Kong knees her in the midsection but Mika avoids her charge and delivers a head kick. Mika tags Rin, they go for a double suplex but Kong reverses it and suplexes both of them. Kong tags in Meiko, jumping elbow by Meiko in the corner and she rebounds out of the opposite corner with another elbow to the face. Backdrop suplex by Meiko to Rin, but it gets a two count. Elbow drop by Meiko but Rin avoids her elbow and rolls her up, dropkick by Rin but Meiko follows with a heel kick. Meiko tags Kong back in, knees by Kong to Rin and she hits a series of dropkicks, but Kong doesn’t budge. Kong throws Rin into the ropes but Rin hits a hurricanrana, picking up a two count pinfall. Kong punches Rin in the face for her troubles, she goes for a lariat but Rin ducks it and jumps on Kong’s back. Kong drops down with a Samoan Drop, Irish whip by Kong but Rin tags in Mio. Rin and Mio hit a double dropkick to send Kong to the mat, they then take turns back and forth dropkicking Kong. Kong eventually gets tired of this and hits a hard lariat on Mio, she picks her up but Mio pushes her away and goes for a sunset flip.

Kong blocks it by sitting on Mio, backdrop suplex by Kong but Mio gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kong tags in Nanae, hard elbows by Nanae but Mio fires back. Dropkick by Mio but Nanae delivers a jumping kick to the head, she drops Mio onto her knee but Rin breaks up the cover. Meiko comes in to take care of Rin but Mika hits a crossbody onto Nanae, missile dropkick by Rin and Mio covers Nanae with a bridge for two. Mika is tagged in and she dropkicks Nanae in the corner, Nanae and Mika trade elbows, kicks to the chest by Mika but Nanae hits a hard shoulderblock. Nanae charges Mika but Mika kicks her in the chest, vertical suplex by Mika and she covers Nanae for two. Mika goes up top but Nanae recovers and joins her, superplexing Mika back into the ring. Nanae tags in Meiko, uppercut by Meiko to Mika and she kicks Mika in the back of the head for a two count cover. Meiko kicks Mika against the ropes but Mika delivers a superkick, she picks up Meiko but Nanae and Kong run in. Kong cleans house but accidentally lariats Meiko as well, footstomp by Mio onto Meiko and Mika suplexes Rin on top of Meiko. Mika goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Kong breaks up the pin by hitting Mika with her metal tin. Team Meiko hits a suplex on all three of their opponents, Nanae goes up top while Meiko puts Mika on her shoulders, but Mika ducks her dive and cradles Meiko for two. Jackknife cover by Mika, but that gets a two as well. High kick by Mika, she goes off the ropes but Meiko connects with a high kick of her own. Cartwheel kneedrop by Meiko, she drops Mika with the Death Valley Bomb and picks up the three count pinfall! Meiko Satomura, Aja Kong, and Nanae Takahashi win!

So much murder. I almost feel bad enjoying this match as much as I did, it was just an entertaining match from start to finish. Aja Kong is one of the best in the world and don’t let anyone tell you differently, she is so good at what she does (killing people) but still takes bumps and lets the young wrestlers get the upper-hand at times so she isn’t just selfishly mowing through them. The young team tried so hard but each time they got a run going, one of the veterans would just crush their body and spirit. The match went a decent amount of time but it didn’t feel long when watching it, everything just flowed really well and there was always something going on. One of my favorite six wrestler tag matches of the year, I loved it.  Recommended

(c) Hikaru Shida and Syuri vs. Cassandra Miyagi and DASH Chisako
Sendai Girls’ Tag Team Championship

Miyagi and Chisako attack before the match starts, and the action immediately spills outside the ring. Miyagi puts Shida against the railing and hits a cannonball, while Chisako grabs a chair and hits Shida in the head with it. Syuri tries to help but is ultimately unsuccessful, Miyagi brings Shida into the ring before draping her over the ropes so she can hit a missile dropkick. Chisako comes in too and they double team Shida, Chisako covers Shida but it gets a two count. Shida goes off the ropes but Syuri trips her form the floor, Shida drags Chisako’s head over the apron and delivers a running knee. Shida tags in Syuri, kicks to the chest by Syuri, stomps by Syuri and she tags Shida back in. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Shida and she puts Chisako in a crab hold, Shida release her so that she can hit another backbreaker. Syuri returns and goes for Chisako’s arm, she gets the cross armbreaker applied but Chisako gets a foot on the ropes for the break. Syuri tags Shida back in before hitting an ax handle off the top turnbuckle, as Chisako continues being the Face In Peril. Well she isn’t really a face, its an interesting dynamic. Miyagi finally helps out her partner and gets the hot tag, dropkicks by Miyagi to Syuri and she covers her for two. Another dropkick by Miyagi, she picks up Syuri but Syuri gets her back and hits a Backstabber. PK by Syuri, and she makes the tag to Shida. Jumping knee by Shida in the corner, she sets up Miyagi in the corner and then suplexes Chisako onto Miyagi. Miyagi and Shida trade elbows and eye pokes, Syuri grabs Miyagi from the apron but Chisako grabs Shida in return. Shida gets her kendo stick but Miyagi stops her from using it, they both go for it but Miyagi gets it first and hits Shida in the head with the kendo stick. Air Raid Crash by Miyagi, she goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick for two. Miyagi tags in Chisako, running elbow by Chisako in the corner but Shida joins her when she goes up top. Miyagi comes in and throws Shida back to the mat, assisted diving senton by Chisako to Shida but the cover only gets a two count.

Chisako picks up Shida and hits a Northern Lights Suplex but Shida comes back with an enzuigiri, vertical suplex by Shida and she delivers a running knee for a two count. Shida tags in Syuri, kicks to the chest by Syuri and she hits a jumping knee in the corner. Suplex by Syuri, but Chisako kicks out of the cover. Syuri quickly applies a cross armbreaker but it gets broken up, Shida comes in the ring but Chisako dropkicks both of them out of it. Miyagi gets in the ring and dives out onto Shida and Syuri, Chisako then goes up top and jumps down onto both of them as well. Chisako slides Syuri back in and she is double teamed in the corner, diving footstomp by Chisako but Syuri gets a shoulder up on the cover. Chisako goes back up top but Shida runs in and smacks her, Shida suplexes Chisako down to the mat and with Syuri they take turns kicking her. Double kicks to Chisako, but Syuri’s cover gets a two count. Syuri holds Chisako for Shida, Chisako ducks Shida’s kick but Miyagi hits Chisako by accident and Syuri hits a release German on her. Running knee by Syuri to Chisako, but the cover gets two. Kicks by Syuri but Chisako catches one and hits her, boot to the face by Chisako and Miyagi runs in to hit a big boot. Chisako goes up top  and nails the Hormone Splash, but Shida breaks up the cover by throwing a kendo stick at her. Chisako goes off the ropes but Syuri hits a jumping knee, they trade elbows until Syuri kicks Chisako in the head. Cover by Syuri, but Miyagi breaks it up. Shida comes in and hits Miyagi in the head with the kendo stick, then she and Syuri hit running knees on Miyagi and Chisako. Syuri goes for the Buzzsaw Kick by Chisako ducks it, Harumaru by Chisako and she picks up the three count! Cassandra Miyagi and DASH Chisako are the new champions!

Another really good match, as was to be expected. Miyagi has improved ten fold in the last year, she still isn’t a high end wrestler but the pieces are starting to come together and she looked really good here. Shida and Syuri work together so well, they have similar move sets and everything blends together such that they feel like one unit. I liked Chisako and Miyagi taking the action to the floor to start just trying to get an advantage, with Shida and Syuri being so dominating they had to take any opportunity they could. Fast paced and fun, a really solid conclusion to their match series and it was nice to see Miyagi finally win a title (which she vacated a few days later because she decided she didn’t care about it).  Recommended

(c) Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Chihiro Hashimoto
Sendai Girls’ World Championship

They start slow as they trade holds on the mat with neither getting a clear advantage. They go into a Test of Strength, Hiroyo wins the battle and chops Chihiro into the corner. Chihiro boots Hiroyo back and slams Hiroyo back into the corner, body avalanche by Chihiro and she hits hip attacks in the corner. They trade elbows, scoop slam by Hiroyo but Chihiro hits a jumping hip attack. Hiroyo falls out of the ring but Chihiro waits for her, Hiroyo rolls back in and pushes Chihiro against the ropes before slapping her in the face. Chihiro elbows Hiroyo but Hiroyo elbows her back, Hiroyo wins the duel and throws Chihiro out of the ring. Hiroyo goes out after her and throws Chihiro into the ring post, vertical suplex by Hiroyo out on the floor and she returns to the ring to wait for Chihiro. Chihiro makes it back in after a moment, Hiroyo tries to suplex her over the ropes but Chihiro blocks it and they trade elbows while Chihiro is on the apron. Shoulder tackle by Chihiro, she goes up top but Hiroyo joins her and hits a superplex. Cover by Hiroyo, but it gets two. Hiroyo goes for the powerbomb but Chihiro blocks it, Hiroyo rolls it into a crab hold instead, she then applies a Texas Cloverleaf but Chihiro gets to the ropes for the break. Hard elbow by Hiroyo but Chihiro slides around her back and plants her with a release German. Chihiro picks up Hiroyo and gets her on her shoulders, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Chihiro and she delivers the somersault senton for a two count.

Chihiro goes back up top and nails a somersault senton, but Hiroyo gets a shoulder up on the cover. Chihiro grabs Hiroyo around the waist but Hiroyo gets into the ropes, hard lariat by Hiroyo but Chihiro comes back with a spear. Hiroyo goes for a backdrop suplex but Chihiro blocks it, lariat by Hiroyo and she hits the sliding lariat for a two count. Hiroyo picks up Chihiro but Chihiro again blocks the backdrop suplex so Hiroyo hits a German suplex hold instead for two. Front suplex slam by Hiroyo, but again her cover gets a two count. Hiroyo drags up Chihiro but Chihiro drives her into the corner, Hiroyo slides around Chihiro however and delivers a sitout powerbomb. Hiroyo hits a series of short range lariats, she goes for the backdrop suplex but Chihiro gets out of it with a judo toss. Chihiro applies a Cobra Twist but Hiroyo gets into the ropes, Chihiro keeps Hiroyo locked up however and suplexes her to the mat. Powerbomb by Chihiro, but Hiroyo kicks out of the cover. Roaring elbow by Hiroyo but Chihiro ducks the next one and hits a release German, Hiroyo returns to her feet but Chihiro lariats her back to the mat again. Another lariat by Chihiro, she drags up Hiroyo and nails the German suplex hold for the three count! Chihiro Hashimoto is the new champion!

I don’t usually re-watch old matches to compare, but I think this is the best match of Chihiro Hashimoto’s career. They took some elements from their last match and built up on it, Chihiro looked so strong and dominate and it really felt like she was on the same level as someone with much more experience than her. Hiroyo was great too, her facial expressions put over how important the match was and I loved how they protected the backdrop suplex. I love a good hoss match, just two strong wrestlers throwing suplexes and lariats with no regard for tomorrow, and this match delivered that type of action in spades. I am not a big fan of Chihiro winning the title three times in nine months and hopefully they find something more interesting to do booking-wise, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was a fantastic and must-watch match.  Highly Recommended

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