Event: Stardom “American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple”
Date: April 5th, 2019
Location: NYC Arena in Queens, NY, USA
Announced Attendance: Unknown

I did a preview of this event on Thursday, and since I am watching it live it only made sense to review it as quickly as possible as well. This is not Stardom’s first voyage to the United States, however it is the first show of theirs that really feels like a Stardom show and not a event that Stardom wrestlers just appear on. We get several big matches here, including the first ever singles match between Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita! Here is the full card:

• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette
• Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Dust
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Elimination Match: Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki

The bottom rope is broken in the ring, they tried to fix it for about 20 minutes but eventually gave up so this event will take place with a very loose bottom rope. The other two ropes seem fine however. If you want more details about any of the wrestlers above that are from Stardom or have wrestled in Stardom before, you can click on their names to go to their profile on Joshi City. Lets get to the review!

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

Jungle and Sonya start the match, they test each other’s strength with shoulderblock attempts until Sonya sends Jungle to the mat. Sonya tags Violette, Violette throws Jungle to the mat and puts her in a neck crank. Violette puts Natsuko in a grounded necklock but Jungle gets into the ropes for the break. Sonya returns and continues working over Jungle, Jungle fights back with chops as the two women trade blows. Hard shoulderblock by Jungle and she makes the hot tag to Natsuko, Natsuko tries to pick up Sonya but Sonya fights out of it. Violette comes in but Natsuko avoids her charge and she stacks both in the corner before hitting a running shoulder tackle. Natsuko goes for a splash on both but they move, double Irish whip to Natsuko but she delivers a double spear to them both. Natsuko picks up Sonya but Sonya dropkicks her and kicks her in the head. Cover by Sonya, but it gets a two count.

Violette is tagged in, dropkicks by Violette and she hits a spinning backfist, but Natsuko drops her with a spinebuster and tags Jungle. Jungle and Natsuko pick up Violette and throw her into the corner for the double team but Violette throws them into each other and hits a Codebreaker on Jungle. Cover by Violette, but Jungle barely gets the shoulder up. Sonya and Violette trade kicks to Jungle, cutter by Violette but it gets another two. Violette picks up Jungle but Jungle lariats both of them, sliding lariat to Violette but her pin attempt gets two. Sonya returns to attack Jungle but Natsuko dropkicks her, Violette and Sonya are thrown to opposite corners and hit with elbows. Jungle and Natsuko slam their opponents and go up to opposite turnbuckles, with both delivering a diving body press. Jungle grabs Violette around the waist and nails the Hammerthrow Powerbomb, and she picks up the three count! Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora win!

I am surprised they decided to kick off the show with a more grounded power battle, but the match was good. Sonya and Violette showed general competency here, there were some missed moves and clunkiness but I can chalk up some of that to being against Jungle and Natsuko for the first time. I was surprised Jungle was the original face in peril but the match generally felt dominated by Sonya and Violette, with the Stardom team getting their big spots in when needed. The crowd was quiet during some of the beatdown segments but got very vocal whenever Jungle was involved, as she was the clear star of the match. A fine match to start off the show and to ease the crowd into the action that is to come.

Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler

Baker, Hana, and Konami start the match, Hana gets the first advantage but Konami schoolboys her as they trade flash pins. They all tag out, Blake is tossed out of the way and Bea kicks Bobbi in the head. Konami comes in and they double team Bobbi, but Hana returns and hits a double dropkick on both of them. Hana stays in with Konami and throws her a few times by the hair, Bobbi comes back and they put Konami in a double Romero Special. Baker slides in and tries for a pin while the move is applied so they release it, Bea and Konami double team Hana and drill her with a double kick for two. Blake comes back in as legal and hits a bulldog on Bea, but her cover gets two. Hana tags kicks Blake and tags herself back in, she dropkicks Bea but Konami comes in and trades elbows with Hana. Kicks by Konami to Hana, she delivers a head kick and covers Hana for two. Grounded necklock by Konami to Hana but Hana muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex for two. Hana goes off the ropes and goes for the boot, but Konami moves and applies a kneelock over the top rope. We still only have two wrestlers since Bea has beat up everyone else at ringside, Ground Manjikatame by Hana but Bea quickly breaks it up. Bea remains and hits a backdrop suplex onto Hana, but Bobbi breaks up the cover. Bobbi also remains in the ring and she hits a Reverse STO off the ropes, she covers Bea but Baker breaks it up. Slide Blade by Baker, Blake comes in but she kicks Baker by accident. Missile dropkick by Hana to Blake, and she covers her for the three count! Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler win!

While I wouldn’t have minded if they got more time, the action we saw was entertaining. I know she wasn’t the focus but I really like Bobbi, she was a good selection by Stardom to bring in earlier this year and works really well with the wrestlers. All six looked good but Hana and Bobbi were the standouts, which made it fitting that they won the match. Blake isn’t quite on the level as everyone else here but hit her spots fine, and generally each of the Stardom wrestlers got a brief chance to get their shots in which is all the crowd wanted from this type of match. A solid match, just a bit shorter than I’d have liked.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

They waste no time as they go into a high speed exchange, as Hazuki’s recent matches tend to, but neither wrestler gets a clear advantage. Dropkick by Dust but Hazuki dropkicks her back, Hazuki knocks Dust down in the corner and hits some bootscrapes followed by a running kick. Scoop slam by Hazuki and she throws Dust into the corner, but Dust avoids her charge and hits a jumping elbow. Kick to the back by Dust and she hits a sliding kick, cover by Dust but it gets two. Dust goes off the ropes but Hazuki jumps off to the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick. Big boot by Hazuki and she covers Dust for a two count. Hazuki picks up Dust but Dust sneaks in a cradle for two, Hazuki hits Dust with hard elbows but Dust goes out to the apron and pulls Hazuki out with her, hitting a DDT onto the apron. Dust goes up top and connects with a diving crossbody, running knee to the back by Dust and she nails the Codebreaker for two. Dust goes up top but Hazuki recovers and joins her, they trade elbows but Dust knocks Hazuki back to the mat. Dust jumps off, Hazuki moves but Dust hits a Backstabber for two. Dust waits for Hazuki to get up but Hazuki avoids the kick and puts her in La Magistral for the three count! Hazuki is still the champion!

This match being shorter isn’t surprising as all of Hazuki’s titles matches are short, but again I still wish they got more time (the commentator mentioned it too and agrees with me, so I’m not just being difficult). An entertaining match for sure, Hazuki has really started putting all the pieces together and has a wide variety of quality offense, making her matches unique each time as she has quite a few moves that she can end a match with. Dust connected well on everything and I liked the general story of Dust being in control but losing to Hazuki’s “quick” move since it fits in with the name of the title. Didn’t get enough time to get too emotionally invested but a good match between two talented wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

This event is flying by, but we still have two big matches left.

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They start slow as they trade holds with neither getting the advantage, but Utami slaps Momo in the face which leads to the action picking up. Dropkick by Momo and she kicks Utami in the back, chest kick by Momo and she chokes Utami with her boot. More kicks by Momo, she kicks Utami out of the ring and goes out to the apron, delivering a PK as Utami stands back up. Momo goes out to get Utami and they trade strikes back in the ring, slap by Momo and she hits a scoop slam for two. Momo throws Utami to the corner, Utami reverses it as Momo goes for a dropkick, but Utami moves and puts Momo in the Camel Clutch. Momo gets a foot on the broken bottom rope for the break, scoop slam by Utami but Momo quickly kicks out of the cover. Crab hold by Utami, Momo gets out of it but Utami dropkicks her in the back. Momo briefly regains the advantage but Utami schoolboys her and re-applies the crab hold. Momo gets to the ropes for the break, Utami picks her up and goes for the Argentine Backbreaker, but Momo blocks it and delivers a head kick. Momo goes for a suplex, Utami blocks it but Momo rolls her up for two. Back up they trade elbows until both collapse to the mat, Momo is up first and throws Utami to the corner, dropkick by Momo but Utami fires back with a running elbow as they go back and forth.

Missile dropkick off the second turnbuckle by Momo, she picks up Utami and kicks her into the corner. Running dropkick by Momo, she then hits a Uranage followed by a Somato for a close tow count. Momo gets on the second turnbuckle and nails the diving Somato, she then goes all the way up and delivers another diving Somato but Utami barely gets a shoulder up. Momo applies the chickenwing, she goes for a kick but Utami catches it and flings Momo to the mat. Sleeper by Utami and she hits a sleeper takedown, giving the hold applied on the mat. Momo rolls towards the rope and reaches it for the break. Utami picks up Momo and puts her up in the Argentine Backbreaker before dropping her back with a Samoan Drop, she drags up Momo by the waist and nails a German suplex hold for a close two count. Utami picks up Momo and goes for the Argentine Backbreaker again but Momo rolls out of it, Utami goes off the ropes but Momo catches her with the B Driver for a two count. Momo puts Utami in the chickenwing before kicking her hard in the back of the head, Tequila Sunrise by Momo but Utami barely kicks out. Momo drags Utami up but Utami pushes her away and sneaks in a cradle for two. Utami goes off the ropes but Momo nails her with a high kick, Peach Sunrise by Momo, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe is the winner and retains the championship.

By any standard, this was a fantastic match, but when you consider their ages and experience levels it just goes to a different level. They work together so well and nothing they did felt wasted, there weren’t any time killing or meaningless spots as everything they did served some type of purpose. Both are so crisp with the transitions and there were so many small spots throughout designed to keep your eyeballs on the match. These two bring it all, from hard strikes to smart submissions to great looking suplexes, and their offensive variety keeps the action fresh. I will admit I am surprised Momo won, not that she doesn’t have the experience edge but since it wasn’t the main event it felt like they would go in a different direction, but it gives Utami a mountain to climb and quiets down the less intelligent fans that thought Utami was being pushed too hard (which isn’t true anyway). Utami never hit her biggest move so she still has that in her pocket, and Momo had to whip out a quality sequence of moves to keep the Big Rookie down so there is no shame in defeat for her. One of the better Joshi matches so far in 2019, just an exciting and entertaining match bell to bell that shows why Stardom fans are so high on Momo and Utami as future leaders of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki
Elimination Match (by pinfall, submission, or Over the Top Rope)

They immediately start brawling into the aisles and into the crowd, things settle down a bit with Mayu and Kagetsu in the ring as the legal wrestlers. Kagetsu tags in Jamie and suplexes Mayu into the turnbuckles, she tags in Martina and she suplexes Mayu for a two count. The quick tags continue as Mayu is weakened , Andras runs through her offense on Mayu but the cover is broken up. Andras goes to do a dive but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, giving her time to tag Saki. Jamie and Martina run in but are taken back out, spinning headscissors by Saki to Andras and she plants Kagetsu as well. Saki jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a face crusher, double underhook face crusher by Saki to Andras but Kagetsu stops Saki when she tries to dive off the top turnbuckle. All of Oedo Tai run in and hit running strikes on Saki, Andras grabs Saki and nails the Samoan Driver, but the cover only gets two. Andras picks up Saki but Saki blocks the piledriver and cradles Andras for a close two count. Saki goes off the ropes but Andras catches her with the spinning tombstone piledriver and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima is eliminated.

Arisa comes in as the legal wrestler with Martina, brainbuster by Martina but Arisa kicks out of the cover. Martina gets Arisa on her shoulders but she gets a little help from her friends, kicks by Arisa to Martina but Martina blocks the suplex attempt. Members of both teams run in as we get all seven in the vertical suplex attempt, with STARS winning the battle. All three remaining members of STARS work over Martina, ending with a triple dropkick for a two count. Arisa picks up Martina and with Tam connects with dual kicks, Brazilian Kick by Arisa and she covers Marina for the three count! Session Moth Martina is eliminated.

Kagetsu jumps Arisa from behind, Tam tags in and she trades elbows with Kagetsu. Cutter by Tam, she grabs Kagetsu from behind but Kagetsu elbows her off. High kick by Tam but Kagetsu kicks her back, she goes off the ropes but Tam nails another high kick followed by a German suplex hold for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hazuki hits her with the Oedo Tai board, Andras slams Tam and Kagetsu goes up top and nails the Oedo Coaster, but the cover is broken up. Kagetsu picks up Tam and hits the Death Valley Bomb, and this time she gets the three count! Tam Nakano is eliminated!

Mayu knocks Kagetsu back but Andras is tagged in and she hits a missile dropkick onto Mayu. Arisa tries to help but Andras dropkicks both of them and hits a backdrop suplex onto Mayu for a two count. Andras goes up top but Mayu joins her and delivers a Frankensteiner, sliding kick by Mayu and she covers Andras for two. Mayu goes off the ropes but Andras catches her and goes for a powerbomb, but Mayu slides out to the apron. Andras charges Mayu but Mayu gets a headscissors, sending Andras over the top rope to the floor! Andras is eliminated.

Kagetsu gets in the ring and she rakes Mayu in the eyes, suplex by Mayu and she tags in Arisa. Kagetsu grabs Arisa by the throat but Arisa pushes her off and the two trade kicks. Arisa goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her to the mat, Kagetsu charges Arisa but Arisa nails her with a knee for a two count. Arisa drives Kagetsu’s head into her knee, she goes up top but Jamie and Andras grab her from the apron. Springboard kick by Kagetsu but Arisa knocks her back, Kagetsu gets some water and spits it into Arisa’s face. Kagetsu gets Arisa on her shoulders and tries to toss her out of the ring, but Arisa hangs on. They struggle on the top rope but they both end up tumbling out, as both Kagetsu and Arisa Hoshiki are eliminated!

Jamie and Mayu are the last two remaining. Kagetsu tries to mist Mayu but hits Jamie by accident, buzzsaw kick by Mayu to Jamie and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the moonsault. Cover by Mayu, and she gets the three count! STARS win, with Mayu Iwatani being the sole survivor!

This match was exactly what I was expecting, if not a bit better. The eliminations did come fast but with eight wrestlers that was bound to happen, and most of the wrestlers got to show off before they got eliminated from the match. In a way this was almost like an exhibition in that it showed new fans what each wrestler had to offer, then getting rid of them so that the next wrestler could shine. While I was a bit concerned Martina may slow the match down just because she isn’t as familar with some of the wrestlers, she didn’t and everyone was on point with great moves executed throughout. Oedo Tai was their usual Oedo Tai self and I popped for the mist since that will always be one of my favorite wrestling “moves” ever. I wish that Jamie and Mayu got a bit more of a segment at the end but they were likely speeding things up since the show started late and they wanted time for the meet and greet before everyone had to go to their next show. Overall this was a really fun and action packed match and a fitting way to close the show, and I am glad aside from the feed dying during Momo/Utami that the action in the ring delivered to the level that I am sure Stardom was hoping it would.  Recommended

The post Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple on 4/5/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple”
Date and Time: April 5th at 4:00 PM EST
Location: NYC Arena in Queens, NY
Tickets: Eventbrite
Where to Watch on PPV: FITE

Even with the event set to take place on April 5th, Stardom waited until April 3rd to announce the card for the show. I highly suspect due to potential visa issues they were waiting until the wrestlers actually made it to the United States to announce the card so they wouldn’t falsely advertise, which may have hurt some of the buzz as the official Stardom Twitter was oddly silent on promoting tickets in the last week until the wrestlers landed. But arrive they all did and we finally have the full card! Even with the delay, Stardom did not disappoint. Before I dive into the details, here is a quick run-down of the announced matches:

• Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette
• Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. Dust
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Elimination Match: Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki

Five matches may seem low but this was announced from the start as a two hour show, so time was certainly a factor. Please note that the wrestlers will be meeting with fans after the show until 7 PM, so if you want a picture with the wrestlers be sure to hang around afterwards. If you want more details about any of the wrestlers above that are from Stardom or have wrestled in Stardom before, you can click on their names to go to their profile on Joshi City. Lets take a deeper look at the matches.

Jungle Kyona and Natsuko Tora vs. Sonya Strong and Violette

Brittany Blake and Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley and Konami vs. Hana Kimura and Bobbi Tyler

(c) Hazuki vs. Dust
High Speed Championship

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Utami Hayashishita
Wonder of Stardom Championship

Session Moth Martina, Jamie Hayter, Kagetsu, and Andras Miyagi vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Tam Nakano, and Arisa Hoshiki
Elimination Match

Even with it being a shorter show with only five matches, Stardom is doing their best to satisfy their current fans while also showing new fans exactly what Stardom has to offer. I’ll be watching the show live from the comfort of my home and will have a full show review completed by Friday night. At $9.99, I don’t think anyone will come away from this event thinking they didn’t get their money’s worth, this event has the chance to steal the weekend and any fan of women’s wrestling won’t want to miss it.

The post Stardom American Dream 2019 in the Big Apple on 4/5/19 Preview appeared first on Joshi City.

I am willing to go far and wide to watch any recent shows with Joshi wrestlers on it, and this review is proof of that. The English-based Marvelous Puroresu USA website no longer exists, which was the easiest place to buy their DVDs. So when this one came out on the Japanese website, I jumped through the appropriate hoops and now it is in my possession. This was a pretty long joint show (ten matches), to make my life more fun I am only going to review the matches where at least half the wrestlers are women (four matches total). It fits the theme of the site better anyway. Here are the matches I will be reviewing:

• Ashley Vox and Sonya Strong vs. Jessika Black and Nyla Rose
• Davienne and Kyoko Kimura vs. Mio Momono and Renee Michelle
• Brian Fury and Kyoko Kimura vs. Cheeseburger and Takumi Iroha
• Heidi Lovelace and Sumie Sakai vs. Kimber Lee and Takumi Iroha

A unique blend of Joshi wrestlers, male wrestlers, and American women wrestlers. Let’s get to the fun.

 
Ashley Vox and Sonya Strong vs. Jessika Black and Nyla Rose

Jessika and Sonya start the match for their teams and trade wristlocks, they then trade schoolboys but neither can get the quick win. Jessika tags in Nyla while Ashley is also tagged in, Lou Thesz Press by Ashley but Nyla pushes her off and hits a big boot. Nyla picks up Ashley and drives her into the corner before tagging in Jessika, shoulder tackles by Jessika and she tags Nyla back in. The beatdown of the smaller Ashley continues for a few minutes, Ashley fires off a few dropkicks to Nyla and finally knocks her off her feet. Ashley tags in Sonya while Jessika tagged in as well, Sonya kicks around both of them before covering Jessika for two. Ashley returns and they both hit crossbodies on Jessika and Nyla, sending them out of the ring. Nyla returns to face off with Sonya, but Jessika attacks Sonya from behind and hits a shoulderblock. Jessika elbows Sonya in the head and applies a headscissors, she releases it after a moment and Sonya kicks Jessika into the corner. Body Avalanche by Jessika in the other corner, she picks up Sonya and hits a DDT for a two count. Jessika tags Nyla, Nyla twists at Sonya’s knee but Sonya gets away and tags in Ashley. DDT by Ashley to Nyla, she tags Sonya back in and Sonya gets Nyla’s back. Sonya goes for a sunset flip but Nyla blocks it and sits on her, Nyla grabs the ropes for leverage and she gets the three count! Ashley and Sonya are the winners.

This match was somewhat decent until the ending, I have absolutely no idea what happened but the last 45 seconds was one of the most awkward and unusual endings I’ve seen in my life. Up to that point it wasn’t anything special, mostly basic offense and lots of tagging in and out with little story. None of them came out of the match looking particularly good, this is an example of why matches should have at least one veteran to lead things along if possible. They may turn out to the great down the road, but nothing worth watching here.

Davienne and Kyoko Kimura vs. Mio Momono and Renee Michelle

Young Mio and Kyoko kick things off for their teams, Kyoko gets Mio to the mat and gets her in a headlock, wristlock by Kyoko but Mio armdrags out of it and the pair trade quick trips. Renee and Davienne tag in, Renee kicks Davienne in the face and armdrags her to the mat. Dropkick by Renee, and she covers Davienne for two. Davienne wants to tag out and Kyoko eventually agrees while Mio also tags back in, Kyoko twists Mio’s hair and tosses her down by it a few times. Kyoko and Davienne take turns attacking the rookie in her debut, after several minutes Mio gets away and finally makes the hot tag to Renee. Kyoko spits at Renee but Renee hits a headscissors and kicks Kyoko in the ropes. Renee hits a second turnbuckle moonsault, but it only gets a two count. Renee picks up Kyoko but Kyoko swings her down and applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Kyoko tags in Davienne, Samoan Drop by Davienne and she covers Renee, but Renee bridges out of it. Renee dropkicks Davienne and tags in Mio, dropkick by Mio to Davienne and she hits another one, but Davienne knocks her to the mat with a bodyblock.

Sidewalk Slam by Davienne, and she covers Mio for two. Davienne tags in Kyoko and Kyoko kicks at Mio, but Mio ducks the boot and hits a headscissors. Dropkicks by Mio, she finally knocks Kyoko to the mat and covers her for a two count. Mio picks up Kyoko and hits a series of elbows, but Kyoko slams her to the mat. Kyoko puts Mio in a stretch hold while taunting Iroha at ringside, she lets go of her but Mio sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Mio goes for a crossbody on Kyoko and Davienne but gets caught, Renee goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to knock over all three of them. Mio and Renee take turns on Kyoko, Mio goes up top and hits a diving crossbody for a two. Mio picks up Kyoko but Kyoko puts Mio in a STF, which is quickly broken up by Renee. Kyoko puts Mio in a choke but Mio gets a foot in the ropes, cover by Kyoko but it gets a two count. Davienne comes in and destroys little Mio with a lariat, vertical suplex by Kyoko but Mio barely kicks out of the pin. Kyoko picks up Mio but Mio avoids the sleeper and applies a backslide for two. Mio goes off the ropes but Kyoko takes off her head with a big boot, and she picks up the three count! Davienne and Kyoko win the match.

For a match as long as this one, it had very few memorable moments. Davienne’s lariat on Mio was really the only move that left an impression, as most of the rest of the match was pretty basic. Which was likely necessary, between having a debuting wrestler and any possible language barriers, but normally you wouldn’t expect a match with those obstacles to be so long either. There weren’t any signs of miscommunication or awkwardness, which is a big plus, but it lacked that something special that would make me recommend anyone watch the match. Not bad, just thoroughly average.

Brian Fury and Kyoko Kimura vs. Cheeseburger and Takumi Iroha

Kyoko and Cheeseburger are the first two in, Cheeseburger rolls around the ring while Kyoko mostly just looks confused about what is going on. Cheeseburger goes for shoulderblocks but Kyoko doesn’t budge, they both go for hiptosses but Cheeseburger distracts Kyoko with a dance before rolling her up for two. Hard shoulderblock by Kyoko, they trade quick pins and both wrestlers return to their feet. Takumi and Fury tag in, Fury pushes Takumi against the ropes but he gives a clean break. Side headlock by Fury and he hits a shoulderblock, armdrag by Takumi and she dropkicks Fury to the mat. She tags in Cheeseburger and they both elbow Fury, cover by Cheeseburger but it gets two. Jawbreaker by Fury but he accidentally knocks Kyoko off the apron, Cheeseburger goes off the ropes but Kyoko pulls him out of the ring with her and she beats him around the floor. She rolls Cheeseburger back in, scoop slam by Fury and he tags in Kyoko. Kyoko pulls at Cheeseburger’s hair and stomps him down in the corner, Fury returns and drops Cheeseburger with a backdrop suplex. Kyoko is tagged back in and she literally spanks Cheeseburger repeatedly, she grabs Cheeseburgers arm and starts biting his fingers.

She hides it from the referee for a bit as she keeps biting him until he finally catches on, Fury comes in but Cheeseburger fights them both off and tags in Takumi. Superkick by Takumi to Kyoko, she drives her into the corner but Kyoko kicks her when she charges in. Powerslam by Takumi, and she covers Kyoko for two. Takumi picks up Cheeseburger and drops him onto Kyoko, she then picks Kyoko up but Kyoko blocks the suplex. Guillotine Choke by Takumi but Kyoko muscles out of it and hits a vertical suplex. Kyoko and Takumi both slowly get up and trade elbows, spinning heel kick by Takumi but Fury runs in to knock Cheeseburger off the apron so that Takumi can’t tag in. Kyoko does tag in Fury however, Michinoku Driver by Fury but Takumi kicks out of the pin. He goes for a backdrop suplex but Takumi lands on her feet, Cheeseburger comes in and helps Takumi get Fury over for a German suplex. This gives her time to tag in Cheeseburger, they both pick up Fury but Kyoko comes in and kicks Takumi and Cheeseburger from behind. Kyoko and Takumi leave the ring while Fury kicks Cheeseburger in the ring, tornado DDT by Cheeseburger but Fury blocks the palm strike. Pop-up sit-down powerbomb by Fury, and he picks up the three count! Kyoko Kimura and Brian Fury are your winners.

This was a fun match, it just felt like it needed a few more minutes. With Kyoko and Takumi both having two matches on the show that may have restricted it a bit, as the ending was a bit sudden. I liked Kyoko and Cheeseburger’s interactions, sometimes comedy-like spots can seem forced but Kyoko felt right at home. She is better than she is given credit for as she thrives in many different styles of matches. Takumi hitting a nice looking German Suplex on Fury was the most memorable part of the match however, she is a great young wrestler that just needs more exposure. Solid action throughout and entertaining, I just wish there was more of it.  Mildly Recommended

Heidi Lovelace and Sumie Sakai vs. Kimber Lee and Takumi Iroha

Heidi and Sumie attack before the match starts but Kimber and Takumi quickly take over and isolate Sumie. Kimber stays in with Sumie and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, she tags in Takumi but Sumie avoids Takumi’s charge in the corner. Sumie slides to the apron but Takumi suplexes her back in, she goes off the ropes but Heidi knees her from the apron, allowing Sumie to hit a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Sumie tags in Heidi, Heidi grabs Takumi with her legs and delivers the Deadly Night Shade. Heidi and Sumie take turns attacking Takumi, Sumie puts Takumi in a the Figure Four Leglock, Heidi goes up top and hits a diving body press while Takumi is still in the hold. The referee stops her when she goes to do it again, Takumi manages to reverse the move but Kyoko comes in and rolls them back over. Kimber then goes up top and hits a diving body press on Sumie which breaks up the hold, but Takumi can’t make the tag. Takumi is triple teamed in the ropes with the assistance of Kyoko before Sumie tags in Heidi, kicks by Heidi but Takumi fights back with elbows.

Sumie is tagged back in and she applies a rolling grounded necklock, Cobra Clutch by Sumie and Heidi comes in to kick Takumi in the chest. Sumie tags Heidi but Takumi catches Heidi with a German Suplex which gives her time to tag in Kimber. Lariats by Kimber and she boots Sumie in the chest, she picks up Sumie in a vertical suplex but transfers her to Takumi so that Takumi can finish the move. Swanton Bomb by Kimber, Takumi follows with a diving body press but the cover is broken up. Takumi picks up Sumie and goes for a powerbomb, but Sumie reverses it with a hurricanrana. Takumi suplexes Sumie while Kimber also suplexes Heidi, Takumi goes up top but Heidi grabs her from the floor. Sumie joins Takumi and hits a Frankensteiner, but Takumi kicks out of the pin attempt. Sumie tags in Heidi, missile dropkick by Sumie but Kimber runs in and kicks Sumie. Backdrop suplex by Heidi to Kimber and all four wrestlers are down on the mat, Heidi and Takumi are up first and they trade elbows. Heidi goes off the ropes but Takumi blocks the Heidi-Can-Rana and nails a sit-down powerbomb, picking up the three count! Kimber Lee and Takumi Iroha win the match!

This was a great match, with my only complaint being the same one I had with the last match as it ended very suddenly. All four wrestlers worked really well together and there was no wasted time, everything they did had impact and a purpose. None were holding back and the spot in the middle with the Figure Four was well-done and fairly original. Heidi and Takumi were the stars of the match as both came out of it looking strong, but the whole match flowed well and no one seemed out of place. Really fun way to end the show, even if I wouldn’t have minded if the match went another ten minutes.  Recommended

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