Event: Stardom “World Big Summer In Tokyo”
Date: July 24th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 810

We are back to Stardom, as my quest to not miss any of the Korakuen Hall events in 2019 continues even if I am four months behind. I should be caught up by the end of the year. Stardom “World Big Summer In Tokyo” is Stardom’s marquee summer event and we have three titles on the line, including their top two singles titles. Here is the full card:

• Hina and Leo Onozaki vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire vs. Rina and Ruaka
• Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita
• Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas vs. Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Tam Nakano
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hazuki
• World Of Stardom Championship: Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe

I am watching the Samurai TV version of the show so some matches may be clipped. All the wrestlers on the show have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Hina and Leo Onozaki vs. Natsuko Tora and Natsu Sumire vs. Rina and Ruaka

The match starts with all six brawling in the ring, Ruaka and Hina work together to get the early advantage but Natsuko slams them both into the corner and Natsu runs in with a Bronco Buster. Natsu picks up Hina and slams her in front of the corner, Ruaka is then stacked on top of her and Natsuko hits a diving bodypress on both of them for a two count. They go to Ruaka but Ruaka elbows them both back, double crossbody by Ruaka and she tags in Rina. Dropkick by Rina, Hina runs in and she hits a judo toss on her sister before tagging in Leo. Octopus Hold by Rina to Leo and she cradles her for a two count. Rina goes for a STO but Leo blocks it, Ruaka boots Leo in the chest and Rina covers her for two. Natsu comes in with her whip and hits everyone with it, Natsuko comes in too and she hits a legdrop on Leo for two. Rina and Ruaka come in and double team Leo, but Leo ducks Ruaka’s crossbody. Cutter by Leo to Rina, and she applies La Magistral for the three count! Leo Onozaki and Hina are the winners!

Not a whole lot to this one, and they didn’t always keep the teams straight. Not that it really mattered, with the loose tag rules and random interference, a structured match was not what they were going for. Too quick to be offensive but also too quick to be memorable, Natsu left an impression as she tends to do but otherwise not much here to get excited about.

Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita

Utami and Jamie shove each other to start while Saya watches, Saya tries to get involved but is shoved aside as the taller wrestlers want the ring to themselves. They eventually get rid of Saya, Jamie snapmares Utami and kicks her repeatedly in the back. Hard shoulderblock by Utami to Jamie, Saya returns but Utami scoop slams her onto Jamie before covering her for two. Utami picks up Jamie and charges her, but Jamie holds down the top rope and Utami lands on the apron. Jamie slaps her off the apron to the floor, she throws Utami back into the ring and kicks her in the corner. Uppercuts by Jamie to Utami but Utami avoids her charge, Jamie flips Utami out to the apron but Saya runs in and dropkicks Jamie. Another dropkick by Saya but Jamie fires back with a lariat, she goes back to Utami as Utami gets on the top turnbuckle and she joins her.

Saya tries to join in the fun but Jamie kicks her back, Utami pushes Jamie off the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Utami goes to cover Jamie but Saya knocks her out of the way and covers Jamie for two. Saya drop toeholds Utami onto Jamie, she bridges over both of them but it gets a two count. Saya throws Jamie and Utami into different corners and dropkicks both of them, she then stacks them into the same corner but Utami catches her with a judo toss. Utami gets Saya up in the backbreaker but Jamie boots Utami in the face, she hits a vertical suplex into the corner on Utami before slamming Saya repeatedly onto her knee. Jamie picks up Saya but Saya sneaks in an inside cradle for two, she goes for a backslide but that gets a two as well. High kick by Jamie to Saya but Saya gets away from her, German suplex by Utami to Jamie and she hits a dropkick on Jamie. Argentine Backbreaker by Utami, Jamie tries to break it up but Utami swings Saya’s legs into her before Saya submits to the submission! Utami Hayashishita is the winner.

I would have loved to see Jamie and Utami go at it one on one but the inclusion of Saya guaranteed that this wasn’t going to be an overly serious match with any long term implications. Saya isn’t a bad wrestler, she has a lot of spunk, but she had no chance of winning and was here just to be the wrestler to take the loss. That being said, the match was pretty well done and all their cute ‘triple threat’ spots went off without a hitch. All three were given a bit of a chance to shine, which is an accomplishment in such a short match, and everything clicked. Perfectly fine for an undercard match, just wish that Utami and Jamie had something more important to do on the show.

Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Lucas vs. Iwatani, Kashima, Starlight Kid, and Nakano

TCS attack before the bell because of course they did, Starlight Kid seems surprised by this and I have no idea why. TCS dominates for a moment as they focus on Starlight Kid, but STARS roars back and all four of them apply submission holds to their opponents. Starlight Kid and Hana stay in as the legal wrestlers as Hana gets to the ropes to break Starlight Kid’s hold, she goes off the ropes but Hana hits a drop toehold. Chinlock by Hana, she lets go after a moment and tosses down Starlight Kid by the mask. Hana tags in Zoe as Starlight Kid is triple teamed in the corner, Zoe snapmares Starlight Kid and sits down on the mat with her so she can stretch her (with Yama-san’s help). Zoe tags in Bobbi while she continues to choke Starlight Kid, Irish whip by Bobbi but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody and makes the hot tag to Saki. Bobbi throws Saki into the corner but she rebounds out of it with a bulldog, spinning headscissors by Saki but Bobbi avoids her boot attempt. Zoe comes in the ring but so does Tam, and STARS gets the in-ring advantage. Zoe and Bobbi take back over briefly but are thrown into each other before both eat dropkicks. Saki grabs Bobbi’s arm and snaps it against her foot, she tags in Mayu and Mayu dropkicks Bobbi in the chest. Elbows by Mayu but Bobbi comes back with the reverse STO from the ropes and makes the tag to Hana. Big boot by Hana to Mayu, she goes off the ropes and nails Mayu with a second one. Cover by Hana, but Mayu gets a shoulder up.

Hana picks up Mayu but Mayu blocks the suplex attempt, she goes off the ropes but Zoe grabs her so that Hana can boot Mayu in the face. Bobbi comes in and she helps Zoe toss Mayu to the mat, boot by Hana and she covers Mayu for a close two count. Hana picks up Mayu and puts her in a modified Ground Manjikatame but Mayu is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Hana charges Mayu in the corner but Mayu moves out of the way and kicks Hana in the face. Hana comes back with a vertical suplex, she picks up Mayu and elbows her, but Saki runs in and boots Hana in the chest. Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and Tam hits a backdrop suplex on Hana, Mayu has recovered and she goes up to the top turnbuckle, nailing the Frog Splash but Yama-san breaks up the cover. Mayu goes for a dragon suplex but Hana blocks it, Zoe kicks Mayu but Starlight Kid runs in and dropkicks Zoe. Both teams trade moves until everyone is down, Mayu and Hana are left alone in the ring and they trade elbows. Hana wins the battle and boots Mayu, but Mayu fires back with a superkick and both wrestlers are down again. They crawl to their respective corners to tag in Starlight Kid and Yama-san, Irish whip by Yama-san but Starlight Kid spins around her and the two trade flash pins. Back up, dropkick by Starlight Kid and they trade cradles until Starlight Kid holds down Yama-san for the three count! STARS win the match.

A fun mid-card tag match. As I mentioned above, a lot of quality wrestlers were jammed into this match so the action was really solid, with Hana being the main focus but others getting in their shots. Kaori Yoneyama and Tam Nakano mostly kept to the background as its hard for everyone to get in there in a ten minute eight woman tag, but not much one can do about that. I am not sure if Bobbi or Jamie is my favorite Gaijin in Stardom at the moment but I like them both a lot and hope they stay with the promotion for a long time to come, Bobbi fit in really well here. A fast paced entertaining match. Mildly Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi and Kagetsu
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Andras and Kyona start off and immediately try to knock each other over, with Kyona getting the best of the duel. Kyona shoulderblocks Andras over again, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu grabs her from the floor and pulls her out of the ring as things immediately break down. Andras and Kyona put on some hand sanitizer before getting into a Test of Strength, but Kyona breaks away and rubs it into Andras’ eyes. Andras gets back in control as they return to the ring, both wrestlers tag out as Konami and Kagetsu start trading kicks. Kagetsu catches one and hits a dragon screw, enzuigiri by Kagetsu and she tags in Andras. Elbows by Andras and she dropkicks Konami in the back of the head, Kyona runs in to help and Andras is double teamed as Kyona delivers the lariat. Kyona leaves the ring so that Konami can tag her in, snapmare by Kyona and she hits a sliding lariat for a two count. Kyona picks up Andras and hits a scoop slam, she goes up top but Andras avoids the diving body press and Kagetsu kicks her in the face. Konami comes in but Andras boots her back out, Oedo Tai kick Kyona and Andras hits a suplex. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, Andras follows with the Swanton Bomb but Konami breaks up the cover. They toss Andras into the ropes but Kagetsu hits a double springboard dropkick, Kyona and Konami fall out of the ring but they hit Oedo Tai with chairs when they go to do a dive. Release German by Konami to Andras, Kyona quickly goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving body press. Hammer Throw Powerbomb by Kyona, and she picks up the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad win and retain the championship.

This match was clipped to hell (about 50%), which is surprising for a title match since there were some more… lowly matches on the show they could have cut up. I guess they were just making sure the next two matches got the time they need. The match started a little goofy but got good after that, Kagetsu is so great that she shines through in every match she is in, even heavily clipped ones. Solid action for sure but its hard for me to recommend a match that so much is cut out of, just too incomplete.

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Hazuki
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start and get into a Test of Strength, Arisa tosses Hazuki to the mat and hops on top of her but Hazuki quickly reverses places with her as they jockey on the mat for position. Snapmare by Arisa and she kicks Hazuki in the back, she goes off the ropes but Hazuki trips her and drags her out of the ring. Hazuki tosses Arisa into the chairs at ringside, she brings her up into the bleachers and slams Arisa’s head into the column a few times. Hazuki brings Arisa back into the ring but immediately throws her back out of it and throws her into the chairs again. Hazuki slams Arisa into the ring post before scoop slamming her on the floor, she rolls her into the ring and hits two more scoop slams for a two count cover. Hazuki picks up Arisa and tosses her down by the hair, she goes for bootscrapes but Arisa kicks her in the leg and connects with a series of kicks to Hazuki’s chest. Arisa kicks Hazuki into the corner, Irish whip by Arisa but Hazuki rebounds out of the corner with a dropkick. Half nelson slam onto her knee by Hazuki, she pushes Arisa against the ropes and hits a series of bootscrapes followed by a running boot.

Hazuki throws Arisa into the corner and hits a running back elbow, Backstabber by Hazuki and she transitions it into an armtrap crossface. Arisa gets a foot on the ropes for the break, Hazuki picks her up but Arisa pushes her off and the two trade elbows. Pump Kick by Hazuki, she picks up Arisa but Arisa gets away and delivers a jumping kick. Both wrestlers are down but Hazuki is up first, running boot by Hazuki and she goes out to the apron, but Arisa avoids her springboard attack and puts Hazuki in a sleeper hold. Hazuki gets to the ropes for the break, Arisa goes up top but Hazuki recovers and joins her. They trade elbows while on the top turnbuckle until Arisa headbutts Hazuki off, 1399 by Arisa and she covers Hazuki for a two count. ADAMAS by Arisa, but Arisa lifts Hazuki up before the three count so she can nail the Brazilian Kick. Cover by Arisa, but Hazuki barely gets her shoulder up. Arisa goes for a running knee but Hazuki ducks it and hits a DDT, Michinoku Driver by Hazuki but her cover gets two. Hazuki picks up Arisa but Arisa blocks a suplex attempt and they trade elbows. Hazuki throws Arisa into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, Arisa elbows her back but Hazuki sets up Arisa in the corner and hits a Codebreaker.

Hazuki goes to the apron and hits a springboard missile dropkick to Arisa’s back, cover by Hazuki but it gets a two count. She transitions into an armtrap crossface, Arisa almost makes the ropes but Hazuki rolls her back and applies the Rings of Saturn. Again Arisa wiggles to the ropes and this time she makes it for the break, Hazuki goes off the ropes and nails a running boot to the side of Arisa’s head. Hazuki drags up Arisa and slams her in front of the corner, she goes up top but Arisa recovers and joins her. Hazuki knees Arisa and flips back to the mat, she boots Arisa in the head and then hits a neckbreaker. Hazuki goes up top but Arisa avoids the Bombs Away and hits a jumping knee, she connects with a second jumping knee and covers Hazuki for two. Arisa picks up Hazuki but Hazuki ducks the Brazilian Kick and applies La Magistral for two. Headbutt by Hazuki but Arisa kicks her in the head, Shining Impact by Arisa and she covers Hazuki for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki is the winner and still the champion.

I’m glad that Samurai TV didn’t clip this match as it was a hell of an encounter. Arisa has really grown on me, at first as she transitioned from midcard tag wrestler to suddenly a main event wrestler, I thought her offense was a bit repetitive and lacked creativity, but she is clearly over that hump as she was great here. All her strikes were snug and she is a lot of fun to watch. Hazuki also continues to improve as she showed a lot of fire, taking it hard to Arisa but never resorting to Oedo Tai Tactics as it was a pretty clean fight from start to finish. They mixed it up really well between strikes/power moves/submissions to keep things interesting and the ‘outside the ring’ portion was kept to the point. The near falls were convincing and the Shining Impact was the perfect way to end the match as it felt like a real exclamation point after a close back and forth battle. One of the better Stardom matches I have seen so far this year, just an exciting and well paced match between two wrestlers that keep getting better each time I watch them. Worth going out of your way to see.  Highly Recommended

(c) Bea Priestley vs. Momo Watanabe
World of Stardom Championship

They tie-up to start, Momo pushes Bea into the corner but quickly gives a clean break. Momo takes Bea to the mat and they trade holds, but neither gets the advantage and they return to their feet. Wristlock by Bea but Momo reverses it, snapmare by Bea and she applies a chinlock but Momo gets to the ropes for the break. They end up on the mat again with Momo in control, Bea returns to her feet and tosses Momo down before backing off. Headlock by Bea but Momo Irish whips out of it, elbow by Bea in the corner but Momo fires back with a dropkick and Bea rolls out of the ring to regroup. Momo goes to the apron and goes for a diving knee, but Bea moves out of the way and gets up on the apron to deliver a PK. Bea stomps on Momo’s arm and twists it around the ring post, she lets her go after a moment and returns to the ring. Momo doesn’t follow fast enough so Bea goes back out after her and throws her into the ring post. Bea kicks Momo in the arm and returns to the ring for good, Momo rolls in too but Bea immediately goes back to Momo’s arm.

Bea throws Momo into the corner but Momo rebounds out of it with a dropkick, another dropkick by Momo and she follows with a third. Momo picks up Bea and hits a snap vertical suplex, they slowly return to their feet and trade elbows. Bea takes Momo to the mat and applies a butterfly lock, Momo gets out of it but Bea cradles her for two. Running knee by Bea, she picks up Momo and hits a side suplex for another two count cover. Bea picks up Momo and gets her on her shoulders, but Momo reverses the Queen’s Landing and rolls Bea to the mat. Kick by Momo, she gets on the top turnbuckle and delivers the diving Somato for a two count. Momo quickly puts Bea in the chickenwing, Bea gets out of it but Momo drops her with a half nelson suplex. Somato by Momo, but Bea grabs the bottom rope to force the break. Momo picks up Bea and sets her up for the B Driver, she climbs the turnbuckles with Bea on her back but Bea gets away and hits a powerbomb for a two count. Bea waits for Momo to get up and charges, but Momo kicks her back and gets on the top turnbuckle.

Bea kicks her in the head to send Momo to the apron, Bea quickly jumps up to the top turnbuckle and hits a double footstomp to Momo’s back. Both wrestlers are slow to get up, they manage to get onto the apron and the pair trade elbows. Bea goes for a suplex but Momo blocks it before hitting the B Driver on the apron. Momo pulls Bea back in the ring and hits a second B Driver, cover by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing, she nails the Tequila Sunrise but Bea gets a shoulder up. Momo gets Bea to her feet and delivers the Peach Sunrise, but again Bea manages to get a shoulder up. Momo pushes the referee before going back to Bea, she goes for another Peach Sunrise but Bea rolls out of it and drops Momo with a Peach Sunrise of her own for a two count. Both are slow to get up, they both kick each other in the head with Momo following with more kicks. Bea kicks her back, superkick by Bea and she nails a jumping knee. Trapped side suplex hold by Bea, but Momo kicks out at two. Bea drags Momo to her feet, she gets Momo onto her shoulders and delivers the Queen’s Landing for the three count! Bea Priestley wins and retains the championship.

From just a pure enjoyment standpoint, this match delivered, but if you scratch beneath the surface a bit there certainly were some issues. I’ll start with the good – Bea gets a lot of shit online, but she’s a very good wrestler and she showed it here as everything she did was on point. She can be rough around the edges sometimes but in this match she was at her best and delivered a great performance. Momo looked great too so just looking at their back-and-forths and execution, this was about as good as it could be. On the match layout side however, there were some issues. Bea did a good job on the arm of Momo for about five minutes, but as soon as she stopped it was immediately dropped from the match and never even got a callback spot later. So it was just wasted time, it had no impact on anything else in the match whatsoever. There were other smaller issues, like the ‘on the floor’ portion of the match felt too long with not a lot happening, but the arm offense was the biggest problem since it filled a large chunk of the match with meaningless offense. I’m not a big fan of wrestlers kicking out of their opponent’s big finisher, at least in this case Bea was mostly incapacitated for awhile so it wasn’t just blown off, but it is often a tip-off of the end result. Overall a really good match, it didn’t reach the level of the previous match but still worthy of a Korakuen Hall main event.  Recommended

The post Stardom World Big Summer In Tokyo on 7/24/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka
Date: July 20th, 2019
Location: Edion Arena Osaka #2 in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 563

This year for Stardom I have been focusing on their Korakuen Hall events, but I had to take a step away from that to take a look at this show. For Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka, Stardom put on a full (for them) six match card with three title matches, with a defense of the Artist of Stardom Championship in the main event. We also get some of the better Gaijin wrestlers joining us, with Bobbi Tyler, Jamie Hayter, Bea Priestley, and Zoe Lucas all on the show. Here is the full card:

• Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid
• Arisa Hoshiki and Saya Iida vs. Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter
• Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe, and Leo Onozaki vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami
• SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship: Utami Hayashishita vs. Zoe Lucas
• High Speed Championship: Hazuki vs. AZM vs. DEATH Yama-san
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire

Even though I prefer to watch the Samurai TV version of the bigger Stardom events, that wasn’t an option here so I am watching the show on Stardom World. All wrestlers on the card have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid

They tie-up to start, Bobbi pushes the smaller Starlight Kid into the ropes and gives her a clean break. They trade waistlocks, Starlight Kid gets Bobbi to the mat and applies a kneelock, but Bobbi kicks out of it and reverses the hold. They trade positions before reaching a stalemate, wristlock by Bobbi back on their feet but Starlight Kid uses the ropes to reverse it. Armdrag by Starlight Kid and she dropkicks Bobbi out of the ring, she goes off the ropes but feints back into the ring instead of doing a dive. Bobbi gets back in, Starlight Kid goes for a slam but Bobbi reverses it and hits one of her own. Bobbi picks up Starlight Kid and stretches her in the ropes, stomps by Bobbi and she chokes Starlight Kid with her boot in the corner. Cover by Bobbi, but it gets two. Irish whip by Bobbi but Starlight Kid ducks her lariat and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors,

Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid and she hits a standing moonsault for two. Starlight Kid goes for a cross-legged suplex but Bobbi blocks it, Starlight Kid elbows Bobbi into the corner but Bobbi avoids her dropkick. Elbows by Bobbi and she hits a running elbow followed by a cutter. Superkick by Bobbi, and she covers Starlight Kid for two. Bobbi applies a choke before going off the ropes, but Starlight Kid ducks the pump kick and hits a springboard crossbody. Cross-legged bridging suplex by Starlight Kid, but Bobbi kicks out. Starlight Kid goes up top and delivers the swivel body press, but again Bobbi gets a shoulder up. Bobbi comes back with an enzuigiri and a superkick, cover by Bobbi but it gets a two count. Bobbi picks up Starlight Kid but Starlight Kid slides away and schoolboys her for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Bobbi catches her with a rope-assisted reverse STO. Bobbi waits for Starlight Kid to get up and nails the Pump Kick, cover by Bobbi and she gets the three count! Bobbi Tyler is the winner.

It started a bit slow for a shortish match, but once they got rolling I enjoyed it. These two don’t have a lot of experience against each other (in a live setting anyway) but meshed up pretty well, and Starlight Kid continues to slowly grow her arsenal as she becomes a more complete wrestler. Certainly a fun match, with only four or five minutes of meaningful action its hard to give a strong recommendation but a solid way to open the show.  Mildly Recommended

Arisa Hoshiki and Saya Iida vs. Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter

Natsuko and Saya kick things off, they go through some mat wrestling and trade holds until Saya gets a headscissors applied. Natsuko pushes out of it and they reach a stalemate, Saya goes to take out but Natsuko kicks her and rams her into the corner. Natsuko tags in Jamie, vertical suplex by Jamie and she mushes Saya in the face with her boot. Another suplex by Jamie, Natsuko comes in and they double team Saya in the corner. Natsuko stays in and tosses Saya by the hair a few times before hitting a scoop slam. Running body press by Natsuko, and she covers Saya for two. Natsuko kicks Saya in the head, Saya tries to fight back but Natsuko kicks her again before knocking Arisa off the apron. Natsuko picks up Saya but Saya ducks her lariat and dropkicks her in the knee. Another dropkick by Saya and she makes the hot tag to Arisa. Arisa boots Jamie off the apron and hits a jumping double knee on Natsuko, reverse diving kneedrop by Arisa to Natsuko and she kicks her in the head. More kicks by Arisa but Natsuko catches one and applies an ankle hold. And she appears to be biting her ankle as well. The referee gets her to stop, Arisa goes off the ropes but Natsuko catches her with a spinebuster.

Headscissors by Natsuko but it gets broken up by Saya, Jamie gets rid of Saya and they both elbow Arisa. Natsuko picks up Arisa and gets her on her shoulders, but Arisa slides off and goes off the ropes. Natsuko goes off the ropes too and hits a spear, she tags in Jamie who kicks Arisa in the chest. Sidewalk Slam onto her knee by Jamie, and she covers Arisa for two. Jamie picks up Arisa and goes off the ropes, but Arisa drills her with a jumping knee. Arisa tags Saya, she stays in the ring as they take turns elbowing Jamie. Double dropkick to Jamie, Saya footstomps off her back and covers Jamie for two. Saya goes for a scoop slam but Jamie blocks it, boot by Saya and this time she successfully hits the scoop slam for two. Saya picks up Jamie, Arisa returns and they take turns with strikes, but Natsuko breaks up Saya’s cover. Saya and Arisa go off the ropes but Natsuko catches them with a double spear, elbow and a kick by Jamie to Saya but her cover gets a two count. Jamie picks up Saya but Saya sneaks in an inside cradle for two. She tries another flash pin but Natsuko breaks it up, Saya goes off the ropes but Jamie delivers a lariat. Short-range lariat by Jamie and she nails a brainbuster unto her knee for the three count pinfall! Natsuko Tora and Jamie Hayter are the winners.

A step down from the last match but still generally inoffensive. The chemistry wasn’t quite there on a few spots as not everything was smooth, but no one really stuck out as not fitting in which is a plus. Saya Iida can be a bit hit-and-miss but looked fine for a rookie here, the match was just void of anything particularly memorable aside from Arisa’s always fun jumping knee, which generally connects pretty well. For its spot on the card, perfectly acceptable wrestling but nothing memorable.

Bea Priestley, Momo Watanabe, and Leo Onozaki vs. Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, and Konami

Kyona and Leo are the first two in, Kyona works a headlock and shoulderblocks Leo when she finally gets out of it. Leo fights back with elbows by Kyona returns the favor, she goes off the ropes but Leo elbows her again. Leo tries to knock over Kyona with elbows and finally succeeds with a dropkick, she goes for a suplex but Kyona blocks it. All the wrestlers end up running in to set up a vertical suplex line, and TCS delivers a triple vertical suplex. Giant Swing by Kyona to Leo, she lets go and covers her but Momo breaks it up. Kyona throws Leo into Hana’s boot before tagging her in, Hana tosses Leo by the hair a few times and chokes her with her boot in the corner. Hana picks up Leo and hits a scoop slam, she throws Leo in the corner and tags in Konami. Konami snapmares Leo and kicks her in the back, stomps by Konami but Leo elbows her into the corner. A hard elbow by Leo sends Konami to the mat and she makes the tag to Bea, running elbow by Bea in the corner and she dropkicks Konami in the back for a two count cover. Strike combination by Konami but Bea avoids her charge in the corner and kicks her in the head. Northern Light Suplex by Bea, but Hana and Kyona both break it up.

Bea dropkicks both of them out of the ring, she picks up Konami but Konami hits an enzuigiri. Konami goes off the ropes but Bea drops her with a jumping knee and tags in Momo. Dropkicks by Momo to Konami in the corner, she goes for a uranage but Konami blocks it and hits a high kick. That gives her time to tag in Hana, running boot by Hana to Momo and she hits a second one. Hana picks up Momo but Momo kicks her in the chest, they trade kicks but Hana accidentally boots Kyona when she tries to help. That leads to Hana being triple teamed, ending with a Momo Somato for a two count cover. Momo applies a crossface chickenwing but Kyona breaks it up, Momo goes up top but Hana avoids her dive off and hits a dropkick. Momo lands near her corner and tags Leo, but Hana promptly boots her in the face for a two count. Hana goes for a suplex but Leo reverses it, she goes for a few flash pins but Hana kicks out of each one. Leo picks up Hana and hits a series of elbows, she goes off the ropes but Kyona runs in with a lariat. TCS take turns on Leo, Hana hits a big boot but her cover is broken up. Kyona and Konami clear the ring, Hana goes up top and nails a missile dropkick on Leo for the three count! TCS win!

I am shocked, shocked I say that Leo was the one that took the fall. A good match but the issue with six wrestler tag matches that don’t get a lot of time is some wrestlers simply don’t get the chance to do anything of note. Here that was mostly Bea, who had one short segment, and since I like Bea I wish I could have seen her do a bit more on the show. Leo was the focus of course but she was given some shine spots so she wasn’t completely dominated, but I do prefer these matches not have such an obvious loser. The wrestler quality in this one was high so the action was fine, it just didn’t get the time that these wrestlers generally deserve.

(c) Utami Hayashishita vs. Zoe Lucas
SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship

Tie-up to start, Utami pushes Zoe into the ropes but Zoe switches positions with her and slaps her in the face. Utami tackles Zoe and applies a stretch hold into a headlock, but Zoe quickly gets into the ropes. Irish whip by Utami but Zoe avoids her charge by sliding out to the apron and kicks her in the head. Scissors Kick by Zoe from the apron, she cradles Utami back in the ring but it gets a two count. Leg drop by Zoe to Utami’s leg and she slams her knee into the mat before twisting it in the ropes. Zoe gets Utami back to the middle of the ring and stretches her, another leg to Utami’s leg and she covers her for two. Zoe picks up Utami but Utami ducks a lariat, she goes for a dropkick but Zoe moves out of the way. Zoe picks up Utami and throws her into the corner to choke Utami with her boot. Zoe puts Utami’s leg across the second rope before kicking her and dropkicking Utami in the knee. Cover by Zoe, but it gets a two count. Zoe goes to the ropes and hits a slingshot splits legdrop, but Utami kicks out of the cover.  Zoe kicks at Utami, she picks up Utami but Utami fires back with elbows. Judo Throw by Utami and she hits a running elbow in the corner, STO by Utami and she covers Zoe for two.

Back up they trade elbows, Zoe kicks Utami in the knee and then in the head, she goes off the ropes and hits a bulldog. Cradle by Zoe, but Utami kicks out. Zoe applies a cross kneelock but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Zoe picks up Utami and puts her leg across the second rope in the corner, she charges her but Utami moves out of the way and hits a lariat. Utami goes up top but Zoe kicks her before she can jump off, Zoe joins her but Utami pushes her off. Zoe kicks her again and tosses Utami to the mat, cover by Zoe but it gets a two count. Zoe goes off the ropes and nails a splits legdrop to Utami’s head, but that gets a two count as well. Zoe picks up Utami, head kick by Zoe but Utami slides behind her back and applies a sleeper hold. Zoe gets to the ropes for the break, Utami picks her up but Zoe applies a sunset flip. PK by Zoe, she picks up Utami and they quickly trade holds. Utami gets Zoe’s back and hits a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins and retains the championship.

Even though I am the #1 Utami stan, I can still recognize when she has a match that isn’t very good, which is the case here. Even the structure itself seemed off, as I am surprised that the plan was for Zoe to dominate the match and for Utami to win with a ‘surprise’ German suplex without really any attempt to weaken Zoe first. Zoe’s offensive was fine, her leg work was done well and even though she spams the splits legdrop at least she hits it solidly, it was just odd that the champion won with only hitting a couple moves. Add in a miscommunication or two and overall the match was lacking, not a great title match and pretty skippable.

(c) Hazuki vs. AZM vs. DEATH Yama-san
High Speed Championship

AZM immediately charges Hazuki and all three end up running off the ropes before trading quick pin attempts. DEATH punches both of them but Hazuki trips her, slingshot footstomp by Hazuki and she gets into it. AZM hits a hurricanrana but Hazuki flips herself back to her feet and hits a dropkick. Hazuki picks up AZM and hits a scoop slam, she drop toeholds DEATH on top of her and hits a running senton on both. AZM ends up against the ropes, bootscrapes by Hazuki and she hits a running boot. Irish whip by Hazuki to the corner but AZM avoids her charge and headscissors Hazuki into the turnbuckle. Vertical suplex by AZM, and she overs Hazuki for two. AZM goes up top but DEATH runs in and puts Hazuki in a submission, but AZM come over and puts DEATH in a hanging armbar at the same time. Hazuki crawls to the rope and forces the break, AZM clubs on both of them but DEATH flips her out to the apron. AZM slides herself back in, all three go for quick pins but none have any success. Double Irish whip to Hazuki but she ducks under the lariat attempts and hits a double Codebreaker. Hazuki stacks them in the corner and hits a running elbow, Hazuki goes to the apron and hits a double swandive dropkick for a two count on DEATH. Hazuki goes to pick up DEATH but DEATH blocks it, she goes off the ropes but DEATH delivers a jumping back kick. Code Red by DEATH, but AZM breaks up the cover. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors into the Fujiwara Armbar by AZM, but DEATH cradles AZM from behind for two. Pump Kick by Hazuki to AZM, DEATH tries to roll up Hazuki but Hazuki reverses it into a La Magistral. AZM breaks that up, Hazuki goes out to the apron but DEATH pushes AZM into Hazuki to send her to the floor before cradling AZM for the three count! DEATH Yama-san is the new High Speed Champion!

For what they were going for, I thought the match was good but its a bit disappointing to see Hazuki drop the belt in this fashion. Hazuki has tried hard in the last seven months to make the title mean something after it kinda fell out of the spotlight during Mary Apache’s run, so her losing it without getting pinned feels like a cheap way to end things. While it was likely done to keep her “strong” as she goes for a bigger title, this was the easy way out and felt flat. The action itself was good, as good as a five minute match can be as it was smooth and fast paced as you’d expect. An entertaining match, and Hazuki looked great, just not what I’d consider an ideal conclusion to a eight month title reign for Hazuki.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, and Tam Nakano vs. Kagetsu, Andras Miyagi, and Natsu Sumire
Artist of Stardom Championship

Oedo Tai attack STARS before the bell rings, which STARS for some reason seem surprised about, and the action immediately spills to the outside with Oedo Tai maintaining control. Mayu and Tam are both tossed into the chairs at ringside before Kagetsu spits water in Mayu’s face and Tam is thrown into the ring post. Natsu eventually returns to the ring with Saki, and Natsu hits her repeatedly with a weapon while the referee isn’t looking. She tags in Andras, boots by Andras in the corner and she hits a scoop slam. More slams by Andras, she picks up Saki and throws her into the corner before tagging in Kagetsu. Kagetsu spits water in Saki’s face and then at Tam as well, scoop slam by Kagetsu to Saki and she tags Natsu back in. Irish whip by Natsu but Saki reverses it, Natsu hits an atomic drop on her and then gives Mayu the same. Tam tries to help but also gets an atomic drop, Natsu goes off the ropes but Saki ducks her boot and kicks Natsu in the leg. Saki goes off the ropes and boots Natsu in the head, giving her time to tag in Tam. Andras is also tagged in, she throws Tam into the corner but Tam kicks her back when she charges in and hits a diving neckbreaker. Running knee by Tam but Andras catches her kick, Tam slides away and drops Andras with a backdrop suplex. Cartwheel into a kneedrop by Tam and she tags in Mayu.

Mayu runs in but promptly eats a DDT for her trouble, giving Andras time to tag in Kagetsu. Kicks by Kagetsu, she throws Mayu into the corner and hits a jumping elbow. Mayu returns the favor with an elbow of her own before dropkicking Kagetsu squarely in the head. Northern Lights Suplex by Mayu, but Kagetsu kicks out. Kagetsu ends up against the ropes, dropkick by Mayu and she puts Kagetsu in a crab hold. She switches it to a guillotine but Kagetsu makes it to the ropes, Natsu whips Mayu from the apron and Andras runs in with a dropkick. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, and she covers Mayu for two. Kagetsu hits another one, she gets up on the top turnbuckle but Tam hits her from the apron. Saki comes in and hits a Frankensteiner, Frog Splash by Mayu but Kagetsu gets a shoulder up on the cover. Mayu picks up Kagetsu and goes for the dragon suplex, but Kagetsu blocks it. Boot by Andras as all six wrestlers get involved, leaving the ring cleared with just Mayu and Kagetsu. They both crawl to their corners and tags in Natsu and Saki, Natsu charges Saki and hits the Bronco Buster in the corner. Natsu gets on the top turnbuckle but Saki avoids her diving crossbody, face crusher by Saki but Natsu drives her foot into Saki’s face.

Boot by Saki but Natsu sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Kagetsu and Andras both come in but Saki and Tam take care of them, triple dropkicks by STARS and they all take turns superkicking Natsu. Mayu and Tam double team Natsu with an assisted German suplex, Saki goes up top and delivers a diving double kneedrop to Natsu, but Andras breaks up the cover. Double arm facebuster by Saki and she hits a butterfly suplex hold for two. Saki nails the Unprettier, but Andras breaks up her pin attempt. Oedo Tai clear the ring, Andras and Kagetsu double team Saki before Natsu hits a jumping lariat. Bridging suplex by Natsu, but it gets a two count. Natsu goes for a fisherman buster but Saki blocks it, so Natsu drills her with the Demon (Capture DDT) instead. Cover by Natsu, but everyone breaks it up. Kagetsu and Andras clear the extra STARS members, Shining Wizard by Natsu to Saki but Saki quickly applies a crucifix pin for two. Oedo Tai toss all the members of STARS out of the ring, Kagetsu and Andras both get running starts and sail out onto all three with tope suicidas. Saki is quickly rolled back in, Steel Ball Run by Andras to Saki and Kagetsu delivers the Oedo Coaster. Demon by Natsu to Saki, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai are the new champions!

A quality main event, really enjoyable. It won’t reach any MOTYC discussions but it was what you’d expect – a fun chaos-filled match with six wrestlers very comfortable with each other so everything seemed seamless. A more dominating victory than I would have expected, as Oedo Tai controlled the match and then pinned Saki decisively with minimal cheating (for them). All six got at least a bit of a chance to shine but Kagetsu always stands out to me, she’s just so polished and on point with both her in-ring work and her overall character. An entertaining way to end the show, and a moment for Natsu to remember as she wins the first title in her career.  Recommended

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Event: Stardom “Cinderella Tournament 2016”
Date: April 29th, 2016
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1050

The Cinderella Tournament is a massive one day tournament in Stardom, with 16 participants. The tournament is single elimination, and every match has a ten minute time limit (except the Final, which is 30 minutes). If the time limit expires, both wrestlers are eliminated from the tournament. Also, wrestlers can win not only by pinfall and submission, but also by throwing their opponent over the top rope. Here are all the First Round matches:

• Dark Match: Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid (winner is inserted into the tournament vs. Kyoko Kimura)
• Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou
• Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett
• Kyoko Kimura vs. TBD (Dark Match Winner)
• Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu
• Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya
• Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai

Just as a warning, with a ten minute time limit and multiple matches in one night, some of these matches will be really short. Also, keep in mind that if both wrestlers in a match are eliminated, their opponent in the next round gets a Bye, so we may not get the full slate of matches as there will no doubt be a Draw or two along the way.

Azumi and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Eimi Nishina and Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid begin and trade wristlocks, they then exchange elbows but both miss their dropkicks. They tag out, Yoneyama avoids Nishina’s charge as Azumi comes in and they double team Nishina. Nishina and Yoneyama trade elbows, Nishina avoids Yoneyama’s charge this time and she hits a dropkick. Face crusher by Nishina and she hits a dropkick, covering Yoneyama for two. Nishina tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid tries to dropkick Yoneyama over but is not successful. Drop toehold by Starlight Kid and she hits the Tiger Feint Kick, Shiranui by Starlight Kid to Yoneyama and she covers her for two. Starlight Kid tries to slam Yoneyama but Yoneyama reverses it and tags in Azumi. Azumi and Starlight Kid trade elbows until Azumi hits a dropkick, vertical suplex by Azumi and she gets a two count cover. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid and Nishina runs in with a Somato to Azumi. Starlight Kid goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press, but Yoneyama breaks up the pin. Yoneyama stacks Nishina and Starlight Kid on top of each other and drags Azumi to her corner so she can tag in. She does so, Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama to Starlight Kid and she gets the three count! Yoneyama wins the match and is in the Cinderella Tournament!

About as good as one can hope for from a four minute opening match. The concept made no sense, if only one wrestler could go on in the tournament, why would a wrestler ever tag out or even allow their own teammate to attempt a pin? Probably should have been a four way. But the action was fine and the ‘right’ wrestler won since Yoneyama probably deserved to be in the tournament in the first place.

 
Jungle Kyouna vs. Saori Anou

Kyouna has a new outfit, so you know that she means business. She attacks Anou right from the start and stomps her into the corner, she goes for a body avalanche but Anou moves. Anou and Kyouna trade elbows, dropkick by Anou and she hits a shoulderblock. Anou starts working on Kyouna’s leg and puts her in a figure four leglock, but Kyouna makes it to the ropes. Sidewalk slam by Anou, but the cover gets two. Anou goes for the fisherman suplex but Anou blocks it, sunset flip by Anou but Kyouna kicks out. Anou goes off the ropes but Kyouna hits a shoulderblock, lariats by Kyouna and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but Anou recovers. Anou tries to push her off and over the top rope, but Kyouna blocks it so Anou hits her rolling fisherman suplexes instead for a near three count. Anou picks up Kyouna and slaps her, she goes off the ropes but Kyouna catches her with a lariat. Kyouna slams Anou, she goes up top and she nails the diving body press for the three count! Jungle Kyouna wins and advances in the tournament.

An issue we will see throughout the entire tournament is the time limit, but it didn’t matter too much here since rookie matches are generally short anyway. I thought this was a really solid match from these two, it was to the point but everything made sense and was hit well. These two have gotten pretty familar with each other, which is always a plus, and while Anou’s random leg work didn’t end up meaning anything it made sense she’d try to take out the larger wrestler’s base. Good way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Alex Lee vs. Santana Garrett

After some quick limb work, armdrag by Garrett and she dropkicks Lee to the mat. Lee comes back with a superkick, she snapmares Garrett and kicks her hard in the back for a two count cover. Kicks by Lee in the corner and she hits a scoop slam, another slam by Lee but the pin gets another two. Lee applies a short armbar but Garrett gets to the ropes, Lee goes for a suplex but Garrett knees out of it and elbows Lee against the ropes. Irish whip by Garrett and she hits a lariat, another lariat by Garrett and she hits a side Russian leg sweep. Space Rolling Elbow by Garrett, Lee hits a few knees but Garrett kicks her back to the mat. Lee avoids the superkick and hits a high kick of her own, cover by Lee but it gets two. Lee gets on the second turnbuckle but Garrett avoids the missile dropkick, superkick by Garrett and she nails the Shining Star Press for the three count!  Garrett is the winner and advances in the tournament.

Not a whole lot to this one, they kept the pace up but since it was a sub-five minute match you would expect that. The action was fine and the right wrestler won, since Garrett holds a title they needed to get her out of the first round, and Lee was a safe person to beat since she is an opener wrestler. Not a bad watch but nothing exciting or memorable about it.

Kyoko Kimura vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Yoneyama attacks Kimura from behind and hits the Chaos Theory, but Kimura kicks out of the pin attempt. Yoneyama tries more quick pins with no luck, kick to the head by Yoneyama but Kimura catches her with a choke. Yoneyama gets out of it by pushing off the ropes but Kimura quickly applies a sleeper, Yoneyama rolls out of it and she knees Kimura in the back of the head. Knee to the face by Yoneyama, and she covers Kimura for a two count. Big boot by Kimura, she goes off the ropes and hits another big boot, but Yoneyama bridges out of the pin. Yoneyama goes off the ropes but Kimura catches her with another big boot and picks up the three count! Kimura wins the match and advances in the tournament.

I think I can say without much hesitation that this was the best two minute match I have ever seen. I mean sure you’d like to see them go longer, but from the Chaos Theory to the vicious boots at the end everything was really entertaining. While you hate to see a veteran like Yoneyama go down that quickly, at least it took some hard hits to knock her out, and they both hit their moves so crisply. A really fun match, wish it went a few more minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Kairi Hojo vs. Momo Watanabe

They both go for dropkicks to start the match with no luck, Hojo stomps Watanabe down in the corner but Watanabe comes back and connects with a dropkick. Camel Clutch by Watanabe, she picks up Hojo but Hojo blocks the suplex. Hojo and Watanabe trade elbows, Hojo chops Watanabe to the mat and she covers her for two. Hojo chops Watanabe into the corner and she hits a running shoulder tackle followed by a neckbreaker for a two count cover. Crab hold by Hojo, but Watanabe crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Hojo stomps on Watanabe’s back and gets on the second turnbuckle, but Watanabe shakes the ropes and dropkicks Hojo out of the corner. Missile dropkick by Watanabe but Hojo avoids the Somato, elbow by Hojo but Watanabe returns fire. Watanabe ducks the rolling chop and hits the rolling vertical suplexes, cover by Watanabe but it gets two. Somato by Watanabe, but Hojo barely kicks out of the pin. Hojo clubs Watanabe and connects with the spinning chop, Irish whip by Hojo and she delivers the spear for two. Backfist by Hojo, she goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop for the three count! Hojo is the winner and advances in the tournament.

I had to laugh at Watanabe missing the first time she tried to knock Hojo off the top, that type of mistake is easier to accept when you’re dealing with a 16 year old. This was a good match, fast paced and besides the aforementioned spot everything synced up well. Watanabe is easy to root for, being the underdog, but Hojo was just too much for her as Watanabe isn’t ready to pin someone on her level. I am surprised she made no attempt to throw Hojo over the top rope as that is really the only logical way she could have won this match. Overall a fun match between two high energy wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

Hiromi Mimura vs. Mayu Iwatani

Mimura dropkicks Iwatani before the match starts to get the quick advantage, small package by Hiromi but it gets a two count. Iwatani briefly takes back over but Mimura rolls her up a few more times, but she isn’t able to secure a three count. Iwatani kicks Mimura but Mimura fires back with elbows, Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani but it gets two. Iwatani goes to the second turnbuckle but Mimura avoids the footstomp, roll-up by Mimura but it gets two. Elevated DDT by Mimura, she gets on the top turnbuckle and she hits a diving crossbody for two. La Magistral gets a two as well, Mimura goes off the ropes but Iwatani catches her with another suplex. Hard superkick by Iwatani, she gets on the second turnbuckle and delivers a diving footstomp for two. Iwatani goes all the way up this time, she hits the frog splash and she picks up the three count! Iwatani wins and moves on in the tournament.

Perhaps a step down from the last few matches, however part of that was by design. Mimura kept trying for quick pins, which is a smart way to go about it but isn’t quite as much fun to watch as a back and forth match. Iwatani was bringing the pain here, with a really stiff kick and the footstomp, so clearly she wasn’t messing around. A fun quick match, but it didn’t click as well as many of the others in the first round.

 
Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Kagetsu

Kagetsu attacks Matsumoto before the match (recurring theme for underdogs), she tries to throw her over the top rope but Matsumoto holds on. Matsumoto fights off Act while hanging there, she pulls Kagetsu onto the apron with her and gets back in the ring. Kagetsu hops back into the ring and applies a small package, but it gets two. Kagetsu and Matsumoto trade elbows, which Matsumoto gets the better of, she goes off the ropes but Kagetsu delivers a dropkick. Kagetsu pushes Matsumoto into the corner and hits a jumping elbow, missile dropkick by Kagetsu and she puts Matsumoto in a cross arm submission. Matsumoto reverses it into an elevated crab hold, but Kagetsu gets into the ropes. Matsumoto gets Kagetsu on her shoulders but Act helps from the apron, Kagetsu applies a schoolboy but it gets a two count. Samoan Drop by Kagetsu, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto gets away and rolls up Kagetsu for two. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, but Kagetsu barely gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu gets a bat and tosses it to Matsumoto, the referee tries to take it from her which gives Kagetsu time to connect with a high kick. Kagetsu gets the bat but Matsumoto blocks it when she goes to hit her, Matsumoto throws the bat back at her and hits a body avalanche against the ropes. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, and she gets the three count! Matsumoto wins the match and advances in the tournament.

A liked the structuring of this one, Kagetsu had a clear plan on how to score the upset and tried her best to utilize it. This is much better than two wrestlers going at it with neither thinking in advance on how they are going to pick up the win, even in the wrestling-world preparation is always a good thing. There was very little downtime, which is good since the match was short, and overall it was pretty enjoyable. Plus it kept my prediction alive which I appreciate on a personal level.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female vs. Queen Maya

They start with a shoving match, they go into a Test of Strength until Maya knees Alpha in the stomach. Snapmare by Alpha and she clubs Maya in the chest, cover by Alpha but it gets two. Maya goes for a lariat but Alpha doesn’t go down, boot by Maya but Alpha hits a vertical suplex. Alpha picks up Maya and slams her to the mat, she charges her but Maya holds down the top rope and Alpha lands on the apron. Maya boots her back into the ring and picks up Alpha, but when she swings her around the referee is accidentally knocked out. Alpha puts Maya in an armtrap crossface, Maya taps but the referee is still out. Alpha looks at the referee, Maya has time to recover and she lariats Alpha over the top rope to the floor! Queen Maya wins the match and moves on the tournament.

A flat match, partially intentionally because (spoiler!) these two are signed to have a match after this one happened so the feud isn’t over yet. I am never a big fan of the ref bump/wrestler doesn’t notice/loses due to being confused thing, I know they needed a way to get one of these two monsters to lose but it didn’t really work for me. Accomplished its goal of continuing their feud, but not a great match.

Diosa Atenea vs. Io Shirai

Shirai goes right at Atenea but Atenea kicks her off and hits a hurricanrana. Armdrag by Atenea but Shirai tosses her out to the apron, she tries to knock her to the floor but Atenea hits her back and flips into the ring. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Atenea and she drops a few elbows onto Shirai’s back. Atenea puts Shirai in a submission hold but Shirai gets out of it and hits a double footstomp onto Atenea’s midsection. Back up they trade elbows, Atenea throws Shirai into the corner and swings her legs over the second rope before dropping her with an elbow. Atenea gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a body press, but it gets a two count. Atenea goes up again but Shirai avoids the senton, La Magistral by Shirai but Atenea gets a shoulder up. Running double knee by Shirai in the corner and she delivers the double underhook facebuster for two. Shirai goes for a suplex but Atenea elbows her off, Shirai hits a palm strike and this time she hits the German suplex hold for the three count! Io Shirai wins and advances.

Not Io’s best match, but what I did enjoy was one small detail I thought was great – Shirai immediately tried to throw Atenea over the top rope to get the quick win. Everyone should have been doing that, but very wrestlers were, meanwhile the Ace that doesn’t have to was trying it to save her energy for the next two rounds. Sometimes it is the little things. Beyond that I thought the match wasn’t much above average, it never really felt like it got going as the shorter time wasn’t used as well here as it was in other matches. Not bad but it could have been better.

It is time for the Quarterfinals! The matches weren’t shown in the same order as the brackets, so it doesn’t line up with the order I reviewed them above. Here are the matches:

• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna
• Queen Maya vs. Mayu Iwatani
• Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett
• Io Shirai vs. Kyoko Kimura

Let’s get right to the next round in the Cinderella Tournament.

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna attacks Matsumoto before she can even get into the ring, she leaves the ring herself (not over the top of course) and throws Matsumoto around on the floor. Kyouna throws Matsumoto into the ring post before hitting a body avalanche, she slides Matsumoto back in the ring and hits a series of elbows. Matsumoto comes back with her own elbows but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam for two. Kyouna goes up top and hits a diving body press, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto blocks the lariat. Both wrestlers go for lariats, but Matsumoto sends Kyouna to the mat first. Sliding lariat by Matsumoto, and she picks up the three count! Matsumoto advances!

Like Kimura/Yoneyama, this was a high quality two minute match. While I don’t like seeing any wrestler lose in just two minutes, at least Kyouna went all out and held nothing back the two minutes she got. Matsumoto hit hard and often and needless to say it was very high paced. A fun match that worked well, even though I naturally would have liked a few more minutes.  Mildly Recommended

Queen Maya vs. Mayu Iwatani

Maya wants to lock knuckles but Iwatani stomps on her foot instead, she slides away from Maya’s lariats but her elbows have no impact. Maya throws Iwatani against the ropes, Iwatani goes for a springboard move but Maya catches her and throws her to the mat. Maya goes for a chokeslam but Iwatani elbows out of it, slap by Maya and she tries to chokeslam Iwatani over the top rope but she lands on the apron. Iwatani kicks Maya over the top rope, she gets on the turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Iwatani, but Maya quickly kicks out. Iwatani applies a sleeper but Maya flings Iwatani over her head to get out of it. Big chokeslam by Maya, she covers Iwatani but she is too cocky with it and Iwatani gets a shoulder up. Maya is mad, she picks up Iwatani and goes for another one, but Iwatani rolls her up for a two count. Quick crucifix pin by Iwatani before Maya can get up, and she picks up the three count! Iwatani wins and moves on to the next round.

The best word I can use to describe this match is ‘effective.’ It did exactly what it was trying to do, the story was clear but it was told well, with Maya bringing the strength while Iwatani tried to find sneaky ways to win. Maya has a killer chokeslam and Iwatani sells everything like death anyway, I think if they had a bit more time they could put on a pretty solid match. It accomplished its goal, probably not a great match in a vacuum but it worked in a tournament setting.

Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett

Hojo stomps on Garrett instead of shaking hands, she elbows Garrett down in the corner and delivers a Sliding D, but Garrett kicks out of the cover. Hojo goes for the Alabama Slam but Garrett blocks it, they trade elbows but neither gets an advantage. Monkey flip by Garrett and she holds down Hojo’s arms, but Hojo bridges out of the pin. Garrett throws Hojo into the corner and hits the Space Rolling Elbow, bulldog by Garrett and she covers Hojo for a two. Hojo comes back with a big spear, superkicks by Garrett and Hojo rolls out of the ring (under the bottom rope). Garrett gets a running start and sails out onto Hojo with a tope suicida (between the top and middle rope), she slams Hojo into the apron and slides her back in the ring. Vertical suplex by Garrett and she applies the Muta Lock, but Hojo gets a foot on the ropes. Garrett charges Hojo but Hojo moves, kick by Garrett and Hojo tries to run up the corner, but she slips. Hojo knocks down Garrett and tries again with a better result, as she hits a springboard elbow for two. Hojo applies a stretch hold but Garrett gets out of it, Final Cut by Hojo and she gets on the top turnbuckle, but Garrett recovers and hits her in the chest. Garrett goes for a headscissors but Hojo catches her and tosses her back to the mat. Hojo charges Garrett but Garrett gets her in a headscissors and tries to toss Hojo out of the ring. Hojo lands on the apron, Garrett goes to the apron also but Hojo kicks her so she is lying down on the apron. Garrett blocks the Sliding D attempt and tries to superkick Hojo off the apron, but Hojo hangs onto the ropes. She manages to get back in the ring, Garrett kicks Hojo in the head and covers her for two. DDT by Garrett, she goes for the Shining Star Press but Hojo grabs her leg and applies the Ikari. Garrett gets to the ropes, Hojo goes up top but Garrett avoids the diving elbow drop. Garrett goes for the cross armbreaker but Hojo wiggles to the ropes and forces a break. Hojo is up first and hits the spinning backfists, but the bell rings as time as expired. Both Hojo and Garrett are Eliminated from the tournament.

I went into this round thinking this one could steal the show, but it was a bit of the opposite. Garrett and Hojo are both great wrestlers, no doubt about that, but they have no chemistry to speak of. Besides the obvious mistakes there were some other just really awkward moments where they didn’t appear to be on the same page at all. When they were in sync, the action was great, but they weren’t in sync the whole match and it is just more noticeable when a match isn’t terribly long. I think (and hope) they will have a better match next time, it wasn’t that the match was bad, it just wasn’t up to either’s normal standard and was overall a disappointment.

Io Shirai vs. Kyoko Kimura

They start slow with wristlocks but things go up a notch as Kimura flings around Shirai by her hair. Shirai quickly rolls up Kimura for two, she hits a German suplex hold but it gets the same result. Kimura rolls out of the ring under the bottom rope, Shirai goes to do a dive but Act spits Sake at her from the apron before he can complete the dive. Kimura pulls Shirai out of the ring and throws her into a row of chairs, as the other members of Oedo Tai help. Back in the ring, Kimura gets a metal rod while Kagetsu comes into the ring and throws Shirai at the referee when his back is turned. Kagetsu hits Shirai with a bat, they both go off the ropes and boot Shirai in the chest. Kagetsu goes up top while Kimura picks up Shirai, and they both slam Shirai to the mat as the referee finally recovers. He gets Kagetsu out of the ring before starting his count, and Shirai gets a shoulder up. Kagetsu returns but Shirai backflips past them and dropkicks both out of the ring. She then goes out to the apron, Act runs over but Shirai boots her to the floor before hitting a moonsault down onto Kimura and Kagetsu. Shirai rolls Kimura back in and hits the swandive missile dropkick, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she goes up top, nailing the Rider Kick! Cover, but Kimura gets a shoulder up. Double underhook facebuster by Shirai, she goes for a moonsault but Kimura gets both feet up. Back up, elbows by Kimura but Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana for two. Big boot by Kimura and she headbutts Shirai, covering her for a two count. Kimura tries to throw Shirai over the top rope but they both end up on the apron, where someone has set up a table on the floor nearby. They both walk onto the table, Kimura chokebombs Shirai onto the table which causes it to break and both crash to the floor. Kimura tries not to touch the floor in the process, but the referee says they hit the floor at the same time. Shirai and Kimura are both Eliminated.

A lot of different things going on in this match but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit. The ending spot was unique, but what Kimura should have done was toss Shirai off the table as by hitting the move each of them did hit the floor at just about the same time, so the referee ruling was correct. Shirai having to fight off Oedo Tai was fun, I have no issue with the Ace having to overcome the odds and nothing felt over the line since Oedo Tai doesn’t have top tier wrestlers in it at the moment (besides Kimura). Shirai busting out the Rider Kick showed the importance of winning and it was pretty hectic from bell to bell. The ending was a bit odd, but still a really fun match and a good way to end the second round.  Mildly Recommended

Because two of the last four matches ended with both wrestlers being eliminated, there is no Semifinals as only Iwatani and Matsumoto survived the Quarterfinals. So we are going straight to the Finals, with Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto!

Mayu Iwatani vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Iwatani won’t shake Matsumoto’s hand before the match and attacks her from behind, looks like Iwatani isn’t in the mood to place nice today. Iwatani avoids Matsumoto in the corner and hits a high kick followed by a spinning headscissors and a dropkick while Matsumoto is against the ropes. Iwatani hits the dragon suplex hold, but Matsumoto barely gets a shoulder up and rolls out of the ring. Iwatani goes up to the top turnbuckle but Matsumoto throws a chair at her, she then gets up on the apron and powerbombs Iwatani onto the apron. Iwatani flops out to the floor (she had gone under the top rope to get to the turnbuckle, so this did not eliminate her), Matsumoto goes after her and tosses her around at ringside. Matsumoto takes Iwatani up onto the stage and hits a backbreaker, she picks up Iwatani and throws her off the stage onto some of the Stardom rookies. They finally return to the ring, Matsumoto puts the dinosaur mask on Iwatani’s head and hits a body avalanche in the corner. Hilarious visual. Matsumoto goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Matsumoto puts Iwatani on her shoulders and applies a backbreaker, but Iwatani gets out of it and elbows Matsumoto.

Kick by Iwatani but Matsumoto hits a hard elbow, crucifix bomb by Iwatani but Matsumoto kicks out. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp, she hits another one and covers Matsumoto for two. She goes up top a third time but this time Matsumoto recovers and joins her, as she goes to the well one too many times. Iwatani jumps off the top and grabs Matsumoto from behind, and she hits a release dragon suplex. Iwatani goes up top  and goes for a body press, but Matsumoto gets her knees up. Matsumoto is up first and nails a powerbomb before putting Iwatani in an elevated crab hold. Iwatani gets to the ropes, Matsumoto picks up Iwatani and drops her with a gutbuster. Knee by Matsumoto and she goes off the ropes, but Iwatani catches her with a superkick. Two more superkicks by Iwatani but Matsumoto turns her inside out with a lariat. Iwatani slowly gets up near the ropes, Matsumoto charges her and lariats Iwatani onto the apron. Matsumoto tries to kick her off to the floor but Iwatani hangs onto the ropes, Matsumoto charges Iwatani but Iwatani flips over the top rope and hurricanranas Matsumoto onto the apron with her. Both wrestlers get up on the apron, having both gone over the top rope so if either fall to the floor they lose. High kick by Iwatani but Matsumoto blocks the headscissors attempt. Iwatani gets back in the ring as Matsumoto tries to hang on, dropkick by Iwatani and Matsumoto falls to the floor! Iwatani has won the match and is the winner of the 2016 Cinderella Tournament for the second straight year!

Post match, Iwatani goes to the back and puts on the Cinderella dress. She gets on the microphone and announces she is using her wish to challenge Io Shirai for the World of Stardom Championship, which was expected. Io Shirai and other wrestlers take their turns on the microphone, then Yoko Bito comes down! Yoko Bito was a former Stardom wrestler that was forced to retire due to injuries back in 2012, you can read more about her here. She announces her return to Stardom as the crowd roars, so we end the event with two title matches set up for next month (Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani and Kairi Hojo vs. Santana Garrett) and the return of Yoko Bito to Stardom.

This was by far the best match of the tournament but it still had its issues. I can’t say I like the Finals having the same over-the-top rules, it makes sense during the tournament itself but I wish the Finals was just a regular match. I also didn’t love Iwatani twice hitting the dragon suplex since it has been a really well protected move, but both times here not only did it not get a pin but Matsumoto was back on offense pretty quickly. Those two minor complaints aside, this was a great match. Matsomoto is so violent, and yet quirky at the same time, I loved both the apron and stage spots as well as putting the dinosaur head onto Iwatani. Iwatani as the fiery youngster worked well, and her starting the match by sneaking up behind Matsumoto underscored the importance of the match and showed her understanding that she needed every advantage she could get. Really fun, I wish it had ended with a pinfall or submission but still worth going out of your way to see.  Recommended

The post Stardom Cinderella Tournament on 4/29/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Grows Up Stars #7
Date: April 24th, 2016
Location: Minato Kumin Center in Osaka, Japan
Announced Attendance: 275

As I continue in my quest to keep up with Stardom, we are back with another Stardom review! Usually, Stardom does one show per weekend, but since they were on the road last weekend we are treated to two shows instead. This event does have a title match, but like the last one we are missing part of the roster as the younger children are not on the card. Here is the full match list:

• Hiromi Mimura vs. Lizzy Styles
• Alex Lee vs. Alpha Female
• Kyoko Kimura vs. Momo Watanabe
• High Speed Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Diosa Atenea
• Io Shirai and Jungle Kyouna vs. Kairi Hojo and Saori Anou

Another interesting card with new match-ups, let’s see how things go.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Lizzy Styles

Styles and Mimura work holds to start, Styles flings Mimura to the mat and she kicks her in the back. Running elbow by Styles in the corner and she puts Mimura in a crab hold, but Mimura makes it to the ropes. Back up they trade elbows, Irish whip by Mimura and she dropkicks Styles in the corner. Styles goes for her own dropkick but Mimura avoids it and rolls up Styles for two. Mimura goes for a slam but Styles blocks it and hits a slam of her own for a two count. Styles kicks Mimura in the head and hits a running elbow in the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick for another two. Mimura elbows Styles and applies the rolling cross kneelock, but Styles makes it to the ropes, Mimura goes off the ropes and hits a low crossbody. She hits a  second one, but Styles kicks out of the cover. Mimura goes off the ropes again but Styles catches her with a superkick, running knee by Styles but Mimura barely gets a shoulder up. Styles picks up Mimura and she hits a vertical suplex, and she picks up the three! Styles is your winner!

It feels like the ending got mixed up, as the running knee would have been a better finish than a vertical suplex. Styles is good at selling moves, I will give her that, but her strikes are weak and she isn’t very agile. I wish that Mimura’s leg lock would have gotten the win, it was applied perfectly in the middle of the ring and she needs to beat someone with it at some point. Pretty lackluster way to start the show.

Alex Lee vs. Alpha Female

Lee tries to shake hands before the match starts, which is a mistake as Alpha Female grabs her hand and hits a backdrop suplex. Mounted elbows by Alpha but Lee reverses it into a cross armbreaker. Alpha quickly gets a hand on the ropes, she throws Lee into the corner and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Alpha reverses the lariat until an armbar, she gets up and kicks Alpha in the head. Alpha rolls out of the ring to re-group, Lee goes after her but Alpha hits her with a chair. After throwing her around the ring, Alpha slides Lee back in and clubs her in the chest. Body slam by Alpha, we finally see that Alpha’s nose is bleeding a bit which is probably why she is so angry. Well angrier than usual. Lee quickly applies a short armbar, but Alpha gets a foot on the ropes. Neckbreaker by Alpha, she rolls out of the ring and she gets another chair, she goes to hit Lee with it but Lee ducks and superkicks the chair into Alpha’s face. Kicks by Lee, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Lee goes off the ropes, she kicks Alpha’s arm and hits a cross armbreaker takedown, but Alpha gets to the ropes. Lee goes for a dropkick but Alpha moves and hits a vertical suplex. Lariat by Alpha, she picks up Lee and nails the Omega Slam for the three count! Alpha Female is your winner.

I have seen quite a few Alex Lee matches in my day, and I can say without hesitation that this is the best one I have ever seen. I have mentioned it before, but Alpha Female is just so good at being hard hitting and scary that Lee had to step her game up, which she did a bit. Not a long match but entertaining, I love it when one wrestler can elevate another close to their own level, and it was fun to watch.  Mildly Recommended

Kyoko Kimura vs. Momo Watanabe

After trading hammerlocks and headlocks, Momo armdrags Kimura but Kimura quickly returns to her feet. They lock knuckles but Kimura pushes her off and throws down Watanabe by her hair. Scoop slam by Kimura and she puts Watanabe in a crab hold, she then puts her in a STF but Watanabe manages to make it to the ropes. Watanabe tries to fight back but Kimura brushes her off, Watanabe messes up a spot in the corner so Kimura just kicks her to the mat instead. Watanabe connects with a trio of dropkicks, she goes up top but jumps off when Kimura charges in. Diving crossbody by Watanabe and she hits a missile dropkick, but Kimura avoids the Somato and applies a rear naked choke. Watanabe gets to the ropes, Kimura waits for her to get to her knees and hits a few boots to the head. Watanabe finally ducks one and rolls up Kimura for a two count, running knee by Watanabe but the cover gets another two. Watanabe picks up Kimura but Kimura puts her in a front necklock, but Watanabe gets into the ropes. Big boot by Kimura, she covers Watanabe but Watanabe gets a shoulder up. Vertical suplex by Kimura and she puts Watanabe in a front necklock, and this time Watanabe has to submit! Kyoko Kimura is the winner.

This didn’t live up to what I was hoping it would be in my mind, but it was still not a bad match. I think wrestling so much with wrestlers she trains with every day makes Momo look smoother than she really is as there were a few mistakes here. Which isn’t unusual for a 16 year old still learning the ropes, but she usually is so good with the basics that it was more noticeable. Kimura didn’t give Watanabe much of a chance here as she was firmly in control, and it lacked some of the drama I was hoping for since Watanabe has had some back and forth encounters with high ranking wrestlers in the past. A decent midcard match but nothing more than that.

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Diosa Atenea

Iwatani and Atenea get right into it, springboard armdrag by Iwatani and she armdrags Atenea to the mat again. Iwatani takes Atenea to the mat but as they return to their feet they trade wristlocks. Atenea knocks Iwatani out of the ring where she is attacked by Oedo Tai, and Kimura throws Iwatani into the ring post. Back in the ring, Atenea throws down Iwatani by her hair a few times, but Iwatani avoids her charge and hits a high kick. Spinning headscissors by Iwatani and she dropkicks Atenea while she is against the ropes. Iwatani gets on the second turnbuckle but Atenea recovers and elbows Iwatani to the mat while she is hanging over the second rope. Elbows by Atenea and she hits a big boot, cover by Atenea but it gets two. Armdrag by Iwatani, she grabs Atenea’s wrist and runs up the corner before hitting a split-legged armdrag. Atenea falls out of the ring, Iwatani goes up top but Act spits Sake in her face. Now Atenea goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but it only gets two. Atenea hits the Atenea Destroyer, but Iwatani gets a shoulder up. Kimura trips Iwatani and holds her for Atenea, but Iwatani ducks and she hits Kimura by accident. Act runs in but she accidentally spits Sake in Atenea’s face. High kick by Iwatani, she goes up top and she hits a diving footstomp. She goes up top again and delivers a frog splash, and she picks up the three count! Iwatani retains the championship!

A solid match, its always fun to watch Iwatani. The outside interference was necessary as there was no other way that Atenea had any chance of winning, but it did bring the match down a bit as it almost turned into comedy relief by the end with the multiple interference miscues. Iwatani looked good though, she hit all her moves well and was her usual high speed self. A little short and a little silly at times, but not a bad quick defense by Iwatani to give this card some importance.  Mildly Recommended

Io Shirai and Jungle Kyouna vs. Kairi Hojo and Saori Anou

Anou and Kyouna are the first two in, Kyouna knocks Anou to the mat first but Anou gets back up and the two trade elbows. Shoulderblock by Anou but Kyouna kips up and they elbow each other again before tagging out. Shirai comes into the ring using the classic Keiji Mutoh entrance, just to make sure I love her even more than I already do. Anyway Shirai and Hojo trade armdrags, Hojo tags Anou back in but Shirai quickly takes over on the youngster and dropkicks her in the back. Shirai kicks Hojo for no reason before tagging in Kyouna, Kyouna slams Anou and tosses her back in the corner as Shirai returns as the legal wrestler. Handstand walk double knee by Shirai and she cockily covers Anou before knocking Hojo off the apron. Double knee by Shirai in the corner and she tags Kyouna, body avalanche by Kyouna but Anou snaps off a sidewalk slam and makes the hot tag to Hojo. Big spear by Hojo but Shirai jumps her from behind, double Irish whip to Hojo but Hojo fights them both off. Hojo and Kyouna trade chops, Hojo wins the battle but Kyouna comes back with a powerslam. Kyouna tags Shirai, dropkick by Shirai and she covers Hojo for two. Hojo throws Shirai into the corner but Shirai hits a heel drop from the second rope.

Hojo ducks the Tiger Feint Kick and hits a headscissors off the ropes, shoulder tackle by Hojo and she tags Anou. Shirai knees Anou but Anou avoids her charge in the corner, Shirai kicks Anou in the face anyway and Anou slowly rolls out of the ring while the referee checks on her. Shirai goes out after her and slides Anou back in, Hojo comes in too as does Kyouna, and Kyouna catapults Hojo so that Shirai can kick her in the midsection. Shirai goes to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault onto Anou and Hojo, back in the ring Shirai hits a missile dropkick on Anou and covers her for two. Shirai tags Kyouna, lariat by Kyouna but her multiple covers don’t get three. Kyouna gets on the second turnbuckle, Shirai stands on her shoulders and hits a footstomp down onto Anou. Kyouna then goes for a body press but Anou gets her feet up, but Kyouna stops her from making the tag. Lariats by Kyouna, she picks up Anou but Anou sneaks in a sunset flip. Hojo runs in and hits the Sliding D on Kyouna, Anou bridges over her but Shirai breaks up the cover. Hojo elbows Kyouna, fisherman suplex hold by Anou but Kyouna gets a shoulder up. Shirai comes in with a missile dropkick to Anou, she slams Anou in front of the corner as Kyouna goes up top, but Hojo runs in and elbows her. Anou recovers and grabs Kyouna and hits the rolling fisherman suplex hold for the three count! Anou and Hojo are your winners!

I know I have said it before, but Io Shirai really is the one that makes these matches so damn fun. That isn’t to say everyone else wasn’t good, but with her flashy moves and cocky attitude it is Shirai will that make you remember this match as she was just perfect in it. Both teams worked together really well which I wasn’t really expecting to see since they aren’t regular tag teams, and the 16 minutes just flew by as it was structured perfectly. Not a high end Stardom main event since they all tend to be excellent, but still worth a watch, mostly to see why Shirai is currently one of the best wrestlers in the world.  Recommended

The post Stardom “Grows Up Stars #7” on 4/24/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom “Grows Up Stars #3”
Date: March 26th, 2016
Location: Shibata Sun Village Arena in Niigata, Japan
Announced Attendance: 255

I for once am not falling behind on my favorite Joshi promotion! This is the smallest event that we have seen yet this year, in terms of crowd size, so it is a breather show after the bigger event last week. We still do get a title match however, as Io Shirai takes on Alpha Female for the World of Stardom Championship. Here is the card:

• Alex Lee vs. Azumi vs. Starlight Kid
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Kaitlin Diemond and Viper
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kagetsu vs. Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Alpha Female

This is a short event, let’s hop to it.

Alex Lee vs. Azumi vs. Starlight Kid

Lee leaves the ring to let the kids fight, they battle for a bit before inviting Lee back into the ring. She locks knuckles with both as Lee is double teamed, Lee puts Starlight Kid in a crab hold and slams her to the mat. Starlight Kid covers Lee in a roll-up and they trade quick pin attempts, Azumi and Starlight Kid go back to double teaming Lee, they dispatch her and Azumi gets Starlight Kid to the mat. Monkey flip by Azumi and she puts Starlight Kid in La Magistral for two. Lee returns and she hits a double vertical suplex on Azumi and Starlight Kid, but Lee is thrown into the corner and dropkicked by both. Shiranui by Starlight Kid to Lee, but Azumi breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid dropkicks Azumi and hits the backflip into a moonsault, but Azumi kicks out of the pin. Starlight Kid goes up top but Lee brings her back into the ring, Lee nudges Starlight Kid out of the ring but Azumi puts her in a Japanese Leg Clutch Roll for two. Azumi and Starlight Kid trade elbows, DDT by Azumi and she cradles Starlight Kid for the three count! Azumi wins the match.

Even by Stardom opening standards this was really simple and basic. There were a few cute spots here and there but that is about it. Aside from some enjoyment in watching the rookies go at it, nothing special here.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Yoneyama and Mimura trade wristlocks and headlocks to start, Yoneyama charges Mimura but Mimura moves and delivers a dropkick. Yoneyama throws down Mimura by the hair a few times in return and she applies a bodyscissors, she then applies a camel clutch before putting Mimura in the ropes. Yoneyama rakes on Mimura’s face, scoop slam by Yoneyama and she covers Mimura for two. Yoneyama chops Mimura down but Mimura avoids her lariat and hits a dropkick. Mimura puts Yoneyama in a modified stretch hold, they return to their feet and Yoneyama hits a shoulderblock. She goes for a running senton but Mimura avoids it and hits a low crossbody for two. A diving crossbody by Mimura also gets a two count, she then sneaks in a few cradles but she can’t keep the veteran down. Face crusher by Yoneyama and she hits a running senton, but Mimura barely kicks out. Yoneyama drags Mimura to the corner, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she nails the diving senton for the three count! Yoneyama is your winner.

I love Mimura, she is a spunky little thing, but there wasn’t much to this. The best I can say is that it was fundamentally sound, the positive of having someone with Yoneyama’s experience is you don’t see the occasional miscues that plague the rookie matches sometimes. The downside of that is there was no way that any of Mimura’s nearfalls were convincing since she wasn’t beating Yoneyama under any circumstances. Decent, but nothing memorable.

Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Kaitlin Diemond and Viper

Diemond and Viper both attack their opponents to start the match, with Viper staying in the ring with Watanabe. Watanabe is tied in the ropes and attacked by all of Oedo Tai, she tries fighting back but she doesn’t have any luck. Diemond is tagged in and she hits a backbreaker on Watanabe, she slams Watanabe into each corner but Watanabe gets the upper hand and dropkicks Diemond. She makes the hot tag to Kyouna but Viper comes in too, Kyouna elbows both of them but Diemond boots Kyouna in the face. Side slam by Diemond, she picks up Kyouna but Kyouna hits a powerslam for a two count. Kyouna tags Watanabe, missile dropkick by Watanabe and she dropkicks Diemond in the corner. Body avalanche by Kyouna and Kyouna hits a cutter onto Watanabe’s knee. Watanabe grabs Diemond but Diemond hits a full nelson slam and tags Viper, Viper slams Watanabe and she hits a body press for a two count. Watanabe avoids the senton and rolls up Viper, Kyouna comes in too and they double team their opponent. Somato by Watanabe but Act trips Kyouna from the floor. Back in the ring, Viper charges Watanabe and she hits a jumping crossbody for the three count! Diemond and Viper win the match.

The event is slowly picking up steam as this was a fun match. Both teams worked really well together, it helps these mid-card tag matches when the teams act as a unit and not just as two separate individual wrestlers. Everything was fluid and both rookies got a chance to show off before inevitably losing. Overall a solid but short match.  Mildly Recommended

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kagetsu vs. Kairi Hojo and Mayu Iwatani

Kagetsu and Iwatani are the first two in the ring, Kagetsu gets in the first few moves but Iwatani comes back with an armdrag and both tag out. Matsumoto stomps on Hojo but Iwatani comes in and helps her, and Iwatani dropkicks Matsumoto in the head. Hojo dropkicks Matsumoto in the corner, elbow drop by Hojo to Matsumoto and she tags in Iwatani. Iwatani dropkicks Matsumoto again but Matsumoto comes back with a vertical suplex. Matsumoto tags Kagetsu, and Kagetsu works over Iwatani with kicks. She tags Matsumoto back in and Matsumoto puts Iwatani in a crab hold, but Iwatani gets to the ropes. Kagetsu returns and slams Iwatani in the corner, jumping elbow by Kagetsu and she covers Iwatani for two. Kagetsu runs at Iwatani but Iwatani avoids her charge and she hits a Sling Blade. That gives her time to tag in Hojo, Hojo chops Kagetsu but Matsumoto hits her from the apron. Matsumoto comes in the ring but Hojo spears her before hitting a triple jump elbow strike onto Kagetsu. Kagetsu comes back with a springboard dropkick, and she tags in Matsumoto.

Matsumoto slams Hojo, Hojo goes for a spear but Matsumoto blocks it. Jumping neckbreaker by Hojo and she tags in Iwatani, Iwatani goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Iwatani kicks Matsumoto and she hits a headscissors, Matsumoto lands against the ropes and Iwatani connects with a dropkick. Iwatani goes for a suplex but Matsumoto knees her, Iwatani goes for an armdrag off the ropes but Matsumoto blocks it. Matsumoto pulls Iwatani through the ropes and Kagetsu hits a springboard footstomp. Reverse double knee by Matsumoto, but Hojo breaks up the cover. Matsumoto picks up Iwatani on her shoulders and throws her over the top rope down onto Hojo on the floor. Back in the ring, Matsumoto hits a body avalanche in the corner followed by a backdrop suplex for a two count. She tags Kagetsu, kicks by Kagetsu and she applies a submission hold, but Hojo breaks it up. Kagetsu and Iwatani trade elbows, superkick by Iwatani and a second one sends Kagetsu to the mat. She then hits an enzuigiri on Matsumoto, Iwatani goes up top and hits a diving footstomp on Kagetsu for two. She goes up top again and hits a diving bodypress, but Matsumoto breaks up the cover. Matsumoto and Kagetsu double team Iwatani, Kagetsu slams Iwatani to the mat but the cover gets two. Kagetsu picks up Iwatani but Iwatani applies a crucifix for a two count. High kick by Kagetsu to Iwatani, she rolls up Iwatani with a jackknife and she gets the three count! Matsumoto and Kagetsu steal the win!

I really enjoyed this one a lot, a really smooth and well structured match. Kagetsu looked great here and did not look out of place against three wrestlers that have a lot more experience with each other. The flash pin of sorts worked as they needed both teams to look strong, since Hojo and Iwatani hold titles but Matsumoto and Kagetsu had to look good before their title match. Definitely worth a watch, a fast paced and entertaining match from start to finish.  Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs. Alpha Female

Alpha Female makes her power advantage clear from the start as she tosses and punches Shirai around the ring until Shirai bails to regroup. She returns after a moment as Alpha continues her assault, tossing Shirai around the ring like a rag doll. Alpha clubs Shirai in the chest and covers her, but it only gets two. Alpha lariats Shirai over the top rope and down to the floor, she followers her out and chops Shirai while she is sitting in the crowd. Alpha gets Shirai on her shoulders and throws her into the apron, she gets a chair but Shirai ducks the shot. The referee tries to stop Alpha but fails as she chokes Shirai with the chair before rolling her back into the ring. Sleeper by Alpha but Shirai gets out of it and dropkicks Alpha out of the ring. Shirai goes out to the apron and hits an Asai Moonsault down onto Alpha, Shirai rolls her back in and hits a swandive missile dropkick followed by the Tiger Feint Kick. Swandive sunset flip by Shirai and she puts Alpha in the armtrap crossface.

Alpha gets a hand in the ropes to force the break, Shirai goes for a suplex but Alpha blocks it. Sleeper by Shirai but Alpha rams her into the corner, Shirai jumps onto the second turnbuckle but Alpha catches her when she dives off and hits a fallaway slam. Body slams by Alpha, she picks up Shirai but Shirai reverses the suplex attempt into a hurricanrana. Dropkick by Shirai and she hits the running double knee strike in the corner for a two count. Shirai goes for a trio of moonsaults but Alpha stops her before she can hit the third and delivers a sit-down powerbomb for a two count cover. Alpha picks up Shirai but Shirai hits a buzzsaw kick and both wrestlers are on the mat. The slowly get up, strikes by Shirai but Alpha levels her with a lariat for two. Alpha goes to get a chair but the referee stops her from using it so she sets it up in the corner instead. She tries to throw Shirai into the corner but Shirai slams on the breaks, she tries again but Shirai slides under and Alpha runs into the chair. German suplex hold by Shirai, and she gets the three count! Io Shirai is still the champion.

Alpha Female is incredibly good at what she does, which really helped the match, but I can’t say I was in love with the ending. The first 75% or so of the match was just about perfect, as Alpha Female looked as dominant as any wrestler can and made it seem like Shirai had no chance in hell of winning. I thought it broke down a bit at the end, Alpha had plenty of time to see that Shirai moved before running into the chair and then the match quickly ended with the suplex. Aside from some illogical in-ring decisions I thought this was a fun match, not a classic by any means but a fitting main event for a smaller Stardom show.  Mildly Recommended

The post Stardom “Grows Up Stars #3” on 3/26/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Another week has passed, which means we have another Stardom show to review! This is a bigger show than the one I reviewed last week but it isn’t their biggest event style either, as it is still only a five match card with just one title match. But it is a massive title match, with Satomura teaming with her former enemy Kairi Hojo! Here is the card:

• Azumi, Eimi Nishina, and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Hiromi Mimura, Natsumi Maki, and Starlight Kid
• Alex Lee vs. Kaitlin Diemond
• Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kagetsu vs. Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe
• Alpha Female vs. Viper
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kairi Hojo and Meiko Satomura

Azumi, Eimi Nishina, and Kaori Yoneyama vs. Hiromi Mimura, Natsumi Maki, and Starlight Kid

Azumi and Starlight Kid begin the match, they trade dropkicks until Azumi starts working on the kid’s arm. Well the other kid. Starlight Kid gets out of it and they tag in Yoneyama and Mimura. They chest bump, Yoneyama makes Mimura run the ropes until she gets tired is easily hiptossed for a two count. Mimura tags out due to exhaustion as Nishina and Maki are brought in, Maki kicks down Nishina but Yoneyama kicks her from the apron. Dropkick from Nishina as Azumi and Yoneyama both get in the ring to help and pose on Maki. Yoneyama stays in and chops Maki before applying a leg lock, Mimura comes in and elbows Yoneyama which simply applies more pressure to the move. Maki gets away and tags Starlight Kid, and Starlight Kid hits the backflip into a standing moonsault for a two count. Mimura comes in and Starlight Kid runs up Mimura to hit a Shiranui onto Yoneyama. Starlight Kid gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits the diving body press for a two count. Yoneyama has had enough and slams Starlight Kid, and she tags in Azumi.

Azumi dropkicks Starlight Kid and they trade elbows, DDT by Azumi and Nishina runs in with a Somato. Suplex by Azumi, but Mimura breaks up the cover. Azumi dropkicks Mimura but Mimura applies the rolling leg submission as apparently they are legal now (did I miss a tag or do they just not care?). Mimura smacks Azumi in the back of the head and dropkicks her, Starlight Kid picks up Azumi (guess she hadn’t tagged in) and she hits a Tiger Feint Kick for a two count. Starlight Kid tags Mimura, sliding crossbody by Mimura and she gets a two as well. Mimura dropkicks Azumi and slams her, but Yoneyama breaks up the cover. Starlight Kid hits a headscissors on Yoneyama, Maki and Nishina get in the ring and Maki hits a swinging neckbreaker. Yoneyama and Azumi come in but Azumi dropkicks Yoneyama on accident, La Magistral by Mimura on Azumi but it gets two. Mimura starts her rolling leg hold but stops halfway and holds Azumi in a cradle, and she picks up the three count! Mimura, Maki, and Starlight Kid win!

This was longer than the typical Stardom opener, I am not sure if that is a new direction or just the way it went since six wrestlers were in the match. As for the good parts – Starlight Kid was more smooth than she has been recently, it is expected of course for a new 15 year old wrestler to have good days and bad days but this was a good day. The action was fast paced, no real lull anywhere which is always a plus. I thought that Maki has good… gymnastics, she hasn’t really put it together yet in terms of wrestling itself but the base is there to do entertaining things. The main issue is that it wasn’t the most fluid match, a few pauses and re-starts with random wrestlers running in with little structure to it. A perfectly watchable match with some bright spots, but not much more than that even though I always enjoy seeing the rookies.

Alex Lee vs. Kaitlin Diemond

Lee immediately takes Diemond to the mat, kicks to the chest by Lee and she covers Diemond for two. Wolf trips Lee from ringside to help Diemond out, Diemond picks up Lee and throws her down by the hair. Sidewalk Slam by Diemond but Lee gets the armbar applied until Diemond gets a foot on the ropes. Lee charges Diemond but Diemond hits a backbreaker, Lee falls out of the ring and she is attacked by both Wolf and Yasukawa. Lee is rolled back in, Diemond gets her in the ropes and she is attacked by all three members of Oedo Tai. Diemond goes for a leg drop but Lee moves, jumping knee by Lee in the corner and she delivers a kick combination. Lee gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, covering Diemond for two. Lee goes for a Chokebomb but Diemond blocks it and hits a side slam. Knee by Lee and she delivers a buzzsaw kick, cover by Lee but Diemond kicks out. Superkick by Lee and she hits the Chokebomb, but Diemond barely gets a shoulder up. Yasukawa gets on the apron while Diemond gets some Sake, she spits it into Lee’s face and applies the schoolboy for the three count! Kaitlin Diemond steals the victory.

I won’t complain about any match that gets Yasukawa and Wolf on my screen but this was a pretty simple match. I will give them credit, I liked it more than I thought I would as everything was smooth and they stayed active from bell to bell. It worked well to put over Oedo Tai as the lead faction in Stardom, but overall it was just a standard midcard match.

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Kagetsu vs. Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe

Kyouna is wearing lots of make-up and its freaking me out a bit, she looks really different. Watanabe and Kagetsu start off, armdrags by Kagetsu and she dropkicks Watanabe, but Watanabe dropkicks her back. Both wrestlers tag out, Matsumoto and Kyouna run into each other until Matsumoto shoulderblocks Kyouna to the mat. Kyouna lariats Matsumoto in the corner but Matsumoto suplexes her and tags in Kagetsu. Kagetsu tries to pick up Kyouna and eventually hits a bodyslam, picking up a two count. Matsumoto is tagged back in and she chops Kyouna before applying a chinlock, stretch hold by Matsumoto and Kagetsu dropkicks Kyouna in the face. Kagetsu elbows Kyouna in the corner but Kyouna picks her up and tosses her to the mat. Kyouna tags in Watanabe, Watanabe elbows both Kagetsu and Matsumoto and dropkicks Kagetsu in the corner.

Missile dropkick by Watanabe to Matsumoto, Kagetsu tries to do a springboard move but trips, so Watanabe dropkicks her again. More dropkicks by Watanabe and she hits a suplex, covering Kagetsu for a two count. Samoan Drop by Kagetsu, and she makes the hot tag to Matsumoto. Matsumoto gets Watanabe on her shoulders and throws her at Kyouna, knees by Matsumoto and she boots Watanabe in the chest. Kyouna grabbed Matsumoto, allowing Watanabe to dropkick her, and Watanabe tags in Kyouna. Face crusher by Kyouna to Matsumoto, and she gets a two count. Matsumoto shoulderblocks Kyouna over but Kyouna hits a powerslam. Lariat by Kyouna, and she covers Matsumoto for two. Kyouna goes up top but Kagetsu joins her, Matsumoto then goes up to them but Watanabe dropkicks Matsumoto. Kyouna dives off the top with a body press to Matsumoto, but it only gets two. Watanabe returns but Kagetsu hits a swandive missile dropkick on both of them. Matsumoto and Kagetsu double team Watanabe, backdrop suplex by Matsumoto to Kyouna and she gets the three count! Matsumoto and Kagetsu are your winners.

To be honest, this was not nearly as fluid as I was hoping. It was still a really good match, as all four are good wrestlers and it had a really hot ending, but it wasn’t without its flaws. Kagetsu was a bit off in a few places, which is unusual, although they covered each miscue pretty well. Matsumoto looked great however and was the star of the match, which doesn’t seem fair since she is the veteran and should be the best wrestler, but she was really on point. Overall it was fun and worth a watch, it just had a few rough patches that are unusual in Stardom matches.  Mildly Recommended

Alpha Female vs. Viper

They tie-up to start, Alpha Female shoulder tackles Viper in the corner, but Viper comes back with a body avalanche. Alpha Female kicks her back when she tries again, she goes for a bodyslam but Viper blocks it. Sleeper by Alpha Female but Viper gets out of it, running knee by Viper in the corner but Alpha Female fires back with lariats. Viper doesn’t go down and charges Alpha Female, but Alpha Female holds down the top rope and Viper falls out of the ring. Alpha Female goes out after her and gets a chair, but Act Yasukawa grabs it and hits Alpha Female in the head with it. Both wrestlers are rolled back in and trade elbows on their knees, they keep elbowing each other until Alpha Female goes for a body slam and Viper lands on top of her. Running senton by Viper, she goes for a slam but Alpha Female gets away and applies a sleeper. Viper rams Alpha Female into the corner to get out of it but she avoids Viper’s charge and chokes her in the corner. Elbow by Alpha Female and she clubs Viper repeatedly in the chest. Armtrap crossface by Alpha Female but Viper gets out of it, Viper gets on the second turnbuckle but Alpha Female knocks her off. Alpha Female goes up top but Viper walks too far away so she jumps off and slaps her. Bodyslam by Alpha Female, and she covers Viper for two. Alpha Female tries to pick up Viper, Yasukawa runs in the ring but Alpha Female pushes the referee into her. Viper accidentally hits a running crossbody on the referee, she then flattens Alpha Female but the referee is out. He wakes up angry, and he DQs Viper for crushing him. Alpha Female wins the match!

The ending was almost what it had to be, as it didn’t make a lot of sense for either of the gaijin monsters to lose. They did the expected but still entertaining strength vs. strength match, as each tried to knock the other over and tried for various slams to show they were the stronger wrestler. Act Yasukawa gave Alpha Female a wicked chair shot, which was a fun surprise, and the chaotic ending worked well. A good match that accomplished what it was trying to do, both came out of it looking strong.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kairi Hojo and Meiko Satomura

Iwatani and Satomura are the first two in the ring, elbows by Satomura but Iwatani blocks one and hits the split-legged armdrag off the ropes. Iwatani kicks Satomura in the back but Satomura has none of that and hits a scoop slam. Iwatani tags in Shirai, Satomura works the headlock but Shirai gets away from her and they return to their feet. Satomura tags in Hojo, Hojo and Shirai trade elbows, Iwatani runs in and they both dropkick Hojo. Hojo is double teamed in the corner and is put in a double armbar, Shirai slams Hojo and puts her in a crab hold. Satomura encourages her from the apron, double kneedrop by Shirai to Hojo’s back and she hits a standing moonsault. Shirai tags in Iwatani, Iwatani chops Hojo in the corner and dropkicks her in the chest. Footstomps by Iwatani and she tags Shirai back in as they continue to focus on the weaker Hojo, Hojo finally fights back against Iwatani but Satomura isn’t around for the tag. Iwatani tags Shirai, Shirai goes for an underhook facebuster but Hojo blocks it and hits a Sliding D. Hojo makes the tag to Satomura, Satomura elbows Shirai but Iwatani runs in and elbows her. Satomura is dropped by a double vertical suplex but Satomura fights back, Shirai goes for a swandive dropkick but Satomura uppercuts her out of the ring. Iwatani is dumped out of the ring, Satomura and Hojo join them and attack the champions around the ring.

They fight up near the balcony, Satomura and Hojo both get on opposite balconies and dive down onto their opponents! Satomura is crazy, I expect that from the kids, not her. Satomura and Shirai return to the ring, Hojo gets up top and hits a diving forearm smash on Hojo on Iwatani, Satomura elbows Shirai and kicks her repeatedly. Shirai snaps off a hurricanrana and hits a head kick, dropkick by Shirai and she tags in Iwatani. Iwatani goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, Iwatani hits another dropkick and then drills Satomura while she is against the ropes. Northern Lights Suplex by Iwatani, but Satomura kicks out at two. Iwatani goes up top but Satomura moves as she dives off, heel kick by Satomura and she hits a backdrop suplex for two. Satomura tags in Hojo, running neckbreakers by Hojo and she covers Iwatani for a two count. Hojo chops Iwatani in the corner but Iwatani comes back with a high kick. Big spear by Hojo and she rolls up Iwatani for two. Satomura comes in but Shirai hits a swandive missile dropkick on both, knocking the challengers out of the ring. Shirai and Iwatani then get onto different turnbuckles and dive out of the ring onto their opponents. Iwatani rolls Hojo back in, she goes up top and delivers the diving footstomp for two. She goes up top again and hits a diving bodypress, but Satomura breaks up the cover. Shirai picks up Hojo and Iwatani hits a face crusher, superkick by Iwatani to Hojo and she covers her for a two count.

Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Running double knee by Shirai and she hits the double underhook facebuster. Shirai picks up Hojo while Iwatani goes up top but Satomura knocks Iwatani off. Satomura tries to kick Shirai but knocks Hojo’s head off by accident, she tries again but has the same result. La Magistral with a bridge by Shirai, but Satomura breaks up the pin. Shirai picks up Hojo and hits a German suplex hold, but Hojo barely kicks out. Shirai goes up top but Satomura kicks her, Hojo recovers and goes up top herself, hitting a footstomp to Shirai’s chest. Sliding D by Hojo, but Iwatani breaks up the cover. Hojo and Shirai trade elbows but Satomura drills her with the Pele Kick. Death Valley Bomb by Satomura, Hojo goes up top and she nails the diving elbow drop, but Shirai somehow kicks out. Satomura slams Iwatani on top of Shirai but Shirai gets her feet up when she goes for another diving elbow drop. Hojo chops Shirai in the face but Iwatani gets away from Satomura, Shirai picks up Satomura and they hit the assisted piledriver. Iwatani grabs Hojo and hits a dragon suplex, Shirai then goes up top and nails the moonsault for the three count pinfall! Shirai and Iwatani retain their championship!

This was just a great match, it is difficult to pinpoint all the awesome things about it. All four of these wrestlers have tremendous chemistry with each other as they have been wrestling with or against each other in some combination for almost a full year now. For a 25 minute match, everything was smooth as silk and nothing felt wasted. Io Shirai is one of the best wrestlers in the world of any nationality or gender and she was on her game here. Originally my only complaint was the single camera did miss a few spots, but then I got to see the multi-cam version and all of my issues wilted away, such as missing the double balcony dive by Satomura and Hojo. Hojo being the weaker wrestler fit the theme, I wish Satomura had done a bit more to help her but since they aren’t really friends it was logical she wasn’t constantly risking her health for her partner. A really high end match, worth seeking out for all fans.  Highly Recommended

Mark and I discussed this event on Joshi Island #1, you can check it out below if you would like an audio review of the show as well.

The post Stardom “The Highest” on 3/21/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

And we are back to Stardom! This event really highlights the rookies and young wrestlers, and all will get a chance to shine. It is the very rare Stardom event with no title matches, since they have five championships it is unusual to have a show with none being defended at all, but this is a more low key event with a different focus. Some of the “World Selection” wrestlers are still here however, as Viper and Diemond both are in the main event. Here is the full card:

• Alex Lee vs. Azumi vs. Haruka Kato vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Maki Natsumi
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Kagetsu
• Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid
• Kairi Hojo vs. Saori Anou
• Io Shirai 9th Anniversary Match: Hiroyo Matsumoto and Io Shirai vs. Kaitlin Diemond and Viper

Overall I have been impressed with all of the Stardom rookies so I am looking forward to this event. This show is definitely built more towards the hardcores than the casual fans, the chances of there being a “Five Star Match” are slim to none but it still has potential to be a fun show.

Alex Lee vs. Azumi vs. Haruka Kato vs. Kaori Yoneyama vs. Maki Natsumi

Natsumi is stomped down to start, probably because no one wants the new girl to be the leader of the faction. Natsumi is dropkicked by everyone in the corner but Yoneyama and Azumi start to argue which gives Natsumi time to recover. Yoneyama is attacked in the corner and Natsumi picks an unusual time to pose on the top turnbuckle. Azumi joins her and slaps her, but then they all pose on Yoneyama. Azumi and Kato try to suplex Lee but they can’t get her over, Lee reverses it into a double vertical suplex but Azumi puts her in a sleeper. Natsumi dropkicks Yoneyama, Kato rolls up Yoneyama but Natsumi breaks it up. Kato puts Natsumi in an armbar over the top rope, Kato puts Lee in a cross armbreaker but Lee powerbombs out of it. Lee covers Kato but Yoneyama breaks it up with a senton, Azumi returns and she dropkicks Kato but Yoneyama rolls her up for the three count! Yoneyama wins the match and is the new leader of the Azumi Army.

Azumi gets on the mic and requests the footage of her losing be erased, before admitting that Yoneyama is the new leader. Yoneyama gets on the microphone and says that Azumi will always be the true leader of the Azumi Army, but that Yoneyama is the Commander of the Azumi Army. So everyone is something resembling happy.

This was just a quick opening comedy match, but I appreciate them putting some type of story to it, which I only know because they are subtitling promos. No one wrestler really got a chance to shine since it was five wrestlers in a sub-five minute match, but everyone hit their spots without any issue. So it accomplished its goal even though it was obviously a pretty simple and straight-forward affair.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Kagetsu

Mimura charges Kagetsu at the start with a dropkick but Kagetsu elbows her back. Another dropkick by Mimura but Kagetsu dropkicks her in return and kicks Mimura in the back. Scoop slam by Kagetsu and she dropkicks Mimura again, cover by Kagetsu but it gets two. Kagetsu applies a submission but Mimura gets to the ropes, Kagetsu stands up Mimura in the ropes and kicks her repeatedly from the apron. Kagetsu gets back in the ring and dropkicks Mimura in the back, Kagetsu charges Mimura but Mimura hits a dropkick. Mimura hits a running low level crossbody, scoop slam by Mimura and she puts Kagetsu in a cross armbreaker, but Kagetsu inches to the ropes to get the break. Kagetsu and Mimura trade elbows, Mimura goes off the ropes but Kagetsu hits a dropkick. Spear by Kagetsu, she picks up Mimura and hits a vertical suplex. Kagetsu picks up Mimura but Mimura wiggles away and rolls up Kagetsu for two. She has the same result with La Magistral, Mimura goes off the ropes but Kagetsu nails a high kick. Rounded Samoan Drop by Kagetsu and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu wins the match.

I probably liked this more than I should have because I like them both quite a bit, but the action was solid throughout and they had good chemistry. The match was a bit basic, lots of dropkicks, but once they got towards the end the action became a lot more varied. Not a complicated match but still fun, hopefully I’ll get to see more of Kagetsu in Stardom down the road.  Mildly Recommended

Jungle Kyouna and Momo Watanabe vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and Kyouna begin the match, they trade holds and Starlight Kid tries to dropkick Kyouna, but she has no luck. Starlight Kid eventually manages to dropkick her over but Kyouna comes back with a hard elbow. Both wrestlers tag out, Iwatani avoids Watanabe’s dropkick and they run the ropes with neither really connecting. Iwatani throws down Watanabe and tags in Starlight Kid, drop toehold by Starlight Kid and Iwatani dropkicks Watanabe in the chest before they pose on her. Watanabe dropkicks Starlight Kid and tags in Kyouna, and they take turns elbowing Starlight Kid. Watanabe dropkicks Starlight Kid before Kyouna connects with a body avalanche and a face crusher. Kyouna puts both Starlight Kid and Iwatani in the ropes and stand on them before she kicks Iwatani back out of the ring. Kyouna slams Starlight Kid and goes for the Hammerthrow Powerbomb but Starlight Kid reverses it until a headscissors. Starlight Kid dropkicks Kyouna while she is against the ropes and tags in Iwatani, Watanabe comes in but Iwatani hits a double split-legged armdrag on both of them.

Iwatani dropkicks Kyouna while she is against the ropes, she goes for a superkick but Kyouna ducks it and hits a discus lariat. High kick by Iwatani, she goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving footstomp for a two count. She goes all the way up this time and hits a missile dropkick, Starlight Kid runs in but she has issues doing a Tiger Feint Kick (I assume that was the plan). Iwatani goes off the rope but Kyouna catches her with a powerslam, Iwatani rolls to her corner and tags in Starlight Kid while Kyouna tags Watanabe. Multi-rotation headscissors by Starlight Kid but Watanabe blocks the Shiranui, standing moonsault by Starlight Kid but it gets a two count. Iwatani comes in and Starlight Kid hits the Shiranui by running up Iwatani, Starlight Kid hits a diving body press from the second turnbuckle and then Iwatani hits one from the top. Satellite sunset flip by Starlight Kid but Watanabe reverses it, Kyouna runs in and lariats Starlight Kid. Somato by Watanabe, but Starlight Kid gets a hand on the ropes to force a break. Watanabe slams Starlight Kid to the mat, she charges her but Starlight Kid rolls up Watanabe for two. Superkick by Iwatani to Watanabe and she stomps on her chest, Starlight Kid goes for a Space Rolling something but Watanabe catches her and hits a trio of suplexes. Somato by Watanabe to Starlight Kid as she is getting up, cover by Watanabe and she gets the three count! Kyouna and Watanabe win!

I really enjoyed this match, even though it did have a few rough patches. I don’t mind a botched move here and there if the action around it helps overcome it, particularly when we are dealing with rookies and young wrestlers, and the bulk of the match was very smooth. In the home stretch, Starlight Kid looked great for someone of any level, let alone a 15 year old, and I can see her really being something special if she stays dedicated to it. Watanabe has really grown in her ability in the last year, and even though she wasn’t the focus of the match she looked solid as well. A really fun midcard match, showing the future of Stardom looks very promising.  Mildly Recommended

Kairi Hojo vs. Saori Anou

Anou and Hojo lock knuckles and trade wristlocks, Hojo elbows Anou in the corner but Anou elbows her back. They trade blows, a battle that Hojo wins, and Hojo hits a flipping neckbreaker. Hojo throws down Anou by her hair and chokes her in the corner, chops by Hojo and she hits a series of shoulder tackles. Crab hold by Hojo but Anou gets to the ropes, Hojo charges Anou but Anou holds down the ropes and Hojo falls onto the apron. Anou dropkicks Hojo off the apron to the floor, she goes after her but Hojo chops her in the chest. Hojo gets back in the ring but Anou snaps her arm over the top rope and applies an armbar back in the ring. Sidewalk slam by Anou and she applies a backslide with a jackknife for a two count. Anou applies a submission hold but Hojo gets to the ropes, Anou picks up Hojo but Hojo pushes her off and hits the spear. Hojo dropkicks Anou in the back, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Anou smacks her and hits a rolling Fisherman Suplex Hold for a two count. Anou elbows Hojo but Hojo hits a lariat before kicking Anou in the back. Anou tries a few quick pins with no luck, she goes for a Fisherman Suplex but Hojo blocks it and hits her with elbows. Hojo goes up top and hits a diving elbow drop to Anou’s back, she then puts her in the Ikari (cross-leg crab hold) and Anou submits! Kairi Hojo wins the match.

Another fun match, I am surprised how much offense young Anou had in the match, Stardom must see a lot in her. This match didn’t have the rough patches we saw in a few of the other matches on this card, everything felt fluid and both had a chance to shine. Instead of it just being a “Hojo match” where she controlled everything, it was a pretty equal back and forth struggle with both hitting big moves with nearfalls. Overall solid and hopefully Anou will stay with Stardom as she continues to develop. Mildly Recommended

Hiroyo Matsumoto and Io Shirai vs. Kaitlin Diemond and Viper

Diemond and Viper start the beatdown on Shirai before the match even starts but Shirai fights back with a dropkick to both. Matsumoto finally comes in to help but Viper floors Shirai with a hard lariat when Matsumoto whips Shirai towards her. They try it again but Diemond boots Shirai in the face, so Matsumoto picks up Shirai and throws her at them. The action spills out to the floor with Shirai on the apron, and she sails out of the ring with an Asai Moonsault. Shirai slides Diemond back in for Matsumoto and they both take turns kneeing her in the gut. Shirai jumps on Matsumoto’s back while Matsumoto hits a double kneedrop, Shirai stomps on Diemond and elbows her against the ropes. Yasukawa trips Shirai from the floor, Shirai is pulled out of the ring and clubbed on by Viper. Diemond joins in the assault on Shirai on the outside, they finally return to the ring and Diemond hits a backbreaker on Shirai. Diemond tags Viper, Shirai fights back but Viper sits on her to stop her comeback. Viper tags Diemond back in, Shirai ducks Diemond’s boot and dropkicks her in the head, giving Shirai time to tag in Matsumoto. Matsumoto shoulderblocks Diemond and snaps her neck over the top rope, she goes up top and knocks down Diemond with a missile dropkick. Viper runs in but Matsumoto drop toeholds her onto Diemond, she goes for a double crab hold but Viper fights out of it. Diemond slams Matsumoto before tagging in Viper, Viper goes for a senton but Matsumoto rolls out of the way.

Matsumoto tries to knock over Viper with no luck, jumping crossbody by Viper and she covers Matsumoto for two. Viper gets on the second turnbuckle but Shirai grabs her from the apron, Matsumoto recovers and gets Viper on her back before hitting an inverted Samoan Drop. Matsumoto tags Shirai, Tiger Feint Kick by Shirai and she hits the swandive missile dropkick for a two count. Shirai goes for a suplex but Viper rams her back into the corner, Shirai applies a sleeper but Viper tosses her over her head. Running low crossbody by Viper, and she tags in Diemond. Viper stays in and they hit a double chokeslam on Shirai, double cover but Matsumoto breaks it up. They pick up Shirai but Shirai flips away from them and hits a hurricanrana on Diemond. Matsumoto goes to the second turnbuckle, Shirai stands on her back and hits a diving body press. Reverse double kneedrop by Matsumoto, but the referee is MIA. Yasukawa spits sake at Matsumoto, Diemond picks up Shirai and she hits the Anaconda Buster for two. Viper goes for the Reverse Splash but Shirai rolls out of the way, Diemond picks up Shirai but Matsumoto runs in and lariats her. Palm Strike by Shirai to Diemond, they trade elbows until Diemond hits a lariat. Body Crusher by Diemond to Shirai, but Matsumoto barely breaks up the cover in time. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto to Diemond, Viper grabs Matsumoto but Shirai grabs her. Yasukawa spits sake into Viper’s face by accident, then Viper is dropped by a double backdrop suplex. Matsumoto powerbombs Diemond, Shirai goes up top and she nails the moonsault for the three count! Shirai and Matsumoto win the match!

A great way to end the event, as even though it was Shirai’s spotlight they gave everyone a chance to get in their shots. Shirai is on another level to me, I love just about everything she does. There was some lack of drama since everyone knew Shirai was winning, but all four had close calls and Oedo Tai controlled much of the match. I have to give them credit for going all out on a small house that won’t even air in Japan, non-stop action here with lots of hard hits. An entertaining match that is well worth the watch.  Recommended

The post Stardom “Grows Up Stars #1” on 3/6/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

This is a unique show as there are only two matches. The first is a six wrestler gauntlet match, which is a series of singles matches until one wrestler is left without being defeated or eliminated by Draw. Then in the main event, the Hyper Destroyers defend their titles against Shirai, Iwatani, and Hojo! Here is the full card:

• Gauntlet Match with Kaitlin Diemond, Momo Watanabe, Kaori Yoneyama, Viper, Hiromi Mimura, and Jungle Kyouna
• Artist of Stardom Championship: Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, and Mayu Iwatani

Definitely a unusual event, but let’s see how it worked out. The order of the Gauntlet Match was decided by raffle and they will be wrestling in the order that I have listed above in the match list. So Diemond and Watanabe will start, then the winner will face Yoneyama, and so on. There is a ten minute time limit so if two wrestlers draw, both are eliminated and the next two wrestlers face off.

Kaitlin Diemond vs. Momo Watanabe

Kaitlin Diemond vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Hiromi Mimura vs. Viper

Viper vs. Jungle Kyouna

 

(c) Evie, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Kellie Skater vs. Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, and Mayu Iwatani

Shirai and Matsumoto kick things off, they trade holds until Matsomoto avoids Shirai’s dropkick and hits a double knee drop. Shirai knocks Matsumoto down and hits a quick standing moonsault, and they both tag out as Iwatani and Skater enter the ring. They go back and forth with armdrags and quick pin attempts with neither getting an advantage, Skater’s teammates run in and they triple team Iwatani. Hojo comes in too and they both chop Skater, dropkick by Iwatani and with Shirai they all pose on top of Skater. Iwatani puts Skater in a camel clutch and she tortures her a bit before tagging Shirai. Shirai blows a streamer toy into Skater’s mouth before tagging Hojo, chop by Hojo to Skater and she covers her for two. Iwatani comes into the match but Skater drops her with a springboard elbow and tags in Matsumoto. Matsumoto takes care of all three of her opponents, she stacks them on top of each other and puts them all in a triple crab hold with Skater’s help.

Matsumoto lays Iwatani across the ropes in the corner and hits a body avalanche, cover by Matsumoto but it gets two. Evie is tagged in, kicks by Evie and Skater is in next and she slams Iwatani before dropping a leg on her. Skater throws Iwatani into the corner but Iwatani avoids her charge and tags in Shirai. Matsumoto comes in too as does Evie and Hojo, but Iwatani missile dropkicks everyone over. Catapult elbow smash by Hojo to Skater in the corner, then Shirai hits a running double knee for a two count. Shirai goes for the double underhook but Skater gets out of it and hits a superkick. She tags Matsumoto, she trades elbows with Shirai before decking her with a sliding lariat. Matsumoto picks up Shirai, Shirai goes for a hurricanrana but Matsumoto catches her and applies a crab hold. Matsumoto goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a reverse double knee splash, but Iwatani breaks up the cover. Matsumoto goes for a backdrop suplex but Shirai lands on her feet, Matsumoto snaps Shirai’s neck over the top rope but Matsumoto is grabbed from the apron. Shirai goes for a baseball slide but hits Hojo by accident and the wrestlers tumble out of the ring. Iwatani goes up top and hits a diving crossbody to the floor onto Matsumoto and Skater, Shirai slides Matsumoto back in the ring and hits a swandive missile dropkick.

Another dropkick by Shirai and she covers Matsumoto for two. Shirai tags Hojo and she hits a diving elbow smash, but Skater breaks up the cover. Hojo chops Matsumoto but Matsumoto hits a shoulderblock. Big spear by Hojo and she hits a footstomp, she goes up top but Skater runs in and elbows her. Matsumoto goes up top with Hojo and hits a superplex, Matsumoto tags in Evie and Evie kicks Hojo in the back before covering her for two. She tags Skater and Skater throws Hojo into the corner before Evie hits a big boot. Buzzsaw kick by Skater and she hits a front flip neckbreaker on Hojo for a two count. Iwatani comes in and dropkicks Skater, Shirai comes in but Matsumoto crushes her with a lariat. Hojo and Skater trade strikes, high kick by Skater but she eats a triple dropkick. Spike Piledriver to Skater, but Matsumoto breaks up the pinfall. Hojo picks up Skater and goes for a Sliding D, but Skater reverses it into a crucifix pin for two. Matsumoto and Evie come in with streamer guns, but Hojo ducks and they all end up shooting each other. Spear Dropkick by Iwatani in the corner on Skater, Hojo then goes up top and she nails the Diving Elbow Drop. Cover by Hojo, and she gets the three count! Hojo, Iwatani, and Shirai are your new champions!

Probably the best Artist of Stardom Championship match I have ever seen. Usually, this championship has as much silliness as anything, and while there was still a bit of that here it was a much more serious match than I was expecting. Both teams work incredibly well together as they been either teams or enemies for a long time, everything was smooth and nothing seemed extra or wasted. The match style was more crazy six wrestler sprint than anything else, it was about which wrestler got isolated first and pinning them before their teammates could recover in time to break it up. While I still prefer a quality singles match to a wild six wrestler tag, this was a great match with six high caliber wrestlers, a must for fans of Stardom or really of wrestling in general. Highly Recommended

The post Stardom vs. World Selection #3 on 2/28/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Stardom records all their shows, even ones that are not scheduled to be televised, so even though this was shot from a ringside camera we still get the pleasure of watching it. This event did have a big title match, as Thunder Rock take on Kaitlin Diemond and Viper for the Goddesses of Stardom Championship. We also get Evie and Kellie Skater in singles matches as well.  Here is the complete card:

• Evie vs. Haruka Kato
• Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kellie Skater
• Chelsea Green and Santana Garrett vs. Hiromi Mimura and Kairi Hojo
• Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna
• Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Kaitlin Diemond and Viper

The good part of this being shot at ringside and not for TV is there is no clipping, every match will be shown in full.

Evie vs. Haruka Kato

Evie works a headlock to start, Kato turns it into a hammerlock but Evie reverses it. Evie rolls around the ring while Kato looks confused, they trade trips until Kato gets the cross armbreaker applied but Evie quickly got out of it. Evie and Kato trade elbows, kicks by Evie and she drills Kato in the back before covering her for two. Evie chokes Kato in the corner and kicks her some more, Kato goes for the armbreaker but Evie blocks it and slams Kato to the mat. Chinlock by Evie but Kato gets out of it and hits a face crusher. Evie comes back with a side slam onto her knee, she throws Kato in the corner but Kato avoids the big boot and applies an armbreaker over the top rope. Diving crossbody by Kato, she picks up Evie but Evie sneaks in an inside cradle. Facebuster by Evie, and she covers Kato for a two count. Satellite roll-up by Kato and she applies the cross armbreaker, but Evie gets a foot on the ropes. Evie throws Kato into the corner and hits a running big boot, Evie picks up Kato and she delivers the TTYL for a three count! Evie wins!

This was a decent and straight-forward opener. I like Kato, but she is limited, all of her matches are pretty similar. She really only has a handful of moves and tends to do them all in every match, so it is generally up to her opponent to make the match special. Evie was good here but there just wasn’t enough time for her to do too much before she quickly picked up the win after hitting two of her signature moves. Perfectly watchable but not much more than that.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Kellie Skater

Yoneyama pushes Skater into the corner, she tosses her to the other side but Skater kicks her back. Armdrag by Skater but Yoneyama returns the favor and they return to their feet. Full nelson by Skater and she gets Yoneyama to the mat, but Yoneyama applies a leg lock. Muta Lock by Yoneyama but Skater gets into the ropes and forces a break. Yoneyama puts Skater in a bodyscissors  but Skater gets out of it, Yoneyama grabs Skater by the hair and flings her across the ring. She does it again before pounding on Skater near the ropes, Skater fires back with a boot but Yoneyama hits an elbow in the corner. They trade shots, kicks to the leg by Skater but Yoneyama chops her in the throat. Kick to the chest by Skater, Yoneyama bridges out of the pin and hits a jumping crossbody for two. Northern Lights Suplex by Yoneyama for another two count, back up Skater kicks Yoneyama and hits a PK for a two count of her own. Bodyslam by Skater and she hits an elbow drop, Skater puts Yoneyama in a cross armbreaker but Yoneyama, Yoneyama gets Skater in the ropes and hits a knee to the back of the head. Another knee by Yoneyama and she sneaks in a school boy for two. They trade quick pin attempts with no luck, DDT by Skater and she hits a Buzzsaw Kick for a two count. Skater throws Yoneyama in the corner, Yoneyama bounces off the ropes and she applies a reverse sunset flip for the three count! Yoneyama is your winner.

I wish the match had more substance but I enjoyed what they did. Skater is one of my guilty pleasures, she hasn’t put on many ‘classics’ but has so much energy and I love a good striker. Yoneyama has been around the block so everything she does is really fluid. A lot more basic than I was hoping and what they are capable of but a decent mid-card match anyway.

Chelsea Green and Santana Garrett vs. Hiromi Mimura and Kairi Hojo

Mimura and Green begin the match, Mimura stomps on Green’s foot and goes for a roll-up, but Green throws her to the mat and gets a quick cover. They tag out, Garrett and Hojo shove each other back and forth, elbows by Hojo but Garrett trips her and kicks Hojo in the chest. Garrett flips away from Hojo and hits a Space Rolling Elbow, she puts Hojo in the ropes and Green assists from the apron. Garrett rolls on Hojo and applies a Camel Clutch, but Mimura comes in and breaks it up. Garrett elbows Mimura before going for Hojo’s arm, she tags in Green  but Hojo avoids Green’s boot and delivers a spear. This gives her time to tag Mimura, Mimura attacks Green with elbows but Garrett comes in to help. Mimura knocks down Garrett and rolls up Green, but it only gets two. Mimura throws both opponents in the corner, Hojo returns and she hits a catapult elbow smash in the corner. Dropkick by Mimura to Green, but the cover gets two. Green has had enough and slams Mimura, heel kick by Green and she covers Mimura for a two count. Lariat by Green but Mimura lands by her corner and tags in Hojo.

Hojo chops Green into the corner an hits a running shoulder tackle followed by a front flip neckbreaker for two. Cross arm submission by Hojo but Garrett breaks it up, elbows by Green to Hojo and she hits a heel kick. Green goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Green tags Garrett, side Russian leg sweep by Garrett to Hojo and she applies a rolling Muta Lock. Mimura breaks it up, Hojo picks up Garrett and hits an elbow Final Cut, but Garrett blocks the Sliding D. Garrett goes for the Shining Star Press but Hojo grabs her leg and hits a spinning backhand slap.  Garrett comes back with a kick and both wrestlers fall to the mat, Hojo recovers first and tags Mimura, Mimura elbows Garrett as Hojo goes up top and hits a diving elbow smash. La Magistral by Mimura, but Green breaks up the cover. Elbows by Mimura but Garrett ducks a lariat and hits a fisherman suplex hold for two. Green comes in and they both kick Mimura, but Mimura barely gets a shoulder up. Hojo comes in but Garrett superkicks her, Mimura sneaks in a small package but it gets a two count. Garrett catches Mimura off the ropes and slams her to the mat, Shining Star Press by Garrett and she gets the three count! Green and Garrett win the match.

A fun match, I thought that both teams worked together well and the Stardom team in particular stood out. Green is still honing her craft so to speak, a few parts didn’t look smooth, but nothing terrible and the close camera isn’t doing them any favors in that regard as every little mistake is clear. Mimura is quickly becoming my favorite Stardom rookie, she has more of a ceiling than Kyouna but she has the personality to fit in well and if she sticks with it she may find the most success in the long run. Overall a solid effort by all four and worth a casual watch for sure.  Mildly Recommended

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Jungle Kyouna

Kyouna goes on the attack immediately, she tries to shoulderblock the veteran down but is unable to do so. Headlock takedown by Matsumoto, they return to their feet and lock knuckles before trading wristlocks. Matsumoto bites Kyouna’s arm and stomps on her, elbows by Matsumoto and she dropkicks Kyouna for a two count. Matsumoto beats on Kyouna as Kyouna tries to fight back, backbreaker by Matsumoto and she covers Kyouna for two. Matsumoto puts Kyouna in the corner across the ropes and hits a body avalanche, she covers Kyouna again but the rookie kicks out. Matsumoto goes for a piledriver but Kyouna blocks it and hits a back bodydrop. Kyouna throws Matsumoto in the corner and hits a body avalanche, powerslam by Kyouna but the covers gets two. Kyouna goes up top and hits a diving body press, she picks up Matsumoto but Matsumoto catches her with a lariat. They trade lariats without going down until Matsumoto floors Kyouna first, she goes off the ropes and they go back and forth with slaps and elbows. Kyouna knocks down Matsumoto with a lariat, she goes to run off the ropes but Matsumoto grabs her. Backdrop suplex by Matsumoto, but Kyouna gets a shoulder up. Sliding lariat by Matsumoto and she puts Kyouna in an elevated crab hold. Kyouna crawls to the ropes and finally reaches them, Matsumoto gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a Reverse Diving Double Knee Drop for the three count! Hiroyo Matsumoto wins.

There was a lot to like here, my only real complaint is the match started really slow. The part where Matsumoto was just stomping Kyouna went just a bit long, the match lagged for a few minutes prior to Kyouna’s comeback with the back bodydrop. From then on the match was really good, I thought that Matsumoto would give Kyouna a lot and I was right, with Kyouna even winning a few of the strike battles which is really rare in rookie matches. I liked Matsumoto immediately finishing Kyouna after the crab hold didn’t work, Kyouna was able to escape the way that rookies typically lose but was too hurt to do anything else afterwards. So often we see a ‘hope’ spot there that I liked them doing something different. This would have been an upper tier ‘rookie match’ if it hadn’t slowed down for a few minutes, but overall still a fun battle.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Thunder Rock (Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani) vs. Kaitlin Diemond and Viper

The first two in the match are Iwatani and Diemond, Iwatani pops Diemond in the head repeatedly before hitting an armdrag, but Diemond quickly rolls back to her feet. Shirai and Viper tag in, Viper tosses Shirai around the ring and drives her into the corner, but Shirai avoids her charge when she runs in. Dropkick by Shirai and she tags Iwatani, both attack Viper in the corner before applying armbars and posing. Viper has none of that and shoves them off, Diemond comes in and they hit a double elbow drop before throwing Iwatani onto Shirai. Shirai falls out of the ring but Viper goes out after her and slams her into the apron, while Diemond and Iwatani battle in the ring. Backbreaker by Diemond and she tags Viper, running body press by Viper to Iwatani and she gets two. Yasukawa gets on the apron and all three squish Iwatani in the ropes, in the ring Viper and Diemond charge Iwatani but Iwatani moves out of the way. Viper picks up Iwatani but Shirai dropkicks Iwatani to help tip over Viper, giving Iwatani time to tag Shirai. Diemond stays in but Shirai does a cartwheel and dropkicks both of them, Shirai drop toeholds Viper onto Diemond and covers Diemond for two. Shirai elbows Diemond but Diemond boots her in the face, Shirai hits the Tiger Feint Kick followed by the swandive missile dropkick for two. Iwatani is tagged in, she elbows Diemond and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Iwatani jumps at Diemond but Diemond catches her and hits a back bodydrop.

Diemond tags Viper, Viper pounds on Iwatani but Iwatani sneaks in a school boy for two. Big shoulderblock by Viper and she hits a jumping crossbody to Iwatani’s head. Argentine Backbreaker by Viper, Shirai tries to help but fails, leaving Iwatani to get out of the hold herself. Footstomp by Iwatani and she tags Shirai, Shirai goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes for a German suplex but Viper blocks it. Sleeper by Shirai but Viper gets into the ropes and throws Shirai off.  Running senton by Viper, she gets Shirai on her shoulders and hits an electric chair slam for a two count when Iwatani breaks it up. Diemond comes in too and they suplex their opponents, Viper gets on the second turnbuckle but Shirai avoids the Reverse Splash. Dropkick by Shirai and she kicks Viper in the head, running double knee by Shirai in the corner but she hurts her knee, giving Viper time to tag Diemond. Diemond hits a side slam on Shirai, she picks her up and hits a hard elbow for a two count. Double chokeslam to Shirai, Diemond holds Shirai for Viper but Viper hits Diemond on accident. Viper flattens Shirai, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Iwatani hits her from the apron. Shirai joins Viper and hits a Frankensteiner, Shirai and Iwatani get up on the same turnbuckle and hit a double missile dropkick. Diemond returns, Iwatani goes up top and with Shirai they nail the spike piledriver. Yasukawa tries to spit Sake into Shirai’s face, but Shirai ducks and she hits Diemond by accident. Package German Suplex by Shirai, and she gets the three count! Thunder Rock retain the championship.

I really liked this one, a quality championship match with lots of back and forth action. Stardom does sometimes have titles change hands on small events like this so it wasn’t a foregone confusion which team was winning, leading to the crowd staying into it throughout. Iwatani and Shirai are two of the best women wrestlers in the world as far as entertainment value goes, they are so high energy and Iwatani sells like a demon so everything done to her looks really painful. The ringside camera was fine, we didn’t miss any of the action and it made the moves feel even more impactful. A fun match and worth watching, it wasn’t an instant classic but a solid and entertaining match from bell to bell.  Recommended

The post Stardom 5th Anniversary Day 4 on 2/12/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Another Stardom event has aired, which of course means I am going to review it promptly since they are one of my favorite promotions in the world. Even though this event has five matches, it is in essence a one match card. There are no titles on the line here, but the main event sees Stardom take on gaijins from everywhere in a big 5 vs. 5 elimination tag team match. This is “Survivor Series” style, not 1 vs. 1 style like what we saw in Sendai Girls’ back in October, but you can also eliminate your opponent by throwing them over the top rope. Here is the full card:

• Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama
• Haruka Kato vs. Starlight Kid
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Kaitlin Diamond
• Alex Lee vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto
• Stardom vs. World Elimination Tag: Team Stardom (Io Shirai, Jungle Kyouna, Kairi Hojo, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe) vs. World Selection (Chelsea Green, Evie, Kellie Skater, Santana Garrett, and Viper)

To make the review complete of course I am going to review all the matches, but none of the first four matches even went more than eight minutes and are mostly rookie/basic style since all the main players are in the main event.

Azumi vs. Kaori Yoneyama

Azumi dropkicks Yoneyama before the match starts and stomps on her, but Yoneyama quickly turns the tide and tosses Azumi to the mat. Sleeper by Yoneyama, she picks up Azumi and hits a scoop slam. Yoneyama throws Azumi in the corner and hits a knee, she charges Azumi again but Azumi moves and hits a dropkick. Elbows by Azumi but Yoneyama blocks the crossbody. Dropkick by Azumi and she hits a satellite into a sunset flip for a two count. She goes for another one but Yoneyama blocks it and slams Azumi to the ground. Running senton by Yoneyama and she picks up the three count! Yoneyama wins the match.

There isn’t a hell of a lot to say about this match, it was under five minutes long and neither got much of a chance to do a whole lot. Yoneyama put Azumi away pretty easy even by opening match standards. Just filler, nothing more.

Haruka Kato vs. Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid charges Kato to start the match and hits a dropkick, another dropkick by Starlight Kid and she connects with a third. Kato has had enough and kicks Starlight Kid, she starts on the arm and gets an armbreaker applied, but Starlight Kid gets a foot on the ropes. Seated armbar by Kato and she hits a scoop slam, covering Starlight Kid for two. Kato works a headlock but Starlight Kid gets out of it and hits a standing moonsault. She picks up Kato and hits a scoop slam, Starlight Kid goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving body press for a two count. Shiranui by Starlight Kid, but again Kato kicks out. Starlight Kid applies a sunset flip but Kato reverses it, Kato and Starlight Kid trade elbows but Kato gets Starlight Kid to the mat and goes for the arm again. Cross armbreaker by Kato in the middle of the ring, and Starlight Kid taps out! Haruka Kato is your winner.

I liked this one better, as at least Starlight Kid did get in some legitimate offense, including the standing moonsault and the Shiranui. Everyone knew that Kato was winning with an armbreaker, no surprises there, but it wouldn’t have been near as fun to watch if Starlight Kid didn’t get a chance to do anything. Still nothing to get excited about, however it was at least somewhat satisfying and I think Starlight Kid has a bright future as a spunky undersized underdog.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Kaitlin Diamond

Diamond attacks Mimura while she is trying to be cute, she throws Mimura out of the ring and then dances with Mimura’s streamers. That is just cold. Act Yasukawa supervises while Diamond beats Mimura around the floor, they return to the ring and Mimura connects with a few elbows. Dropkick by Mimura and she goes for a bodyscissors, but Diamond slams her to the mat. Backbreaker by Diamond, she puts Mimura in the ropes and Yasukawa pours sake on her. Punches by Diamond but Mimura slides away and lariats her in the back of the head. Rolling leglock by Mimura and she slams Diamond’s knee into the mat, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Yasukawa runs in. Mimura hits a crossbody on Yasukawa instead, Diamond grabs her and hits a swinging backbreaker for a two count. Mimura sneaks in a roll-up for two followed by a La Magistral, she goes for another roll-up but Diamond catches her with a modified jawbreaker for a two count. Crossface by Diamond, and Mimura taps out! Diamond wins the match!

I wish that Mimura would have gotten a bit more of a chance here as I like her quite a bit, but when a match is under five minutes long it is hard to get much of a chance to shine. Diamond looked fine here and I liked seeing Yasukawa still mix it up, but just not enough here to get excited about.

 
Alex Lee vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto

Lee dropkicks Matsumoto to kick things off, for some reason Matsumoto poses on the apron and Lee kicks her in the back of the head. Matsumoto swats Lee away and his a double knee drop before choking Lee in the corner. Matsumoto catches Lee’s kick and pushes her to the mat before applying a crab hold, but Lee gets to the ropes to force the break. Matsumoto charges Lee but Lee moves, kicks by Lee and she hits a jumping knee in the corner. Suplex by Lee, she goes up top but Matsumoto rolls out to the apron. Matsumoto grabs Lee and walks her over to the ramp, but Lee slides off her back. Body avalanche by Matsumoto against the ropes, she goes for a powerbomb on the stage but Lee reverses it into a back bodydrop. Back in the ring, superkick by Lee and she picks up a two count. She goes for a piledriver but Matsumoto blocks it, Matsumoto goes for a backdrop suplex but Lee elbows out of it. Matsumoto blocks the chokebomb but Lee connects with the superkick, chokebomb by Lee and she goes up top, but Matsumoto avoids the diving footstomp. Spinning elbow by Matsumoto and she hits a German suplex, lariat by Matsumoto and she delivers the backdrop suplex for the three count! Your winner is Hiroyo Matsumoto.

This match was short but still felt like it dragged which is never a good thing. I don’t think Lee is a bad wrestler, she is clearly trained but a lot of what she does just doesn’t feel natural. While some wrestlers are quick to adapt, Lee at times looks like she is still feeling things out, if it ever really clicks is anyone’s guess. So a few sections didn’t look quite right, the one thing I did like about the match is the decisive ending. Lee had her chances to win but once Matsumoto took over, it was bang-bang-bang dead. I like matches that have a sense of finality to them. So that was a plus, but otherwise just an average match.

 
Team Stardom (Io Shirai, Jungle Kyouna, Kairi Hojo, Mayu Iwatani, and Momo Watanabe) vs. World Selection (Chelsea Green, Evie, Kellie Skater, Santana Garrett, and Viper)

Kyouna and Green begin the match for their teams but after trading quick pin attempts they tag out as Evie and Hojo enter the ring. Evie goes for roll-ups on Hojo with no luck so they next two come in, Garrett and Shirai. Shirai and Garrett trade elbows, hurricanrana by Garrett but Shirai throws her out to the apron. Garrett kicks Shirai back and returns to the ring with a bulldog but Shirai tosses her to the mat. Skater and Iwatani are tagged in, spinning headscissors by Iwatani but Skater hits a springboard armdrag. Viper and Watanabe then come in (noticing a pattern?), with Viper having little issue with the smaller Watanabe. Team Stardom all enter the ring and attack Viper in the corner and they do the ten wrestler suplex spot, with World Selection getting the better of it.

Viper goes back to pounding on Watanabe before tagging in Garrett, and Garrett hits a side Russian leg sweep. Green takes her turn next, then Skater as Watanabe continues to be attacked, until she manages to dropkick Skater and tags in Kyouna. Green comes in to help but Kyouna escapes them both and shoulderblocks Green. Kyouna picks up Skater and hits a back bodydrop, Skater tags in Viper but Kyouna manages to avoid Viper as she charges her around the ring. Viper finally catches Kyouna with a lariat, the rest of Team Stardom runs in but Viper body bumps them all to the mat. Team Stardom are all put lying on the mat, and Team Selection takes turns hitting jumping body presses on all of them. Viper picks up Kyouna and slams her to the mat, body press by Viper and she picks up the three count! Kyouna is eliminated, the match is now World Selection – 5, Team Stardom – 4.

Watanabe and Garrett enter the ring, kicks by Garrett and she applies La Magistral for a two count. Watanabe hits a diving crossbody off the second turnbuckle and hits a snap vertical suplex for two. DDT by Watanabe, she gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Watanabe picks up Garrett but Garrett kicks her twice in the face for a two count. Iwatani and Shirai go up top to try to help, but Viper comes in and throws them off. Viper smashes them in the corner, then Skater and Evie both kick Watanabe. Shining Star Press by Garrett to Watanabe, and she gets the three count! Watanabe is eliminated, and now it is World Selection – 5, Team Stardom – 3.

Hojo comes in and Garrett tags in Green, jumping lariat by Green and she delivers a high kick for a two count. Cross-arm submission by Green, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick to Hojo’s stomach. Shirai and Iwatani break up the cover, Skater and Evie come in but Hojo moves when they all charge in. Missile dropkicks by Iwatani and Shirai, and they catapult Iwatani into Green with a dropkick. Hojo goes up top and nails the diving elbow drop to the head of Green, picking up the three count cover! Green is eliminated, and it is World Selection – 4, Team Stardom – 3.

Hojo and Garrett trade elbows, both end up on the mat and they crawl to the corners to tag in Shirai and Skater. Skater kicks Shirai and she hits a DDT. Back kick by Skater, she picks up Shirai and throws her into the corner. Sliding lariat by Skater, but the cover is broken up. Skater picks up Shirai but Shirai lands on her feet on the suplex attempt. Shirai dumps Skater onto the apron, Evie and Garrett run in but so does Hojo. Hojo spears Evie and Garrett, Viper comes in as Iwatani does but Viper is dropped by a triple dropkick. Spike Piledriver to Skater by Iwatani and Shirai, Shirai picks up Skater and hits a package German suplex hold for the three count! Skater is eliminated, and we are tied 3 – 3.

Iwatani and Evie trade kick attempts, Iwatani grabs Evie’s arm but Evie knocks her out to the apron. Viper comes in but Shirai jumps on her back with a sleeper while Garrett suplexes Hojo.  Garrett goes for the Shining Star Press but Iwatani stops her, Evie tries to dump Hojo over the top rope but Hojo hangs on. Hojo goes up top, Garrett goes for a headscissors but Hojo knocks her onto the apron. Diving elbow shrike by Hojo from the top turnbuckle on the apron but Garrett blocks the Sliding D. Spinning backfist by Hojo on the apron and Garrett falls off the apron. As Garrett is falling to the floor, she grabs Hojo’s leg and pulls her down with her, eliminating both of them! The score is now 2-2. Shirai and Iwatani are left on Team Stardom, while World Selection has Viper and Evie.

Shirai and Viper come in as the legal wrestlers, dropkick by Shirai and she covers Viper for two. Waistlock by Shirai but even with Iwatani’s help she can’t get Viper over, Evie comes in as Viper lariats Shirai over the top rope, but Shirai lands on the apron. Iwatani goes for a crossbody on Viper but Viper catches her and throws Iwatani to the mat. Shirai holds onto Iwatani so she won’t fall to the floor, Evie dropkicks both of them but they hang onto the top rope. They skin the cat to get back in the ring and go after Viper, Iwatani goes for a hurricanrana on Viper while Shirai goes for one on Evie, but both fail. High kick by Evie to Shirai, Viper puts Shirai in an Argentine Backbreaker while Evie hits Iwatani with the TTYL, picking up the three count! Iwatani is eliminated, leaving Shirai against both Viper and Evie.

Evie boots Shirai in the corner, Viper goes for a reverse splash but Shirai rolls out of the way. Viper collides into Evie on accident, Shirai hits Viper to the mat and all three wrestlers are down. They slowly get up as Viper hits lariats on Shirai, cover by Viper but it gets two. Viper gets Shirai on her shoulders but Shirai rolls out of it and covers Viper for two. Evie runs in but Shirai drops her with a double underhook facebuster, Shirai then drop toeholds Viper onto Evie. Shirai goes up top but they both avoid the Moonsault, TTYL by Evie to Shirai and Viper nails the Reverse Splash for the three count! Shirai is eliminated and Team World Selection wins!

It took a bit of time to get going, which is understandable since they had time to kill, but once they were rolling it was a fun match. I don’t really like the ‘over the top’ rule in matches that are supposed to be meaningful, it is almost too much of an easy cop-out and it kills some of the flow as no matter what is happening in the match the wrestlers have a quick and easy way to get a fluke win. I really did like the constant assistance from teammates, it made it seem more like two teams that really did know each other than a bunch of singles wrestlers thrown in together. The World team winning was necessary to set up new challenges for the Stardom titles, and the action itself was very solid, it was just a bit meandering to start and I didn’t love the match rules.  Mildly Recommended

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