Joshi – Joshi's Valley

Show Review: Sendai Girls at Korakuen 16th April 2019

April 30, 2019October 25, 2021 The KillchainLeave a comment

I haven’t really had a lot of chance to watch Sendai Girls this year, but I definitely couldn’t miss this show with the matches announced!

Shindo KAORU vs Suruga Mizunami Mei Suruga/Ryo Mizunami vs KAORU /Mikoto Shindo: Mei and Ryo have the potential to be the most fun team in joshi history. The assisted superman punch, the machine gun chops and the tandem poses are all great fun, and this is exactly what this was, a fun fiery opener to get you hyped up. With the personality fountains of Mei and Ryo, it doesn;t matter who they are wrestling, but Shindo and KAORU aren’t totally forgettable. KAORU lays in the big boots and misses an insane top rope move that would kill me at 33, let alone her at 50. Goddamn joshis are timeless. Ryo taps out Mikoto with a Boston Crab to win. ***1/4

Hirota Aiger vs Bolshoi Lee Alex Lee/Bolshoi Kid vs Sakura Hirota/AIGER: Oh man, not AIGER. I learned to love Hirota but I don’t know if I’ll ever manage with Aiger. Although the Bolshoi Kid might be even creepier… A long and complex comedy match of varying quality, with Hirota losing after the punch to the arsehole and then being rolled up by the Bolshoi Kid. **

Mille vs Manami Millie McKenzie vs Manami: how many tiny awesome rookies does joshi possess now? I really like Millie too, I think she brings something different and this match was good if a little short. You never thought Manami was going to win, but as a junior challenger she is great. She feels totally different from the other rookies, much bigger and more technical. She’s scary good for 14 (Yeah, I know, FOURTEEN!) years old, I mean she even breaks out a Cattle Decapitation! Millie successfully defends with a spear, and I want to see more of her in longer bouts in Japan. ***1/2

Yuu vs Mika Iwata.jpg Mika Iwata vs Yuu: Now this is going to be fire. I’m not as familiar with Yuu as I feel I should be, and Mika recently stunned the world by getting a legible Twitter handle so this is all kinds of strange for me! Yuu reminds me a lot of Iwata’s Beauty Bear tag partner Chihiro, and therefore Mika should have a bit of an advantage here.

Yuu is stocky and powerful, throwing shoulderblocks and lariats, while Mika attacks with precise kicks and knees. These two are trying to kill each other with chops and kicks, and that snap judo throw into the sleeper was so fast I had to rewind it to see it again. Yuu is awesome. Mika is also awesome, reversing a powerbomb into an armbar, which is then reversed back into a powerbomb. She dominates Yuu with kicks to the head, then gets the three count after a version of the Venus Shoot from the top. Loved every second, just wanted a little longer. ***3/4

Saree vs Meiko Sareee vs Meiko Satomura: the newest darling of joshi twitter since her legendary match with Aja that no one has seen yet, Sareee had a great match against Hashimoto earlier this year, and Meiko is Meiko. This should be a killer. There is nothing held back here, with a lot of really stiff shots. Sareee is doing her best to come off as a legit challenge to the more experienced Meiko, and she has some fight in here.

Some of these dropkicks are stiff as hell, but there’s plenty of receipts from Meiko. Saree screams with fighting raging spirit, and there are some disgusting head drops, one after another. Jesus this match is stiff. Sareee wins with one of those devastating uranages, dropping Satomura on her head twice. She then shows a bit of respect at the end, but Meiko says something that riles her up and there’s a bit of shoving. This feud will continue, and holy shit thank God for that. That was awesome. ****3/4

Kelly Shida vs DASH Matsumoto.jpg Hiroyo Matsumoto/DASH Chisako vs Killer Kelly/Hikaru Shida: This was another good match, although not quite as good as I was hoping. The team of DASH and Hiroyo is a dream come true for me, as I love them both. Kelly is actually not bad either, I guess here as a trade off for Meiko being in MYC. Let’s get DASH into the next MYC, her killing bitches with chairs would be amazing.

You can see why Shida was snapped up by AEW as well, every time she’s in there she exudes charisma and style. But this match seems to be all about DASH and Killer Kelly, who spend the majority of the match trading shots. DASH is 151cm of death on legs, smashing stiff forearms and hard slaps, while Kelly shows that she’s still pretty green at time, but has a good look and hits nice moves. Kelly falls victim to the double stomp then the frog splash from DASH to lose. This was a really fun match, and even though Killer Kelly looked to be the weak link, she really impressed me by the end. ****

Chihiro Hashimoto vs Jordynne Grace: Grace is a natural for Sendai Girls, being the archetypal power joshi. Hashimoto vs Grace will be one of those big hoss battles that you get rarely in joshi but are almost always excellent.

There’s a lot of tests of strength to start, and then the match picks up with big lariats. Grace controls a lot of the match, and works it a bit more western style as you’d expect. I think this is her first Japanese tour, but she fits in well. There’s some great spots here, including Grace coming within an inch of winning with a big powerbomb, a hard powerbomb from Chihiro and some great suplexes. Hashimoto wins with a perfect German and there’s a nice moment of respect afterwards. I reckon Jordynne has made a good few fans with that performance over there. Afterwards, big balls Sareee comes out and challenges Hashimoto, and even slaps her. if it is like their first one, that’ll be a banger too. ****1/4

Final Thoughts: A really solid show with at least three great matches and a number of fun others. Meiko vs Sareee was essential viewing, and the main event was really good too. Add Yuu and Iwata and the tag team match and you’ve got a excellent show.

Show Review: Ice Ribbon March 2019, 31st March

April 11, 2019October 25, 2021 The KillchainLeave a comment

This show became a legend before it even aired due to Tsukka fighting a giant panda due to her being a filthy adulteress! Yeah, that’s right. Somehow it was a story told so well that it worked. They are geniuses in Ice Ribbon. We also have an Infinity title match, where Tsukushi challenges Maya and a number of exciting matches underneath too.

(*Note: the version I watched has no Ai Hara on commentary. This is rubbish. You don’t realise what Ai brings to a show until she’s gone. Also the matches are a little clipped as well)

Maria, Mei, Ibuki, Mikoto, Asahi, Suzu

Maria, Mei Hoshizuki & Suzu Suzuki vs Asahi, Mikoto Shindo & Ibuki Hoshi: With the average age being 16 and a half (Jesus….), and about 4 years experience between them (Jesus…) this is as chaotic and raw as you’ll probably see in joshi. It’s fiery and energetic but not the crispest match you’ll see from rookies in Ice Ribbon. Suzu gets the win after a beautiful bridging German on Ibuki. **

Tae & Kyuri vs Matsuya & Satsuki.jpg

Kyuri & Tae Honma vs Satsuki Totoro & Matsuya Uno: Kyuri and Tae’s team is called Greenpeace and that has already added a star onto this match. Unfortunately, what we see isn’t a lot, maybe five minutes and even though Totoro is a beast, Tae and Kyuri are great and Matsuya is there too, there isn’t even time for anything to be truly great. Give me these teams for 15 mins and I’d love it. ***

Giulia vs Miyuki

Miyuki Takase vs Giulia: This new Giulia with attitude is really doing it for me. Her sitting on Takase with her feet on Miyuki’s throat is a big mood. These two beat the absolute piss out of each other. I don’t know if Giulia is an official member of Ozaki-gun now, but she’s got that ‘Yumi Ohka kicking people in the face’ meanness now. Takase was totally great in this match too, and she is a seriously underrated talent in the joshi pool at the moment. She gets the win with a fireman’s carry driver, and after the match shows no respect to Giulia. This feud must continue, because this match was fire. ****

Risa Akane vs Kurumi Arita.jpg

Akane Fujita & Risa Sera vs Himeka Arita & Hiragi Kurumi: Hey, Akane is back from injury! This is a bit of a baptism of fire… The Blast Queen is here, and so is Jumbo Arita (we love you Himeka), and this match should be brutally great. Immediately the match falls apart with duelling chairs and then Kurumi skelping Fujita with a baseball bat across the head (giveaway that it might be a soft one since she didn’t instantly die).

Only a week or so after she was KO’ed against Arisa and Sae, Himeka is getting slammed onto cans, choked with a barbed wire kendo stick and generally abused left right and centre. She’s my favourite discovery of 2019. I love her. I also like Kurumi, who feels like a young Ryo Mizunami, and introduces the LEGO into the match, the sicko. I mean, thumbtacks probably hurts like hell, but LEGO? Jesus… Fujita feels the full force of a LEGO Safari set right into her lower back, which could not be pleasant, but even worse is the driver into chairs and LEGO. These four are crazed.

They all take some nasty bumps onto the LEGO, and there’s a couple of headshots with those chairs that look stiff as well. There’s a 2.999 count on a Hurricane Driver to Arita, then she takes the fall after Sera lands a double knee stomp from the top through two chairs and a ladder. Madness and excellent at once! ****

Tsukasa vs Tintin.jpg

Tsukasa Fujimoto vs TinTin: What we’ve all been waiting for. I don’t know what it says about the state of modern wrestling where a woman wrestling a giant panda over the love of another giant panda has become such compelling drama but here we are. Jesus, Tsukka is wearing a panda hat. She’s going to die.

Fujimoto is a genius, because she draws all the heel heat she can get, with arm wringers, poking the eyes, stamping on Tintin’s toes. They do the ‘trying to lift the bigger opponent and failing’ spot which is just hilarious, as is using Kyuri and I think it was Ibuki as stairs to run up and dropkick Tintin in the face. There’s a brutal moment where Tintin’s head gets stomped literally flat, but she recovers to kick out. This is amazing.

ANDREZA IS HERE! Will he go to his floozy or save his wife? He smashes Tsukka with a massive headbutt, knocking her off the top rope to the floor. What a twist! Andreza picks up Tintin, and they double body splash Tsukka, but they try a second time and she moves. Tintin then decks Andreza and he rolls out of the ring. Tintin chokeslams Fujimoto, and when she kicks out goes to the ropes. Oh my Lord what is coming? But it’s her undoing, and Tsukka gets up, hits the Venus Shoot and then drops her with the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex for the win. There’s a touching family reunion with the pandas afterwards, and even Manami FREAKING Toyota comes out for it! This is *****

Lovely Butchers, Makoto vs Yoshiko, Saya, Matsumoto

Makoto & Miyako Matsumoto vs The Lovely Butchers vs Tequila Saya & Yoshiko: These guys are not topping that. This match is to determine the number one contenders for Azure Revolution’s tag team titles. Poor Miyako gets a beatdown at the start of the match from everyone, and then we get going. Somehow Tequila Saya has gone from someone I wasn’t really invested in, to someone I really enjoy, especially with this new asskicking team with Yoshiko. Makoto seems to have been lumped with Matsumoto who is failing left and right here to nail much offense It’s a bit of comedy gold.

Hoshi vs Yoshiko doesn’t feel like a match that anyone would shout for, but the two had some nice exchanges here, and actually the Lovely Butchers worked really hard in this match, Poor Makoto spent most of her time being annoyed by Miyako, and this was where I realised that Tequila Saya has really stepped up. Tequila was impressive here, and I think working with Yoshiko as a partner is bringing something out I didn’t know she had. She does take the fall here though, getting rolled up by Miyako while going for the Tequila Shot. This match was great fun, and it looks like we’re going to get Azure Revolution vs Miyako and Makoto for the tag team titles, much to the disgust of Risa Sera and even Makoto! ***3/4

Tsukushi vs Maya.jpg

Maya Yukihi vs Tsukushi: Joshi’s Mean Girl vs the Ice Captain is a match I’ve been waiting on for ages. Man, Maya’s red and white gear is classy, while Tsukushi paying tribute to Toyota is equally classy. The match starts off a little slow, but soon picks up and there doesn’t seem to be any love lost here. Particularly when Tsukushi tries to take Maya’s head off with a low dropkick on the ropes. That was brutal even for Tsukushi, who seem to delight in murdering faces like that.

Brawling through the crowd in Korakuen is getting to be a tradition this year in big matches, and this is no exception. The camera shot as Tsukushi flies over the stairs onto Yukihi is excellent, and I can’t believe rolling down those stairs is comfortable. Tsukushi has had most of this fight so far, but Yukihi comes back with a tilt a whirl backbreaker and a hard knee receipt for that dropkick before. Tsukushi hits back with a horrible thud of a headbutt and then a frankensteiner from the top, but takes a kick to the head. There’s some sickening forearms to Yukihi, whose head is taking severe punishment, but she fights back with some brutal slaps.

This is stiff as hell, and while it didn’t go as long as I’d hoped, lived up to every expectation I had about the quality. Tsukushi goes for the Tiger Suplex Hold, Maya gets out and hits a crucifix driver but Tsukushi reverses the pin and almost has her a few times, double stomping between each try. Maya manages to win after a double knees to the face, then a lovely Swanton Bomb. Awesome main event, and even though it could’ve had another five minutes, was an absolute beast. ****1/2

Final thoughts: the draw is the Tintin match, but there’s at least three other matches I can definitely recommend too, and the main event is absolutely awesome. Contender for show of the year? Definitely.

Show Review: SEAdLINNNG Luckiest 20th March 2019

April 8, 2019 The KillchainLeave a comment

Luckiest

A SEAdLINNNG show with two title matches is always a must watch show. Nanae’s run has had some excellent matches so far, and this one in particular had a lot of hype before I saw it. The rest of the card looks like an excellent show as well, and the tag team match is almost guaranteed to be good.

Yuna vs Maria Yuna Mizumori vs Maria: Maria is an insanely talented young rookie (19 years old, less than four months of in ring experience), and Yuna is fresh off breaking all our hearts when Nanae beat her and she sat in tears. What sadness. This is a fun opener, with Maria having a lot more fight than I expected, but Yuna winning with what I can only describe as a Superman rollup clutch pin? **1/2

Kadokura Nagashima vs Mei and Mei Chikayo Nagashima & Rin Kadokura vs Mei Hoshizuki & Mei Suruga: The Meis are an amazing team, and are purpose built for these high speed matches, which I’m starting to really enjoy now I’ve figured out the rules. Chikayo Nagashima has been wrestling longer than either of the Meis have been alive, and she is the grumpy veteran tired of their shit. Mei Sugura is going to be huge.

There’s plenty of comedy spots, with Sugura being the centre of attention for most of it. Kadokura doesn’t get too involved, and you get the usual Hoshizuki dropkick spamming, the rolling pins from Sugura, and the inevitable rookie loss. Still, what a lot of fun it is. ***

Matusmoto vs Amazon Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Amazon: Amazon has a Predator mask which is pretty cool, but then you hear our Lady Destroyer’s music with the Godzilla roars and you know who the real monster is. It’s not often that Hiroyo is the smaller wrestler in the ring, but she shows no fear and batters Amazon around. There is no one like Amazon in joshi at all, so her slow, methodical power style is really different. She spent a bit of time in SEAdLINNNG last summer, but she meshes quite well with Hiroyo’s power game.

They slug at each other a bit, and Amazon powering out of the front choke was a cool spot, but Matsumoto beats her with a really nasty looking backdrop that drops Amazon right on her head. A bit slow and ponderous considering the rest of the card, but not terrible. **3/4

Takase Arita vs Nakajima Sae Arisa Nakajima & Sae vs Himekia Arita & Miyuki Takase: I’m here for this almost as much as the main event. The vacant tag titles are up for grabs here and the Actwres Girl’Z really want to show Arisa that they are on the same level.

The Pink and Black Attack (which I’m now dubbing this team until Ayame comes back) have a great combination of power and vicious speed, and that is matched in the power of Arita and the pure greatness of Takase. I love Sae and Himeki, but let’s be honest, we are all here to watch Arisa and Miyuki beat the piss out of each other, and they didn’t let us down. I need this singles match more than I realised. Arita hits some big power moves, and tries to pull Arisa’s leg out of the socket with a single leg crab, but Nakajima rolls out of a rack attempt and plants a double stomp into the gut. Ouch.

Arita gets kicked pretty hard in the face, and takes a German suplex for a surprise pin from Arisa. I’m not sure if this was meant to be the finish, as there was no real reaction and a bit of confusion afterwards. Himeki looked totally out of it, so not sure. Shame really because it had been a really hot match before that. Takase and Arisa are pulled apart after the match, and Arita is out of the ring with a lot of blood from her mouth, so I hope she’s alright. ***1/2

Shimoda Yoshiko vs Iroha Shindo Mima Shinoda & Yoshiko vs Mikoto Shindo & Takumi Iroha: This was mainly the ‘watch Takumi and Yoshiko beat each other up’ show, which i’m fine with because it was really good. Mima Shimoda didn’t really have much to do, and Mikoto Shindo did even less but the story here seems to be set up one of these two to face Nanae.

Highlights included a beautiful Swanton from Takumi (but she missed, so it wasn’t that great, but it looked great), a ridiculous looking headbutt from Yoshiko, that Iroha then gave her a very tough elbow receipt for and the traditional ‘Marvelous rookie spamming dropkicks’ spot. Really enjoyable match, and Yoshiko wins after a big lariat. Afterwards, Saori Anou turns up and challenges Yoshiko (I think?). She looked raging about something at least. Man I need to learn Japanese. The Actwres Girlz are doing everything to demand respect on this show, and its great. ***1/2

Nanae vs ASUKA Nanae Takahashi vs ASUKA: I had heard a lot of hype about this match before I saw it, but goddamn did it live up to it! ASUKA attacks Nanae at the bell, knocking her off the top rope and then attempts an insane moonsault into the streamers. Nanae moves and then flattens ASUKA with a big clothesline. Then ASUKA starts trying to murder Nanae’s head with chairs. This is crazy.

Then we brawl through the crowd and ASUKA adds her name to the list of people who have moonsaulted across the stairs in Korakuen. When the action returns to the ring, it remains at a great pace, with ASUKA trying to break Nanae’s arm while Nanae is trying to tear ASUKA’s leg out of place. The driver on the apron was sickening, while Nanae’s massive powerbombs on ASUKA look brutal as well. There’s even a ref bump, which happens so rarely in joshi you can actually buy it as a spot again. ASUKA’s kicks always look great, especially one superkick when both go down.

ASUKA is the next joshi megastar waiting to happen. Her deadlift German suplex was incredible, her moonsaults are crisp and on point almost every time, and she’s just exciting and different to watch. But Nanae’s experience wins through in the end; after ASUKA kicks out of the big splash, Nanae drops her with the One Second EX and gets the win. Absolutely fantastic match. Afterwards we get Takumi Iroha and Yoshiko out to determine the next challenger maybe? I wish I had subtitles for these parts. Ayway, give it to Iroha bcause she’s magic! ****1/2

Final thoughts: Really solid show, with a killer main event and a lot of good undercard stuff. It’s a shame about the tag team title match not going longer, but it was fantastic up to that point. Himeki was KO’d and it had to end. Definitely a show worth watching though, lots of variety and a frontrunner for MotY in the main event.

Show Review: Ice Ribbon – Osaka Ribbon 17th February 2019

April 1, 2019April 11, 2019 The KillchainLeave a comment

Osaka Ribbon.jpg Another day, another fun Ice Ribbon show. Probably the most consistently fun and great promotion in Japan, Osaka Ribbon comes from the beautifully decorated Minato Ward Community Center in Osaka. Another fun feature of this building is you can see the bellringer lifting the hammer every time there is a submission locked in! We’ve got a tag team title match, as well as build for Tsukushi vs Maya on the 31st of March. The wonderful Ai Hara is joined by tag team title challenger Satsuki Totoro on commentary.

Hoshi vs Suzuki Hamuko Hoshi vs Suzu Suzuki: The latest in Suzu Suzuki’s run of matches takes her up against one half of the Lovely Butchers. This ‘riding a bike’ gimmick Suzu has gained suits her perfectly. Hoshi isn’t the greatest technician in the ring, but this is a relatively fun match. Suzuki retching after the belly facewash was hilarious, and her bicycle bell corner tackle is super cute. Her enthusiastic comeback is stopped by Hamuko however, and she taps out to the Sharpshooter. **1/2

Moriya vs Matsumoto Hiroaki Moriya vs Miyako Matsumoto: I have no read on Moriya at all, but Miyako is normally fun in a match. This is mostly comedy, with a few decent spots but I think I’m missing the point on some of it. Moriya wins after a big pumphandle bomb. *1/2

Sera, Saya vs Giulia, Ozaki Giulia/Mayumi Ozaki vs Risa Sera/Tequila Saya: When did Giulia join Ozaki-gun?? Anyway, their music is fucking great, and Yumi Ohka is here too so that’ll add a star. We don’t get the Blast Queen Sera with us, but hopefully we’ll get to see Tequila’s finisher because it’s well cool.

Does Ozaki never get DQed because the refs are terrified of her? All this Ozaki-gun intereference tends to spoils matches, but thank Toyota that POLICE isn’t here. I hate that guy. There’s chain spots, outside brawling, everything you’d expect. The actual wrestling is pretty solid, but there’s not enough to really get too involved in. Ozaki wins with a brutal looking half and half suplex pin. *** (the third star is for Hoshi trying hard to stop Ohka interfering in the match by stealing her whip and running around the ring!)

Gekokujo vs Totoro, Itsuki Kyuri & Maika Ozaki vs Aoki Itsuki & Satsuki Totoro: I’ll never get bored of Kyuri and Maika’s entrance, especially when you get Ai dancing on commentary AND in the background. I quite like Satsuki Totoro but this is my first look at Itsuki. Totoro is the hometown hero here, so that explains all the streamers.

Maika Ozaki is such a great power joshi. She almost meets her match in Totoro and Itsuki here though, both big strong women, and Kyuri ends up being ragdolled around quite a bit at the start. She has some nice looking submissions to help hold her own though. The two big top rope spots from Totoro made me wince, first her senton then the Codebreaker from Kyuri. That backbreaker/senton double team is sickening too. Ozaki racks Totoro twice, and drops her hard on the second. Kyuri and Maika win after Maika hits the top rope senton to pin Totoro after the spinning rack bomb. Great match, lots of really good moments, and another successful defence! ****

Miyagi, Maya, Uno vs Tsukushi, Tsukasa, Makoto.jpg Makoto, Tsukasa Fujimoto & Tsukushi vs Maya Yukihi, Matsuya Uno & Mochi Miyagi: Your main event for the evening has at least 4 great wrestlers in it, so this should be fun. Tsukushi blows Yukihi’s handshake off at the start, so we’re clear where this is going. There’s no love lost here between these two, some stiff kicks and a beautifully crisp backbreaker by Maya showing that clearly.

Fujimoto is getting some panda kicking practice by teeing off hard on Uno, while Totoro on commentary is sitting waving a stuffed panda. Storytelling at its finest. This match is high pace, high octane stuff with some brutal stiff shots, especially when Tsukushi and Maya are involved. I thought Maya was dead after that low dropkick to the face! I didn’t realise how much I’d like to see Makoto vs Maya either until this match, but put that further down the line for an awesome singles. There’s non stop action all the way through, with everyone getting a moment to shine. I didn’t realise that Uno was only a two year pro untl tday, and even Mochi Miyagi was throwing herself around hard.

The match ends after Tsukushi manages to springboard off the rope into a hurricanarana rollup on Yukihi and gets the win. She then challenges Maya for the belt, which is on the 31st March show. That’ll be a barnburner. ****

Final thoughts: A good to great show, with two must watch matches and some decent undercard stuff. Mostly laying the groundwork for what is still to come, nevertheless Osaka Ribbon is a show that is worth watching for sure!

Show Review: SEAdLINNNG Let’s Get D!! 20th Jan 2019

March 18, 2019March 25, 2019 The KillchainLeave a comment

‘Let’s Get D!!’ is the name that will lead to the most LOLs on the internet about SEAdLINNNG but this looks to be a really interesting show. You have two title matches, plus a load of talent from across the joshi spectrum, from Ice Ribbon, Actwres girl’Z, WAVE, Marvelous and some freelancers too. The main event looks to be a killer, and the tag team title match is going to be awesome as well.

ASUKA vs Himeki Arita: A clash of styles here, as the powerhouse Himeki goes against the insanely athletic ASUKA. It’s not often that ASUKA comes across someone the same size as her, and I always like Himeki, who lights up ASUKA with a huge slap at the start. A pretty even back and forth match that ends with ASUKA pinning Arita after a chokeslam and then a moonsault. ***

Tsukushi vs Mei vs Kobayashi Tsukushi vs Mei Hoshizuki vs Kaho Kobayashi: These high speed matches are still a bit of a mystery to me, but the pace is always insane so that’s a definitely plus. And we’ve got one of the super talented Marvelous rookies, AND Tsukushi in here, so it should be good. I don’t really know Kaho at all, so this’ll be fun.

Tsukushi and Mei work together on Kaho for a while, then Tsukushi takes over on Mei. It’s all very high paced and fun, with Kobayashi taking most of the punishment. Mei is just so so good for being only 16 years old, she’s gonna be a star. A big star. Kaho puts both Mei and Tsukushi in a single leg crab and they plead for referee Taiyo Natsuki to help, which she does and then shows off her insane speed in a scrap with Kaho. Tsukushi is so mean by the way, she keeps getting Mei to help her and then betrays her. That low dropkick through the ropes and also through Kaho is beyond mean as well. Jesus that looks sick every time.

Kobayashi puts a beatdown on Mei, but Tsukushi saves her from the missile dropkick, only to throw Kaho out of the ring and steal a roll up on Mei. The Mean Girl of Joshi wins! ***1/4

Makoto Fujimoto Hoshi vs Mizunami Sae Nagahama Tsukasa Fujimoto/Hamuko Hoshi/Makoto vs Ryo Mizunami/Sae/Hiroe Nagahama: Ice Ribbon vs WAVE? Man this is guaranteed to be a fun match.

And what a fun match it was. Mizunami is just overflowing with charisma, Fujimoto was great as always, and I really enjoyed the times Sae and Makoto were in the ring too. Really underrated pair I feel, and of course Hoshi is Hoshi. She’s not the greatest but she never sucks and her involvement is always good fun, particularly when she missed a big boot entirely and then just kept waving her foot in the air. I laughed out loud at that. I didn’t know of Nagahama at all before this match, but she seemed pretty decent as well, especially when almost murdering Hoshi with a low dropkick in the ropes.

The Ice Train rolling sentons spot was great, Hoshi and Ryo beating lumps out of each other was good, and the final stretch with Fujimoto and Sae was really good too, leading to Tsukasa tapping Sae out. ***1/2

Nakajima Sasamura vs Hotta Takase Arisa Nakajima & Ayame Sasamura vs Yumiko Hotta & Miyuki Takase: Yumiko Hotta’s theme is boss, as is her jacket. Also, I watched her vs Aja Kong from the 90s recently, and have a massive new respect for her. This match should rule. Sasamura and Nakajima seem like an unlikely team but they rock.

Sasamura is absolutely great as the babyface in peril, and some of the exchanges between Nakajima and Takase are fiery to say the least. The best part really is the fact that Yumiko Hotta doesn’t feel out of place or a step behind here. She’s the cagey veteran, but slots in perfectly. This is a match that ebbs and flows brilliantly, crescendoing from the moment Arisa DDT’s Miyuki on the apron from the top. The strike exchange from Sasamura and Takase on the outside is brutal, while on the other side, there is loads of chair related violence from Arisa and Yumiko.

Back in the ring, Yumiko blasts the ref with a chair accidentally, then breaks it over Nakajima’s head. Ouch. This has turned into a brawl, with Hotta busting Sasamura with a chair too, and throwing Arisa around with a chain round her. Poor Ayame is bleeding heavily, and can barely stand but that doesn’t kill her fighting spirit. What a hero. Everything Arisa does looks like it hurts, and her and Takase wailing on each other is a single match I’d LOVE to see. Hotta breaking up a pinfall attempt by launching the chain across the ring was a great touch, as was Ayame then beating her with it. That allows Arisa to get the win with a beautiful Dragon Suplex. Awesome match, and the visual of the blood stained Sasamura afterwards standing defiantly in Hotta’s face was great ****

Yoshiko vs Nanae Nanae Takahashi vs Yoshiko: Teacher vs student for Nanae’s first defence of the Beyond the Sea title since she won it against Arisa Nakajima in November, and it is against her protege Yoshiko who slips beneath a lot of people’s radar as a hell of a worker.

The start is cagey, a feeling out process that leads to a nice bit of chain wrestling, and Yoshiko takes the advantage by going for Nanae’s right arm. Any time it looks like Takahashi is going to get free, Yoshiko takes her apart from another direction. This is as close as to a true hoss battle as you’ll probably get in all of joshi, and of course your enjoyment of such a match will depend entirely on your opinions of Yoshiko and indeed Nanae.

The thing is, I enjoy them both, and therefore I thought this match was really great. The two of them beat the crap out of each other, and the way they cleverly covered Yoshiko getting her foot caught on the rope into part of the match story was really good. Nanae keeps going back to the knee, Yoshiko working on the arm, and it is wrestled at a much more measured pace than a lot of joshi. There was a lot of stiff looking shots, and the wrestling on display here was top class. Nanae wins with her big top rope splash, and I believe this is one of the best matches this year. It’ll never get the credit it deserves due to the participants, but if you can separate the performance from the performers, this is an absolute must watch. ****1/4

FINAL THOUGHTS: A great show, with two must watch title matches and everything else underneath was entertaining as well. Both the tag team title match and the main event have jumped into my top ten matches for the year.

MotY List: 1 – Utami Hayashishita vs Mayu Iwatani 24th Sept 2018

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 The KillchainLeave a comment

1 Utami vs Mayu

As debut years go, Utami Hayashishita may have had the best since Jun Akiyama. From her debut in August to the final of the 5*Star Grand Prix a mere 6 weeks later, it is obvious that Stardom have huge faith in her. But don’t forget, she earned her way to number one on this list. Her story almost overshadowed the joy of watching Mayu Iwatani who is also having a great in ring year.

The matching of the veteran and the rookie was a perfect idea, as any butterflies could be hidden by Mayu. Mayu goes to work on Utami’s arm early, hoping to weaken the Torture Rack. Utami is noticeably bigger than Mayu, and her strength comes into play frequently. First when she picks Mayu up from the turnbuckle and just hurls her to the floor, and later when she drags Mayu over the top rope into a sleeper. Mayu’s run up the ropes twist into a missIle dropkick was lush, but Utami repeatedly finds a way to slow her down. She takes a mean superkick to the face, but comes back with a huge lariat that looks like it broke Mayu’s neck.

Mayu lying like a rag doll over Utami’s shoulders is a great image, and that Torture Rack slam looks nice. The rookie going to the top works the first time, but she’s caught in a huge Frankensteiner and then Mayu kicks her in the face repeatedly. Utami tries desperately to break free from the Dragon suplex but can’t manage twice, and Mayu wins.

When you put together the story of Utami’s debut year, the in ring prowess of Iwatani and the fact that the two meshed so well together, there was really no other option for my Match of the Year. This was a masterclass, the only five star Joshi match I had this year on my list and it was a thing of sublime, timeless beauty. These two are megastars waiting to explode.

MotY List: 2 – Arisa Nakajima vs Misaki Ohata 14th Jan 2018

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 The KillchainLeave a comment

2 Arisa vs Misaki

This might be the match that got me back into Joshi in a big way at the end of this year. Match of the Year lists are so hard because there is so much stuff early in the year that can be forgotten because it was a long time ago. Ohata vs Nakajima was probably the first great Joshi match of the year, and it kick started a feud that ranks up there as one of the finest and most violent this year.

Arisa Nakajima is like if Manami Toyota if she had a bad attitude. She can be awesomely vicious, but can wrestle with the best of them. Ohata is one of the better all rounders in the genre, and the fact that she’s retiring this year is heartbreaking to someone like me who has just discovered her. The chain wrestling at the start of this match is fluid, inventive and beautifully done, before it descends into a stiff slugfest. Everything they do to each other looks legit, particularly the hard crossbody on the bottom rope by Ohata. What I like is how, throughout the match, each aim little kicks or slaps at each other, just to show a bit of disdain, building the tension really well.

They trade some nasty looking suplexes, including one Dragon suplex that dumps Arisa right on her head. But she sorts a receipt for that later on, when the two struggle desperately to hook in the killer blow. Nakajima finally gets her with a half and half suplex for the pin. Probably more important for what it began, but this match was a perfect example of great wrestling drawing you in, hooking your attention and never wanting to look away. Sure, their feud got more violent and more dramatic, but this is where it began, with two amazing women wrestlers fighting for the ultimate prize; victory.

MotY List: 3 – Arisa Nakajima vs Nanae Takahashi 1st Nov 2018

December 16, 2018 The KillchainLeave a comment

3 Arisa vs Nanae

The end of SEAdLINNNG’s Beyond the Sea tournament to decide their champion, Arisa Nakajima vs promotion owner Nanae Takahashi in what was always going to be a classic. Nakajima has been outstanding this year, with a violence laden feud with Ohata being a highlight, as well as numerous great tag matches. She beat Hanako Nakamori and Rina Yamishita to get here, the Yamashita match being particularly great. Takahashi beat Takumi Iroha and Hiroyo Matsumoto to make it to the final, unsurprisingly the Matsumoto match was also outstanding. To crown the first champion is always key for a promotion, and the match needs to be great as well. This outmatched all of my expectations and cemented Nakajima as a definite Joshi of the year contender.

3 Arisa

This is what we refer to as ‘murder face’

The fluidity of the work here is awe inspiring. Back and forth they go, exchanging holds, submissions, without a moment’s pause. It flows beautifully, brought to a jarring halt by a double stomp right to Nanae’s stomach. Arisa revels in the fact that she’s grabbed the upper hand, gives Nanae a few kicks to the head and then a slap. A rye smile crawls across Takahashi’s face, and then she gives some big slaps back. Man this is great to watch. Arisa misses a dropkick and gets a wheelbarrow German for her trouble. Takahashi tries to grind Arisa down with twisted armbars, but she escapes and drops Nanae real hard on the apron from the top. Man, I mean she bounces off to the floor. Then gets a top rope stomp to the outside. Arisa looks like a killer here, a legitmately title threat to anyone.

Nanae barely makes it back in before 20, and gets some kicks to the face for her reward. Arisa now targets the leg, including a wonderfully smooth roll up into a stretch muffler combo. Nanae starts to fight back but Arisa cuts her off again. Every time it looks like Nanae may get somewhere, Nakajima is a step ahead. The pace quickens, the crescendo is coming, everything gets more reactions. Arisa goes to the top, Nanae punches her square in the mouth, Nana Rocker from the top then a big splash, OH! Two count, but that’s all. Tiger suplex and a moonsault from Arisa! Two count again, but it’s getting closer. Who will get that final blow? A Japanese Ocean Queen Bee Bomb, then a One Second EX finishes Arisa off and Nanae is your inaugural champion. Arisa doesn’t take it well, and I expect she’ll be fighting for this belt again soon.

This match is outstanding, with a non stop pace and the action swings back and forth with no clear idea of who will win. Big moves, hard hits and some fantastic wrestling, plus the drama of a title match means this is top 3 for me.

MotY List: 4 – Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Misaki Ohata & Hiroyo Matsumoto 9th Feb 2018

December 16, 2018 The KillchainLeave a comment

4 Arisa-Tsukasa vs Hiroyo-Misaki Now, I struggled back and forth on this or Oedo Tai vs Hashimoto/Chisako as my joshi tag team match of the year. Frankly it came down to me being a lot more familiar with the wrestlers here than in the other, but both are stone cold classics of 2018 women’s tag team matches. Fujimoto and Nakajima are an awesome tag team, Ohata has really leapt into my consciousness this year and, well the Lady Destroyer is the best!

The singing of the Best Friends (these are the best Best Friends in wrestling btw) is always fun because it clashes so hard with how grim Arisa normally looks. Like, ready to kill you grim. Ohata and Matsumoto jump them, and we’re off. What follows is a perfect example of high octane, high speed joshi tag team wrestling that makes this genre so much fun. Hiroyo is the powerhouse, noticeably bigger and stronger than the rest but that doesn’t stop Tsukasa throwing herself at her with all she’s got. Nakajima crushes Ohata with a huge splash to the outside.

The match is kept at a maddening pace, with a brutal looking top rope stop from Arisa to Hiroyo looking really good. Ohata and Nakajima’s exchange are particularly stiff, following their story from their match in January, which is still to come on this list. The two of them are the reason this ranks so highly, as their personal adn vicious attacks really lift the intensity. A nice crossbody through a chair gives Misaki the advantage, and then a beautiful twisting splash gives her a close two count. When they start battering each other with forearms, connect this straight into my veins! Some of the spots are insane; the superplex/powerbomb, Tsukasa almost kicking Misaki’s head off to break up a pin, Hiroyo powerbombing Tsukasa onto Arisa to break up a pin, it’s all so innovative and crazy. A Venus Shoot, and an Apron DDT leads them all outside again, and they’re all too busy brawling to get back in the ring. A double countout is the result, and Arisa and Misaki looked to be heading into a serious bloodfeud for the rest of the year. Just three days after this, they had a killer one on one in WAVE.

Moty List: 5 – Io Shirai vs Meiko Satomura 19th April 2018

December 15, 2018 The KillchainLeave a comment

5 Io vs Meiko

I’m not even sure how I could leave this meeting of icons off my list this year., But it only got as high as number five, which tells you just how good this year has been. A match of the year contender on paper alone, no matter what happened in the ring. Fortunately, what happened in the ring was magical.

The match starts with some solid chain wrestling, with no one getting an upperhand until Meiko starts using the knowledge she’s gained visiting the UK to trap Io in some interesting submissions. Then we’re off, with some big stiff knees, kicks and one knee in particular from Io that almost took Meiko’s head off. A match that was evenly matched almost all the way through, but with some standout spots. Meiko’s flip armdrag off the ropes into the STF was a thing of beauty, but even turning it into the crossface wouldn’t tap out the Queen of the Skies.

There’s a big slap exchange, before we get that insane suicide cross body through the ropes that always looks like it’s going to kill someone. Io takes over, with a Tiger Feint Kick (I’m not calling it a 619, I’m just not) and a big missile dropkick. Man she lands hard on that one. I’m sure the WWE wll be happy to watch those head drops on Io, and that cartwheel knee drop looks very nasty. The action comes thick and fast, knee strikes, moonsault attempts, some real stiff kicks from Meiko that knocks Io straight out of the ring.

This leads to the most insane spot, the top rope moonsault to the floor which is an awesome spot. Meiko is dragged back in, given a double arm facebuster but can’t be pinned. Then it’s Pele Kick, Tombstone, Death Valley Bomb, and the drama is unbearable. Meiko can’t put Io away with the DVB, but she hits Scorpion Rising and crawls to the cover. But it’s too late. The bells rings, and it is a draw. This is a match between two icons, two experienced hands, and it is every bit as good as you’d expect.