It is that time of the month again that Stardom has aired on Samurai TV and we catch up on what they are up to. While I don’t currently have the time/desire to watch all of Stardom’s smaller events, they really do their best to stack their Korakuen Hall shows. This one is a bit more iffy because the current crop of Gaijins are a bit more iffy, but there are still some big matches. Plus, this will be my first time seeing Sumire Natsu since she started in Stardom, I wasn’t ever really impressed with her in WAVE but in a new promotion and with a new attitude anything can happen. Here is the full card:

• Hanan vs. Ruaka
• Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama, and Natsuko Tora vs. Konami, Shiki Shibusawa, and Starlight Kid
• Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe
• AZM and HZK vs. Chardonnay and Scarlett
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Sumire Natsu
• Goddesses Of Stardom Championship: Hana Kimura and Kagetsu vs. Bea Priestley and Kelly Klein
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Yoko Bito vs. Io Shirai

Since I am watching the Samurai TV version, I assume the undercard will be mercifully clipped. Per usual, all wrestlers above have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names above to go straight to it.

Hanan vs. Ruaka

They lock right up to start, trading holds and elbows until Ruaka hits a reverse STO. Ruaka goes off the ropes but Hanan does too and cradles her for a two count, charging STO by Hanan but that gets a two count as well. Big Boot by Ruaka and a second one, she hits the Fisherman Suplex Hold and picks up the three count! Ruaka wins!

This was only a four minute or so match but was clipped in half from that, probably just highlighting the bigger moves in the match. Sometimes these two can have some awkward moments but none here, so either they were clipped out or they are improving. Just a standard Stardom rookie match, nothing particularly memorable was shown.

Kyona, Yoneyama, and Natsuko Tora vs. Konami, Shiki Shibusawa, and Starlight Kid

We join the match very much in progress, with Natsuko and Shiki getting hot tags to become the legal wrestler. Natsuko and Shiki trade elbows, face crusher by Shiki and she puts Natsuko in a headscissors armbar. It quickly gets broken up but all six wrestlers end up in the ring, Team Jungle throws their opponents into each other before hitting body avalanches. Kyona, Kaori, and Natsuko go up top but all three are knocked off before they can jump, leaving Natsuko isolated in the ring. Natsuko is triple teamed in the corner, cover by Shiki but it gets a two count. Shiki gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, she goes all the way up the next time but Natsuko avoids the second missile dropkick. Running knee by Natsuko, but Shiki gets her shoulder up on the cover. Natsuko picks up Shiki but Shiki sneaks in an inside cradle for two, Konami comes in to help and Shiki cradles Natsuko for another two count. Kaori and Kyona come in and clear the ring, Kaori hits a diving senton with Kyona following with a diving body press off the second turnbuckle. Natsuko then hits a diving body press off the top turnbuckle, and she covers Shiki for the three count. Team Jungle is victorious.

Even in heavily clipped form, they had some minor communication issues. Shiki isn’t very smooth and probably never will be, I see her more likely going the Hiromi Mimura route than ever elevating all the way up the card. Not enough shown to really give an opinion on, but I did like how Team Jungle worked together.

Kris Wolf vs. Momo Watanabe

Momo dropkicks Kris right as the match starts, Momo stomps on Kris and whips her down by the arm. Irish whip by Momo but Kris springboards away and avoids her dropkick. They trade armdrags before reaching a stalemate, Momo asks for a handshake but Kris won’t return the gesture so they go back to trading holds. Snapmare by Momo and she kicks Kris repeatedly in the back, Tam gets on the apron but Kris knocks her back to the floor by accident. Momo kicks Kris in the back but Kris avoids her next kick and hits a dragon screw. Crab hold by Kris but Momo gets out of it and kicks her in the chest, more kicks by Momo but Kris gets back in control. Kris puts Momo against the ropes but Momo avoids her charge, Momo runs at Kris but Kris catches her leg on the second rope and kicks it. Kris goes for a running kick but Momo ducks it, vertical suplex by Momo but it gets a two count. Enzuigiri by Kris and she hits a suplex, but Momo kicks out of the cover. Kris goes up top but Momo dropkicks the top rope to send her back to the mat, Somato by Momo but Kris rolls through it for a two count. Kris goes off the ropes but Momo dropkicks her, Mom charges Kris in the corner but Kris moves out of the way. Momo jumps up to the second turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick, diving Somato by Momo and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe is your winner.

Momo’s injury last January came at the worst time for her, as she was finally hitting her stride and putting everything together. She looked a little rusty here, some shaky transitions, but I’m sure she’ll get back into it once she gets a few more matches in. The “high speed” sections Kris does so well weren’t too high speed in this case, but they worked together well and have good chemistry. Kris is fun to watch and it was an important win for Momo so she can continue moving up the card like she was late last year. A good match with solid action, but I expect to see more from Momo shortly.  Mildly Recommended

AZM and HZK vs. Chardonnay and Scarlett

Scarlett and HZK start the match but AZM comes in to take HZK’s place, AZM kicks Scarlett while she is dancing and goes off the ropes before hitting a hurricanrana. AZM poses to the crowd but Scarlett attacks her from behind, hip toss by Scarlett and she hits a scoop slam followed by a senton for a two count. Scarlett goes off the ropes but AZM trips her, HZK runs in and she dropkicks Scarlett in the head. AZM tags in HZK, bootscrapes by HZK but Scarlett recovers and the two trade elbows. Scarlett gets the better of the exchange and she hits HZK some hip attacks, cover by Scarlett but it gets two. Snapmare by Scarlett and she knees HZK in the back of the head, but that gets a two count as well. Scarlett finally tags in Chardonnay, Chardonnay rams HZK into Scarlett’s and hits a lariat followed by a dropkick. Body avalanche by Scarlett in the corner and Chardonnay hits one as well, hip attack by Scarlett and they both suplex HZK. Chardonnay goes off the ropes and boots HZK, but HZK responds with a pump kick and makes the hot tag to AZM. AZM dropkicks Chardonnay and Scarlett, hanging armbar by AZM and she schoolboys Chardonnay for a two count. AZM goes off the ropes and applies a tilt-a-whirl schoolboy, but she gets another two. Chardonnay catches AZM and hits a backbreaker, double underhook suplex by Chardonnay and she covers AZM, but HZK breaks it up. Scarlett comes in and hits a modified brainbuster onto HZK, scissors kick by Chardonnay to AZM but AZM gets a shoulder up. Chardonnay picks up AZM and puts her on the top turnbuckle, London Tower by Chardonnay and she picks up the three count! Chardonnay and Scarlett win!

I will say that this was better than I was expecting. That’s not to say it was great, the wrestler quality was going to be a bit of a blockade, but they worked well within their limitations and there weren’t any noticeable miscommunications. Chardonnay and Scarlett have a fair amount of ass-based offense and controlled the action, but HZK and AZM’s comebacks were well done and the match flowed along without any hiccups. I wouldn’t say it was a good match necessarily, but it was definitely watchable.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Sumire Natsu

Sumire beats down Hiromi to start but Hiromi dropkicks her back, sending her out of the ring. Hiromi goes out after her and gets up on the stage, but Sumire elbows her as she comes back to the floor. Sumire throws Hiromi back on the stage but she talks too much, giving Hiromi a chance to recover and hit a diving crossbody. Back to the ring, Sumire takes back over and even gets a chance to drink some water in the ring before drooling it onto Hiromi’s face. Bronco Buster by Sumire and she elbows Hiromi, but Hiromi keeps getting back up. Knee by Sumire and she boots Hiromi in the head, but Hiromi delivers a DDT. Acid Drop by Hiromi and she dropkicks Sumire, covering her for a two count. A La Magistral by Hiromi also gets two, she goes up top but Sumire avoids her diving crossbody. Hiromi cradles Sumire and they trade flash pins, with Tam providing some assistance from ringside. Tam elbows Hiromi, cover by Sumire with her feet on the ropes, but the referee notices. Bodyscissors roll-up by Hiromi for two, boot by Sumire and she hits a bridging suplex. Shining Wizard by Sumire, she picks up Hiromi and delivers a capture DDT for the three count! Sumire Natsu is the winner.

This wasn’t totally bad which is about as positive as I can be. The beginning of the match was weird and didn’t get them off to the best start, and Sumire is far from convincing in the dominate heel role which was the middle portion of the match. Hiromi certainly tried her best in the underdog role and she is pretty good at it, it just would have worked better against a true “monster” and not a wrestler just trying to be one. The ending helped put over Sumire as a wrestler to be reckoned with, which was the true point of the match anyway. About as good as it could have been but still not a particularly well structured match.

(c) Hana Kimura and Kagetsu vs. Bea Priestley and Kelly Klein
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kelly and Bea attack before the bell rings but they both eat a dropkick for their trouble, Kelly and Bea throw their opponents into each other before Kelly press slams Hana out of the ring (well on the apron). Kelly then tosses Kagetsu out of the ring as well, Bea manages to get herself to the apron and hits a cannonball down to the floor. Back in the ring, Kagetsu is double teamed, Bea stays in as the legal wrestler and she covers Kagetsu for two. She tags in Kelly but Hana blind tags herself in, which Kelly doesn’t see as she hits a Northern Lights Suplex on Kagetsu. Hana sneaks in and schoolboys Kelly for two, Hana and Kelly go back and forth until Hana rolls up Kelly and tags in Kagetsu. Kagetsu comes in the ring with a diving footstomp, punches by Kagetsu in the corner and Hana comes in to distract the referee while Kris and Tam help by kicking Kelly. Kagetsu wraps up Kelly in a submission but Kelly gets a foot on the ropes, Kelly is put between the ropes and all of Oedo Tai pose around her. Kagetsu tags Hana back in, vertical suplex by Hana and she covers Kelly for a two count. Hana gets on the second turnbuckle but Kelly avoids her dive and hits a Samoan Drop for two. Hana spits I assume water into Kelly’s face, although she drank no water so many she just blew on her, and she knees Hana in the corner.

Kelly quickly regains the advantage and with Bea they kick Hana in the corner, slingshot splash by Kelly and she makes the tag to Bea while Kagetsu is tagged in as well. Bea goes for a suplex but Kagetsu blocks it, Hana runs in but she dropkicks Kagetsu by mistake. Kelly elbows Kagetsu, cyclone suplex by Bea but Hana breaks up the cover. Kelly returns and hits a fallaway slam, PK by Bea to Kagetsu but Kagetsu barely kicks out. Kagetsu fights back and trades elbows with Bea, side suplex by Kagetsu but Kagetsu springs up and hits a kick combination. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu but Bea reverses the cover into a pin attempt of her own for two. Sunset flip with a jackknife by Kagetsu, but Kelly breaks it up. Kelly elbows Kagetsu but Tam hits her from the apron and Hana boots her in the face. Hana picks up Bea and feeds her to Kagetsu on the second turnbuckle, and Kagetsu hits an avalanche powerbomb for two. Kagetsu and Hana both hit running boots to Bea, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she nails the Oedo Coaster for the three count! Hana Kimura and Kagetsu are still the champions!

I saw some love for this match online, and maybe the Samurai TV clipping didn’t do it any favors but this never went past just “good” for me. Kelly and Bea have some ability for sure but some sections of this match didn’t look very smooth. I also really didn’t like Kagetsu randomly no-selling the suplex, which Bea had been building up to, with really no return to the no-sell. In the ‘old days’, two wrestlers would no-sell each others moves and then collapse to the mat, I like that type of thing but when a wrestler just no-sells a move and stays in control it just comes across to me as a really lazy transition. On the plus side, Kagetsu was otherwise fantastic and helped tie the match together, and Bea was impressive on the Gaijin team. More good than bad as the match was generally exciting, it just wasn’t without its faults.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Yoko Bito vs. Io Shirai
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They take it to the mat after a brief feeling out process, Bito gets Io up while locking in a headlock before snapping her to the mat and kicking Io in the back. Io returns to her feet but Bito does it again, PK by Bito and she covers Io for two. Bito kicks at Io but Io backflips away from her and hits a dropkick, sending Bito out of the ring. Io dives out onto her with a plancha suicida, she briefly returns to the ring before sliding back out to kick Bito and toss her into the crowd. Io removes the mat off the floor and goes for a suplex, but Bito blocks it and kicks her in the head. Bito grabs Io and delivers the B Driver on the bare floor, the referee tends to Io while Bito gets back into the ring. Io manages to beat the 20 count, Bito puts her in the ropes and chops Io repeatedly in the chest before dropkicking her in the upper leg for a two count. Bito throws Io into the corner and kicks her in the chest, running knee by Bito but Io dropkicks Bito in the knee in return. Io picks up Bito but Bito elbows her in the head, she goes off the ropes but Io elbows her back and dropkicks her in the head for a two count. Io charges Bito but Bito boots her in the chest, she goes for the B Driver but Io blocks it and puts her in a stretch submission hold. Bito gets out of the hold after a moment, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she delivers the swandive dropkick for a two count. Bito comes back with a big boot to the chest, she then goes up top and hits the missile dropkick.

Bito nails a brainbuster, cover by Bito but Io gets a shoulder up. Bito goes for the B Driver again but Io wiggles away and hits a palm strike, Io charges Bito in the corner but Bito gets Io on her back and finally hits the B Driver for two. Bito picks up Io but Io slides away from her and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Double knee strike by Io, she goes up top but Bito hits her from behind before she can jump off with a moonsault. Bito pulls Io back to the mat, Io gets Bito’s ankle and puts her in an ankle hold. Io snaps down onto Bito’s leg before putting her in a Texas Cloverleaf, but Bito gets to the ropes. Io kicks Bito in the head as she gets up, she goes to the top turnbuckle and goes for a moonsault, but Bito gets her knees up. Both wrestlers slowly get up, elbows by Io but Bito elbows her back to send the Ace to the mat. Head kick by Bito and she delivers a killer German suplex, Buzzsaw Kick by Bito but Io barely kicks out of the cover. Doll B by Bito, she gets Io on her shoulders and hits the Splash Mountain, but again Io gets a shoulder up on the pin. Bito picks up Io and puts her on the top turnbuckle, she joins her as she gets Io on her shoulders, but Io reverses the avalanche Splash Mountain attempt into a Frankensteiner. Io waits for Bito to get to her knees and hits a running double knee strike to her back, rolling German suplexes by Io and she hits a final package German for a two count. Both wrestlers get up, tiger suplex hold by Io but that gets a two as well. Io goes up top and nails the moonsault, cover by Io and she gets the three count! Io Shirai is the new champion!

After the match, Yoko Bito announces that she will be retiring in December, which helps explain the result. This was an entertaining match with a lot of memorable moments, as is generally the case in Io title matches. Bito has always been less smooth than the other wrestlers at the top of Stardom this year and in-ring I wouldn’t consider her a Top 5 in the promotion, however her kicks were on point here. There were a couple awkward moments where the moves didn’t look quite right, but they overcame that in the final stretch as the last five minutes or so were very exciting. Io pulled out everything she had and looked great as usual, while Io doesn’t “need” a belt I am glad she has one again as it means more big singles matches like this one. A fitting main event and a quality title match, it wouldn’t make my MOTYC list but an enjoyable match nonetheless.  Recommended

The post Stardom Best Of The Goddesses on 11/19/17 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

New Year Battle Royal

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

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

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

Sumire Natsu and Maya Yukihi vs. Syuri and Tsukushi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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I haven’t reviewed a JWP event in recent memory, so I figured I was overdue to see what the promotion is up to. This event was small in attendance but big in stature, as we have Kyoko Kimura defending the JWP Openweight Championship on it. We also get Kaho Kobayashi in a singles match, I have to enjoy her while I can since in 2017 she is going on an extended stay to Mexico. Here is the full card:

• Kaho Kobayashi vs. Yako Fujigasaki
• Kyuri vs. Leon
• Hanako Nakamori vs. Sumire Natsu
• Arisa Nakajima, KAZUKI, and Rydeen Hagane vs. Command Bolshoi, Dynamite Kansai, and Rabbit Miu
• JWP Openweight Championship: Kyoko Kimura vs. Manami Katsu
• JWP Openweight Championship (unannounced): Kyoko Kimura vs. Rabbit Miyu

This event aired I assume on niconico so it is shown in full! For better or worse.

Kaho Kobayashi vs. Yako Fujigasaki

Kaho starts with some arm work on the JWP youngster, Fujigasaki gets a headlock applied before knocking down Kaho with a shoulderblock. Springboard armdrag by Kaho and she dropkicks Fujigasaki in the corner, another dropkick by Kaho and she covers Fujigasaki for two. Kaho stomps down Fujigasaki and goes for a slam, Fujigasaki blocks it at first but Kaho eventually manages to get the scoop slam. Running sentons by Kaho, and she covers Fujigasaki for two. Dropkick to the back by Kaho but Fujigasaki levels her with a hip attack, Fujigasaki throws down Kaho by the hair a few times before hitting a facebuster. Camel Clutch by Fujigasaki and she then puts Kaho in a stretch hold, cover by Fujigasaki but it gets two. Fujigasaki puts Kaho in the ropes and dropkicks her in the back, she put Kaho in a single leg crab hold but Kaho gets to the ropes. Scoop slam by Fujigasaki but Kaho quickly rolls her up for two. Dropkick by Kaho and she hits another one, fisherman suplex by Kaho but Fujigasaki kicks out. Kaho goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, Fujigasaki gets up quick however and hits a missile dropkick of her own. Double wrist armsaults by Fujigasaki but Kaho reverses the last one into a guillotine choke. Fujigasaki hits a final armsault anyway, she slams Kaho in front of the corner and goes up top but Kaho avoids the diving swivel body press. They trade quick pins with no luck, they return to their feet and trade elbows both and forth. Fujigasaki wins the elbow battle and puts Kaho in a stretch submission, she releases the hold and delivers the swivel body press but Kaho barely gets a shoulder up. Fujigasaki drags Kaho up but Kaho quickly rolls her up for two, Kaho goes off the ropes but Fujigasaki nails the hip attack. Fujigasaki picks up Kaho but Kaho hits an enzuigiri, 120% Schoolboy by Kaho and she gets the three count! Kaho Kobayashi is the winner.

It is funny that Kaho is the experienced wrestler here but still wrestles as the underdog due to her itty bittiness. While the logic was a bit scattered, for an opener I thought it was pretty solid. Fujigasaki hits a killer hip attack, she has developed a lot in 2016 and is poised for a big 2017 if she continues to improve. Kaho was great as usual, bumping like a crazy person and really putting over Fujigasaki’s submission holds by being so flexible. A fun way to kick off the show.  Mildly Recommended

Kyuri vs. Leon

After some mat work, Leon gets the first advantage as she throws Kyuri around the ring before hitting a dropkick for a two count. Scoop slam by Leon and she hits a somersault senton, camel clutch by Leon and she lets go so she can stomp Kyuri in the back. Leon goes off the ropes but Kyuri hits a judo throw, she applies her own camel clutch but Leon quickly gets out of it. Leon chops Kyuri in the corner and delivers a dropkick, but Kyuri hits a series of jumping neck drops. Kyuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Leon blocks it, triangle choke by Kyuri but Leon powerbombs out of it. Backstabber by Kyuri and she applies an armbar, armbreakers by Kyuri but Leon blocks one and applies a sleeper. Kyuri tosses Leon to get out of it and hits a dropkick, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody. Fisherman suplex hold by Kyuri, but it gets a two.

Kyuri goes off the ropes but Leon catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, she picks up Kyuri but Kyuri rolls her to the mat and applies a Stretch Muffler. Leon rolls out of it and applies a stretch hold over her back, spear to the back by Leon and she hits a missile dropkick. Cover by Leon, but it gets a two count. She goes for another one but Kyuri avoids it, Figure Four with a bridge by Kyuri but Leon kicks out of it. Kyuri picks up Leon and applies a rolling ankle hold, she picks Leon back up but Leon hits a tilt-a-whirl slam for two. Texas Cloverleaf by Kyuri but Kyuri crawls to the ropes and forces a break. Stomps by Leon and she goes for a Capture Buster, but Kyuri reverses it with a schoolboy. Kyuri goes off the ropes but Leon spears her, she goes for another spear but Kyuri reverses it into a roll-up. Kyuri goes up top but Leon joins her and suplexes her to the mat, she goes back up top and she nails the Mad Splash for the three count! Leon is your winner.

It is crazy seeing someone as little and young as Kyuri going for MMA moves, it didn’t fit her playful look at all. She needs to upgrade to a more serious outfit now that she is 18 and using a different style. The match was fine but really back and forth with little structure to it, sometimes the wrestler in control switched for no real reason. The moves were all hit crisp so no complaints there, very smooth match and Kyuri is certainly coming along. Not a bad match, just lacking anything to make it special.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Sumire Natsu

Natsu starts the match trying to knock over Nakamori with dropkicks but she has no luck, as instead Nakamori throws down Natsu by the hair. Natsu returns the favor but Nakamori throws down Natsu again, she goes off the ropes but Natsu connects with a dropkick. Nakamori and Natsu trade strikes, kicks to the leg by Nakamori and she hits a PK followed by a leg drop. Nakamori picks up Natsu and puts her into the ropes, kicks to the chest by Nakamori and she puts Natsu in a camel clutch. Irish whip by Nakamori but Natsu hits a jumping crossbody, headscissors by Natsu and she hits a few push up facebusters. Nakamori gets into the ropes to force a break, Natsu goes off the ropes and she boots Nakamori in the head. Natsu puts Nakamori in the corner but Nakamori Irish whips her into the other corner and kicks her repeatedly. Irish whip by Nakamori but Natsu avoids the big boot, back elbow by Natsu and she hits a seated senton. Natsu goes off the ropes but Nakamori hits a jumping lariat, picking up a two count.

Running kicks by Nakamori but Natsu hits a jumping lariat, Natsu puts Nakamori in a choke before hitting a Reverse DDT. Natsu picks up Nakamori and hits a series of elbows, but Nakamori hits a release German. Running boot by Nakamori, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick for two. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Nakamori, she goes up top but Natsu joins her. Natsu kicks Nakamori off the top turnbuckle and down to the floor, she goes out after her and elbows Nakamori against the apron. Jumping elbow by Natsu and she slides Nakamori back into the ring, she goes up top and hits a diving crossbody for a two count. Natsu picks up Nakamori and hits a bridging scoop slam, but that gets a two as well. Natsu picks up Nakamori again but Nakamori blocks the powerbomb and kicks Natsu against the ropes. They trade big boots, enzuigiri by Nakamori but Natsu quickly rolls her up for two. Big boot by Natsu, she goes off the ropes but Nakamori boots her in the head for a two count. Shining Wizard by Nakamori, she goes up top and she hits the Destiny Hammer for the three count! Hanako Nakamori wins the match!

While Natsu appears to have improved a bit, still same ‘ol Nakamori. She isn’t a bad wrestler, she is just awkward and her strikes aren’t good. They seemed generally on the same page aside from one particularly awkward moment, but it was just really ‘back and forth’ with mostly big boots. Natsu showed some passion which is a plus, a pretty average match overall though and quite skippable.

Arisa Nakajima, KAZUKI, and Hagane vs. Command Bolshoi, Kansai, and Rabbit Miu

Hagane and Miu begin the match, Hagane quickly goes on the offense and slams Miu to the mat. She tags in KAZUKI who keeps on Miu, but Miu gains the advantage and tags in Bolshoi. Rope walking armdrag by Bolshoi and she stretches KAZUKI on the mat. KAZUKI escapes and tags Nakajima, Nakajima and Bolshoi end up on the mat and Nakajima goes for a cross armbreaker. Bolshoi blocks it and applies a crab hold, she tags in Kansai and Kansai suplexes Nakajima for a two count. Chinlock by Kansai, Bolshoi comes in and she dropkicks Nakajima in the face. Kick to the chest by Kansai, Nakajima fights back with her own running boots and finally a dropkick sends Kansai on her back. Nakajima picks up Kansai but Kansai gets to the ropes when Nakajima goes for a suplex. Claw Hold by Kansai, KAZUKI runs in so she puts her in a Claw Hold too. She lets go after a moment and hits a double lariat before tagging in Miu. Miu footstomps Nakajima and puts her in a stretch hold, kicks by Nakajima but Miu hits a missile dropkick. Vertical suplex by Miu, and she covers Nakajima for two. Miu goes off the ropes but Nakajima boots her in the head, she goes off the ropes and hits a sliding kick. Nakajima goes up top and delivers a missile dropkick, picking up a two count. Waistlock by Nakajima but Miu elbows out of it, she goes off the ropes but Nakajima catches her with a bridging fallaway slam.

Nakajima tags KAZUKI, gutbuster by KAZUKI and she covers Miu for two. Double kneedrop by KAZUKI, Hagane and Nakajima run in and they all hit running footstomps onto Miu. KAZUKI puts Miu across the corner and hits a double kneedrop, reverse splash kneedrop by KAZUKI and she covers Miu for a two count. Miu slides away from KAZUKI, Bolshoi hits KAZUKI from the apron and Miu rolls her up for two. Sliding D by Miu, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Miu tags Bolshoi, DDT by Bolshoi and she covers Miu for a two count. Knee by Bolshoi but KAZUKI knees her back, Hagane and Nakajima come in but Bolshoi takes care of all three of them. Miu also comes in to help, Kansai then comes in and Team Bolshoi all apply submission holds. After they released the holds, KAZUKI quickly fights back and Bolshoi and makes the hot tag to Hagane. Shoulderblock by Hagane and she hits a powerslam, picking up a two count. Reverse Splash by Hagane, but that gets a two as well. She goes up top but Bolshoi avoids the diving body press, La Magistral by Bolshoi but KAZUKI gets a shoulder up. Bolshoi tags Kansai, high kick by Kansai but Hagane lariats Kansai for two. Backdrop suplex by Kansai, but the cover is broken up. Kansai tags in Bolshoi, KAZUKI runs in as things back down. KAZUKI is isolated, Tiger Feint Kick by Bolshoi and she hits a palm strike. Bolshoi goes for a headscissors but KAZUKI blocks it into a backbreaker, Miu comes in and suplexes Bolshoi, then Hagane levels her with a lariat. Hagane picks up Bolshoi but Bolshoi whips off a hurricanrana, she goes off the ropes but Hagane hits a hard lariat. Hagane goes up top but Miu and Kansai run in to help. Splash Mountain by Kansai to Hagane, Bolshoi picks her up and she delivers a Tiger Suplex Hold for the three count! Bolshoi, Kansai, and Miu win the match.

Normally I am pretty talkative but there isn’t a lot to say about this match. It had some good wrestlers with some good action, but is just an incredibly forgettable match. There was little structure or rhythm, and neither team seemed to have a plan to win (or a real reason to care if they won). It wasn’t poorly worked, no mistakes or miscues, it just wasn’t overly inspired. Just a standard midcard multi-wrestler tag match.

(c) Kyoko Kimura vs. Manami Katsu
JWP Openweight Championship

Kyoko quickly takes the young challenger to the mat and controls the early portion of the match, Kyoko stomps on Manami and elbows her hard into the ropes. Kyoko throws Manami into the corner but Manami avoids her charge and hits a strong elbow followed by a dropkick. Manami goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, Manami applies a double underhook but Kyoko tosses her way out of the move attempt. Back up they trade elbows, Manami knees Kyoko in the back and she hits the double underhook into a backbreaker for a two count. Crab hold by Manami but Kyoko gets out of it and applies a crab hold of her own. Manami reverses it into a roll-up for a two count, Kyoko gets Manami’s back and applies a sleeper but Manami eventually gets to the ropes to force a break. Stomps by Kyoko but Manami hits a quick Inazuma Buster (Michinoku Driver), leaving both wrestlers on the mat. They slowly get up and trade elbows, they go off the ropes and Manami delivers a running knee to the chest. Manami gets on the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop, covering Kyoko for two. Manami picks up Kyoko and hits another Inazuma Buster but Kyoko gets a guillotine choke applied. Kyoko picks up Manami and delivers a side suplex, cover by Kyoko but Manami bridges out of it. Kyoko goes up top but Manami recovers and joins her, elbows to the back of the head by Manami and she hits an avalanche Tiger Suplex. Cover by Manami, but Kyoko kicks out. Manami goes for the Orange☆Blossom but Kyoko headbutts out of it, another headbutt by Kyoko and she covers Manami for two. Back up, chops by Kyoko and she goes off the ropes, but Manami catches her with a spinning back elbow. Manami goes off the ropes but Kyoko nails a big boot to the head, and she picks up the three count! Kyoko Kimura is still the champion.

Even though my description of what happened above is short, it was actually a pretty long match at over 21 minutes. Just not a lot happened. Manami never really felt like she was a legitimate challenger, she got in a few good moves and nearfalls as you’d expect in a title match but she never strung together enough offense that I thought she had a chance of winning. Kyoko didn’t give Manami much, she dominated the mat work and 90% of the strike work, and put away Manami after just one big boot when generally in bigger matches it takes a couple of those for her to pick up the win. It never really felt like a title match, overall just a bit flat and uneventful.

On paper this was the end of the show, but Rabbit Miu gets in the ring and grabs the microphone. I don’t know what she said exactly, but I assume she challenged Kyoko to a title match and Kyoko accepts.

(c) Kyoko Kimura vs. Rabbit Miu
JWP Openweight Championship

Miu smartly goes right after Kyoko since she is still a bit tired from her previous match, Miu rolls up Kyoko a few times but Kyoko kicks out. Elbow Smash by Miu and she hits a series of footstomps, she goes up top but Kyoko avoids the diving footstomp. Kick to the knee by Kyoko but Miu fires back with elbows, German Suplex by Miu but it gets two. Miu goes to the top turnbuckle and nails the diving footstomp, she picks up Kyoko and delivers the Rabbit Suplex for another two count. Elbows by Miu but Kyoko hits a Chokebomb, leaving both wrestlers hurt on the mat. Kyoko boots at Miu’s head, she picks up Miu and goes for a sleeper, but Miu rolls out of it and hits a running Rabbit Roll for a two count. She goes for another Rabbit Suplex but Kyoko blocks it and hits a shoulder backbreaker. Side suplex by Kyoko and she puts Miu in the Kimura Lock, Miu struggles for a moment before she has to submit! Kyoko again retains her championship!

A short match but I actually enjoyed this one more than the Manami Katsu defense. Miu was non-stop as she tried to take advantage of the fact that Kyoko was already hurt, and she hit all her bigger moves to try to score the upset victory. Kyoko was also more focused, no long submission segments or anything like that, as both were going straight for the win. Its hard to really recommend a five minute match but this was a quality sprint and a much better way to end the show.   Mildly Recommended

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