And we are back with more Catch the WAVE! WAVE is releasing these matches in a random way, as they tend to do, and these matches are not on the WAVE Network for reasons unknown. But I tracked them down anyway. These tournament matches are from different days but I will put the date before the match listing. I am also reviewing one match that wasn’t in the tournament because I love both participants. Here are the matches being reviewed (in chronological order):

May 3rd

• Catch the WAVE: Hikaru Shida vs. Rina Yamashita
• Catch the WAVE: Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

May 10th

• Catch the WAVE: Chikayo Nagashima vs. Meiko Tanaka
• Catch the WAVE: Cherry vs. Rabbit Miu
• Catch the WAVE: DASH Chisako vs. Hibiscus Mii
• Catch the WAVE: Hikaru Shida vs. Kaori Yoneyama

May 15th

• Konami vs. Misaki Ohata
• Catch the WAVE: ASUKA vs. DASH Chisako

May 17th

• Catch the WAVE: Melanie Cruise vs. Tsukushi
• Catch the WAVE: Misaki Ohata vs. Yuuka
• Catch the WAVE: Hiroe Nagahama vs. Sareee

These matches are all clipped, just a heads up.

Hikaru Shida vs. Rina Yamashita

They start fast as Yamashita lariats Shida out to the apron, Shida goes up top but she misses the missile dropkick. Mounted elbows by Yamashita but Shida returns fire and they go back and forth. Back up, hip attack by Shida and she hits a second one before sliding Yamashita’s head over the apron and hitting a knee lift. Backbreaker by Shida, and she covers Yamashita for two. Back up the two trade elbows, Shida goes off the ropes but Yamashita clubs her in the chest. Knee by Yamashita and she lariats Shida twice in the corner before covering her for a two count. Yamashita applies the sleeper but Shida quickly gets out of it and hits a series of knees. Yamashita gets the sleeper re-applied, but Shida rolls into the ropes to force a break. Shida blocks the backdrop suplex but Yamashita hits a vertical suplex instead before hitting the backdrop suplex for a two. Yamashita goes up top but Shida joins her and superplexes Yamashita back into the ring. Three Count by Shida, but Yamashita gets a shoulder up. Falcon Arrow by Shida, she goes off the ropes but Yamashita catches her with a lariat.She goes off the ropes but Shida this time catches her with a backbreaker before applying the Stretch Muffler. Shida picks up Yamashita and hits a backbreaker from a fireman’s carry, but the cover gets a two count. Shida puts Yamashita on the top turnbuckle, she goes for the backbreaker onto the turnbuckles but Yamashita slides away. Yamashita grabs Shida from behind and hits an avalanche backdrop suplex for a two count. Quick hurricanrana by Shida but Yamashita blocks the jumping knee and hits a lariat. Another lariat by Yamashita and she hits the Rainmaker for a two count. Yamashita bounces off the ropes multiple times before hitting Shida with a hard lariat, and she picks up the three count! Yamashita is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

This match was borderline fantastic and perfect. Yamashita has really been impressing me the last few months, it helps she is against a seasoned and skilled veteran but she really stepped up and is showing more dimensions than I knew she had. Everything here was hit hard and looked great and it was just non-stop (only a minute or two was clipped at the most). I wish it was longer as its hard to call a ten minute match one of the best matches I’ve seen in awhile, but it really was pretty much flawless in the amount of time that they had. Definitely worth hunting down, especially if you have not seen Yamashita wrestle before.  Highly Recommended

Ayako Hamada vs. Yoshiko

After a slow start, Yoshiko gets the first advantage as she slams Hamada’s head into the mat. Both wrestles go for shoulderblocks with no luck, they start trading elbows until Hamada hits a release German suplex. Front roll into a slap by Hamada but Yoshiko hits a lariat out of the corner before hitting some bootscrapes. Running boot by Yoshiko but Hamada applies an abdominal stretch, Yoshiko reverses it however and goes for a running senton, but Hamada rolls out of the way. PK by Hamada, and she covers Yoshiko for a two count. Hamada goes for a moonsault but Yoshiko rolls out of the way, enzuigiri by Hamada and Yoshiko rolls out of the ring. Hamada goes up top but Yoshiko quickly returns to the ring and joins her, Hamada flips over her and she hits a powerbomb. She goes for another one but Yoshiko gets out of it with a back bodydrop, big lariat by Yoshiko and she covers Hamada for two. Hamada comes back with her own lariat, she goes off the ropes but Yoshiko picks her up and hits a Samoan Drop. Running senton by Yoshiko, she gets on the second turnbuckle but Hamada avoids the diving senton. Hamada charges Yoshiko but ends up on the apron, and Yoshiko knocks her to the floor. Yoshiko gets on the apron and charges Hamada but Hamada lariats her in the leg, sending Yoshiko out to the floor as well. Hamada takes Yoshiko up on the apron and hits a DDT, Yoshiko falls to the floor as Hamada goes for a moonsault, but Yoshiko moves and Hamada lands on Takahashi instead. They pair battle on the floor as Yoshiko hits a running senton, but during this the time limit expires. The match is a Double Countout, so Yoshiko gets one point since she is the younger wrestler.

Generally speaking, this was a solid match. There were a few minor communication issues which happens sometimes with two wrestlers not as familar with each other, but they recovered well when it did happen. They did a good job showing they didn’t like each other with all the brawling after the match ended, not sure why they don’t like each other but it doesn’t matter as long as they are good at conveying it. Lots of hard hits and entertaining back and forth action with both coming out of the match looking strong.  Mildly Recommended

Chikayo Nagashima vs. Meiko Tanaka

Tanaka attacks Nagashima before the bell rings, as young underdogs tend to do, and she hits a pair of hard shoulder tackles in the corner. Nagashima slides away from Tanaka and hits a big boot before kicking Tanaka out of the ring. Nagashima goes out after her and throws Tanaka into the chairs at ringside before sliding her back in the ring, Nagashima gets on the apron but Tanaka shoulder tackles her back to the floor. Tanaka tries to prevent Nagashima from returning to the ring before the count but she barely makes it, they trade elbows until Tanaka hits a rolling fireman’s carry slam for a two count. Tanaka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, headbutts by Tanaka but Nagashima boots her in the head. Uranage by Nagashima, and she covers Tanaka for two. Nagashima goes up top but Tanaka avoids the footstomp, sunset flip by Nagashima but Tanaka rolls out of it. Tanaka catches Nagashima’s rana attempt and hits the rolling fireman’s carry roll again, she goes up top but she misses the diving senton. Big boot by Nagashima and she nails the Fisherman Buster for the three count! Nagashima wins and gets two points in the tournament.

Probably my favorite part of the match was Tanaka trying so hard to win by count out, she knew her chances of beating the veteran via pinfall or submission were a bit slim. The match had a lot of repeated moves for a match that wasn’t very long, I liked the amount of fire that Tanaka showed but the action itself was a bit lackluster. Not a bad match but definitely a step down from the last two we watched.

Cherry vs. Rabbit Miu

Cherry quickly goes for an armbreaker and a triangle choke, but Miu gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Miu sends Cherry out of the ring and dives out to the floor with a plancha suicida, Miu tries to stop Cherry from returning to the ring but she eventually manages to do so. Vertical suplex by Miu, she goes up top and she hits a diving footstomp for a two count. They trade pins with no luck for either, Stunner by Miu and she hits a German suplex hold for two. Dragon screw by Cherry and she applies a figure four, Miu rolls out onto the entrance way ramp but Cherry keeps the hold applied. She releases it and tries to get back into the ring, but Miu stops her and hits a hard elbow, sending Cherry off the ramp. Cherry tries to slide back in the ring but she doesn’t make the count as the bell rings. The match is a Double Countout, Miu gets one point since she is the younger wrestler.

It is an interesting strategy we saw in the last two matches, as honestly getting one point isn’t probably going to be enough to help a wrestler win the Block anyway. but I guess one point is better than no points. Too short to get excited about and I think both of these wrestlers hover around the ‘average’ line, but nothing was done poorly. Overall not a bad match but utterly forgettable.

DASH Chisako vs. Hibiscus Mii

Chisako dropkicks Mii before she can even get into the ring, she takes Mii up onto the ramp and attacks her near the entrance. Back into the ring, Chisako slams Mii into the mat and hits multiple footstomps, but Mii comes back with a heel kick. We clip ahead to Chisako being back in control, Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but it gets a two count. Chisako goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, Chisako charges her in the apron but Mii slides out onto the apron and hits a diving crossbody off the top turnbuckle. STO by Mii, she goes up top again but Chisako gets her feet up when she dives off. Crucifix slam by Chisako and she dropkicks Mii while she is in the corner. Chisako goes up top but Mii rolls out of the way of the Hormone Splash, La Magistral by Mii but it gets two. Big lariat by Mii, she goes up top but Chisako joins her all the way on the top turnbuckle to hit an avalanche cutter. Chisako goes back up top and nails the Hormone Splash, and she picks up the three count! Chisako wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

Chisako is so fantastic, she really didn’t get all the credit she deserved as for years she has been seen as just a tag team wrestler. This was too short/clipped to get excited about but everything that they showed us was really good. Mii stepped up and they were both hitting big moves to show how important these two points were, it wasn’t just your average mid-card match with nothing on the line. Not long enough to recommend but still fun to watch.

Hikaru Shida vs. Kaori Yoneyama

After the usual opening back and forth, Shida hits the big move of the match as she delivers a hurricanrana and hip attacks Yoneyama in the head. She goes for a knee lift but Yoneyama moves out of the way and hits a jumping knee off the apron. Yoneyama goes up top and dropkicks Shida in the back, she applies an ankle hold but Shida gets into the ropes. Shida rolls out to the entrance ramp but Yoneyama goes after her and the two trade elbows. Vertical suplex by Shida, she pulls Yoneyama to the turnbuckle as she gets on the second turnbuckle and she superplexes Yoneyama back into the ring. Backbreaker by Shida and she hits a second one before covering Yoneyama for two. Shida puts Yoneyama in the corner and hits a running knee, she goes up top but Yoneyama joins her and tosses her to the mat. They trade strikes with Yoneyama ending the exchange with two running knees, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she hits a diving senton for two. She goes for a diving senton off the top but Shida moves and hits a Three Count. Fireman’s carry into a backbreaker by Shida, but Yoneyama barely gets a shoulder up. Shida puts Yoneyama on the top turnbuckle but Yoneyama slides away from her and applies a jackknife hold for two. Chaos Theory by Yoneyama, but Shida again kicks out. Jumping knee by Shida and she hits the Falcon Arrow, but it gets a two count cover. They both go for quick pins and Shida hits a suplex, but the bell rings as the time as expired. The match is a Draw, Shida gets one point in the tournament as she is the younger wrestler.

Everything I watch needs two Shida matches, she is just so good. Yoneyama is good as well so this was a quality match, I wish that more of it was shown but what they showed was great. They never slowed down or gave the fans a chance to become too relaxed as suddenly they’d hit a big move like the Chaos Theory or Three Count to make you pay attention. Lots of convincing nearfalls, while a Draw here worked it didn’t feel like they were going for the Draw the entire match. More clipped than I would prefer but still a really solid match.  Recommended

Konami vs. Misaki Ohata

Konami goes for Ohata’s arm straight away and puts her in a cross armbreaker, but Ohata rolls to the ropes to get a break. Ohata flings down Konami by her hair and hits a Curb Stomp, cover by Ohata but it gets a two. Irish whip by Ohata but Konami kicks her in the chest and delivers a dropkick. More kicks by Konami and she hits a PK, back up they trade elbows until Ohata hits a running crossbody while Konami is crouched against the ropes. Missile dropkick by Ohata and she goes for a diving body press, but Konami rolls out of the way and hits a running knee for a two count. Konami applies an ankle hold but Ohata gets out of it, high kick by Konami and she applies a fisherman suplex hold for two. Konami goes off the ropes but Ohata catches her with an elbow, rolling double chop by Ohata and she hits a German suplex hold for the three count! Misaki Ohata is the winner.

This was a short match by design more so than heavily clipped, but I still enjoyed it. Ohata and Konami are both so crisp, nothing felt awkward or out of place as they kept the pace up from bell to bell. Both have high impact offense, I would love to see them in a longer match but what they did was still entertaining. I can’t really find anything bad to say about it aside from just the length, keep an eye out for Konami as she continues to develop.  Mildly Recommended

ASUKA vs. DASH Chisako

We join this one in progress with Chisako attacking ASUKA in the corner, nailing her with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Chisako and she hits a cutter, she goes to the top turnbuckle but ASUKA avoids the diving footstomp. Irish whip by ASUKA and she dropkicks Chisako into the corner, Space Rolling Elbow by Asuka and she dropkicks Chisako for a two count. Hard elbows by Chisako and she dropkicks ASUKA right in the face, Northern Lights Suplex by Chisako but it gets a two count. Chisako goes up top again and this time she nails the diving footstomp, cover by Chisako but ASUKA bridges out of it. Chisako goes for the Hormone Splash but ASUKA rolls out of the way, elbows by Chisako but ASUKA knocks her to the mat with a hard elbow of her own. Scoop slams by ASUKA, she goes up top but Chisako avoids the moonsault. Rolling bodyscissors cover by Chisako for a two, she goes off the ropes but ASUKA kicks her in the head. More superkicks by ASUKA and she hits a gutwrench suplex, but Chisako kicks out of the cover. ASUKA picks up Chisako but Chisako quickly applies a cross armbreaker and she picks up the three count! Chisako wins the match and gets two points.

One of the more clipped matches in this airing, but I can say with some confidence that ASUKA is steadily improving. She has always shown a good amount of promise, she missed it here but she has a beautiful moonsault, and Chisako is the type of veteran that will only make her look even better. ASUKA has been wrestling less than a year so there are going to be some growing pains but she looked as good here as you could hope from a 17 year old rookie. Too clipped, but solid action.

Melanie Cruise vs. Tsukushi

Cruise teases Tsukushi with her height advantage, the referee gets down so that Tsukushi can stand on his back but Cruise pulls her down and tosses Tsukushi across the ring. Tsukushi goes for dropkicks but Cruise shrugs them off at first, they finally start having an impact but Cruise avoids her missile dropkick. Delayed vertical suplex by Cruise and she chokes Tsukushi in the corner, leg drop by Cruise and she covers Tsukushi for two. Backbreaker by Cruise but Tsukushi sends her to the mat with a spinning headscissors, missile dropkick by Tsukushi and she hits a Stunner, elbows by Tsukushi and she boots Cruise in the head. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Cruise catches her when she goes for a missile dropkick. Cruise slams Tsukushi to the mat, Tsukushi goes for a rana but Cruise catches her. Tsukushi rolls down Cruise’s back and applies a wheelbarrow victory roll, but it only gets two. She goes off the ropes again but Cruise boots her in the face. Monster chokeslam but Cruise, and she picks up the three count! Melanie Cruise wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

A bit of a lopsided match, the 18 year old 4’10” wrestler didn’t stand much of a chance against the giant gaijin, but she put up a good fight anyway. Tsukushi got in a few hope spots but I never thought she had a real chance of winning here, Cruise was just too much to overcome. Not quite at squash levels but pretty close, not much to this one aside from Cruise’s great chokeslam.

Misaki Ohata vs. Yuuka

They immediately start trading elbows, dropkick by Yuuka and Ohata falls out of the ring. Yuuka goes up top but Ohata elbows her to the floor and the pair battle around the ring. Back in, dropkick by Yuuka and she elbows Ohata to the mat before hitting a running Angel Thunder for two. Ohata snaps off a DDT and hits a crossbody while Yuuka is against the ropes, getting a two count of her own. Ohata hits her own Angel Thunder, she goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody. Tornado DDT by Yuuka, she goes up top and she hits her own diving crossbody for two. She goes up top again but Ohata avoids the Angel Thunder, Ohata goes up but Yuuka joins her and hits a Frankensteiner. Yuuka gets on the top turnbuckle and hits the Angel Thunder, but Ohata gets a shoulder up on the cover. Ohata hits a quick headscissors roll-up and a low crossbody, but Yuuka rolls through it. Rolling German suplexes by Ohata but Yuuka applies a bodyscissors roll-up for two. Running elbow by Yuuka and she nails a Jaguar Backdrop Hold, but Ohata gets a shoulder up. Back up they trade elbows and chops, spinning double chop by Ohata and she hits a German suplex hold for two. DDT by Yuuka and she rolls up Ohata with a bridge for a two count, Ohata retakes control and she nails the Sky Blue Suplex Hold for the three count! Misaki Ohata wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

I am not sure if this match or Shida/Yamashita was my favorite match on the show, I may give the opener the nod but this was still a great match. So many awesome suplexes, I am on record of loving the Angel Thunder as a unique but effective looking move, and these two worked really well together. I wish that more of it was shown, they had great chemistry and everything felt so smooth. High end match between two very talented wrestlers.  Recommended

Hiroe Nagahama vs. Sareee

The young pair start off fast as they trade elbows, both wrestlers throw each other down by the hair until Nagahama hits a dropkick in the corner. Nagahama applies a bodyscissors but Sareee quickly gets out of it, kneelock by Sareee but Nagahama reverses it. Single leg crab hold by Nagahama, but Sareee gets a hand on the ropes. Scoop slam by Sareee but Nagahama hits a few dropkicks, cover by Nagahama but Sareee bridges out of it and hits a dropkick of her own. Back up they trade elbows, jumping elbow by Nagahama and she covers Sareee for two. Sareee shrugs off the suplex and rolls up Nagahama before hitting a quick footstomp. Sareee goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she gets on the top turnbuckle again and she hits a second one. Both wrestlers go for quick pins with no luck, Northern Lights Suplex by Nagahama but it gets a two. Sareee goes off the ropes and dropkicks Nagahama, but Nagahama comes back with the Kasadora for a two count. German suplex hold by Sareee, she picks up Nagahama and she nails the uranage for the three count! Sareee wins the match and gets two points in the tournament.

A step down from what we have seen so far today, but that is more of a compliment to the rest of the show as this match was solid too. Nagahama has been showing a lot of fire lately and has really stepped up for the tournament, and Sareee was great as always. Love her suplexes, her strikes…. just about everything about her. The match ended a bit suddenly but it was clipped a bit so we may have missed some of the lead up to the final move. Overall just a fun match between two young wrestlers.  Mildly Recommended

The post WAVE “Catch The WAVE 2016” Part 2 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Thanks to the wonderful new WAVE Network that launched today (I wrote a guide on how to sign up here), I am finally able to watch the Catch the WAVE Tournament! This year the tournament is massive, with 32 wrestlers participating. They are split into eight blocks of four wrestlers, and within each block every wrestler will wrestle everyone else in their block once. A win is worth two points, and in the case of a Draw (15 minute time limit) then the younger wrestler in the match gets one point. After all the block matches are done, the winner of each block go into the eight wrestler single elimination knockout round until a winner is crowned! Here are the blocks:

Needless to say, it is a long tournament. The first night of the tournament kicked off with a bang, at the famous Korakuen Hall! Here is the full match list:

• Hiroe Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Meiko Tanaka, Natsu Sumire, and Tsukushi
• Ayako Hamada, Nagashima, Fairy Nipponbashi, Fujigasaki, and Yuu Yamagata vs.  ASUKA, Hikaru Shida, Kobayashi, Haruhi, and Shimono
• Catch the WAVE Silver Gray Block: Kagetsu vs. Yoshiko
• Catch the WAVE Pompadour Pink Block: Cherry vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
• Catch the WAVE African Violet Block: Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita
• Catch the WAVE Mandarin Orange Block: DASH Chisako vs. Yuki Miyazaki
• Catch the WAVE Regatta Blue Block: LEON vs. Mika Iida
• Catch the WAVE Chrome Yellow Block: Aoi Kizuki vs. Ryo Mizunami
• Catch the WAVE Orion Blue Block: Hanako Nakamori vs. Misaki Ohata
• Catch the WAVE Italian Red Block: Sareee vs. Yumi Ohka

That is a lot of matches! Many of them will be short though, which is normal in tournaments like this so its not as massive as it looks. As always, you can click on the wrestler’s name to go to their profile if I have one for them here on Joshi City.

Hiroe Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Meiko Tanaka, Sumire, and Tsukushi

Nagahama and Tanaka are the first two in, Tanaka gets the early advantage but Nagahama’s teammates run in to help. Tanaka’s come in too and we end up with a triple suplex spot, with Tanaka’s team winning the battle. Nagahama is temporarily isolated but she suplexes Tanaka and tags in Yuuka. Tornado DDT by Yuuka, but Tanaka kicks out of the cover. Tanaka tries Yuuka into the corner and hits a running shoulder tackle, missile dropkick by Tanaka and she puts Yuuka on her shoulders, but Yuuka slides away. They exchange elbows until Tanaka hits a big spear, cover by Tanaka but it gets two. Tanaka tags Tsukushi, dropkick by Tsukushi and she hits the Unprettier followed by a low dropkick against the ropes. Crossbody by Tsukushi, but it gets a two count. Yuuka goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she tags in Miyu but Tsukushi bulldogs her. Hard kick to the head by Miyu and she hits a vertical suplex on Tsukushi, picking up a two count. Elbows by Miyu but Tsukushi elbows her back and hits a missile dropkick for two. She tags Sumire, elbows by Miyu to Sumire as Nagahama comes in, but Tanaka comes in too and spears both of them. Diving crossbody by Tsukushi, then Sumire hits one too for a two count on Miyu. Elbow by Miyu but Sumire sneaks in an inside cradle for two. Miyu takes back over and goes up top, hitting a diving footstomp. Cover, but Sumire’s teammates break it up. German suplex hold by Miyu and she gets the three count! Nagahama, Miyu, and Yuuka win.

I don’t want to over-hype an opener match, but this one was really fun. Tsukushi is fantastic and while not all the wrestlers here are top notch, they did a good job of focusing on the ones that are. Very fast paced, no real pause in the action for the whole match. This to me is what an opener should be – something to get the crowd excited with solid fast paced action. A nice way to kick things off, there is a lot of young talent in this match that will be a big deal in Joshi within the next few years.

Hamada, Nagashima, Nipponbashi, Fujigasaki, and Yamagata vs.  ASUKA, Shida, Kobayashi, Haruhi, and Shimono

The first two in are Nipponbashi and Kobayashi. I have to say that it pains me to see two of my favorites, Kobayashi and Shida, stuck in a ten wrestler tag that likely won’t be overly serious or memorable. Not a whole lot happens to start the match, until ASUKA and Hamada are tagged in and they trade holds. Hamada ducks ASUKA’s springboard crossbody but ASUKA ducks Hamada’s heel kick and delivers a dropkick. Hamada takes back over and hits a lariat, they tag out as Haruhi and Nagashima come in. Haruhi hits a nice hurricanrana and a Northern Lights Suplex but Nagashima boots her in the face and hits a face crusher. Shimono comes in to help but Hamada comes in and lariats both of them, Nagashima goes off the ropes but she boots Hamada by accident. Shida and Fujigasaki are tagged in, and Shida hits a hip attack. Yamagata comes in and trades strikes with Shida, backbreaker by Shida but Yamagata ducks the running knee. Code Breaker by Yamagata and she tags Nipponbashi, she brings in a light saber while Shida gets her kendo stick. They battle it out with their weapons with neither getting an advantage, but Nipponbashi knocks Shida out of the ring. We clip ahead with Kobayashi being set up for a double team move, but Nipponbashi hits Hamada by accident. ASUKA runs in and hits a springboard crossbody, she picks up Nipponbashi and she hits a suplex. We clip ahead again as Haruhi hits a diving footstomp on Nipponbashi, Kobayashi goes to pick up Nipponbashi but she gets an Oil Check from Fujigasaki. Yamagata slams Kobayashi, Hamada goes up top and they hit an assisted footstomp on her. Denden Clutch by Nipponbashi on Kobayashi and she gets the three count! Team Hamada wins the match.

For a slightly clipped (about four minutes) ten wrestler tag, this one had some good spots. ASUKA looks good for a rookie, Kobayashi is always a treat, and the Nipponbashi comedy was kept to a minimal. Fine for an undercard match but nothing more than that, skippable unless you’re a die hard fan of one of the wrestlers.

Kagetsu vs. Yoshiko

Yoshiko works the headlock to start, Kagetsu gets out of it and she hits a springboard armdrag. Yoshiko tags Kagetsu to the mat and works her over with stomps, she picks her up but Kagetsu catches her with a dropkick. Kicks by Kagetsu and she hits a jumping elbow in the corner, dropkick by Kagetsu and she applies an arm submission hold. Yoshiko gets to the ropes, Kagetsu flips out to the apron but Yoshiko blocks the swandive dropkick and drags Kagetsu back into the ring. Sliding lariat by Yoshiko and she hits a running senton, diving senton attempt by Yoshiko but Kagetsu moves out of the way. Kagetsu slams Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a Codebreaker. Cross armbreaker takedown by Kagetsu but Yoshiko slams her way out of it, Kagetsu charges Yoshiko but Yoshiko hits a fireman’s carry slam. Short armbar by Kagetsu but Yoshiko gets into the ropes, high kick by Kagetsu and she hits a Ebisu Drop. Kagetsu picks up Yoshiko but Yoshiko gets away and destroys Kagetsu with a lariat. Cover by Yoshiko and she gets the three count! Yoshiko gets two points in the tournament.

This was a short match, made even shorter by slight clipping, but I loved what I saw. They played off each other really well, with Yoshiko using her strength and Kagetsu using her speed, and the ending was great as it was such a hard hit that it was understandable that she could hold down Kagetsu long enough to get the three. I also liked that when Kagetsu blew a spot, she just moved on. You could actually see her thinking about re-doing the spot and making Yoshiko wait, which would have been silly, but changing her mind and just skipping it. Some wrestlers never learn that, I don’t mind when a wrestler missteps, it only annoys me when they immediately do the spot again. Overall about as good as a five minute match can be.  Mildly Recommended

Cherry vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto

Cherry immediately gets Fujimoto to the mat, Fujimoto gets up but Cherry applies a triangle choke. Fujimoto gets a foot in the ropes and puts Cherry in a cross-arm submission, but this time it is Cherry that gets a foot on the bottom rope. Dropkick by Fujimoto in the corner and she hits another one, scoop slam by Fujimoto and she covers Cherry, but Cherry applies an armbreaker. Northern Lights Suplex by Cherry, she goes off the ropes but Fujimoto rolls her up for two. Fujimoto picks up Cherry and kicks her, they trade quick pin attempts on the mat but neither have any luck. Both wrestlers go off the ropes, Fujimoto wraps up Cherry in the Tsukadora and picks up the three count! Fujimoto wins the match and gets two points.

This match was super short but good. These little sprints are fun to watch, they work well in a tournament setting on a card with lots of matches… it wouldn’t be satisfactory on a five match card but here it didn’t feel out of place. Seeing Cherry wrestle seriously is always a treat (in DDT a lot of her matches have comedy elements) and Fujimoto was on fire as always. An easy watch between two seasoned veterans, as Fujimoto is set up well for the next round. Too short to recommend but still entertaining.

Kaori Yoneyama vs. Rina Yamashita

They charge each other right as the bell rings as Yamashita hits a lariat, Yoneyama comes back with a roll-up but Yamashita hits another lariat in the corner. Yoneyama bridges out of the pin and knees Yamashita, she goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Knee to the back of the head by Yoneyama, she picks up Yamashita but Yamashita hits a lariat followed by a backdrop suplex. Yamashita goes up top but Yoneyama recovers and joins her, suplexing Yamashita back to the mat. Yoneyama gets on the second turnbuckle and hits the diving senton, but Yamashita kicks out. Yoneyama goes all the way up this time but Yamashita gets her feet up on the senton attempt and hits a lariat for a two count. Sleeper by Yamashita but Yoneyama rolls out of it. Another lariat by Yamashita, she picks up Yoneyama but Yoneyama kicks her in the head. Yamashita kicks her back but Yoneyama quickly hits the Yone-ZOU for the three count! Yoneyama wins and gets two points in the tournament.

My main issue with Yamashita is that she is a lariat spammer. I like her in tag matches where she can just hit her spots and tag out, but even in this super short match she hit more lariats than I feel like counting. Yoneyama was great here and hit everything well, but I am generally not a fan of wrestlers hitting the same move over and over as just gets old, so a skippable match overall.

DASH Chisako vs. Yuki Miyazaki

This one starts quick (or was well clipped) as Chisako hits a hurricanrana on Miyazaki and dropkicks her in the back, face crusher by Chisako and she covers Miyazaki for two. Dropkick by Chisako in the corner but Miyazaki blocks the cutter, kick to the arm by Chisako and she applies a short armbar. Miyazaki gets to the ropes but Chisako re-applies it only for Miyazaki to get to the ropes again. They trade elbows, Chisako sneaks in the cutter and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Chisako goes up top but Miyazaki avoids the footstomp and suplexes Chisako into the turnbuckles. Ebisu Drop by Miyazaki, she goes on the second turnbuckle but Chisako recovers and joins her. Frankensteiner by Chisako but Miyazaki rolls through it, quick diving footstomp by Chisako off the second turnbuckle and then from the top turnbuckle, but Miyazaki barely kicks out of the cover. Chisako goes up top a third time but Miyazaki gets her feet up and dropkicks Chisako in the head. German suplex hold by Miyazaki, but it gets a two. DDT by Miyazaki, she goes up top but Chisako avoids the moonsault and applies an inside cradle for two. Wheelbarrow suplex by Miyazaki, they both get up and Miyazaki applies a quick pin for two. Miyazaki gets on the top turnbuckle and nails the moonsault, but Chisako somehow barely gets a shoulder up. Time is running out as Chisako goes for a quick pin, but Miyazaki levels her with a lariat. Tiger suplex hold by Miyazaki, but that gets a two as well. Before they do can anything else, the bell rings as the time expires. The match is a Draw, Chisako gets one point because she is the younger wrestler.

This was the best clipped in half match I have ever seen. Now I recognize with eight minutes missing that they easily could clip out the slower parts, or any awkward moments, but what they showed was just fantastic. So many big moves, the footstomps, moonsault, tiger suplex… you’d think this was a title match and not just a mid-card tournament. This is the best I have seen Miyazaki look since returning and Chisako was on point. A high end heavily clipped encounter.  Recommended

LEON vs. Mika Iida

Iida goes to shake LEON’s hand but attacks her instead, quick pin attempts by both wrestlers but neither can get three. Iida catches LEON with an armbar and then a cross armbreaker, but LEON gets a foot in the ropes. Dropkick by Iida while she is against the ropes and she hits a missile dropkick, picking up a two count. Uppercuts by Iida but LEON catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, Texas Cloverleaf by LEON but Iida gets out of it. LEON gets on the top turnbuckle and walks the ropes before dropkicking Iida, and she covers her for two. Iida goes for a quick roll-up but LEON kicks out and then slams Iida to the mat. LEON goes up top and hits a diving body press, but it gets two. After Iida tries more pin attempts without getting a three, Iida goes off the ropes but LEON decks her with a spear. Iida blocks the Capture Buster but LEON hits a heel kick, Capture Buster by LEON and she gets the three count! LEON wins and gets two points in the tournament.

While this match had some really hard hits, there wasn’t a whole lot to it. It was a short match that was slightly clipped further, and mostly was comprised of quick pin attempts with a few strikes and submission holds between. It was obviously pretty fast paced and nothing was bad about it, just not long enough to really recommend.

Aoi Kizuki vs. Ryo Mizunami

Kizuki attacks Mizunami before the match starts with elbows but Mizunami comes back with a spear, lariat by Mizunami but Kizuki rolls her up for two. Powerslam by Mizunami and she hits a quick legdrop, she goes to run off the ropes but Kizuki grabs her. Elbows by Mizunami but Kizuki bridges out of the cover and hits a running senton. Jumping lariat by Kizuki and she applies a backbreaker over her knee, German suplex hold by Kizuki but it gets two. Another jumping lariat by Kizuki and hits a German suplex, but Mizunami springs to her feet and hits a lariat. Lariat to the back by Mizunami but Kizuki sneaks in an inside cradle for a quick two. Kizuki goes off the ropes but Mizunami catches her with a lariat, Kizuki rolls up Mizunami and this time she gets the three count! Mizunami is the winner and gets two points in the tournament.

This was the shortest match of the night and not long enough to get excited about. I will say though that it is nice to see Kizuki wrestling more seriously as she has been throwing in more comedy spots in her matches lately, looks like everyone is bringing their best for this tournament. Some hard hits but not enough action due to the sub-three minute time.

Hanako Nakamori vs. Misaki Ohata

Nakamori and Ohata quickly get into a strike exchange until Ohata hits a German suplex, sliding crossbody by Ohata and she hits a few more German suplexes. Nakamori comes back with kicks and hits a Shining Wizard, and she covers Ohata for two. Nakamori picks up Ohata and kicks her hard in the face, more kicks by Nakamori and she kicks Ohata against the ropes. Nakamori applies a submission hold on the mat but Ohata gets a foot on the ropes, Nakamori picks up Ohata but Ohata connects with a DDT. Ohata kicks Nakamori into the corner and hits a sliding crossbody, tornado DDT by Ohata and she covers Nakamori for a two count. Ohata goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she goes up top again but this time Nakamori recovers and joins her. Elbows by Ohata and she crossbodies Nakamori down to the mat, but Nakamori hits an enzuigiri. Running kick by Nakamori and she delivers a fisherman buster for a two count cover. Nakamori picks up Ohata but Ohata hits a crucifix bomb, spinning chop by Ohata and she hits a fisherman buster for two. Ohata picks up Nakamori but Nakamori sneaks in a schoolboy. Spinning chop by Ohata, she goes off the ropes but Nakamori catches her with a high kick. Another hard kick to the head by Nakamori, and she covers Ohata for the three count! Nakamori wins the match and picks up two points in the tournament.

Surprising result, but tournaments should have surprises. I don’t think that Nakamori is a very good wrestler, she is a solid hand but not much more then that. Ohata is great, her offense is hard hitting and pretty diverse, and she keeps her matches interesting. Nakamori in her defense was really on point with some of her strikes, and with a slight clipping the match stayed intense. A pretty entertaining albeit short match.  Mildly Recommended

Sareee vs. Yumi Ohka

Sareee swats Ohka’s hand away as she is in no mood for a friendly handshake, dropkicks by Sareee and she follows those with a missile dropkick. Another missile dropkick and she hits a third, cover by Sareee but it gets two. Ohka blocks the uranage and drops Sareee onto the top rope before booting her in the face. Another boot by Ohka while Sareee is in the ropes and she kicks her a third time before mushing her into the corner. They trade boots and dropkicks, fisherman suplex hold by Sareee and she gets a two count. Ohka blocks the German and the pair trade elbows, boot by Ohka and she hits Sareee with a series of knees. Sareee comes back with mounted elbows but Ohka boots her again, she goes for another but Sareee swats her away and hits a German suplex. Ohka blocks the uranage again but Sareee rolls her up and hits a footstomp. Another dropkick by Sareee while Ohka is against the ropes but Ohka connects with a backdrop suplex. Ohka goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, she applies an armbreaker but Sareee is too close to the ropes. Kick to the head by Ohka, Sareee goes for a quick pin but Ohka blocks it. Heel drop by Ohka, she goes off the ropes but Sareee rolls her up for two. Sareee tries more quick covers with no luck, Ohka grabs Sareee and drops her with a brainbuster. Ohka goes off the ropes but Sareee catches her with an uranage, cover by Sareee but Ohka barely kicks out. Sareee goes off the ropes but Ohka hits a Chokebomb, big boot by Ohka and she gets the three count cover! Ohka wins the match and picks up two points in the tournament.

I think that Ohka is a bit limited in her move set, but in shorter type sprints it isn’t quite as bad. Sareee is just a great young wrestler, so much fire and while she throws a lot of dropkicks she also has a variety of suplexes she uses as well. It really felt like she was a going to pick up the upset at various times, and even though she wasn’t able to, she put on a solid performance in the main event at Korakuen Hall. I wouldn’t have minded if it went a little longer and it was slightly clipped, but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Mildly Recommended

The post Pro Wrestling WAVE “Catch the WAVE” on 4/10/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Ice Ribbon “10th Anniversary Show”
Date: May 4th, 2016
Location: Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium in Kanagawa, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,552

Welcome to the biggest Joshi event so far in 2016! As the name of the show implies, this is Ice Ribbon’s 10th Anniversary show, and they pulled out all the stops. The big story coming into the show was the return of Emi Sakura, one of the original founders and trainers of Ice Ribbon that left the promotion back in 2012. This isn’t a full time return, she just came back for the Anniversary show and it wouldn’t have been the same without her as she had such a big role for much of the promotion’s history. We also get a Meiko Satomura appearance and for some reason Kazunari Murakami showed up. Here is the full card:

• Bete Noire, Hiroyo Matsumoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Hiroe Nagahama, Makoto, and Ryo Mizunami
• GENTARO and Takashi Sasaki vs. Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto vs. Miyako Matsumoto, 235, and Ueki vs. Papillon Akemi and Kazunari Murakami
• Akane Fujita, Hamuko Hoshi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Kurumi, Manami Toyota, and Tequila Saya
• Triangle Ribbon Championship: Cherry vs. Misaki Ohata vs. Kyuri
• Kyoko Kimura vs. Maya Yukihi
• Meiko Satomura vs. Tsukushi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi and Emi Sakura
• ICExInfinity Championship: Risa Sera vs. Yuuka

You can click on the wrestler’s name above to go to their profile here on Joshi City, if I have one. I am going to go ahead and get this out of the way – the show aired on Samurai TV which means it was condensed to two hours. On top of that they still have the highlight packages, interviews, etc. so the in-ring time will be reduced which will lead to clipped matches. I don’t blame Ice Ribbon, yes if it was on Nico Nico it probably would air in full but no promotion is going to pass on being on a more popular channel. But it is still worth noting since this card had a lot of matches so many will be clipped.

Bete Noire, Matsumoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Nagahama, Makoto, and Ryo Mizunami

We join this match in progress, with Nagasaki and Nagahama up on their respective teammates shoulders playing chicken. Nagasaki wins by taking off Nagahama’s armband, but she is attacked by Makoto and company. Makoto and Nagasaki stay in as legal and Makoto hits a rolling senton for two. Nagasaki sneaks in a schoolboy for two and Makoto tags in Nagahama, and Nagahama dropkicks Nagasaki. Bridging suplex by Nagahama, she picks up Nagasaki but Nagasaki quickly applies a wrist-clutch roll-up and picks up the three count! The Maruko Army wins!

This was extremely clipped so I can’t really give an opinion on the match, aside to say that I thought it was neat that the Ice Ribbon rookie got to pick up the win. I haven’t gotten a chance to see much of her but what we really briefly saw here she looks good. A waste of Matsumoto, Makoto, and Mizunami but what can ya do, all these early matches will be clipped something fierce.

GENTARO and Sasaki vs. Kodaka and Miyamoto vs. Matsumoto, 235, and Ueki vs. Papillon Akemi and Murakami

Murakami and Matsumoto start off, Matsumoto slaps Murakami and then runs like hell. Sound decision. But she isn’t running from him, but up to a mat up on the stage so they can grapple. Murakami goes after her and rakes her face on the ramp, but Akemi comes to her rescue and everyone beats down Murakami. Wrestlers are brawling everywhere, with some staying on up the stage while others are in the crowd, pins are apparently legal up on the stage where Murakami is grappling with random wrestlers. Matsumoto is insanely up in the bleachers, she stands up on the rail and dives down onto wrestlers on the floor. We clip ahead to Matsumoto being in the ring on the top rope, about to do a move on Akemi, but Murakami comes in so she hops down. Murakami sits down on Matsumoto in the corner, Matsumoto rolls up Murakami with assistance and everyone holds down Murakami for the three count! Matsumoto, 235, and Ueki win!

I know I didn’t need to do something resembling play by play, but if you have a certain favorite wrestler and you don’t see their name above, then they didn’t do a hell of a lot on what was shown. We got no guns which seems like a wasted opportunity and needless to say it was too clipped up to really get into. A few nice spots though, love Matsumoto’s dive off the balcony.

Akane Fujita, Hamuko Hoshi, and Mochi Miyagi vs. Kurumi, Manami Toyota, and Tequila Saya

This match actually starts from the beginning, with Hoshi and Kurumi trying to knock each other over with no luck. Kurumi is triple teamed and posed on, and we clip ahead to Kurumi hitting a powerslam on Fujita. Kurumi tagged Saya, crossbodies by Saya but she only gets a two on Hoshi. Dropkick by Saya, Fujita grabs Saya from the apron however and Hoshi hits a body avalanche. Hoshi tags Miyagi, Miyagi throws Saya into the corner so she can tag Kurumi back in. Chaos ensues as Saya and Toyota come in the ring, and Saya hits a diving crossbody. Missile dropkick by Kurumi to Miyagi, and she covers her for two. Kurumi goes up top and hits a flying body press, but the cover is broken up. Hoshi helps and throws Miyagi onto Kurumi, Fujita slams Kurumi and both Hoshi and Miyagi hit diving body presses. Miyagi picks up Kurumi but Kurumi kicks her and applies La Magistral for a two count. Lou Thesz Press by Miyagi and she hits another one for a two count. Miyagi goes up top and hits a guillotine leg drop for two. Cover by Miyagi on Kurumi, and she gets the three count! Fujita, Hoshi, and Miyagi win the match!

We got about half of this match, so we are getting better. It was clipped to highlight Kurumi, which is great as it is her first match back but it meant we didn’t get to see any Toyota which was sad. Kurumi did look really good in her return however, and for a fresh rookie, Saya did pretty well also. Hoshi and Miyagi are an acquired taste but are solid, and Fujita is fun as well. Too clipped up to recommend but it was nice to see Kurumi again.

(c) Cherry vs. Misaki Ohata vs. Kyuri

Kyuri is double teamed right off the bat, but then they turn on Cherry, which doesn’t go well as Cherry attacks them both in the corner. We clip ahead to Kyuri hitting a diving crossbody on both wrestlers, getting a two count on both. She hits another crossbody on Ohata before hitting a Back Stabber on Cherry, Ohata German suplexes Cherry onto Kyuri but it only gets two. Ohata picks up Cherry and hits a spinning chop followed by a dropkick, but Cherry dumps her out of the ring. Ne Kohistral by Kyuri on Cherry, and she gets the three count! Kyuri is the new champion!

While I doubt this match would have rocked my world anyway, it was only a five minute match and was clipped on top of that. I love Ohata so I hate seeing her in such a short match, but she did have the most memorable spot of the match so there is that. It isn’t worth skipping because it was too short, but if you are fan of any of these three there is not enough here to get excited about.

Kyoko Kimura vs. Maya Yukihi

Yukihi starts the match holding a whip and immediately uses it on Kimura, Ozaki gets up on the apron and helps as well until the referee finally calms things down. Yukihi looks like she is into S&M with the black outfit and the whip, which may or may not be what they are going for. Kicks by Yukihi and she hits a knee, Ozaki returns to the ring and she hits Kimura with a chain. Kimura knocks down Yukihi and jaws with Ozaki, boots by Kimura and she stomps on Yukihi’s face. Kimura gets a drink from a water bottle and slowly spits water onto Yukihi’s face, Yukihi doesn’t like that and fires up a bit and she hits a series of slaps. Lots of slaps by Yukihi. Yukihi goes up top and hits a somersault legdrop, cover by Yukihi but it gets two. Kimura slides behind Yukihi and applies a sleeper, Yukihi struggles but just as she is dozing off in runs Ozaki to break it up. Kimura and Ozaki trade elbows, Ozaki spits red mist into Kimura’s face and Yukihi rolls her up for a two count. Kicks by Yukihi, she covers Kimura but it gets another two. Yukihi gets a chain and hits Kimura in the head with it repeatedly, Ozaki holds Kimura but Yukihi kicks Ozaki by accident. Hard punch by Kimura and she hits a chokebomb, picking up a two count. Heel drop by Kimura and she puts Yukihi back in the sleeper, and this time no one is there to save Yukihi as she goes to sleep! Kimura gets the win.

This was clipped (I know I keep saying that but I don’t want people to think they are going to watch the full match), but I think we got the gist of it. I don’t… know if Yukihi is trying to be sexy with her black leather outfit as she whips people, but she is probably ticking off a few boxes of what some guys find desirable. Anyway, Yukihi still has issues with her strikes, her kicks and slaps both look weak. But when she wasn’t doing strikes, everything else worked well, with Kimura always being on point. Ozaki and Kimura had some good chemistry and the ending stretch was perfect. This is the best match of the card so far mostly due to Kimura, and overall it was entertaining.  Mildly Recommended

Meiko Satomura vs. Tsukushi

Satomura and Tsukushi start politely with a tie-up, Tsukushi dropkicks Satomura but Satomura shrugs it off. Satomura punches Tsukushi in the face but Tsukushi dropkicks her in the knee. Satomura blocks the hurricanrana and kicks Tsukushi in the head, sending her to the mat. Crab hold by Satomura and she applies a STF, she picks up Tsukushi and slams her hard back down. Short armbar by Satomura but Tsukushi inches to the ropes and forces the break. Satomura kicks Tsukushi in the chest but Tsukushi dropkicks her in the knee and hits another dropkick in the corner. Ankle hold by Tsukushi and she boots Satomura in the chest, she goes up top and she hits a missile dropkick. Tsukushi dropkicks Satomura in the corner but Satomura comes back with kicks. Hard elbow by Satomura but Tsukushi rolls Satomura to the mat and applies a kneelock. Satomura quickly reverses it but Tsukushi gets into the ropes, Tsukushi gets up and elbows Satomura but Satomura sends her back down. Tsukushi goes off the ropes but Satomura kicks her in the head, the referee starts a Ten Count but Tsukushi slowly gets up just to eat a backdrop suplex. Kicks to the chest by Satomura but Tsukushi elbows her and nails the tiger suplex hold for a nearfall. Tsukushi goes for the Harukaze but Satomura catches her legs and flings her to the mat, elbow by Satomura but Tsukushi slaps her. Harukaze by Tsukushi, but Satomura barely gets a shoulder up. Satomura gets away from Tsukushi and hits a Pele Kick, Death Valley Bomb by Satomura and she gets the three count! Meiko Satomura wins the match.

I liked this match a lot, I just wish that Tsukushi had gotten in a bit more. I know she is 18 and Satomura is… Satomura, but Tsukushi does have multiple title reigns so I wouldn’t have minded if she had a bit more success before losing. Tsukushi really only had two nearfalls, the rest of the match was her fighting an uphill battle. Which she did very well, and Satomura was deadly with her strikes in a very entertaining way. A match well worth watching, it just didn’t go to that next level to really pull me in.  Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi and Emi Sakura

Nakajima and Takahashi kick things off for their respective teams, they jockey for position on the mat but neither gets a clear advantage. Sakura and Fujimoto are tagged in as Sakura faces her trainee, elbows by Fujimoto and she dropkicks Sakura down. Sakura regains the advantage and slaps Fujimoto before tagging in Takahashi, backdrop suplex by Takahashi and she puts Fujimoto in a crab hold. Fujimoto gets to the ropes and Takahashi tags Sakura, Sakura throws down Fujimoto by the hair and chops her into the corner. Sakura puts Fujimoto in the Surfboard, stomps by Sakura and she slams Fujimoto to the mat. She tags Takahashi back in, elbows by Takahashi but Fujimoto returns fire. Fujimoto goes for a hurricanrana but Takahashi catches her and applies a crab hold. Fujimoto gets to the ropes and dropkicks Takahashi, giving her time to tag in Nakajima. Missile dropkick by Nakajima, Takahashi tags Sakura but Nakajima fights off both of them. German suplex by Nakajima to Takahashi and she hits running boots on both her opponents. Elbows by Nakajima to Takahashi but Takahashi slaps her and hits an assisted sidewalk slam for two. Sakura kicks Takahashi by accident, allowing Nakajima to hit a German suplex hold for two. Nakajima goes off the ropes but Takahashi catches her with a head kick, headbutt by Takahashi and she delivers a lariat. Nakajima crawls to her corner and tags Fujimoto, missile dropkick by Fujimoto but Takahashi slams her to the mat. Fujimoto elbows both Sakura and Takahashi, Sakura holds Fujimoto but Takahashi elbows Sakura by accident.

German suplex on Takahashi with a jackknife by Fujimoto, but it gets two. Fujimoto goes up top but Takahashi joins her and she delivers a superplex, sliding kick by Takahashi and she covers Fujimoto for two. Takahashi goes for a backdrop suplex but Fujimoto elbows out of it, Nakajima runs in but Takahashi hits a hard lariat on both of them. Spinning sit down powerbomb by Takahashi and she makes the tag to Sakura, Sakura picks up Fujimoto and hits a double underhook lift into a backbreaker. Another one by Sakura but Fujimoto gets back in control and kicks Sakura repeatedly in the chest and back. PK by Fujimoto, but it gets two so she hits another one. Takahashi breaks up the pin this time, Fujimoto goes for the Venus Shoot but Sakura reverses it with a powerbomb. Reverse Splash by Sakura, but Fujimoto bridges out of the pin. Kicks by Fujimoto, Sakura tries to return the favor but Nakajima runs in and catches her leg. Double missile dropkick to Sakura, but she kicks out of the pin. Venus Shoot attempt by Fujimoto but Sakura catches her ankle and applies a crab hold. Fujimoto eventually gets to the ropes, Nakajima is in the ring but Sakura superkicks her. Takahashi sits on the top turnbuckle, then Sakura Frankensteiners her onto Fujimoto. Sakura goes up top and hits the moonsault, but Nakajima breaks up the cover. Takahashi drops Nakajima with a backdrop suplex, Sakura goes back up top and both she and Takahashi hit diving body presses onto Best Friends. Sakura drags up Fujimoto and nails a Tiger Driver, but Fujimoto barely gets a shoulder up. She picks up Fujimoto again and drops her right on her head with a backdrop suplex, but again it gets two. Sakura goes up top and calls for the Nyan Nyan Press, but Fujimoto is up and kicks her before she jumps off. Nakajima joins Sakura up top and hits a gutwrench suplex to the mat, Tsukadora by Fujimoto but Sakura barely kicks out. Tsukka-chan☆Bomb by Fujimoto, but this time Takahashi breaks it up. Takahashi elbows Fujimoto but Nakajima takes care of her, enzuigiri by Fujimoto and she finally hits the Venus Shoot for the three count! Best Friends win!

This match was awesome, I enjoyed every minute of it. I was concerned going in that Sakura had been ‘off the grid’ for so long (still wrestling but mostly for Gatoh Move which doesn’t have the same level of wrestlers as Best Friends are) that she would have issues keeping up, but those fears were unfounded. She was really motivated against her former trainee Fujimoto, and since that was the pairing for the majority of the match I have to assume she wanted to help put over her star pupil. Sakura had two different reversals the first two times Fujimoto went for the Venus Shoot but couldn’t block it the third time, and there were so many convincing nearfalls in this match. I also loved that Sakura/Takahashi had miscommunications but Best Friends didn’t, as the more experienced team was more on the same page than the team that hadn’t wrestled together in many years. Some of the moves were just sick in their execution, and everyone came out of it looking strong as even though Sakura got pinned she showed she can still hang with anyone. Her best match in years and overall just a must-see match with not only great wrestling but emotion and meaning as well.  Highly Recommended

(c) Risa Sera vs. Yuuka

Yuuka immediately rolls up Sera with a bridge for two, she goes for another one but Sera reverses it and they return to their feet. They grab each other by the hair until Sera flings Yuuka down and stomps her in the corner. Crab hold by Sera and she then puts Yuuka in the Rocking Horse, Sera goes for a double knee drop but Yuuka moves and dropkicks Sera out of the ring. Yuuka goes up to the top turnbuckle and she dives out onto Sera with a plancha, Yuuka slides Sera back in and goes up top, hitting a diving crossbody for two. Sera gets back up and they trade elbows, a hard elbow by Yuuka sends Sera to the mat and she covers her for two. Sera blocks Yuuka’s cross-legged move attempt and applies a high angle crab hold, but Yuuka gets to the ropes. Sera hits a reverse splash kneedrop to Yuuka’s back, elbow by Sera but Yuuka hits a tornado DDT out of the corner. Cross-legged suplex hold by Yuuka, but it gets two. Yuuka goes up top and hits the Angel Thunder, but again Sera gets a shoulder up. Yuuka kicks at Sera but Sera fights back with hard elbows to the back of the head. Falcon Arrow by Sera, she goes up top but Yuuka elbows her before she can jump off and joins her. Frankensteiner by Yuuka and she hits a cross-legged belly to back suplex hold for a nearfall. Sera catches Yuuka as she goes off the ropes with a fireman’s carry slam, she goes for the Ayers Rock but Yuuka reverses it with a roll-up. Sera elbows Yuuka down in the corner and hits a running double knee, Ayers Rock by Sera but Yuuka barely kicks out. Sera goes up top but Yuuka avoids the Diving Double Knee Drop, roll-up with a bridge by Yuuka but it gets two. A backslide with a bridge also gets two, Yuuka goes off the ropes but Sera catches her with an elbow. Ebisu Drop by Sera and she nails a sit-down powerbomb, but Yuuka kicks out. Sera goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers the Diving Double Knee Drop, and she picks up the three count! Sera wins the match and is still the champion.

As I mentioned at the top, this was a rough spot for them. It was a perfectly fine match but it had little chance of being better than the two matches that came before it as while both have a lot of spunk they aren’t on the same level as Nakajima, Fujimoto, Sakura, etc. Yuuka in particular is still growing, seems like a bit of a stretch to put her in the main event of their biggest show but they must see a lot in her down the road. The emotion was there by the wrestlers and Sera has gotten a mean streak recently, but the transitions were shaky and I never brought into Yuuka having a chance of winning. Solid and fun, but that is about as far as it went.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon “10th Anniversary Show” on 5/4/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

There are a few things of note about this event. First, it is quite short, with only four matches and no title matches. Second, the main event is shown with a commentary box at the bottom of the screen which may be great if you understand Japanese but to me it is just distracting. That all sounds negative, which it is, but we also get a Syuri singles match which is awesome, don’t get to see her in 1 vs. 1 situations very often. Here is the full match listing:

• 235, Makoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Akane Fujita, Kyuri, and Miyako Matsumoto
• Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka
• Syuri vs. Tsukushi
• Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Remember you can click on any of the names above to go to the wrestler’s profile. Quick show, let’s get right to it.

235, Makoto, and Maruko Nagasaki vs. Akane Fujita, Kyuri, and Miyako Matsumoto

Fujita and company charge their opponents to start but it doesn’t go well as Makoto and friends quickly take back over. Matsumoto ends up on the mat and all five of the other wrestlers dance around her, but Matsumoto moves as they all try to jump on her. Things settle down with Kyuri and 235 in the ring, Kyuri stretches 235 on the mat but Nagasaki breaks it up. Crossbodies by 235 to Kyuri but Kyuri applies a cross armbreaker, which is also broken up. 235 tags in Makoto and she works over young Kyuri, but Kyuri knocks Makoto to the mat. Backstabber by Kyuri and she rolls up Makoto, getting a two count cover. Makoto applies a sleeper but Kyuri gets out of it with a jawbreaker. Kyuri tags Fujita, elbow drop by Fujita to Makoto but Makoto hits a face crusher. Scoop slam by Makoto and she hits a cartwheel double knee drop for two.

Matsumoto runs in and hits a footstomp on Makoto, Fujita picks up Makoto but Makoto hits a butterfly suplex hold. Makoto tags Nagasaki, Nagasaki dropkicks Fujita but Fujita hits a scoop slam. Nagasaki wiggles away, thrust kick by Makoto to Fujita and 235 hits a diving crossbody. Uranage by Nagasaki to Fujita, but the pin is broken up. Over the shoulder slam by Fujita and she tags in Matsumoto, short armbar by Matsumoto and she applies a crossface, but Nagasaki gets to the ropes. Matsumoto and Fujita trade elbows, dropkick by Nagasaki and she goes up top, but Matsumoto avoids the missile dropkick. Fujita comes in and she slams Nagasaki, Matsumoto goes up top but Nagasaki gets her feet up when she dives off. Nagasaki goes for a few quick pins with no luck and all six wrestlers end up in the ring. Makoto spears both Fujita and Kyuri, Nagasaki grabs Matsumoto  but Matsumoto hits an extremely modified STO. Shining Wizard by Matsumoto and she gets the three count! Fujita, Kyuri, and Matsumoto are the winners.

Better than I was expecting, which I know is faint praise but at least it was pretty solid for an opener. Matsumoto’s comedy was kept really minimal which is fine with me as it gave Nagasaki and Fujita more time to work together. Makoto was really here just to hit a few spots and perhaps to help manage the match, she is on a different level than the other five so realistically there wasn’t a lot she was going to do within the match itself. Six wrestlers is a bit much for a sub-ten minute match as it makes it hard for any one wrestler to stand out but I thought that the rookie Nagasaki looked solid considering her experience level. Not a bad way to kick things off but nothing special either.

Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka

Miyagi and Yuuka are the first two in but their tag partners come in too, Nakamura and Yuuka get their opponents in the ropes and kick them in the chest. The Lovely Butchers make a comeback and hit double face crushers, Miyagi puts Yuuka in the corner and Yuuka gets the double belly smush. Yuuka DDTs Miyagi  but Miyagi puts Yuuka in an Argentine Backbreaker, running belly smash by Miyagi and she covers Yuuka for two. Dropkick by Yuuka and she hits a tornado DDT for a two count, she tags in Nakamori who kicks Miyagi in the chest before hitting a leg drop. Stretch
hold by Nakamori but Miyagi gets out of it and hits a swinging side slam for two. Dragon screw by Miyagi, she goes up top and hits a reverse splash for a two count cover.

Miyagi tags Hoshi, she trades elbows with Nakamori until Nakamori hits a backdrop suplex, but Hoshi blocks the Shining Wizard attempt. Running belly smash by Hoshi, and she gets a two. Hoshi goes up top but Nakamori throws her off, high kick by Nakamori and she hits the Shining Wizard. Nakamori tags Yuuka, Yuuka elbows Hoshi but Hoshi hits a running belly smash. Double belly smash by Hoshi and Miyagi but Yuuka blocks the double backdrop suplex. Nakamori goes up top as does Yuuka, and both hit missile dropkicks. Yuuka tries to pick up Hoshi but can’t, Lou Thesz Press by Miyagi and Hoshi rolls over Yuuka for two. Nakamori kicks Hoshi and Yuuka rolls her up, but Miyagi breaks up the pin. Yuuka goes up top and hits a diving crossbody, but it gets only two. Hoshi lariats Yuuka, Samoan Drop by Hoshi but Yuuka kicks out of the cover. Miyagi goes up top and hits a diving body press, Hoshi then goes up and hits a diving body press as well, picking up the three count! The Lovely Butchers win the match.

This was a bit sloppy, with a number of moves just not being hit very smoothly. Most of them happened when Nakamori was in the ring, she just isn’t a very polished wrestler and a lot of what she does feels off. Hoshi and Miyagi aren’t my favorites anyway since they do stomach based offense… but they try to make it look serious instead of just being comedy so it comes across as odd. Yuuka I love but she wasn’t going to be able to save this match by herself. Limited redeeming qualities and a very skippable match.

Syuri vs. Tsukushi

They feel each other out to start, Syuri gets Tsukushi to the mat and twists on Tsukushi’s leg. They get back up and lock knuckles, Tsukushi takes Syuri down but Syuri quickly switches positions with her. Syuri works a headlock before kicking Tsukushi in the back, but Tsukushi returns to her feet and they circle each other again. Elbows by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Syuri through the ropes and to the floor. Back in, Stunner by Tsukushi and she runs on Syuri’s back before putting her in a stretch hold. Syuri slams Tsukushi and kicks her into the corner, running knee by Syuri and she covers Tsukushi for two. Sleeper by Syuri but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes, kicks by Syuri and she covers Tsukushi again for a two count. Syuri hits a jumping knee in the corner and hits a single arm suplex, Syuri goes for a cross armbreaker but Tsukushi gets a foot on the ropes. Syuri stomps Tsukushi but Tsukushi ducks a lariat and hits a headscissors.

Dropkick by Tsukushi and she dropkicks Syuri in the back for a two count cover. Syuri and Tsukushi trade elbows, knee by Syuri and she hits the PK for two. Tsukushi quickly rolls up Syuri and hits a footstomp, missile dropkick by Tsukushi but Syuri kicks out of the pin. Release German by Syuri but Tsukushi comes back with one of her own, and both wrestlers are down. They trade elbows on their knees and as they get back up, Tsukushi charges Syuri but Syuri kicks her in the head. Syuri applies the short armbar but Tsukushi rolls out of it and hits a hard elbow. Dropkick by Tsukushi but Syuri shrugs her off and hits a German suplex hold for two. Running knee to the chest by Syuri but Tsukushi catches the next kick and puts Syuri in an ankle hold. Syuri gets into the ropes to break the hold, Tsukushi grabs Syuri and hits a scoop slam before going up top, delivering the diving footstomp for a two count. German suplex hold by Syuri and she nails a running knee, but the bell rings as time has expired. The match is a Draw.

The best part of this match was just getting to see Syuri do her thing for 15 minutes, she is one of the best strike/submission wrestlers in Japan. Tsukushi kept up pretty well which is a credit to her and it was a really smooth match. Some of the transitions were a bit shaky however and I still am not a fan of draws unless there is a storyline reason for it. No reason for Syuri not to win here as there will likely never be a re-match anyway, but I guess they didn’t want their young star to lose to the outsider. A really solid match overall, but with a few small improvements it would have been really top notch.  Recommended

Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi and Risa Sera

Sera and Yukihi charge their opponents as soon as the bell rings but the veterans quickly take back over and double team Sera. Fujimoto kicks Sera in the back and applies a stretch hold before throwing her to the mat by her hair. Sera comes back with a dropkick and tags Yukihi, but Fujimoto promptly slams her and tags Nakajima. Nakajima tosses Yukihi around and hits a combination of strikes, she puts Yukihi in the ropes and hits a dropkick to the back. Yukihi fights back but Fujimoto dropkicks her, Irish whip by Fujimoto and she hits another dropkick for a two count. Nakajima returns and puts Yukihi in a crab hold, suplex by Nakajima and she covers Yukihi for two. Jumping knee by Nakajima in the corner and she hits a double underhook suplex. Knees by Nakajima and she boots Yukihi in the face. Another boot by Nakajima but Sera runs in, Yukihi hits a STO and tags Sera. Sera dropkicks Nakajima but Fujimoto runs in, Sera puts both her opponents in the corner and hits a running knee to the stomach. Sera puts Nakajima in a crab hold and then into the Rocking Horse. Double knee drops by Sera and she goes for a swinging side slam, but Nakajima reverses it. Fujimoto runs in and kicks Sera, Nakajima does the same and covers Sera for two. Back up they trade elbows, and Nakajima catches Sera with a bridging fallaway slam for two. Fujimoto is tagged in, Nakajima runs back into the ring and kicks Sera in the head. Double dropkick to Sera and they go up top, but Yukihi comes in the ring and they throw Best Friends off the top turnbuckles.

Nakajima and Fujimoto are thrown into the same corner and hit with running strikes, Fujimoto goes for a hurricanrana on Sera but Sera catches her and applies a crab hold. Sera kicks Fujimoto into the corner and hits a running knee, full nelson slam by Sera and she gets a two count. Enzuigiri by Fujimoto, Nakajima runs in and suplexes Sera and Fujimoto applies a Jackknife for two. Sera picks up Fujimoto and hits a reverse neckbreaker, she hits a reverse double knee drop and covers Fujimoto for two. Sera tags in Yukihi and hits a few shoulderblocks but Fujimoto knocks her back and they trade elbows. Sera runs in and Fujimoto eats a double dropkick. They go for a double chokeslam but Fujimoto flips out of it and hits a double dropkick. Nakajima comes in and Yukihi is double teamed in the corner, they both go up top and hit double missile dropkicks for a two count cover. Fujimoto puts Yukihi in a cross-arm submission, Nakajima goes up top and she hits a diving crossbody. Fujimoto goes up top but Sera catches her when she jumps up and nails Ayers Rock. Yukihi kicks Fujimoto in the head, Sera comes in and they hit a double chokeslam. Yukihi goes up top and hits a somersault senton, Fujimoto fights back with elbows but Yukihi nails her with a high kick. Double underhook suplex by Yukihi, but Fujimoto kicks out. Yukihi picks up Fujimoto but she slides away, Fujimoto rolls up Yukihi and she gets a two count. Fujimoto goes up top and hits a diving neckbreaker to Yukihi, picking up a two. Fujimoto the Venus Shoot out of the corner, and she picks up the three count! Nakajima and Fujimoto win the match!

This was good but was missing something to take it to the next level. I don’t think that Yukihi is quite ready for this spot, there were several places that they didn’t seem to be on the same page and the match wasn’t the usual smoothness that I’ve come to expect from Joshi matches. There were also some really iffy transitions, for example towards the end when Fujimoto quickly recovered after Yukihi hit a combination of some of her better moves. I still enjoyed it as Nakajima and Fujimoto are top notch, but it was lacking in quite a few areas.  Mildly Recommended

The post Ice Ribbon on 2/6/16 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: Catch The Wave Young Oh! Oh! (2016)
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches:

• July 21st, 2014 with Mio Shirai vs. Maki Narumiya and Risa Sera  (title challenge)
• November 23rd, 2015 vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto  (title challenge)
• May 4th, 2016 vs. Risa Sera  (title challenge)
• July 3rd, 2016 with Misaki Ohata vs. Jun Kasai and Miyako Matsumoto

Signature Moves:

• Angel Thunder (Diving Forearm Drop)
• Angel’s Trumpet Suplex Hold (Cross-Leg Fisherman Suplex Hold)
• Dropkick
• Frankensteiner
• Schoolgirl (120% Schoolboy)
• Tornado DDT

Sample of Matches Reviewed on Joshi City:

• February 6th, 2016 – Hamuko Hoshi and Mochi Miyagi vs. Hanako Nakamori and Yuuka in Ice Ribbon
• April 10th, 2016 – Nagahama, Rabbit Miyu, and Yuuka vs. Tanaka, Sumire, and Tsukushi in Pro Wrestling WAVE
• May 4th, 2016 – Risa Sera vs. Yuuka in Ice Ribbon
• May 14th, 2016 – Yuuka vs. Misaki Ohata in Pro Wrestling WAVE

In Action:

Angel Thunder

Angel’s Trumpet Suplex Hold

Tornado DDT

Back to Retired Wrestlers

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