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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I realized I had not reviewed anything from LLPW yet for Joshi City, and figured I was long overdue. I don’t have a lot of LLPW events, so this is a bit random, hopefully its a fun show. LLPW was founded in 1992 by Rumie Kazama and Shinobu Kandori, right in the heyday of Joshi Puroresu. LLPW held their own monthly events, but they are better known as the smallest of the promotions to regularly battle AJW and JWP on the big inter-promotional shows. LLPW was a clear third largest Joshi promotion at the time as the promotion was very top heavy, but still had some fierce wrestlers such as Kandori and Eagle Sawai, and they were an important part of the Joshi landscape. This event has a fun main event with Fujiwara teaming with Kandori, here is the full card:

• Leo Kitamura vs. Michiko Omukai
• Jen Yukari vs. Michiko Nagashima
• Carol Midori and Mizuki Endo vs. Kurenai Yasha and Miki Handa
• Eagle Sawai and Harley Saito vs. Rumi Kazama and Noriyo Tateno
• Koji Ishinriki and Utako Hozumi vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Shinobu Kandori

I am not familar with most of these wrestlers, so we’ll see how this goes.

Leo Kitamura vs. Michiko Omukai

We join this match in progress, with both wrestlers on the mat as Kitamura puts Omukai in a figure four leglock. Omukai gets to the ropes to force the break, Kitamura picks her up but Omukai slaps her. Crab hold by Omukai, she releases the hold and dropkicks Kitamura, sending her out of the ring. Takako Panic by Omukai off the apron, she waits for Kitamura to return to the ring and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Omukai goes up to the top turnbuckle but Kitamura joins her, Omukai jumps over her back and applies a sunset flip for two. Omukai goes back up top and this time delivers another Takako Panic, she quickly goes up again and this time hits a missile dropkick. One last Takako Panic by Omukai, and she picks up the three count! Michiko Omukai is your winner.

This was way too clipped to rate, but it is interesting that the much less experienced Omukai had her way with Kitamura, which shows that even at this point she had already passed Kitamura in the pecking order. Some nice diving moves by Omukai, but mostly just fun to see her wrestling at such a young age.

Jen Yukari vs. Michiko Nagashima

Nagashima immediately throws down Yukari by the hair and chokes her, but Yukari tosses down Nagashima and kicks her repeatedly in the corner. Yukari bounces Nagashima off the ropes and kicks her in the chest, scoop slam by Yukari but Nagashima switches positions with her and applies an…. abdominal claw it appears. Crab hold by Nagashima and she stretches Yukari, but Yukari applies a short armbar. Irish whip by Nagashima and she hits a dropkick, cover by Nagashima but it gets two. Nagashima picks up Yukari and twists her arm in the top rope, snapmares by Nagashima and she rakes Yukari in the back. Bodyscissors by Nagashima but Yukari gets into the ropes, sidewalk slam by Yukari and she hits a vertical suplex. Yukari stretches Nagashima in the ropes and hits a backdrop suplex, single leg crab hold by Yukari but Nagashima gets out of it. Scoop slam by Yukari, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick. Irish whip by Yukari but Nagashima reverses it and applies a backslide.

Dropkick by Nagashima, Yukari falls out of the ring but Nagashima goes out after her and slams her onto the floor. Nagashima goes up top and dives out onto Yukari with a plancha, Nagashima gets a chair and she hits Yukari with it. They get back in the ring as Nagashima continues hitting Yukari with the chair, scoop slam by Nagashima and she covers Yukari for two. Nagashima gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she gets up again and hits a second missile dropkick before hitting a backdrop suplex for a two count. Nagashima picks up Yukari and throws her down by the hair, armlock by Nagashima and she hits a jumping crossbody for two. Yukari comes back with a hip attack in the corner and kicks Nagashima repeatedly, high kick by Yukari and she kicks her some more. High kick by Yukari, she picks up Nagashima but Nagashima rolls her up for two. Another roll-up gets the same result, she goes for a crossbody but Yukari ducks it. Capture suplex by Yukari, but Nagashima hits a cross-arm suplex hold. High kick by Yukari, Nagashima goes for a crossbody but Yukari ducks it. Yukari gets Nagashima on her shoulders and slams her onto the mat for the three count! Jenn Yukari is the winner.

This was an interesting match, as it was chock full of action but didn’t have an awful lot of substance. They really didn’t bother with transitions, as much of it was the two wrestlers taking turns doing offense to each other with neither having a real sustained run before the other took back over. There were a lot of big moves and the crowd enjoyed it though, and the back-and-forth was smooth. Overall it was good, it just needed a bit of structure to tie the offense together.

Carol Midori and Mizuki Endo vs. Miki Handa and Yasha Kurenai

Endo attacks Kurenai from behind and hits a hard elbow, scoop slam by Endo and she tags in Midori. Kurenai knees Midori but Midori comes back with a kick, Kurenai stretches Midori in the ropes and tags in Handa. Handa suplexes Midori as she and Kurenai go back and forth working over Midori, Midori finally hits a crossbody on Handa and makes the tag to Endo. Handa and Endo trade elbows, Endo wins the battle but Handa rolls her up for two. Suplex by Handa and she tags Kurenai, Kurenai jumps down on Endo and chokes her on the mat. Handa hits a diving crossbody on Endo but Endo elbows her the corner and applies a camel clutch. Endo lets go and tags in Midori, crossbody by Midori to Handa and she hits a series of dropkicks. Figure Four by Midori and she knocks Handa out of the ring, where she continues working on the leg. Midori returns with Handa slowly following, but Handa drags Midori to her corner and tags in Kurenai. Kurenai chokes Midori, scoop slam by Kurenai and she hits a leg drop. Running kicks by Kurenai but Midori manages to tag in Endo, Kurenai rolls Endo to the mat and applies a guillotine choke. Endo gets out of it and kicks Kurenai in the leg, Endo jumps down on Kurenai’s leg before tagging Midori back in.

Figure four by Midori, she picks up Kurenai but Kurenai hits a Stun Gun. Kurenai gets a stick and hits Midori with it, however Midori hits a dropkick. Kurenai beats down Midori and hits the referee too just for good measure, Midori snaps off a DDT and goes up top to hit a missile dropkick. Endo comes in and lariats Kurenai from behind, scoop slam by Midori to Kurenai and Endo hits a reverse splash for a two count. Midori holds Kurenai but Endo lariats her by accident, Kurenai tags in Handa but Endo slams her to the mat and tags Midori. Midori dives off the top turnbuckle to go for a crossbody but Handa catches her and hits a bridging pin for two. Vertical suplexes by Handa, she picks up Midori and hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Kurenai goes up top and with Handa hits an assisted chokeslam, cover by Handa but Midori barely gets a shoulder up. Midori sneaks in a roll-up but Kurenai kicks her in the head, Handa tags in Kurenai and Kurenai hits a chokeslam for two. Kurenai goes for a lariat but Midori moves and hits rolling Germans, but Handa breaks up the last one to prevent the pinfall. Midori picks up Kurenai and hits the Chaos Theory, but Kurenai kicks out. Handa comes in and boots Midori, backdrop suplex by Kurenai and she covers Midori for a two count. Kurenai picks up Midori and nails the chokeslam, and this time she picks up the three count! Miki Handa and Yasha Kurenai are your winners.

Even though I hadn’t seen three of the four wrestlers before, they all certainly know how to work. Joshi training/practice was no joke back in the 90s, if a wrestler survived a few years it was safe to assume they knew what they were doing. They were all throwing hard strikes throughout the match and the chair shots were not landed meekly, even though I don’t know why they were fighting it was clear they were not friends. A fun and fast paced mid-card tag, good enough to leave an impression but not so good it would overshadow the rest of the card, which is generally the goal at this stage of an event. A thoroughly solid match.  Mildly Recommended

Eagle Sawai and Harley Saito vs. Rumi Kazama and Noriyo Tateno

Kazama and Sawai immediately go at it, Kazama has the early advantage until Sawai gives her a hard lariat. Another one by Sawai, Saito comes in and she kicks Kazama repeatedly. Kazama returns the favor with her own kicks and tags in Tateno, running kicks by Tateno but Saito sneaks in a roll-up and the two end up on the mat. Tateno tags Kazama and she picks up where Tateno left off, but Saito soon gets the advantage and hits a snap vertical suplex before tagging Sawai. Sawai goes for a powerbomb but Kazama reverses it with a hurricanrana. Kazama tags Tateno but Sawai quickly hits Tateno with a body block, diving crossbody off the top by Saito and she covers Tateno for two. Heel kick by Saito and she applies a sleeper, Tateno bites her hand to get out of it and armdrags Saito before biting her again. She tags in Kazama who keeps working on Saito’s bitten arm, but Saito reverses positions with her and starts working on Kazama’s leg. Sawai is tagged in and she targets the leg as well, as the pair goes back and forth on Kazama’s leg. Kazama finally avoids Sawai in the corner and makes the hot tag to Tateno, shoulderblock by Tateno to Sawai and she hits a double underhook suplex. Tateno puts Sawai in a chinlock, Kazama returns and she kicks Sawai repeatedly before covering her for two. Irish whip by Kazama but Sawai hits a bodyblock, lariat by Sawai and she delivers a third but Tateno breaks up the cover. Sawai tags Saito, heel kick by Saito and she covers Kazama but the referee is MIA.

Saito picks up Kazama but Kazama catches a kick and hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Saito goes for a backdrop suplex but Kazama lands on her feet, Saito hits a German suplex hold anyway before tagging in Sawai. Sawai goes up top but missile dropkicks Saito by accident, jumping lariat by Tateno to Sawai but Sawai lariats both of her opponents. Sawai grabs Kazama but Kazama slides down her back and applies a sunset flip for two. Powerbomb by Sawai, but Tateno breaks up the pin. She goes for another one but Kazama slides away, Tateno runs in and dropkicks Sawai which helps Kazama connect with a German suplex. Things break down as Saito tosses Kazama out of the ring but misses with a pescado, Sawai and Tateno exit the ring as well as all four brawl around the floor. Tateno and Kazama return to the ring to wait for their opponents, Saito tries to return with a chair but the referee stops her. Meanwhile, Sawai sneaks in the ring and hits both Kazama and Tateno with chairs before she hits a lariat on Tateno. Sawai picks up both of them but they drop her with a double lariat before dumping Sawai out of the ring. Kazama goes up top and dives down onto Saito with a plancha, while Tateno hits a tope suicida onto Sawai. Kazama slams Saito onto the floor while Tateno hits Sawai with a chair, Kazama gets a table and slams Saito into it before putting both Saito and the table into the ring. Tateno sets up the table in the corner and they throw Saito into it repeatedly, Tateno picks up Saito and they nail a kneeling spike piledriver onto the flat table. By now the referee has seen enough and the team of Kazama and Tateno are disqualified. Your winners are Eagle Sawai and Harley Saito.

I don’t think that Saito felt like a winner a she was struggling after the match. This match went from submission holds and leg targeting to swinging chairs and floor dives in about six seconds, I have no idea what happened. It was like two separate matches, both sections were entertaining but it was hard to see how they meshed as it was the same team that spearheaded both movements. The issue is that the leg work was completely blown off by both sides as the match shifted, leaving about five minutes of the match being completely meaningless. I like crazy brawls just fine and all four wrestlers looked good, it just didn’t fit together. A fun match as long as you don’t think about it too hard with some memorable spots by both teams.  Mildly Recommended

Koji Ishinriki and Utako Hozumi vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Shinobu Kandori

The men kick things off, single leg takedown by Ishinriki and he applies a crab hold while Hozumi helps him apply pressure. Double dropkick to Fujiwara but Fujiwara puts Ishinriki in a Fujiwara Armbar, Hozumi breaks it up which just pisses Fujiwara off but Ishinriki puts him in a sleeper from behind. Fujiwara gets out of it and slaps Ishinriki in the corner but Ishinriki puts him in a chinlock. Fujiwara gets out of it and headbutts Ishinriki, he tags in Kandori and they both headbutt Ishinriki to the mat. Ishinriki tags in Hozumi, Kandori huddles with Hozumi and Hozumi charges in to attack Kandori, but Kandori moves and Hozumi hits Fujiwara. Fujiwara looks mad but he stays on the apron while Hozumi hits a pair of seated sentons on Kandori, but Kandori knocks Hozumi into the corner while Fujiwara comes into the ring so they can hit a double headbutt. Kandori picks up Hozumi and drops her with a military press before flipping off Ishinriki. Camel Clutch by Kandori but Hozumi bites her hand, stomps by Hozumi and she puts Kandori in a single leg crab hold. Fujiwara comes in but Hozumi breaks off the hold before he gets to her and tags in Ishinriki. Kandori checks with Fujiwara for advice and circles with Ishinriki, but Hozumi grabs Kandori from the apron which gives Ishinriki a chance to kick Kandori a few times in the stomach. Kandori rolls out of the ring, Fujiwara comes in to take her place as Hozumi is tagged in. Hozumi pushes Fujiwara into the corner and hits a few slaps and elbows while Ishinriki holds him, but Fujiwara absorbs the blows and elbows Ishinriki off of him.

Fujiwara grabs Hozumi but politely tags in Kandori, takedown by Kandori and she covers Hozumi for two. Scorpion Deathlock by Kandori but Hozumi is in the ropes and is able to force the break. Kandori throws Hozumi in her corner so that Ishinriki can tag in, Fujiwara tags in too and the pair trade slaps. Headbutt by Fujiwara, Hozumi tries to help by holding Fujiwara but Ishinriki elbows Hozumi off the apron by accident. Fujiwara tags Kandori while Hozumi is also tagged in, Kandori knocks Hozumi against the ropes but Hozumi comes back with slaps. Elbows by Hozumi but Kandori levels her with a hard lariat, picking up a two count. Fujiwara holds Hozumi but Hozumi ducks when Kandori charges in, so she ends up hitting Fujiwara. Kandori and Fujiwara have a debate while Hozumi recovers and hits a crossbody onto Kandori. Sleeper by Hozumi but Kandori quickly gets into the ropes, Fujiwara Armbar attempt by Hozumi but Kandori blocks it so Hozumi hits a backdrop suplex instead. HozFumi goes up top while Ishinriki comes in, and they hit Kandori with the Rocket Launcher. Hozumi goes up top again and hits a missile dropkick, jumping seated senton bfy Hozumi but Kandori catches her when she goes for a second one and hits a powerbomb. Kandori picks up Hozumi and hits a Tiger Driver, but the referee stops the count I think when Fujiwara runs in. Kandori picks up Hozumi and goes for a second one, but Hozumi reverses it with a sunset flip. Kandori rolls through the pin attempt and puts Hozumi in a cross kneelock, and Hozumi quickly taps out! Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Shinobu Kandori are the winners.

The only enjoyable thing about this match was seeing how much fun Kandori and Fujiwara were having. Fujiwara trained Kandori, and Kandori was clearly over the top excited to be teaming with him. I’ve never seen her so happy in my life. There was really nothing to the match, they were just goofing off for most of it as the teams were so uneven there wasn’t much they could do. Hozumi’s interactions with Fujiwara with amusing, as Fujiwara didn’t even feel comfortable fighting her due to their size difference. Then the ending was extremely sudden, as Hozumi’s leg hadn’t been bothered the entire match but she tapped out to a kneelock in about two seconds. It was fun to see Kandori so excited and Hozumi’s tactics to avoid getting hurt, but overall not the best main event.

The post LLPW Dancing Heroine on 5/29/94 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Sendai Girls ‘”10th Anniversary: Women’s Wrestling Big Show in Niigata”
Date: July 2nd, 2016
Location: Niigata City Gymnasium in Niigata, Japan
Announced Attendance: 2,200

We return to Sendai Girls’ after a few months break, but at least when Sendai Girls’ pops up they come with a big show. The Sendai Girls’ younger wrestlers are spread over three different matches, and in the main event we have Satomura defending her title against Stardom’s Io Shirai! Here is the full card:

• Ayako Hamada vs. Mika Iwata
• Alex Lee vs. Eiger
• Hikaru Shida, KAORU, and Nyla Rosa vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto, Shinobu Kandori, and Takako Inoue
• Cassandra Miyagi and Kyoko Kimura vs. Hiroe Nagahama and Syuri
• Aja Kong and Rydeen Hagane vs. DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto
• Sendai Girls World Championship: Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

Some of these matches will be clipped, remember you can click on the names above to get to the wrestler’s profile on Joshi City.

Ayako Hamada vs. Mika Iwata

Hamada dominates the rookie to start, Iwata fires up with elbows but she eats a big boot for her trouble. Iwata delivers a high kick and kicks to the leg, kick to the chest by Iwata and she covers Hamada for a one count. Hamada comes back with a kick and the two trade elbows, with Hamada getting the better of it. Iwata briefly comes back with a PK but Hamada immediately takes over with a kick to the chest, as the rookie can’t manage any sustained offense. Front roll into a slap by Hamada but Iwata ducks the next one and kicks Hamada in the corner. Inside cradle by Iwata, but Hamada kicks out, enzuigiri by Iwata and she goes up top but Hamada dropkicks her as she jumps off. Lariat by Hamada and she hits a big backdrop suplex, but the cover gets two. Hamada goes up top and nails the moonsault, and she gets the three count! Ayako Hamada wins!

A bit clipped and with the expected result, but still a solid match. Hamada didn’t take it too easy on the rookie, which is good, and it took a series of big moves to put away Iwata so she didn’t lose to a crab hold. I would have liked to have seen all of it and its hard to recommend a short match that is clipped even further, but it was nice to see Iwata again, I think she could be big in Joshi if given the chance.

Alex Lee vs. Eiger

The match starts somewhat normally, for an Eiger match, but soon it gets weird as Eiger takes Lee around the ring by her wrist without actually hurting her. They return to the ring, kicks by Lee and she covers Eiger for two. Eiger ducks the next kick and rolls up Lee, leg sweep by Lee and she applies La Magistral for the three count! Alex Lee is the winner.

A five minute match clipped even further, and it didn’t have (or they didn’t show) the comedy that you’d expect from an Eiger match. Way too short to get anything out of, skippable match as shown.

Hikaru Shida, KAORU, and Rosa vs. Matsumoto, Kandori, and Takako Inoue

Just as a warning, they clipped the hell out of this match so if you were looking forward to it… don’t. KAORU immediately hits Inoue with a piece of table but Inoue recovers and tags in Kandori. Rosa is tagged in too, Kandori tries to knock her over with lariats but Rosa stays up. Rosa lariats Kandori to the mat but Kandori gets back up and hits a judo throw into a cross armbreaker. Its quickly broken up as the wrestlers all spill outside the ring to brawl, with clip ahead in the match with Matsumoto in the ring with Shida. Big lariat by Matsumoto and she covers Shida for two. Matsumoto goes for a powerbomb but KAORU breaks it up, so Matsumoto hits a backdrop suplex on both of them. Sliding Lariat by Matsumoto, but Rosa breaks up the cover. Matsumoto goes for a powerbomb but Shida reverses it with a hurricanrana and delivers the Falcon Arrow for two. Double chop to the chest by Matsumoto and she hits a high angle backdrop suplex on Shida, but the bell rings and time has expired. The match is a Draw.

I think one of the reasons the match was clipped so heavily is that it was void of any Sendai Girls’ wrestlers so the promotion opted to focus on the matches with their own participants. Which makes sense but was still disappointing as I like a lot of these wrestlers and I am sure the full match was entertaining. Even the little bit they showed was good as Matsumoto and Shida looked great together, it was just way too clipped to get excited about.

Hiroe Nagahama and Syuri vs. Cassandra Miyagi and Kyoko Kimura

Nagahama and Miyagi start the match with Miyagi quickly using some heel tactics to get the first advantage before both hit dropkicks. They tag in Syuri and Kimura, Kimura gets Syuri to the mat but Syuri quickly switches positions with her and they return to their feet. Syuri tags in Nagahama, Kimura throws Nagahama out of the ring and Miyagi runs over to help attack her. Kimura and Miyagi take both opponents around the crowd as they brawl around the arena and up to the balcony, back in the late 90s they would have thrown Nagahama off the balcony but wrestlers have mellowed out a bit so they eventually walk back to the ring. Kimura chokes Nagahama in the ring before tagging in Miyagi, scoop slam by Miyagi and she hits a slingshot senton for a two count. Miyagi throws down Nagahama by her hair, Kimura is tagged back in and they continue focusing on the younger Nagahama. Nagahama finally fights back against Kimura and hits a dropkick, giving her time to tag in Syuri. Miyagi chokes Syuri from the apron and comes in the ring, but Syuri kicks both of them before hitting a double Backstabber. Grounded necklock by Syuri to Kimura but Kimura muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex.

Back up they trade elbows, jumping knee by Syuri and she covers Kimura for two. Kimura fires back with a backdrop suplex and tags in Miyagi, running elbow by Miyagi and she hits Syuri with a face crusher. Miyagi ducks the high kick and dropkicks Syuri in the leg before covering her for two. Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker, Miyagi blocks it so Syuri applies a seated armbar instead. Miyagi gets to the ropes, Syuri tags in Nagahama and Nagahama hits a series of dropkicks on Miyagi for two. Dropkick by Nagahama in the corner but Miyagi throws the referee in front of her so that Nagahama hits the referee by accident. Kimura comes in the ring with a chair and hits both Nagahama and Syuri, she then sits Nagahama in the chair and they deliver a double big boot. Miyagi slams Nagahama to the mat, the recovered referee starts the count but Syuri breaks up the cover and hits a German suplex on Miyagi. Syuri and Nagahama double team Miyagi, Nagahama picks up Miyagi and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Kimura comes back in to help but Miyagi hits a missile dropkick on her by accident, Syuri comes in but Nagahama dropkicks her by accident, leaving just Miyagi and Nagahama in the ring. Missile dropkick by Miyagi and she hits a backdrop suplex for a two count. Ebisu Drop by Miyagi, but the cover is broken up by Syuri. Syuri kicks Miyagi in the stomach, Nagahama goes off the ropes and she applies the Kasadora for the three count! Nagahama and Syuri are the winners.

An entertaining match, we saw a lot more of Syuri here than we did on the Oz Academy show I last reviewed which was a real plus. This is the best I have seen from Nagahama, normally she looks a bit tentative in the ring but maybe teaming with Syuri gave her some fighting spirit as she was a lot more fired up. Kimura and Miyagi were a logical team since both are missing a few screws, and all four worked well together. Solid stuff all the way around, Miyagi and Nagahama are not on Syuri or Kimura’s level but they did a good job elevating them up to put on a good show.  Mildly Recommended

DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Aja Kong and Rydeen Hagane

Hashimoto and Hagane kick things off, Hashimoto quickly starts working the headlock but Hagane rolls out of it and they face off again. Both wrestlers go for scoop slams, Hashimoto wins the battle and she tags in Chisako. Dropkick by Chisako but Hagane hits a high speed hip toss followed by a running bodypress for two. Hagane teams Kong and Kong stands on Chisako near the ropes. Kong applies a stretch hold before letting her up and hitting a hard lariat in the corner for a two count. Delayed piledriver by Kong but Chisako rolls out of the backdrop suplex attempt and dropkicks Kong in the knee, giving her time to tag in Hashimoto. Hashimoto gets Kong to the mat but Kong swats her away, Kong pushes her back into her corner and tags in Hagane. Body splash by Hashimoto in the corner and she hits Hagane with hip attacks. Hagane tries to hit a body press but Hashimoto moves, Irish whip by Hashimoto but Hagane shoulderblocks her to the mat. Lariats by Hagane in the corner, she goes to the second turnbuckle and hits the Reverse Splash for two. She tags in Kong but Hashimoto plants Kong with a spear, she picks up Kong and hits a front rolling slam before tagging in Chisako.

Chisako keeps the heat on Kong as she dropkicks her, another dropkick by Chisako in the corner and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count cover. Hashimoto comes in and they try to suplex Kong, but Kong blocks it and hits her own double vertical suplex. Backdrop suplex by Kong to Chisako, and she tags in Hagane. Hagane gets Chisako up in a press slam before throwing her to the mat, lariats by Hagane but Chisako barely kicks out of the cover. Hashimoto comes in to help Chisako regain control, dropkick by Chisako and she goes up top, but Kong grabs her from the apron which gives Hagane time to recover. Hagane joins Chisako and hits a superplex, getting a two count cover. Chisako slides away from Hagane and with Hashimoto’s help she hits a crucifix slam for a two. Chisako and Hagane trade elbows, dropkick by Chisako and Hashimoto hits a hip attack from the apron. Hashimoto comes in the ring and hits a somersault senton fro the second turnbuckle, diving footstomp by Chisako but Kong hauls ass and breaks up the cover. Kong throws Hashimoto out of the ring and hits Chisako with her paint can before hitting a body avalanche in the corner. Hagane goes up top and hits the diving bodypress, but Hashimoto breaks it up. Kong and Hagane go for a lariat on Chisako but Chisako moves, causing them to hit each other. Kong accidentally hits Hagane with the paint can, German suplex by Chisako to Hagane and she nails the Hormone Splash for the three count! DASH Chisako and Chihiro Hashimoto are your winners!

Another really solid match, a touch better then the match we just saw as it was a bit more cohesive. Kong can still go for a wrestler her age, she is limited but she wrestles well within those limitations and is fun to watch. Chisako has been bringing it hard this year, perhaps to prove she is more than just one half of the former tag team with her sister Sachiko, and Hashimoto looked great as usual. Hashimoto is perhaps the best rookie on the current Joshi scene, just a great wrestling base and incredibly strong. Never a dull moment in this one as they were going full tilt, definitely worth a watch.  Recommended

(c) Meiko Satomura vs. Io Shirai

They begin the match with a knuckle lock before quickly going to strikes, armdrag by Shirai and she delivers a dropkick before kipping up to her feet. Satomura hits her own armdrag and puts Shirai in STF, she then goes for a crab hold but Shirai fights out of it. Satomura hits Shirai and applies the crab hold anyway, but Shirai reverses it into her own crab hold. Texas Cloverleaf by Shirai but Satomura gets to the ropes, scoop slam by Shirai and she hits her handstand walk double kneedrop for two. Shirai goes off the ropes but Satomura catches her with a high kick, Shirai comes back with a flip into a dropkick which sends Satomura out of the ring. Shirai sails out after her with a plancha suicida, she slides Satomura back in and hits a running double knee in the corner for a two count. Spinning heel kick by Satomura and she hits the cartwheel knee strike, backdrop suplex by Satomura but Shirai blocks the next one as she lands on top of Satomura. Dropkick to the head by Shirai, Satomura rolls out of the ring as Shirai goes to the top turnbuckle, but Satomura slides back in before Shirai can jump and joins her up top. Superplex by Satomura and she hits a hard elbow, but Shirai catches a kick and hits a dragon screw. Satomura bails from the ring to try to recover but Shirai jumps up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a moonsault onto Satomura on the floor.

Back in the ring, Shirai gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, covering Satomura for two. Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she dragon screws Satomura into the ropes. Swandive dropkick by Shirai and she covers Satomura for a two count. Shirai rolls Satomura to the mat and applies a leglock, but Satomura gets into the ropes for the break. Satomura cuts off Shirai with an uppercut and kicks her in the head, Satomura goes up top and she hits a diving body press for a two count. Sleeper by Satomura but Shirai gets out of  it, Satomura picks up Shirai and kicks her a few times in the head, but Shirai kicks out of the pin. Death Valley Bomb by Satomura, but Shirai gets a shoulder up. Shirai comes back with her own buzzsaw kick, she hits a German suplex hold but keeps it applied and rolls into two suplexes, holding the last one for a two count. Shirai goes up top and hits the moonsault, she quickly goes up top again but Satomura is up and kicks her in the leg before she can jump off. Pele Kick by Satomura, Shirai goes for the double underhook facebuster but Satomura escapes and kicks her to the mat. Pele Kick by Satomura, she picks up Shirai and delivers another Death Valley Bomb. Satomura follows that with another Death Valley Bomb and then a third, cover by Satomura and she gets the three count! Meiko Satomura is still the Sendai Girls’ World Champion!

An excellent and exciting match through and through, the only real criticism is I don’t think it did anything to elevate itself beyond their first match. When looking at a feud or match series you’d like to see more callbacks or something changing, but I think their match in December was better. Not that that makes this a bad match as it wasn’t at all, these are two of the best wrestlers in the world and they pulled out everything to put on a good show. The last Death Valley Bomb to Shirai was almost literally deadly and was a good exclamation point to the match, no one would expect Shirai to kick out from that. The strikes were very on point and they both countered each other’s moves very smoothly, even a simple crab hold wasn’t done without a real struggle. A high end match for sure and other promotions will be hard pressed to put on a better match this month, even if it wasn’t quite as good as their previous match its still definitely worth viewing.  Highly Recommended

The post Sendai Girls’ 10th Anniversary on 7/2/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

  

Championships Held: LLPW Singles Championship, LLPW Tag Team Championship, UWA World Women’s Championship, WWWA World Championship
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: Tokyo Sports Joshi Puroresu Grand Prize (1995, 1998)

Notable Matches:

• April 2nd, 1993 vs. Akira Hokuto
• March 14th, 1997 vs. Megumi Kudo
• March 21st, 1998 vs. Yumiko Hotta
• March 14th, 2010 with Fuka vs. Sakura and Inoue

Signature Moves:

• Arm Trap Kneebar
• Cross Armbreaker
• Fujiwara Armbar

In Action:

Coming Soon

Back to Other Affiliated Wrestlers

The post Shinobu Kandori appeared first on Joshi City.

All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling is one of the most important and influential Joshi Puroresu promotions in the history of the sport. At one point in the early 90s, AJW was drawing crowds similar to the most popular male promotions in Japan (with the clear exception being New Japan Pro Wrestling) and the promotion had some of the most recognizable Joshi wrestlers with Manami Toyota, Aja Kong, Bull Nakano, and Akira Hokuto.

There is some debate on when the exact heyday of AJW was, but few would argue that the promotion was not at the top of their game in 1993. In April of that year, AJW promoted two of the biggest events in Joshi history, All-Star Dream Slam and All-Star Dream Slam II. The first event drew over 16,500 fans, the largest recorded attendance at a Joshi event at that time (a record that would be smashed the following year at Big Egg Wrestling Universe). AJW ended 1993 wrestling in Sumo Hall for the first time, with an announced crowd of 11,500. Between those events, on August 25th, 1993, AJW had their first event at Budokan in almost 15 years called “Legacy of Queens.”

As was not unusual at the time, JWP sent some of their best wrestlers over to enhance the card, as did LLPW and FMW. While the promotions competed against each other, there was also an understanding that these big events were good for all promotions in terms of exposure. Plus I am sure money exchanged hands to make it worth their time. AJW was one of the first promotions to get regular cooperation from multiple promotions in order to put on ‘super cards’, and these events helped build the legacy of many Joshi legends. Here is the full card for the show:

• Tomoko Watanabe, Numacchi, and The Goddess Chikako Shiratori vs. Utako Hozumi, Kurenai Yasha, and Mizuki Endo (LLPW)
• Infernal KAORU and Chaparrita ASARI vs. Bolshoi Kid and Candy Okutsu (JWP)
• Elimination Match: Bull Nakano, Suzuka Minami, Etsuko Mita, Mima Shimoda, and Bat Yoshinaga vs. Eagle Sawai, Harley Saito, Miki Handa, Yukari Osawa, and Leo Kitamura (LLPW)
• Takako Inoue vs. Cuty Suzuki (JWP)
• Toshiyo Yamada and Kaoru Ito vs. Megumi Kudo and Yukie Nabeno (FMW)
• Kyoko Inoue vs. Shinobu Kandori (LLPW)
• Yumiko Hotta, Manami Toyota, and Sakie Hasegawa vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Plum Mariko, and Hikari Fukuoka (JWP)
• All Pacific Championship: Akira Hokuto vs. Rumi Kazama (LLPW)
• WWWA Championship: Aja Kong vs. Dynamite Kansai (JWP)

As you can see, every match pits AJW against an ‘invading’ promotion but there would be no outside interference or cheating, just wrestlers from different promotions squaring off to see who was the best. Before each match below, the wrestlers are standing in the same order as I have listed their names to help with identification, and the AJW team will always be listed first.

 
The Goddess Chikako Shiratori, Numacchi, and Tomoko Watanabe vs. Utako Hozumi, Kurenai Yasha, and Mizuki Endo (LLPW)

This was probably an easy way to get LLPW a win without doing any damage to AJW (LLPW was at best the 3rd ranked Joshi promotion, with JWP being second). I think it was longer than it needed to be but aside from one mistake from Numacchi it was fluid. Simple, but fluid. An average and forgettable match, but non-offensive.

 
Chaparrita ASARI and Infernal KAORU vs. Bolshoi Kid and Candy Okutsu (JWP)

Mariko Yoshida is refereeing this match for reasons unknown, I am sure it is known to someone but not to me. Unlike the last match, this one started with fireworks as team JWP both dive out of the ring onto their opponents, Bolshoi Kid and Okutsu goof around too much so Team AJW leave and walk up the ramp. Bolshoi Kid and Okutsu apologize and we then have a normal match after that. An unusual way to start but things settle down into the normal arm work and limb work, with Bolshoi Kid getting the brunt of it. Bolshoi Kid is tied to the ropes at one point by her hat, and is generally clowned by KAORU until escaping to tag in Okutsu.

Okutsu has more luck against KAORU, but ASARI is a different story. Both teams have trouble gaining an advantage, in this match Okutsu is clearly a step ahead of everyone else as she flies around with dropkicks. Some of this is ugly, such as an attempted catapult kick and some of the interactions with Bolshoi, and it has very little structure to speak of. KAORU and Yoshida get into it, so Yoshida hits a crossbody on her which is counted by Bolshoi for two. This is in the middle of the match, mind you. About ten minutes in, KAORU gets the first real nearfall of the match with a hurricanrana on Okutsu, but Bolshoi hits an avalanche Uranage onto ASARI. ASARI very quickly recovers and hits a dive out of the ring onto Bolshoi, soon after she she nails a top rope twisting something but Okutsu breaks up the pin. Okutsu hits ASARI with seven straight rolling Germans that makes me cringe each time, and she picks up the pinfall! Bolshoi Kid and Candy Okutsu win!

This was not as bad as I had read. It wasn’t good but man was Okutsu bringing it, I was incredibly impressed with her. She just debuted in 1992 when she was only 17, but she showed a lot here. Bolshoi Kid was fine at her thing but it didn’t mesh well in this match, the spots were cute but it would have worked better in the opener. A step down from the last match but with some bright spots.

 
Bat Yoshinaga, Mima Shimoda, Etsuko Mita, Minami, and Bull Nakano vs. Eagle Sawai, Harley Saito, Miki Handa, Osawa, and Kitamura (LLPW)

This match is traditional Tag Team Elimination Rules, like Survivor Series. It starts chaotically, as it would have to with 12 wrestlers from two different promotions facing off against each other, but it does settle down.  They take turns in pairs so everyone has a bit of a chance to shine with no one wrestler taking offense for more than 30 seconds before getting some help from their teammates. Unfortunately for Kitamura, she is the first to be isolated by Team AJW and she soon is planted by a Death Valley Bomb by Mita, and she gets the three count! Kitamura is eliminated. Handa is in next, she hits a beautiful fallaway slam hold but Shimoda comes back with a Tiger Suplex Hold for the three count! Handa is eliminated.  Osawa comes in for her but Minami comes in for the All Japan Women and within a minute she plants Osawa with a powerbomb to get another three count! Osawa is eliminated. This very temporarily puts Sawai and Saito in a 5 vs. 2 situation, but it won’t last long. Eagle Sawai runs in and knocks Minami to the mat, she covers her and gets three! Minami is eliminated.  Sawai lariats Shimoda and covers her as well, getting another quick three count cover! Shimoda is eliminated. Sawai powerbombs Mita but the cover is broken up by Nakano and Yoshinaga. Sawai catapults Saito at them so she can hit a dropkick, Sawai powerbombs Mita again and she gets a three count! Mita is eliminated.

It is 2 vs. 2 now as Nakano comes in, and she faces off with Sawai. Sawai knocks down Nakano first but Yoshinaga comes in and they hit a double powerbomb. Sawai avoids the Diving Guillotine Drop and tags in Saito, diving spinning heel kick by Saito to Nakano and she covers her for two. Saito kicks Yoshinaga in the back of the head but Yoshinaga kicks out of the cover, and Yoshinaga hits a head kick of her own. Yoshinaga hits a heel kick on Nakano by accident, but then she immediately hits one on Saito and covers her for the three count! Saito is eliminated. Missile dropkick by Yoshinaga to Sawai and she tags Nakano, powerbomb by Nakano but it gets two, as does the Diving Guillotine Drop. Sawai hits a superplex on Nakano but Yoshinaga comes in and hits a heel kick. Somersault Diving Guillotine Leg Drop by Nakano, and she picks up the three count! Sawai is eliminated, Team AJW wins!

This match accomplished a lot. First, even in defeat it put over Sawai as an invading force to be reckoned with, as she pinned three wrestlers and took a lot of offense before going down. Second, it established that Nakano is still badass, we knew this but a reminder every now and then never hurt anyone. And finally it introduced some new wrestlers to the AJW crowd, all the wrestlers got at least a few minutes to show what they could do. The downside of the match is that it did not need twelve wrestlers, as it meant some really solid wrestlers got pinned really easily. It may be forgotten in the grand scheme of things but Shimoda and Mita were pinned too quick for wrestlers of their stature. A really solid match overall as I think it accomplished what it was going for, but not without its faults. Recommended

 
Takako Inoue vs. Cuty Suzuki (JWP)

This match was billed as “Over the Idol ~Summer Heroine Series.” Basically this match is both promotions’ resident hottie battling against each other, both did gravure videos and were known as much for their ‘other media’ as for their wrestling. But both are solid wrestlers also so this should be a fun one. They go right to slapping each other and hard elbows, there is no love here between these two as Suzuki hits a quick German suplex hold for two. I like when matches don’t have five minutes of limb work, I am not against that but its enjoyable when matches go in their own direction. Suzuki controls the action on the mat but Inoue drops her with a sudden tombstone piledriver. Inoue works on Suzuki’s leg for a minute, but it doesn’t go anywhere and soon Suzuki is back in control.

Suzuki quickly hits two backdrop suplexes, she then applies a Dragon Sleeper but Inoue gets into the ropes. She gets it re-applied but Inoue gets to the ropes again and applies her own Dragon Sleeper. Guess the legwork is out the window. Suzuki sneaks in a suplex and hits some quick footstomps, but Inoue avoids the diving footstomp. Chokeslam by Inoue and she hits another one, but Suzuki bridges out of the pin. Avalanche Armdrag by Inoue, she goes up top but Suzuki joins her, allowing Inoue to hit an avalanche chokeslam for two. A backdrop suplex hold also gets two for Inoue, and Suzuki sneaks in a dragon suplex hold for a two of her own. Inoue comes right back with a German suplex before punching Suzuki right in the face. Diving kneedrop by Inoue, and she gets the three count pinfall! Takako Inoue wins the match.

I can’t say I particularly enjoyed this one. If they wanted to just trade bombs, they should have done that, as the first two minutes were solid and the last few were good also, but the middle portion really dragged. There is no need to do five minutes of leg work if it is going to be immediately forgotten by both wrestlers, it is just time filler at that point. I liked the passion, both show emotion very well, but as a wrestling match it was lacking.

 
Kaoru Ito and Toshiyo Yamada vs. Megumi Kudo and Yukie Nabeno (FMW)

Nabeno eats some hip attacks as she is a bit out of her league, she gets away to tag in Kudo and Kudo trades bombs with Ito. Sleeper by Kudo, Nabeno comes in and they double team Ito. Tiger Driver by Kudo, she picks up Ito and hits another one followed by a third but Yamada comes into help. Kudo gets rid of Yamada but she comes back again, but Kudo hits a hurricanrana for two. Kudo tags Nabeno and Nabeno hits a missile dropkick on Ito. Ito has finally had enough and hits a cannonball, she tags Yamada and Yamada dives down onto Nabeno. Yamada hits four jumping kicks on Nabeno, then Nabeno is double teamed until Kudo comes in and lariats Ito. Ito goes up top with Nabeno and hits a superplex followed by a series of footstomps. Kudo interferes, so Ito hits a diving footstomp off the top turnbuckle to the floor onto Kudo. She then gets back up top and hits one on Nabeno, and she gets the three come! Ito and Yamada win the match.

I liked this match, mostly because of Yamada. I haven’t seen a lot of Yamada but her strikes and suplexes are so good, she is just the type of wrestler that I enjoy watching. Everyone played their parts right though and unlike some previous matches they didn’t waste time doing things that ultimately meant nothing. A bit predictable on whom was taking the fall but a solid tag match. Mildly Recommended

Kyoko Inoue vs. Shinobu Kandori (JWP)

Kandori does finally get the first big break in the match as she spins around Inoue with a sleeper, powerbomb by Kandori but it gets two. Kandori goes back to the sleeper but Inoue gets out of it, Inoue quickly springs to the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving back elbow drop. Missile dropkick by Inoue and she hits another one, but Kandori blocks the powerbomb attempt. Elbow by Inoue but Kandori catches her arm to go for an armbar. Inoue gets away and hits an enzuigiri, but Kandori hits the Tiger Driver for two. Kandori gets Inoue’s back but Inoue rolls her up and they trade quick pin attempts. Powerbomb by Inoue, Kandori manages to get the Fujiwara Armbar locked in but Inoue reaches the ropes. Kandori drags Inoue to the middle of the ring, she applies a double armbar submission and Inoue is forced to give up! Shinobu Kandori is your winner.

This was a great match that even if you don’t know their history (I am not sure where the hate comes from) it was palpable from start to finish. They both brought something different as Inoue went for power moves while Kandori was more into strikes and submissions, so it led to an interesting dynamic as either could have won at any point with their preferred methodology. Kandori targeting the arm was on point and the finishing submission had that feel of “well Inoue isn’t getting out of this” which is always the right reaction. Really entertaining, just two top end wrestlers in their prime putting on a smart and entertaining match. Highly Recommended

 
Sakie Hasegawa, Manami Toyota, and Yumiko Hotta vs. Mayumi Ozaki, Plum Mariko, and Hikari Fukuoka (JWP)

That ends the JWP portion of the match, as AJW takes over with the slow destruction of Fukuoka. And a glorious destruction it is as she is suplexed around the ring in rapid fire fashion with her teammates occasionally coming in to break things up. Finally Mariko is tagged in and she has more luck, powerbombing Toyota to turn the tide back to the invading team. Toyota’s leg is worked on, but soon she breaks away and gets back to her corner. Toyota tags in Hasegawa, she gets Ozaki in a submission but Ozaki gets out of it. There really are no long breaks here, its pretty much non-stop tagging and big moves to whomever is unlucky enough to be in the ring. Fukuoka drops Hotta with a missile dropkick but Toyota flies off the top with a crossbody on all of Team JWP, Oklahoma Roll by Ozaki to Toyota but it gets a two count. Toyota returns the favor but Ozaki tags back out and all six women take turns hitting big spots again. The higher flying wrestlers take dives out of the ring, ending with a Toyota moonsault, Hotta gets Ozaki on her shoulders and she eats a double missile dropkick. Hotta gives Ozaki a hard powerbomb but accidentally hits Hasegawa with a heel kick, bodypress by Mariko and Ozaki delivers the moonsault for two. Cross-arm suplex by Ozaki to Hasegawa, and she gets the three count! Team JWP wins the match!

There was a lot to love about this one, mostly the lack of downtime in a 25 minute match. They were just going hard from bell to bell, it wasn’t as strike based as the last few but more suplexes and double (or triple) teaming. The ending actually came out of nowhere as Hasegawa had just recovered from the previous moves done to her when she took the suplex that kept her down, since wrestlers have been kicking out of everything all night I’d have preferred it take a bit more to get the three count. Still, a hectic and fast paced match, not a ton of psychology but lots of goodness nonetheless. Recommended

(c) Akira Hokuto vs. Rumi Kazama (LLPW)

This match starts with a bang, as Kazama hits Hokuto to the mat but Hokuto fires back with two straight piledrivers. That’s how you kick things off. Hokuto tries to choke out Kazama with no luck so she sits down on the Scorpion Deathlock instead. Kazama gains the upper hand with some kicks and starts on Hokuto’s already injured knee, they roll out of the ring together and Kazama lays in with the leg kicks. Back in, Hokuto delivers some kicks of her own but Kazama hits a German suplex hold for two. Tiger suplex hold by Kazama, but that gets a two as well. Spinning heel kick by Kazama and she kicks Hokuto out of the ring, Kazama goes up top and dives out of the ring, but Hokuto moves. Hokuto then goes up top and hits a somersault splash down onto Kazama, but back in the ring Kazama kicks Hokuto when she goes for a Northern Lights Bomb. Hokuto goes for a gutwrench bomb but Kazama reverses it with a hurricanrana, Hokuto goes up top but Kazama kicks her as she jumps off. Kneebar by Kazama but Hokuto gets in the ropes, gutwrench bomb by Hokuto but Kazama kicks out. Missile Dropkick by Hokuto but Kazama hits a German suplex hold for two. Powerbomb by Kazama but Hokuto drops Kazama right on her head with an inverted powerslam. Northern Lights Bomb by Hokuto and she retains her championship!

Hokuto matches are always a pleasure because she is high energy and high impact. Kazama learned that the hard way as she was dropped on her head several times, while all she had to retort with was leg submissions and an occasional suplex. Kazama was good with the reversals though, it showed that she had scouted Hokuto which is a degree of realism that I appreciate. Hokuto could have sold the leg better between holds but it was an exciting and fun match. Recommended

 
(c) Aja Kong vs. Dynamite Kansai (JWP)

This match started slower than the last few as both were feeling each other out, looking for a way to get the advantage. Kong’s headbutts send Kansai reeling, she picks her up and drops Kansai with a piledriver. Kong concentrates on Kansai’s leg and back but Kansai takes back over and locks in a chinlock. This won’t go anywhere but the crowd is enjoying it and a slow build in title matches isn’t a bad thing. Kansai hits her own piledriver before going after Kong’s leg but Kong knocks Kansai to the mat and applies a Scorpion Deathlock. Kansai boots Kong and hits a lariat, but Kong fires back with her own lariat and the champion is back in control. Body Avalanche by Kong but Kansai ducks the Uraken and slams Kong for a two count. Kansai kicks Kong out of the ring and then dives out onto her with a pescado.

Back in, Kansai slams Kong and hits a diving bodypress for a nearfall. Kansai hits a lariat as the champion is on the ropes, but Kong decks Kansai with a Uraken. Kong goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a body press, but the challenger gets a shoulder up. She goes up again, Kansai goes for a kick as she jumps off but Kong crushes her leg instead. Kong drops Kansai on her head with a backdrop suplex but Kansai ducks the Uraken. A high kick by Kansai sends Kong to the mat, Kansai charges Kong but Kong hits a suplex. Kong goes up top, Kansai grabs her from behind however and nails the Splash Mountain but Kong barely kicks out. A STF by Kansai doesn’t get the submission so she goes back to kicks, but Kong catches one and hits a German suplex hold. Backdrop Driver by Kong and she hits a Uraken, another Uraken by Kong and she takes off the gloves to hit another one. Kong puts Kansai up top, she gets Kansai behind her back and drops down to the mat, squishing Kansai underneath her. Kong quickly covers Kansai and she gets the three count! Kong retains the championship!

Another great match, these inter-promotional cards were just stacked with talent. The crowd was really eating up some of the nearfalls, especially the Splash Mountain, and Kansai was hard enough to put down that it didn’t hurt her stature in JWP to lose. I wasn’t surprised the match had a slow start since title matches are usually more likely to have a ‘feeling out process,’ partly to increase the length and partly to push the idea that its such an important match that neither wants to make the first mistake. Once the bombs started there was no going back though, and the atmosphere was incredible. Perfect way to end the show and a must-see match between two Joshi legends. Highly Recommended

Results Recap:

• Utako Hozumi, Kurenai Yasha, and Mizuki Endo defeats Tomoko Watanabe, Numacchi, and The Goddess Chikako Shiratori
• Bolshoi Kid and Candy Okutsu defeats Infernal KAORU and Chaparrita ASARI
• Bull Nakano, Minami, Mita, Shimoda, and Bat Yoshinaga defeats Eagle Sawai, Harley Saito, Handa, Osawa, and Kitamura  – Recommended
• Takako Inoue defeats Cuty Suzuki
• Toshiyo Yamada and Kaoru Ito defeats Megumi Kudo and Yukie Nabeno  – Mildly Recommended
• Shinobu Kandori defeats Kyoko Inoue – Highly Recommended
• Mayumi Ozaki, Plum Mariko, and Hikari Fukuoka defeats Yumiko Hotta, Manami Toyota, and Sakie Hasegawa  – Recommended
• All Pacific Championship: Akira Hokuto defeats Rumi Kazama  – Recommended
• WWWA Championship: Aja Kong defeats Dynamite Kansai – Highly Recommended

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