*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.*

After a few long months we are returning to Oz! That might be a bad pun. Anyway this is an Oz Academy super show of sorts as it is a joint show with Pro Wrestling WAVE and Zuban (Zuban is the parent company of Pro Wrestling WAVE). So we get some matches from the Catch the Wave Tournament and other random matches as well as wrestlers from both promotions collide. Here is the full card:

• Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kana and Konami
• Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Rina Yamashita vs. Tsubasa Kuragaki, Hikaru Shida, and Sawako Shimono 
• CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Round 3: Cherry vs. Ryo Mizunami
• Aja Kong and Mei Lee vs. Dynamite Kansai and Fairy Nipponbashi
• Chikayo Nagashima and Ayako Hamada vs. Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata
• CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Round 3: “Kyusei” Sakura Hirota vs. Misaki Ohata
• Mayumi Ozaki, Miyako Matsumoto, Mio Shirai, and Yumi Ohka vs. Moeka Haruhi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hiroe Nagahama, and Mika Iida

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

Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi vs. Kana and Konami

Konami and Kagetsu start off the match and they trade holds on the mat, Kagetsu gets the better of it and she throws Konami into the corner because she wants Kana.  Kana tags in, Kana gets Kagetsu to the mat but Kagetsu applies a side headlock.  Kana Irish whips out of it but fails at the shoulderblock.  They trade elbows but Kana hits a hip attack.  Kana picks up Kagetsu, Irish whip, but Kagetsu hits a dropkick.  Kagetsu tags in Kobayashi, dropkick by Kobayashi and she hits another one, but Kana stays up.  Kobayashi dropkicks Kana in the knee and then in the head, but Kana elbows her and kicks Kobayashi in the back.  Kana tags in Konami, and Kagetsu kicks Kobayashi in the corner.  Snapmare by Konami and she kicks Kobayashi, but Kobayashi hits a scoop slam.  Crab hold by Kobayashi but Konami makes it to the ropes.  Kobayashi tags in Kagetsu, Kagetsu knocks Kana off the apron and they both kick Konami.  Face crusher by Kobayashi and Kagetsu dropkicks Konami in the face.  Senton by Kobayashi and Kagetsu drops Kobayashi onto Konami.  Double elbow drop to Konami, Kagetsu picks up Konami and drives her into the corner before hitting a jumping elbow.  Konami fights back with kicks and she hits a schoolboy for two.  Konami tags in Kana and she hits a missile dropkick on Kagetsu. Kana kicks Kagetsu in the chest repeatedly, Irish whip to the corner and she hits a hip attack. 

Elbows by Kana and she applies a cross armbreaker, but Kobayashi breaks it up.  Kagetsu hits a high kick to Kana and she goes for a suplex, but Kana blocks it and spins her down into a short armbar.  Front necklock by Kana but Kagetsu suplexes out of it.  Kagetsu tags in Kobayashi and they trade elbows, Kobayashi grabs Kana but Kana gets the cross armbreaker applied.  Kagetsu quickly breaks it up and she rolls up Kana for a two count.  Fisherman suplex hold by Kobayashi, but Kana kicks out.  Kobayashi goes off the ropes but Kana hits a back kick followed by a sliding kick before tagging in Konami.  Konami kicks Kobayashi in the chest and she nails a high kick, she wraps up Kobayashi in a submission hold but Kagetsu breaks it up.  Konami applies an Octopus Hold to Kobayashi while Kana takes care of Kagetsu, but Kagetsu gets away from Kana and breaks it up.  Kana and Konami Irish whip Kobayashi but Kobayashi gets away and Kagetsu hits a swandive crossbody on both of them.  Senton by Kobayashi, she goes up top but Konami avoids the missile dropkick.  Schoolboy by Konami, but it gets two, as does the backslide.  Kick by Konami, she goes off the ropes but Kobayashi catches her with the 120% School Boy for the three count! Kagetsu and Kaho Kobayashi win!

This is one of the best openers I have seen in a good while.  First of all this was serious Kana, not face paint Kana, and while I enjoy her no matter what it is always nice to see her ass kicking side.  Lots of smart submissions and hard strikes here and the young wrestlers really held their own.  The only thing that hurt it was the one hard camera as the action was on point throughout, great way to start the show.  Recommended

Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Yamashita vs. Kuragaki, Hikaru Shida, and Sawako Shimono

Yamashita and Shimono start off but AKINO promptly come in to help and Shimono is double teamed.  Yamashita clubs Shimono and she hits a running double chop for a one count.  Back up they trade shots, lariat by Shimono but Yamashita returns the favor.  Judo throw by Shimono and she hits a seated senton for two.  Shimono tags in Shida and Shida hits a hip attack.  Irish whip by Shida but Yamashita blocks the next hip attack, hurricanrana by Shida and this time she connects with the hip attack.  Knees by Shida but Yamashita boots her for a two.  Yamashita tags in Toyota, Toyota wraps up Shida in the ropes but Shimono intercepts her.  Toyota puts her in the ropes also, but Kuragaki intercepts her this time.  Toyota hits a crossbody on all three of them as AKINO and Yamashita come in the ring, and all three hit dropkicks.  Shida hits an enzuigiri on Toyota but Toyota catches the hip attack.  Shida hits a vertical suplex and she tags in Kuragaki.  Jawbreaker by Kuragaki and she throws Toyota to the mat.  Toyota is triple teamed in the corner and Kuragaki hits a hard lariat.  Toyota rolls Kuragaki around the mat and she covers her for two.  Toyota goes up top and kills both herself and Kuragaki with a moonsault and she tags in AKINO. 

Missile dropkick by AKINO, she picks up Kuragaki but Kuragaki hits a backdrop suplex.  AKINO hits one of her own and she hits a bulldog.  Superkick by Kuragaki but AKINO hits a kick combination.  Lariats by Kuragaki but AKINO delivers a high kick.  Big lariat by Kuragaki and she tags in Shimono.  Shida runs in too as Shimono hits shoulderblocks on AKINO, Shimono picks up AKINO and she hits a Samoan Drop for two.  AKINO kicks Shimono in the head and she hits a backdrop suplex.  Cover, but it gets two.  AKINO goes for a PK but Shimono ducks it, AKINO applies a stretch hold but Shida hits her with a kendo stick.  Yamashita knocks Shimono into Shida, Toyota boots AKINO and Shimono applies a schoolboy for a two count.  Shimono positions AKINO, she goes up top but AKINO joins her.  Kuragaki throws AKINO back to the mat and Shimono hits a seated senton for two.  Shimono picks up AKINO but AKINO delivers a high kick.  Another kick by AKINO but Kuragaki breaks up the cover, the ring finally clears out, Shida hits AKINO from the floor with the kendo stick but AKINO snaps off a hurricanrana on Shimono for the three count! Manami Toyota, AKINO, and Rina Yamashita win the match.

This match way exceeded my expectations.  The middle section with Kuragaki and AKINO was just awesome.  Everyone looked good, it was fast paced, and it felt important.  Could have used more time and it took a bit of time to get going but still an entertaining tag match.  Recommended

Cherry vs. Ryo Mizunami

This match is part of the CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Tournament.  Mizunami hits a spear right off the bat, she then hits a leg lariat but it gets a two count.  Mizunami picks up Cherry and she hits a lariat, but Cherry fights back and hits a STO.  Mizunami hits a back bodydrop followed by a pair of leg drops but Cherry avoids the third. Dragon sleeper by Cherry and she hits a Final Cut for two.  Cherry goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick, she picks up Mizunami and she hits an armdrag. Northern Lights Suplex hold by Cherry but it gets a two count.  Elbows by Mizunami and she hits a spear for a two count.  Cherry goes off the ropes and she kicks Mizunami in the head, powerslam by Mizunami but Cherry rolls her up for a two count.  Mizunami gets Cherry up on her shoulders and she hits the Argentine Facebuster, but Cherry rebounds and hits a series of chops.  Lariat by Mizunami and she hits a dragon suplex hold for two.  Diving Guillotine Leg Drop by Mizunami and she picks up the three count! Ryo Mizunami wins the match.

I won’t say this was a great match but a sprint was the right way to go.  Cherry doesn’t do much for me and if this was 15 minutes it wouldn’t have worked.  Mizunami is really good though and her moves were really on point. Too short to get excited about but still solid.

Aja Kong and Mei Lee vs. Dynamite Kansai and Fairy Nipponbashi

Kong and Nipponbashi start off but Kansai comes in the ring too and dancing around the ring. She gets Lee to dance too and it is Kong’s turn, but she leaves. They get her to come back but she won’t dance so Kansai kicks her.  Crossbody by Kong to Kansai and she pounds on Nipponbashi.  Kong tags in Lee so she can dance around with Nipponbashi.  Scoop slam by Nipponbashi and she hits a second one.  Nipponbashi tags in Kansai, and Lee and Kansai share a dance (this is not an overly serious match), but Lee punches her in the chest and tags in Kong.  Kong kicks at Kansai but Kansai takes off her mask and powers up.  Kansai and Kong trade lariats until Kansai knocks Kong off her feet.  Kansai picks up Kong and she delivers a high kick, but Nipponbashi gets her to put the mask back on.  Kansai covers Kong with the wand, but it gets two.  Kansai tags in Nipponbashi, Nipponbashi has the wand but Kong hits her and tags in Lee.  Nipponbashi throws around Lee with the wand so Lee tags Kong back in.  Nipponbashi tries the wand on Kong but Kong just shrugs.  Lee comes in, and she flies across the ring via wand wave.  It still doesn’t work on Kong but after a talking to, Kong finally is knocked over by the wand.  Kansai comes in and they all comfort Kong, and Nipponbashi gives Kong the wand to use.  Kong tries to use the wand but it doesn’t work for her, so she gets a metal box and hits them all in the head with it.  Kong hits a brainbuster on Nipponbashi, and she gets the three count! Aja Kong and Mei Lee win the match.

Ok so this was silly but Kong helped make this match by not playing along, finally doing it, and getting annoyed when no one else returned the favor.  So while it isn’t my thing it had a good story anyway, if you are a fan of Fairy’s comedy you’ll enjoy it.

Chikayo Nagashima and Ayako Hamada vs. Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata

Nagashima and Kato start off and they lock knuckles, kicks by Kato and she hits a shoulderblock.  Kato kicks Nagashima in the back, Yamagata comes in the ring and Nagashima is double teamed.  Kato tags in Yamagata, Yamagata elbows Nagashima and she kicks Nagashima in the head.  Yamagata throws Nagashima into the corner but Nagashima applies an armbar over the top rope.  Nagashima tags in Hamada, Hamada headbutts Yamagata and she locks knuckles with her before stomping on Yamagata’s hands.  Hamada picks up Yamagata but Yamagata chops her.  They go back and forth  until Hamada knocks Yamagata into the corner, Yamagata ducks the rolling chop as Kato runs in but Hamada knocks Kato back.  Hamada grabs Yamagata’s arm, she walks the ropes and flips both Yamagata and Kato to the mat.  Nagashima runs in and hits a double face crusher, enzuigiri by Hamada but Yamagata hits a headscissors.  Yamagata tags in Kato, kicks by Kato to Hamada and she knocks her to the mat.  Nagashima grabs Kato from the apron to help, Kato ducks Hamada’s heel kick and Yamagata hits a jawbreaker on Hamada.  Cannonball by Kato to Hamada, she goes up top and Kato hits a cannonball off the top turnbuckle for a two.  Kato picks up Hamada, kick by Kato but Hamada punches her back.  Hamada wins the kick battle, she picks up Kato and hits a sit-down powerbomb for a two count.  Hamada tags in Nagashima, Nagashima goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick.  Cover, but it gets two.  Nagashima picks up Kato and knees her, she goes off the ropes but Kato catches her with a release German suplex.

Kato goes for a kick but Nagashima catches it and hits a quick leg whip.  Hamada runs in to help but she accidentally hits an enzuigiri on Nagashima.  Yamagata comes in and boots Nagashima, then Kato hits a rolling kick for two.  Kato goes to the second turnbuckle but Hamada rolls in and smacks her.  Nagashima climbs up with Kato and she hits a Frankensteiner.  Hamada goes up top and she hits a moonsault on Kato, Nagashima picks up Kato and she hits an uranage but the pin is broken up.  Nagashima goes off the ropes but Kato catches her with a powerbomb.  Head kick by Kato, cover, but it gets two.  Kato hits a dragon suplex hold by Nagashima, but the pin is broken up.  Yamagata is tagged in and she elbows Nagashima in the corner.  Yamagata goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick on Nagashima.  Nagashima catches Yamagata with an uranage, but Yamagata kicks out.  Nagashima picks up Yamagata, Hamada and Kato both run in, and Hamada helps Nagashima hit a tornado DDT.  Nagashima picks up Yamagata and she hits a fisherman buster, but Kato breaks it up.  Nagashima goes off the ropes and she hits a hurricanrana, but Kato breaks it up.  Head kick by Yamagata, she picks up Nagashima and she hits the Schwein, but Hamada breaks it up.  Enzuigiri by Yamagata to Nagashima but Nagashima rolls her up for two.  Kato goes up top and hits a diving leg drop on Nagashima, Yamagata picks up Nagashima and she delivers the La Ayakita for the three count! The winners are Sonoko Kato and Yuu Yamagata.

This started slow but really picked up by the end.  Lots of fun back and forths and the end was just chaos but in a good way.  It could have used some tightening up but all four of these women can go, definitely a fun watch.  Mildly Recommended

“Kyusei” Sakura Hirota vs. Misaki Ohata

This match is part of the CATCH THE WAVE 2015 Tournament.  Hirota and Ohata shake hands to start, they go to the mat but neither can get an advantage.  Back up they lock knuckles and Ohata flings Hirota to the mat.  Ohata boots Hirota in the corner but Hirota applies a grounded necklock.  Crab hold by Ohata and she gives Hirota a curb stomp for a two count.  Irish whip by Ohata but Hirota hits a back splash off the ropes, wristlock by Hirota but Ohata shrugs her off.  Small package by Hirota but it gets two.  Face crusher by Hirota, she grabs Ohata’s arm and walks the ropes and hits a springboard armdrag.  Ohata goes off the ropes and hits a crossbody, back elbow by Ohata and she hits a running crossbody in the corner.  Ohata goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody.  Waistlock by Ohata but Hirota rolls her up for a two count.  Ohata elbows Hirota but Hirota hits a lariat.  Hirota and Ohata trade elbows but Hirota applies a small package for two.  Irish whip by Hirota and she hits a rebound elbow strike.  Hirota kicks Ohata, she picks her up and Ohata hits a series of elbows.  Release German by Ohata and she hits a second one.  Another one by Ohata, she goes for a crucifix roll-up but Hirota blocks it.  Hirota goes to the ropes and hits a quebrada, but it only gets a two count.  Hirota goes up top and does a handstand but Ohata powerbombs her.  Ohata gets Hirota’s back and hits a crucifix bomb, but it gets a two count.  Ohata grabs Hirota and hits a fisherman buster, but Hirota barely gets a shoulder up.  Hirota trips Ohata and she hits an Oil Check, La Magistral by Hirota but it gets two.  Ohata picks up Hirota but Hirota hits a one arm suplex hold for two.  Hirota goes off the ropes, Ohata goes for a fisherman buster but Hirota cuts it back and rolls up Hirota for the three count! Sakura Hirota wins!

This is probably the best Hirota singles match I’ve seen, Ohata is great.  Hirota still had her silly moments and I don’t think she is a good wrestler, but Ohata controlled this one very well.  I liked the ending, cutbacks are a good way for underdogs to win and Hirota got in enough offense that it didn’t seem fluky.  Solid match, better than I expected.  Mildly Recommended

Mayumi Ozaki, Miyako Matsumoto, Mio Shirai, and Yumi Ohka 
vs. Moeka Haruhi, Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hiroe Nagahama, and Mika Iida

Matsumoto and Iida start off and they trade some introductory holds until Iida hits a dropkick.  Armdrag by Iida but all her teammates come in to help.  The action spills outside the ring, chairs are thrown around but it’s hard to see with the lighting.  Iida and Matsumoto return to the ring and Iida hits a missile dropkick for two.  Iida tags in Nagahama but Matsumoto beats down Nagahama and hits a scoop slam.  Iida tags in Shirai, and Nagahama is quadruple teamed in the corner.  Shirai grabs Nagahama and hits a vertical suplex for a two count.  Shirai applies a crab hold but it is broken up, Ohka gets in the ring and they take turns booting Nagahama.  Big boot by Ohka, cover, but Haruhi breaks it up.  Ohka tags in Matsumoto but Nagahama rolls up Matsumoto for a two count.  Dropkick by Nagahama and she tags in Fujimoto.  Fujimoto dropkicks all her opponents, snapmare to Matsumoto and she kicks her in the back.  Fujimoto tags in Haruhi and Haruhi applies a camel clutch to Matsumoto.  Haruhi tags in Iida, and Iida throws Matsumoto down by her hair.  Iida scoop slams Matsumoto and he does it a second time for a two count.  Iida tags in Nagahama, Nagahama slams Matsumoto and she delivers a dropkick.  Nagahama tags Haruhi and Haruhi throws down Matsumoto by her hair.  Iida is tagged in but Matsumoto gets away with help from interference and tags in Shirai.  Shirai boots Iida and covers her for two.  Short armbar by Shirai but Iida hits a reverse STO.  Dropkick by Iida but Ozaki chokes her with her whip.  Shirai goes for a kick but Iida catches her leg and applies an ankle hold. 

Shirai gets to the ropes, Iida hits a capture suplex hold but it gets two.  Iida tags in Fujimoto and she dropkicks Shirai in the corner.  Fujimoto picks up Shirai but Shirai elbows her and they trade shots.  Dropkick by Fujimoto but Shirai boots her back and applies a necklock over the top rope.  Shirai goes for a missile dropkick but Fujimoto moves out of the way.  Kicks to the back by Fujimoto and she hits a PK for a two count.  Fujimoto applies a crossface but it is quickly broken up.  Shirai gets a stick and bops people with it, cover by Shirai but it gets two.  Shirai tags in Ohka, Ohka stomps on Fujimoto but Fujimoto hits a dropkick.  Fujimoto applies a cross-arm submission but Ohka gets out of it.  Ohka swings Fujimoto around the ring, and Fujimoto is triple teamed against the ropes.  Diving Crossbody by Ohka, cover, but Fujimoto kicks out.  Ohka hits a heel drop but the pin is broken up.  Fujimoto fights back and tags in Haruhi, and Haruhi hits a diving crossbody on Ohka for a two count.  Haruhi hits a hurricanrana out of the corner and then she applies a headscissors into an armbar, but it is broken up.  Big boot by Ohka and she hits a backdrop suplex.  Ohka picks up Haruhi and she hits a brainbuster for another two.  Fujimoto runs in and hits a Shining Wizard, then Iida dropkicks Ohka against the ropes.  Haruhi hits a diving footstomp (lots of random stuff is happening, I’m keeping up the best I can), chaos ensues but things settle down with Haruhi and Ohka still in the ring.  Haruhi goes off the ropes but Ohka catches her with a chokebomb for two.  Big boot by Ohka, cover, and she gets the three count! Ozaki Army wins!

This was a bit crazy but it had to be as not all of these wrestlers are particularly great.  So it helped hide the flaws, even though the match did go so long that some of those flaws started peeking through anyway.  This could have been condensed but it is a very typical Oz main event, this is just the kind of match they enjoy.  Wrestling-wise it was pretty average but it kept my attention.

The post OZ Academy X ZABUN ~dagaya~ [ZEN] on 5/10/15 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

This event is not a lower level one like the recent Ice Ribbon show I reviewed, however it is also one that only came out on DVD. I picked this event because this is the last title match of Kyoko Kimura’s long career, and I wanted to watch it. But it also has some other interesting match-ups, such as Natsumi Maki teaming with Sareee and I get to watch Tam Nakano for the first time. Here is the full card:

• Tam Nakano vs. Yako Fujigasaki
• Megumi Yabushita vs. Rydeen Hagane
• KAZUKI vs. Sawako Shimono
• Sareee and Natsumi Maki vs. Yako Fujigasaki and Manami Katsu
• JWP Tag Team and Daily Sports Championship: Hanako Nakamori and Kyoko Kimura vs. Command Bolshoi and Leon

You can click on the wrestler’s name above if I have their profile created, Tam Nakano will be added shortly. This event was shown in full, so we get to watch it in all its glory.

Tam Nakano vs. Yako Fujigasaki

Nakano and Yako circle to start, they trade holds and shoulderblocks until Nakano knocks Yako to the mat. Nakano goes for a suplex but Yako blocks it and hits a scoop slam, camel clutch by Yako and she puts Nakano in the ropes. Dropkick by Yako, she picks up Nakano and hits a facebuster before applying a Muta Lock. Nakano crawls to the ropes to force the break, Yako picks up Nakano but Nakano blocks the suplex and hits a heel kick. Body block by Nakano and she hits another one, a third body block by Nakano and she covers Yako for two. Yako goes for a Vertebreaker but Nakano gets out of it and hits a lariat in the corner. Another lariat by Nakano, and she covers Yako for two. Back up they trade elbows until Yako knocks Nakano to the mat, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Another missile dropkick by Yako, she goes up top a third time but Nakano avoids the Swivel Body Press. Kick to the chest by Nakano and she hits a pair of running sentons for a two count. Nakano picks up Yako and hits a Samoan Drop, she goes for another one but Yako blocks it. Crab hold by Yako, but Nakano crawls to the ropes to force the break. Yako goes for a double wrist armsault but Nakano reverses it and applies a jackknife for two. They trade flash pins with neither having success, lariat by Nakano and she gets a two count. Nakano goes off the ropes but Yako elbows her and hits the double wrist armsault. Diving body press by Yako, she goes up top again and nails the Swivel Body Press for the three count! Yako Fujigasaki is the winner.

Nakano is still a little rough around the edges, which isn’t shocking considering she hasn’t been wrestling long but is still worth noting. So this match has to be viewed more as a learning experience than anything else, although Yako looked solid as she continues to progress. I saw flashes of ability for Nakano so she isn’t a lost cause, she just isn’t very crisp yet. A more traditional opener as the young wrestlers get some live practice, but a pretty average match overall.

Megumi Yabushita vs. Rydeen Hagane

After feeling each other out a bit, Megumi gets Rydeen’s hands down onto the mat and stomps on both of them, before twisting her around by the hair. Megumi rolls Rydeen to the mat, Rydeen switches positions with her however and stands on Megumi’s stomach. Rydeen drags Megumi to the middle of the ring but Megumi applies an ankle hold, Megumi releases it after a moment and puts Rydeen in a crab hold. Rydeen gets to the ropes for the break, Megumi rolls Rydeen over and knees down onto her stomach. Megumi Irish whips Rydeen but Rydeen reverses it and hits a judo throw, she hits a couple more judo throws and joins Megumi on the mat, but Megumi quickly puts her in a headscissors. Megumi goes for the triangle choke but Rydeen squeezes out of it, sleeper by Megumi but Rydeen picks up Megumi and hits a back bodydrop.

Rydeen picks up Megumi but Megumi blocks the suplex attempt, Rydeen re-positions Megumi and hits a backdrop suplex for two. Megumi comes back with a face crusher and a dropkick, she gets on the second turnbuckle and applies a hanging armbar when Rydeen charges in. Megumi comes off the top with a jumping knee to Rydeen, she picks her up and tries to throw Rydeen into the corner, but Rydeen reverses it and hits a lariat. Shoulderblock by Rydeen, and she covers Megumi for two. Rydeen goes for a powerbomb but Megumi reverses it into a sleeper hold, Rydeen drives Megumi into the corner to get out of it and hits a series of short range lariats. Rydeen goes off the ropes and hits another lariat, and she covers Megumi for a two count. Rydeen goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Megumi kicks out of the cover. Rydeen goes for the Rainmaker, but Megumi ducks it and applies a backslide for two. Megumi quickly puts Rydeen in a schoolboy, and she picks up the three count! Megumi Yabushita wins!

An odd little match. Not a bad one, I like Rydeen but Megumi is a unique pairing for her since their styles are very different. Megumi does more the sneaky veteran with some submission holds deal, while Rydeen is a power wrestler. It led to some entertaining moments for sure but it felt odd having Megumi controlling the action since Rydeen had such a size and strength advantage. Not bad for an early card match, but I think Rydeen could have better matches against other veterans.

KAZUKI vs. Sawako Shimono

They go into a battle of strength to start, Shimono gets the better of it as she shoulderblocks KAZUKI to the mat for a two count. Shimono sits down onto KAZUKI and applies a camel clutch, but KAZUKI quickly gets out of it and works over Shimono’s arm. Shimono rolls out to the apron but KAZUKI knocks her to the floor and twists Shimono’s arm in the ring post. KAZUKI gets on the apron and dives out onto Shimono with I assume a diving kneedrop, she picks up Shimono and throws her into the crowd. Back in the ring, KAZUKI knees Shimono in the arm and knocks her into the corner, she charges Shimono and hits a running knee to the stomach. Shimono comes back with a jumping knee and hits another one in the corner, but KAZUKI knocks her over when Shimono poses. The referee tries to separate them so they team up to attack the referee in the corner (that took a turn), Shimono and KAZUKI trade elbows until Shimono lariats KAZUKI against the ropes. Knees by KAZUKI but Shimono hits a Samoan Drop, she goes for a Raideen Drop but KAZUKI avoids it and hits a running double knee strike. Codebreaker by KAZUKI and she hits the double knee in the corner, she puts Shimono across the middle rope and hits a double kneedrop onto her stomach. Knee by KAZUKI, she goes off the ropes but Shimono catches her with a lariat. Raideen Drop by Shimono, she picks up KAZUKI but KAZUKI sneaks in a sunset flip for two. Shimono applies an inside cradle, it only gets two but she levels KAZUKI with a lariat. Shimono goes up top but KAZUKI joins her, KAZUKI slides away and she slams Shimono to the mat. KAZUKI picks up Shimono and hits the TKO, but Shimono bridges out of the cover. KAZUKI goes up top and delivers the diving double kneedrop, and she gets the three count! KAZUKI wins.

Another match I’d consider above average, but nothing too special. It was well worked, both have their style down pat, but there is a reason that never really climbed the ranks. They are solid wrestlers but not overly exciting, nothing really special or memorable happened during the match. Decent enough but nothing beyond that.

Sareee and Natsumi Maki vs. Yako Fujigasaki and Manami Katsu

Natsumi and Yako start the match, with Yako immediately going on the attack and she throws around Natsumi by the hair. Scoop slam by Yako, she grabs Sareee and slams her onto Natsumi before hitting a footstomp. Yako attacks Natsumi in the ropes, she throws Natsumi in the corner but Natsumi avoids her charge and applies a sunset flip for two. She tags in Sareee, Sareee throws Yako by her hair and hits a scoop slam. Sareee applies an evil camel clutch version of the Muta Lock, she releases the hold after a moment and Irish whips Yako, but Yako hits a jumping double chop and tags in Manami. Manami throws Sareee into the mat before putting her in the Mexican Surfboard, Manami runs over Sareee’s back before covering her for two. Manami elbows Sareee in the corner and hits a double underhook into a backbreaker, running knee by Manami and she puts Sareee in a crab hold. Natsumi breaks it up but Manami shoulderblocks both of them, Sareee goes for a suplex but Manami blocks it. Manami goes off the ropes but Sareee nails the release German before tagging in Natsumi. Natsumi hits a few dropkicks but Manami shrugs them off, elbow by Manami but Natsumi cartwheels away from her and hits a dropkick. Cover by Natsumi, but it gets two.

Manami kicks Natsumi and hits a face crusher, backdrop suplex by Manami and she covers Natsumi for a two count. Manami tags Yako, Yako goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Another missile dropkick by Yako and she puts Natsumi in a crab hold, but Natsumi gets to the ropes. Yako picks up Natsumi but Natsumi gets away and applies a satellite armbar, but Manami quickly breaks it up. Natsumi goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but Yako kicks out of the cover. Natsumi tags in Sareee, Sareee and Yako trade elbows until Yako knocks down Sareee with a hip attack. Sareee comes back with a dropkick, fisherman suplex hold by Sareee but Yako kicks out. Sareee goes for a German but Yako blocks it, double wrist armsault by Yako but it gets two. Yako gets Sareee on her shoulders and applies a backbreaker, but Natsumi breaks it up. Reverse Splash by Manami, Yako goes up top and she hits a diving body press, but Natsumi breaks up the pin. Yako tries to pick up Sareee but Sareee rolls her up with a jackknife for two. They trade flash pins, dropkick by Sareee and Natsumi comes in to hit the Backlash. German suplex hold by Sareee, but Manami breaks it up. Sareee Germans Manami, she then goes up top with Natsumi and they both hit diving body presses on Yako. Uranage by Sareee to Yako, and she picks up the three count! Sareee and Natsumi Maki pick up the big win!

I thought this match was quite fun, even if I think Manami brought it down a bit. Sareee is such a good wrestler, I watch her every chance I get as she is the total package. Natsumi is entertaining, not as crisp yet as Sareee but she’s still early in her career. Both teams worked together well, although Natsumi and Sareee had more double teaming/helping than their opponents did which is always a concern with thrown-together tag teams. An entertaining match, mostly due to Sareee but other wrestlers contributed to that as well, and Yako was solid in her second match of the night.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hanako Nakamori and Kyoko Kimura vs. Command Bolshoi and Leon
JWP Tag Team and Daily Sports Championship

Leon and Nakamori start for their respective teams, they trade strikes until Leon goes for a spear which Nakamori avoids. Leon gets back to her feet and both wrestlers tag out, Kyoko and Bolshoi circle each other before finally tying up. They go back and forth with waistlocks with Bolshoi getting Kyoko to the mat first, Kyoko gets up but Bolshoi armdrags her back down before they face off again. Leon comes in and attacks Kyoko from behind, but Nakamori runs in too and evens the odds. Bolshoi and Leon get the better of it and attack both their opponents in the corner before applying stretch holds. Leon is tagged in and starts working on Kyoko’s arm, but Kyoko gets away and tags in Nakamori. Nakamori kicks Leon in the back and some more in the corner, big boot by Nakamori and she puts Leon and the ropes so Kyoko can help too. Scoop slam by Nakamori and she hits a leg drop before covering Leon for two. Nakamori tags Kyoko back in, backbreaker by Kyoko and she jumps down on Leon’s back. Crab hold by Kyoko but Leon eventually makes it to the ropes, kicks to the head by Kyoko and she knocks Leon into the ropes. Irish whip by Kyoko but Leon hits a spear which gives her time to tag in Bolshoi, Bolshoi dropkicks both Kyoko and Nakamori before going for a uranage on Kyoko, but Kyoko blocks it. Kyoko goes off the ropes but Bolshoi catches her leg and applies an ankle hold, Kyoko rolls out of it however and tosses Bolshoi to the mat. Cobra Twist by Bolshoi but Nakamori breaks it up, grounded necklock by Bolshoi but Kyoko muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Kyoko tags in Nakamori, boots by Nakamori and she goes up top, but Bolshoi knocks her onto the apron. Nakamori pushes her down and goes for the missile dropkick anyway, but Bolshoi sidesteps it and hits a palm thrust.

High kick by Nakamori and she hits a Shining Wizard, but Bolshoi kicks out of the cover. Nakamori goes for another kick but Bolshoi catches it and hits a dragon screw, she tags in Leon who comes in the ring with a missile dropkick. Nakamori blocks the Capture Buster but Leon spears her, Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and Leon hits another spear for a two count. Leon goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Kyoko breaks up the cover.  Leon goes back up but Nakamori avoids the Swanton Bomb, now Nakamori goes up top but Leon joins her before she can jump off. Kyoko comes in too and powerbombs Leon, who superplexes Nakamori in the process. Bolshoi comes in but both she and Kyoko strike each other at the same time, sending both to the mat. Leon and Nakamori slowly recover and trade elbows, knee by Nakamori and she kicks Leon in the head. Fisherman Buster by Nakamori, but the cover gets a two. Kick to the head by Nakamori, she goes up top but Leon avoids her dive. Kyoko runs in as both she and Nakamori headbutt their respective opponents, Kyoko picks up Leon and with Nakamori they hit an assisted Gory Bomb. Cover by Nakamori, but Leon kicks out. Michinoku Driver by Nakamori, she picks up Leon but Leon blocks the reverse powerslam. Capture Buster by Leon, but she is too hurt to make the cover. Leon picks up Nakamori and they trade high kicks, Nakamori goes off the ropes but Leon delivers a spear. Leon picks up Nakamori but Kyoko gets back in the ring, she tries to headbutt Leon but headbutts Nakamori by accident. Quick roll-up by Leon, bu tit gets two. Bolshoi runs in and hits the Piko Knee Smash, Capture Buster by Leon and she picks up the three count! Leon and Command Bolshoi are the new champions!

A bit slow moving at times, but overall I enjoyed it. It was probably a bit longer than it needed to be considering the pace, but with it being a title match and the main event it had to go a decent amount of time. The best compliment I can give the match is that everything was hit smoothly and nothing felt forced, all four of these wrestlers are veterans and you could tell from watching them. What it lacked was anything particularly exciting, it was sound throughout but it only had a few brief spurts of intense action. A good match and a necessary one to get the title off of Kyoko, nothing too memorable but a solid effort by all.  Mildly Recommended

The post JWP on 1/9/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Time to check in with Pro Wrestling WAVE! Full WAVE events don’t pop up too often so I am contractually obligated to watch them when they do. This is a somewhat playful event as there is a wet t-shirt match and a giant chicken, but we also get a big defense of the WAVE Tag Team Championship. Here is the full card:

• New Year Battle Royal with Aoi Kizuki, Cherry, Fairy Nipponbashi, Hiroe Nagahama, Manami Toyota, Moeka Haruhi, Rina Yamashita, SAKI, Tsubasa Kuragaki, and Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Sumire Natsu and Maya Yukihi vs. Syuri and Tsukushi
• Yumi Ohka, Mika Iida, Hikaru Shida, and Yuki Miyazaki vs. Yuu Yamagata, Kaori Yoneyama, Sawako Shimono, and ASUKA
• WAVE Tag Team Championship: Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami vs. Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu

There was also one non-Joshi match on the card, but for time reasons I will skip it in the review. As always, you can click on the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile if there is one on the site. Let’s hop to it.

New Year Battle Royal

Nipponbashi rolls up Kuragaki from behind with no luck, Kuragaki picks up Nipponbashi in a press slam and throws her over the top, but Nipponbashi lands on the apron. She hangs onto Kuragaki as Toyota comes into the ring, she dumps Kuragaki over the top rope, eliminating both Kuragaki and Nipponbashi! Toyota picks up Cherry but Cherry gets away, Toyota grabs Fujimoto and she puts her in the rolling cradle. Fujimoto kicks out of the cover when Toyota finally stops, Toyota gets on the second turnbuckle but Fujimoto dropkicks her. Fujimoto, Rina, and Cherry all try to knock Toyota out of the ring, with a Fujimoto dropkicking sending Toyota to the floor! Manami Toyota is eliminated. Only Cherry, Rina, and Fujimoto are left, Rina is double teamed first and they put her on the apron, but Rina holds down the rope when they charge and both end up on the apron. They run around on the apron until Rina is trapped again, they try to throw Rina to the floor but she blocks it. Fujimoto dropkicks Rina but the force of her blow sends Cherry dangling from the top rope, Fujimoto kicks her in the back and Cherry falls to the floor! Cherry is eliminated.

This leaves just Rina and Fujimoto, they return to the ring and Fujimoto kicks Rina to the mat. Kicks by Fujimoto in the corner and she puts Rina in a cross-arm submission, but Rina gets out of it and kicks Fujimoto in the chest. Rina hits a backdrop suplex onto Fujimoto and puts her in the sleeper, but Fujimoto rolls out of it and kicks Rina in the back. PK by Fujimoto, they return elbows back on their feet until Fujimoto hits an enzuigiri. Crucifix slam by Fujimoto, she goes for the Venus Shoot but Rina stops her and hits a suplex for two. Rina charges Fujimoto but Fujimoto puts her in the Tarantula, Rina quickly gets out of it and charges Fujimoto but she ends up on the apron with her. They trade elbows on the apron, Rina puts Fujimoto in a sleeper but Fujimoto pushes out of it and stomps on Rina. Rina manages to not fall to the floor, dropkick by Fujimoto while still on the apron and she stomps on her stomach. They both get up, body block by Rina and Fujimoto falls to the floor! Rina Yamashita wins the Battle Royal!

Battle Royals are a bit more playful in Japan than they are in WWE and are rarely taken seriously, but this one was a bit more serious than usual. Sure we had Nipponbashi and Aoi acting silly, but other wrestlers such as Kuragaki, Fujimoto, and Rina were treating it as if it mattered who won. Its not the type of match I’d really ever recommend since it just designed to be a fun opener, but the last few minutes was pretty well done even if it dragged a bit overall.

Sumire Natsu and Maya Yukihi vs. Syuri and Tsukushi

All four brawl to start as the referee loses control from the get-go, but things settle down with Tsukushi in the ring with Sumire. Syuri comes in and they take turn running on Sumire’s back, Tsukushi puts Natsu in the ropes and pulls on her nose. Tsukushi charges Sumire but Sumire moves, Maya runs in but Syuri helps her partner out. Sumire ends up on the apron and her own partner accidentally knocks her to the floor, leading to Sumire getting sprayed with water guns. Back in the ring, Tsukushi elbows Maya but Mayu catches her with a backbreaker. Tsukushi goes off the ropes and rolls up Maya before hitting a footstomp, she goes to the corner and tags in Syuri. Kick by Syuri and she knees Mayu into the corner, jumping knee by Syuri and she hits a double arm suplex. Syuri goes for the cross armbreaker but Maya blocks it, she finally gets it locked in but Maya gets into the ropes. Meanwhile Sumire is still getting shot with water guns as Maya is double teamed in the other corner, Syuri trades elbows with Maya as they partners both run into the ring. Sumire and Maya both put in sleepers, but Yuki Miyazaki emerges for reasons I am not sure of and starts attacking Sumire and Maya. Sumire falls out of the ring and once again gets the water gun treatment, she is the main one getting it, while Miyazaki turns her attention to Syuri. So she is just attacking everyone. Miyazaki puts Natsu in a potentially embarrassing submission several times, she then kicks Tsukushi as she has effectively cleared the ring. Sumire steals a water gun and sprays Rina Yamashita with it, as the match has officially broken down. Syuri and Sumire get back into the ring, cross armbreaker takedown by Syuri but Sumire rolls out of it. Running knee by Syuri, but Maya breaks up the cover. Kick by Syuri but Sumire sneaks in an inside cradle for two. High Kick by Syuri, and she hits a Buzzsaw Kick for the three count! Syuri and Tsukushi are your winners!

I don’t really understand what happened here, since I do not know why Miyazaki came down and started randomly wrecking people. I am sure she had a reason, I just don’t know what it was. So this wasn’t an overly serious match, between the water guns and Miyazaki running rampant, and honestly even if I was watching for wet t-shirts they didn’t really show that much either. So it wasn’t titillating and it wasn’t an entertaining match, making it a general failure.

Yumi Ohka, Mika Iida, Hikaru Shida, and Miyazaki vs. Yuu Yamagata, Kaori Yoneyama, Shimono, and ASUKA
Two Out of Three Falls Match

Miyazaki and Yamagata start the match, Miyazaki takes Yamagata to the mat but Yamagata rolls through it and kicks Miyazaki in the back. She tags in Kaori and Miyazaki tags Iida, Kaori’s teammates all run in and Iida is dropkicked by all four of them. ASUKA stays in as the legal wrestler and kicks Iida in the face, Iida eventually rakes ASUKA in the eyes and stomps her in the corner. Iida throws down ASUKA by the hair and tags in Shida, jumping knee by Shida and Shida’s team takes on all of ASUKA’s team as they run into the ring to try to help. Things settle back down and Shida tags in Ohka, she stays in the ring and helps Ohka choke ASUKA. Ohka knees ASUKA repeatedly before tagging in Miyazaki, and Miyazaki keeps the pressure on ASUKA as she puts her in a submission hold. She tags Shida back in, ASUKA goes for a Space Rolling Elbow but Shida kicks her in the back. Backbreaker by Shida, she picks up ASUKA but ASUKA spins out of the backbreaker attempt and hits a rebound crossbody. That gives her time to tag in Yamagata but Shida punches Yamagata as Iida comes in too, but Shimono runs in to help Yamagata take back over. Yamagata jumps at Shida but Shida catches her and dumps her on the apron. Shida goes for a superplex but Shimono lariats her, Yamagata goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Yamagata tags in Kaori as Miyazaki is also tagged in, DDT by Kaori and she knees Miyazaki in the back of the head. Iida knees Kairi from the apron, Ohka boots Kairi and Miyazaki drops her with an Samoan Driver. Miyazaki goes up top but Yamagata grabs her from the apron, she shakes free but Kaori avoids the moonsault attempt. Seated senton by Shimono to Miyazaki, and Kaori applies a jackknife for the three count! Kaori and company win the first fall.

As the second fall starts, Miyazaki hits a German suplex onto Kairi, she then flips Iida onto Kaori with a body press. She does the same with Shida, Ohka is next as all three hit the catapult splash. Gedo Clutch by Miyazaki and she gets the three count! The teams are now tied 1-1.

All eight brawl to start the final fall and they all end up outside the ring. After they clash around ringside and up into the stands, Kaori and Miyazaki return to the ring with Kaori in control until Ohka comes back in to help. Kaori tags in Shimono, elbows to the back by Shimono but Miyazaki hits a DDT and tags in Iida. Stomps by Iida but Shimono hits a body avalanche in the corner, she goes for the seated senton but Iida moves out of the way and dropkicks her. Uppercut by Iida and she delivers a running uppercut for a two count. Iida goes for a lariat but Shimono blocks it and tags in ASUKA, Space Rolling Elbow by Asuka but Ohka knees her from the apron when she goes off the ropes. Ohka gets in the ring but ASUKA hits a springboard moonsault on both of them, cover by ASUKA but Shida breaks it up. Miyazaki comes in to try to help but she kisses Iida by accident and ASUKA hits a release German on Iida. ASUKA goes for an Irish whip but Iida blocks it and puts her in seated armbar, cross armbreaker by Iida but ASUKA gets a foot on the ropes to force the break. Iida goes off the ropes but ASUKA superkicks her, reverse STO by Iida and she tags in Ohka, while ASUKA tags in Yamagata. Codebreaker by Yamagata but Ohka ducks the enzuigiri, Backstabber by Yamagata but Ohka knees her in the head. Dropkick by Yamagata but Ohka hits a chokebomb for a two count. Ohka picks up Yamagata but Yamagata gets her in a crossface, Kaori helps her out but Shida breaks up the hold. With Ohka in the corner, everyone hits running strikes but Ohka avoids Yamagata’s. Yamagata hits a Backstabber anyway, she goes up top but Shida runs in and hits a superplex. Shida picks up Yamagata and lets Ohka boot her in the head, another running boot by Ohka but Kaori breaks up the cover. Every other wrestler runs in as they take turns knocking each other out of the ring, Buzzsaw Kick by Yamagata to Ohka but Miyazaki comes in and distracts Yamagata with a loving kiss. Big boot by Ohka to Yamagata, and she covers her for the three count! Yuma Ohka, Mika Iida, Hikaru Shida, and Yuki Miyazaki win!

I thought this match was… fine. It had some solid action since there were a fair number of quality wrestlers in the match, it was just a bit all over the place. Having a Two Out of Three Falls Match where two of the falls happen within a minute of each other is a bit silly, I am not sure why they couldn’t have just had it be One Fall at that point. ASUKA continues to improve, she debuted in the summer of 2015 but she didn’t look out of place with a ring full of veterans which is always a good sign. I just can’t really recommend this match with a clear conscious, it wasn’t bad but ultimately it is a forgettable match with mostly random moves until Yamagata was done in by a kiss (which seems a bit out of place in a non-comedy match). Some good parts for sure but nothing special.

(c) Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami vs. Kyoko Kimura and Kagetsu

Ohata and Kagetsu start things out, armdrag by Ohata but Kagetsu comes back with an armdrag of her own. Dropkick by Ohata, and both wrestlers tag in their partners. Kyoko and Mizunami pose for awhile but eventually engage, shoulderblock by Mizunami but Kyoko boots her when she charges in. Ohata helps hold Kyoko in the corner but Kyoko boots Mizunami back again, Octopus Hold by Kyoko and she puts Ohata in a submission as well. Kyoko tags in Kagetsu, Mizunami scoop slams her and hits a leg drop. Ohata helps out for a bit as they take turns on Kagetsu, until Kagetsu dropkicks Ohata in the face and makes the tag to Kyoko. Kyoko chops Ohata and scoop slams her, crab hold by Kyoko which she releases to put Ohata in an armbar. Ohata gets to the ropes to force the break, Kagetsu goes up top and she hits a double ax handle onto Ohata. Camel Clutch by Kagetsu to Ohata, she releases the hold and kicks Ohata in the back for a two count. Kagetsu picks up Ohata but Ohata rolls away, Ohata goes for a crossbody but Kagetsu catches her. Ohata gets out of her grasp with a DDT before hitting a dropkick and making the tag to Mizunami. Spear by Mizunami to Kagetsu and she hits Kyoko with one as well, double spear by Mizunami and she lariats Kagetsu in the corner. Kagetsu springboards out of the corner with a dropkick, jumping elbow by Kagetsu and she kicks Mizunami in the chest. Mizunami fires back with elbows but Kagetsu boots her in the arm, Kagetsu goes for an armbar but Mizunami gets into the ropes. Kagetsu goes off the ropes but Mizunami flips her inside out with a lariat, she crawls to her corner and tags in Ohata. Kyoko is also tagged in and the two trade elbows, a battle that Kyoko wins. Kagetsu kicks Ohata from the apron and gets in the ring to help Kyoko boot Ohata in the face. Double boot to Ohata, and Kyoko covers her for a two count.

Kyoko goes up top but Mizunami runs in and puts Kyoko on her shoulders, Ohata goes up top and after Mizunami slams Kyoko, Ohata dives off with a diving body press. Sleeper by Kyoko, but Ohata gets a foot on the ropes to force the break. Boots to the face by Kyoko but Mizunami runs in and lariats her, more lariats by Mizunami and once Ohata recovers she assists in the attack. Ohata boots Kyoko and hits a spinning double chop, cover by Ohata but it gets two. Kagetsu runs in and slams Ohata into the corner, she sits her on the top turnbuckle and Kyoko climbs up too. They go for the Assisted Avalanche Gory Bomb, the timing is off but Ohata gets planted anyway. Cover by Kyoko, but Mizunami breaks it up. Kyoko picks up Ohata but Mizunami runs in and lariats Kyoko, Kagetsu comes in to trade elbows with Mizunami but she is dropped by the 3-D. German suplex hold by Ohata to Kyoko, Mizunami then hits one as well and Ohata delivers one more but Kagetsu breaks it up. Fisherman Buster by Ohata, but Kyoko barely gets a shoulder up. Ohata goes for the Blue Dahlia but Kyoko gets out of it and nails a Big Boot. Mizunami walks in but Kagetsu spears her, Kyoko headbutts Ohata and goes for the Gory Bomb, but Ohata reverses it with a Blue Dahlia for a two count. Buzzsaw Kick by Kagetsu to Ohata but Mizunami drops her with a release Dragon Suplex, Ohata chops Kyoko but Kyoko headbutts her. Blue Dahlia by Ohata, but Kyoko barely kicks out. Ohata quickly picks up Kyoko and nails the Blue Sky Suplex Hold, and she picks up the three count! Misaki Ohata and Ryo Mizunami are still the champions!

This one took a little bit of time to get rolling, but once it did I thought it was a really good match. I love Mizunami and Ohata’s teamwork, both were encouraging each other and constantly intercepting their opponents before something bad happened, I enjoy it when a team acts like a real team and not two individuals. Kyoko and Kagetsu are the same way but to a lesser extent, they work together but they don’t have that bond that is palpable with Mizunami and Ohata. At times it felt a bit too back and forth with some transitions that didn’t really work, and there were a couple miscommunications which is rare, but the end stretch was really entertaining. A solid match and a fitting main event, worth the watch.  Recommended

The post WAVE “Happy New Year WAVE 2017” on 1/8/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Thanks to the wonderful new WAVE Network that launched today (I wrote a guide on how to sign up here), I am finally able to watch the Catch the WAVE Tournament! This year the tournament is massive, with 32 wrestlers participating. They are split into eight blocks of four wrestlers, and within each block every wrestler will wrestle everyone else in their block once. A win is worth two points, and in the case of a Draw (15 minute time limit) then the younger wrestler in the match gets one point. After all the block matches are done, the winner of each block go into the eight wrestler single elimination knockout round until a winner is crowned! Here are the blocks:

Needless to say, it is a long tournament. The first night of the tournament kicked off with a bang, at the famous Korakuen Hall! Here is the full match list:

• Hiroe Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Meiko Tanaka, Natsu Sumire, and Tsukushi
• Ayako Hamada, Nagashima, Fairy Nipponbashi, Fujigasaki, and Yuu Yamagata vs.  ASUKA, Hikaru Shida, Kobayashi, Haruhi, and Shimono
• Catch the WAVE Silver Gray Block: Kagetsu vs. Yoshiko
• Catch the WAVE Pompadour Pink Block: Cherry vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Catch the WAVE African Violet Block: Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita
• Catch the WAVE Mandarin Orange Block: DASH Chisako vs. Yuki Miyazaki
• Catch the WAVE Regatta Blue Block: LEON vs. Mika Iida
• Catch the WAVE Chrome Yellow Block: Aoi Kizuki vs. Ryo Mizunami
• Catch the WAVE Orion Blue Block: Hanako Nakamori vs. Misaki Ohata
• Catch the WAVE Italian Red Block: Sareee vs. Yumi Ohka

That is a lot of matches! Many of them will be short though, which is normal in tournaments like this so its not as massive as it looks. As always, you can click on the wrestler’s name to go to their profile if I have one for them here on Joshi City.

Hiroe Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Meiko Tanaka, Sumire, and Tsukushi

Nagahama and Tanaka are the first two in, Tanaka gets the early advantage but Nagahama’s teammates run in to help. Tanaka’s come in too and we end up with a triple suplex spot, with Tanaka’s team winning the battle. Nagahama is temporarily isolated but she suplexes Tanaka and tags in Yuuka. Tornado DDT by Yuuka, but Tanaka kicks out of the cover. Tanaka tries Yuuka into the corner and hits a running shoulder tackle, missile dropkick by Tanaka and she puts Yuuka on her shoulders, but Yuuka slides away. They exchange elbows until Tanaka hits a big spear, cover by Tanaka but it gets two. Tanaka tags Tsukushi, dropkick by Tsukushi and she hits the Unprettier followed by a low dropkick against the ropes. Crossbody by Tsukushi, but it gets a two count. Yuuka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she tags in Miyu but Tsukushi bulldogs her. Hard kick to the head by Miyu and she hits a vertical suplex on Tsukushi, picking up a two count. Elbows by Miyu but Tsukushi elbows her back and hits a missile dropkick for two. She tags Sumire, elbows by Miyu to Sumire as Nagahama comes in, but Tanaka comes in too and spears both of them. Diving crossbody by Tsukushi, then Sumire hits one too for a two count on Miyu. Elbow by Miyu but Sumire sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Miyu takes back over and goes up top, hitting a diving footstomp. Cover, but Sumire’s teammates break it up. German suplex hold by Miyu and she gets the three count! Nagahama, Miyu, and Yuuka win.

I don’t want to over-hype an opener match, but this one was really fun. Tsukushi is fantastic and while not all the wrestlers here are top notch, they did a good job of focusing on the ones that are. Very fast paced, no real pause in the action for the whole match. This to me is what an opener should be – something to get the crowd excited with solid fast paced action. A nice way to kick things off, there is a lot of young talent in this match that will be a big deal in Joshi within the next few years.

Hamada, Nagashima, Nipponbashi, Fujigasaki, and Yamagata vs.  ASUKA, Shida, Kobayashi, Haruhi, and Shimono

The first two in are Nipponbashi and Kobayashi. I have to say that it pains me to see two of my favorites, Kobayashi and Shida, stuck in a ten wrestler tag that likely won’t be overly serious or memorable. Not a whole lot happens to start the match, until ASUKA and Hamada are tagged in and they trade holds. Hamada ducks ASUKA’s springboard crossbody but ASUKA ducks Hamada’s heel kick and delivers a dropkick. Hamada takes back over and hits a lariat, they tag out as Haruhi and Nagashima come in. Haruhi hits a nice hurricanrana and a Northern Lights Suplex but Nagashima boots her in the face and hits a face crusher. Shimono comes in to help but Hamada comes in and lariats both of them, Nagashima goes off the ropes but she boots Hamada by accident. Shida and Fujigasaki are tagged in, and Shida hits a hip attack. Yamagata comes in and trades strikes with Shida, backbreaker by Shida but Yamagata ducks the running knee. Code Breaker by Yamagata and she tags Nipponbashi, she brings in a light saber while Shida gets her kendo stick. They battle it out with their weapons with neither getting an advantage, but Nipponbashi knocks Shida out of the ring. We clip ahead with Kobayashi being set up for a double team move, but Nipponbashi hits Hamada by accident. ASUKA runs in and hits a springboard crossbody, she picks up Nipponbashi and she hits a suplex. We clip ahead again as Haruhi hits a diving footstomp on Nipponbashi, Kobayashi goes to pick up Nipponbashi but she gets an Oil Check from Fujigasaki. Yamagata slams Kobayashi, Hamada goes up top and they hit an assisted footstomp on her. Denden Clutch by Nipponbashi on Kobayashi and she gets the three count! Team Hamada wins the match.

For a slightly clipped (about four minutes) ten wrestler tag, this one had some good spots. ASUKA looks good for a rookie, Kobayashi is always a treat, and the Nipponbashi comedy was kept to a minimal. Fine for an undercard match but nothing more than that, skippable unless you’re a die hard fan of one of the wrestlers.

Kagetsu vs. Yoshiko

Yoshiko works the headlock to start, Kagetsu gets out of it and she hits a springboard armdrag. Yoshiko tags Kagetsu to the mat and works her over with stomps, she picks her up but Kagetsu catches her with a dropkick. Kicks by Kagetsu and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner, dropkick by Kagetsu and she applies an arm submission hold. Yoshiko gets to the ropes, Kagetsu flips out to the apron but Yoshiko blocks the swandive dropkick and drags Kagetsu back into the ring. Sliding lariat by Yoshiko and she hits a running senton, diving senton attempt by Yoshiko but Kagetsu moves out of the way. Kagetsu slams Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a Codebreaker. Cross armbreaker takedown by Kagetsu but Yoshiko slams her way out of it, Kagetsu charges Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a fireman’s carry slam. Short armbar by Kagetsu but Yoshiko gets into the ropes, high kick by Kagetsu and she hits a Ebisu Drop. Kagetsu picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko gets away and destroys Kagetsu with a lariat. Cover by Yoshiko and she gets the three count! Yoshiko gets two points in the tournament.

This was a short match, made even shorter by slight clipping, but I loved what I saw. They played off each other really well, with Yoshiko using her strength and Kagetsu using her speed, and the ending was great as it was such a hard hit that it was understandable that she could hold down Kagetsu long enough to get the three. I also liked that when Kagetsu blew a spot, she just moved on. You could actually see her thinking about re-doing the spot and making Yoshiko wait, which would have been silly, but changing her mind and just skipping it. Some wrestlers never learn that, I don’t mind when a wrestler missteps, it only annoys me when they immediately do the spot again. Overall about as good as a five minute match can be.  Mildly Recommended

Cherry vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

Cherry immediately gets Fujimoto to the mat, Fujimoto gets up but Cherry applies a triangle choke. Fujimoto gets a foot in the ropes and puts Cherry in a cross-arm submission, but this time it is Cherry that gets a foot on the bottom rope. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner and she hits another one, scoop slam by Fujimoto and she covers Cherry, but Cherry applies an armbreaker. Northern Lights Suplex by Cherry, she goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls her up for two. Fujimoto picks up Cherry and kicks her, they trade quick pin attempts on the mat but neither have any luck. Both wrestlers go off the ropes, Fujimoto wraps up Cherry in the Tsukadora and picks up the three count! Fujimoto wins the match and gets two points.

This match was super short but good. These little sprints are fun to watch, they work well in a tournament setting on a card with lots of matches… it wouldn’t be satisfactory on a five match card but here it didn’t feel out of place. Seeing Cherry wrestle seriously is always a treat (in DDT a lot of her matches have comedy elements) and Fujimoto was on fire as always. An easy watch between two seasoned veterans, as Fujimoto is set up well for the next round. Too short to recommend but still entertaining.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita

They charge each other right as the bell rings as Yamashita hits a lariat, Yoneyama comes back with a roll-up but Yamashita hits another lariat in the corner. Yoneyama bridges out of the pin and knees Yamashita, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Knee to the back of the head by Yoneyama, she picks up Yamashita but Yamashita hits a lariat followed by a backdrop suplex. Yamashita goes up top but Yoneyama recovers and joins her, suplexing Yamashita back to the mat. Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the diving senton, but Yamashita kicks out. Yoneyama goes all the way up this time but Yamashita gets her feet up on the senton attempt and hits a lariat for a two count. Sleeper by Yamashita but Yoneyama rolls out of it. Another lariat by Yamashita, she picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama kicks her in the head. Yamashita kicks her back but Yoneyama quickly hits the Yone-ZOU for the three count! Yoneyama wins and gets two points in the tournament.

My main issue with Yamashita is that she is a lariat spammer. I like her in tag matches where she can just hit her spots and tag out, but even in this super short match she hit more lariats than I feel like counting. Yoneyama was great here and hit everything well, but I am generally not a fan of wrestlers hitting the same move over and over as just gets old, so a skippable match overall.

DASH Chisako vs. Yuki Miyazaki

This one starts quick (or was well clipped) as Chisako hits a hurricanrana on Miyazaki and dropkicks her in the back, face crusher by Chisako and she covers Miyazaki for two. Dropkick by Chisako in the corner but Miyazaki blocks the cutter, kick to the arm by Chisako and she applies a short armbar. Miyazaki gets to the ropes but Chisako re-applies it only for Miyazaki to get to the ropes again. They trade elbows, Chisako sneaks in the cutter and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Chisako goes up top but Miyazaki avoids the footstomp and suplexes Chisako into the turnbuckles. Ebisu Drop by Miyazaki, she goes on the second turnbuckle but Chisako recovers and joins her. Frankensteiner by Chisako but Miyazaki rolls through it, quick diving footstomp by Chisako off the second turnbuckle and then from the top turnbuckle, but Miyazaki barely kicks out of the cover. Chisako goes up top a third time but Miyazaki gets her feet up and dropkicks Chisako in the head. German suplex hold by Miyazaki, but it gets a two. DDT by Miyazaki, she goes up top but Chisako avoids the moonsault and applies an inside cradle for two. Wheelbarrow suplex by Miyazaki, they both get up and Miyazaki applies a quick pin for two. Miyazaki gets on the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault, but Chisako somehow barely gets a shoulder up. Time is running out as Chisako goes for a quick pin, but Miyazaki levels her with a lariat. Tiger suplex hold by Miyazaki, but that gets a two as well. Before they do can anything else, the bell rings as the time expires. The match is a Draw, Chisako gets one point because she is the younger wrestler.

This was the best clipped in half match I have ever seen. Now I recognize with eight minutes missing that they easily could clip out the slower parts, or any awkward moments, but what they showed was just fantastic. So many big moves, the footstomps, moonsault, tiger suplex… you’d think this was a title match and not just a mid-card tournament. This is the best I have seen Miyazaki look since returning and Chisako was on point. A high end heavily clipped encounter.  Recommended

LEON vs. Mika Iida

Iida goes to shake LEON’s hand but attacks her instead, quick pin attempts by both wrestlers but neither can get three. Iida catches LEON with an armbar and then a cross armbreaker, but LEON gets a foot in the ropes. Dropkick by Iida while she is against the ropes and she hits a missile dropkick, picking up a two count. Uppercuts by Iida but LEON catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, Texas Cloverleaf by LEON but Iida gets out of it. LEON gets on the top turnbuckle and walks the ropes before dropkicking Iida, and she covers her for two. Iida goes for a quick roll-up but LEON kicks out and then slams Iida to the mat. LEON goes up top and hits a diving body press, but it gets two. After Iida tries more pin attempts without getting a three, Iida goes off the ropes but LEON decks her with a spear. Iida blocks the Capture Buster but LEON hits a heel kick, Capture Buster by LEON and she gets the three count! LEON wins and gets two points in the tournament.

While this match had some really hard hits, there wasn’t a whole lot to it. It was a short match that was slightly clipped further, and mostly was comprised of quick pin attempts with a few strikes and submission holds between. It was obviously pretty fast paced and nothing was bad about it, just not long enough to really recommend.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Ryo Mizunami

Kizuki attacks Mizunami before the match starts with elbows but Mizunami comes back with a spear, lariat by Mizunami but Kizuki rolls her up for two. Powerslam by Mizunami and she hits a quick legdrop, she goes to run off the ropes but Kizuki grabs her. Elbows by Mizunami but Kizuki bridges out of the cover and hits a running senton. Jumping lariat by Kizuki and she applies a backbreaker over her knee, German suplex hold by Kizuki but it gets two. Another jumping lariat by Kizuki and hits a German suplex, but Mizunami springs to her feet and hits a lariat. Lariat to the back by Mizunami but Kizuki sneaks in an inside cradle for a quick two. Kizuki goes off the ropes but Mizunami catches her with a lariat, Kizuki rolls up Mizunami and this time she gets the three count! Mizunami is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

This was the shortest match of the night and not long enough to get excited about. I will say though that it is nice to see Kizuki wrestling more seriously as she has been throwing in more comedy spots in her matches lately, looks like everyone is bringing their best for this tournament. Some hard hits but not enough action due to the sub-three minute time.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Misaki Ohata

Nakamori and Ohata quickly get into a strike exchange until Ohata hits a German suplex, sliding crossbody by Ohata and she hits a few more German suplexes. Nakamori comes back with kicks and hits a Shining Wizard, and she covers Ohata for two. Nakamori picks up Ohata and kicks her hard in the face, more kicks by Nakamori and she kicks Ohata against the ropes. Nakamori applies a submission hold on the mat but Ohata gets a foot on the ropes, Nakamori picks up Ohata but Ohata connects with a DDT. Ohata kicks Nakamori into the corner and hits a sliding crossbody, tornado DDT by Ohata and she covers Nakamori for a two count. Ohata goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again but this time Nakamori recovers and joins her. Elbows by Ohata and she crossbodies Nakamori down to the mat, but Nakamori hits an enzuigiri. Running kick by Nakamori and she delivers a fisherman buster for a two count cover. Nakamori picks up Ohata but Ohata hits a crucifix bomb, spinning chop by Ohata and she hits a fisherman buster for two. Ohata picks up Nakamori but Nakamori sneaks in a schoolboy. Spinning chop by Ohata, she goes off the ropes but Nakamori catches her with a high kick. Another hard kick to the head by Nakamori, and she covers Ohata for the three count! Nakamori wins the match and picks up two points in the tournament.

Surprising result, but tournaments should have surprises. I don’t think that Nakamori is a very good wrestler, she is a solid hand but not much more then that. Ohata is great, her offense is hard hitting and pretty diverse, and she keeps her matches interesting. Nakamori in her defense was really on point with some of her strikes, and with a slight clipping the match stayed intense. A pretty entertaining albeit short match.  Mildly Recommended

Sareee vs. Yumi Ohka

Sareee swats Ohka’s hand away as she is in no mood for a friendly handshake, dropkicks by Sareee and she follows those with a missile dropkick. Another missile dropkick and she hits a third, cover by Sareee but it gets two. Ohka blocks the uranage and drops Sareee onto the top rope before booting her in the face. Another boot by Ohka while Sareee is in the ropes and she kicks her a third time before mushing her into the corner. They trade boots and dropkicks, fisherman suplex hold by Sareee and she gets a two count. Ohka blocks the German and the pair trade elbows, boot by Ohka and she hits Sareee with a series of knees. Sareee comes back with mounted elbows but Ohka boots her again, she goes for another but Sareee swats her away and hits a German suplex. Ohka blocks the uranage again but Sareee rolls her up and hits a footstomp. Another dropkick by Sareee while Ohka is against the ropes but Ohka connects with a backdrop suplex. Ohka goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, she applies an armbreaker but Sareee is too close to the ropes. Kick to the head by Ohka, Sareee goes for a quick pin but Ohka blocks it. Heel drop by Ohka, she goes off the ropes but Sareee rolls her up for two. Sareee tries more quick covers with no luck, Ohka grabs Sareee and drops her with a brainbuster. Ohka goes off the ropes but Sareee catches her with an uranage, cover by Sareee but Ohka barely kicks out. Sareee goes off the ropes but Ohka hits a Chokebomb, big boot by Ohka and she gets the three count cover! Ohka wins the match and picks up two points in the tournament.

I think that Ohka is a bit limited in her move set, but in shorter type sprints it isn’t quite as bad. Sareee is just a great young wrestler, so much fire and while she throws a lot of dropkicks she also has a variety of suplexes she uses as well. It really felt like she was a going to pick up the upset at various times, and even though she wasn’t able to, she put on a solid performance in the main event at Korakuen Hall. I wouldn’t have minded if it went a little longer and it was slightly clipped, but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Mildly Recommended

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Event: Hikaru Shida Produce “The 3rd Synopsium Of Mythology ~ Sublimation & Universality”
Date: May 1st, 2016
Location: Nishi Kumin Center in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 234

Occasionally I like to take a step out of the normal world of Joshi and into the dark underbelly, where wrestlers put on their own unique shows that fit their own tastes. Hikaru Shida is a Freelancer that occasionally enjoys putting on her own events, then invites all her friends to have unusual matches you’d never see anywhere else. This line-up definitely fits that description. Here is the full card:

• Kagetsu and Mika Iida vs. Koharu Hinata and Rina Yamashita
• Hibiscus Mii vs. Yako Fujigasaki and Hiroto Okubo vs. TORU
• Gabaiji-chan vs. Manami Toyota
• Aoi Kizuki vs. Syuri
• Hikaru Shida, Jun Kasai, and Toru Owashi vs. Sawako Shimono, Magnitude Kishiwada, and Tadasuke

I realize these shows are not as well known but dammit someone has to review them so it may as well be me. I don’t have a lot of the profiles for the above wrestlers on Joshi City but the ones I do are active links if you want to know a bit more about the Joshi wrestlers.

Kagetsu and Mika Iida vs. Koharu Hinata and Rina Yamashita

Yamashita and Iida start for their teams and trade some quick holds, big shoulderblock by Yamashita and Hinata jumps on her back to help Yamashita hit a double kneedrop. Yamashita tags in Hinata, elbows by Hinata to Iida but Iida returns the favor. Iida bounces Hinata around the ring and throws her down by the hair, cover by Iida but it gets two. Iida tags Kagetsu and Kagetsu kicks Hinata in the back, Yamashita runs in to help but Iida tosses her out of the ring. Kagetsu puts Hinata in the ropes and chops her before hitting a dropkick, running elbow by Kagetsu but Hinata fights back with elbows. Kagetsu knocks Hinata back to the mat but Hinata hops up and hits a spinning headscissors. This gives her time to tag Yamashita, Iida comes in too but Yamashita shoulderblocks both of them down. Kagetsu and Yamashita trade elbows, Kagetsu springboards up to the top trope and knocks over Yamashita with a missile dropkick.

Running elbow by Kagetsu in the corner but Yamashita hits a hard knee followed by a kick to the head for a two count cover. Kagetsu catches Yamashita with a dropkick and tags in Iida, Iida throws Yamashita in the corner and hits a running uppercut. More uppercuts by Iida but Yamashita hits a lariat followed by a backdrop suplex. Yamashita tags in Hinata, Hinata gets on the top turnbuckle and goes for a diving crossbody on Iida, but Iida moves and Yamashita catches her. Yamashita throws Hinata at Kagetsu, Hinata grabs Iida but she eats an uppercut. Hinata kicks Iida and delivers a tornado DDT, she goes up top and hits the diving crossbody for a two count. Hinata goes for a bodyscissors roll-up by Iida blocks it and applies an abdominal stretch. Dropkick by Iida and she puts Hinata in a cross armbreaker, but Hinata makes it to the ropes. Iida dropkicks Hinata and hits a fisherman suplex hold, but Yamashita breaks up the cover. Hinata sneaks in a few quick pins with no luck, Iida finally blocks one and puts Hinata in the Mudo, Hinata struggles but has no choice but to submit! Iida and Kagetsu are the winners.

A perfectly acceptable opener, even if it didn’t do anything overly memorable. Everything was pretty smooth here, which I wasn’t sure would happen with Hinata in there (Hinata is young and adorable, but still honing her skills). I was hoping with Kagetsu and Iida in there they would do something a bit more special but it stayed pretty mellow throughout. Not a bad way to start but pretty forgettable.

Hibiscus Mii vs. Yako Fujigasaki
TORU vs. Hiroto Okubo

All four wrestlers begin the match in the ring and tie-up, but they all end up knocking each other over. Even though it appears to be two singles matches, they are also interacting with each other randomly as well, just to make it more confusing. Mii gets Fujigasaki in a submission while TORU does the same to Okubo, and they both cover their opponents for two. TORU dropkicks Okubo out of the ring, he goes to do a dive but at that moment Mii suplexes Fujigasaki in his path and he trips. Mii kicks TORU for getting in her way before hitting a sliding kick on Fujigasaki, Mii wants to do a dive but Okubo puts TORU in a submission hold in her way. He slowly inches out of her way, Fujigasaki and Okubo attack their opponents in opposite corners and Fujigasaki attacks both TORU and Fujigasaki, but then Fujigasaki and Okubo start to fight. This allows Mii and TORU time to recover, and they roll up their opponents as both get a three count! Mii and TORU are your respective winners.

I don’t have a lot to say about this weird little match. There were some cute spots with both ‘matches’ interacting with each other, but besides that it was just a few minutes of strike battles before a quick ending. Very unique but still safe to skip.

Gabaiji-chan vs. Manami Toyota

As you probably guess, this match is pretty much all shtick and takes several minutes to get going. Gabaiji-chan gets the advantage over Toyota and hits her with his cane, but it doesn’t as long as he is old and tripped. Toyota puts Gabaiji-chan in the Muta Lock but Gabaiji-chan gets his cane on the ropes to break the hold. Gabaiji-chan slowly gets to the top rope, he grabs Toyota’s arm and slowly walks the ropes but Toyota knocks his cane away and he crotches himself on the top rope. Gabaiji-chan drops his cane however and suddenly wrestles with the ability of a young man, as he hits a dropkick followed by a swandive crossbody for a two count. Gabaiji-chan goes for a chokeslam but Toyota elbows out of it, Toyota kicks Gabaiji-chan into the corner and he grabs his cane which kills his youth again. Toyota gets Gabaiji-chan on her shoulders but Gabaiji-chan catches his cane on the top rope to block the hold. Toyota goes up top but Gabaiji-chan holds his cane up so that Toyota can’t hit the moonsault. Gabaiji-chan tries to hit Toyota with his cane but Toyota blocks it and kicks Gabaiji-chan. Gabaiji-chan’s cane is knocked away from him, allowing him to hit Toyota with a chokeslam. Gabaiji-chan goes up to the top turnbuckle but Toyota rolls out of the way of the somersault senton. Gabaiji-chan slides away from Toyota but he hurts his back when he tries to pick her up. Toyota gets Gabaiji-chan on her shoulders and hits the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the three count! Toyota is the winner.

Like the last match, this was just about what you’d expect it to be, but Toyota played along and it did have some funny spots. Gabaiji-chan is a good character and is an entertaining act, but purely as a midcard type of act of course as there isn’t much more you can do it with. Toyota was fun as well, overall not a bad watch but clearly just a comedy match.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Syuri

After Syuri gets Kizuki to the mat with a headlock, Syuri puts Kizuki in a wristlock but Kizuki reverses it. Kizuki boots down Syuri in the corner and hits a series of chops before putting Syuri in a camel clutch. She then puts Syuri in a stretch hold but Syuri comes back with a Backstabber and stomps on Kizuki on the mat. Kicks by Syuri to the chest and back, but Kizuki hits a crossbody for two. Mongolian Chops by Kizuki and she hits a series of running sentons, but Syuri avoids one and kicks Kizuki into the corner. Jumping knee by Syuri and she hits a double arm suplex for a two count. Cross armbreaker by Syuri but Kizuki gets a foot on the rope, back up Kizuki regains control and puts Syuri in a backbreaker. Kizuki goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, but Syuri kicks out of the cover. Knees by Syuri but Kizuki hits a jumping lariat, suplex by Kizuki and she gets a two count.

Kizuki goes up top and delivers the swivel body press, but Syuri gets a shoulder up. Syuri snaps off a German suplex but Kizuki gets up and hits a German suplex of her own. Jumping lariat by Kizuki but Syuri returns with a jumping knee, Syuri takes down Kizuki and puts her in a seated armbar. Back on their feet they trade elbows, kick by Syuri and she drops Kizuki with a knee lift. Kizuki hits a quick German suplex hold for two, Kizuki sneaks in a series of quick pinfalls but Syuri kicks out each time. Kizuki goes off the ropes but Syuri catches her with a high kick. After trading pin attempts, Kizuki goes for a crossbody but Syuri rolls through it. Jumping knee by Syuri and she hits a German suplex hold, but Kizuki kicks out. Kicks by Syuri but Kizuki catches one and hits a dragon screw, inside cradle by Syuri but it gets a two count. Jumping lariat by Kizuki but Syuri hits a high kick as the bell rings, signifying time has expired. The match is a Draw.

The best match of the night so far, although I don’t think it reached its full potential. I am not really sure what happened to Kizuki as I was enjoying her a lot more last year, she seems to have slipped down a bit into silly offense so it was hard to take her as a serious threat to Syuri. Syuri was great of course but even this felt like a toned down version of Syuri as she didn’t hit as much of her signature offense. It just felt oddly flat, even though much of the action flowed nicely. A good match but a step below what I would hope to see from Syuri, overall solid but nothing more than that.  Mildly Recommended

Hikaru Shida, Kasai, and Owashi vs. Shimono, Kishiwada, and Tadasuke

Shida begins the match against KISHIWADA AKA BIG BOSS MA-G-MA and I am already excited. They trade chops, which Kishiwada gets the better of, Shida goes for a hip attack but Kishiwada doesn’t budge. Kishiwada throws Shida to her corner so she can tag in someone else, and Kasai comes in as the legal wrestler. Tadasuke tags in too, he runs the ropes with Kasai but neither gets an advantage so they tag in Shimono and Owashi. Owashi taunts Shimono so Shimono stomps on his foot, drop toehold by Shimono and she shoulderblocks Owashi to the mat. She can’t slam him though, as Owashi lands on top of her, which gives him a chance to tag in Kasai. Kasai drops Shimono with a piledriver and tags in Shida, backbreakers by Shida to Shimono and she puts her in a crab hold but Shimono crawls to the ropes to break it up.

Shida puts Shimono on her shoulders and spins her down into a backbreaker, but the cover is broken up. Shida’s teammates come into the ring to help, as do Gabaiji-chan and Toyota, but Gabaiji-chan takes so long to do an attack that Shimono recovers and tosses all of them one by one. The action spills out of the ring (with Gabaiji-chan still alone in it), but they eventually return with Shida being stomped by Kishiwada and Tadasuke. Kishiwada hits a body avalanche in the corner before hitting a suplex, he tags in Shimono who continues the beatdown. Team Kishiwada take turns tagging in as Shida is the Face in Peril on her own show, Kasai comes in to help but Shimono takes care of him. Kishiwada goes for a suplex by Shida blocks it and hits a vertical suplex of her own. Hip attack by Shida and she tags in Owashi, Tadasuke tags in too but Owashi drops him with a dragon screw.

Tadasuke comes back with a vertical suplex, Kishiwada and Kasai are tagged in and they trade lariats with neither wrestler going down. Kasai finally wins that battle but Kishiwada gets back up and lariats Kasai to the mat. They tag in Shimono and Shida, enzuigiri by Shida but Shimono knocks her to the mat and hits a seated senton for two. Kishiwada and Tadasuke come in the ring and Tadasuke rocks Shida with a hart lariat. Brainbuster by Kishiwada to Shida, but Shida gets a shoulder up on the cover. Fire Thunder Driver by Kishiwada, but this time the cover is broken up. Kishiwada hits a moonsault off the second turnbuckle, he picks up Shida but she reverses the powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana. Shida is triple teamed in the corner but her teammates come in and help clear the ring. Hip attack by Shida to Shimono, Kasai goes up top and hits the Pearl Harbor Splash, but the group pin is broken up. Shida sits up Shimono and hits a running knee, but Shimono reverses the cover into her own two count. Shida slams Shimono to the mat but Shimono sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Jumping knee by Shida and she drops Shimono with a Falcon Arrow. Three Count by Shida, and she gets the victory!

Well this was certainly quite the spectacle. The best thing about cards like these is the random assortment of wrestlers. The chances of getting a ‘five star match’ on a produced show are slim to none, but you get fun stuff like this. Shida and Kishiwada are two of my favorites so I enjoyed watching them mix it up quite a bit. Everyone got in a bit of a chance to shine, however I still would have preferred the match just be a two on two match as until the end there weren’t any longer segments so two wrestlers could get a real rhythm together. I enjoyed it for the uniqueness and getting to see Shida in a different environment, but not exactly a must see.  Recommended

The post Hikaru Shida “3rd Synopsium of Mythology” on 5/1/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Since I seem to be on a roll doing smaller non-Stardom events, lets take a look at Daijo, also known as Osaka Joshi Pro. Daijo is a very small promotion that mostly runs in Osaka (as the name of the promotion implies), and only has a handful of affiliated wrestlers. No title matches on this event as Daijo has none of its own titles, here is the full card:

• Hiroe Nagahama vs. Misaki Glico
• Police Woman and Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Kuroneko and Nyanber
• Fairy Nipponbashi vs. Mei Lee vs. Yuu Yamagata
• Mari Anne vs. Misaki Ohata
• Kaho Kobayashi and Rina Yamashita vs. Ryo Mizunami and Sawako Shimono

You can click on the names above to to to the wrestler’s profile, if I have one on the site for them. This event was taped from a hard cam, so some of the action may be hard to see. I won’t pretend that Daijo is my favorite promotion but they have some solid wrestlers,  I don’t want to completely neglect the promotion as you never know what hidden gem you may find on these smaller shows.

Hiroe Nagahama vs. Misaki Glico

Nagahama scores the first move of the match with a dropkick, but Glico recovers and they trade elbows. Glico dropkicks Nagahama back and hits a scoop slam before putting Nagahama in a submission hold. Nagahama manages to switch positions with her and returns the favor, back up Glico goes off the ropes and delivers a sliding kick. Running elbow by Glico in the corner but Nagahama comes back with a dropkick. More dropkicks by Nagahama and she puts Glico in a crab hold, but Glico crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Nagahama dropkicks Glico in the corner and hits a suplex, cover by Nagahama but it gets two. Glico awkwardly gets Nagahama to the mat and applies leg trap chinlock, she gets Nagahama against the ropes and nails a running low dropkick. Rolling Fisherman suplexes by Glico and she goes off the ropes, but Nagahama tosses her to the mat. They trade quick pin attempts, Glico gets the European Clutch applied and she picks up the three count! Misaki Glico wins the match.

While Nagahama has shown some promise, she is still a bit awkward in some key areas. For example her transitions are a bit shaky and she doesn’t always hit her moves as snug as she should. Which is why she is still opening cards, generally in Joshi you move up the card when you are ready and Nagahama isn’t quite ready. Ohata was solid, I love the dropkick against the ropes, but even some of her regular moves didn’t look quite right. While normally I recommend Ohata matches, this isn’t one that needs to be sought out.

Police Woman and Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru vs. Kuroneko and Nyanber

I sometimes struggle with saying what is going on in the ring during comedy matches as it is generally just silly fluff but I will do my best. The only good thing here is that none of the wrestlers are ‘serious’ wrestlers so there isn’t any false pretense that its going to be a legitimate match. After some dancing we get down to business with Kuroneko and Police Woman, hurricanrana by Police Woman but Kuroneko returns the favor and both women return to their feet. Nyanber and Ranmaru are tagged in and do some comedy shtick before Police Woman is tagged back in. Police Woman gets the better of Nyanber and gets a luggage case, and all four wrestlers toss it around to each other until Police Woman is hit with it. Nyanber is put in the ropes but Kuroneko pushes both opponents out of the ring.

Kuroneko goes up top but Nyanber keeps holding their opponents facing the wrong corner so she can’t dive out. Kuroneko and Ranmaru return to the ring and Ranmaru puts Kuroneko in a submission hold, but it is quickly broken up. Ranmaru is double teamed but Police Woman lariats both Kuroneko and Nyanber. Police Woman goes up top and tries to drop the luggage on Kuroneko, but she moves out of the way. Lou Thesz Press by Kuroneko, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody but Ranmaru breaks up the cover. RAINMAKER by Nyanber, but the pin is broken up. Nyanber and Kuroneko hit a double vertical suplex, everyone but Police Woman is tagged in the corner but all three end up hitting moves on her instead. Ranmaru throws Kuroneko to the mat and kicks Nyanber, Run Magistral by Ranmaru and she gets the three count! Police Woman and Kyusei Ninja Ranmaru win!

This was not the worst thing I have ever watched! So there is that. Some of the wrestling was solid and the comedy wasn’t overly excessive, so that is a plus. I am not sure if any of these wrestlers are particularly great in-ring wrestlers, it is hard to tell since they all wrestle in gimmick, although Kuroneko seemed to be the best of the bunch. Nothing exciting but it was vaguely watchable.

Fairy Nipponbashi vs. Mei Lee vs. Yuu Yamagata

This is going to be even more silly than the last match, between it being a triple threat and having two comedy wrestlers. They dance around to start with Yamagata being the only one doing any real offense. Yamagata punches Lee but Nipponbashi breaks up the cover, she gets out the wand and flings the referee to the mat. Yamagata gets the wand but it doesn’t work for her so she hits Lee with it instead. They all get some papers and read them, and no I don’t know what is going on. This goes on for several minutes. It finally ends and Lee is kicked by both her opponents, Nipponbashi rolls up Yamagata but Lee breaks up the cover. Yamagata boots Nipponbashi in the head and puts Lee in a facelock, and Lee quickly submits! Yamagata wins.

I will admit that a match like this isn’t designed for me, as half of it was a skit and the other half was comedy or things generally not entertaining. It probably isn’t designed for you either so just skip it.

Mari Anne vs. Misaki Ohata

Ohata and Anne start with waistlocks and wristlocks, dropkick by Ohata and throws Anne down by her hair. Ohata throws down Anne by her hair a couple more times, she puts Anne in the ropes and rakes on her face. Scoop slam by Ohata and she puts Anne in a crab hold, but Anne gets to the ropes. Ohata stretches Anne before hitting a curb stomp, cover by Ohata but it gets two. Anne finally makes a comeback with a couple dropkicks, but Ohata dropkicks her back. Ohata puts Anne back in a submission hold, she goes up top but Anne ducks the diving crossbody. Dropkick by Anne but Ohata blocks the scoop slam. Dropkick by Anne and she hits a few more, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Anne picks up Ohata but Ohata knees her off and hits a sliding crossbody in the corner for two. Ohata picks up Anne but Anne sneaks in a backslide for a two count. Anne tries a few more quick pins with no luck, she goes off the ropes but Ohata catches her with an elbow smash. Sliding crossbody by Ohata but Anne reverses it into a two count cover. Double back drop to the face by Ohata, she goes up top and she nails the diving body press for the three count! Ohata wins the match.

This would have been the perfect opener, as the less experienced Anne tries to overcome the veteran and superior Ohata. But as a match this late on the card it didn’t make a ton of sense, as it was a pretty basic match. Ohata hit some of her big moves, I love all the different ways she does crossbodies, but that wasn’t enough to really make up for the fact much of the action was pretty flat. It wasn’t a bad match, certainly the best on the card so far, but it still was only barely solid at best.

Kaho Kobayashi and Rina Yamashita vs. Ryo Mizunami and Sawako Shimono

Kobayashi and Yamashita charge their opponents to start as they isolate Shimono and double team her. Shimono fights them both off and slams Kobayashi before putting her in a crab hold. Shimono puts Kobayashi in a surfboard and covers her, but Yamashita breaks it up. Shimono tags Mizunami and she elbows Kobayashi hard in the face. Yamashita comes in but Shimono promptly throws her out of the ring, Mizunami picks up Kobayashi and takes her to the mat. Mizunami tags Shimono but Yamashita runs in to assist, Shimono knocks Yamashita back and goes back to beating on Kobayashi. Shimono tags Mizunami and slams Kobayashi and hits a leg drop, cover by Mizunami but she only gets two. Hard shoulderblocks by Mizunami and she puts Kobayashi in a camel clutch, she then throws Kobayashi in the corner and hits a lariat. Shimono comes in and hits a jumping knee, Mizunami then tags Shimono in but Kobayashi sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Kobayashi dropkicks Shimono and makes the hot tag to Yamashita, Mizunami comes in but Yamashita suplexes both of them. Yamashita kicks Shimono in the chest and lariats her in the corner, but Shimono comes back with a body avalanche. Yamashita and Shimono trade elbows, judo throw by Shimono but Yamashita avoids the seated senton. Yamashita puts Shimono in a sleeper but its quickly broken up, Mizunami and Shimono take turns lariating Yamashita before Mizunami hits a jumping leg drop. High speed leg drops by Mizunami and she covers Yamashita for two.

Yamashita and Mizunami trade shoulderblock attempts with Yamashita eventually winning, lariat by Yamashita and she covers Mizunami for a two count. Backdrop suplex by Yamashita and she tags in Kobayashi. Dropkicks by Kobayashi in the corner and she elbows Mizunami, Kobayashi slides out to the apron and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Mizunami blocks the fisherman suplex and powerslams Kobayashi, picking up a two count. Jumping leg lariat by Mizunami and she spears Kobayashi, but Yamashita breaks up the cover. Mizunami tags Shimono and she shoulderblocks Kobayashi, she sets her up in the corner and hits a lariat. Shimono slams Kobayashi to the mat, she picks her up and hits a Samoan Drop for two. Mizunami lariats Kobayashi but Yamashita breaks up Shimono’s cover. Samoan Drop by Shimono, she goes up top but Yamashita runs in and superplexes Shimono off the top. She then lariats Mizunami, enzuigiri by Kobayashi and she hits the Fisherman Suplex Hold for a two count. Kobayashi goes for the 120% Schoolboy but Shimono blocks it, elbow by Mizunami and Shimono hits a pump handle slam for a two count. Shimono picks up Kobayashi but Kobayashi applies the 120% Schoolboy. Mizunami breaks it up, TKO by Shimono on Kobayashi but Yamashita breaks up the pin. Hurricanrana by Kobayashi to Shimono, she goes off the ropes but Shimono hits a lariat for two. Shimono goes off the ropes but Yamashita lariats her, 120% Schoolboy by Kobayashi and she gets the three count! Kobayashi and Yamashita win!

A really good match, hurt more by the unmanned far away hard camera than anything else. All four of these wrestlers can go, Yamashita is the most limited but she works well in tag team matches. Kobayashi is a great face in peril, she is itty bitty so takes everything well but the crowd gets behind her when she makes her comebacks. Plus she has a nice bridge. I thought everything clicked here really well and it went the perfect amount of time as it never dragged and never felt excessive. Wish the camera work was better but still a great match.  Recommended

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It is JWP time! JWP is not nearly as big as it was back in the heyday of Joshi but it is still plugging along and has some quality wrestlers. This event starts their annual Tag League The Best Tournament, a single elimination tournament this year that has been a tradition in Joshi for decades. Off and on. Anyway here is the full card (wrestlers with profiles on this site are clickable if you need more information on the wrestler):

• Cat Power and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Kagetsu and Sawako Shimono
• JWP Tag League The Best Round 1: Akane Fujita and Leon vs. Konami and Syuri
• JWP Tag League The Best Round 1: KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee
• Command Bolshoi and Makoto vs. Kyoko Kimura and Hanako Nakamori
• Arisa Nakajima vs. Rabbit Miu

All the matches got time so let’s see if any delivered.

Cat Power and Yako Fujigasaki vs. Kagetsu and Sawako Shimono

Kagetsu and Fujigasaki start off but Cat Power quickly comes in and Kagetsu is double teamed. Shimono joins her partner and they get the upper hand temporarily, but it doesn’t last long. Fujigasaki is double teamed again, Kagetsu kicks her in the back and tags in Shimono. Shimono puts Fujigasaki in a surfboard before tagging Kagetsu back in, scoop slam by Kagetsu and she covers Fujigasaki for two. Shimono comes back in as Fujigasaki is double teamed again while Cat Power watches from the apron, but she finally hits Kagetsu and Fujigasaki hits a missile dropkick for a two count. She tags in Cat Power as Shimono comes in too, but Cat Power lariats both of them. Lariat by Cat Power on Kagetsu, she picks up Kagetsu and hits a scoop slam. Elbow drop by Cat Power but Kagetsu fires back with a spear. She tags Shimono, lariat by Shimono in the corner but she can’t knock over Cat Power with shoulderblocks. She finally sends her to the mat but Cat Power slides away from her and applies a sleeper.

Shimono gets out of it but Cat Power kicks her in the chest. Superman Punch by Cat Power and she tags in Fujigasaki. Missile dropkick by Fujigasaki and she hits another one, covering Shimono for two. Shimono knees Fujigasaki but Fujigasaki hits a hard elbow followed by a double wrist suplex for a two count. Cat Power comes in and slams Shimono, diving body press by Fujigasaki but it gets a two count. Shimono is sent off the ropes but Kagetsu comes in with a double swandive missile dropkick on both opponents. Shimono and Kagetsu both elbow Fujigasaki, Samoan Drop by Shimono but it gets two. Cat Power tries to help but she lariats Fujigasaki by mistake, lariat by Shimono to Fujigasaki and she gets a two count cover. Fujigasaki sneaks in a backslide and a wing clutch hold cover, but neither can keep Shimono down. Fujigasaki goes off the ropes but Shimono catches her with a lariat, Kagetsu kicks Fujigasaki in the head and Shimono drops her with a Ebisu Drop for the three count! Kagetsu and Shimono win!

It is nice when promotions don’t have short meaningless openers but get straight to it with a well-structured match that gets a decent amount of time. This won’t rock anyone’s world but it was perfectly watchable and never slowed down throughout. Kagetsu was the standout here, which is no surprise, but no one really lagged behind even if not all of it was perfectly fluid. A straightforward and decent opener.

Akane Fujita and Leon vs. Konami and Syuri

Fujita and Konami are the first two in and start politely, but Syuri kicks Fujita from the apron and helps Konami kick Fujita around the ring. Fujita shoulderblocks Syuri as Leon comes in, and they both hit somersault sentons on Konami. Fujita tags Leon, Leon stomps Konami and applies a stretch hold on the mat.  Konami gets out of it and tags Syuri, Syuri grapples with Leon, scoop slam by Leon and she tags Fujita. Syuri quickly hits a Backstabber and tags Konami, kicks by Konami and she hits a PK for a two count cover. Fujita blocks a suplex and slams Konami, but Konami jumps on her back with a sleeper. Schoolboy by Konami, but Fujita kicks out.Elbow by Konami but Fujita catches her with a suplex and tags Leon. Running shoulder tackle by Leon in the corner, Konami comes back with kicks but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crab hold by Leon but Syuri breaks it up, Konami gets Leon down and goes for the armbreaker but Leon blocks it. Leon tries to powerbomb out of the hold but Syuri pushes her over to help Konami lock it in, which Fujita quickly breaks up. Konami tags Syuri and Syuri kicks Leon repeatedly in the chest before hitting a jumping knee.

Single arm suplex by Syuri and she goes for a cross breaker, but Leon scoots to the ropes to force a break. Syuri goes to kick Leon but Leon moves, Fujita comes in and helps Leon hit a missile dropkick for two. Knee by Syuri but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Leon goes up top and nails a Frog Splash, but Konami breaks up the cover. Knees by Leon but Syuri blocks the Capture Buster and hits a jumping knee. Leon falls in her corner and tags Fujita, shoulderblocks by Fujita  and she hits a powerslam. Chop to the chest by Fujita and she applies a crab hold while Leon does the same to Konami but Syuri gets to the ropes. Syuri and Fujita trade elbows, running knee by Syuri but Fujita barely kicks out. Knee by Syuri to Fujita and she kicks her with Konami, but the cover gets two again. German suplex by Syuri, she goes for another one but Leon runs in with a spear. Michinoku Driver by Fujita, but she gets a two count. Fujita goes off the ropes but Syuri catches her with a high kick, Leon comes in but she gets one too. Buzzsaw Kick by Syuri, and she gets the three count! Syuri and Konami win the match and move on in the tournament.

This was fun, I liked it. The “good” about this match is the general presence of Syuri and just how smooth and snug she is with everything, she elevates just about any match she is in, but everyone here held their own. There was constantly something going on, moves were either being reversed or teammates were running in, which kept he pace at almost a fever pitch at times. That worked to the match’s detriment as well as there wasn’t a lot of structure, a lot of the time it was just random move after random move. Still an enjoyable watch though.  Mildly Recommended

KAZUKI and Rydeen Hagane vs. Meiko Tanaka and Sareee

We start with Tanaka and Hagane, and Hagane promptly starts tossing Tanaka around the ring. Sareee kicks Hagane from the apron to help and Hagane is double teamed until KAZUKI makes the save. KAZUKI and Hagane take turns dropping knees on Tanaka, KAZUKI stays in as legal and puts Tanaka in a crab hold. Tanaka reaches the ropes, backdrop suplex by KAZUKI and she applies a bodyscissors. Tanaka bites KAZUKI’s foot to get out of it and tags Sareee, but KAZUKI elbows Sareee hard to the mat. She tags Hagane but Sareee slips away and applies a grounded front necklock. Hagane helps KAZUKI out of the situation but Tanaka comes in and KAZUKI is double teamed. Sareee sneaks in a roll-up for two, kick by Sareee but KAZUKI connects with a few knees before dropping Sareee with a double underhook lift into a gutbuster. She tags Hagane, Hagane picks up Sareee and delivers a military press slam for two. Sareee slides away from Hagane and hits a roll-up into a footstomp, but Hagane slams her again to the mat. Dropkick by Sareee and she connects with a second one, German suplex by Sareee and she tags Tanaka.

Tanaka tries to knock over Hagane with no luck, Hagane shoulderblocks Tanaka to the mat but Tanaka applies a sleeper. Lariats by Hagane in the corner and she hits a Reverse Splash, but Tanaka barely gets a shoulder up. Drop toehold by Tanaka, Sareee runs in and they both dropkick Hagane. Both then hit missile dropkicks, spear by Tanaka and Sareee goes up top to hit an assisted somersault senton. Tanaka goes up and they do the same thing, cover by Tanaka but KAZUKI barely breaks it up. Hagane fights back with a lariat on Tanaka and tags KAZUKI, but Tanaka picks up KAZUKI and hits a fireman’s carry roll. Tanaka goes up top and hits a dropkick after Sareee suplexes KAZUKI, but KAZUKI hits a double Codebreaker. Somato by KAZUKI to Tanaka, Hagane returns as they focus on Sareee, knocking her to the mat. Tanaka goes for a double spear but it is blocked, and they put her in a double Argentine Backbreaker. Sareee breaks it up but the Diana wrestlers are stacked in the corner before KAZUKI hits a double kneedrop. KAZUKI grabs Tanaka and delivers the Death-By-Roderick, getting the three count! Hagane and KAZUKI win the match and enter the next round in the tournament.

A much more traditional tag match than the last one. The first half followed the normal tag formula of isolating the weakest opponent, Tanaka in this case, until the hot tag happened and after that it turned more into what you’d expect from a Joshi tag. That being of course fast paced, lots of teammate assistance, and general chaos. I thought it worked since Tanaka was the natural one to target, and the big vs. little dynamic worked well here since Hagane really does carry herself as a monster wrestler even though she isn’t much bigger than her opponents. Overall a solid tag team match.  Mildly Recommended

Command Bolshoi and Makoto vs. Kyoko Kimura and Hanako Nakamori

Makoto and Nakamori begin, as Nakamori throws Makoto around like a child. She tags Bolshoi so Kimura also tags in, they grapple on the mat but neither gets an advantage. Both tag out again as we go back to the first pairing, kicks by Nakamori and she hits a leg drop. More kicks by Nakamori and she tags Kimura as the beatdown on Makoto is under way. as Kimura has no sympathy on Makoto. Nakamori kicks Makoto while she is twisted in the ropes, but Makoto hits a big boot on Nakamori and tags Bolshoi. Bolshoi palm strikes Nakamori and applies an ankle hold, but Kimura comes in and puts her in a sleeper. Makoto joins them and puts Kimura in a sleeper but Nakamori does the same to her. Bolshoi fights off both Kimura and Nakamori, but she goes down to a missile dropkick by Nakamori. Kimura is tagged in and Bolshoi applies an armbreaker over the ropes, she rolls Kimura back in and applies a grounded necklock.

Kimura reverses it into a kimura lock but Bolshoi reverses it back. Kimura boots Bolshoi but Bolshoi fights back and they trade blows. Bolshoi wins the exchange, she picks up Kimura but Kimura snaps off a backdrop suplex. Nakamori and Makoto are both tagged in, backdrop suplex by Nakamori but Makoto nails a big kick. Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and Makoto applies a double underhook suplex for a two count cover. Makoto goes up top but Nakamori avoids the crossbody, they trade quick pin attempts but they are broken up. Kimura headbutts Makoto and hits a chokebomb, Nakamori goes up top and she hits a diving knee strike but Bolshoi breaks up the cover. Nakamori knees Makoto and rolls her up but the pin is broken up again. Makoto goes on a spearing spree and hits a cartwheel kneedrop on Nakamori, but Kimura breaks up the cover. Kick to the head by Nakamori, she picks up Makoto but Makoto sneaks in a schoolboy. Another quick pin doesn’t work, and the bell rings signifying that time has expired. The match is a Draw.

My opinion of non-tournament draws is well documented, I don’t like them unless there is a storyline reason for it which there wasn’t here. This is a small event in front of 190 people, someone can take a fall to give the match a more satisfying conclusion, it wouldn’t hurt any of the wrestlers. Anyway this wasn’t bad but it took awhile to get going. The last three minutes or so were fast paced and flowed really well and there was some solid action here, but overall it was ‘just another match’ with nothing memorable.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Rabbit Miu

Miu immediately proves my point as she dropkicks Nakajima as her name is announced, starting the match with a bang. Miu even has a new outfit I haven’t seen before, perhaps showing her new serious side, but Nakajima quickly suplexes her and dropkicks Miu out of the ring. That was a fun burst while it lasted. Back in things slow down a bit as they go to the mat, Nakajima gets a sleeper applied but they roll into the ropes to force Nakajima to release her. Nakajima flings around Miu by her hair and goes for the sleeper again but Miu gets out of it, Nakajima gets an armbreaker applied but again Miu wiggles out of the hold. Elbows by Miu and now she is the one doing the hair throwing, but Nakajima hits a knee in the corner. She misses the next one and Miu dumps Nakajima out of the ring, she goes up to the top turnbuckle and dives out out of the ring, but she misses Nakajima. Nakajima takes full advantage and beats Miu with chairs before putting a chair on her head and standing on it. Nakajima then gets on the apron, tosses a chair to Miu and then dropkicks it into her face.

Nakajima is no longer messing around, they return to the ring and Nakajima hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakajima boots Miu some more, Miu fights back with elbows and she knocks down Nakajima with a dropkick. Miu goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, roll-up by Miu but it gets two. More elbows by Miu, Nakajima goes for a suplex but Miu lands on her feet and hits a trio of German suplexes of her own. Miu goes for a roll-up hurricanrana but Nakajima counters it with a powerbomb. Back up they trade elbows, Miu goes off the ropes but Nakajima catches her with a bridging fallaway slam for a two count. Rolling Germans by Nakajima, she picks up Miu and hits a high knee. Running knee by Nakajima, she goes up top but Miu joins her and hits a superplex. Knees by Miu and she nails the Rabbit Suplex but Nakajima barely gets a shoulder up. Miu elbows Nakajima but Nakajima elbows her back and sends Miu to the mat. Package German by Nakajima, but Miu kicks out at two. Dragon suplex hold by Nakajima, and she gets the three count! Arisa Nakajima is the winner.

A really good match, hurt more by the fact there was just one camera in the back filming than anything else. Most the action outside the ring was missed, which was a pivotal part of the match, and strikes just don’t have the same impact from so far away. I did like that Nakajima gave Miu everything here, Miu had several chances to win and hung tough with Nakajima, never looking out of her league. So even in defeat this will only help Miu, and certainly not hurt her. Very fluid match and nothing felt wasted, the 15 minutes went by quickly. I also loved how vicious Nakajima was being, this wasn’t a feel-good type of match, the veteran was really laying in the shots and it was great. A fun match and a fitting main event for the show, definitely worth watching for a fan of JWP or Joshi in general.  Recommended

The post JWP Recapture: Tag Tournament on January 31, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: JWP Junior Championship, Princess Of Pro Wrestling Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• July 7th, 2011 vs. Kagetsu
• August 6th, 2012 vs. Syuri

Signature Moves:

• Raideen Drop
• Tackle

In Action:

Coming Soon

Back to Inactive Wrestlers

The post Sawako Shimono appeared first on Joshi City.