Event: Stardom Goddess Of Stars 2019
Date: December 14th, 2019
Location: Yokohama Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Japan
Announced Attendance: 365

While in the ideal world I’d like to catch up on all the Stardom I have missed, realistically that isn’t going to happen. So since I didn’t want to miss out on Hazuki’s last run before retiring, we will pick up at their big show from a few weeks ago, which was part of the Stardom Goddess of Stars tour. This is a pretty full card for a non-Korakuen Hall show, with seven matches and three singles matches. Plus, the main event brings us a tag title challenge, with Riho returning to Stardom to team with the young Starlight Kid. Here is the full card:

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

As this aired on Stardom World, all matches will be shown in full. The wrestlers on the event have profiles on Joshi City, you can click on their name above to go straight to it.

Rina, Hina, and Ruaka vs. Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino

Ruaka and Itsuki start the match, elbows by Itsuki but Ruaka shoulderblocks her to the mat. She tags in Rina, Rina tosses Itsuki down by the hair a few times and stomps her in the corner. Hina is tagged in, scoop slam by Hina and she hits mounted elbows on Itsuki. Iida tries to help but Hina drop toeholds her onto Itsuki, the same happens to Kamitani before Hina jumps on top of the pile. We get back to just one vs. one as Hina trades elbows with Itsuki, Itsuki goes off the ropes but Hina hits a judo toss for two. Hina goes for a scoop slam but Itsuki reverses it into a small package, dropkick by Itsuki and she tags in Iida. Chops by Iida in the corner, Ruaka and Rina both come in to help but Iida throws Rina into Ruaka and then dropkicks Ruaka out of the ring. Iida clubs Hina to the mat, cover by Iida but it gets two. Iida goes off the ropes but Hina catches her with a judo toss and tags in Rina. Iida dropkicks Rina and tags Kamitani, dropkick by Kamitani and she puts Rina in the Muta Lock. She lets go after a moment and applies a single leg crab hold, but Hina breaks it up. Ruaka and Iida both run in but are taken care of, Rina goes to Kamitani but Kamitani connects with a dropkick. Another dropkick by Kamitani and she covers Rina for two. Scoop slam attempt by Kamitani but Rina blocks it and tosses Kamitani to the mat. STO by Rina, and she covers Kamitani for two. Ruaka returns as Kamitani is thrown into the corner, dropkick by Rina and Ruaka boots Kamitani in the chest. Cover by Rina, but it gets a two count. Rina picks up Kamitani and applies a modified Octopus Hold, but Iida breaks it up. Rina and company are all hit with dropkicks, handstand into a kneedrop by Kamitani to Rina and she nails the running Shooting Star Press for the three count! Saya Iida, Saya Kamitani, and Itsuki Hoshino are the winners.

I wouldn’t consider this the smoothest match as there were some miscommunications and awkward moments, that’s one of the common issues when you have a rookie match without a veteran in it to tie things together. Some of the wrestlers looked ok (for rookies/children anyway) and its hard to complain too much about a six minute match, but probably not a match structure that put them in the best position to excel. Not actively bad, just rough around the edges.

AZM, Priestley, Onozaki, and Watanabe vs. Jamie Hayter, Martina, Tora, and Sumire

Oedo Tai attacks before the bell rings as why wouldn’t they, Natsu ends up alone with Leo in the ring while everyone else battles outside of it. Natsu applies a front necklock while Oedo Tai controls the action in the crowd, scoop slam by Natsu and she puts Leo in a stretch hold. AZM runs in and breaks it up, Natsuko and Jamie toss AZM out of the ring as Martina comes in as the legal wrestler. Sidewalk Slam by Martina, but AZM breaks up the cover and tries to get Leo back to her corner. She gets cut off, Martina tags in Natsu and Natsu stomps on Leo’s back. Leo fights back with elbows and they trade shots, Natsu gets the better of it and throws Leo into the corner. Bronco Buster by Natsu, Martina comes in the ring but AZM cuts her off with a dropkick. AZM kicks Natsu in the head but again gets stopped from getting Leo back to her corner, Natsuko sets up Leo in the ropes and all of Oedo Tai pose around her. Jamie is tagged in, scoop slam by Jamie and she covers Leo for two. Jamie picks up Leo but Leo elbows her, more elbows by Leo and Bea runs in with an elbow to Jamie as well. Leo finally makes it to her corner and tags in Bea, Martina tries to help but AZM also comes in and and she drops both Jamie and Martina. Double dropkick by Bea and she nails Jamie with a running knee for a two count cover. Bea tags in Momo, Momo goes for a suplex but Jamie blocks it. Momo gets Jamie’s back but Jamie reverses position and hits a side slam onto her knee.

She tags Natsuko, spear by Natsuko to Momo and she delivers a spinning backfist. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Momo kicks her in the head, another head kick by Martina and she goes for the cover, but moves when Natsu runs in to try to interrupt it. Martina also tries to help but fails, Natsuko runs in but she lariats Natsuko by accident. Running kick by Momo to Natsuko, she tags in Leo and Leo hits a jumping elbow in the corner followed by a cutter. A second cutter by Leo and she covers Natsuko for a two count. Elbows by Leo but Natsuko grabs her from behind and stomps on her. Natsuko goes off the ropes but Bea catches her with a jumping knee, Somato by Momo to Natsuko before Leo covers her, but the pin is broken up. Leo tries to throw Natsuko in the corner but Natsuko reverses it, stomp by Leo and she hits a scoop slam for two. Leo picks up Natsuko and the two trade elbows, Leo elbows Natsuko into the corner but Natsuko avoids her charge and the rest of Oedo Tai all run into elbow her in the corner. Boot by Natsu before Martina hits a Codebreaker on Leo, Samoan Drop by Natsuko but Momo breaks up the cover. Natsuko picks up Leo but Leo reverses the slam attempt into a small package for two. Leo goes off the ropes but Natsuko connects with an elbow, rolling fireman’s carry slam by Natsuko and she goes up top, nailing the diving body press. Cover, and she picks up the three count! Oedo Tai wins the match.

Reddit will get mad at me but the main person holding this match back was Leo. Leo was part of the only real mistake of the match and a few smaller miscommunications, she is just a step behind everyone else in the match. Plus, slow beatdowns of rookies/young wrestlers isn’t incredibly entertaining and that was the bulk of the match. When the other wrestlers were the focus the match was pretty fun, and Bea looked great, but some wrestlers got to do virtually nothing just due to the time length and the structure of the match. Some good offense here and there, but overall it was lacking intrigue and cohesion.

Giulia vs. Saki Kashima

Giulia offers her hand to Saki for a nice handshake, but attacks her instead as they get right to it. Giulia goes for the Glorious Buster but Saki slides out of it, and the two reach an early stalemate. They go into a knucklelock and trade wristlocks, Giulia gets Saki to the mat and applies a crossface which she switches to a headlock when Saki retains her footing. Saki reverses that into a headscissors but Giulia quickly gets out of it, Saki returns to her feet and elbows Giulia against the ropes. Giulia returns fire as they trade blows, Saki throws down Giulia by the hair and goes off the ropes, booting Giulia in the head. Saki goes off the ropes again but this time Giulia catches her with a face crusher, Giulia picks up Saki and throws her into the corner. Giulia knees Saki before dragging her back to her feet, snapmare by Giulia and she applies a reverse chinlock, but Saki wiggles to the ropes for the break.

Giulia throws Saki into the corner but Saki jumps up on the turnbuckle and hits a flying headscissors, boot by Saki and she covers Giulia for two. Saki picks up Giulia and they trade elbows, big boot by Giulia but Saki comes back with a boot of her own and covers Giulia for a two count. Double underhook by Saki but Giulia back bodydrops out of it, both go for quick cradles on the mat but have no luck. Giulia catches Saki’s leg and quickly puts her in the STF, however Saki gets to the ropes for a break. Giulia goes for an elbow but Saki avoids it and delivers a double underhook facebuster for two. Both wrestlers go for their finishers but their opponent slides away, Giulia trips Saki and puts her back in the STF. Saki manages to get a hand on the ropes to get the break, Giulia goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the missile dropkick but Saki reverses her cover into one of her own for two. Giulia is up first and boots Saki, vertical suplex slam by Giulia but Saki barely kicks out of the cover. Giulia picks up Saki and delivers the Glorious Buster, and she picks up the three count! Giulia wins the match.

While I am happy to see Giulia again and this match was fundamentally solid, it had its sloppy moments and took some time to get going. I’m fine with matches starting slow and on the mat, but in a shorter match it just didn’t leave them a lot of time left once things heated up. The last few minutes were good but even then there were a few spots that didn’t look as smooth as would be ideal. It may take some time for Giulia to get chemistry with the Stardom wrestlers, but the effort was clear and Giulia looked strong so that’s a plus. Some potential for sure, just needs some smoothing out.

Andras Miyagi vs. Utami Hayashishita

They lock knuckles to start, Utami applies a wristlock but Andras reverses it. They end up on the mat as Andras applies a kneelock, but Utami kicks her off and they return to their feet. They tie-up, Utami pushes Andras into the ropes but Andras reverses positions with her before hitting a hard elbow. Utami throws Andras to the mat but Andras hits an armdrag, short armbar by Andras into a cross armbreaker but Utami gets to the ropes for the break. Andras kicks Utami and goes back to the arm as she twists it on the mat before stomping on it. Andras kicks at Utami, she picks her up and throws her into the corner, but Utami avoids her charge. Dropkick by Utami, she grabs Andras by the waist but Andras gets away and puts Utami in a modified armbar. Utami gets out of it, they trade waistlocks until Utami puts Andras in a sleeper. Andras slides out of it but Utami re-applies the hold, she takes Andras to the mat while maintaining the sleeper until Andras seems pretty out of it. Utami picks up Andras and nails a German suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Utami Hayashishita wins the match.

So this match just screamed “house show mid-card time filler.” I think Utami only had three successful moves in the match total as most of it was arm work by Andras. And the arm work was done well but in this short of a match there was just no payoff, as she ended up not really hitting a single move of note either. Also, Utami using a “put someone to sleep, then hit a suplex to win” tactic is bizarre since in theory if you put your opponent to sleep you win the match anyway without the extra effort. Pretty much a nothing match, not offensive but not necessary either.

Arisa Hoshiki, Iwatani, and Nakano vs. Death Yama-san, Hana Kimura, and Zoe Lucas

Tam and Yama-san start the match, Yama-san does her wacky bit until Tam kicks her in the back. Armdrag by Yama-san and she trips Tam, but Tam bridges out of the pin and hits a neckbreaker. Mayu and Arisa come in and they triple team Yama-san, ending with a triple dropkick. Cartwheel kneedrop by Tam, and she covers Yama-san for two. Tam goes off the ropes but Hana kicks her from the apron, Yama-san tags in Hana and they both boot Tam. Hana kicks Tam into the corner before tagging in Zoe, Zoe chokes Tam in the corner before stretching her in the ropes. Zoe tags Yama-san, Yama-san throws Tam into the corner but Tam avoids her charge and hits an elbow. Backdrop attempt by Tam but Yama-san blocks it and hits a suplex of her own, she goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a backdrop suplex and makes the tag to Mayu. Irish whip by Mayu, she rolls Yama-san to the mat before kicking her in the face. Yama-san thrusts Mayu in the neck and applies a stretch hold, but Mayu gets into the ropes for the break. Yama-san tags Hana, Hana charges Mayu and boots her in the side of the head. She hits another boot, cover by Hana but Mayu kicks out.

Hana picks up Mayu but Mayu kicks her in the stomach, Mayu goes off the ropes but Hana plants her with a dropkick. Hana goes for a vertical suplex but Mayu blocks it and applies a front necklock, Hana muscles out of the hold and eventually hits her vertical suplex for a two count. Hana goes off the ropes but Mayu catches her with a Sling Blade, both wrestlers roll to their corners as Arisa and Zoe are tagged in. Kicks by Zoe, she goes off the ropes and slams Arisa’s head into the mat for a two count cover. Zoe picks up Arisa and hits a series of elbows, Arisa fires back with a kick as Tam arrives and they both hit Zoe with running strikes. Another kick to the head by Arisa, but the cover is broken up. Arisa picks up Zoe but Zoe ducks the Brazilian Kick as her teammates both run in to help. Split Legdrop by Zoe, but Arisa gets a shoulder up on the cover. Zoe goes off the ropes and delivers a Scissors Kick, but her pin attempt is broken up. Mayu and Tam stay in to take care of Hana and Yama-san, Mayu superkicks Zoe and Arisa nails a jumping knee. Brazilian Kick by Arisa, and she covers Zoe for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, and Tam Nakano are the winners.

This match was perfectly fine but nothing special. Its a bit disappointing to see wrestlers like Mayu, Arisa, and Hana in a meaningless eight minute midcard match, but its a combination of this being a small show and Stardom simply being stacked right now so sometimes wrestlers aren’t in the ideal position. I’m not a big fan of Kaori Yoneyama’s shtick, at least not this high on the card, its more a comedy match or opening match gimmick than anything I could take seriously against the promotion’s top wrestlers. A decent enough match for what it was, but utterly forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

Hazuki vs. Kagetsu

The match starts slow as they feel each other out, they trade holds on the mat but eventually reach a stalemate. Back up, Kagetsu takes Hazuki down and gets in the mount, she goes for a choke but Hazuki blocks it and switches into the dominate position. Kagetsu gets back in control with a front necklock, she twists Hazuki into a submission hold but Hazuki gets into the ropes for the break. Kagetsu kicks Hazuki in the chest repeatedly and goes off the ropes, but Hazuki catches her with a dropkick. Hazuki boots Kagetsu while she is against the ropes before connecting with a facewash, sending Kagetsu out of the ring. Hazuki goes off the ropes and sails out with a tope suicida, but Kagetsu moves and Hazuki lands on the rest of Oedo Tai instead. Kagetsu quickly returns to the ring and does a dive of her own, but Hazuki moves this time and again the rest of Oedo Tai takes the brunt of the assault. Hazuki gets another running start and this time lands on Kagetsu when she dives out of the ring (along with everyone else in Oedo Tai again), Hazuki rolls Kagetsu back in but immediately tosses her back out and throws Kagetsu into the chairs at ringside. Hazuki hits Kagetsu with chairs as she walks her around the crowd, they finally return to the ring and Hazuki hits a swandive missile dropkick to Kagetsu’s back. Running boot by Hazuki, she drapes Kagetsu over the second rope and twists on her neck before hitting a full nelson slam onto her knee for a two count. Modified armtrap crossface by Hazuki but Kagetsu gets to the ropes, Hazuki quickly picks her up and slams her in front of the corner. Hazuki goes up top but Kagetsu avoids the senton and delivers a running knee, leaving both hurt on the mat. Kagetsu recovers first and picks up Hazuki, Hazuki elbows her but Kagetsu returns fire and they trade blows.

Kagetsu wins the battle as she elbows Hazuki to the mat, she drags her up but Hazuki elbows her again as the exchange continues. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Kagetsu ducks an elbow and delivers a strike combination, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she covers Hazuki for two. Kagetsu picks up Hazuki and hits the chokeslam, but again Hazuki kicks out of the cover. Kagetsu quickly puts Hazuki in a keylock but Hazuki rolls to the ropes to force the break. Kagetsu positions Hazuki and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Hazuki recovers before she can jump off and boots her. Hazuki suplexes Kagetsu back into the ring, she sets her up in the corner and delivers a Codebreaker. Hazuki puts Kagetsu on the top turnbuckle and hits another Codebreaker, she goes up top herself this time and nails the diving senton for a two count. Hazuki drags Kagetsu to her feet and drops her with a brainbuster, she puts Kagetsu in the armtrap crossface, she switches it to the Rings of Saturn but Kagetsu gets a foot on the ropes for a break. Hazuki picks up Kagetsu but Kagetsu blocks the suplex attempt and throws Hazuki into the referee. Blue Mist by Kagetsu while the referee isn’t looking, she hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner before nailing the Oedo Coaster. She picks up Hazuki and tries to put her on her shoulders, but Hazuki slides off her back and applies La Magistral for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Kagetsu kicks her in the head, Death Valley Bomb by Kagetsu and she picks up the three count! Kagetsu wins!

I wish this match had been Hazuki’s retirement match, it would have been a much more fitting end to her career. Even though these two don’t wrestle against each other often, they still have great chemistry from being partners and from training, as this was a pretty flawlessly executed match. They started slow but they slowly ramped up the offense, and even when Hazuki took over with her bigger moves she still went for submissions as well so it wasn’t just non-stop bombs with little meaning. Hazuki’s offense is unique and fun to watch, and as everyone knows I am a mark for the mist so Kagetsu is always entertaining as far as I am concerned. A great match that really flew by and Kagetsu winning in part due to Oedo Tai tactics fit in well, one of the better singles matches of Hazuki’s short career.  Highly Recommended

(c) Jungle Kyona and Konami vs. Riho and Starlight Kid
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Kyona starts the match against Starlight Kid, and she immediately knocks the smaller wrestler to the mat. Starlight Kid quickly gets back up and they trade elbows, Kyona delivers a series of hard elbows but Starlight Kid stays up and slaps Kyona in the face. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and goes for a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, Kyona initially blocks it but Starlight Kid completes the move anyway and hits a dropkick. Riho comes in and they double team Kyona, ending with a double knee to the back and a double dropkick. Footstomp by Starlight Kid, and she covers Kyona for two. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Kyona delivers a dropkick, sending Starlight Kid out of the ring. Konami quickly runs in and hits a baseball slide on both Starlight Kid and Riho before Kyona goes to the ropes and does a pescado down onto both of them. Kyona slides Starlight Kid back in and kicks her into the ropes, Konami grabs Starlight Kid from the apron and applies an armbar over the top rope. Kyona tags in Konami, Konami stomps on Starlight Kid before snapmaring her to the mat and kicking her in the back. Kyona returns as legal, she picks up Starlight Kid and applies a backbreaker. Gutbuster by Kyona and she puts Starlight Kid in a single leg crab hold, but Starlight Kid gets to the ropes for the break. Kyona tags Konami, Starlight Kid recovers and elbows Konami before hitting a rebound crossbody off the ropes. Standing moonsault by Starlight Kid, she crawls to her corner and makes the hot tag to Riho. Riho boots Konami and Kyona, she hits a jumping crossbody on Konami but Konami rolls through it. Riho quickly kicks out of the corner and hits a dropkick, armtrap crossface by Riho but Kyona breaks it up. Riho picks up Konami but Konami hits an enzuigiri before tagging in Kyona.

Body Avalanche by Kyona to Riho and she dropkicks her against the ropes, sliding lariat by Kyona and she goes for a powerbomb, but Starlight Kid breaks it up. Kyona hits a double suplex on both of them, Kyona picks up Riho for a powerbomb while Konami goes to the top turnbuckle, but Starlight Kid grabs Konami from the apron. Riho gets out of the powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana, but she only gets a two. Lariat by Kyona to Riho but Riho comes back with a jumping knee, cover by Riho but again she gets a two count. Riho goes up top but Kyona recovers and joins her, they struggle for position until Riho knocks Kyona into a Tree of Woe position. Double kneedrop by Riho, she goes off the ropes and goes for the Somato, but Kyona moves out of the way and delivers a lariat. Riho tags in Starlight Kid, Starlight Kid prevents Kyona from tagging out before hitting her with a jumping lariat. Tiger Feint Kick attempt by Starlight Kid but Kyona blocks it, Starlight Kid cradles Kyona but it gets a two. Cartwheel powerbomb by Starlight Kid, she picks up Kyona and goes for a crossbody, but Kyona catches her and hits a backbreaker. Kyona tags Konami, sliding kick by Konami to Starlight Kid and she hits a vertical suplex for two. Konami goes for a cross armbreaker, Starlight Kid gets out of it so Konami applies a double armbar instead. Starlight Kid gets to the ropes to force the break, Konami picks her up but Starlight Kid blocks the suplex attempt and Riho runs in with a jumping knee to Kyona.

Capture Suplex Hold by Starlight Kid, but Konami gets a shoulder up. Starlight Kid goes up to the top turnbuckle and nails the Swivel Body Press, but Kyona breaks up the cover. Kyona stays in and elbows Starlight Kid, she swings her around in the sleeper giant swing before letting to so that Konami can put her in the Triangle Lancer. Riho breaks up the hold, Riho and Starlight Kid go off the ropes and both hit spinning headscissors on their opponents. Kyona and Konami fall out of the ring, Starlight Kid and Riho go to opposite corners and dive out of the ring onto them with planchas. Starlight Kid and Konami return to the ring, Konami pushes Starlight Kid off but Starlight Kid blocks the Triangle Lancer and the two trade flash pins. Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and jumps on Konami’s back, but Kyona runs in and lariats her. Sliding lariat attempt by Kyona but she hits Konami by accident, jumping knee by Riho to Konami and Starlight Kid dropkicks Konami in the knee. Somato to the back of the head by Riho, Starlight Kid delivers the Yoshi Tonic to Konami but Kyona breaks up the pin attempt. Starlight Kid positions Konami and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Kyona grabs her before she can do the moonsault. She holds up Starlight Kid so that Konami can deliver a dropkick as she plants Starlight Kid with a powerbomb, Buzzsaw Kick by Konami but Starlight Kid grabs the bottom rope to break the pin. Konami grabs Starlight Kid and hits a bridging capture suplex, but Riho breaks it up. Kyona takes care of Riho while Konami puts Starlight Kid in the Final Lancer, and Starlight Kid has no choice but to submit! Jungle Kyona and Konami win and retain the championships.

With all the retirements going on, the one that will probably annoy me the most is Starlight Kid’s inevitable exit from wrestling. From all accounts, whoever is under the mask is a very intelligent woman who prioritizes her education over wrestling (or has up to this point), which is great for her but bad for us as she is really really good at wrestling. Everyone in this match is quality but Starlight Kid still managed to jump out of the screen and leave a lasting impression, as she is different from everyone else in Stardom and continues to improve each time I see her. This match is classic Joshi Chaos, with something always happening and not a ton of long term selling. As long as you enjoy Joshi Chaos, which I do, you’ll really enjoy this match. They kept Starlight Kid the focus since Riho is only a part-timer, with the story being if she could finally get a big pinfall over one of her seniors. She couldn’t, but not due to lack of trying as she really met the challenge. Konami and Kyona both seemed fired up as well and everything clicked, for all the action they squeezed into a 16 minute match it never felt out of sync or forced. A fantastic main event, and the last two matches really saved this show from being utterly forgettable.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Goddess Of Stars 2019 on 12/14/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jamie Hayter vs. Saya Iida vs. Utami Hayashishita

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bobbi Tyler vs. Starlight Kid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Stardom World Big Summer in Osaka on 7/20/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Event: Stardom Shining Destiny 2019
Date: June 16th, 2019
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 890

As I stated during my last Stardom review, even though in general I am behind in reviews I want to make sure all the Korakuen Hall Stardom events are covered in a timely manner. Stardom Shining Destiny 2019 was a big event for the promotion, with three championship matches! Here is the full card:

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

All the wrestlers above have a profile on Joshi City, you can click on their names to go straight to it. I am reviewing the Samurai TV! version of this show, so some matches may be clipped.

Hina vs. Leo Onozaki

We join this one a bit in progress as they trade elbows, Leo goes off the ropes but Hina tosses her to the mat. STO by Hina, and she covers Leo for two. Scoop slam by Hina and she goes for a cross armbreaker, but Leo keeps her hands locked until she makes it into the ropes. Hina picks up Leo but Leo throws her into the corner, jumping elbow by Leo and she hits a cutter. Cover by Leo, but it gets two. Leo goes for a slam but Hina blocks it, Hina goes for a dropkick but Leo swats it out of the way. Hina doe the same to her and they trade flash pins until Leo holds down Hina for the three count! Leo Onozaki wins.

When you need a flash pin to beat a 12 year old, probably not a good sign for your long term career. This was a short match that was clipped even shorter, nothing wrong with it but too short and basic to get excited about. Not much to see here, unless you just really want to see their gradual improvement.

Bobbi Tyler, Death Yama-san, and Ruaka vs. Kashima, Iida, and Zoe Lucas

TCS won’t shake hands before the match so they get jumped from behind, Yama-san is isolated in the ring and triple teamed. We jump ahead to Ruaka and Saya in the ring, dropkick by Saya and she tags in Saki. Saki boots Ruaka in the head, Bobbi and Yama-san run in but Saki beats up all three of them. Saki picks up Ruaka and hits a butterfly suplex for a two count. Irish whip by Saki but Ruaka hits a jumping crossbody, that gives her time to tag in Bobbi but Saki grabs her wrist and hits a springboard hurricanrana. She tags in Zoe, Zoe is elbowed into the corner and Bobbi hits a pair of running elbows. Zoe avoids the third and boots Bobbi in the corner, cover by Zoe but it gets two. Zoe picks up Bobbi but Bobbi hits an enzuigiri, Zoe kicks her back however and both wrestlers end up on the mat. They crawl to their corners as Yama-san and Saya are tagged in, dropkicks by Saya and she covers Yama-san for a two count. Saki comes in and she elbows Yama-san in the corner, Saya follows with a dropkick by Saki hits a face crusher. Dropkick by Saya, she goes off the ropes but Yama-san knees her in the stomach. Yama-san picks up Saya but Saya rolls her up and the two trade flash pins. Zoe kicks Saya in the head, schoolboy by Yama-san and she gets the three count! Tokyo Cyber Squad are the winners.

I guess the swerve here is that Zoe Lucas joined Tokyo Cyber Squad, since Zoe wasn’t drafted she isn’t officially affiliated with STARS so this doesn’t break the draft mechanism. A short match slightly clipped to be even shorter and Saya Iida was the focus, which is fine but she obviously isn’t as good as most the other wrestlers. Even in this brief match she messed up a few times, she’s still learning. The match in general was pretty rough around the edges. Best to be forgotten, aside from Zoe Lucas’ heel turn.

AZM and Bea Priestley vs. Mayu Iwatani and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and AZM start the match, they go into a fast exchange until Starlight Kid dropkicks AZM to the mat. Mayu runs in and they Irish whip AZM, but Bea comes in and dropkicks both of them. Scoop slam by AZM to Starlight Kid and she stomps down on her arm before tagging in Bea. Armbreaker by Bea and she stomps down on Starlight Kid’s elbow, she tags AZM back in and AZM elbows Starlight Kid repeatedly in the chest. Irish whip by AZM but Starlight Kid rebounds off the ropes with a crossbody for two. She tags in Mayu, dropkick by Mayu and she throws AZM into the corner. Irish whip by Mayu, reversed, but rolls AZM to the mat before hitting a dropkick. Bea returns, double Irish whip to Mayu but Mayu grabs their wrists and hits a double springboard armdrag. Standing moonsaults by Starlight Kid and Mayu, cover by Mayu to AZM but it gets two. Elbows by Mayu to AZM, Irish whip to the corner but AZM hits a triple jump crossbody. AZM rolls to her corner and tags Bea, Irish whip by Bea to the corner, reversed by Mayu but Mayu jumps out of the corner and hits a jumping knee. She rolls Mayu to the mat and applies a scissored armbar, but Mayu wiggles to the ropes and gets there for the break.

Bea puts Mayu against the ropes but Mayu avoids the Bea-Trigger, kicks by Mayu but Bea kicks her in the head. Superkick by Mayu, she kicks Bea against and makes it to her corner to tag Starlight Kid. Starlight Kid dropkicks Bea in the corner, jumping lariat by Starlight Kid and she covers Bea for two. Starlight Kid picks up Bea but Bea swings away, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes but Bea blocks the tilt-a-whirl DDT. Mayu superkicks Bea, swinging neckbreaker by Starlight Kid and she goes up top, nailing a swivel body press. Cover by Starlight Kid, but Bea barely kicks out. Starlight Kid jumps on Bea’s back but Bea pushes her off, AZM tries to help but she kicks Bea by accident. Yoshi Tonic by Starlight Kid, but it gets a two count. A cradle by Starlight Kid gets the same result, she picks up Bea and goes off the ropes, but Bea nails her with the Bea-Trigger. Diving footstomp by AZM, Bea finishes with a PK but Starlight Kid kicks out of the cover. Bea picks up Starlight Kid and delivers the Regal-Plex, but Mayu breaks it up. AZM takes care of Mayu, Bea picks up Starlight Kid and goes goes the Queen’s Landing, but Starlight Kid reverses it into a cradle for two. High kick by Bea, she picks up Starlight Kid and delivers the Queen’s Landing for the three count! AZM and Bea Priestley win!

I know that the official Stardom account on Reddit has said that Starlight Kid’s place in the promotion is limited due to her height, but I think they’d be making a big mistake blocking her growth as she is already so smooth at the age of 17 or 18. She tends to be the highlight of any match she is in, which is saying something when Mayu and Bea are in the match as well. Aside from a moment or two of awkwardness, everything worked well here as both Mayu and Starlight Kid have offense that looks great and are capable of making other wrestler’s offense look great as well. There wasn’t much of a story here, just two teams wasting no time as there was constant action. A fun midcard match, and if Starlight Kid keeps wrestling after graduating and the promotion doesn’t hold her back, she could be a big star in just a few years.  Recommended

(c) Hana Kimura, Kyona, and Konami vs. Andras Miyagi, Kagetsu, and Natsu Sumire
Artist of Stardom Championship

TCS attacks Oedo Tai before the match starts and the brawl is on, the action spills to the outside and both teams take turns being in control. Hana and Kyona get in the ring with Andras and double team her, Konami joins in the fun too and all three pose on her. Hana and Konami go off the ropes but are tripped from the floor, leaving Andras along in the ring with Kyona. Andras flings down Kyona by the hair and tags in Kagetsu, Natsu also comes in and they both lariat Kyona. Cover by Kagetsu, but it gets a two count. Kagetsu picks up Kyona and tags Natsu, Natsu has her whip and she hits Kyona with it. The referee gets rid of the whip, Natsu gets Kyona in the corner and she hits the Bronco Buster. We clip ahead to Andras being in the ring with Kyona, headbutt by Andras and she hits a front dropkick. Kyona fires back with a lariat and both wrestlers are down on the mat, they roll to their corners and tag in Kagetsu and Hana. Kagetsu and Hana trade elbows, kicks by Hana and she boots Kagetsu in the face. Kagetsu elbows Hana back but Hana starts to put her in the Ground Manjikatame. She reverts it into a seated armbar but Kagetsu wiggles to the ropes and gets the break.

Hana picks up Kagetsu but Andras spits water in her face, Natsu runs in and boots Hana before Kagetsu hits a vertical suplex. Hana stops Kagetsu from tagging out and tags in Konami, Konami goes for the Triangle Lancer but Kagetsu blocks it and tags in Natsu. Natsu comes in with a diving crossbody, Kyona runs in and lariats Natsu, allowing Konami to cover her for two. Natsu is triple teamed before Konami kicks her in the head, but Andras breaks up the cover. Konami applies the Triangle Lancer but Kagetsu and Andras both break it up, they stay in the ring and take turns striking Konami. Natsu ends it with a neck drop, bridging suplex by Natsu and she gets a two count. Natsu applies a dragon sleeper but Konami reverses it, Andras runs in and dropkicks Konami before Natsu hits her with a Shining Wizard, Natsu picks up Konami and nails the capture brainbuster, but Kyona breaks up the cover. Natsu picks up Konami and kicks at her, she goes off the ropes but Konami ducks her boot. Natsu ducks her anyway and goes for a cover, but she didn’t notice that Hana had tagged herself in (neither did I). Hana hits a front dropkick and boots Natsu while she is against the ropes, another boot by Hana and she covers Natsu for two.

Hana picks up Natsu but Natsu blocks the suplex attempt and schoolboys Hana for two. She tags in Kagetsu, but Hana doesn’t notice so she gets hit by Kagetsu from behind with a sign board. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu, but Hana gets a shoulder up on the cover. Kagetsu picks up Hana and nails he chokeslam, but Kyona breaks up the pin. She drags her up again and hits an Ebisu Drop in front of the corner, she goes up top but Konami kicks her from the apron. Kyona comes in and powerbombs Kagetsu, running boot by Hana to Kagetsu but Andras breaks up the pin. Natsu and Andras take care of Konami and Kyona, they throw Hana out of the ring before Andras and Kagetsu both hit dives out of the ring. Kagetsu gets on the top rope while Hana is dragged back into the ring, Oedo Coaster by Kagetsu but Hana barely kicks out. Kagetsu drags up Hana but Hana slides off her shoulders, Kagetsu nails her with a big boot and covers her for two. Hana quickly applies the Ground Manjikatame, Kagetsu struggles but she has no choice but to submit! Tokyo Cyber Squad retains the titles!

This was really good but it didn’t blow me away. It was slightly clipped but nothing too excessive, I think we got the gist of it. The best thing about the match, oddly, is they seemed to go out of their way to put over Natsu which was a good idea as she appeared to be the weak link in the match. That gave her some legitimacy, which she needed since a lot of times she is a comedy act or fighting against the kids. Hana looked great and may be in line for a bigger push soon. I didn’t love the ending though, Kagetsu was in the submission for a really long time, much longer than you’d expect in a six woman match without having a partner break it up, I’d have preferred a faster tap-out. An entertaining fast paced match with a lot of action, it just didn’t do anything special to elevate itself to the next level.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita vs. Hazuki and Natsuko Tora
Goddesses of Stardom Championship

Utami and Natsuko start the match, they tie-up until Utami gets Natsuko in the ropes, but Natsuko pushes her away. Natsuko gets Utami to the mat and they jockey for position, Natsuko applies a side headlock but Utami reverses it into a headscissors. Natsuko gets out of it and they return to their feet, both tag out and Hazuki immediately gets into it with Momo. Armdrag by Momo but Hazuki flings her to the mat, another armdrag by Momo but Natsuko kicks her from the apron and Hazuki delivers a dropkick. Elbows by Hazuki but Hazuki runs in and hits a judo toss, Somato by Momo but it gets a two count. Momo applies the crossface chickenwing but Natsuko breaks it up, Utami throws Natsuko out of the ring while Momo picks up Hazuki, but Hazuki blocks the B Driver and hits a Somato for two. Hazuki goes off the ropes but Momo hits a high kick, half and half suplex by Momo but Hazuki lands on her feet and applies La Magistral for two. We jump ahead but Hazuki and Momo are still in the ring, pump kick by Hazuki and both wrestlers are hurt on the mat. Hazuki makes the tag to Natsuko and she cuts off Momo, hitting a spear. Another spear by Natsuko and she hits a third, getting a two count cover. Natsuko throws Momo into the corner but Momo jumps up on the second turnbuckle and hits a Diving Somato.

Utami comes in and slams Natsuko, running Somato by Momo but Hazuki breaks up the cover. Hazuki stays in and kicks Momo, Momo kicks them both but is caught by a Code Breaker by Hazuki and a spear by Natsuko. Natsuko goes up top and hits a diving body press, but Utami breaks up he cover. Utami throws Hazuki out of the ring, she goes to Natsuko but Hazuki hits a swandive dropkick on both Momo and Utami. Natsuko grabs Momo and slams her in front of the corner, Natsuko goes up top and hits another diving body press followed by another one before Hazuki drops Momo with a brainbuster. Natsuko goes up top again and hit a third diving body press, but Momo gets a shoulder up on the cover. Natsuko picks up Momo and hits a swinging side slam, but again Momo kicks out. Natsuko picks up Momo but Momo elbows her, Natsuko fires back with a spear and goes up top, hitting a diving leg drop for a two count when Utami breaks it up. Hazuki comes in but Utami drops her with a release German, she hits Natsuko with a lariat and then assists Momo in delivering the B Driver. Momo waits for Natsuko to get up and hits a high kick, half and half suplex hold by Momo but Hazuki breaks up the pin. Momo picks up Natsuko and nails the Peach Sunrise, and she picks up the three count! Momo Watanabe and Utami Hayashishita are still the champions.

Samurai TV did us no favors here, as a good chunk of the match was missing. What they showed was perfectly fine, all four are good to great wrestlers and they aren’t going to ever put on a bad match. I didn’t like how repetitive Natsuko’s offense was, she really needs more than just diving body presses and spears, hopefully if she is going to start getting title matches she will diversify her portfolio. I wanted to see more of Utami so of course she did very little with Momo doing the brunt of the work. Between the clipping and Natsuko’s unoriginality I can’t really say this needs to be sought out, but it was the hard hitting action you would expect.

(c) Arisa Hoshiki vs. Tam Nakano
World of Stardom Championship

They are slow to lockup as they size each other up, Tam gets Arisa to the mat and they trade positions back and forth. Tam gets a grounded necklock applied and then puts Arisa in a side headlock, but Arisa gets out of it. Tam goes for Arisa’s ankle but Arisa gets away and applies a crab hold, Tam gets to the ropes however and forces the break. Arisa puts Tam in the corner and charges her, but Tam kicks her back and applies a dragon sleeper from the top rope. Tam dumps Arisa out to the apron and kicks her out of the ring, Tam goes up top and dives out onto Arisa with a plancha. Tam slides Arisa back in and kicks her into the corner, she twists Arisa’s leg around the bottom rope and twists it until the referee gets her to stop. Scoop slam by Tam and she applies a modified figure four, but Arisa gets to the ropes for the break. Tam drops a knee on Arisa’s leg, Arisa fights back with elbows but Tam slaps her in the face. Tam goes off the ropes but Arisa kicks her in the chest, Arisa quickly gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving kneedrop for a two count.

Arisa goes off the ropes but Tam avoids her kick, she cartwheels Arisa to the mat and applies a cross kneelock. Arisa gets in the ropes for the break, running knee by Tam and she hits a backdrop suplex. Tam goes up top but Arisa recovers and joins her, Arisa and Tam trade elbows until Arisa knees Tam in the head, sending her to the apron. Arisa joins Tam on the apron and hits a running double knee, but Tam bridges away and drops Arisa on the apron with a German suplex. Tam returns to the ring with Arisa slowly following, Tam and Arisa trade elbows until delivers a jumping kick. Arisa picks up Tam and delivers the Diamond Buster, she goes up top but Tam avoids the ADAMAS. Spinning kick by Tam, she goes up top and nails the Destiny Hammer but Arisa grabs her when she goes off the ropes. Tam wiggles away and kicks Arisa in the head, another head kick by Tam and she covers Arisa for two. Tam goes for a tiger suplex but Arisa blocks it, high kick by Arisa and she goes up top, delivering the 1399.

Arisa picks up Tam and hits a jumping kick, she goes up top and nails the ADAMAS, but Tam kicks out of the cover. Arisa picks up Tam bu Tam ducks the Brazilian Kick and hits a high kick instead. Sliding knee by Tam, but Arisa grabs the ropes to break up the cover. Tam picks up Arisa and nails the tiger suplex hold, but Arisa gets a shoulder up. Tam drags Arisa to her feet and goes for an arm trapped German, but Arisa gets into the ropes before she ca hit the move. Tam goes off the ropes but Arisa nails her in the head with a jumping knee. Brazilian Kick by Arisa, but she is slow to make the cover and Tam gets a shoulder up before the three count. They slowly get to their knees and trade elbows, more elbows by Arisa as they are on their feet but Tam delivers a high kick. Tam picks up Arisa and kicks her repeatedly in the head, she goes off the ropes but Arisa plants her with a jumping knee. Running knee by Arisa and she drops Tam with a Brazilian Kick for the three count! Arisa Hoshiki retains the championship.

There were tiny issues here and there that would prevent this from being the MOTY for me, but this was a fantastic match. Arisa Hoshiki has improved so much just this year, she wasn’t spamming the same moves like she did in the Momo match and all her knees were on point. Tam wasn’t quite as tight with her strikes as Arisa was but still put on the best singles match of her career, her leg work was well done (even if forgotten) and they mixed in big spots well to pop the crowd at the right moments. A few issues – the apron German led to just a 50/50 elbow spot which felt off, the leg work was never sold by Arisa for even a second when she wasn’t in a hold, and some of the Tam’s kicks whiffed. Still, far more good than bad here and the overall package was an entertaining and hard hitting match between two wrestlers trying to show they belong in the top tier of Stardom.  Highly Recommended

The post Stardom Shining Destiny 2019 on 6/16/19 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

I have gotten a bit behind in my Stardom viewing, but there wasn’t any way I was skipping this event. In May, it was announced that Io Shirai had (finally) signed with WWE and would have her last match in Stardom on June 17th. For the special occasion, she is teaming with her old friend Mayu Iwatani to rejoin Thunder Rock for perhaps the last time as they face off against the evil Oedo Tai. Also on the show, Momo Watanabe defends her new title against Jungle Kyona in the main event. Here is the full card:

• Kaori Yoneyama and Ruaka vs. Leo Onozaki and Natsuko Tora
• Hanan vs. Natsu Sumire
• AZM and Konami vs. Shiki Shibusawa and Starlight Kid
• Deonna Purrazzo and Zoe Lucas vs. Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano
• Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Hazuki and Kagetsu
• Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona

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

Kaori Yoneyama and Ruaka vs. Leo Onozaki and Natsuko Tora

Leo and Natsuko attack from behind before the bell rings, they single out Kaori and Ruaka jumps on Kaori’s back as they all pose on her. So Ruaka isn’t the best teammate. Things settle down with Kaori and Leo in the ring and Kaori throws down Leo by the hair, Kaori stands on Leo’s shoulders in the corner and she hits a series of Mongolian Chops. Leo hits a scoop slam, cover by Leo but it gets a two count. Leo goes up top as Ruaka is in the ring, Natsuko comes in and she hits a spear on both Kaori and Ruaka. Diving crossbody by Leo to Ruaka, but it gets a two count. A cradle by Leo also gets a two as Kaori breaks it up, Natsuko returns but Kaori and Ruaka gain the advantage. Ruaka goes off the ropes and boots Leo in the face, but Leo barely gets a shoulder up on the cover. Fisherman Suplex Hold by Ruaka, and she picks up the three count! Kaori Yoneyama and Ruaka pick up the win.

A basic match, and a bit clipped, but fine enough for an opener. From the little I have seen I like Leo a lot, she has a lot of energy and at least from the matches I’ve watched she seems pretty fluid in the ring. Obviously can’t get too excited about a clipped five minute match but the rookies are coming along pretty well.

Hanan vs. Natsu Sumire

Hanan desperately wants a handshake before the match but Natsu refuses. Eventually Natsu relents but Hanan kicks her in the stomach, Hana goes off the ropes but Natsu does too and hits a jumping neck drop. Natsu picks up Hanan and puts her in the ropes before putting her in a choke hold, she lets go long enough to run off the ropes and boot Hanan in the back of the head. Natsu picks up Hanan and throws her into the corner, running elbow by Natsu and she delivers the Bronco Buster. Natsu gets her whip and hits Hanan repeatedly with it, but the referee finally grabs it, giving Hanan time to dropkick the whip out of the ring. Judo throw by Hanan and she dropkicks Natsu in the corner, STO by Hanan and she hits two more. Cradle by Hanan, but Natsu kicks out of the cover. Natsu gets Hanan’s back and applies a modified Dragon Sleeper before hitting a reverse DDT. Natsu picks up Hanan and delivers a modified Blockbuster Hold for the three count! Natsu Sumire is the winner.

Poor 13 year old Hanan, once you take a Bronco Buster and get whipped in the ring I guess you are officially a pro wrestler. Hanan got in a few spots as one would hope but this was mostly the Natsu show. Natsu is not a high end wrestler, never has been and probably never will be, but her character is solid and she’ll have a place on Stardom’s midcard for the long term. A decent enough match but nothing that will stick in your brain for more than five minutes as it was pretty predictable and low level.

AZM and Konami vs. Shiki Shibusawa and Starlight Kid

Starlight Kid and AZM kick things off, Irish whip by AZM but Starlight Kid reverses it and they go through a fast exchange with Starlight Kid ending it with a dropkick. Shiki comes in the ring to help and they both dropkick AZM, double Irish whip to AZM but Konami runs in and helps AZM even the odds. AZM picks up Starlight Kid and tags Konami as they double team Starlight Kid in the corner, Konami snapmares Starlight Kid and kicks her hard in the back. Dropkick to the head by Konami and she covers Starlight Kid for two. AZM is tagged back in, scoop slam by AZM and she puts Starlight Kid in a camel clutch as Konami runs in to dropkick her. AZM goes off the ropes and hits a dropkick of her own, cover by AZM but Starlight Kid bridges out of it and hits a crossbody. AZM bridges out of that but Shiki immediately dropkicks her, Starlight Kid goes off the ropes and dropkicks AZM before hitting a standing moonsault for a two count. Shiki comes in again after AZM has tagged out, Tiger Feint Kick by Starlight Kid to Konami and she hits a Shiranui out of the corner. Missile dropkick by Shiki and she rolls up Konami, but AZM breaks up the cover. Shiki picks up Konami and goes off the ropes, but Konami quickly applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Starlight Kid breaks it up, AZM comes in and she kicks Starlight Kid in the head. Strike combination by Konami to Shiki and she hits a vertical suplex, AZM comes in and they both dropkick Shiki. Kick to the head by Konami, she flings Shiki to the mat and puts her in a seated armbar, making Shiki tap out! Queen’s Quest win!

I’ve said this about other wrestlers in the past, but if Starlight Kid sticks to wrestling (her exact age is unknown but probably around 16) she could be legit down the road as she has a natural smoothness to her that can’t be taught. As is the theme so far, this was a short match that was slightly clipped further, but I enjoyed what I saw. Shiki is the weakest link of this foursome but they asked the least from her, so everything meshed together pretty well. Worth watching to see the progression of AZM and Starlight Kid, they’ve grown a lot in the last year and hopefully they will continue to do so.  Mildly Recommended

Deonna Purrazzo and Zoe Lucas vs. Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano

Deonna and Saki start for their respective teams, Irish whip by Saki and she hits a springboard armdrag off the ropes. Deonna cartwheels over Saki and hits an armdrag, they both miss dropkicks before facing off again in the middle of the ring. They tag out, Zoe and Tam trade kick attempts until Zoe connects with one and drags Deonna back in. Double Irish whip to Tam and she eats a double flapjack, cover by Deonna but it gets two. Deonna goes off the ropes but Tam catches her with a kick to the head, she goes for a scoop slam but Deonna blocks it. Tam puts Deonna in position for a reverse DDT, Zoe tries to block it but Tam DDTs both of them for her trouble. Saki comes in, double Irish whip to the gaijin both are hit with Stunners. Saki and Tam go off the ropes and both hit dropkicks, Tam goes for a kick on Deonna but Deonna ducks it and knees Tam in the stomach. Side Russian Leg Sweep by Deonna and she goes for Tam’s arm, but Tam blocks it and kicks Deonna in the head. Deonna comes back with a head kick of her own, both wrestler tag out and Saki trades elbows with Zoe. Zoe throws Saki into the corner and delivers a running kick, scissors kick by Zoe but Tam breaks up the cover. Saki picks up Zoe and hits a bridging double underhook suplex, but Zoe gets a shoulder up. Saki picks up Zoe but Deonna comes in, Deonna picks up Saki and puts her in the Tree of Woe. Zoe dropkicks Saki while she is hung up, cover by Zoe but Saki kicks out. Zoe picks up Saki but Saki elbows her off, Unprettier by Saki and she picks up the three count! Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano are your winners.

We are really flying through these first four matches, as we are only 30 minutes into the two hour broadcast. As with the first three matches, this was a short match that was clipped down further. The most noticeable thing to me here was that Zoe seems to have improved from the last time I saw her, her offense looked pretty crisp and she didn’t look out of place with the other wrestlers. They worked well together, although they could have clipped out any awkward moments, and for a five meeting airing they did as good a job as one could hope for. I can’t really recommend hunting down matches of this length/presentation but ok for a casual view.

Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani vs. Hazuki and Kagetsu

Io and Hazuki begin, Io pushes Hazuki into the ropes and gives a clean break, but Hazuki immediately locks back up with her. They trade headlocks and then elbows, Hazuki goes off the ropes but Io delivers a dropkick. Io picks up Hazuki and they reach a stalemate, leading to Io tagging in Mayu. Kagetsu is tagged in too, shoulderblock by Kagetsu to Mayu and she stomps her in the back when Mayu pancakes. Mayu tosses Kagetsu into the corner but Kagetsu avoids her charge, Mayu slides out to the apron however and kicks Kagetsu to the middle of the ring. She goes off the ropes but Hana trips her from the floor and pulls Mayu out of the ring. Mayu is thrown into some chairs as both teams battle around the ring and into the stands, Kagetsu and Mayu return after a moment along with Hazuki as they double team Mayu. Kagetsu picks up Mayu and spits water in her face, the referee complains but she spits water at him as well. She tags in Hazuki and Hazuki tosses down Mayu by the hair, bootscrapes by Hazuki but Io grabs her when she goes for the boot. Kagetsu pulls Io into the ring and throws her into the corner, leading to both Kagetsu and Hazuki hitting bootscrapes followed by running boots. Kagetsu and Hazuki double team Mayu before the referee manages to restore order, Hazuki slaps at Mayu and hits a few elbows, but Mayu sneaks in a Sling Blade and makes the hot tag to Io. Io hits a running elbow on Hazuki in the corner, double knee by Io but Hazuki fires back with a running elbow. Kagetsu comes in but Io flips away from both of them and hits a double dropkick, Kagetsu and Hazuki fall out of the ring and Io goes for a dive, but Kagetsu hits Io in the head with a metal plate as she goes for the move.

Kagetsu and Hazuki bring Io and Mayu up into the crowd but Thunder Rock gain the advantage, Io gets up on the top of the balcony and hits a moonsault down onto Kagetsu and Hazuki. Io returns to the ring and Mayu slides in Hazuki, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she delivers the swandive dropkick for a two count. Scoop slam by Io, she goes up top but Hazuki recovers and shakes the ropes so that Io falls into the Tree of Woe. Hazuki grabs Io and goes for the tombstone, Io reverses positions with her but Hazuki rolls out of it and hits the Codebreaker. Hazuki is up first and she slides out to the apron, hitting a swandive dropkick of her own for two. Hazuki tags in Kagetsu, kicks by Kagetsu to Io and she goes for the Ebisu Drop, but Io lands on her feet and hits an elbow. She goes for a double underhook facebuster but Kagetsu blocks it, palm thrust by Io and she hits a running double knee in the corner. Cover by Io, but it gets a two count. Io goes up for the moonsault but Natsu spits water on her from the apron, Kagetsu gets a metal sign and hits Mayu and Io with it. Kagetsu picks up Io and delivers a high kick, Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu and she covers Io, but the referee won’t count due to all the cheating. Kagetsu keeps cheating anyway as things completely break down, Io ends up in the corner and virtually the entire roster comes in to take turns attacking Io in the corner (or hugging her, depending on their preference). Mayu comes in and gets her turn too as she dropkicks her own partner and hits her with a standing moonsault. Cover by Kagetsu, but Mayu breaks it up. Kagetsu picks up Io but Io cradles her, Kagetsu muscles Io back up however and she hits a vertical suplex for two.

Kagetsu grabs Io around the throat but Io reverses the chokeslam attempt into a hurricanrana, double underhook facebuster by Io and she covers Kagetsu for two. Io rolls to her corner and tags in Mayu, Mayu picks up Kagetsu and she delivers a kick combination followed by a standing crucifix bomb. Mayu goes up top but Hazuki runs in and suplexes Mayu back down to the mat, Hazuki and Kagetsu both grab Mayu but Io comes in with a swandive dropkick onto both of her opponents. Mayu picks up Kagetsu and superkicks her while Io hits palm thrusts, dragon suplex hold by Mayu but Hazuki breaks it up with a running senton. Hazuki then DDTs Io, Hazuki charges Kagetsu and Kagetsu catapults her onto Mayu for an assisted senton. Kagetsu elbows Mayu in the corner and Hazuki follows with a Codebreaker, Hazuki slams Mayu in front of the corner and Kagetsu nails the Oedo Coaster, but Io breaks up the cover. Hazuki charges Io but Io backdrops her out of the ring, she then dives out on Hazuki with a plancha suicida. Back in the ring, Mayu runs up the corner but loses her balance, so she jumps out onto the apron and kicks Hazuki from there instead. Back in the ring, Io goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, she then goes up top with Mayu and both of them hit stereo missile dropkicks. Cover by Mayu, but Kagetsu kicks out. Mayu picks up Kagetsu but Hazuki returns, Io grabs Hazuki however after some palm strikes as Mayu goes up top and they drop her with a spike tombstone piledriver. Mayu then grabs Kagetsu while Io goes up top and they give her a spike piledriver as well, Io goes to the turnbuckle again and delivers a moonsault. Mayu picks up Kagetsu from behind and nails her version of the dragon suplex hold, and she picks up the three count! Thunder Rock win!

Matches like these are hard to “rate” as there are so many different elements to them. Aside from Mayu’s slip-up, the match was very smooth and well executed, as all four wrestlers have great chemistry and have wrestled each other many times. Io had the usual farewell spot in the middle where everyone in the roster took a turn attacking, hugging, or taking a selfie with her which is always fun to see. Course she hit all her big spots, including the balcony moonsault, and overall it was enjoyable. It may have gone a touch longer than necessary but that was bound to happen with the crowd sections, and in a way I didn’t mind just knowing it would be the last time Io will be in Stardom (at least for the foreseeable future). An enjoyable experience for sure, a bit predictable but still a must watch for any fans of Stardom, Io Shirai, or Thunder Rock. Highly Recommended

(c) Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They charge each other as soon as the bell rings and Kyona hits a hard elbow, but Momo elbows her back and the two trade blows. Both wrestlers go off the ropes until Momo delivers a dropkick, Momo throws Kyona into the corner and dropkicks her again. Momo charges Kyona but Kyona hits a shoulderblock, Kyona picks up Momo but Momo slides away. Momo kicks Kyona in the leg and in the back repeatedly, kick to the chest by Momo but Kyona recovers and stomps Momo to the mat. Kyona wraps Momo’s leg around the bottom rope and starts twisting on it, she goes for a sliding elbow but Momo moves out of the way. Kicks by Momo but Kyona avoids one and dropkicks Momo in her injured leg, Irish whip by Kyona but Momo jumps on the second turnbuckle and delivers a dropkick. Kyona rolls out of the ring, Momo goes out to the apron and she kicks Kyona in the chest. She tries to do it again but Kyona lariats her in the leg, Kyona pulls Momo out to the floor but Momo blocks the powerbomb attempt and delivers the B Driver. Momo returns to the ring and waits for Kyona, but she gets tired of waiting and goes out to slide Kyona in. Momo picks up Kyona and goes for a second B Driver, but Kyona reverses it with a cradle. Momo dropkicks Kyona into the corner and hits a second one, snap vertical suplex by Momo and she covers Kyona for two. Momo goes off the ropes but Kyona catches her with a powerslam, she picks up Momo and goes off the ropes, but Momo greets her with a head kick. Kyona fires back with a lariat which leaves both women on the mat, Kyona recovers first and grabs Momo around the waist, but Momo wiggles away.

Momo and Kyona trade elbows, Momo goes for a kick but Kyona catches it and powerbombs Momo. She keeps her grip on Momo and hits a second powerbomb, but Momo kicks out of the cover. Kyona goes off the ropes and goes for the sliding elbow, but Momo blocks it and hits a quick Somato. Momo picks up Kyona and goes off the ropes, elevated Somato by Momo but her cover gets a two count. Momo applies a crossface chicken wing, Kyona gets out of it however and she hits a short range lariat. Kyona goes off the ropes, Momo goes for a kick but Kyona ducks it and hits a German suplex. Kyona goes off the ropes and finally hits the sliding lariat, she hits another one to the back of Momo’s head and rolls her over for the cover, but Momo kicks out. Kyona goes up top but Momo elbows her before she can jump off, Momo joins Kyona but Kyona pushes her back down. Diving body press by Kyona, she rolls over Momo and grabs her around the waist, but Momo blocks the powerbomb attempt and delivers a hurricanrana. Lariat by Kyona in the corner but Momo catches her with a uranage. Momo picks up Kyona and kicks her in the chest, head kick by Momo and she delivers the B Driver. Momo picks up Kyona and goes for it again, this time from the turnbuckle, but Kyona slides off. Kyona charges Momo but Momo kicks her in the head and hits the diving Somato for two. Momo quickly applies the crossface chicken wing but Kyona gets back to her feet, Momo reverts the hold to a three-quarter nelson and nails the Tequila Sunrise for the three count! Momo Watanabe is still the champion!

These two had a hard act to follow, and I think they mostly delivered. While the offense was a bit inconsistent at times, particularly with Kyona going for the leg to start and then completely abandoning it halfway through, they kept the pace up so the match stayed interesting from bell to bell. My main qualm is with the ending, we’ve been conditioned in Stardom to epic hot end stretches but this match certainly didn’t have that, with Momo going straight from submission hold to finishing move with no real ‘comeback’ attempt by Kyona. Which isn’t necessarily a bad ending but was unexpected and it seemed to catch the crowd by surprise as well. Even though Momo won I think that Kyona is the more polished wrestler right now so it will be fun to see where they go from here. Even though it didn’t feel like the true main event, still a solid effort by both and an entertaining match.  Recommended

The post Stardom Goddesses Of Destiny on 6/17/18 Review appeared first on Joshi City.

Championships Held: None
Tournaments Won: None
Awards Won: None

Notable Matches in Japan:

• March 3rd, 2017 vs. Konami

Signature Moves:

• Heel Kick
• Lucas Landslide
• Standing Leg Drop

In Action:

Coming Soon 

Back to Gaijin Invaders

The post Zoe Lucas appeared first on Joshi City.

We are back again with Stardom! I know I just reviewed them, I am emotionally torn between wanting to mix up what promotions I review but also wanting to stay as current as I can. And it doesn’t get much more current than this, as this show aired on both Samurai TV! and Stardom World on Sunday. This is a really big show for Stardom and is chock full of interesting matches once you get past the opener. Four championships are on the line, plus we get a special singles match between Konami and Yoko Bito! Here is the full card:

• AZM and HZK vs. Christi Jaynes and Zoe Lucas vs. Hiromi Mimura and Arisu Nanase vs. Kaori Yoneyama and Natsuko Tora
• Konami vs. Yoko Bito
• SWA World Championship: Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo
• High Speed Championship: Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu vs. Kris Wolf
• Wonder of Stardom Championship: Kairi Hojo vs. Jungle Kyona
• World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler

As always, you can click on the wrestlers’ names above to go to their profile. I am watching the Stardom World version but using GIFs from the Samurai TV! version, since I like to watch the event unclipped but the Samurai TV! version offers a better visual.

AZM and HZK vs. Christi Jaynes and Zoe Lucas vs. Hiromi Mimura and Arisu Nanase vs. Kaori Yoneyama and Natsuko Tora
Tag Team Elimination Match

All eight brawl to start, Yoneyama stays in with AZM and AZM dropkicks Yoneyama in the chest. Hiromi and Zoe are up next, they trade wristlocks until Zoe rams Hiromi back into the corner. Yoneyama tags herself in but Zoe knees her in the head, Christi comes in too but Yoneyama avoids their kicks and puts them both in a submission hold. Arisu and Hiromi charge the ring and dropkick Natsuko and Yoneyama, but then AZM and HZK stumble in and attack Hiromi and Arisu. They both connect with running boots in the corner, HZK stays in with Hiromi and goes off the ropes, but Christi kicks her from the apron. Christi tags herself in (this makes no sense in an elimination match), Hiromi and Christi trade elbows, Hiromi goes for a crossbody but Christi catches her and hits a backbreaker. Christi goes for a kick but Hiromi ducks it and hits a low crossbody for a two count. DDT by Hiromi, Arisu runs in and clears all their opponents off the apron before going back so Hiromi could tag her in. Zoe is tagged in too and she goes to suplex Arisu, but Arisu reverses it into an inside cradle for two. Cross leglock by Arisu, Hiromi and Christi come in which leads to Christi being put in a leglock as well. Zoe gets out of the hold, Arisu picks her up and hits a double wrist armsault for two. Back up, kicks by Zoe and she covers Arisu for the three count! Arisu Nanase and Hiromi Mimura are eliminated.

HZK and AZM quickly come in but Zoe hits a crossbody on both of them, Zoe holds HZK for Christi but Christi dropkicks Zoe by accident. AZM dropkicks Christi, HZK then goes up top and delivers a seated senton for the three count! Zoe Lucas and Christi Jaynes are eliminated.

This leaves Queen’s Quest and Yoneyama/Natsuko. AZM and Natsuko become the legal wrestlers, kicks by AZM and she suplexes Natsuko. Another suplex by AZM, she picks up Natsuko but Natsuko hits a side Russian leg sweep. She goes for a senton but AZM rolls out of the way and hits a satellite schoolboy, but Yoneyama breaks it up. Yoneyama and Natsuko are stacked in the corner but they both avoid AZM’s charge and get the upper hand. Yoneyama and Natsuko go up to different corners but both are pushed off and land on the apron. HZK and AZM go off the ropes and dropkick them to the floor, eliminating them from the match! AZM and HZK are the winners.

A necessary result, if AZM and HZK are going to be taken seriously at all they have to win a match like this. The logic was missing here, in an elimination match there is no reason to tag yourself in, just stay on the apron and let the other teams eliminate each other. But that is wrestling for you. Not a bad opener as it was generally fast paced, but the action wasn’t always great and the structure was all over the place. Accomplished its goal but nothing really worth noting.

Konami vs. Yoko Bito

Konami kicks Bito to start while trying to stay out of Bito’s range, elbows by Konami and both wrestlers avoid each other’s kicks before Bito rolls up Konami for two. Bito puts Konami on the apron and hits a leg sweep, sending Konami to the floor. Konami gets on the apron and Bito tries to kick her, but Konami catches her leg and elbows it repeatedly. Back in, Konami keeps on Bito’s leg, Bito goes for a high kick but Konami catches her leg and applies an ankle hold. Bito gets to the ropes to force the break, kicks by Konami and she goes off the ropes, but Bito catches her with a boot to the face. Bito goes for a suplex but Konami lands on her feet and applies a sleeper, Bito tosses her off but Konami quickly applies a grounded necklock. Bito gets out of the hold and hits a vertical suplex, kick by Bito and she covers Konami for two. Back up, Bito goes for a high kick but Konami ducks it, release German by Konami and she delivers a Buzzsaw Kick for a two count. Konami goes up top but Bito elbows her and joins Konami, they trade elbows until Bito hits a superplex. Bito picks up Konami and goes for the B Driver but Konami gets out of it and applies an ankle hold. Bito again makes it to the ropes, kick combination by Konami and she covers Bito for two. Konami goes off the ropes but Bito drills her with a head kick, Doll B by Bito and she finishes off Konami with the B Driver for the three count! Yoko Bito is the winner.

Konami has to lose these matches, she is the young Freelancer, but I hope that Stardom sees the same things that a lot of fans see when Konami wrestles – she’s pretty fantastic at it. Honestly Bito was better here than I’ve seen her in awhile, I am not sure if being against another striker made her more comfortable laying in her own kicks but she was more snug than usual. I love that Konami rarely lets her opponents get too much offense in a row, she did the same thing with Io where each time Bito had an advantage suddenly Konami would slap on a sleeper or an ankle hold. She’ll just find any way to get back in control. And Bito showed Konami a lot of respect as even though it was a short match, she finished her off with three finisher-level moves to pick up the win. Really solid match and a good showing by both wrestlers.  Recommended

(c) Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo
SWA World Championship

Storm and Purrazzo lock knuckles to start, Storm gets Purrazzo to the mat but Purrazzo puts her in a headscissors. They return to their feet, after a headbutt Purrazzo jumps out of the ring but Storm quickly follows with a somewhat sloppy tope suicida. Back in, Purrazzo knocks Storm back, snapmare by Purrazzo and she boots Storm in the chest for two. Running kneedrop by Purrazzo and she tries a few quick pins, but Storm reverses one of them and the two trade elbows. Purrazzo goes for a kneelift but Storm avoids it and hits a release German, running hip attack by Storm and she hits a fisherman suplex for two. Storm goes for a piledriver but Purrazzo gets out of it and applies a short armbar, but Storm gets to the ropes. Kneelift by Purrazzo and she chops Storm in the corner, but Storm avoids her charge and hits a Backstabber for a two count. Purrazzo quickly goes back to the arm but Storm rolls out of it, she goes for a suplex but Purrazzo blocks it and goes back to the short armbar. Storm kicks Purrazzo in the head to get out of it, another Backstabber by Storm and she nails the piledriver for the three count! Toni Storm retains the championship.

Both of these women are fine wrestlers, but I am still having an issue with these matches not feeling like title matches. It wasn’t very long and they really didn’t have much of a chance to tell a story. Purrazzo kept going for short armbars but there was no work on the arm previously, I never felt like it was a tactic that would work and she wasn’t making it interesting by going for a variety of moves to weaken the arm. Storm didn’t do a lot to get the win as Purrazzo went from perfectly fine to pinned after a quick series of moves. For just a run of the mill gaijin midcard match it was decent enough, but for a championship match it was disappointing.

(c) Mayu Iwatani vs. Kagetsu vs. Kris Wolf
High Speed Championship

As predicted, Wolf and Kagetsu start off working together against Mayu, she hits a double crossbody on both of them but is tripped from the apron by Hana Kimura. The double teaming continues, Mayu dropkicks Wolf and armdrags Kagetsu, Kagetsu quickly rolls up both of them for two which Wolf doesn’t appreciate. They do a triple wristlock, Mayu is kicked in the stomach by both but Mayu avoids their dropkicks and knocks them both out of the ring. Mayu goes up top but Wolf and Kagetsu run away before she can dive off and Mayu chases them, the chase abruptly ends however when Hana trips Mayu and she crashes hard to the floor. After Mayu is attacked on the apron, including the spot where Wolf carries a band into the crowd and snaps it back into Mayu’s face. Wolf goes to do it again but Mayu knocks the band back at her instead, she finally has Kagetsu alone in the ring but Kagetsu hits a spear. Mayu comes back with a Sling Blade, high kick by Kagetsu but Mayu delivers a superkick. Crucifix slam by Mayu, but Wolf breaks up the cover. Wolf goes to run off the ropes but Mayu grabs her tail, Backstabber by Wolf and she holds Mayu for Kagetsu, but Mayu moves when Kagetsu swandives into the ring.

Kagetsu slams on the breaks before hitting Wolf and they double team Mayu in the corner, Mayu fights back with a superkick to Kagetsu before flinging Wolf onto her. Diving footstomp by Mayu to Wolf (who is still on top of Kagetsu), Mayu goes for the dragon suplex on Kagetsu but Wolf rolls her up from behind for a two count. They both take turns covering Iwatani with no luck, they start disagreeing so Wolf schoolboys Kagetsu for two. Kagetsu pushes Wolf and slams her back into the corner before tying Wolf to the ropes by her tail. Kagetsu tries to hit Mayu with some luggage but Mayu kicks it out of her hand and hits a German suplex hold for a two count. Mayu goes up top and hits a diving footstomp, cover by Mayu but Wolf frees herself and tries to break it up. Mayu moves and Wolf accidentally knees Kagetsu instead, suplex by Wolf to Mayu but it gets two. Knee by Wolf and she covers Iwatani, but Kagetsu throws the luggage at her to break it up. Mayu superkicks both Kagetsu and Wolf, but they come back with an assisted slam. Ebisu Drop by Kagetsu to Mayu but Wolf jumps over her and holds down both Mayu and Kagetsu for the three count! Kris Wolf is the new champion!

It is hard for me to be subjective here, since I am a big fan of Kris Wolf and have been closely following her career since she debuted in August of 2014. She is that fun and feisty wrestler that all promotions need, she isn’t a threat to be the Ace but she has an important role and has worked hard at improving. She missed several months due to concussions but came back with even more fire and antics; she has been a pleasure to watch. This match had some cute spots but obviously was limited by the triple threat rules, everything was hit smoothly though as they have a lot of practice together. I would have liked Mayu to have lost the belt after having it for so long in a bigger match with more of a rub to whomever beat her, but this was an easy way to get the belt off of her without her really losing anything as she continues her feud with Io. A fun lighthearted match, maybe not what you’d hope for in a title match but the High Speed Championship isn’t taken too seriously most of the time. A big moment for Kris, and much deserved.  Mildly Recommended

(c) Kairi Hojo vs. Jungle Kyona
Wonder of Stardom Championship

They immediately get into it as Kyona throws Kairi into the corner, elbows by Kairi and they trade shots. Dropkick by Kairi, sending Kyona out of the ring, Kairi goes out after her but Kyona moves when she charges in which causes Kairi to run into the ring post. Kyona slams Kairi into the apron before hitting a back bodydrop, she rolls Kairi back in and puts her in a backbreaker. Body avalanche by Kyona, and she covers Kairi for a two count. Crab hold by Kyona but Kairi gets into the ropes, she returns to her feet as they trade elbows until Kairi delivers a spear. Kyona falls out of the ring, Kairi goes up top and dives out onto her with a plancha. Kairi slides Kyona back in, Kairi goes up top and she hits a diving elbow strike for two. Ankle hold by Kairi but Kyona gets in the ropes, Kairi stomps on Kyona and starts working on her lower back. Kyona fights back with elbows but Kairi slaps her in the chest, flipping neckbreaker by Kairi and she covers Kyona for two. Final Cut by Kairi, she goes up top but Kyona recovers and joins her, they go back and forth until Kyona powerslams Kairi down to the mat for a two count. Kyona and Kairi trade elbows as they slowly get up, clubbing blows by Kyona but Kairi hits a spear.

Kyona holds on from the spear and slams Kairi to the mat, back up Kyona puts Kairi in a sleeper and spins her around before taking Kairi to the mat. Powerslam by Kyona, she goes up top and delivers a diving body press for a two count cover. Kyona deadlifts Kairi up but Kairi slides away and rolls up Kyouna for two. Kairi picks up Kyona but Kyona blocks the Alabama Slam and hits a powerbomb for a two count. Kyona deadlifts Kairi again, spins her around and nails a sit-down powerbomb but Kairi barely gets a shoulder up. Kyona picks up Kairi and hits a lariat, but Kairi rolls through the cover. Kyouna goes off the ropes but Kairi smacks her with a backhand, more spinning backhands by Kairi and she covers Kyona for a two count. Sliding D by Kairi, she picks up Kyona and delivers End Voyage but Kyona kicks out at two. Kairi gets Kyona near the corner and hits an Alabama Slam, Kyona grabs her as she tries to go up top but Kairi comes back and hits an elbow drop onto her ribs. Kairi goes up again but Kyona slowly joins her, Kairi knocks her down in a Tree of Woe and delivers the Marine Spike. Kairi goes back up top one last time, she nails the Diving Elbow Drop and she picks up the three count! Kairi Hojo retains the championship.

One of the best matches I have seen in Joshi so far this year. Anyone that is unsure of Kyona’s future in Stardom needs to watch this match, she is one of the best wrestlers to debut in the last two years in Japan. She’s stealthy strong but so crisp, she very rarely makes mistakes or looks out of place, everything is so smooth. I loved her trying so hard at the end to stop Kairi from climbing the top turnbuckle, she knew if Kairi hit the diving elbow drop she was done and was using every ounce of strength she had to prevent Kairi from hitting it. The swinging sleeper by Kyona was great and they did a good job mixing high spots, suplexes, strikes, and submissions so that the match stayed interesting throughout. A really entertaining match and a must-see, even if you aren’t familar with Kyona you won’t forget her after watching this one.  Highly Recommended

(c) Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler
World of Stardom Championship

Io won’t shake Shayna’s hand off the start and elbows her instead, Shayna quickly applies a sleeper but Io rolls away and they return to their feet. Io goes for a leapfrog but Shayna catches her and slams Io to the mat. Shayna picks up Io but Io wiggles away, Io goes off the ropes but Shayna knees her in the face. Shayna starts on Io’s arm, Io gets away after a moment and rolls out to the apron to re-group. She returns and puts Shayna in a stretch hold, but Shayna muscles out of it and slams Io again. Shayna quickly goes back to the arm, Io gets to the ropes but Shayna picks her up and slaps on the Sleeper. Io backs Shayna into the corner but Shayna applies the sleeper from the top turnbuckle until the referee forces her to break. Io quickly gets up and hits a springboard dropkick while Shayna is on the top turnbuckle, Frankensteiner by Io and Shayna quickly rolls out of the ring. Io goes up top and she dives way out over the corner onto Shayna on the floor, she sets up a chair on the floor and puts Shayna’s head in it. Io then dropkicks the chair, she then grabs the chair and throws it at Shayna. Io throws Shayna into the crowd before returning to the ring, with Shayna slowly following behind. Stomps by Io, she picks up Shayna and puts her in the armtrap crossface. Shayna gets to the ropes, Tiger Feint Kick by Io and she hits a swandive dropkick to the back of Shayna’s head.

Running double knee strike by Io in the corner and she covers Shayna for two. Io goes up top but Shayna smacks her before she can jump off, Shayna joins her and hits a gutwrench suplex down to the mat. Shayna rolls through it and hits a second one, cover by Shayna but Io gets a shoulder up. Shayna and Io trade elbows, kicks by Shayna and Io falls to the mat. Shayna goes for a running knee but Io move and delivers a German suplex hold. Shayna quickly puts her in a kimura but Io is too close to the ropes and forces the break. Shayna picks up Io and nails a high kick and spins Io into a sleeper hold, cover by Shayna but it gets a two count. Shayna picks up Io and hits a strike combination, Io runs over and headbutts Shayna before stomping her in the back. Moonsault to the back by Io, and she covers Shayna but as she kicks out, Shayna puts her in an armbar. Io gets out of it and puts Shayna in a Texas Cloverleaf, she release the hold after a moment and hits a package German hold for a two count. Io picks up Shayna and hits a tombstone piledriver, moonsault by Io and she picks up the three count! Io Shirai retains the World of Stardom Championship!

The best thing about this match is it just felt different than most of Io’s recent gaijin defenses. Shayna’s offense is unique (especially compared to other Stardom wrestlers), and in the biggest wrestling match in her career she really stepped up as this is the longest and most complete match I’ve ever seen her in. Her selling was also really good, as Io targeted the back and Shayna was holding it throughout the match, and it did indirectly lead to Io winning. Io’s dive outside the ring was impressive and the ending stretch was really well done. They had a tough match to follow but I think they really delivered, a quality main event and a fitting ending to a great show.  Recommended

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It is time for some February reviews! Up first is Stardom, this month the two Stardom shows I will be reviewing are this show and their big event on 2/23. I chose this one because it looked like the second best of the bunch on paper, plus I really love Konami and wanted to see her against Io Shirai. We also have one title match here, as Viper challenges Toni Storm for the SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship. Here is the full card:

• Kris Wolf vs. Ruaka
• Hiromi Mimura vs. Zoe Lucas
• Jungle Kyona, Arisu Nanase, and Natsuko Tora vs. Shayna Baszler, Deonna Purrazzo, and Christi Jaynes
• Io Shirai vs. Konami
• SWA World Championship: Toni Storm vs. Viper
• Io Shirai and HZK vs. Kairi Hojo and Yoko Bito

You can click on the names above to go to their profiles on the site, since this was shown on Stardom World it is unclipped.

Kris Wolf vs. Ruaka

Wolf and Ruaka lock knuckles before trading wristlocks, Wolf puts Ruaka in the ropes and stretches her face. Wolf elbows Ruaka in the corner and puts her across the ropes, she then stands up on her back and and poses in the corner. Running knee by Wolf, and she covers Ruaka for a two count. Ruaka fights back as they trade elbows, snapmare by Wolf and she puts Ruaka in a crab hold. Ruaka gets to the ropes, Wolf picks her up and she slams Ruaka in front of the corner. Wolf gets on the second turnbuckle but Ruaka avoids her dive and boots Wolf in the chest. Running boot by Ruaka in the corner, she goes for a slam but Wolf blocks it. Reverse STO by Ruaka and she rolls up Wolf, but Wolf reverses it. Knees by Wolf and she hits a running knee in the corner, snapmare by Wolf and she kicks Ruaka in the back. Scoop slam by Wolf, she gets on the second turnbuckle and she delivers the diving kneedrop for the three count! Kris Wolf is the winner.

Even on the Stardom Opener Scale this was pretty basic, but when one of the wrestlers is 12 years old that is to be expected. Kris Wolf was fun as always but she was nicer than usual, no biting or poking. Nothing offensive but not much to it.

Hiromi Mimura vs. Zoe Lucas

After trading wristlocks to start, Zoe gets Hiromi to the mat but Hiromi quickly wiggles away and they return to their feet. Zoe wants a Test of Strength but Hiromi can’t reach the high so she kicks her instead, Hiromi goes off the ropes but Zoe kicks Hiromi in the chest. Knee by Zoe and she puts Hiromi in a guillotine, but Hiromi gets out of it and dropkicks Zoe in the corner. Shoulder tackle by Zoe but Hiromi ducks the PK and rolls up Zoe for two. Running crossbody by Hiromi, she rolls Zoe to the mat and she applies a leglock. Zoe gets into the ropes for the break, Hiromi tries to slam Zoe but Zoe blocks it. High kick by Zoe and she hits a fisherman suplex hold for a two count. Back up they trade elbows until Hiromi sneaks in a backslide for two, La Magistral by Hiromi but that gets a two count as well. High kick by Zoe, Hiromi goes off the ropes but Zoe kicks her in the head again. Spin Kick by Zoe and she picks up the three count! Zoe Lucas wins!

I try to be a positive happy kind of guy but this was bad. Its not something I can defend or try to find the bright side of, there is nothing particularly good here. I never have seen Zoe before so maybe this was an issue of wrestling in a new promotion against a new wrestler but she looked very stiff and awkward. Hiromi was her usual self but she needs someone really good to pull her up and it didn’t happen here. Even the ending looked partially botched, which I think was Hiromi being out of position but who knows. Not a good first impression for a wrestler on her first Stardom tour.

Jungle Kyona, Arisu Nanase, and Natsuko Tora vs. Shayna Baszler, Purrazzo, and Jaynes

Kyona and Shayna start things off, they try to shoulderblock each other over but neither can, so Shayna kicks Kyona to the mat. Kyona comes back with a hard shoulderblock to send Shayna off her feet, she quickly gets up and connects with a strike combination. She tags in Deonna, Christi comes in too but Kyona hits a double crossbody on both of them. Natsuko and Arisu jump in the ring and Deonna is triple teamed in the corner before posing on her. Kyona tags in Natsuko, shoulderblocks by Natsuko and she hits a body press on Deonna for two. Deonna fights back with elbows, kneelift by Deonna and she rakes Natsuko’s eyes with her boot. Deonna tags Shayna in, kicks by Shayna and she tags in Christi. Christi twists Natsuko’s arm in the ropes before Shayna returns, as they take turns attacking the rookie. Natsuko fights back against Christi and dropkicks her into the corner, she crawls to her corner and makes the hot tag to Arisu. Elbows by Arisu to Christi and she dropkicks her, Kyona come sin to help but so does Shayna. Arisu hits a spinning headscissors onto Shayna and hits a crossbody on Christi, but Christi drops her with a STO.

Enzuigiri by Christi, but the cover is broken up. She tags in Deonna, she picks up Arisu and hits a neckbreaker for a two count. Arisu gets away and dropkicks Deonna, giving her time to tag in Kyona. Backdrop suplex by Kyona but Deonna retorts with a release German, she gets to her corner and tags Shayna. Natsuko is tagged in too and she dropkicks Shayna, but Shayna spears her for a two count. Shayna goes for a cross armbreaker but Kyona breaks it up, Kyona picks up Shayna and with Natsuko they hit a double shoulderblock. Senton by Natsuko, but Shayna kicks out. Christi comes in but Kyona lariats her, while Natsuko keeps the attack on Shayna. Natsuko gets on the second turnbuckle but Shayna grabs her and hits a bridging vertical suplex for two. Fisherman Buster by Shayna, but Kyona breaks up the pin. Arisu comes in too but Shayna suplexes both of them, she kicks Natsuko in the stomach and delivers a rolling gutwrench suplexes for the three count! Shayna Baszler, Deonna Purrazzo, and Christi James are the winners.

This match really lagged some towards the beginning and I was concerned, but it picked up at the end and turned out to be a decent match. Christi is still early in her career but never looked lost, easy to hide new wrestlers in six wrestler tag matches but no one in this one stood out as being out of place. Shayna continues to impress, and Kyona asserted herself as ready to continue her ascension up the card. Nothing overly exciting but an above average midcard match.

Io Shirai vs. Konami

Io won’t shake hands before the match, Konami gets Io on the ground first but Io switches positions with her and both return to their feet. Io pushes Konami into the ropes, Konami switches positions with her and instead of giving a clean break she kicks Io in the head. Punches and knees by Konami and she kicks Io in the chest for a two count cover. Waistlock by Konami but Io gets into the ropes, knees by Konami but Io ducks the PK and rolls Konami up before kicking her in the back of the head. Dropkick by Io and she knees Konami into the corner, Io goes up top and she delivers a missile dropkick. Io picks up Konami but she blocks the facebuster and puts Io in an ankle hold. Io inches to the ropes to force a break, kicks to the leg by Konami but Io knocks her back. Kick to the stomach by Konami and she dropkicks Io in the leg, Konami charges Io but Io moves out of the way and dropkicks Konami. Dragon screw by Io and she hits the running double knee in the corner, double underhook facebuster by Io and she covers Konami for a two count. Io goes for the moonsault but Konami kicks her in the leg before she can jump off, Konami pulls Io off the turnbuckles and puts her in a sleeper. Schoolboy into an ankle hold by Konami, release German by Konami and she nails the Buzzsaw Kick for two. Konami picks up Io and applies an ankle hold into a pin, but Io kicks out and rolls up Konami with the Magistra del Io for the three count! Io Shirai sneaks out a win.

Let me count the ways I loved this match. Just for full disclosure, I will openly admit these are two of my favorite current wrestlers so naturally I am going to enjoy watching them face off. But the reason they are two of my favorite is because they are so damn good in the ring, and they immediately had chemistry. It was very different than the normal Io match as Konami dominated, Io never did her big comeback or got a chance to be cocky as Konami stayed on her from bell to bell. Io still won since she is a crafty veteran with a big bag of tricks, but it came across as Konami having her number and Io having to get the win by any means. I wish it was longer of course, I’d love to see them in a main-event style match, but for a sub-10 minute match I thought it was fantastic. If you haven’t seen Konami before, just two years into her career she is already great at what she does, a really fun match.  Highly Recommended

(c) Toni Storm vs. Viper
SWA World Championship

After trading waistlocks and wristlocks Storm gets Viper to the mat, she starts working on Viper’s arm but Viper trips her and applies a leglock. Storm gets out of it and applies a headlock, headscissors by Viper but Storm gets out of it and shakes Viper’s hand as she lets her back up. Storm and Viper lock knuckles, monkey flip by Viper but they reach another stalemate. Hard shoulderblock by Viper, armdrag by Viper but Storm rolls her up for a two count. Viper returns the favor before they return to their feet again, Storm rakes Viper in the eyes and chops her in the corner. Viper jumps out to the apron but Storm boots her down to the floor, she gets a start off the far ropes and hits a tope suicida. Stomps by Storm and she tries to chop Viper against the post, but Viper moves out of the way. Storm rolls Viper back into the ring but Viper hits a crossbody as Storm returns herself.

Viper chops Storm in the corner, Storm fights back with elbows but Viper hits a crossbody for two. Viper jumps on the second turnbuckle and hits a quick tornado DDT, running butt smash by Storm and she covers Viper for a two count. Storm goes for a piledriver but Viper blocks it, she puts Storm on the top turnbuckle and Storm goes for another tornado DDT, but Viper blocks it and slams her to the mat. Cannonball by Viper, and she covers Storm for two. Viper picks up Storm but Storm slides away, headbutt by Viper but Storm headbutts her back. Backstabber by Storm, but Viper kicks out of the pin. Storm goes up top and delivers a diving leg drop, and again Viper barely gets a shoulder up. Storm goes off the ropes but Viper grabs her and hits a Michinoku Driver. Cover by Viper, but Storm rolls out of it and holds down Viper’s shoulders for a three count! Toni Storm is still the champion.

This match was weird. I don’t even know how to describe it. The first third was mat wrestling and a few “mutual respect” spots. Then it went straight to be moves (tope suicida, tornado DDT, etc.) before going into the home stretch with very little build. It wasn’t that anything they did was bad, but the way it was structured I never really got into the match. The action itself was generally smooth, just as a match it didn’t really do anything for me, it lacked the passion and the sense of urgency you’d like to see in a title match. Two good wrestlers but a disappointing match between them.

Io Shirai and HZK vs. Kairi Hojo and Yoko Bito

Kairi and HZK begin the match, quick dropkick by HZK but Kairi chops her to the mat. Elbows by HZK and she hits another dropkick, mounted elbows by HZK but Kairi trades positions with her and hits elbows of her own. HZK throws down Kairi by her hair repeatedly, Io grabs Kairi from the apron but Bito grabs HZK as well. Io gets in the ring and they double team Kairi, Bito comes in too however and they dropkick Io and HZK out of the ring. Kairi then gets on the top turnbuckle and dives out of the ring onto both of them, while Bito holds them in place. Kairi rolls HZK back in, Kairi slams HZK to the mat and covers her for two. She tags in Bito, kicks by Bito and she dropkicks HZK in the chest. Kairi is tagged back in, she knocks Io off the apron and invites Bito into the ring so they can double team HZK some more. Kairi picks up HZK but HZK hits a double chop and tags in Io. Bito immediately comes in too but Io dropkicks both of them, Io knees Kairi in the corner and covers her for two. Io tags HZK, HZK throws Kairi in the corner and nails a running boot to Kairi’s face. HZK puts Io in a camel clutch before hitting a curb stomp, Io returns and she kicks Kairi around the ring. Chops by Io but Kairi levels her with a spear and tags in Bito. Bito picks up Io and dropkicks her in the corner, vertical suplex by Bito and she suplexes HZK onto Io for a two count. Bito tries to PK Io but Io ducks it and puts Bito in the armtrap crossface, Kairi tries to help but HZK intercepts her and puts her in the same hold. Bito crawls to the ropes and eventually makes it for the break, Io goes for the Tiger Feint Kick but Bito ducks it and makes the hot tag to Kairi.

Kairi snaps Io’s leg and elbows it while it is in the ropes, she goes up top and hits a diving elbow smash for a two count. Kairi applies an ankle hold but Io kicks her away, Io is up first but Kairi hits a headscissors into a roll-up for two. Stretch Muffler by Kairi, Io stands up to get out of it but Kairi hits an Alabama Slam. She climbs up top but HZK grabs her from the apron, this gives Io times to recover and she hits a Frankensteiner. Running double knee by Io in the corner, but she hurts her own leg in the process, Kairi elbows Io but Io hits a palm strike and both wrestlers fall to the mat. They both crawl to their respective corners and tag out, Bito tosses HZK out to the apron before hitting a leg sweep and a kick to the back. Bito goes up top and hits a missile dropkick, cover by Bito but it gets two. Kairi then goes up top and hits a footstomp while HZK is hanging over the top rope, vertical suplex by Bito and Kairi goes for a backfist, but HZK ducks and Kairi hits Bito by accident. Swandive missile dropkick by Io to Kairi while HZK kicks Bito in the head, Manami Roll by HZK but Bito kicks out of the cover. Io and HZK double team Bito, Bito fights back and temporarily regains the advantage until Io helps HZK hit a tornado DDT. Assisted moonsault by Io to Bito, jackknife cover by HZK but Kairi breaks it up. HZK goes to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving senton, but Bito gets a shoulder up. HZK goes up top but Bito recovers and joins her, Io hits Bito from behind and powerbombs Bito. Io goes for a moonsault but Bito rolls out of the way, Kairi hits a diving elbow drop on Io while Bito hits a superplex on HZK. Sliding D/kick combination to HZK, Bito picks up HZK and hits the B-Driller for the three count! Kairi Hojo and Yoko Bito are the winners!

A solid house show main event but that’s about it. I really don’t think that Bito is on the level of Kairi or Io, at least not yet. She is still a bit awkward, which she was back in 2012 as well, she is good with strikes but is generally not as fluid as a lot of the other wrestlers in Stardom. HZK wasn’t asked to do as much but looked good in what she did, and Io remembering her injured leg (maybe even carrying it over from the previous match) was a nice touch. An entertaining home stretch and generally a fun match, but pretty standard with nothing to set it apart from other similar matches these teams have had the last few months.  Mildly Recommended

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