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

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

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

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

Kyoko Kimura and Sareee vs. Alex Lee and Chikayo Nagashima

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

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

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

Ray and Sakura Hirota vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Santana Garrett

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

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

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

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

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

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Momo Watanabe

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

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Hiromi Mimura

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

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Kris Wolf

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

Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Io Shirai

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

Io Shirai vs. Mika Iwata

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

Io Shirai vs. Sendai Sachiko

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

Meiko Satomura vs. Kairi Hojo

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

DASH Chisako vs. Mayu Iwatani

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

Mayu Iwatani vs. Cassandra Miyagi

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

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

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

Championships Held: Sendai Girls’ World Tag Team Championship, JWP Tag Team/Daily Sports Tag Team Championship, WWWD World Tag Team Championship, and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship
Tournaments Won: JWP Tag League the Best (2013), Jaja Uma Tournament (2009)
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• February 1st, 2009 vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
• September 24th, 2011 with DASH Chisako vs. Manami Toyota and Tsukushi
• December 15th, 2013 with DASH Chisako vs. Leon and Ray
• September 23rd, 2015 with DASH Chisako vs. Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani
• October 11th, 2015 with DASH Chisako vs. Kyoko Kimura and Takumi Iroha
• November 15th, 2015 vs. Io Shirai

Signature Moves:

• Assisted Shiranui
• DDT
• German Suplex Hold
• Moonsault

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Retired Wrestlers

The post Sendai Sachiko appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ayako Sato and Hanako Kobayashi vs. Ray and Misaki Ohata

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

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

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

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

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

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

Misae Genki vs. Yuki Miyazaki

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

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

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

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

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

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

Noriyo Tateno vs. Takako Inoue

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome to the first review for Sendai Girls’ in 2016! This is a special event, not just for me but hopefully for the millions of other Joshi fans around the world as well.  The big match on this card is the final Jumonji Sisters match in Tokyo, Japan. Sachiko’s actual retirement match isn’t until next week but this will be one of their last matches together so we have to enjoy them while we can. We also get a rare Kellie Skater sighting in Sendai Girls’, plus Hashimoto taking on the monster Aja Kong. Here is the full card:

• Arisa Nakajima vs. Mika Iwata
• Alex Lee and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Cassandra Miyagi and KAORU
• Chikayo Nagashima and Syuri vs. Kellie Skater and Meiko Satomura
• Aja Kong vs. Chihiro Hashimoto
• Command Bolshoi and Kyoko Kimura vs. DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko

Only one match I am not particularly looking forward to but everything here has potential, let’s get rolling.

Arisa Nakajima vs. Mika Iwata

Nakajima gets Iwata to the mat at the start and goes for her leg, headlock by Nakajima but Iwata gets out of it, kicks by Nakajima and she delivers a dropkick. Short armbar by Nakajima and she applies a sleeper and footstomps Iwata, but Iwata fires back with a dropkick and they trade elbows. Nakajima boots Iwata but Iwata ducks the next kick and rolls up Nakajima for two. Kicks by Iwata and she puts Nakajima in a cross-legged chinlock, but Nakajima gets to the ropes. Nakajima regains the advantage with a hard elbow before hitting a backdrop suplex, Nakajima gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Nakajima goes for a suplex but Iwata gets out of it and they trade elbows, Iwata connects with a high kick and she covers Nakajima for two. Iwata goes off the ropes but Nakajima catches her with a bridging fallaway slam. Missile dropkick by Nakajima and she nails the German suplex hold for the three count! Arisa Nakajima wins!

This was a good way to start off the show. Nakajima was obviously going to win but she gave Iwata a certain level of respect as the rookie had a few nearfalls, even though Nakajima controlled much of the action. Usually in Joshi, veterans don’t hold back on rookies and only do basic moves like elbows and crab holds, which generally makes the matches more fun to watch. Nakajima’s bridging suplexes were fire as always and it felt like it went the right amount of time. Iwata continues to come along nicely, if she sticks with it she could be something special in the future.   Mildly Recommended

Alex Lee and Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Cassandra Miyagi and KAORU

Matsumoto and Miyagi begin for their teams, they try to knock each other with shoulderblocks and Matsumoto wins the battle before tagging in Lee. Miyagi stomps on Lee and throws her down by her hair, she tags in KAORU and KAORU works Lee over. Including biting her hand. KAORU tags Miyagi back in, Lee briefly gets in control but KAORU comes in to help her young teammate. KAORU suplexes Lee as she stays in the ring, but Lee hits a dropkick out of the corner and tags in Matsumoto. Matsomoto puts KAORU in a backbreaker but Miyagi breaks it up, Matsumoto slams before into the corner and she hits a body avalanche. KAORU boots Matsumoto and tags Miyagi, and Miyagi trades elbows with her foe. Miyagi elbows Matsumoto and hits a face crusher for two, but Matsumoto blocks the suplex and hits one of her own.

Reverse double knee by Matsumoto out of the corner, but Miyagi gets her shoulder up. She tags Lee and Lee hits a high kick in the corner followed by a double underhook suplex for a two count. Matsumoto comes in  but KAORU trips them both from the floor, Miyagi stomps on Lee’s foot and hits the Airplane Spin. She tags KAORU, KAORU comes in with a piece of table and whacks Matsumoto and Lee with it. Miyagi gets the piece of table and hits Lee also, brainbuster by KAORU onto the table piece but the referee won’t count due to all the cheating. Lee hits a superkick followed by a high kick, but KAORU kicks out of the cover. Michinoku Driver by KAORU, but Matsumoto breaks up the cover. Miyagi suplexes Lee, KAORU goes up top but Lee avoids the senton. Chokebomb by Lee, but Miyagi breaks it up. Miyagi hits KAORU with the piece of board by accident, Lee goes for a powerbomb on KAORU but KAORU reverses it into a hurricanrana for the three count! Miyagi and KAORU are your winners.

This wasn’t bad, it was just longer than it needed to be and was generally uneventful. There wasn’t much structure or flow to it, no one thing felt meaningful as it didn’t lead to anything, even Miyagi accidentally hitting KAORU with a piece of table immediately meant nothing as KAORU won the match 10 seconds after it. Inoffensive but just filler, I like Miyagi’s gimmick but it may take awhile for her skills to catch up to its potential.

Chikayo Nagashima and Syuri vs. Kellie Skater and Meiko Satomura

Satomura and Syuri start off, kicks to the leg by Syuri and she kicks Satomura in the chest. Satomura catches one and attacks Syuri in the corner, but Syuri hits a jumping knee followed by a suplex. They trade kicks, Syuri gets Satomura back to her corner and tags in Nagashima. A bridging suplex by Nagashima gets two, Satomura pushes Nagashima into her corner and tags Skater. Skater hits a springboard armdrag but Nagashima comes back with a headscissors. Nagashima throws down Skater by her hair but Skater flips Nagashima to the mat and applies a cross armbreaker. Syuri comes in and breaks it up, Skater slams Nagashima but Nagashima boots her when she charges in and hits a face crusher. Nagashima tags Syuri, Syuri trades elbows with Skater, release German suplex by Syuri but Skater comes back with a superkick. Skater tags Satomura, Satomura trips Syuri and nails her with a high kick. Satomura goes off the ropes but Syuri catches her with a high knee.

Cartwheel kneedrop by Satomura but Syuri blocks the backdrop suplex attempt. Nagashima runs in and trades shots with Satomura, Satomura goes back to Syuri and nails the backdrop suplex for a two count. Backstabber by Syuri, and she hits a running knee strike for two. Nagashima is tagged in, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick but Satomura recovers and they trade kicks. Satomura kicks harder and wins the duel, Satomura goes off the ropes but Nagashima catches her with an uranage for a two count. She goes for another one but Satomura elbows out of it and hits the overhead kick. She tags Skater, kick to the chest by Skater but Nagashima kicks out of the cover. DDT by Skater, she goes up top but Syuri runs over and kicks her. Frankensteiner by Nagashima and she drops Skater on her with a suplex. Satomura saves Skater from a Fisherman Buster and hits a suplex, side Russian leg sweep by Skater but Syuri breaks the cover. High kick by Satomura, Skater goes for a PK but Nagashima catches her leg. Syuri kicks Skater, Nagashima then picks her up and nails the Fisherman Buster for the three count! Syuri and Nagashima win!

My main complaint here is that I just wish it was longer. I enjoyed about all of this, the strikes were hard, the suplexes were on point, and they kept the action up from bell to bell. The teams didn’t work great together but that is logical since neither are real tag teams, so mostly it was everyone for themselves aside from the occasional save. The only thing really lacking was a purpose, it was an entertaining mid-card match between four talented wrestlers, but it lacked some emotion since nothing was at stake since these wrestlers aren’t feuding with each other. A fun hard hitting match, and worth a watch for sure, but nothing that will be memorable long term.  Recommended

Aja Kong vs. Chihiro Hashimoto

Hashimoto gets Kong to the mat early on but Kong gets up without much issue, Kong ends up on the mat again but Hashimoto bounces around her as she isn’t able to hurt her. Chops by Kong, she puts Hashimoto in the ropes and chops her some more before hitting a lariat. Kong stays in control until Hashimoto avoids a lariat in the corner and hits a pair of body avalanches. Hashimoto goes for a hip attack but just bounces off of Kong. Hashimoto goes for a slam but Kong reverses that and hits a slam of her own. Kong takes Hashimoto out of the ring and throws her into the crowd before hitting her in the head with a chair. Kong beats Hashimoto around the ring before they return, lariat by Kong back in the ring and she covers Hashimoto for two. Hashimoto suddenly picks up Kong and slams her, before getting Kong up on her shoulder and slamming her again for a two count cover. Kong slaps Hashimoto and hits another lariat, Hashimoto ducks the Uraken but she can’t suplex Kong. Kong gets a metal box and whacks Hashimoto with it, brainbuster by Kong and she picks up the three count! Kong is the new #1 Contender!

An above average match, and Kong was pretty cooperative, but something with the transitions just felt off for most of the match. For example, Hashimoto was hit with chairs and hit with two lariats, but sprung back on offense and hit several moves like nothing happened. A few times literally nothing happened at all, it was as if they didn’t know the plan so they weren’t doing anything until someone made a move. The last few minutes were solid though, as Kong started giving Hashimoto some real offense and Hashimoto returned with some slams to show she wasn’t completely over-matched.  More good than bad, but not great either.

Command Bolshoi and Kyoko Kimura vs. DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko

Sachiko and Kimura are the first two in the ring but they come to a stalemate and both tag out. Sachiko immediately comes back in to help Chisako, and Bolshoi is double teamed. Chisako and Bolshoi trade elbows and Chisako tags Sachiko back in, but Bolshoi pushes her to the mat and applies a crab hold. Bolshoi tags Kimura and Kimura throws Sachiko around by her hair, Bolshoi comes back in and pinches Sachiko’s cheek. They are mostly just messing with Sachiko as Sachiko is the clear Face in Peril as her career winds down. Sachiko superkicks Bolshoi but Kimura runs in to help keep Sachiko down. Sachiko hits a double face crusher and tags in Chisako, and Chisako hits a missile dropkick on Bolshoi. Another dropkick by Chisako but Bolshoi avoids the double footstomp. The Jumonji Sisters double team Bolshoi and Kimura in the corner, Chisako slams Bolshoi and this time hits the diving footstomp. Cutter by Chisako but Kimura kicks her from the apron. Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and she hits a tiger suplex hold for a two count. Bolshoi tags in Kimura and Kimura kicks Chisako around the ring. Slaps by Kimura to Chisako and she knees Chisako, but Chisako dropkicks her in the knee. Dropkick to the head by Chisako to Kimura and she tags in Sachiko.

Elevated DDT by Sachiko and she hits a somersault senton, but Kimura hits a quick backbreaker. Footstomps by Kimura, she puts Sachiko hanging on the top rope and hits a footstomp to her back. Kimura puts Sachiko in a crab hold but Sachiko gets to the ropes, Kimura drags Sachiko away and puts her in the hold again but Chisako breaks it up. Superkick by Sachiko and Chisako elbows Kimura, tornado DDT by Sachiko and Chisako hits a diving body press. Suplex hold by Sachiko, but Bolshoi breaks it up. Sachiko and Chisako both go for diving body presses, but Bolshoi and Kimura both roll out of the way. Chokebomb by Kimura to Sachiko, but Chisako breaks up the cover. Chisako hits a cutter on Bolshoi, and all four wrestlers are out on the ground. Kimura elbows Sachiko while Sachiko fights back, superkicks by Sachiko (lots of them) and Kimura covers her for two. Assisted Shiranui by the Jumonji Sisters, and both hit diving body presses. Sachiko goes up top again but Bolshoi joins her and hits an avalanche Uranage. Big boot by Kimura but Chisako breaks up the pin. Elbow by Kimura and she goes for a powerbomb, but Sachiko rolls down her back and hits a sunset flip for two. Big boot by Kimura but Sachiko rolls her up for two again. Chisako comes back in and gets on Kimura’s back, superkick by Sachiko while Chisako slams Kimura to the mat, and Sachiko jackknifes Kimura for the three count! The Jumonji Sisters are your winners.

This was just good wholesome fun. The Jumonji Sisters work so well together that they are just a pleasure to watch, they are always on the same page and everything they do is so fluid. Kimura and Bolshoi were both fine as well, and its rare to get a match this long that feels so natural. The match started a bit slow so you have to get through that, but the last ten minutes or so were really entertaining. A fitting match as one of the last of Sachiko’s career and certainly worthy of the main event slot.  Recommended

The post Sendai Girls’ on January 9, 2016 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

  

Ever since the days of the caveman, people have been making lists of things to show other people. Whether it be movies, shops, restaurants, games, men, women, friendliest animals, meanest animals, or most over-priced shoes, more lists have been made than there are stars in the sky.

This is another list, ranking the Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2015. This is clearly subjective, but I will try my best not to over-rank ‘personal favorites’. To make things easier, I will provide the criteria on how I evaluated each wrestler, the list is partly kayfabed as I do think if a wrestler held championships/won tournaments that should factor into how good of a year they had. In no particular order, the following criteria was used:

• Championships and Tournaments Won: This includes any championship won during 2015, or any championship that was held when 2015 began. The prestige of the championship or tournament will be taken into account.
• Match Frequency: How often a wrestler wrestled is taken into consideration. A wrestler with 100 matches is more likely to be on the list than a wrestler with 5 matches. This is the least important criteria as quality is more important than quantity but is still worth mentioning.
• Match Quality: The most subjective criteria, extra consideration is given to wrestlers that had high quality matches throughout the year, especially if it was with a variety of opponents.
• Wrestler Popularity: Being able to connect with the crowd is important in wrestling, wrestlers that have success interacting with the crowd and getting reactions will get credit for that.

One criteria I am not using, because I disagree with it, is ‘drawing power’. In the current wrestling landscape there are very few wrestlers that by themselves are draws (I could probably count them on one hand), usually it is more the benefit of a good storyline or a hot region that impacts the size of the crowd. While the larger Joshi promotions will have more wrestlers on the list due to the other criteria, the size of the crowds will not be taken in consideration.

1. Io Shirai (Stardom)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship (8 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (239 days), NEO High Speed Championship (52 days), and the Wonder of Stardom Championship (190 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Mio Shirai on 2/14, vs. Kairi Hojo on 3/29, with Iwatani vs. Candy Crush on 5/6, vs. Nikki Storm on 5/17, vs. Santana Garrett on 11/23, vs. Meiko Satomura on 12/23
Best Match: TBD (match against Meiko Satomura will be aired on Tuesday)

Io Shirai showed in 2015 why she is the Ace of Stardom. Shirai held four of Stardom’s five titles in 2015, including a big win over Satomura on the last show of the year to bring their most prestigious title back to Stardom. Shirai had high-end matches against a variety of opponents and had 23 title matches during the year.

2. Mio Shirai (Formally in WAVE, OZ Academy, Ice Ribbon, and UNION)

Championships Held: WAVE Tag Team Championship (189 days), OZ Academy Openweight Championship (1 day), OZ Academy Tag Team Championship (35 days), Union Pro Fly to Everywhere World Champion (104 days, two reigns), and the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (150 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Io Shirai on 2/14, with Ohata vs. Hamada and Yamagata on 3/15, vs. AKINO on 6/7, vs. Hibiscus Mii on 6/17, with Ozaki vs. Kagetsu and Kobayashi on 7/19, vs. Minoru Suzuki on 8/9, with Ohata and Fujimoto vs. Nagahama, Sera, and Tsukushi on 9/20
Best Match: vs. Io Shirai on February 14th in M.I.O. 3

Mio Shirai retired in September, however she had almost 140 matches before she did, having one of the most active nine months of any wrestler in Japan. During that time, Shirai won titles in all four of the promotions she was contracted to, at one point holding all four at the same time. Besides her title matches, she also had quality singles matches against her sister Io Shirai, Minoru Suzuki, and Jun Kasai.

3. Meiko Satomura (Sendai Girls’)

Championships Held: World of Stardom Championship (151 days) and Sendai Girls’ World Championship (82 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Ayako Hamada on 4/19, vs. Kairi Hojo on 6/14, vs. Hojo on 7/26, vs. Hamada on 10/11, vs. Io Shirai on 12/23
Best Match: vs. Kairi Hojo on June 14th in Stardom

Meiko Satomura had a resurgence in 2015, as she invaded Stardom and won their top singles championship. She also won the Sendai Girls’ World Championship, and still held the title as 2015 came to a close. Satomura wrestled in nine different promotions in over 40 matches, keeping a busy schedule for a 20 year veteran. She also helped train Chihiro Hashimoto and Mika Iwata, two of the most promising rookies of 2015.

4. Kairi Hojo (Stardom)

Championships Held: Goddess of Stardom Championship (forfeited in April), Artist of Stardom Championship (reign length unknown, never defended), and World of Stardom Championship (118 days)
Tournaments Won: Stardom 5STAR GP
Biggest Matches: vs. Io Shirai on 3/29, with Chelsea vs. Shirai and Iwatani on 5/6, vs. Iwatani on 5/17, vs. Satomura on 6/14, vs. Satomura on 7/26
Best Match: vs. Meiko Satomura on June 14th in Stardom

Hojo started the year hot, as she held multiple titles in the first half of the year. While her matches against Satomura were great matches, she lost the World of Stardom Championship to her in July and she never got an opportunity to win the title back for the rest of the year. She did win the 5STAR GP, however, and will get a shot to win back the World of Stardom Championship in early 2016.

5. Ayako Hamada (Freelancer, primarily wrestles in WAVE)

Championships Held: Regina Di WAVE Championship (319 days) and the WAVE Tag Team Championship (137 days)
Tournaments Won: Dual Shock Wave Tag Team Tournament
Biggest Matches: vs. Hikaru Shida on 2/11, vs. Mio Shirai on 3/15, vs. Meiko Satomura on 4/19, vs. Satomura on 10/11, with Yamagata vs. Haruyama and Kuragaki on 10/30
Best Match: vs. Hikaru Shida on February 11th in Pro Wrestling WAVE

Hamada did most of her damage in Pro Wrestling WAVE, where she dominated the promotion. Hamada’s 319 day reign was the longest of any top singles title in any Joshi promotion in 2015, and she held the tag team championship for over a third of the year as well in two different reigns. Hamada had a total of four successful defenses in 2015, including wins over Mio Shirai and Meiko Satomura.

6. Arisa Nakajima (JWP)

Championships Held: REINA World Tag Team Championship (56 days), JWP Openweight Championship (95 days), International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (76 days), Daily Sports Tag Team Championship (5 days), and the JWP Tag Team Championship (5 days)
Biggest Matches: with Kana vs. Shida and Syuri on 2/25, vs. Kayoko Haruyama on 4/5, with Fujimoto vs. Kizuki and Haruyama on 10/17, with Fujimoto vs. Chisako and Sachiko on 12/27
Best Match: vs. Hikaru Shida on June 19th, 2015 in JWP

Nakajima saw a lot of success in 2015, mostly in the tag division as she held tag belts in three different promotions. Two of her title wins came right at the end of the year, so Nakajima is poised to have a big 2016 with three title belts already around her waist. If Nakajima has more successful title defenses next year (she had none in 2015), she will no doubt climb up the ranks.

7. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom)

Championships Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship (18 days), Artist of Stardom Championship (105 days), Goddesses of Stardom Championship (240 days) and the NEO High Speed Championship (82 days)
Biggest Matches: with Shirai vs. Candy Crush on 5/6, vs. Kairi Hojo on 5/17, vs. La Rosa Negra on 10/11, vs. Meiko Satomura on 11/15
Best Match: vs. Kairi Hojo on May 17th, 2015 in Stardom

The youngest wrestler in the Top 10 at age 22, Iwatani in 2015 showed she is ready to be the future ace of Stardom. Iwatani held four different Stardom Championships during the year, only missing out on the World of Stardom Championship. Most of her wins were not against the top stars in the promotion (she was unable to pin Shirai, Hojo, or Satomura in regular singles matches), however she had success against everyone else and had high-end quality matches as well. 2016 could be a big year for Iwatani if she can break through to the top of the promotion.

8. Aoi Kizuki (Ice Ribbon)

Championships Held: ICExInfinity Championship (191 days), International Ribbon Tag Team Championship (24 days) and the Union Pro Fly to Everywhere World Championship (50 days)
Biggest Matches: vs. Haruyama on 5/10, vs. Kurumi on 6/24, vs Mio Shirai on 7/29, vs. Tsukushi on 8/30, with Haruyama vs. Leon and Nitta on 9/23
Best Match: vs. Kurumi on June 24th in Ice Ribbon

Kizuki held the primary Ice Ribbon title, the ICExInfinity Championship, for 191 days in 2015 to cement her as one of the best wrestlers from the promotion. She successfully defended the championship against Mio Shirai and Tsukushi, and also won the Ice Ribbon Tag Team Championship as well. Kizuki flew under the radar for much of the year but is one to watch in Ice Ribbon.

9. Kana (currently in WWE)

Championships Held: REINA World Women’s Championship (243 days) and the REINA World Tag Team Championship (56 days)
Biggest Matches: with Nakajima vs. Shida and Syuri on 2/25, vs. Hikaru Shida on 5/10, vs. Yumi Ohka on 7/20, with Shida and Syuri vs. Nakajima, Yamashita, and Mizunami on 9/15
Best Match: with Konami Takemoto vs. Hikaru Shida and Syuri on March 8th, 2015 in Kana Pro

Only taking into account Kana’s run in Japan before leaving for WWE in September, Kana still had a very solid year. She wrestled in nine promotions (including her own) and held two titles in 2015, both in REINA. Kana reached the Semi Final of the Catch the WAVE Tournament and had three successful defenses of the REINA World Women’s Championship before forfeiting the title when she left Japan. Kana also promoted several of her own shows, providing a unique variety of wrestling entertainment.

10. Syuri (REINA)

Championships Held: CMLL World Women’s Championship (100 days) and the REINA World Tag Team Championship (194 days)
Biggest Matches: with Shida vs. Nakajima and Kana on 2/25, vs. La Silueta on 3/25, vs. Marcela on 4/17, vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto on 11/3
Best Match:  with Hikaru Shida vs. Konami Takemoto and Kana on March 8th, 2015 in Kana Pro

The star of REINA, Syuri took a bit of a step back in 2015 but still had success in the tag team division and also did two tours in CMLL. REINA does not make TV as often as the other promotions on the list, however when it does it is always clear that Syuri is the best wrestler in the promotion. Syuri mostly made the top ten due to her in-ring skills as she is one of the best in Japan, hopefully she gets more big matches in 2016 so she has more of a chance to show what she can do.

    

12. Jumonji Sisters (DASH Chisako and Sendai Sachiko) – This is the only tag team that I am listing together, as the vast majority of their accomplishments this year were as a team. Together they held the Daily Sports Tag Team Championship, JWP Tag Team Championship, and the Diana Tag Team Championship in 2015, and they also challenged for the tag titles in Stardom as well. Sachiko is retiring in January 2016, but the Jumonji Sisters went out with a bang.

13. Sonoko Kato (OZ Academy) – Kato being on the list may surprise some as her name is not mentioned much, but she had a really solid last six months of the year. Kato won the OZ Academy Openweight Championship on August 23rd and held it for the rest of the year, making successful defenses against Mio Shirai and Yumi Ohka along the way. The current top wrestler in OZ Academy, Kato goes into 2016 with a lot of momentum.

14. Mayumi Ozaki (OZ Academy) – Ozaki is 47 years old but still knows how to get it done in OZ Academy. Ozaki leads the main heel stable, and they get involved in all aspects of the promotion, making Ozaki one of the most visible wrestlers in the promotion. Ozaki held the Tag Team Championship in OZ Academy in 2015, and also won the JWP Openweight Championship, which she still held as the year concluded.

15. Hikaru Shida (Freelancer) – Shida was one of the top Freelancers in 2015, as she wrestled in at least 13 different promotions in Japan during the year. Shida saw title success as well, as she entered the year the Regina Di WAVE Champion and also won the REINA World Tag Team Championship. Shida was one of the top in-ring talents in 2015, and would have been higher on the list if she had more in-ring success to go along with it.

    

17. Kayoko Haruyama (JWP) – Title-wise, Haruyama had a successful 2015 as she won the JWP Openweight Championship and the Ice Ribbon Tag Team Championship. Unfortunately she only had one combined successful defense, and she ended the year without any titles. Haruyama is easily one of the top three wrestlers in JWP and is always a threat to challenge and take the gold, which I am sure she will try to do again next year.

18. Misaki Ohata (WAVE) – Ohata wrestled in ten promotions in 2015, as even though she officially affiliates with WAVE she does visit other places as well. Ohata held the Wave Tag Team Championship with Shirai for 189 days, and all told she had over 100 matches this year. A skilled wrestler, Ohata makes the list more for her in-ring skills and versatility as she looks to have more title success in 2016.

19. Chigusa Nagayo (Freelancer) – I wanted to include Nagayo on the list because she had a special year, even though her matches rarely make TV. Nagayo wrestled much of the year in her own promotion, Marvelous, but also took part in Onita’s new promotion called Super Fireworks. Teaming with Onita, she won the Super Fireworks Tag Team Championship, and has been blown up and thrown into barbed wire more times than I can count.  Going the hardcore route at the age of 51, Nagayo continues to show that age is just a number.

20.  Yumi Ohka (WAVE) – Ohka was one of the most successful stars in WAVE in 2013 and 2014, but had a bit of a down year in 2015. She did win the Catch the WAVE Tournament, which is the only reason she made the list, but failed in both of her title challenges during the year. Still one of the biggest stars in WAVE, she will need to rebound in 2016 or risk being permanently passed by the new rising stars.

The post Top 20 Joshi Wrestlers of 2015 appeared first on Joshi City.

  

Since Joshi wrestlers start so young, even though Sachiko is only 25 years old she has already been wrestling for almost ten years. She has spent her entire career affiliated with Sendai Girls, a promotion owned and operated by Joshi legend Meiko Satomura. In her career she held two titles, both of which were tag titles with her sister DASH Chisako while wrestling in JWP. They are actually still tag team champions as we speak, having won the titles on July 26th. They also won the JWP Tag League The Best in 2013.

Even though Sendai Sachiko was at times overshadowed by her big sister DASH Chisako, she was a popular wrestler and well known for her high speed and high flying style. Due in part to that style, her career was not without setbacks, as in 2009 she missed 10 months due to an injury and in 2014 she missed eight months after an injury while training. Like most wrestlers however she plans on going out on a high note, with a big retirement event on January 17th, 2016. While no matches have been announced, it is a safe bet she will be teaming with (or possibly facing) her sister in the main event.

While seeing long time wrestlers leaving the sport is always a bit sad, it is great to see a wrestler leaving on her own terms. I hope that everyone will join me in wishing Sendai Sachiko the best of luck, and we’ll certainly enjoy watching her close out her career over the next several months.

Match Reviews with Sendai Sachiko:

March 11th, 2015 with DASH Chisako vs. Kairi Hojo and Nanae Takahashi
March 22nd, 2015 vs. Yako Fujigasaki
April 5th, 2015 with DASH Chisako vs. Leon and Ray
June 14th, 2015 with Takumi Iroha vs. DASH Chisako and Ray

Source: battle-news.com

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